#yellow coral mushroom

[locallostsoul]

[snototter]

A yellow coral mushroom (Ramaria rasilispora) in Portola Redwoods State Park, California, USA

by Ron Wolf

[suttoncreek314stuff]

Yellow Coral Mushroom

[hagofbolding]

In the fall in the Pacific Northwest, you might find this very tiny dragon jealously guarding its hoard of fungus in the old growth forests

My biggest risograph to date, 11 x 17"! The colors almost hurt to look at irl :') I love this medium

Prints available!

[mushroom-forest-life]

Mushroom of the day:

Coral fungus/Ramarua spp.

 geographic location: global, growing location: most grow on decaying wood, but some may be mycorrhizal, having a symbiotic relationship with trees, and therefore growing relationship to living trees.

Characteristics : coral mushrooms, which range and color from yellow, white, purple, orange, red, and tan . Some species bruise and change colors upon impact

Some species are edible and some are mildly poisonous

[spiffybits357]

Here's a big project I've been working on for a few weeks: a phylogenetic tree of everything in Minecraft! It would take ages to explain everything here, so if you want an explaination of any inclusions, exclusions, categorisations or Latin names PLEASE PLEASE PUHLEASE ask me I would love to answer any questions :3

Here's the slides I used to make it since i'm aware the text on the image there is pretty much unreadable.

Reblogs appreciated!

Edit: there are some problems with the image on here aside from the quality, so please check the slides for a slightly more accurate version! Also, if you have a question check the notes first! Odds are someone else has asked already.

Edit 2: PLEASE check the reblogs before you ask a question, most of the questions I'm getting now are ones that have already been answered. But I of course really appreciate how much people care :3

Full image description:

At the bottom is the Origin of Life, which branches out into five kingdoms - amoebozoa, animalia, fungi, algae and plantae.

Amoebozoa is in pink. It branches into Sculk (latin name sculk sculk) and then into slimes (scindo uliginosus) and magma cubes (scindo igneum)

Animalia starts off in orange. It branches off into the five types of coral (Fire - millepora, horn - rugosa, tube - tubipora musica, bubble - Plerogyra sinuosa, brain - diploria). The second branch of animalia branches off to the sponge (in the phylum demospongiae) and then to molluscs and arthropods.

Moluscs first branches off to the shulker (duopartes purpur) then to the nautilus (latin name nautilus), the ghast (Exspiravita inferno) the heart of the sea (unknown latin name), the squid (Immiforma caeruleum) and the glow squid (Immiforma crepuscula). The heart of the sea and nautilus are both marked with a dagger symbol, indicating they are extinct.

Arthropods branches off to the enderman (gracillis sapiens) and the ender dragon (draconiforma finis). It also branches off into insects, featuring bees (bombus enormus) and silverfish (Lepisma saccharinum), as well as to arachnids, featuring the endermite (terminus limina), the spider (rufoculos nocturnis) and the cave spider (rufoculos caverna).

Carrying on from the branch of animalia is the sea pickle (Pyrosoma) and then the vertebrates, which are coloured in reddish orange. The first branch contains the Queen angelfish (Holacanthus ciliaris), the emperor red snapper (Lutjanus sebae) and the moorish idol (Zanclus cornutus). the second branch contains salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka). The third branch contains the yellowtail parrotfish (Sparisoma rubripinne), the clownfish (Amphiprion percula) and the dottyback (Diadem pseudochromis). The next branch contains cod (Gadus). the final fish branch contains the triggerfish (Abalistes stellatus), the pufferfish (Arothron meleagris) and the yellow tang (Zebrasoma flavescens).

Next the branch transitions into tetrapods. coming off this are amphibians, which includes the frog (Lithobates thermochroma) and the axolotl (Ambystoma mexicanum)

image desc currently unfinished, would appreciate help

[literaryvein-reblogs]

Word Alternatives: Colours

BLACK atramentous, charcoal, coal, crow, darksomeness, denigration, duskiness, ebony, funereal, jet, inkiness, melanism, melanotic, midnight, niello, obsidian, pitch, raven, sable, singe, sloe, smirch, smoke, sombrous, soot, swarthiness, swartness, tar

BLUE aquamarine, azure, berylline, cerulean, cerulescent, cyan, cyanosis, cyanotic, electric blue, ice-blue, indigo, lividity, midnight, navy, Oxford blue, pavonian, pavonine, peacock blue, robin's egg blue, royal blue, sapphire, turquoise, ultramarine

BROWN adust, auburn, beige, biscuit, braise, bay, bronze, brune, brunette, buff, burnt umber, burnt sienna, caramel, castaneous, chestnut, chocolate, cinnamon, cocoa, coffee, drab, dun, embrown, fawn, grege, hazel, henna, infuscation, khaki, mushroom, ochre, paper bag, pumpernickel, raw sienna, raw umber, roan, rubiginous, rufous, russet, rust, scorch, seal, sepia, sorrel, suntan, sunburn, tan, taupe, toast, umber, walnut

GRAY ashiness, canescence, cinereous, cineritious, dullness, ecru, fuscous, glaucescence, greige, grisaille, gunmetal, hoar, iron, lead, mousiness, oyster, pewter, slatiness, smokiness, steel, taupe

GREEN aerugo, aestival, avocado, beryl, chartreuse, chloremia, chlorophyll, chlorosis, chlorotic, emerald, foliaged, glaucescence, grass, greensickness, ivy, jade, loden green, holly, olivaceous, olive, patina, patinate, pea-green, smaragdine, springlike, verdancy, verdantness, verdigris, verdure, vernal, virescence, viridescence, viridity

ORANGE apricot, cantaloupe, carotene, carroty, ochreous, ochroid, pumpkin, saffron, tangerine, terracotta, Titian

PINK carnation, coral, coralline, flesh-pink, incarnadine, peach, primrose, roseate, rosy, salmon

PURPLE amethystine, aubergine, bruise, empurple, fuchsia, lavender, lilac, lividity, magenta, mauve, mulberry, orchid, pansy, plum, puce, purpure, purpureous, raisin, violaceous, violet

RED beet, blowzy, cardinal, carmine, carnation, carnelian, cerise, cherry, copper, crimson, damask, encrimson, erubescence, erythema, erythematous, erythrism, erythroderma, ferruginous, fire, floridity, floridness, flushing, gules, hectic, henna, incarnadine, infrared, laky, lateritious, lobster, lurid, magenta, mantling, maroon, miniate, port, puce, raddle, rose, rosiness, rouge, rubefaction, rubicundity, rubor, rubricity, ruby, ruddiness, rufescence, rufosity, russet, rust, sanguine, scarlet, stammel, vermeil, vermilion, vinaceous

YELLOW aureateness, auric, aurify, banana, begild, bilious, biliousness, cadmium, canary, chartreuse, citreous, citrine, citron, engild, fallowness, flavescent, flaxen, fulvous, gildedness, gilt, goldenness, honey, icteric, icterus, jaundice, lemon, lutescent, luteous, luteolous, mustard, ochroid, old gold, primrose yellow, saffron, sallowness, sandy, straw, sulfur, topaz, xanthism, xanthochroism, xanthoderma

WHITE achromatic, alabaster, albescent, albinic, besnow, blanch, bleach, bone, calcimine, chalk, cream, cretaceous, eggshell, etiolate, ghastly, ivory, lactescent, lily, lime, milk, pearl, sheet, swan, sheep, fleece, flour, foam, marmoreal, niveous, paper, pearl, phantom, silver, snow, driven snow, tallow, teeth, wax, wool

