#Venus Clam

[houseofcatwic]

vintage art

Kitten in Shell

L

[falseandrealultravival]

Hard Clam (verse and cooking)

Removing sand

A bivalve that lives in the deep seas off the east coast of North America.

It is similar to a Japanese Clam, but its shell is uneven and streaked.

In Japan, it is called Honbinosu Clam and is likened to Venus.

Shellfish are often compared to female genitalia, so that is why it is called that.

It entered Japan mixed with ship ballast and began to live in Tokyo Bay.

It is an excellent edible shellfish, so Japanese people also eat it.

I made it "sake steamed" today.

Sake steamed hard clam (cooking)

finished

1) Remove sand in salt water with seawater concentration (35g/l) for a day and night

2) Put sesame oil, garlic, and salt in a pot, heat it, and add the clams.

3) Add 50ml each of water and sake

4) Cover and heat for 3-4 minutes

5) Add cloves

6) Place on a plate and top with chopped green onions

@Use the remaining soup to make spaghetti soup.

2024.06.28

Hard Clam(verse and cooking)

北米東海岸の深い海に生息する二枚貝。

Japanese Clam（ハマグリ）と似ているが

殻が不均等で筋がある。

日本ではHonnbinosu Clamと言うが

ビーナスに擬えられる。

貝はよく女性性器に比べられるが

そんな呼び名だ。

日本には船のバラストに混じって入ってきて

東京湾に生息するようになった。

優秀な食貝なので日本人も食べる。

私は今日「酒蒸し」にした。

Hard Clamの酒蒸し（料理）

一昼夜　海水の濃度の塩水で砂抜き（３５ｇ/ｌ）

鍋にごま油、ニンニク、塩を入れ、火に掛け、貝を投入。

水、酒を各５０ｍｌ加える

蓋をして、３－４分加熱

クローブを入れる

皿に盛り、刻んだネギを掛ける

＠残ったスープは、スープ・スパゲティにする。

[takunwilliams]

BIRTH OF VENUS 

BY 

SANDRO BOTTICELLI

[bogleech]

Simple lifeform facts I take for granted that I've now seen blowing people's minds on here:

That sea urchins walk around and have mouths with teeth on their undersides

That corals are related to jellyfish

Barnacles being related to crabs and shrimp

Ants being an offshoot of wasps

Termites being totally unrelated to ants and all similarities just being convergent evolution (they're actually a group of cockroaches, but even science didn't know that part until a few years ago)

Starfish having an eye at the end of each arm

That the bodies of ticks and mites are also their heads, essentially big heads with legs (they even frequently have eyes way up on "the body")

Sperm whales have no upper teeth, and also their bodies are flat from the front

Goats also having no upper (front) teeth

Tapeworms having no mouth at all and just absorbing nutrients over their entire body surface

That flies are bigger pollinators than bees

That moths are bigger pollinators than bees

That wasps are just as important pollinators as bees (more important to many groups of plants) and when we say they're "less efficient" at it we just mean individually they get a little less pollen stuck to them.

That honeybees are nonnative to most of the world and not good for the local ecosystem, just good for human agriculture

That earthworms are also nonnative and destructive to more habitats than the reverse

There being no hard biological line between slugs and snails; all slugs aren't necessarily related to each other and there are gastropod groups where some have shells and some don't

That ALL octopuses (not just the blue ring) have a venomous bite

Most jellyfish and sea anemones being predators that eat fish

"Krill" being shrimp up to a few inches long and not some kind of microbe

Blue whales therefore being the deadliest predators to ever evolve as they eat up to several million individual animals per day

That krill are still "plankton" because plankton refers to whatever animals, algae and other organisms are carried around by the sea's currents, not to any particular group of life or a size category

Fungi being no more related to plants than we are, and in fact more like a sibling to the animal kingdom if anything

Venus fly traps being native to only one small area of North America in all the world

Parasites being essential to all ecosystems

Leeches not having a circular ring of teeth anywhere

That algae is not a type of plant

That most seaweed is just very big algae

That enough wood ends up in the ocean that plenty of sea life evolved to eat only wood

Speaking of which the fact that the "ship worms" that make tunnels in wood are just long noodly clams

Butterflies technically just being a small weird group of moths we gave a different name to

That insects only get wings once they reach maximum size and therefore there can never be a younger smaller bee or fly that's not a larva

Spiders not being any more likely to kill their own mates/young than just a cat or dog might, for most species maybe a lot less often?

