#it was either this or the concha

[damconcha]

One thing I will never understand is how the Narutoverse treats Hiruzen like he’s such a great person

[ciceroandthelistener]

like i have animal crackers in my lunch bag but i don’t really want them even tho they’re the frosted kind

[florensflos-archived]

Curly ‘I’m-too-cute-to-be-suffering-from-a-family-age-old-curse’ Flores.

[muffintonic]

Rito “Hair”

Wood duck

vs

Teba. I rest my case.

...Just kidding! Anyway, this post kind of got away from me, so here’s a table of contents.

I. What IS a feather? II. An argument for Rito feathers III. Hypothetical grooming habits IV. Revali’s braids TLDR

I. What IS a feather?

To begin: the Rito are covered with feathers, we’re all aware of that.

Now, the real question is what KIND of feathers do they have on their heads and whether they need to preen/comb them in general.

Here are the types of feathers that real life birds have:

Wing feathers/remiges are asymmetrical, less flexible, and located on the wings for flight. 

Tail feathers/retrices are similar to reminges but have more of a fan shape for steering and are located at the tail. 

Contour feathers cover birds' bodies and have waterproof tips and fluffy bases. These also include flight feathers (remiges/retrices)--coverts are contour feathers that cover the bases of flight feathers.

Semiplumes are mostly hidden beneath other feathers and have a loose, insulating structure.

Down feathers are the innermost layer of feathers and trap body heat with their fluffiness. 

Filoplumes are sensory receptors (like whiskers) that inform wind, air pressure, and feather movements and are usually hidden beneath contour feathers.

Bristles are like eyelashes and are located around the beak.

Feather structures themselves are either pennaceous (stiff and flat with microscopic hooks on the barbules that interlock and proof against wind and water) or plumulaceous (flexible barbs with long barbules that trap air).

The calamus extends into the central rachis, the rachis has barbs branching out from it, and the barbules have hooks that interlock them with other barbules (the flat surface created by the interlocked barbules is called a vane).

Basically: calamus = roots, rachis = trunk, barbs = branches, and barbules = leaves. 

How do the barbules stay hooked to each other, you may ask? The answer to that is preening!

Whenever the barbules become separated, birds draw the feather through their beaks to rezip the hooks that keep them together. This process also serves to realign feathers to keep them aerodynamic/in proper tracts for insulation and remove keratin sheaths from newly grown feathers (AKA pin feathers). For the places they can’t reach with their beaks, such as their heads/necks, birds will run their talons through their feathers. There’s also social grooming called allopreening where birds--usually mated pairs--will help each other complete this process in the hard-to-reach places (typically restricted to the head/neck areas unless between mates).

Preening additionally removes dust/dirt and parasites while distributing preen oil. Most birds (a rare few have pulviplumes/powder down instead) have this hidden exocrine nipple-ish thing located at the base of their tail feathers called a uropygial/preen gland that produces preen oil. Preen oil is a whiteish, waxy/oily secretion (with every bird’s oil having a distinct smell--yes, birds can smell they have olfactory epithelium lining their caudal nasal concha and that’s one way they find mates/the oil is used for social communication) that birds use to waterproof their feathers, protect against bacteria, keep them flexible, and reduce feather degradation. Birds also spread this oil on their legs and feet to be transferred to the hard-to-reach places during scratching. Yes, I think Rito have the Oil Nipple (they already have the nictitating membrane underneath their eyelids, so why not).

Birds typically have molt seasons where the feathers that have experienced enough wear and tear that preening isn’t enough to maintain their structure are shed. Molts start with the innermost primary feathers/central tail feathers and move outwards. Bigger birds tend to have partial molts wherein they stagger the regrowth of individual primary and secondary feathers on the wings over the course of multiple years. Regarding molting, I interpreted the Creating a Champion blurb to mean that Rito chicks fully molt every season and the adults only regrow feathers they lose/pull out (kind of like how people regrow hairs that fall out). I guess Rito feathers are a bit more durable than normal bird ones? (Hopefully that means less time spent preening as well--normal birds spend around a few hours each day preening since it involves going through individual feathers.)

*whispers* Also, when feathers first form, they have arteries running through them--these are known as blood feathers. Eventually, as they grow, the blood supply recedes to the shaft's base and they become regular feathers once unfurled from the sheath. Oh, and since filoplumes are under contour feathers, that means Rito CAN feel things with their wings! (At the very least, i’d imagine they could feel if they were touching something because of the pressure sensitivity aspect.)

II. An argument for Rito feathers

In terms of what the Rito have on their heads, there SEEM to be two feather variations:

1) Feathers that have a defined shape and are the same color as the rest of their main plumage color.

2) Whatever these finer ones are (located around the back and near their ear holes) that are a different color from their other head feathers.

What can those finer feathers be, though? The answer was right there all along:

they’re still part of the same feathers. These feathers are undoubtedly crest feathers, which are semiplumes. Crest feathers are located on the head/neck/upper back, so this is kind of obvious in hindsight. Since semiplumes are plumulaceous, they're soft and pliable due to having a thin yet developed central rachis without any hooks on the barbules.

You may be wondering “what’s up with the variation in their feathers, then?” at this point. Specifically for their head feathers, it seems like some Rito have semiplumes that can grow long barbs (like Frita), and some don’t (like Kass and Teba). Some are even able to grow them out in places beyond the standard two zones for Rito (like Kaneli and Harth).

Basically, I imagine barb length to be something like our version of whether some people have straight vs curly hair (or can’t grow their hair past a certain point, I guess).

III. Hypothetical grooming habits

So, if the “hair” is just semiplumes and their barbs, what does that mean for Rito grooming habits?

For the record, I take every pun that any of the Rito characters make to be clues about their physiology because otherwise it wouldn’t make sense for them to be making such specific jokes. Revali says “winging it” and “preen yourself,” so therefore the Rito have wings and preen themselves (and also lay eggs according to Kotts’ “unhatched egg” comment, which seems obvious but also isn’t relevant to this post so I won’t get into it here).