VARIEGATION (diversity of colors) spectrum, rainbow, iris, chameleon, leopard, jaguar, cheetah, ocelot, zebra, barber pole, candy cane, Dalmatian, firedog, peacock, butterfly, mother-of-pearl, nacre, tortoise shell, opal, kaleidoscope, stained glass, serpentine, calico cat, marble, mackerel sky, confetti, crazy quilt, patchwork quilt, shot silk, moire, watered silk, marbled paper, Joseph's coat, harlequin, tapestry; bar code, checkerboard

variegation, multicolor; parti-color; medley or mixture of colors, spectrum, rainbow of colors, riot of color; polychrome, polychromatism; dichromatism, trichromatism; dichroism, trichroism

iridescence, iridization, irisation, opalescence, nacreousness, pearliness, chatoyancy, play of colors or light; light show; moire pattern, tabby; burelé or burelage

spottiness, maculation, freckliness, speckliness, mottledness, mottlement, dappleness, dappledness, stippledness, spottedness, dottedness; fleck, speck, speckle; freckle; spot, dot, polka dot, macula, macule, blotch, splotch, patch, splash; mottle, dapple; brindle; stipple, stippling, pointillism, pointillage

check, checker, checks, checking, checkerboard, chessboard; plaid, tartan; checker-work, variegated pattern, harlequin, colors in patches, crazy-work, patchwork; parquet, parquetry, marquetry, mosaic, tesserae, tessellation; crazy-paving; hound's tooth; inlay, damascene

stripe, striping, candy-stripe, pinstripe; barber pole; streak, streaking; striation, striature, stria; striola, striga; crack, craze, crackle, reticulation; bar, band, belt, list

mottled, motley; pied, piebald, skewbald, pinto; dappled, dapple; calico; marbled; clouded; salt-and-pepper

Source: The Concise Roget's International Thesaurus, Revised & Updated (6th Edition) More: Writing Notes & References ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

[mutant-distraction]

Rizvanovic Almir

Schizophyllum commune is a species of fungus in the genus Schizophyllum. The mushroom resembles undulating waves of tightly packed corals or a loose Chinese fan. Gillies or split-gills vary from creamy yellow to pale white in colour. The cap is small, 1–4 centimetres (3⁄8–1+5⁄8 in) wide with a dense yet spongey body texture. It is known as the split-gill mushroom because of the unique, longitudinally divided nature of the namesake gills on the underside of the cap. This mushroom is found throughout the world

[noseysilverfox]

August 2016

Ramaria yellow, changle, the yellow coral, deer antlers, bear's paw or yellow slingshot (лат. Ramaria flava).

It grows in temperate regions. An edible mushroom of the 4th category of nutritional value, that is, it is usable with a mediocre taste. I haven't tried it, but when I meet it in the forest, I can't pass it by without enjoying its unusual beauty💫

Рамария жёлтая, оленьи рога, медвежья лапка или рогатик жёлтый (лат. Ramaria flava).

Произрастает в районах с умеренным климатом. Съедобный гриб 4-й категории пищевой ценности, то есть он пригодный к употреблению с посредственным вкусом. Я его не пробовала, но, встречая в лесу, не могу пройти мимо, не насладившись его необычной красотой.💫

[a-rabid-snake]

A couple more mushroom slugcats for @mushroominaforest

More precisely, a couple of strange mushrooms

Clathrus rruber - a mushroom of the genus latticeworm of the Veselkov family.The mature fruit body has the appearance of a spherical lattice of red color, reaches a height of 12 cm, and a width of up to 9 cm. The white or brownish immature bodies are ovoid in shape.

It is considered inedible. It is listed in the Red Book of Russia.

Ramaria flava - an edible mushroom from the genus Ramaria of the family Gomphaceae.The fruit body is coral-shaped, has several branches of yellow-gray and white color. The ends of the branches are usually forked, forming a U- or V-shaped fork.

The flesh of the mushroom is fragile, but dense. It has a sweet smell and delicate taste. The spore powder is brown-ochre.

I've gotten to the point where shipping mushrooms....

[ashensgrotto]

A Merfolk's Melody (Part 3)

Characters: Yan!Floyd x Reader, Yan!Jade x Reader, Yan!Azul x Reader

Word Count: 13.5k

Intro   Floyd Leech Jade Leech (You Are Here)  Azul Ashengrotto Epilogue

Synopsis: The sea always calls to those who feel lost and alone, wanting to fill the empty part of their soul until they are loved and full… and as such, it’s only fair that the strange creatures that live beneath its depths would want the same as well…

Author’s Note: Another 4-part fanfiction courtesy of @merakiui ‘s headcanon of the reader being stuck in a room/wall (I’m sorry, but I just enjoy your headcanons and they always give me these ideas) -> https://www.tumblr.com/merakiui/722393818829373440/in-addition-to-being-stuck-in-a-locked-room?source=share & https://www.tumblr.com/merakiui/722677892623056896/about-the-stuck-in-a-wall-trope-in-the-oceani?source=share

Here’s how it’s going to work: each character is going to get their own part following the intro. It is going to focus on the Octrio again (bc it’s my current liking, sorry guys). If you want to read a certain character’s part, feel free to jump around and select the one you’re most interested in. 

Again, as stated before, this is a work of fiction; I disagree with any and all behaviors that are represented in this story.

****

During your earlier days in college, you and another of your close friends had once discussed the difference between coral and mushrooms - as there were some fungi corals that lived in the coral reefs, even though they were not classified in the fungi family. You both agreed that fungi and coral played huge parts in their own ecosystems, providing both nutrition and hiding areas for the wildlife that inhabited the area around them. Both were made up of microscopic organisms - as most plants and other wildlife are - but while one shot spores, the other grew polyps on top of each other over time. 

Your friend had asked if you knew if there was a coral reef back in your childhood home - to which you responded that you weren’t sure. You had been told by someone once long ago that beyond the crashing waves of the sea outside of your family’s cabin that there were coral structures the size of Burj Khalifa - the world’s tallest building - and a few that were wider than the Aerium - the world’s widest building. Imagining the depth and how big the ocean was already a monstrous task as it is, but the knowledge that some coral was as large and as wide as two of the world’s biggest buildings was mind-blowing.

Now, a few years later as you dipped beneath the surface as the waves pulled you further into its depths, an amazing sight greeted you.

Colorful coral of all shapes, sizes, and types spread before you - elkhorn coral, fungia and pocillopora corals spread along the ocean floor as pillar and staghorn coral reached for the sky. Sun coral and sea anemones waved with the current of the tide while bubble corals and zoanthids peered out from dark crevices. The colors of neon in pink, green, teal, orange, and yellow shifted together with the darkness of the water here and there, making everything seem like a blacklight room from one of the city’s downtown clubs.

But the coral and plants weren't the only thing colorful within the dark waters.

Bright colorful fish of all shapes and sizes surrounded you from all angles - clownfish peered out from behind the sea anemone as the occasional blue or yellow tang fish passed between the coral walls alongside lionfish and butterfly fish while nudibranch slugs crept along the edges with starfish as seahorses perched among the organ pipe corals and the carnation corals. You saw banded pipefish hidden in the crevices between rock and coral while moon jelly swam out to deeper waters, their nearly opaque bodies hiding their forms in the shifting waters that crashed against the waves. Manta rays swam close to the bottom of the hidden paradise, one occasionally coming up to you and brushing along the side as your light-weight tank top fluttered in the water around you, the feeling of soft smooth skin coated in a slick film surprisingly pleasant.