[varokai]

if only some days were longer

somewhere to put the hundreds of moments

and keep each one in the same place

of course there are more days

but if only some days were longer

[splatsvilles-fashionista]

Here are some more official news on the Grand Festival venue as we head into the weekend!

"It is I, Shiver, here with news of the Sneak Peek for the Grand Festival. It starts on 01/09, so you have until then to decide which team you should choose. (Ours.) Splatsville is about to get even livelier than usual with all the prep work happening!"

"Shiver again. I just swip—received concept images of the Grand Festival venue, straight from the builders! The architecture is based on harmony, destruction, and creation. A lot of talented artists and workers put a lot of love into this place. I can't wait to see it!"

"It's me, Frye, here to tell you about the three stages at the Grand Festival! The Urchin Stage is closest to the audience, the Seashell Stage is in a tent for the acoustics, and the Giant Clam Stage is…well, giant! Park yourself at one or hop between 'em all!"

[queerasfact]

Black History Month: Gladys Bentley

Gladys Bentley was famous in New York’s Harlem in the 1920s and 1930s. One of her early gigs was at the Clam House - a popular queer venue. There she caught the attention of writer Langston Hughes, who remembered: “ …Miss Bentley sat, and played a big piano all night long, literally all night, without stopping … from ten in the evening until dawn … Miss Bentley was an amazing exhibition of musical energy–a large, dark, masculine lady, whose feet pounded the floor while her fingers pounded the keyboard…”

Gladys was famous not just for her piano-playing, but her dirty improvised lyrics, and her masculine dress. From an early age, Gladys was more comfortable in masculine clothing - her trademark performing outfit was a white tuxedo. She was publicly known to be interested in women, and might even have participated in one of 1930s Harlem’s female-female weddings.

Learn more

Image: studio portrait of Gladys wearing a white tuxedo and top hat, and holding a cane

[splatoonreblogger]

SplatoonNA:

It is I, Shiver, here with news of the Sneak Peek for the Grand Festival. It starts at 5PM on 8/31, so you have until then to decide which team you should choose. (Ours.) Splatsville is about to get even livelier than usual with all the prep work happening!

SplatoonJP:

【フェス潜入レポート】

フウカどす。

グランドフェスティバルのヨビ祭は、9月1日(日)の午前9時からや。

それまでは、どこに投票するかじっくり考えとくれやす。

ヨビ祭の頃にはバンカラ街も、フェスの準備で大わらわになりそうやなぁ。

SplatoonNA:

Shiver again. I just swip—received concept images of the Grand Festival venue, straight from the builders! The architecture is based on harmony, destruction, and creation. A lot of talented artists and workers put a lot of love into this place. I can't wait to see it!

SplatoonJP:

【フェス潜入レポート】

さっき運営本部で、会場のコンセプトビジュアルをかっぱらっ……もろてきましたえ。

テーマは調和、そして破壊と創造。

著名なアーティストの方々がデザインしてくれはったとか。

音響にもこだわらはったっちゅう話やし、会場入りが楽しみやね！

SplatoonNA:

It's me, Frye, here to tell you about the three stages at the Grand Festival! The Urchin Stage is closest to the audience, the Seashell Stage is in a tent for the acoustics, and the Giant Clam Stage is…well, giant! Park yourself at one or hop between 'em all!