Let’s go back to contour feathers for a moment. Since Rito contour feathers ARE watertight (I figure they also don’t have sweat glands just like birds don’t--imagine getting sweat trapped under feathers/creating bacteria and dripping into down? It just doesn’t work),

it stands to reason that they would need regular maintenance to ensure that the barbules stay properly hooked together to form that seal. AKA, the Rito need to preen like regular birds to keep their feathers healthy.

What would preening look like for the Rito, though?

Since Rito are a mix of Hylian and bird traits, i’m not entirely sure whether they have the additional cervical vertebrae that birds do that would allow for their necks to be highly flexible for tasks like preening. However, the long length of their necks is very noticeable, so I assume that they do. Either way, they nevertheless would be able to reach at least their wing feathers easily by themselves.

*whispers* On the subject of bones, I think the Rito have some but not as many pneumatized bones as birds do. Birds have hollow bones so their air sacs can form pockets inside them--they have a unidirectional respiratory system in which the air sacs keep oxygenated air moving through the lungs. This system causes the sternum to be pushed outward during respiration, which means that restraining the sternum causes a bird to suffocate. The Rito do seem to visibly breathe a bit differently from Hylians and definitely have no problem breathing at high elevations (seen in the landing of Vah Medoh and Revali’s DLC cutscene), but they also don’t seem to have room for posterior air sacs in their torsos and wear fitted armor. Their voluminous chests may indicate anterior air sacs (which would mean some hollow bones), though. Either that or it’s just from the massive pectoral muscles that birds require to fly. How much real life logic can be applied to fictional bird people in a world where magic exists, anyway?

Since their torsos are so long, i’m not sure if they would be able to reach their retrices or, like, the back of their lower leg feathers unless they could contort like birds do when they preen. Similarly, reaching the back of their heads with their feet seems difficult (I can personally at least touch my foot against the side of my head, but then again I neither have stubby Rito legs nor a bendy neck so results may vary). I feel like they must be able to bend enough to reach the places a normal bird would be able to, though, because otherwise why else would they still have feathers in those spots?

Also, we know they can control their tail feathers/at least lift them closer.

If the Rito can’t reach certain areas via beak or talons by themselves and don’t have/want someone else to help them out (or maybe just don’t want to use those methods), I think they would use special grooming tools. As far as re-hooking barbules together without a beak goes, I ripped apart the vane on this (peacock) contour feather and tested to see whether I could rezip the barbules.

I was able to fix the tear by pinching my thumbnail and the flat of my index finger together and dragging up the tear in the direction of the feather’s barbs.

I created another tear to see if this would work with a uniformly flat object (along the lines of a flat iron), and it didn’t work. This may be due to human error, however--if anyone gets different results, please let me know. Note: the vanes of feathers make a sort of velcro noise when manually torn due to the way the barbules hook to each other.

Since contour feathers seem to require a pinching maneuver similar to how beaks work, I imagine the Rito would need a sort of castanet-like implement with a prong to “comb” their feathers.

If the tool worked only for rezipping and not really cleaning, the Rito could do what conservators who manage featherworks (art/artifacts with feathers incorporated into them) do and use paintbrushes to dry clean unreachable feathers.

For the more hair-like barbs on their heads, a comb with wide teeth (and maybe rake-like ends) would probably work for imitating talons/another beak in the case of allopreening. The comb’s teeth would need to be wide since the branching nature of the long barbs and the additional direction of the barbules on each side of the barbs might cause snags otherwise.

*whispers* Speaking of Rito helping each other out: the open roosts, shared kitchen, and way that nobody wants to talk to an outsider like Link before he speaks to the Elder and gets the scoop on/helps with Vah Medoh’s rampage all point to a very collectivistic culture for the Rito (possibly even their feather industry could be run collectively if the feathers are sourced from whatever villagers can spare some feathers). I think this cultural setup lends itself well to allopreening.

In terms of styling their feathers beyond braiding, i’m of the opinion that the Rito don’t really do that since there probably aren’t many styles that would hold their shape without damaging the feathers. I can definitely believe it’s not Maybelline with them considering how birds in real life can naturally grow curly feathers,

straight feathers,

pompadours,

whatever this is,

and anything in between. I don’t think the Rito ever clip their feathers, either.

IV. Revali’s braids

Revali’s braids are definitely the same color as the rest of him and stick out in a rigid way (I think they only turn down a bit at the ends from the weight of his jade bangles), so his semiplumes don’t seem to be able to grow out the barb part--the ends definitely have chunky/defined bits and I imagine they’d look like Teba’s feathers when unbraided.

It seems very weird at first for him to be outright braiding his feathers directly. However, as we’ve established, semiplumes are very pliable due to their thin rachises and loose barbs. I test braided some peacock feathers, and I was able to successfully braid them even with the feathers being tail feathers with thick rachises and therefore stiffer. Notably, it was easier to braid them towards the ends where the rachises were thinner.

I actually think that Revali keeps them in braids specifically because: 1) Braids are an inherent part of Rito culture, and he really loves Rito Village (as evidenced by his DLC dialogue/diary). The only Rito who doesn’t have them is Kass since he can’t seem to grow out his feathers near his ear holes/his crest feathers grow too unevenly for braiding, and I think his little pin thing is supposed to be a substitute for that. 2) The braids/ribbons keep his feathers neat and clean when doing archery training (at least that’s what the Zapotec people use ribbon-braids for). 3) He needs his feathers to be kept neat and clean specifically because it’s hard to maintain them by himself (his habit of wearing scarves may also be to protect his neck feathers). There’s been no mention of his family or friends ever, so I assume he has none--every other champion (including Link) has had mentions of one or the other. No allopreening for Revali, sadly.

TLDR: The “hair” is semiplume feathers, some Rito’s head feathers just have longer barb lengths. The Rito likely need to maintain their feathers like regular birds in general. Revali can’t grow out his barbs, but the pliable nature of his semiplumes make them braidable.

[ca-dmv-bot]

Customer: nickname DMV: EITHER 'CONCHA DE TU MADRE' ( YOUR MOTHERS' PUSSY) OR URBAN DICTIONARY SAYS: CONCHE TU MADRE=MOTHER FUCKER (it's not his initials) Verdict: DENIED

[scientific-tricorder]

My anatomy and xenobiology brain was prompted by the skulls in Picard, and I'm planning on digging deeper, but a few initial observations.