The colors of the deep dazzled you - pulling you into deeper waters as you held your breath for as long as you could before your lungs would force you to the surface, gasping out deep breaths as you floated above the surface world for a few moments before diving back down to stay for as long as you could in the peaceful paradise that existed beneath the waves, amazed by everything that surrounds you. You swam along the coral beds, fingers grazing over the pieces of coral polyps as you passed - as beautiful as the structures were, you could never break a piece off. The same person from your past had warned of doing such things as a child - breaking off pieces of coral can take years to grow back, and if they are broken off consistently, the coral eventually dies. Seeing the bright beautiful healthy green coloring of the coral beneath you reminded you of that memory - a smile tugging on your lips as you dived deeper. 

Lost in thought, you didn’t even realize you had swam as deep as you did until you felt your lungs struggling to hold your breath until your sides ached. You had traveled between some coral beds and were now surrounded completely by it, the coral twisting around you like thorns on a rose bush and every time you would attempt to get through, the coral would dig into your skin - cuts forming along your arms, face, and legs. 

You looked around desperately - but there appeared to be no way out.

“Poor child…” you heard a voice then, something soft and sickly sweet that tickled your eardrum, “Poor sweet child…”

Your head turned in the direction of said voice, seeing nothing in the darkness. Fear ran along your spine as you did your best to keep calm, the anxiety eating away at you as you struggled to think of a way out as well as struggled to keep yourself from falling into exhaustion from losing oxygen.

A shadow shifted then as a pair of heterochromia eyes - one brown, one gold - peered out at you from the darkness beneath you. You watched as a figure appeared before you, their form coming into the light that shone in between the coral that surrounded you.

The figure was that of a very large creature that was half man and half fish - the pale sunlight reflecting off of his pale teal skin that was the color of sea water; his tail was long, making him approximately six or seven feet in length, and swayed with the water as he propelled himself toward you, slowly and filled with caution while his hands - which you thought may have been webbed - clenched at his sides, the claws digging into the flesh of his palms. His facial features appeared strong and sharp, eyes clear and calculating, as his lips spread in what appeared to be a friendly smile that was anything but; his dark hair - nearly the same color of his body - framed the strong features, though one long strand - nearly the color of deep seaweed green - fell over his left eye as the golden hue began to glow the closer he came to you. 

It was then that you realized you were looking at a mer - a moray mer, to be exact.

Moray eels were known to attack when provoked, but the mers were known to hunt anything that trespassed into their territory - watching from the darkness before striking unexpectedly. You had heard stories about them when you were a child - the locals believing that they typically traveled in pairs, meaning that there was likely a secondary one close by and you had to tread carefully now that one of them had found you.

The mer only smiled, teeth sharper than a shark’s gleaming in the darkness as his body began to glow; the large teal stripes that lined his hips, arms, and face began to glow in the darkness, his left gold eye nearly turning yellow as he gazed upon you.

“You seem to have a very serious problem,” the mer spoke, his voice sounding like sweet honey dripping down from a hive on a hot summer day, “... There might be something I can do to help you.”

You were beginning to slowly lose consciousness, the edges of your vision fading into darkness as you struggled to stay awake - to stay aware. The mer seemed to sense this as he drifted even closer, slipping through the water like a water snake as he stopped in front of you, looking down as his smirk grew wider. The moray mer’s features were now mere inches from your face, his webbed hands closing in to cup your face in between his palms before he pulled your face up to look at him, your body slowly becoming numb as your eyes drifted closed - the oxygen nearly out.

Something soft and surprisingly warm pressed against your lips before a sudden rush of air filled your lungs. 

Your chest heaved as your eyes snapped open to see the mer pressing his lips to yours, pulling the water out and breathing for the both of you as the gills behind his finned ears fluttered with the current. You pressed your hands against his chest, trying and failing to push him away before one hand moved to wrap around your waist, pulling you closer to him as his other hand tangled into your hair, keeping your head still as he pressed his lips harder against yours - no longer breathing for you, but kissing you. You felt his long tail curl around your legs, keeping you trapped within his hold.

When he pulled away, his pupils had dilated; hunger reflecting within them.

“I saved your life, little pearl,” he whispered, “and now… I will take something from you as payment.”

You struggled, wanting nothing more to do with the mer that now wrapped completely around you.

However, the moray pulled you down into the depths of the coral enclosure, pressing the front of your against a large stone with one hand on your shoulders and the other holding your hands together above your head. You held your newfound breath between your lips before cool lips pressed against the nape of your neck, drawing the skin into the mer’s mouth as he lapped and sucked on it like a newborn babe. You shuddered with every lap of his tongue and whimpered with every nip that you barely registered his hands releasing you before something dug on either side of your neck, deep enough to draw blood.

You cried out, bubbles escaping from your lips before the mer pressed his lips against yours again, breathing for you as he turned you to face him - webbed hands and claws creating small cuts in the fabric of your cotton capris before the fabric was removed along with your bottoms. You threw your head back as one thumb rubbed circles against your entrance - a musty-sweet odor slipping into the salty waters around you before something fleshy and hot pressed against it. You mewled as the mer flicked over your entrance, slipping one, then two fingers within - thrusting them in and out at a leisurely pace as the glowing on his body increased, his eyes never leaving yours. You whimpered softly, one hand reaching out and clasping onto his dark hair, his eyes closing and humming against you as a fire began to build in your thighs and lower belly - threatening to consume you as your body twitched with want.

As he worked you over and over, you shuddered and groaned, arching your back away from the stone as your muscles clenched. He pulled away after a few moments, the loss of contact making your body grasp at nothing. You whimpered in need before something long, thick, and rigid rub between your legs.

“Ah… mine,” the moray mer sighed as he bared his teeth at you in a mocking grin, grabbing a hold of your ankles and pushing them into your chest as he leaned against you, moving his hips and rubbing himself against you, “Mine… my precious little pearl… Do you know what you’ve done to me?”

You can only quiver in response as he leans close, his nose nearly touching yours as his length continues to tease you, making your insides squirm with anticipation.

“How long I’ve waited for you, little pearl,” he brushes his nose against yours, his voice soft and sugary-sweet, “I’ve waited over six years… six years for you to come back to me. And now that you’re here… I can never let you go.”

Then, you feel him thrust hard and fast inside you, pushing your stomach into your throat as a silent cry leaves your mouth. The mer is merciless against you, pressing you hard into the stone beneath you and keeping a firm grip on your ankles as he pounds into you, each thrust making the precious air that still exists within you leave in the form of tiny bubbles from your mouth and nose. 

He presses his lips to yours again as his eyes close, breathing for the both of you again before pulling away to lavish at your neck, his tongue flicking over the scratches he made as you feel something rise up and down from your skin. Both of your chests heave together, the pounding of your hearts argue in your rib cages as he presses his lips against yours, no longer breathing as his thrusts become more urgent. He releases his grip on your ankles and hauls you up by your waist, moving your position around so you may settle onto his lap, your thighs resting on either side of his hips as he presses deeper into your core.

The change caused you to gasp again, feeling him practically nudge into your stomach. The mer slows, allowing to adjust to this new position as he kisses your features - your forehead, your nose, eyelids, brows, cheeks, and lips - as if he is completely worshiping you.

“Sweet, precious little pearl…” he whispers, snapping his hips in urgency against you after a few moments, “Let me lay you… keep them safe for me, for us…”

You whimper softly, a name long forgotten now bubbling forward, “J-Jade…”

Jade lets out a low growl in response, thrusting hard and fast against you, “That’s r-right, little pearl… my precious (Y/N)...”