SplatoonJP:

【フェス潜入レポート】

ウツホじゃ！

会場には3つのライブステージがあるぞ。

まずは間近でパフォーマンスを堪能できる「ウニステージ」。

次に、大型テントならではの演出に注目の「サザエステージ」。

そして、とにかくデカい「シャコガイステージ」！

ステージ間の移動は自由じゃ！

[scummrevisited]

wanted to dabble with like. making fursonas out of uncommon species so!!!! bivalve mollusk fursona!!!!!!!!!! if you dont know what bivalves are, to roughly put it they r the family of like mussels, oysters, scallops, clams, etc etc a few more details on some of the terms under the cut, bc i wanted to show images of whats what but i couldnt cram in the images in there DFJGJDH i dont. really know how to warn or tag for bivalves but they can look freaky sometimes

the siphon tail is based on the siphons that some bivalves have, i particularly based it on those off of venus clam siphons, most bivalves who have it use siphons for digging and rooting themselves, however some use it for eating, some of them with particularly big ones can even retract the whole thing back into their body with nothing pouring out

the byssus antenna are based on well, the byssus some bivalves here, particularly mussels, which they use to root themselves into stuff and attach to surfaces

and lastly, a few bivalves even have eyes! many even! as the ref states i mainly based it off of the eyes from scallops. those blue things are all eyes

i would like to note i am very much not an expert on bivalves or marine biology at all. this info all comes from a whole day of wikipedia deep diving HSDFHDHHKF

[bigmammallama5]

Shell Haul

Atlantic bay scallops, calico scallops, baby’s ear snail shells, cayenne keyhole limpets, lettered olive, shark eye moonshell fragments, Atlantic auger shells, common jingles, small eastern oysters, pen shell fragment, eastern banded tulip shell fragment, Atlantic coquinas, cross-hatched lucines, fossilized shark teeth and fragments.

Cross-barred venus clams.

Cross-barred venus clams.

Cross-barred venus clams, common Atlantic slipper snail shells, arc shells (turkey wing and moss).

Arc shells (turkey wing and moss), southern ocean quahog venus clams, soft-shelled clams, eastern oysters, Atlantic giant cockles, assorted small arcs and cockles.

Atlantic giant cockles and fragments, assorted small arcs and cockles, soft-shelled clams, lightning whelk fragments, pear whelk fragment, assorted coral fragments, scotch bonnet fragments, worn and textured shell fragments (quahog, arc).

[All shells were responsibly collected, most to be used in or with art.]

[hiyyihrts]

Parks, Picnics, and Pound Cake: A One-Shot Polin Fanfic

Summary:

Colin Bridgerton is gone for a month-long venture with his brother Benedict for artful inspiration outside of London. Benedict has the time of his life, happy to chat with locals and indulge in new dishes; while Colin can do nothing but write dozens of letters to his wife at home, wishing for nothing but to have her in his arms once again and to feel her warmth.

Colin is convinced she’ll drop everything upon his arrival and take him to their bedroom at once.

Penelope Bridgerton has other ideas for her husband.

AO3:

Colin Bridgerton is many, many things. He’s charismatic, charming, complimentary, practically any word you can think of that starts with a C could be used to describe him. Except for a specific word that comes to mind, but that is a bone to pick for another day. He’s always been partial to C-centric words, though, probably to do with his given name starting with the same. However, any word that could be taken as a compliment in the English alphabet is something that could most likely pertain to Colin.

The only word that no one close to him would use to attribute to his personality would be patience. Specifically, patience when it comes to traveling, and patience when it comes to anything regarding his wife, Penelope.

Since he had given up his lifestyle of traveling for months on end to be with his love, that patience had transmitted itself to something he had to apply to his relationship instead. But not in the sense that he was quick to annoyance or anger. While his wife sometimes tempted those emotions, he rarely came to direct anger anymore since being together. No, his patience stemmed into physical patience. His wife made him nothing short of a saint with the way she made him keep his hands to himself at all occasions, never allowing him to be untoward unless they were alone, in the private of their home or bedchamber of whatever residence they found themselves in.

His patience for this was hung by the skin of his teeth, day in and day out, because his wife was beautiful. She was a goddess come to life, a gorgeous woman that every man should have been desiring for years on end (this, however, was not allowed unless he himself was the one doing the desiring, because no man should dare look at her untoward until he was cold in the ground and long gone from this Earth).