Probably the biggest one is why do the Ferengi ears have bones?! Makes no sense. Particularly given that one time Rom physically manipulated the shape of his ears to tune in onto a specific conversation, showing that they are pliable - which bone is not! And I don't know of any creature with bone shaping the ears. Cartilage generally does the job just fine. Plus the way the bone is shaped suggests some notable muscle attachments, and I don't remember Ferengi moving their ears around a lot with intrinsic muscles But on the less obvious stuff, this pretty evidently is more a classic style Ferengi instead of the Disco version. There's some funky stuff going on on the cheekbones, and the skull has some nice nasal conchae. I also noticed that the supraorbital foramina (the little hole above the eye socket) was moved more medially to accommodate the bony brows. Those brows would also fill up the space where the lacrimal gland normally is, but there's also little 'pockets' lateral to the eye sockets, so it's possible that its located there instead.

The Borg skull definitely looks human, which might be world-building for how this world is human-centric, but once Borg-ified, one no longer counts as human. It also noticeably has the nicest teeth, likely either a sign of humans having better dental care and/or of Borg dental corrections. The way the metal eyepiece blends with the bone is interesting.

Martok's skull looks a lot more like the Disco Klingons than DS9 ones, and I don't think the ridges match up with Martok's. Overall, it is a lot more filled out with bone, as can really be seen with the cheekbones. Also the eye socket, with the orbital fissures seemingly closed up with only small holes. It also looks like there are extra foramina (skull holes), which would line up with the whole 'Klingons have double of everything' thing (although not for the mental foramen on the mandible for some reason). Big attachment areas for chewing muscles, which makes sense. And the nose looks like a little sacrum to me.

Dukat's skull is... interesting? It's got those Cardassian ridges, and then the 'spoon' is different. I did see one idea that it's a hole (likely cause of death), but it looks more like a colored depression, looking at the visible line of shadow in it and the overall symmetry (bullet holes in skulls tend to look a bit different). He's also got funky cheekbones, and an extra foramen in the angle of the mandible for some reason. There's a pretty obvious suture in the middle of the mandible, and looks like something funky is going on in the temporal region, but I can't tell what.

Last is Sarek's skull. I know others have already pointed out the little brow ridges. His supraorbital foramina make me happy though, with two on the right and a supraorbital notch on the left (these weird little variations are very common on skulls due to how they develop). Instead of an infraorbital foramen, there seems to be some sort of flat, curved opening on the edge of the eye socket. Looks like there are some relatively big attachments for various chewing muscles, so Vulcans might have a strong bite. We can also see a suture on the top edge of the skull, a bit to the side, which is interesting because humans most definitely don't have a suture there, thus suggesting that Vulcans have a different arrangement of skull bones.

[stumpyjoepete]

And Yet a Trace of the True Self Exists in the False Self

This is a Melon Pan that is melon flavored.

Which wouldn't have caught my eye except that Melon Pan is not really supposed to be melon flavored. It's called that because it's supposed to look sort of like a melon. The one above is a bad example to demonstrate that since it's a shitty prepackaged pastry from Family Mart, so here's one closer to the platonic ideal:

They're basically just buns with a craquelin-esque crust on top, sort of along the lines of French cream puffs. They don't usually have any particular flavor (or filling), but people make all sorts of variations. Chocolate, matcha, whatever. Making a melon flavored one seems... I don't know. Either a good joke or like something a child would invent ("They never taste enough like melon! I've got to fix this!").

I think I've heard of a similar thing with people making pineapple-filling Pineapple Buns (which are basically the exact same pastry, but from HK and named for looking like pineapples). Thank god no one has made seafood-filled Conchas.

Anyhow, I wonder what other foods have gone gotten this kind of name-reinterpretation treatment.

[loveofshows]

Flowers and a Prince

My gift to @concha (but for some reason tumblr is not letting me tag you) Its for the Ichihime Fandom Exchange! Thank you @ichihimeisfuckingcanon for hosting!

----

Orihime wasn't sure when it had happened. Maybe it started after she caught him comforting one of his sisters, voice soft and determined, unwilling to leave until she stopped crying.

Perhaps it was how despite his scowl, he managed to befriend all the servants around the castle, and though he would slip up and go red with embarrassment when he forgot a person's name, he still considered everyone a friend.

It could've been from how Orihime observed him interacting with children, inside the castle or out. He seemed to have a weakness to them, going as far as to let them use him as a jungle gym, even when he would rather be anywhere else.

(A child named Nel especially seemed to appreciate that, Orihime would giggle seeing the two interact.)

Or maybe it was the way he would sit in the castle garden, those rare moments Orihime caught him alone. The kingdom on his shoulders, and his mom weighing heavy on his heart.

He would never let his guard down enough to cry, but his scowl would disappear, and he'd stare off into the distance, carrying a burden he would never pass to anyone else, even if he could. Those moments, Orihime wished to help with the burden.

Either way, Orihime has completely and utterly fallen in love with the crown prince, Ichigo Kurosaki.

"Tatsuki, what do I dooooooooooooo?" Orihime whined, complaining to her friend.

Tatsuki laughed as she smoothed the bedsheets. “Well for starters, you can help me instead of staring out the window.” Orihime made a face but turned around from the window. “You could always tell him,” Tatsuki said after a moment of silence.

Orihime turned beet red and shook her head frantically. “I couldn’t possibly!” she said, clutching the pillow. “It would be improper.”

Tatsuki hummed as she picked up the basket and made her way to the door, Orihime followed. “Well, I guess you’re stuck pinning after him then,” she teased.

Orihime sighed wistfully, not really hearing what her friend was saying. “Could you imagine though? The prince returning my feelings. Oh, it makes me giddy just thinking about it!”

“It’s not unheard of for that to happen, but it’s frowned upon in other places.” Orihime frowned but nodded. Silence fell between the friends as they made their way through the castle. “Did you hear? The prince is looking for the servant who’s taking care of the gardens,” Tatsuki said after a moment.

“Really?” Orihime replied, trying not to blush. “How come?”