You let out a cry as your entrance grips onto Jade’s member, the muscles in your lower body spamming wildly as something thick and heavy slips between your legs.

Jade presses his forehead in the juncture between your neck and shoulder, his breath caressing your skin, billowing the tank top you’re still wearing, gasping, “...not enough, little pearl. Not enough, yet…”

***

Jade has carried you to his corner of the shadows, curled beside you as you laid on his bed of seaweed surrounded by coral. His hand cups your cheek and follows the curve of your cheekbones before pressing another kiss to your lips and resting his forehead against yours. 

It had been years since he had last seen you - the two of you plus his twin had been thick as thieves, frolicing along the shore lines and had taught you to swim. He had gathered many pieces of coral during that time and presented them to you when you all met up each and every day - the giggles that slipped past your lips making him smile with pride and puffed out his chest like a seagull. Eventually though, those days of spending time with one another along the shores became fewer and fewer. 

Floyd had moved on, now more interested in antagonizing Azul verses waiting on the rocky shoreline for you to come out to play - but Jade was more patient than his twin, his tail swaying with anticipation along with the tide as he watched from his spot on the rocks, his heterochromia eyes never straying from the shoreline. Eventually, his patience thinned to the thickness of a thread, going to Azul to test out his latest potion that would allow him to take on the form of a human for an hour. He headed into the village, searching high and low for your family. One of the village members had been kind enough to explain that your family had moved to the nearest city where you had been accepted into college.

Jade felt his heart break. There was no way he could follow you - and even if he did, how would he find you?

Azul noticed his sour mood upon his return, the typical Jade he knew would never lounge on the rocks among the coral like his brother did unless something happened. Jade had stayed silent about what he had heard on the surface above - merely going through his life day by day as the heartache festered and grew within, making him irritable - once snapping at Floyd which made the younger of the two surprised. It didn’t take long after that incident that Jade decided to move away to another part of the coral city, hiding within the darkness of the crevices as thoughts of you consumed him day and night.

He was about ready to give up on himself when you came swimming back into his life - quite literally. 

Jade tucked his head under your chin, arms wrapping around your waist as he hummed. Tomorrow, he would go to Azul to find a potion to make you more like him… even threaten the octomer with becoming fish bait if he refused.

But, for now… Jade was content to have you in his arms, back in his life. His precious little pearl…

[gotham25052]

Dark Waters Part 7

As the social fabric of Gotham begins to fray and the Joker's intrusion into her life escalates, Anna struggles to maintain control. But is she threatened by the Joker or by something within herself?

Contents: Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 8 Part 9

---------------------------------

Author's note: The complete chapter is posted on ao3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/60435238/chapters/158405293 Please note the warnings/tags on ao3.

I posted a shortened version here where the most explicit portions are removed. (But this version is also NSFW) Brackets [] denote removed portions.

So if you want to avoid the most explicit stuff, stay here, but if you'd like the full chapter, head to ao3. I will also post the link at the first breaking point in the chapter.

TW: 18+, NSFW, violence, sexual content, swearing

When Annie was young, perhaps only six or seven years old, she joined her family in a familiar yearly routine for many in her small rural community. In the early spring, they walked to one of the patches of forest scattered between fields, on a search for edible mushrooms. It was one of the earliest, and most enjoyable, memories of her childhood. The adults took sticks they found on the ground, and broke off the unnecessary twigs, using them to push aside old leaves from fall and the newly sprouted wildflowers and nettles on the forest floor. They wanted to see the ground clearly to spot the brown and tan morels that were so delicious after they were cleaned and fried.

Annie walked slowly in the woods, afraid that she might step on one of the precious mushrooms after she had been cautioned by the adults to be careful where her feet fell. She had an immediate love for the forest in spring - the new buds on the trees made a variegated canopy above her, still letting the blue sky shine through. In many areas, she delighted in the tiny white blooms of wildflowers carpeting the ground, like a fairy wonderland. She imagined it must be what heaven looked like.

The delicate purple of woodland phlox, the luxurious red curves of prairie trillium, the surprising yellow of the wood sorrel, all of them could be found on the forest floor. Beautiful and unique shapes that only appeared in the forest in spring, quick to be overtaken by aggressive weeds in June and July.

But there were also places in the woods she feared. As a little girl, her shorter height made patches of mayapples quite terrifying. Their leaves spread out like small umbrellas on the ground, and their height sometimes came up above her knees. She was always afraid there might be something underneath them, as their spreading canopy created an impenetrable surface she couldn't see through.

And as she followed the adults on their search, the sticks they held pushed back the rotting leaves of fall, sometimes uncovering new flowers or the leaves of small plants, but also sometimes bizarre things - things that looked like they came from another planet. Toadstools, mounds of mica caps, the intricate branching white of coral fungi, the bright red of scarlet cup. She didn't like the strange surfaces and bizarre colors of them and the way they appeared out of nowhere when the leaves were moved aside.

Annie didn't know enough about what was happening in Gotham to have made the comparison, but the city that spring was much like the forest floor of her memories. With their routines changed and the grind of work removed for many people, there were lovely things - newfound pleasures and time together with family. There was young love, like Annie's growing affection for the Joker, which at its root was sweet and pure, like wildflowers. But there were other things growing unseen under the rotten leaves of fall, foul things, ugly things, misshapen souls and violent desires. Especially for the young men of Lower Gotham, the disappearance of any regular occupation and their constant harassment at the checkpoints led to growing gangs, some wearing clown masks, some not; some angry at the injustice of the passport system, some simply angry at anything that got in their way. The contrast of darkness and light couldn't have been more pronounced. It was exceptional, that spring in Gotham.

Annie lived like someone suspended, walking on a thin wire between two realities. Her previous existence in Gotham, full of work, self-denial, and control was now gone. There was no job that kept her up late, no commutes through the city, no juggling of bills to pay. In front of her, there was an uncertain future. She didn't feel ready to commit herself to whatever world she was now in - so much was unknown to her. And she still feared discovery, if somehow the police figured out her real identity.

She hovered on the wire, unable to go back, and unsure about moving forward, with a black abyss stretching out below her.

Annie's situation was unique, of course, but many others around her in Lower Gotham also found themselves suspended in their lives in different ways. Many of them had lost their jobs due to the difficulty of the commute to Upper Gotham, too, and they also didn't know what the future brought. The general atmosphere was one of uncertainty, in a way exciting due to the strange emptiness of the streets and the promise of something new and unexpected in the absence of the everyday drudgery of work. But it was also disconcerting, as people waited to see what this new world would bring.

Thankfully, the past public relations disaster of Dent's comment about the food shipments to Lower Gotham meant that there was an overabundance of food deliveries from Upper Gotham, Annie noticing that at least one drop point was located on the street below her window. She would walk past the boxes every day when she went out for walks. She always went out in the early morning hours when there were few people on the streets. She was beginning to run low on food, but she still had some time before she would have to ask the Joker's men, stationed near her door, for help getting more. She was nervous about approaching them, but she would do it when she had to.

She often stopped in the apartment building's lobby to gather more information about what was happening in Gotham from the small TV there. She was especially interested, of course, in what kind of search they were mounting for her, and how careful she should be. She had been mentioned in the news, a mysterious woman the Joker had deposited at the hospital. But her story was one among many others about Dent's checkpoints, thankfully. And by some stroke of luck, probably because she had not yet been placed under arrest, no one had taken her photo in the hospital. The only images shared on the news were sketches, all of them hopelessly inaccurate. The only feature they seemed to get right was her unusually blue eyes.