Ringlets of sunset-colored hair and a button nose that he wanted to touch with his own, and deep, ocean-blue eyes he wanted to drown in endlessly, his Venus in her clam shell that would be remembered through his history and then some. The curves of her hips and the fullness of her bosom would be enough to make all of the Greek statues in existence weep with envy. He could lose himself in her beauty, and wit combined, for the rest of his days. Whether she was gazing out a parlor window, pained with the forces of laboring a child, or deep in pleasure writhing beneath him, she was beautiful- always a sight to behold.

And she was his. His love and wife and everything good in this world for him.

So when he’d been gone for a month with Benedict, he had done nothing but crave her. Every morning he awoke to lovely sunrise, with the sun shining in on him with a vibrancy different to the London skies, but it wasn’t quite as appealing to him unless she was beside him. And his brother interrupting the solitude of silence was also an annoyance he could have done without.

He wrote to her, of course, as they always did when they were away from one another for longer than necessary. Even as children they had done so, before they had ever thought of courtship or marriage or anything but being friends. Or, that’s how Colin remembers it at least. Penelope would beg to differ on the timelines and semantics, but that is a tale for another time. But nonetheless, he’d written to her, and she had not responded. He hadn’t expected her to, as the time it would take for the letters to arrive could vary greatly, and they’d been home by the time any of them had crossed into the country anyhow. Most of them were nothing but his longing for her and their child. He missed them both terribly, and he missed the intimacy he’d grown accustomed to from them both.

He’d been ecstatic to arrive back in London. It was all he could do not to jump out of the carriage once they’d neared London and run at his full speed all the way to his love. He hadn’t done that, though, obviously. He’d been patient. Like his wife would have wanted him to be. He’d waited a month to see her, after all; a few more hours wouldn’t hurt him. Although, they might make him combust from the inside with nerves, but nothing physically capable, anyhow.

The carriage ride had them stopping in front of Number Five like anticipated around mid-day. His wife was to be there with his mother, Violet, and Benedict’s wife, Sophie, upon arrival to greet them after their travels.

But once Colin stepped down from stifling heat of the carriage, his wife was no where to be seen. In fact, only his mother greeted them at the front gates, a large smile on her face. She took quick steps forward to embrace her two songs in one large embrace. They had to bend down to accompany her size, and both when released gave her a kiss on the cheek. Both men looked at her with the unasked question that hung in the air- Where were their wives?

Violet puffed out a quiet laugh, “Ah, it’s been so hot this morning that the ladies have had to keep cool inside. They said they would be on their way out in a moment, but it’s been a few bit since then.”

Colin looked up to the sky at that. The sun beat down uncharacteristically hot. Not a cloud lazed in the sky, making its beams feel all the more oppressive out in the open, unwelcome unless obscured by shade. He was starting to feel a prickle of sweat along his back standing outside, with hardly a breeze to cool him off. After a moment he heard the click of a door opening, and he stared past his mother to the front door. It took him a moment to adjust to not looking directly at the sun (stupid of him, he knows) but when he did he saw his wife and Sophie stepping down the walkway towards them.

Ah, how he missed his Pen.

He felt his breath leave his lungs in a rush and his heart swell in his chest, tight and aching for her. She wore a stunningly blue piece, light in color with white trim, and her hair laid coiled in an updo as it usually did most days. The color shown fiery in the sunlight while her dress shown pale, as if it were translucent in color and not a baby blue ensemble.

While Sophie ran to meet Benedict, Penelope hurriedly came to him with tears in her eyes threatening to fall and a radiant smile crossing her face. Penelope wasn’t one for theatrics or inappropriate advances, especially in public where eyes were always on one another, so she refrained from hugging him and halted with stuttering steps in front of him. She was mere centimeters away yet Colin felt as if an ocean lay between them. His fingers twitched at his sides to brush the tear that had fallen from its stubborn hold of her blue eyes, but he refrained. He was a gentlemen after all, her being his wife or no.

