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tweet to original artist

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i want 60 thousand votes by next thursday

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i think my favorite thing about tumblr is its vague appreciation of the night at the museum movies

ive never seen anyone on my dash say theyre bad or heard anything negative, i either see the gay little cowboy and his roman boyfriend or i see people talking about how the security guard would be great in five nights at freddys

never overwhelming praise or hatred, just a perfect balance of appreciation as if everyone has seen them and just thinks theyre neat

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one of the most challenging skills i've had to learn as an adult is the art of figuring out whether i'm proportionally annoyed with someone or just tired and overstimulated and looking for reasons to be pissed off

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You know what? Fuck it.

The amount of notes that this post gets by the end of April is the amount of words I'll write for one of my books.

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Moonlight Sonata

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Silly wee Jonathan Harker warmup sketch idk if I’ll ever finish

#(I hope the link plays without having to go to sound cloud but I guess I'll see #this is so good op thought having the song attached would add to the vibes ☺️ #hope you don't mind 😅 #SoundCloud

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The Count is readying the castle for his esteemed guest! There's much to be done.

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Shirley Jackson, We Have Always Lived in the Castle Vincent van Gogh, Garden at Arles (1888)

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My fave Eliot outfit

I've been very brave trying not to sway the tournament results but now it's over, here's my favorite outfit! Personally I didn't count hair as part of the outfit, otherwise my fave would be the Two Live Crew undershirt. The reasons this one from Cross My Heart beat it based on clothing only are that I like him in white, especially with blue jeans, and I really like the tastefully bloodstained bandage.

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"Cut the blood flow out to the brain. That's how you choke a guy out."

Leverage S04E14/Leverage Redemption S01E07.

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How could I ever stop loving you?

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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)