As the weeks passed by, Annie's health returned. Her recovery was slow and the changes imperceptible at first, as recovery from a long illness often is, but soon enough her face was filling out again into its usual form, erasing the hollowness of her cheeks. The youthful bloom of color on her face came back, making it hard to tell that she wasn't just a normal young woman who hadn't gone through trauma and illness. Her walks brought back her strength, and though the burden of uncertainty always weighed heavily on her, she did thrive on the freedom to shape her days and roam as she wished.

With her newfound time, her mind wandered back to things she had enjoyed in her childhood. She had loved music, but of course all the music in her small community centered around hymns sung in a religious setting. She could still sing them, all of them, but she could no longer get enjoyment out of them. Everything from her past in the Church was tarnished beyond repair. She gave up on trying to pursue music as a hobby, the sadness of her personal history still hanging over her.

Her thoughts most often found a way to wander to him, to the Joker. In a way, she was more afraid of meeting him again now than she ever had been before. She understood her feelings better now, but she felt completely unsure of what would happen when they met. She often found herself dwelling on the kiss they had shared, hoping just the memory could give her some satisfaction and perhaps allow her a break from her thoughts of him. But the kiss was not just a kiss - whether it was real or just a show by the Joker, she didn't know, but despite its generous sweetness, his kiss had a hunger in it. She could feel that he wanted more. And examining herself, she realized that she had responded to him with a lustful desire too. She was surprised at the strength of her own feelings and reactions. The memories of him had helped get her through her time in the hospital, but now the memories were not enough. Now she could feel a need for him in a way she had never experienced.

Of course she had been with someone before, but it was as far from this as night from day. She was so young, she had barely even thought of the opposite sex, and then a marriage was thrust upon her and consummated as a matter of course, without any consideration for her inexperience. Her body grew accustomed to the way her husband came to her and the shock wore off, but nothing like love or even attraction ever developed for her. When she had escaped to Gotham, one of her chief victories was simply to have power over her own body again. And she left it in peace, not wanting to stir anything that would lead to being involved with anyone again. She had assumed she would keep that pledge with herself for the rest of her life, but now everything was different. She still felt some anger toward the Joker for having woken up all these complexities in her, for pursuing her like this. But even with his seeming dedication to getting her out of the hospital, she also didn't really know anything about him. Would she even see him again? She admitted to herself that she wasn't sure. Maybe he did this kind of thing all the time, with many women…

The Joker opened the door and walked in with barely a glance at her, his long strides cutting across the room to the kitchen. This was the first time she had seen him since he had brought her back from the hospital. She was standing behind the counter, but he ignored her, silently opening each cabinet door and slamming it again, then ending with the refrigerator. He was a flurry of motion, his open purple coat flying out behind him each time he turned. The anger was clear on his painted face.

He whipped past her and left the kitchen, standing in front of her on the other side of the counter. "Every cabinet is empty. What's wrong with you, Annie? I told you to tell my men whenever you needed anything. It's been weeks, and they said they haven't heard a word from you." His loud, accusing voice rang through the cramped apartment.

But Annie barely heard him. She forgave him inwardly for his outburst. She was used to rationing, she'd been doing it her whole life. He didn't understand that. And something about the way his anger animated him today, it highlighted the strange grace in the way he moved. The strength apparent in his body even under the layers of clothing, the way he spun around almost like he was dancing instead of reprimanding her, it all struck her with far more force than his words.

He opened his eyes wide, seeing that she was not reacting with the fear he expected. He thought she must be off in one of her other worlds again, with her faraway look. "You know, I even have the food drops from Upper Gotham set up right here, right under your window. You could ask my men, or you could go down yourself, and just take something." He took a seat in the lone chair in the room, leaning his head down and raising his hand to his forehead to push his hair back in frustration.

She had moved out from behind the counter, walking toward him, not really knowing what she was doing. She came closer, hardly daring to touch this tornado, this force of nature.

She remembered her last thoughts, how they all centered around him, when she was on her journey into the snow. He had destroyed the life she had, but the swath of color he left in his wake dazzled her eyes. She knew she was stepping off the wire now, letting herself fall. With him here in front of her, though, it was easy - so easy.

"What can I do to get you to understand, when you want something, take it?" he muttered, more talking to himself now than to her. With his head down, he hadn't noticed how close she was. A calm came over her and she knelt down in front of him, putting her hands on the sleeves of his coat, the texture scratching her skin as she slid them down the purple fabric and lifted her eyes to meet his. She felt very much like she was playing with fire, and the flames might stretch one way or the other.

He raised his head to meet her gaze. "Just take it" he said slowly. His eyes were softened but still shone intensely, like burning embers before the flames break out. He brought his hands up to either side of her face, guiding her chin upward. He had been so wrapped up in his frustration that he hadn't noticed how the color had returned to her face, but now he could see the youthful glow there again and knew that her health had come back to her.

He had wanted to make her wait, he had wanted to make her suffer like he had suffered, waiting for her. But the look on her face, almost like her feelings gave her pain, melted those plans away. He brought their lips together, the sweetness of the kiss spreading down her neck and warming her body.

He broke away from the kiss, standing up abruptly and bringing her up with him. He could feel the refreshed strength in her body. He pushed her backward, making her stumble, but by now he had his arms around her, supporting her until she found her back against the wall. "I wanted to do this before," he said. He bent down to slowly kiss her neck, his tongue caressing her skin.

"I thought you wanted to kill me." she murmured.

"No, remember, I wanted to save you," he sighed, pressing his hand onto the middle of her chest until she could not draw a breath. But she didn't care. Her eyes were glazed over with desire. His lips met hers and he was quickly inside her mouth, pushing her head back, and he relaxed the pressure on her chest as if he was too distracted to maintain it. She gasped involuntarily and the sound only made him more desperate. His earnestness and focus made him seem almost innocent, wholesome.

He broke away from the kiss and pushed her back against the wall again, looking at her searchingly. He already knew the answer, but he wanted to hear her say it. "Do you want me to take off the paint?" His tone was completely changed from a moment earlier. It was light and inquisitive, as if they were just chatting about the weather. Her eyes dwelled on the exquisite textures and garish colors running across his face.

"No," she shook her head slowly, mesmerized by him. "I like it." He rolled his eyes down to her, giving her a knowing stare.

"The police were right, you do belong in Arkham - you're fucking crazy" he said distractedly, as he brought his body close to hers again.

[] (Explicit portion removed)

Link to ao3 for full version, note the warnings/tags there: https://archiveofourown.org/works/60435238/chapters/158405293

The night stretched out before them. She sometimes felt she was above the sparkling waves and completely free, and at other times like she was deep under the dark currents. But when she reached too high or too low, his voice came back to her and tethered her to reality. He molded her into a thousand forms and then drew her back with a raspy order.

She woke up in the morning to his fingers lightly dragging along her neck from her ear to her collarbone, and back again. His side was propped against the wall, giving her his chest to lean against as her eyes opened and she surveyed the room. She was in her simple box of an apartment, but somehow she now felt unimaginably wealthy. His strong body behind her and the luxurious strokes of his fingers on her neck could have been a queen's throne and the most expensive of necklaces - she felt surrounded by opulence as she turned the soles of her feet back to feel his legs behind her.

"Kitten, go to sleep. I have to get back to my work."

"No," she said, but she already felt her eyelids drooping lazily. The hypnotizing strokes of his fingers hastened her return to sleep, and she was soon dreaming again.