“Apparently he wants to thank them, but every time he enters the garden hoping to find them, they’re not there,” Tatsuki said, side glancing at her friend. “You wouldn’t happen to know anything about it, hm?”

“Nope,” Orihime squealed, “but whoever they are just doesn’t want to be found out. So maybe they’re there before anyone is awake.”

“Right.” And the subject was dropped and the two continued their day like normal.

Okay, so maybe Orihime was the one taking care of the gardens. She loved to spend her time there, the stars fading away to bask the flowers in a beautiful orange light. In the moment, surrounded by the morning dew, Orihime felt magical, like anything could happen.

And it may also be where Orihime saw the object of her affections the most, even if Ichigo was not aware she was there.

But at this moment, as Orihime trimmed the flowers, humming a lullaby she used to hear long ago, she found herself a little distracted. Afterall, apparently Ichigo was looking for her, wanting to thank her for the work she was doing. She was just doing her job, surely there was no reason to thank her personally.

Yep, it was definitely that, and not the embarrassment of talking to her crush.

“Ah, so it is you,” a familiar voice suddenly spoke from behind.

An undignifying yelp left Orihime’s mouth. Though she was still facing forward, she could tell the prince was laughing. Although it was quiet.

Taking a deep breath, she slowly released it as she turned and bowed. “Your Majesty,” she greeted. Before Ichigo could say anything, Orihime gasped and quickly turned around.

She gently scooped up the flower she had accidentally snipped off. “Oh you poor thing,” she cooed, ignoring the prince. She just hoped she wouldn’t get in trouble for dismissing him so quickly. She started to gently smooth out it’s petals. “You had such a long life ahead of you. I'm sorry I cut it so short.”

The prince cleared his throat and Orihime blushed as if she had forgotten he was there. She did.

“Why do you apologize to something as small as a flower?” Ichigo asked as he watched Orihime shift around so she was facing him.

“My brother taught me to value life,” she answered, “no matter how small or insignificant or important people think it is. Every life is important and it should be valued.”

Ichigo fell silent as he listened and Orihime was okay with that. She wasn’t sure what she was going to do if he had interrupted her.

“That’s a good lesson to learn,” Ichigo spoke quietly, “my mother used to say the same thing.”

Orihime stayed quiet, unsure of how to answer. The topic of the Empress felt taboo within the castle; her death had hit the royal family hard.

Not just the royal family, Orihime thought. Everyone within the castle and outside had been affected. The mood following the Empress’s passing was dark. And Orihime knew from experience of losing someone close like that hurts.

“Your mother was very wise,” Orihime said softly. She had turned around and started tending to the flowers.

“So was your brother,” he replied and silence fell between them. She worked in the gardens in silence as Ichigo found a place to sit. As she worked, she felt eyes following her every move. She had half a mind to say something but she didn’t. She would let Ichigo start the conversation if he wanted to.

And to her delight, he did.

“Why do you work in the gardens so early?” Ichigo asked, and she was glad at the topic change.

Because it’s your place and I don’t want to intrude, she wanted to say. “I don’t want to bother anyone. And since I’m working alone, I get to spend more time here. I think the garden is my favourite place in the castle.”

Orihime turned to look at Ichigo, who was kneeling, a flower cupped in his hand. He looked like he wanted to say something, but changed his mind. Instead, he said, “will you show me how to take care of the flowers?”

Orihime looked at him in surprise, though she was trying to fight off a smile.

“What?” he grumbled when he noticed the smile, and she knew she failed.

“You never struck me as someone who would want to,” she giggled. Nonetheless, she gestured for Ichigo to come closer.

Orihime felt tense as she began, but as she continued, she found herself relaxing. Ichigo kept his full attention on her, only interrupting when he was confused or had a question.

They worked together until late morning, only to be interrupted when another servant entered the garden.

“Ah, apologies for interrupting, You Highness, but your father is looking for you.”

Ichigo looked up as if just realizing the time. “Shit, I forgot,” he cursed quietly. “I’ll be there soon.”

The servant nodded, leaving with a promise he’ll let the Emperor know.

As soon as the servant left, Ichigo turned to Orihime, sheepishly. “I’m sorry, I have to go. I hope we can do this again sometime?”

Orhime beamed at him, already excited for next time. “Anytime you want!”

~

And they continued the gardening lessons at least once a week, sometimes it was more during the week. It all depended on whether or not Ichigo needed to relax after a stressful day.

Orihime couldn’t have been happier that they’re friendship was growing. Even though her crush on the prince hadn’t disappeared, she couldn’t bring herself to care. They were friends and she wouldn’t have changed that for the world. No matter what Tatsuki said.

On their next meeting, Orihime had decided to tend the gardens after she had finished her work around the castle.

“You weren’t here this morning,” a familiar voice stated. Orihime turned and shot him a grin. She turned back and ignored the way her heart thumped at knowing he came here to see her.

She shrugged and continued to work. “Well, I thought it would be better to work in the gardens after I finished my work,” she answered. Once finished pulling a weed out, she turned and bowed in greeting.

“Are you sure you didn’t want to see me?” Ichigo teased. Orihime hoped she wasn’t blushing too hard.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Ichigo chuckled as he approached, settling next to her. “I hope you’re not working yourself too hard. Sometimes I worry about what you do.”

“No need to worry!” Orihime rushed out, “Tatsuki makes sure I’m taking care of myself. I’d think she’d be mad if I wasn’t.” Ichigo hummed in agreement.

The conversation flowed easily as they worked, and Orihime found talking to him a little easier. Which she was thankful for. She found herself opening up more, and laughing at the stories told about his friends. She felt bad when he told her about what his father loved to do when they were alone. But couldn’t bring herself to feel too bad when the Emperor asked for it. Jumping on his son to make sure he stayed aware of his surroundings seemed a little extreme.

“You’re finished after this right?” Ichigo asked after they had finished and started cleaning. “Are you doing anything after this?”

“I’m not, is something wrong?” Orihime glanced over at Ichigo, surprised to see his ears had gone red. Was he feeling unwell?

