Please Discuss (1?)

woke up and someone spilled vanilla extract all over my dash, so as punishment you strange little beasties are getting all the VANILLA FACTS i know:

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!

in conclusion, those tiny black specks you see in fancy vanilla ice cream? those are vanilla bean seeds! itty bitty orchid seeds!!! they are delicious and also a PRISSY BITCH!

(src)

Crossover ideas 1

TCF x TWST

(Spoiler alert. Beware)

Yall know that Lilia Vanrouge raised Malleus Draconia so I raised you this question: What happened when he meet Cale Henituse who also raised a baby dragon?

They both are father-shaped, a general/commander of war, a trusted friend of a royalty, you see the point.

I just wanna see some crossover between my beloved story/game and I do not have the skill to write a story. I only have idea.

I think its neat to put Cale in TWST world. Hes so lovable that small and big fairies alike just latched onto him even though he have such villainous traits thats barely shown unless someone mess with his loved ones. Just like a cat lounging around lazily but had no problem fcking you up.

The senate is gonna be fcked and got their golds looted or something because Cale is a scammer and got that Dominating aura and everyone keep mistaken him as a dragon.

Lilia is going to be his best friend or a platonic partner or something since they both are similars in so many ways. Look, they both have a dragon as their kid. It's perfect. let them raised them together.

Meleanor is 100% approved cuz she hates the senates and Cale did a great job giving a big middle finger at them.

Just imagined how he got dropped into this world out of the blue, cursing loudly at the gods like a sailor or just quietly seething cuz Raon is with him. Maybe he got dropped during a war, or infront of Lilia and perhaps Meleanor.

But anyway, everyone is watching him with surprise and with the intensity of the sun at what Cale, a stoic, pretty and a slender man, carrying so preciously and tenderly in his weak arms.

Its a dragon! A baby dragon!

Can you imagine the chaos? The misunderstanding? Like Raon, although his form is different than Meleanor's dragon form, he is by far most similar to her, minus the purple colour. It could be said a slight changes in characteristic due to different species of a father.

In other eyes, they probably mistaken him as the heir or that they dont know that Meleanor had two children and began to plot.

And then Raon, offended that they think he's someone elses son, pointed at Cale and said, "He's my father."

Que, everyone thinking he's a dragon or that Meleanor actually have two husbands and had hidden one. Meanwhile, Lilia here is trying to jog his memories if she ever told him about this or hes just forgot.

Or maybe Cale got send here and Raon at random place and Raon just coincidentally got dropped at the egg chamber. Everyone just thought that the egg had hatched even though its not.

Raon either admit or commit to the bit, just like Cale. Gonna trick them thinking hes the heir to the briar valley while he put this egg here inside his personal storage dimension and he latched to this one person that reminded him of Cale which is Lilia.

Lilia is sus but he had no evidence. Like, Raon is powerful alright and he's the only baby dragon here. he's also smart, but okay. The only reason he believed hes Meleanor's son is because Raon is so rebellious to the senates and they cant do anything because hes too smart and can obliterate them in one go.

And thats all, really. Dont have any ideas now. Thanks for reading this.

TWST Story Idea (4)

Actually, I have no idea what I'm doing. It was supposed to be a theory, and now it's a story idea with probably a bunch of plot holes and nonsense that I came up with at night. But do consider this idea though. It was said that there are 5 greatest mages in the world, with Malleus on the list, and Dire Crowley could probably be in it too. Who knows? How else did he become a headmaster for so long?

-

Fairy tales change every time they're written and told. Some parts are kept the same, some are not. Some are twisted enough to the point of being called disturbing, and others have their roles reversed, and so on.

It always changes. The words change from book to book and mouth to mouth. Sometimes because the story is a bore, or they wanted to justify the characters' actions, or maybe they simply have forgotten how it goes and made their own story up because they can never let it be forgotten.

Whatever it is, the story is made to fit one's own taste.

Dire Crowley is that kind of person who is unsatisfied with the ending of the stories he comes across. Being a curious bird, he finds it quite strange, vexing even. Why must the good guy win when they have almost nothing? The villains are cunning and stronger even, yet they are defeated by a goody-two-shoes who knows nothing of the world.

Curious, how curious. How could that happen? Logically, the villains should win. It's unfair, like the world is against them. Don't some of the villains come from the same root? So how come they are different?

Crowley wasn't having it. He wanted to know why, and he liked them enough to decide that villains should be heroes too.

And so, he made a story—a story with a certain ending in mind but a hole in between which pages will gradually be filled with time.

He made a world where 7 villains he carefully selected became the most prominent figures in Twisted Wonderland. He wrote the good things he saw in them, and gradually, people admired these figures.