He waited until she was sleeping deeply, then left the bed and took his clothes from the floor, dressing slowly and deliberately. He put his head out the door and asked his men for a cigarette and a light. Because he didn't often smoke, they weren't prepared, but luckily they found one of them had a cigarette leftover from their long night of keeping watch. He drew in a deep drag and went back into the room. He sat in the one wooden chair, looking at her on the bed, as if he was enjoying her unmoving, unconscious state. He starred out of the window at the city, surprisingly bright this morning with rare sun reflecting from the buildings' shiny facades. He found his eyes traveling up and down her legs as he finished the cigarette and looked down at the burning ember left in his hand. He seemed to tear his gaze away with some effort. He stepped into the hallway, dropped the small remains of the cigarette on the floor, and snuffed it out with a few purposeful turns of his foot.

The men stationed at her door called him, interrupting his conversation with one of the GCPD officers he had bankrolled. "It's been almost a day now since you… visited, Boss, and we haven't heard anything from inside the apartment. No water on, no footsteps. We thought you should know."

"I'll be there," he responded, and hastily put away his phone. He left the scene without another word, swiftly walking back to the car. As soon as it was parked on the street outside her building, he was taking the stairs to her apartment two at a time. He felt frustrated - this was the second time he hadn't been able to predict her actions, the second time he was rushing to her apartment - how could she be so uncontrollable? A prickle of fear now began to rise up his spine. He hadn't thought she would take any drastic actions, he thought he had left her happy. He knew a lot of what made Annie tick, but at the same time, she had a certain remoteness that was hard to read. There was a silence to her that he couldn't decipher.

He quickly opened the door without a glance at his men and was immediately relieved to see her sitting up on the far edge of the bed, her back toward him. She was completely naked, as he had left her, and the blankets and items thrown off the bed were still strewn over the floor. He closed the door behind him and walked toward her. He moved more slowly as he came closer, coming around the bed to face her. She sat with her hands to her sides as if to get up, but she was completely motionless. He bent down on his knees to get a clear look at her face. Her eyes were focused far away, her expression blank.

Despite her vacant stare, his eyes lingered on the perfect curve of her lips. He took her face in his hands, kissing her deeply.

She seemed to stir and begin to return from whatever far away journey her mind had been on. He felt the pressure on his lips as she responded to his kiss. She pulled away, focusing her gaze back into the present and studying his face quietly. She reached up and traced her fingers over his scar, from his ear to the corner of his mouth. She kept tracing the imaginary line and found the indentation of the cut in his lower lip. She touched it delicately, taking her time to feel the ripple in his smooth skin. She began to speak, her voice raspy: "My lover is handsome and strong; he is one in ten thousand. His cheeks are a bed of spices, as sweet flowers: his lips like lilies, dropping sweet smelling myrrh… His mouth is most sweet…"

He didn't like for anyone to touch his scars, but the gentle way her fingers glided over them and the strange poetry falling from her lips would not allow him to protest.

Her words hung eerily in the dim room. He brought her toward him, holding the back of her neck and kissing her, this time messily dragging his lips from her mouth to her neck.

[] (Explicit portion removed)

The men outside shrugged. They were never surprised by the Joker's erratic behavior. They returned to their game of cards in the hallway.

"Ok, upsy daisy, kitten." They had woken up together in the morning, and he had decided it would be best to take her outside with him. Maybe the fresh air would snap her back into her usual self. Though, if he was being honest, he liked his kitten being so dedicated to him. He really was a selfish man. She seemed to only breath when he told her to, her body only moving when his hands were on her. But he knew it wasn't sustainable - she needed to take care of herself. He wondered what had happened in that faraway mind of hers.

First, he would have to get them cleaned up. She was a disaster and he assumed he probably looked no better. She smiled at his efforts to pull her out of bed, making it difficult for him to get her up and into the bathroom. But she eventually relented, and once he turned on the water to the shower, she seemed to perk up a bit and reached her hand in to splash him with the water.

It was something beautiful to see her like this, seemingly without any inhibitions and allowing herself to act like a child. Growing up the way she had, so quickly being saddled with the responsibilities of adulthood in a community that trained girls to take on the housework and care of younger siblings so early, she had never really gotten to be a child. The Joker's life was a mystery, but maybe his childhood had been taken away from him too. The way they giggled as they bumped against each other getting into the shower, the way he laughed at the pitiful stream of water streaming from the showerhead in the cheap apartment, it seemed like two people living a late moment of thoughtless fun, like children again for this short time.

The small shower of a compact apartment didn't allow them much room, especially for his tall form. But they made it work, laughing as they grabbed the shampoo. They fought over it first, but then he relented and let her take some. He had to bend down for her to reach him as she washed his hair, slowly working the foam into his scalp with her fingertips. He washed hers next, enjoying the slippery feel of her wet hair.

She set her eyes on his face, seeing that their night together and the shower had taken off a great deal of his makeup. She decided to work on removing the rest, grabbing a cloth and rubbing it over the remaining paint gently, patiently. It was stubborn but finally relented, staining the cloth with its colors.

With the makeup mostly off now, only a trace of the black eyeshadow left and a little embedded red in the creases of his scars, he looked suddenly so young and so simple. As she worked on removing the last traces of the paint, she wondered what he was before he was the Joker. The naked skin of his body and now his face too made him seem suddenly vulnerable, and she knew he could see the question in her eyes. He put an arm around her to draw her closer, saying, "Annie, don't ask me about my past, please." She was taken aback. The way he said please with such a supplicating tone, as if he was afraid of her - as if she could hurt him. She had never heard him speak like that before. She looked up at him with concern. "Ok," she said, reaching her hand up to his face and cradling his cheek there. He took her face in his hands, bringing their lips together and kissing her deeply. The taste of the water was so different from the smooth waxy flavor she was used to. His lips offered more resistance now, giving her a better grip as she drug her mouth over his. It was a desperate kiss, a wonderful kiss.

[] (Explicit portion removed)

"Annie, these clothes are horrible. You only have your work clothes?" He was trying to find something for her to wear. He didn't wait for an answer from her. He went to the door, poking his head out and addressing his men. "Go get the red dress from the van, it's still in the box. And get me that bag under the seat."

He had handed her a hairbrush and told her to use it, and when he checked on her, she seemed to be complying. His men soon returned with the items he had requested. He lifted the red dress out of the box, the same one she had worn to the news station months ago. She looked at it with some hesitation, revealing the Annie the Joker was accustomed to. "I should get some underwear," she said. "No, kitten, this dress doesn't need it," he said, and hastily lifted it over her head. She allowed him to pull it over her obediently. "Now finish with your hair," he said, handing the brush back to her. She struggled with it for a bit and finally gave up, letting some of the tangles remain.

She entered the main room of the apartment, where he was sitting on the edge of the bed, dressed and wearing a brown sweater, the makeup still absent and his hair pulled back again, like it had been in the hospital. She was struck with the rich color of the sweater and how it complemented his eyes. It took some effort to stop looking at him. "Genevieve said you'd like it," he said as a matter of course, as if Genevieve was some old friend of them both. He got up and came closer to Annie, speaking into her ear, "She said you'd want to eat me, if I wore this. I think she was right." Annie knew her deep breaths betrayed her, but she decided not to give him the satisfaction of telling him that his friend had guessed correctly.

"When was the last time you had a meal," he asked her, and she looked up to the ceiling as if she would find the answer there. "I don't know," she responded, seeming to truly not know. "Ok, kitten, that's what I thought. I've got some food on the way."