“No, nothing bad. I was just wondering if you’d like to go out for dinner? We’ve been working all evening, plus I wanted to thank you for the work you’ve done in the gardens.”

“Oh! I…” she trailed off; face flushed as she quickly busied herself with picking up her tools. “There’s no need for that!” she started, and without looking at him, she stood. “It’s my job and all! Plus, I love working in the gardens! It’s my favourite place to be and well. I made a promise,” she squeaked out.

She was ranting, she knew, and she should have stopped before she said something she might regret. But she was nervous and couldn’t. She didn’t realize what she had said until Ichigo spoke.

“A promise,” he repeated and Orihime’s face turned red. She thought of not answering and just leaving. But that wasn’t how she was raised, and Ichigo’s question stopped her. “You made a promise to work in the gardens? Why would you do that?”

Orihime was silent for a moment, thinking. She never promised she wouldn’t tell Ichigo, and she never was going to tell either. But the way Ichigo was staring at her, it felt like she didn’t have a choice.

With a sigh, she looked down at the ground. “I made a promise to the Empress,” she said quietly, wondering if he heard her. “I had tended the gardens before her passing and she caught me once. She asked why I didn’t work here during the day. I answered, saying that I didn’t want to disturb her time in the gardens. Especially when she was with you and your sisters.”

She paused briefly, and glanced up to see Ichigo’s reaction. There was a flash of surprise but it shifted to nothingness. A little disappointed, she glanced down again and continued.

“She asked if I was going to continue even after she had passed. I promised her I was. The garden is the place where peace had settled and I didn’t want that to go away for you or for your family.”

After finishing, she gathered enough courage to look at him. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting but it wasn’t the softness in his eyes. Or the little bit of sadness that slipped through.

Worn out, she bowed her goodbye and left, leaving the prince standing alone among the flowers.

~

After the confession in the garden, Orihime didn’t see Ichigo for nearly a month. Well, she saw him in passing, and they’d greet each other as they saw the other.

But Orihime hadn't seen Ichigo in the garden at that time, and she was starting to feel a little guilty for ruining his favourite place.

And she missed him terribly.

So, after a lot of debating with herself and hyping herself up, Orihime went in search of the prince.

She decided to start with his private quarters. She had been in this part of the castle before, but only to clean, never to visit her friend.

Could she consider them friends? Orihime wondered. She supposed she could, they were friendly and though they were only around each other in the gardens, she counted that as friendship.

Too soon, she found herself in front of his door and froze. She wasn’t sure what her plan was. Apologize for ruining the gardens for him? Yeah, that was a good start.

Before she could knock, voices drifted through the door. Against her better judgement, she opened the door slightly.

“I don’t know,” she heard a female voice say, “that sounds like a confession to me.”

“Yeah, that she knew my mother,” Ichigo grumbled. Orihime frowned, unsure if she should interrupt or not. She knew she should leave, but her curiosity didn’t let her.

“Everyone knew your mother, Ichigo,” she scoffed, “she was the type of person who made sure she personally knew everyone who worked in the castle.” Silence fell and Orihime knew Ichigo couldn’t argue that.

After a moment their conversation started again. “I can’t believe you fell in love with a servant.”

Orihime’s heart broke. Was it so wrong for a prince to fall in love with someone who has a lower social standing than him? And who were they talking about anyways?

“You fell in love with Renji!” Ichigo was quick to shout out. Ah, so he was talking to Princess Rukia.

“That’s different, he’s a knight!” Rukia yelled but Orihime heard enough. As quietly as she could, she closed the door and made her way to her room. She all but ran as she left, just barely holding back tears. She supposed it wasn’t too much of a surprise that Ichigo had fallen for someone else. Especially after she ruined the garden for him.

At least she was dealing with the rejection now, instead of later.

~

She made it a point of avoiding Ichigo since, and it hurt. But she'd rather hurt now, then face him while he was rejecting her in person.

Though with her avoidance, the mood had shifted around Orihime and Ichigo and no one could understand why. And as much as Tatsuki tried to pry it out of Orihime, she wouldn’t budge. This was something she didn’t want Tatsuki to know, afraid what her friend would do if she knew.

So, she kept to herself and went the other way when she noticed Ichigo was nearby. She even avoided the garden for a while. But the guilt from that started to chew at her, and so she started going to the gardens again.

Orihime tried to keep her visits short, and she was familiar enough with Ichigo's schedule that she could go when he was busy. But with each visit, she knew it was only a matter of time before her luck ran out.

“You’re here,” she heard him whisper. She tensed slightly, but bowed in greeting before turning her attention back to the flowers.

Though her hands shook as she was trying not to cry. She wasn’t sure why he was here and she wasn’t sure she wanted to know. Though a part of her did.

They were quiet as she worked. It wasn’t until she started to stand that the silence broke.

“I’m sorry,” he said before Orihime could take a step. She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. Why was he sorry?

She looked up at him and voiced her thoughts. “You have nothing to be sorry about. If anyone needs to apologize, it’s me.”

Orihime glanced away when he went to talk. But before he could, Orihime continued.

“About the confession,” she explained, “I didn’t want to tell you that in fear of you never wanting to come back, but I did. And I know the confession sounds like a proclamation of love, I didn’t mean too. And I’m sure whoever has your heart, is lucky and I hope the two of you are happy.”

She was ranting again, and she wasn’t sure if she could stop. Taking a deep breath, she turned to leave. Before she could step again, a gentle hand stopped her.

Gently tugging Orihime towards him, Ichigo cupped her face and wiped the tears away.

When did she start crying?

“Orihime,” he whispered softly, and something tugged at her heart. “You don’t have to apologize for that. It meant the world to me when you told me about it.”

“You’ll still come to the garden?” she whispered, eyes not quite looking at Ichigo.

“Everyday,” he answered, just as softly, “and the woman who has my heart is you.”

She blinked, letting the sentence sink in. She opened her mouth to say something but nothing came out.

He gently lifted her face so she was looking at him, and she was hit with so much love that she wasn't sure if it was coming from her or him. And she couldn’t deny his feelings, not when she openly stated hers.

“I’m going to kiss you now, is that okay?” She nodded slowly and Ichigo leaned down.

