• my parrot is a democratic socialist
• my arctic fox is an anarchopastoralist
• my catfish believes in the divine right of kings

• vanilla is the 2nd most expensive spice in the world (2nd to saffron)
• which is why more than 99% of what we call "vanilla extract" is actually vanillin (vanilla's dominant flavor compound) and is not extracted from real vanilla.
• luckily, even professionals struggle to tell the difference when it comes to things like baked goods. but there is a distinct difference in non-heat treated products like vanilla ice cream. real vanilla has a more complex, individualized flavor profile.
• why is vanilla so expensive? because it is a ridiculously delicate & demanding crop. complete primadonna.
• vanilla beans come from vanilla orchids. these crazy flowers bloom for A SINGLE DAY and have to be HAND-POLLINATED in a process that is exhausting, delicate, and requires specialist knowledge passed down over generations.
• then, if you're lucky, you get vanilla beans.
• which then require months of further specialized treatment.
• the entire process takes about a year and can go wrong at any stage

• vanilla has been cultivated for over 800 years (possibly much longer). the first known cultivators are the Totonac, an indigenous people of Mexico.
• the Aztecs used it as a sweetener to balance out the bitter taste of cocoa. it was popular in a drink called xocolatl--the precursor to modern hot chocolate!
• it is only pollinated by a very specific orchid bee!!!
• which is why no fruit could be grown outside of Mexico until the 1800s
• Edmond Albius, born into slavery, invented the pollination method we still use today--launching a global industry when he was just 12 years old.
• today, the majority of the world's vanilla is grown in Madagascar
• if you want real vanilla, read the labels carefully--it's harder to find than you think!

• THREE TO A FUCKING FLOWER.
• it takes 75,000 flowers to make ONE POUND of saffron
• do u see this field? do u see this fucking field?

• this field will produce enough saffron to fit in a goddam...baggie? a basket? a smallish bucket, perhaps?
• and did I MENTION
• the harvesting has to be done BY HAND
• are u
• are u comprehending
• the Bullshit, are u comprehending it yet?
• can u imagine. having to sit over a pile of thousands of blossoms and pick each. motherfucking. thread. by hand.
• and after hours and hours
• (your joints aching)
• (your fingers stained)
• after hours of this nonsense, lo and behold! you have harvested--about a thimble full of fucking saffron
• jesus wept and so should you

• In a reblog of this post (so people can find you in the notes) or new thread (w/ rules attached) if you want to play on your own, post up to five (5) filenames of your WIPs; not titles, file names.
• Post a snippet from one of them. Snippet must be words you wrote in the last 7 days. We’re posting progress here. If you haven’t made any, go make some and come back to play!
• After you’ve posted, people can send you an ask with one of your file names. You must then write 3 sentences in that file. If the filename is one you can't share from (for example, an event or gift fic), write 3 sentences on it anyway, and then 3 more on another to share.
• That’s it! You can invite others to join in, or just post. I’ll be searching the reblogs to find people to send asks to!

• Twined Tails
• Clan Pet
• Yearning
• Evanescent

‟He’s a. . .” The brightly-coloured child hesitated, looping around to the other side of the angry, older one and eyeing Sho and Kei. ‟He’s. . .” ‟It’s a monster! Sho!” the other child shouted, darting closer with a wary sidelong look at Kei, reaching for Sho. ‟Get away from it!” He gracefully arched out of the way, over Kei’s head, and he might have laughed if his head had been a little more together. ‟He’s a sea serpent!” Sho observed, twisting upside down above Kei. He tilted his head a little - apparently enough to attract the child’s gaze; Sho smiled down at him. ‟A legend.” He paused, cocking his head, fins curling thoughtfully. ‟But better,” he said, and Kei blinked, ‟he’s real.” The observation did not soothe either the anxious child or the nervous one, and Kei snorted a little, amused despite himself. No, the confirmation that his kind existed, truly - and still; that the small, fish-tailed mers like the little one who had so fearlessly come to his rescue had not managed to wipe them out entirely - would not, he imagined, be very soothing.

• In a reblog of this post (so people can find you in the notes) or new thread (w/ rules attached) if you want to play on your own, post up to five (5) filenames of your WIPs; not titles, file names.
• Post a snippet from one of them. Snippet must be words you wrote in the last 7 days. We’re posting progress here. If you haven’t made any, go make some and come back to play!
• After you’ve posted, people can send you an ask with one of your file names. You must then write 3 sentences in that file. If the filename is one you can't share from (for example, an event or gift fic), write 3 sentences on it anyway, and then 3 more on another to share.
• That’s it! You can invite others to join in, or just post. I’ll be searching the reblogs to find people to send asks to!

• Twined Tails
• Clan Pet
• Yearning
• Evanescent

‟He’s a. . .” The brightly-coloured child hesitated, looping around to the other side of the angry, older one and eyeing Sho and Kei. ‟He’s. . .” ‟It’s a monster! Sho!” the other child shouted, darting closer with a wary sidelong look at Kei, reaching for Sho. ‟Get away from it!” He gracefully arched out of the way, over Kei’s head, and he might have laughed if his head had been a little more together. ‟He’s a sea serpent!” Sho observed, twisting upside down above Kei. He tilted his head a little - apparently enough to attract the child’s gaze; Sho smiled down at him. ‟A legend.” He paused, cocking his head, fins curling thoughtfully. ‟But better,” he said, and Kei blinked, ‟he’s real.” The observation did not soothe either the anxious child or the nervous one, and Kei snorted a little, amused despite himself. No, the confirmation that his kind existed, truly - and still; that the small, fish-tailed mers like the little one who had so fearlessly come to his rescue had not managed to wipe them out entirely - would not, he imagined, be very soothing.