“Colin.” She said, smiling at him with flushed, rose colored cheeks.

”Pen.” He replied, with probably just as flushed skin as she, taking in every niche and sight of her he could.

A bead of sweat dropped from her hairline to her cheek, and ran down the line of her jaw to her, mixing with the stray tear, and landed on her chest. Colin’s eyes flitted to the droplet, now sliding down to the dip between her breasts and flowing to a place he’d dreamed about for weeks now. He licked his lips and sucked in a shaky breath. He forced his gaze to flit back up to hers, focusing on something other than the fantasies he’d had over his travels about her.

She must have been thinking the same, because her smile widened into a grin, and she had that teasing look in her eye she got when she was meant to playfully scold him. She must want to get out of the sight of his family as fast as he did.

She took a step closer and brushed her gloved fingers with his and said, “I’ve arranged for a picnic.”

———

“When you said you’d like for us to go for a picnic, I hadn’t thought you actually meant a picnic.” Colin grumbled.

He held Penelope’s arm in the crook of his elbow, trailing her along for a promenade along the river. He had to bend slightly to adjust to her height, but he made it work, even if it was slightly uncomfortable to stagger about. They nodded to other couples and families they passed by, a few mumbled names and “Mr. Bridgerton and Mrs. Bridgerton’s” following suite. He shifted the small basket his mother’s cook had arranged for them on his arm. He would never admit it out loud but it was becoming a bit tedious to carry. And by God was it hot. His hair kept sticking to his forehead and rivulets of sweat were running down his back at lightning speed. He sure Penelope wasn’t fairing much better. The fan in her hand had been working overtime to keep a modicum of her complexion less flushed, but it would be of no use. She was prone to a red tinge as it was, and the heat only accentuated the color.

“Don’t be melancholy, Colin. I thought it’d be nice for us to promenade after so long away from one another. It’s also a nice day out. We should enjoy it while it lasts.” Penelope remarked, always trying to look for the positive in any situation.

He grunted in reply, trying not to yank her arm up as he maneuvered the basket again.

”I rather thought there’d be other things on your mind after not seeing your husband for a month rather than a damned promenade.”

Penelope swatted at his arm harshly, “Colin Bridgerton, do not speak that way.” She lowered her voice to a hissed whisper, “Not while we’re in public, at the very least.”

He fought the urge to roll his eyes, but held his tongue. She was right, of course, but she had a way of bringing out his fallacies like no other that made him want to curse as if it were his first profession.

“Besides, what else would you have had in mind if not a nice promenade?” Her tone remained aloof as she asked the question, but her eyes moved too quickly away from his own to warrant any other response except for a cheeky remark.

He stepped slightly closer to her side, pulling her into him, slowing their walk to a crawl. He leaned down until his breath hit the shell of her ear, and said, “I’m sure we can think of a few ideas, my love.”

She did not reply, yet her chest rose and fell quickly, and her hold on his arm tightened slightly. Colin looked down to her gloved hand fisted into his coat sleeve, and he knew some chord had been struck.

Penelope cleared her throat and looked off to to the distance, focusing on some geese or tuft of grass that held no actual significance to her. It was just a way to distract herself from what her husband was implying to her out in the open. A cherry red flush creeped up her neck and Colin was quick to take notice.

He bit his lip to contain his smile, pulling her closer to his side. Or, at the very least as much as social propriety allowed between a husband and wife in public. If anything she could blame the flaming of her skin to the scorching sun overhead, and no one would be none the wiser.

But they would know, of course. And, God, he wanted this picnic to be over with now more than ever.

Colin quickened their pace along the walkway, foregoing minimal formalities if they passed by anyone walking towards them. Spotting a thicket of trees that led into a more dense forest ahead of them, he steered them off the popular path and pushed his wife towards a small dirt step way, Penelope uttering a snapped “Colin!” as he did.