He even made a place for their embodiments so he can watch over and figure out what made them lose. To do this, he made the Royal Sword Academy where the good guys are, the rivals to the villains.

Crowley intended to observe them. They are placed together in a school with 7 dorms. He wanted to see what made them different from the good guys.

It didn't take too long to figure out. Although they are thoroughly competent, they refuse to work together. Each came up with a different plan and proposed the others follow them. The others are of distinguished backgrounds and therefore are too prideful and stubborn to follow.

The story refused to move forward. It stays the same, and nothing changed. They refused to change.

Crowley is upset; this is not the kind of ending he wishes to see. Something must change to move forward, and so Crowley tweaks the story a little bit and begins another story with a twist.

The first Alice, Yuu, gets called over. Yuu is the anomaly in this story. The villains are characters that can't change too much, or else they lack their own identity—the "you are what makes you," if you will. They have to be the same yet different. So Yuu will be the catalyst to move the story forward, the wheels to the cart, and the cogs to the machine.

This Yuu was to be a middleman, smooth things over and let them work together. He was a person of low birth who somehow became a noble. He knew the hardship, and he knew how to connect with people.

The story ended too shortly, sadly. Yuu died. Someone with ill intention killed him, and the others are too indifferent to his death.

Crowley thought that yes, this must be it. This is what sets villains apart from the heroes. It's because they don't care about a single life, and if they do, it is because they lost a good person that benefited them a lot.

Was it because the heroes were kind and good that people would help them? Surely that must be the explanation; otherwise, Snow White wouldn't be able to escape and live due to the hunter and the dwarves, nor would Belle be spared by the beast. Princess Aurora wouldn't wake up if the fairies didn't seek help from Prince Charming.

Because the villains were selfish and indifferent, people don't like them and won't lend a hand. This wouldn't do. Crowley wanted them to be heroes; he wanted to paint the ugly black heart into pure white snow.

The ink dropped on a blank page, and a new story started once again.

Second Alice comes, and Yuu is her name. She is gentle, kind, and her heart is filled with empathy, and she is also willing to voice out her concern. This is good, Crowley thought. This will teach them how to feel, and they also have a rough childhood.

Surely if they are touched by her open heart and kindness, they are willing to change, be kind in return, willing to work together for the same goal.

He watched in interest; they appeared to be enamored with Yuu, who is like a little butterfly fluttering about, only for those wings to rip apart.

"Oh, why are they so cruel?" Crowley lamented. Instead of taking care of it, they'd rather have the wings torn apart. They could not stand the butterfly landing on someone's hands even for a moment.

Crowley called forth another Alice just as the story starts. Again and again and again. He will write the story as many times as he can until the story is to his satisfaction.

He exhausted his magic, and the villains are still doomed to fail by their own flaws and unlucky things. Yuu can only do so much before everything falls apart.

And then the ink splotches on the half-written story, and Overblot came to life. He could not erase their existence. The ink forever stained the pages. Crowley could only roll with it even as new anomalies dubbed Overblot began to pop up. The story hasn't ended yet, and he will only start anew if it stopped.

It was a rather unusual thing to say, but it is the farthest chapters that Crowley has been through. They were nearing the end in every new story with every Alice/Yuu changed.

He lost count of how many Alice/Yuu he has lost and how many villains that slowly changed their way lose their lives to these monsters. No doubt that the perfect story is about to be achieved. The greatest happy ending that the villains deserved is waiting just this close, with a monster blocking the way.

Ink began to drop from his face, dripping onto the already stained book. Crowley too is also nearing his end. His magic is already depleted from using his unique magic and fetching Yuu every time a story starts.

A new story is about to begin, and Crowley stood in front of the Dark Mirror with a white mask. The mask also had ink on it, telling him that the Dark Mirror too had used up their power to summon Yuu.

The next one has to be someone who could survive to the end. Someone who could befriend the villains and show them kindness and recognition they deserved. Someone that can change their ways and improve their perspective of the world no matter how little. Someone to be there by their side until everything.

He reached out to the person whose visage formed on the mirror, urging the person on the other side to take his hand.

"For thee, guided by the Mirror of Darkness,

Follow thy heart and take the hand of the one reflected in the mirror.

Flames that turn even stars into ashes,

Ice that imprisons even time,

Great tree that swallows even the sky,

Don't be afraid of the power of darkness,

Come now, show your power.

Mine, theirs, and yours,

There's only a little time left for us.

Do not let go of that hand, at all costs."

Who would have thought that the new Alice who will guide them all to the perfect ending will be a magicless human who is quite troublesome and reckless in nature?