The kiss was everything she dreamed of and more.

[mitch-the-simp]

President’s Side Piece is a Primadonna (Pt. 1)

To paint a scene; 1890, America. The industrial revolution was at its peak and the U.S. was a prominent country in its export economy, soon becoming a superpower in the world’s economy. At the top of this empire of democracy was President Funny Valentine, the 23rd President of the United States. A man respected from sea to shining sea for his patriotism and looks. He had it all: the love of his country, a beautiful wife, but specially the prettiest girl wrapped around his pinky finger.

(Y/n) (L/n) wasn’t just any girl, her beauty was beyond anything America had seen. Born to a rich and highly influential Texan family that specialized in being livestock auctioneers. The third child and only daughter of 6 children. Her beauty was unparalleled, she’d rejected the hand of many and has surrounded herself with only the best of the country. Amongst which was the President himself. And of course, her family urged her to become very close to him. Nonetheless, she did as advised.

“Mr. President...” (Y/n) whined. She held up a bitten piece of bread that upon inspection was a specific type of Mexican bread named Concha. Her face had obvious hints of dislike for the already bitten bread which seemed to be the reason for her complaint.

“What’s wrong my Bluebonnet?” Valentine asked as he walked up to her, placing his hands on her shoulders and massaging them gently.

“This Concha doesn’t taste the same like the ones Sarita makes at home. I refuse to eat it like this.” She whined again, her thick but sweet-sounding country accent adding sensuality to her dress that already pushed up her reddish, soft-looking bust.

“Oh Bluebonnet… It probably doesn’t taste bad, I’m sure it’s just a slight difference my dear.” He mumbled, kissing her cheek.

“No Funny, I’m not eating this. It doesn’t taste like the original.” She scoffed, crossing her arms and turning her face away from him in a tantrum.

He squeezed her cheeks between his four fingers and his thumb, looking at her with a stern but sexy gaze, “What did I say about getting too bratty about little things with me?”

He held the wrist of the hand that you held up the bread with while still having a grip of your face. He forced you to make eye contact with him and as you did, he bit a piece of the bread, chewed and swallowed the piece.

“This tastes splendid, my little Bluebonnet. I’ll say it again: I’m sure it doesn’t taste bad to you; but rather unfamiliar.” He mumbled seductively, letting go of her face. Still holding your arm, he moved the it towards your moth so you would bite the bread. “Eat it.” He commanded. She did as told, savoring the sweetness of the bread. Yeah, it wasn’t an authentic, Mexican Concha, but it still tasted good…

“Tell me, would you eat it if I fed it to you?” He mumbled, the words flowing out of his mouth like honey.

“Yes, Mr. President~.” She cooed scooting closer to him.

“Good girl.~” He cooed back.

It wasn’t uncommon of him to put her in her place when she acted up, but it also wasn’t uncommon for him to let her get away with things like begging him for dresses, or a cute little porcelain doll to put in her room. He’d spoil her rotten when it came for small little material things. But when it came to her whining about things not going her way…

They either resulted in him simply scolding her (like he’d just did), or punishing her accordingly. Either way, he adored. He simply couldn’t get enough of her!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Requests are open! :DD

[himemi]

tagged by @powerbottomblake you're insane bestie ily and yeah it's been so long since I've seen this type of post but whatever ill bite

favorite color: can you beat the color gold??? tbh how can you pick one when yellow, orange, red, blue, etc etc are all so beautiful in their own way (gold and black are so sexy tho)

currently reading: uhhhhhh so I'm supposed to be reading tlt bc you were lovely enough to buy it for me but lord everytime there's a meme reference I close the book 😭 im also rereading tg/cf and maybe I'll pick Carrie and Grapes of Wrath back up idk

last series: I just finished rewatching SamuraiCh/amploo but for new content it would have to be Ash vs Evil Dead bc BruceCampbell has a hold on me, romi & maria (we want him carnally+we can't get enough of his tits)

last song: lol it was either allegory, allegorier, allegoriest or magic lantern butterfly moth 16th century

last movie: we rewatched Midnigh/tCowboy 2 Saturdays ago but as for new movies, it would be Nope and I can't recommend yall go watch that enough

currently working on: just trying to distract myself to forget I'm depressed lol but school starts soon and that should help. Also trying to convince the besties to go somewhere together bc its been 3 years since we've seen each other :(

tag 9 people hmmm let's see if I can even think of 9.... @boktai @hannigramjpg @concha @nekowreck @shaiger @ithacanradio ughhh its too early for me to be thinking of urls like this just do it if you want and say I tagged you

[sherbet-shark]

Hello! Just saw that your requests are open, can i request how your ocs would react if someone surprised them with their favorite dessert/sweets? I love your ocs! You can pick any one of them if it seems like alot, reader can be any pronouns :)

~Candy Store~

Author’s Notes: It’s them who shall not be named 😂 /lh & J im sorry this took so long though, a lot of things been going on xD but I hope you enjoyed their hype. And before people ask, no I will not do student x Lóng, so his section is purely platonic as well as Rosie’s. You can read their bios here.

Monica doesn’t really have a huge sweet tooth but she does sometimes get a huge craving and is flattered nonetheless. A soft smile appears on the small woman’s face as she graciously holds the orange frosting on atop of a sugar cookie. It wasn’t much but she does love anything orange or mango flavored.

“Thank you so much, this is really nice of you. I’ve been craving something sweet too! This is great. Perhaps if you’re not busy we can talk a little more? I found something interesting while at the library, it maybe a led back home.”

Zane’s favorite sweet has to be conchas. He’s beyond dumbfounded when you gift him two loafs of the sweet bread. His father and mother would make this sweet treat when he was younger. It… had been awhile since he had those homemade delights. But hearing that you made this by hands to give them to him, it has his heart over the moon.

“You made these for me? Thank you, it really means a lot to me. My family and I would make these all the time. It really takes me back. Hey, as payment how about you and I go have fun at the night on the town? I can buy dinner.”

