#Another tangent about details that don't matter but brainrot got me good

[vilevexedvixen]

What species are the flowers in Fowler's fortress?

The flower with psychoactive pollen we see in episode 6 is probably entirely fictional, and not based on any specific plant. BUT Pondering over small, inconsequential details like this seems to have become my thing, so let's consider what it could be if it IS a real flower.

Based on its shape, the flower looks either like a waterlily or a lotus.

Fowler's indoor garden seems to be either directly above or otherwise near to the kitchen. Any water features such as fountains and ponds would need to be self-contained (to avoid leaking, or rotting the wooden beams between floors). Also, given how dimly lit the windowless garden is we can assume the flower blooms in the dark / nocturnally which actually narrows down which species of flower it could be considerably.

Now, originally I had assumed no waterlily or lotus is psychoactive so considered it might be a poppy instead, with the pink poppy looking the most similar to the flower in episode 6. The flowers we see are clearly growing singularly from the garden soil, rather than floating in water the way waterlilies and lotuses do. However, not only do these flower in full sun rather than nocturnally, it also turns out that there ARE psychoactive lotus flowers. Specifically Nelumbo nucifera or the blue lily flower and Nymphaea caerulea or the blue lotus, although these too bloom in the day and close up at night.

The broader taxonomy of Nymphaea nouchali / water lily has edible psychoactive roots (containing alkaloid aporphine).

It's pretty fitting for Fowler to cultivate a nocturnally blooming flower, given his crescent moon crest. Not sure if that crest is his or that of the Genghin clan, but he dons it all the same.

With all that being said, the psychoactive effects of the flower seem to stem (heh) from its pollen, not its petals as with Nelumbo nucifera. As it happens, there is a plant native to Japan which has psychoactive pollen containing "grayanotoxins" (named after Asa Gray from the 1800s. If Fowler talked about the plants it would be very anachronistic for him to use this term, so he probably wouldn't). These are a type of neurotoxin produced by the family Ericaceae (including the rhodedendron flower - not especially similar to Fowler's flower as they tend to grow in clusters with relatively smaller flower heads), with the different isoforms (structure variations) of the grayanotoxins each flower species produces varying the plant's toxicity. Whatever grayanotoxins are in Fowler's flowers' pollen act pretty quickly so are probably on the more potent end (so probably grayanotoxin III?)

"Mad honey" can be made from pollen contaminated with grayanotoxins, but the pollen itself is still psychoactive.

Overall, no specific existing flower species seems to perfectly fit Fowler's flowers. Lotus look the closest but don't grow in the conditions shown in the show and have psychoactive roots rather than the psychoactive pollen of rhodedendron flowers. If any BES fans are botanists or specialise in plants / environmental science / botany / related sciences, I'd love to hear what you know and think would be more appropriate candidates!

#blue eye samurai #abijah fowler #abijah blue eye samurai #Post didn't show up on the tags for some reason so fiddled around with it until it did #Another tangent about details that don't matter but brainrot got me good #Tempted to plant some blue lotuses and rhodedendrons now #botany #plants

[puppeteerisms]

First Dates

Hi. This all started because I had nothing better to do and I wanted to mess with Gege. Alexis brainrot going hard right now, fellas.

alexis - one whose interests shift like the flickering lights. somehow, someway, you're the only one who hasn't dulled the spark. i think it's funny to poke fun @ gege btw. it's what i could do for him since he entertains me so much with his dry ass humor and sarcastic quips.

you knew exactly the reason you agreed to this, didn't you? you liked alexis, and alexis seemed to return whatever feelings you have for her. she actually had to ask gumi and felicia for any sort of good idea, for alexis never really did romance. her job was to tame men and beat them into submission, not plan out dates for good and innocent men (as oskar would repeat every now and then. who believes him is beyond me. me, i believe him. that doesn't stop me from being atrocious though.) so this was a tough one for her. her brother wouldn't help either, we all know how he is. he didn't care enough what goes on in his family's life. he's well sustained on his own.

anyway, tangent. candlelit dinner was the most basic idea proposed but she supposed it was better than going shopping for snakes on the first date, it was something far too self indulgent and he wasn't kaiser for her to dominate and dismiss anything you'd want to do.

besides. free food. you're happy about that since you're broke, and she has all the money in the world right now to buy you anything you'd like, no matter the price. she had plenty of jobs after all, and most hoobies she had generated a wealthy income, so she wasn't fazed by what price you set on the table. you scored yourself a sugar mommy, congratulations. except that for this sugar mommy, you don't need to actually engage in anything you don't wanna do. kinda beats the purpose of the title but would you rather call her your girlfriend? wife? what is it. she won't mind don't worry, she'd still fill you with food and money.