-

Every Yuu is different. They are summoned from different world/dimension/time to help aid his story (to influence). All of them have magic. Crowley doubted the last Alice/Yuu (from the game. Depends.) will be the last key to open the final door since they are magicless.

Fits for yandere theme as well. This Yuu is very valuable and the key to happiness. Of course they want Yuu to stay here. Of course Crowley wouldn't let them go.

sometimes I think about how brussel sprouts, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, kale, collard greens, savoy cabbage, kohlrabi, and gai lan are all the same species, and i understand why biologists are constantly furious about taxonomy

I need everyone to know that the ship Götheborg, the world's largest ocean-going wooden sailing ship, answered a distress call the other day.

Imagine waiting for the coast guard or whatever to show up and instead a replica of 18th century merchant ship pulls up and tows you to the coast.

TWST Story Idea (14)

Warning: Spoiler and Mild Gore

If overblots are dangerous to those who overuse magic, then how dangerous is it for a magicless student who has never touched magic to be exposed to one?

No one knew. After all, this had never happened before until Yuu appeared, but even then, it was too late to understand not process how severe it was.

Yuu's first exposure to an overblot was in the dwarf mine where they came face to face with an unknown being.

The black liquid sloshed in the damaged jar for a head, its contents leaking out of its cracks, and its whole lower body was replaced by a sludge of black, forming a trail behind it as it moved.

Yuu made the mistake of touching the liquid, unaware of its danger and distracted by adrenaline rushing through their veins.

It was when everything was over that Yuu felt a bit off but quickly dismissed it as weariness and being subjected to a new and stressful environment.

-

The second was Riddle Rosehearts's overblot, where the experience was much different from the first. Yuu could see the surroundings being affected. The rose bushes were dug out of their place and floated ominously amongst the equally ominous red mist and sky.

Riddle's appearance changed, and with that, a being that Yuu came to learn as a Phantom popped up behind him, and it was much larger than the first one and so, so angry.

Yuu felt scared as the phantom wielding the rose bush towered over them, the ink, akin to blood, spilt over their face and shoulders.

The rose bush turned to cards before it managed to smash them to nothing but a puddle of blood, torn flesh and broken bones.

The cards scratched Yuu, and blood and ink mixed together.

Yuu fell terribly sick that day at the unbirthday party but felt a bit better after a couple of days.

-

The third was Leona Kingscholar.

The sand particles floated all over the area, and it was so dense it made Yuu choke and become thirsty. It clung to them and stuck on their eyes like a second skin, uncomfortably so with its rough texture.

The roaring of a Phantom with a lion with stitched skin for a body and a cracked jar for a head echoed all over the place. A distinct deep laugh could be heard in the background.

Yuu was scared of dying, they were scared of not knowing anything and facing the enemy blind, scared of not being able to do anything when their life was in danger.

Yuu was scared of not being able to go home in one piece or not being able to return at all.

When it was over, Yuu found themselves distracted and out of touch with the surrounding.

A good hit from the disc unto the head made Yuu unconscious, and when they woke up, they got distracted once more.

-

The fourth was Azul Ashengrotto.

Yuu did not feel scared this time, but they were angry. Upset at how this had happened to them for the fourth time in a row.

Come to think of it, this wouldn't have happened if those friends of theirs hadn't done stupid things like striking a deal, would it? Yuu wouldn't have gotten dragged into it if they hadn't begged for their help, would they?

Yuu shouldn't be involved in this and deal with the aftermath if those friends knew the consequence of their own actions.

Yuu's gaze bore deep into their soul.

And the ink goes drip, drip, drip into the puddle of ink.

The fifth was Jamil Viper, the Vice Housewarden.

Quite frankly, Yuu had looked forward to the holiday. No friends, no headmaster, no students roaming around the school for Yuu to talk to with the exception of Grim, which is an avoidable case.

Yuu is fully aware of the feelings that grew inside of them and attempted to quell it using this opportunity.

Yuu wanted to rest, enjoy some time to themself until Kalim insisted on inviting them to have a party back in his dorm.

Yuu rejected once and twice and more, only to be dragged there the moment Grim voiced out his disagreement and promptly accepted the invitation.

Yuu felt anger and dissatisfaction growing inside.

They felt sick looking at the feast spreading from one edge to another, weary of dealing with Grim and Kalim's antics and developed a fever under the burning sun.

The only time they got better was when they snapped at Kalim for his foolishness and naivety that started to get on their nerves, but even then, the feelings didn't go away all that much. It still lingered and steadily grew.