Soon, a feast was arriving through her door. Fresh fruit, breads, cheese, fragrant soups, more meat than she had ever had in her apartment at one time. Her eyes were wide, just taking it in. She really was very hungry, now that she saw the food there. She began to take bits of it, enjoying the incredible variety he had brought. She was more than unaccustomed to this kind of luxury. She looked over at him. He was eating too, but she could tell from his sly smile, he was watching to see what she'd do. Maybe he was wondering if her long history of poverty and scarcity would show itself, and she would try to save anything that they couldn't eat. He had certainly gotten far more than was needed for two people.

She thwarted his plan, opening the door to her apartment and finding three of his men there, as she expected. She invited them in to eat - "The Joker wanted you to come and eat too," she said, motioning to the food.

The Joker rolled his eyes at her, now eating his fill before his men took it all.

They departed from the steps at the foot of her apartment building, making their way to one of the main thoroughfares of Lower Gotham. "Where are we going?" she said, wondering what the purpose of this outing was.

"Just on a walk, kitten, I thought you liked walks."

"These are strange walking clothes," she said, looking over at him and then down at the ornate embroidery and sequins on the form-fitting red dress.

"Nothing is strange in Gotham now," he said with a smile.

He took her arm in his and they walked onward, mostly ignored by passers by, though some eyes lingered on her overly formal dress. The weather was unusually warm for spring in Gotham, and neither of them required a jacket. He had tossed a light scarf on, presumably to disguise his scars. The weather had lured out many of the residents of Lower Gotham - the streets were busier than she had seen them since the food crisis. She began to feel nervous, knowing from the trajectory of the events she had seen on the news in the hospital that large gatherings in Lower Gotham might not have positive results.

They seemed to be coming upon more and more people as they neared the entrance to one of the bridges, and she soon saw why. Makeshift scaffolding was set up, blocking the roadway, a man on top gesticulating and speaking to the crowd. Chaos surrounded them, some people obviously rushing away from the scene to avoid being drawn up in the mob and others rushing toward it, cheering after each statement he made. He seemed to be voicing complaints about the passport system, pointing out the injustice inherent in it. "Upper Gotham gentlemen and ladies," he said mockingly, "don't need to prove their identity to cross over to our side of the city, but us Lower Gotham 'rats' have to show this special ID and explain why we are crossing to the other side of our own city!" The crowd cheered when he said 'rats,' clearly understanding his reference to Dent's disparaging comment in the leaked audio that came out months ago.

The Joker had grabbed her hand and was leading them closer and closer to the base of the scaffolding, past even the crowd that had gathered in the front row of spectators. "What are you doing?" she asked, concerned. He turned to look back at her and had a wild grin on his face. He had obviously come up with some kind of plan, whether simply mischievous or murderous, she didn't know. "Did you know this was here?" she asked, looking up at the rickety platform as they stepped under it. "No, the people of Gotham did this all by themselves, kitten," he said with excitement in his voice.

The man who had been speaking came down the ladder on the side of the scaffolding, and the Joker strode up to him, somehow hiding the perverse excitement on his face and changing his expression to one of earnestness. She was disconcerted by how quickly he pulled off the transition. Could he always change his personality on command like this?

"That was amazing," he said to the man, as if he was completely taken aback by his eloquence on the platform. "So inspiring. My girlfriend here, her father was killed by the GCPD just two weeks ago. She's been so distraught. She'd really like to say a few words to the crowd." He pulled Annie up beside him, jerking her arm with more than a little strength due to her reticence to come any closer. She simply stood there, wide-eyed.

The man's face was confused but then melted into a generous expression, matching the Joker's feigned earnestness. "Of course. Everyone is welcome here. Go on up."

The Joker turned to her. The light scarf, which wasn't really disguising much anyway, fell down to his chin. "Go on up, sweety. Tell them all about it. I know you have a lot to get off your chest about this." As he ended his words to her, a toothy grin slowly took over the false sincerity of his face. No one could see his expression but her from this angle.

He had seen an opportunity to cause trouble, something irresistible to the Joker, but also, he had been looking for something exactly like this on their walk, some situation he could put her in that would help snap her out of her trance-like state. Being on stage seemed uncomfortable enough to force her to think again, to craft something that would get her out of it.

She stood there, still stunned. "Ok, honey," he said, irritation beginning to edge into his voice. "Up you go!"

He lifted her onto the ladder, placing her hands and feet on the rungs so that she was starting to climb to the to the plywood platform above. She looked back down at him with accusing eyes as she grabbed one rung after the other, the whole structure swaying slightly as she reached the top. It must have been just about one story tall, not a massive height for onlookers, but once she was on top looking down, it seemed quite tall indeed. She had no idea what to say, finding herself standing there on the platform, looking out at the large crowd below. She knew their anger wasn't directed at her, but her ridiculous dress and the seriousness of their faces did not help calm her worries.

The Joker was below chatting with the previous speaker. "Just stage fright, she'll snap out of it."

As she sometimes did in moments of panic, her mind retreated to the words imprinted there since childhood. Her terrified expression turned to one of blank calm, and the murmurs from the crowd began to quiet in expectation. Something about the figure in the red dress seemed like an omen to them. She was a strange vision, like some kind of avenging angel that had appeared there.

Her voice rang out, surprising both for how well it carried and for its femininity in the male-dominated crowd.

"Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places a plain.

"Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword…"

The simple words seemed to strike a deep chord with the crowd, and they began to cheer with a volume and intensity that not only alarmed Annie, but also caused the Joker to take action. Someone had a gun and a shot rang out into the sky, the mass of people so riled up that they just cheered more with the sound instead of cowering at it.

His tone completely changed from his mischievous teasing earlier as he yelled up to her, "Stop, kitten, get down, now." She obeyed, crawling on her hands and knees to the edge of the platform and endeavoring to get her grasp on the ladder again. She managed to climb halfway down, even with the difficult dress, and then she felt his arms grabbing her from behind and taking her the rest of the way. He set her feet on the ground and grabbed her hand as they looked for a way out. People were rushing underneath the scaffolding, heading toward the central checkpoint on the other side of the bridge. The plywood platform began to teeter and shake with the rushing bodies.

The Joker took her hand and at first ran with the crowd, because there really was no other option. Once the mass of people spread out on the bridge, there was more room to maneuver, and he was able to weave them in and out of the streams of people. He moved so fast, she had trouble keeping up, but he kept a secure grasp on her hand that she knew wouldn't waver. Finally they were out of the rush of people and could turn back to her apartment. They began to walk at a normal pace again, and he swung their hands back and forth like they were on the most lighthearted of strolls. He wore a sly smile, while she had a fearful expression from what she had just witnessed.

"Well, that was very interesting…" he said. She didn't know how to respond, still processing what had happened. When they passed the next alleyway, he suddenly slid off the main street into it, taking her with him. He pulled her close, his hands finding easy purchase on her waist and her thigh under the high slit of the dress. "You were so beautiful there, looking up at that platform with those scared eyes."

[] (Explicit portion removed)

He smiled and took her hand, straightening her dress over the mess he had made of her, and they both ran back in the direction of her building. A smile spread across her face and he could hear her laugh trying to keep up with him, as they ran together down the street, drunk with each other.

Late into the night, the van arrived near Annie's building to take the Joker on a special patrol he had wanted to complete, checking on key locations in the city. This had been a long day for the driver, and he didn't have a lot of patience for the Joker's antics. He headed inside to see what was going on. He soon found himself in the hallway outside her apartment, and not hearing anything from inside, ignored the warnings from the two men stationed there and took matters into his own hands, opening the door. He walked in and called, "Hey, the van…" He immediately regretted it.