Shu thinks this is some weird joke, to have his student carrying a basket full of delicious-smelling Osmanthus cakes. The gentle floral fragrance with a slight hint of fruit makes the professor’s mouth water. He narrows his eyes as the small man slowly reaches to the still steaming pastries with skepticism laced in his movements and eyes. Even if he taught at Royal Sword Academy, you can never be too careful about bribery. Some of the students here have no qualms about it either.

“If this is some sort of way to get me to tell you the date of the next history exam… you’re totally out of your league kid.” Shu narrows his eyes as he brings the cake up to his nose to sniff once more. Rushing to soothe your professor’s wariness, spuring a flurry of words, “No- I just have been noticing you’ve been lost in thought and sad a lot during lectures. I wanted to cheer you up!” Hastily speaking as you try to convince the professor otherwise to which it’s met with an eyebrow raise and a moment of silence. ‘Maybe I offended him?’ Sweating under the awkward situation as you slowly move out of Professor Lóng’s office. That jolted the smaller man to action as he rushes to clear up the mist.

“I didn’t think anyone noticed… Huh. You got a good eye, now come and sit with me. You’ve reminded me of a tale I heard on my travels.”

Leif brightly smiles as he takes the bag full of apple slices from your hands. The way he beams at you makes it feel like you’re in front of the sun. Precious and sweet. Leif opens the bag to see the green and red apple peels. Reaching down to the bag, he goes to plop them into his mouth.

“Thank you so much! That’s very sweet of you. Do you want to come with me over to horse stables? I know you meant these are for me but I’d like to share to some of the horses. I may not be able to understand them fully but actions sometimes speak louder than words. Don’t you think?”

Rosealio innocently look up at you holding a cup of pudding in his hands with a small nicely dressed dodo stuffy under the young child’s arm. Crouching form to meet the little boy’s gaze, you tell him that it’s a reward for being such a nice boy. Rosealio looks down entranced by the sugary scent of the creamy pudding, seeing the white haired boy’s golden eyes widen even more as you pull out a plastic spoon for him to eat.

“…This is for me? Thank you. Pudding’s my favorite.”

[sometimes-petty]

I’ve been thinking...

There's so much to extrapolate from the conceptualization of the Maralto and the Process. When I first watched 3%, I've noticed that the system was further explained and explored every season, each time showing a different layer.

First of all, it starts as being cartoonishly and sickly unjust.

However, for the entirety of Season 1, we only see the Process itself, and only a fraction of the actual life on the Inland. Although unjust, the whole trial feels functional to the plot. The Inland is shown as a grey and awful place where to live, so of course, we only root for the characters to pass all of the tests, or at least not to die trying.

It reminds me of certain criticisms aimed at stereotypical YA dystopian novels/movies, where the worldbuilding displays the society in it as generically unjust, but the characters are never shown truly struggling under the system.

Like in The Hunger Games, during the first season of 3%, the emphasis is less on fighting the system and more on getting out alive from the Process. It's a necessary step, being that it's the first season.

Secondly, in Season 2 the system starts becoming unfair.

It's slightly different than in the previous season, however, it's the first crack in the façade of the Maralto and starts showing how deeply human the system truly is.

Like I said in another post, Marcela considered giving Marco a second chance in passing the Process, because he's her son and she loves him, despite changing her mind in the end and prioritizing the Maralto's laws over him - after he failed another task. The OG Rafael tried to participate in the Process the same way his brother did one year earlier. André outright murdered his own mentor rather than losing the privilege he received in passing the Process. Not to mention the Founding Couple, who overthrew the entire society, causing countless people to die, to prevent their work from being stolen.

To sum up, in season 1 the Maralto can be reached only by one's own abilities and skills; in season 2, we're shown the collateral effects caused by this rule. The only point is not passing the Process, as much as getting to the Maralto, with any possible shortcut. Season 2 is all about the core of the selfishness that comes with the existence of the Maralto.

Thirdly, during season 3 the Maralto is shown in all of its ineffectiveness.

It all revolves around the Concha, of course, and all of the changes that it brings.

We know from season 2 that the Maralto guarantees regular vaccinations to anyone under 20 years old, as usual because they're the only ones who still matter. Nothing is done, nevertheless, to truly help them out of the horrible circumstances they grow up in. The most we see is in season 1 when Ezequiel goes (mostly) out of his way to take care of Augusto (Julia's son; she said that she chose that name for him as soon as he was born), though until it puts at risk his place at the Maralto and as the head of the Process.

Otherwise, kids on the Inland grow up poor, abused, and helpless, with the only actual support coming from the Church, that indoctrinates into worshipping the Maralto. As long as everyone lives like this, they'll all want nothing more than passing the Process and leaving that hellhole. We see it with Joana in season 1 and with Glòria throughout all the series. Thinking about it, the vaccinations are probably only there to make sure no highly contagious illness arrives on the Maralto through the Process' candidates. Elìsa herself never cared that much about the Maralto, on the contrary she didn't see the point in such a stark division, but she too was given the choice to either live in misery or well enough.

Then Michele and Fernando found the Concha. As it's shown at the front door and in practice, everyone is welcome there, and people start having a second chance. Of course it threatens the Maralto's position at the top of society.

It reminds me of the workers' struggles in various countries. I don't remember where I read it, but it was someone joking that, in the 60s, once people started having a TV at home and eating meat more than once a week, the Communist Party started having fewer militants. This is what happens when people's demands and needs are actually met. The point was never the revolution itself; it's only a necessary step after the government refuses for so long to act to improve people's living conditions.

Similarly, on 3%, once people weren't starving or getting murdered and finally had the chance to live a fulfilling life, they wouldn't turn anymore towards the Process for it. Even the Causa disappeared, since the reason for its existence became less relevant.

Finally, in the last season, the Maralto has long been stripped of any greatness it could represent for viewers, and all that's left to see is an illusion.

Once again, Joana face-plants into this new trial when she meets Veronica, and all her resolution starts faltering. Rafael and Cassia find a common ground in the way either the Causa or the Maralto's military gave them both a purpose when passing the Process wasn't an option anymore. André believes himself as the right heir of the Founding Couple and kills himself rather than living without this idea, even when the Maralto itself is gone forever. The same happens to Marco, Leonardo, and Naìr when it's time to flee. Even Natalia, the most determined militant of the Cause, ready to give her life for it, momentarily opposes destroying the Maralto when she sees how much knowledge is stored in their archives.