Yuu sat down and hid, waiting for the others to deal with the overblot. It was their fault, not Yuu's, so they should deal with that.

-

The sixth overblot was Vil Schoenheit.

Yuu was not pleased that their dorm was being used to house the participants of VDC when Yuu themself wasn't part of it. Why was Yuu in charge of them? Why was Vil bossing them around? Why was their privacy being invaded?

Why did nobody ask Yuu at all?

Yuu barely batted an eye when Vil overblotted, even as the stage shook and crumbled. Even if his youth seeped out blink of an eye and restored the next.

Yuu was angry. Yuu was tired. Yuu was…

Hungry.

Yuu doesn't remember what happened next, but Yuu recalled that they stole something from Grim and attempted to eat it before waking up with ugly scratches all over their arms, face, and throat and Grim crying next to their bedside.

Yuu turned away.

-

And then seventh and eighth overblot was Idia Shroud and Malleus Draconia respectively.

These two were the most stressful moments and life-threatening situations to ever happen to Yuu.

Stepping into the island of woe where a bunch of phantoms imprisoned and a dream casted by Malleus where Yuu got dropped into a war and the Sage Island covered by a wall of thorns, isolated from the rest.

Yuu got tired of being drenched in the ink and the blood that looked so real. Yuu got tired of being dragged into every problem just to save someone.

Yuu ate the black Magestones that they managed to lay their hands on. Collecting them like treasures and eating them while savoring the taste.

The Magestones easily crushed in between their molars. The bitterness began to coat the tongue that overpowered their senses that they wanted to spit them back out.

Still, Yuu chewed. The liquid flowed to the back of the throat, and then, the sweetness began to pop up, dancing on the taste bud and then gone in an instant.

Crunch, crunch, crunch.

There is no more taste left. Yuu yearned for more, but there's none left. Irrational anger and sorrow overwhelmed them.

Tears began to form and dropped down their cheeks, staining them black that is ink.

Drip, drip, drip.

The palms are coated with ink, and the floor began to form a small puddle, seeping into their dark clothes.

Yuu is starting to hate the color black and the chemical scent that came with it.

-

The ninth was Grim.

There is no phantom, there is only him, except he is not him anymore.

He is no longer tiny nor did he have a cat-like appearance and lacked his arrogant and narcisstic personality.

He is huge and now possessed bunch of tentacles and a snake for extra limbs. The blue flame surrounded his neck area like a lion's mane, enhancing the terrifying face of the beast that loomed over them.

The whole place got destroyed, and the students either ran away or were injured, but Yuu cared nothing like that.

Their vision fixed on a certain item while their palms bled ink upon grasping the broken glasses tightly

The mirror that was suppose to be Yuu's way home was smashed to smithereens, reflecting Yuu's despairing expression a thousand times as if to mock them.

-

The tenth and the final overblot was themself.

Warning: mild spoiler(?)

What are your thoughts if the Minecraft's End poem is applied to the Omniscient Reader's viewpoint? I thought that some parts of the poem just hits hard and would inspire a new story due to their similarity. I just thought it fits the Yoohankim vibe, you get me?

That part of the poem is this one:

And the universe said I love you

And the universe said you have played the game well

And the universe said everything you need is within you

And the universe said you are stronger than you know

And the universe said you are the daylight

And the universe said you are the night

And the universe said the darkness you fight is within you

And the universe said the light you seek is within you

And the universe said you are not alone

And the universe said you are not separate from every other thing

And the universe said you are the universe tasting itself, talking to itself, reading its own code

And the universe said I love you because you are love.

And the game was over and the player woke up from the dream. And the player began a new dream. And the player dreamed again, dreamed better. And the player was the universe. And the player was love.

You are the player.

Wake up

Random drawing urge (4)

Warning: Mild spoiler

Imagine if Allen Walker and Cale Henituse meet though. They can be call brothers or distant relative.

Allen's past as Bookman and Cale's ability 'Record' that focus on recording history. Friends with dark skinned man (Alberu and Neah/Mana), Hair (Red brown hair and Blood red hair. It's still red), an enemy that reincarnated multiple times (Millenium Earl and White Star).

Not to mention, Red!Allen have foul mouth and temper similar to og!Cale. And White haired!Allen and Priest!Cale's appearances match especially if Allen have his Crowned Clown.

They both work hard to earn money in their own devious ways and is good at pretending.

Remember the statement from D.grayman about the great flood that spread Innocence? Remember Cale's Ancient power?

Anyway, the point is, I want to see a fanfic where Allen is not who he supposed to be and they both messed up the world and Allen and Cale tried to fix it in their own ways so the end of the world didn't come.