fangirlfromthedarkdimension

🌸 日本語 Greetings

こんにちは konnichiwa – Hello formal

もしもし moshimoshi– Hello formal

Used when answering the phone.

やあ yā – Hey informal

ヤッホー ya hō – Hello informal

Used to greet children or close friends.

よぉ yō – Yo informal (“masc”)

おす/おっす osu/ossu – Hey informal

Used to get someones attention.

おーい ōi – Hey informal (“masc”)

Used to get someones attention.

ただいま tadaima – I’m home informal

ようこそ yōkoso - Welcome informal

A common phrase to say after someone arrives after traveling.

いらっしゃいませ irasshai mase– Welcome formal

This is a common phrase you’ll hear when entering convenience stores or restaurants.

(毎度)いらっしゃいませ (maido) irasshaimase – Welcome formal

This version means “Every time, welcome” and is used by many businesses, especially hotels and spas.

おはよう(ございます)  ohayo (gozaimasu) – Good morning in(formal)

こんばんわ konbanwa – Good evening formal

はじめまして hajime mashite – It’s nice to meet you formal

おあいできて こうえいです o ai dekite kōeidesu – It’s an honor to meet you very formal

Used when first meeting a superior, like a professor or employer.

だいじょうぶ (ですか) daijōbu (desuka) – Are you alright? in(formal)

お(元気)ですか o (genki) desuka- Are you okay? (in)formal

This is often translated as “How are you?” but that’s not quite right. You would typically ask this if it’s to someone you haven’t seen in a long time or if someone seems upset, concerned or pensive.

げんき だった genki data – What’s good? informal

だった is a past tense marker for nouns and な-adjectives. It tells us that the word it’s attached to is relevant to the past, similar to “was” in English.

なんか あった nani ka atta – What’s happening? What’s up? informal

どうよ dōyo – How’s it going? informal

Although informal, it’s appropriate for most social situations when following another greeting.

最近どう saikin dō – What’s up? informal

Also implies the phrase “How have you been?”

お(久しぶり)です o (hisashi) buridesu– Long time no see (in)formal

This phrase is the equivalent of “Long time no see” or “It’s been a while” in English.

(大丈夫)ですか (daijōbu) desuka – Are you alright? (in)formal

My impressions of the chroma conclave, love these dragons. Some of the best I have seen in any media.

And then there’s Brimscythe! He’s dead.

legend of vox machina text posts

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!

US Elevation.

They said “before dinosaurs,” but we have a cave here that began forming between 450 million to 550 million years ago.

There are no bones in that cave. No fossils. No nothing.

That’s because this cave began forming before bones existed on land, and had only just started to exist in the ocean. Shellfish hadn’t evolved yet. Limestone, which forms many caves, was just starting to become a more prevalent rock.

those are over a billion years old.

that’s why they’re so small. they’re the last ancient remnants of a lava flow 5 miles thick. the lava didn’t kill any dinosaurs. or any fish. or any animals at all. because there were no animals. you know what there was?

algae.

those mountains were 5 miles tall when the most advanced life on earth was algae.

the Appalachians are way way old. the fossils that ARE found in these ranges are ancient marine beings, whose fossil remains predate the anatomical structures of beings migrating to land for the first time. THAT’S how old the Appalachians are.

older than the trees?

younger than the mountains, though.

Want to win a beautiful D&D-inspired blanket? In collaboration with the D&D Twitch stream Arcanarama, this embroidered dragon heart blanket will be given away this Saturday, 11/12! Stream starts at 8pm CST. Come and join us at www.twitch.tv/arcanarama! Also on stream this Saturday... dice giveaways with handmade sharp edge dice by Fable Fire Dice, and mini giveaways supplied by @morefuncomicsdenton! Love this blanket? Find them in my Etsy shop at www.etsy.com/shop/SirGregorysStitchery

commission for the lovely Tamara! (@paleesky)