All in all, everyone is offered their greatest desire when coming to the Maralto - a mother, a purpose, happiness, culture - and only finds lies when they get closer.

The Maralto never worked. Laìs and Vitòr themselves had miserable lives when they'd rather choose the system they created over their only daughter.

The point is, the system was human-made, with all of the faults that come with it, and just as readily could be unmade.

To conclude:

"We live in capitalism. Its power seems inescapable. So did the divine rights of the kings. Any human power can be resisted and changed by human beings." - Ursula K. Le Guin

[gleeandshame]

Gbbo 2022 ep 4 blogging, spoilers obvi

Mexican week 😬😬😬 so a culture week is the new trend. I only noticed the last couple years

Syabira I hope she knows about Mexican bakes

Oh I want Matt’s shirt…

You know I haven’t been to Mexico but I feel like my family would not go anywhere that isn’t a tourist city anyway…..

Mmmm love street corn

Yeah it seems I really haven’t had Mexican bakes, like I’ve seen some but

The cracking on top of the concha remind me of Hong Kong pineapple buns, but you know different

Okay, just say weird stuff about Mexico….. 😬

A lot of these look nice

Well Abdul isn’t gonna change his recipe after Paul made a face, wish we could try the foood :’)

Not that I know how to judge properly but

Go maxy

Stingy git, lol

Tacos? Uhhhhhhhhhhhjhjhhh

Weird…. Weird

I never make tortillas either

Did Paul sal “pico de gal-lo”

Gay abandon. Is she that old it means happy lol

Bless you, Syabira

Pico is easy

Janusz has the soap gene lol

I can’t make refried beans, I have heard of the concept but then always forget about it and also I can’t cook

I can make guac

This is more a cooking challenge unless they really weigh it on the tortilla

My sister apparently has made tortillas, good for her

I want some steak

I would want to judge the tacos…

They keep calling the tortilla the taco, hmmmm

Get it Maxy

I know Syabira can cook so getting second on taco makes sense

Mmmm I’ve had Tres Leches

Moist

Fiesta kind of cake

So the theming of these cakes, probably will be iffy

I am trusting Syabira

Good luck Rebs, that’s an idea

Oh I didn’t know dragon fruit was native to central and South America, the branding of it all….. Even though all cultures have dragons

Queen of cutting the tops off (the cakes)

Sandro has a soak bottle like Mr Squeeze (how to cake it)

Syabira, noooo don’t cry :’’’’’’(

Sandro stepping away and still throwing decoration looooool

Carole pulled off a good look anyway

Janusz pretty cake

A lot of people in trouble I feel

Goooo Maxy!

Yeah knew rebs was going home early. Sorry James, he’s fun but can’t finish up all his big ideas

In other news, Derry girls is out and Halloween season of Nailed it, nice

[the-witch-of-one-piece]

yellow, cyan, magenta, and moss green 💖 love you, val!

Savannah!!!! 😭 You are so beautiful as well!!! We need to do a crystal witchy haul then after we go out wendy's !!!! This reminds me I need to make us a modern au of us going out for the day getting concha's, getting witchy supplies fan girling over our men and then going to get wendy's while we either eat at on the beach or in the car watch movies!!!!

SO PERFECT!!!!! Love you honey!!!!

[mothpawbs]

YOU

plug an aux cord into my head and the only thing you will hear is steel drum music off of this cd i used to have when i was obsessed with tropical everything just echoing around the hollow of my skull

no thoughts head empty just doodoodoodoodoo doo dooo doo doodoodoo

[fluentisonus]

Im sorry, your what essay!?

it's about the use of Meat (& food etc) and the language around it in persius' satires! he does a lot of very interesting stuff with it, both in terms of poetry (both wholesome and unwholesome) as food, and in terms of the body and the natural world around it as flesh that is consumed or wasted. really fascinating stuff

see for example:

haec [pulpa] bacam conchae rasisse et stringere venas ferventis massae crudo de pulvere iussit.

i.e.:

This flesh [of ours] that commands we scrape the pearl from the mollusk and strip the veins of red-hot ore from the raw dirt

pulpa -- flesh, here for the living human body but usually to do with sacrificial animal meat

bacam -- pearl in this case but also a word for berry

venas -- veins; we have this in english for veins of metal too but it's no less visceral

massae -- ore, but also a word for a 'lump' of something foody, e.g. dough (or maybe something bloodier)

crudo -- raw, but often with a gory or bloody quality

so the body is Meat but the landscape it is destroying is also Meat. the words here are also very violent & visceral, the pearl is "scraped" from the oyster, the veins of ore are "stripped" from the "raw" earth -- all of this is very reminiscent of butchering, including the human body doing it which is made of butcher's meat

all this resulting in this fantastic quote by everard flintoff:

“The picture is by now almost nightmarish. It is as though there is no hope for man. Meat himself, he turns everything round him into meat."

or here's another fun one:

conpositum ius fasque animo sanctosque recessus mentis et incoctum generoso pectus honesto.

i.e.:

A spirit made of what is right and just and recesses of the mind what is sacred, and the breast stewed in noble reputation.

conpositum -- this isn't culinary really but taken with the rest does feel a bit like it's coming together in the way a recipe would lol

ius -- this can mean either "law"/"justice" or "broth"; many puns have been made on this one!

incoctum -- literally "boiled in" or "stewed", related to coquo ("to cook")

pectus -- breast or heart. often metaphorical but feels very physical here

so the spirit is made of what is right and just but. it is also made of Soup, and the breast, despite being in the middle of a discussion about spirit (i.e. what's in the breast) comes across as very meaty in the way it is being "stewed" (into a soup itself)

(persius also refers to his own poetry in a very broth-like way, he calls it decoctius i.e. "boiled down" or "concentrated" in a comparison to other poets, implying that what he writes is healthy & nourishing unlike the unwholesome mishmash (sartago loquendi ... in linguas, literally "frying pan of speech on their tongues" other poets come up with)

there's a lot more of this too and it's v fascinating to think about imo!