The moonlight was the only illumination in the room, but he could easily see the details of their bodies, intertwined and naked. The paint was nearly gone from the Joker's face and it instead marked their bodies like some kind of jungle camouflage, smudges and splashes of it glowing everywhere on their skin in the half-light. They looked over at the intruder at the same time - the Joker with his eyes alert and fiery like a lion on top of its prey, her eyes dazed and misty and her lips parted with heavy breaths. Fear rooted the driver to the spot.

"I'm. Not. Done," the Joker growled darkly, fixing him in his gaze and slowly enunciating every word. The driver shook off the terror that held him and turned quickly, running from the room and into the hallway, sprinting away without a backward glance. He kept running into the streets of Gotham, abandoning the van. He likely left Gotham that night, knowing that the best way to escape the Joker's wrath would be to leave the city.

[] (Explicit portion removed)

Author's note: [spoilers!] I hope I didn't disturb anyone too much with the speed of their relationship development - I just really felt that once Annie's hesitation was gone, the floodgates would open. It made sense to me. Though the Joker here is pretty chatty lol, I thought they would both express themselves better physically than verbally. I apologize if any of this is rough around the edges - it's a new type of writing for me. I think some portions are special and hope at least those came across well.

This is fanfic, so of course I don't own any characters from The Dark Knight (Joker, Batman, etc.). The main female character is original.

Image attributions:

Forest Dietmar Rabich / Wikimedia Commons / “Haltern am See, Hohe Mark -- 2020 -- 6883” / CC BY-SA 4.0

Woodland phlox Jay Sturner from USA, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Prairie trillium USGS Bee Inventory and Monitoring Lab from Beltsville, Maryland, USA, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Wood sorrell 6th Happiness, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

[seabeck]

Finally made it out into the woods after two weeks of pet sitting. Left to right: lobster mushroom, new waterfall for KWS, coral mushroom?, yellow carnival candy slim mold, fall field cricket, a katydid that hopped on my face and then bit me really hard seconds after I took the photo, banana slug and pacific side band - two detrivorous buddies, black earth tongue

[buffetlicious]

For the Braised Fried Fish Maw Seafood Treasure Soup, the staff portioned it into ten smaller bowls before serving it to us. Not sure if it is because I am holding a camera, but my bowl came with more chunks of crab meat and fish maw. Basically, a seafood soup thickened with starch so the ingredients seem to be suspended/frozen in the soup. Black vinegar and white pepper accompanied this soup so feel free to add some to it.

Well, the Roasted Crispy Chicken with Prawn Crackers was warm and tender to eat, it however wasn’t crispy at it. And just like everywhere else in Singapore, they referred to this deep-fried chicken as a roasted chicken. Sprinkle a bit of the salt & pepper before putting it into the mouth. A lacklustre dish but thank goodness, the prawn crackers were crispy though.

This Steamed Hybrid Garoupa in Hong Kong Style was cut into sections just before they served it to us. This hybrid grouper is probably a cross between the giant grouper (Epinephelus lanceolatus) and brown-marbled grouper or tiger grouper (Epinephelus fuscoguttatus) and given the Dragon Tiger Grouper (龙虎斑) name. The fish got to be very fresh to be steamed and cooked with just a simple condiment of soya sauce, julienned spring onions and cilantro leaves for garnish. The end result, sweet springy flesh with collagen like skin that is so good to eat.

The Braised Whole 10-Head Abalone with Sea Cucumber and Spinach was up next but the process of waiting for the next dish to be served was a long one as in-between the hosts are showing us video stories of the newly married couple and plus the live singing by the friends and band. Ten pieces each of the abalone and sea cucumber sitting atop a bed of blanched Popeye’s favourite green vegetable. Why 10 you may ask? Because a table usually seat ten people so the food portions are divided equally so each get a piece of everything (for the expensive ingredients that is). The only complaint for this dish is that the spinach is on the bitter side.

Like an overturned basket or nest, spilling out Deep-Fried Prawns with Black Truffle Mayonnaise Sauce. If there is anything to change for the presentation, I would move the red and green coral lettuces from under the eatable nest and placed it in the nest for a more dramatic effect. Anyway, these truffle gratings lend an aromatic and earthy fragrances to the classic mayo prawns topped with orange flying fish roe. My colleague and I detected a mild spicy hint of wasabi in it but another colleague said it is from the truffle and mayo combo. Differences aside, this is one dish I won’t mind having again.

I always love this noodle served at the end of the dinner courses just before dessert. The Braised Ee-Fu Noodles with Yellow Chives and Straw Mushrooms is a usual staple at wedding due to the fact it is also known as longevity noodles (寿面). Normally, I would consume more than a bowl of the yi mein (伊面) but that night I was already quite stuffed from the dishes served and I was leaving room for dessert. :D

By the time the last dish was up and the clock was ticking closer to 11pm. The warm Teochew Yam Paste with Gingko Nut and Coconut Milk with its gooey and smooth yam (taro) paste and whole gingko nuts smothered in thickened coconut milk is bursting with sweetness and a great comfort to many of us Singaporeans. I liked the fact that the chef tuned the sugar level to just sweet enough as I preferred mine not too saccharine. Anyway, I just had to ask for another bowl as it was just too good to pass up.

Dinner is now over and after shaking hands with the groom, bride and their respective parents, it is time to head to the train station to catch the train home.

[mycoblogg]

FOTD #071 : red coral fungus! (ramaria araiospora)

red coral is a coral mushroom in the family gomphaceae. :-) it is found in the himalaya & north america. it grows either in clusters or singularly, & prefers western hemlock & tanoak. it likely forms a mycorrhizal association !!

the big question : can i bite it?? it is edible & sold as food in mexico :-) though, overconsumption can cause stomach upset.

r. ariospora description :

"the fruit bodies of ramaria araiospora typically measure 5–14 cm (2–5+1⁄2 in) tall by 2–10 cm (3⁄4–3+7⁄8 in) wide. there is a single, somewhat bulbous stipe measuring 2–3 cm (3⁄4–1+1⁄8 in) long by 1.5–2 cm (5⁄8–3⁄4 in) thick, which is branched up to six times. the branches are slender, usually about 1–5 mm (1⁄16–3⁄16 in) in diameter, while branches near the base are thicker, up to 4 cm (1+5⁄8 in) thick. the terminal branches are forked or finely divided into sharp tips. the trama is fleshy to fibrous in young specimens, but becomes brittle when dried. the branches are red initially, fading to a lighter red in maturity, while the base, including the stipe, is white to yellowish-white. branch tips are yellow."

[images : source & source] [fungus description : source]

"i love this fungus so much<3 she's SO pretty. i only learnt about it recently."

[spores-and-such]

Mushrooms I saw today - Cathays cemetery, Cardiff, 27/10/2024

Artist's Bracket (Ganoderma applanatum), this bracket fungus has a white underside that turns dark brown when scratched. Because of this, it can be used as a medium for drawing, which is where it gets its common name.

I think this is either Meadow Coral (Clavulinopsis corniculata) or yellow staghorn (Calocera viscosa), but I'm leaning towards the former.

There were a lot of club/spindle fungi. I think these may be Moor Club (Clavaria argillacea) of various shades, or the white one could be White Spindles (Clavaria fragilis)

I think these are Ivory Corals (Ramariopsis kunzei)

Pink waxcap (Porpolomopsis calyptriformis)

Parrot waxcap (Hygrocybe psittacina)

I think these are the hilariously named Cramp Balls (Daldinia concentrica)

Cloudy Clitoclibe (Clitocybe nebularis) perhaps

I saw a lot more but I can't be bothered to try identifying them right now, so I might make a follow-up post.