you felt special that night. she seemed to never be much for conversations and interest in people unless it is a part of her job description, but here she is, engaging every single topic you'd have to offer. she seems to not know too much about (some of) them, but is willing to ask the right questions to keep you happy. she tries not to let the conversation shift to her, though. she's terrible with that and thinks she shouldn't be the highlight even if it's supposed to be a mutual spotlight sharing moment for both of you, considering you're on a date and that's how healthy relationships work. convince her otherwise and you might just get a special treat, though. sorry, it's the tamer in her. but you don't mind, do you. you're a good boy.

she flashes pearly whites as you told her some joke that had her shoulders quaking slightly, an elegant hand in front of her mouth as her blues met yours. they haven't left you once, and since she was usually fishing for things to keep her mind occupied via her phone, this was another sure sign that she really liked you. god, you can't help but to think she's so pretty with the afterglow of the candle illuminating her features. you were a nervous wreck inside, but so far you succeed in keeping it cool. you got to talking about snakes at some point, and she detailed her interest in them and how easy it was to keep them. initially, the expenses were sky-high especially with the types of serpents she liked to keep, but afterwards, the costs tone down considerably. not that costs matter to her. again, she's rich. but she's absent a lot, she made this known. so keeping around pets who didn't need to be fed every day was a good choice on her part. did she mention she have a brother? no, not the one who basically up and left her during her childhood. one who was around and interested in soccer. why? he was sought after by the coach is all, and that became something integral in his life now. not that he'd want her to take notice. ok yeah, he does want her to notice. oh wait, we talking about the date. right, right, sorry.

"thanks for that."

she drove you home, and now you two are at the front of your door. she was such a classy lady, personally ensuring her date got home safe. "it's the least i can do." she assured you. she's so warm. you've seen her interact with others before. she didn't radiate this sort of warmth towards them as she did with you. you really felt special. for others, it was like she's only there to use them and cast them aside once she's done with whatever agenda she had. with you, it was different. it was obvious. and you're sure that your choice in her will never end up being a mistake, even if her job eventually catches up to you. but don't worry pal, she's awesome at what she does. and she loves you just enough to ensure your safety is guaranteed.

leo - basically genoge said something about going on a picnic date with him (or was that zaki) just because of what he did to kaiser. OK. a picnic date is what you get, gege. do you like wine. o wait u are underage for wine drinking. wait is it legal if no one knows. nah jk everything is legal in secret.

i should stop sitting on the top of the stairs writing this. it makes me so sore. anyways picnic date.

leo isn't really romantic. i mean, his idea of being romantic is wayyyyyy off probbaly. he's a side character so i can't really tell so im really just swinging off the rim here. he enjoys sharing music with you and indulge you with your manga enthusiasm, even though he probably has zero interest except for snakes.

does this mean he's a bad date though?

well, you see. moomoo or as gege once called her a few times, "pup" (like im a dog or something but it's ok bark bark bark bark) knows that he isn't. he's a good date, because he cares a lot and can show it extremely well. he would drop anything and everything for you, you see. you can never figure out what he's thinking or feeling, there's always this smile on his face that exists to reassure you that everything is fine and he has it all under control. whether or not its true, idk. he probably has some dark history that ill come up with later.

on that picnic, he makes sure it's where you feel like you can have the most fun. do you prefer sands or grass? concrete maybe? he asks a lot of questions to make sure he knows what you would like on the picnic date. if it's the beach then he's gonna make sure that it's where no one can disturb you. or if you find that it's an implication of a future murder, he will find where there would be people around but not where it would be crowded bc fuck that, even he hates the crowds. he's too used to watching people from afar and being in solitude that crowds are just not it for him. small crowd, fine he guess. this applies to any date locations he may take you. but if you prefer lots of people, which you prolly don't, he'll be fine with it. really, he wouldn't need to stress too much when all his focus is on you. wow that is so romantic, leo. im probbaly wrong about his romantic expression being way off but then again im probbaly right too. im built liddat. okay but moving on.

leo is a great cook, and even greater at takeouts. but to show how much he cares, he always puts in effort and makes you things you like to enjoy a romantic evening with. watching the sunset at the cliff. or the beach. or the soccer field. sunsets are pretty, ok? my brain is hung up on sunsets right now. leo would entertain anything you'd have to say, he's probably not much a talker, but you'd know that he cares and likes listening to you. are all my ocs gonna be that type. just listeners through and through. am i projecting. what is going on. okay tangent again sorry.

"it's been nice, today."

you could only hum in agreement to his statement, pretty eyes fixated on the big, bright orb descending in the distance. the sunset hue fits you perfectly, he noted. it was as if you were the finest artwork, and that no artmen can ever recreate you. the breeze that swept gently over the both of you induced a chill, but that's what the blankets leo brought was for. he shifted his weight and settled the warm cloth over you, and you invited him to join you because why would you ever be mean enough to let him shoulder the breeze on his own? wow. this is so gay, gege. he wrapped his arms around you and the two of you shared each others warmth, and for once in leo's life. everything felt just right.

ok am tired rn but im excited to share this w gege lol. chyeah's and calli's coming soon. and lilacs even tho idrk her that well. our interactions have been in passing. 🙏