As they traveled further into the forest, Colin realized that the path he’d chosen was hardly even a path at all. It was an unclear rut of rocks and packed dirt, and both him and Penelope struggled to work their way through the thicket. The only reason he’d led them this way was because he knew of a small, secluded clearing he’d discovered in his youth with his brothers. They’d hide out here to get away from their Mother during promenades, if they could help it at all.

Violet never caught on to their antics, so it’s even more likely no one else would find him and his wife here, either. And that, in the moment for Colin, was the most glorious thought he’d ever had.

Penelope stumbled a few times, her skirts catching on fallen branches and thickets. Colin was there to hold her up with an arm wrapped around her waist in support, feeling her let go of her own weight to have him hold her. He relished in it, being able to feel the curve of her stomach and grip her hip through the fabric of her gown, almost as if he could feel her skin between his finger instead.

Soon. Soon he would be able to feel her in full.

When they finally reached the end of the path, Penelope gasped, surprised to see a clearing of grass dotted with blooms of flowers all around. A tree bore overhead a portion of the clearing, providing some shade from the sweltering sun even further above.

“Oh Colin, it’s beautiful.” She said.

He grinned.

And led her to the patch beneath the tree, setting the basket down at his feet and opening it to see if a blanket had been provided for them to sit on. Of course, there was, as his mother’s cook and maids were always very meticulous when it came towards her children. There weren’t many items in the basket, as the blanket took up most of the room, but there were a few sandwiches and some lemon pound cake for dessert. No beverages, though. Alas, some moments couldn’t always be perfect.

Birds chirped a melody above their heads, and the taller grass swayed in the slight breeze that had steadily built as the day dragged on. Colin laid the thin blanket out as flat as he could manage, and held his wife’s hands as she sat herself down and bent her legs underneath her. She fixed her skirts to splay out in a circle around her, and it seemed to swallow her short frame whole, and her eyes buzzed with a shine of excitement and love.

Oh, how he’d missed her.

Sitting himself down beside her, he divided their portions using the utensils that had been provided, and they ate quietly. The silence of the moment and the solitude of the clearing washed over them, calm and resolute. He’d missed his wife’s body, yes, how could he never not miss the shape of her and the feel of her pressed against him? He’d have to be mad to think otherwise. But, he would never be remised to admit that he missed her company alone even more so. Her whit and humor were what brought a smile to his lips first thing in the morning. Her light laughter at something he’d said or something their child had done in learning were what made him want to walk this Earth endlessly. He’d do anything to keep his wife and child in his life for as long as he could. So, yes, he missed her body, but he missed her soul even more.

Beside him Penelope delicately took her gloves off to eat her dessert. The sandwiches hadn’t been too messy for her, so she’d kept them on, but the dessert was too hearty and coated with melting icing. She picked a slice up placed between her ring, forefinger, and thumb, gripping it with an intensity even he found admiring. He appreciated someone as involved with their food as he was.

He watched as she held the slice to her mouth and took a bite from it, chewing methodically, not taking notice to the pair of eyes trained on her movements. A dribble of icing coated the corner of her lips. The tip of Penelope’s tongue darted out to lick it away, trailing across her plump bottom lip and sweeping along the other corner. She hummed in approval as she swallowed the first bite- and Colin felt it rumble low in his groin.

She continued eating her cake, oblivious to her husband’s molten gaze holding her captive. The heat was stifling, even while in the shade, and her slice of lemon cake wasn’t immune to its forces. The icing that the cook had probably slaved over in the early hours of this days morning was undone in mere minutes outside. It trickled down slowly between Penelope’s fingers, drawing a line down her palm to the delicate bend of her wrist. And Colin’s eyes followed relentlessly. Her gloves were gone, and her arms were bare and pale and glowing with lemon-glazed goodness. She allowed the icing to drip and drop and flow down her fingers and hand while her husband’s resolve faded to dust.

His patience for her finally snapped when she opened her mouth and inched her fingertips towards her outstretched tongue. Colin grasped her forearm and hurled her forward. Penelope let out a burble of words that didn’t quite form coherently into anything and fell into her husband’s chest and into his personal space. Her left hand was held in Colin’s iron grip, and her right landed precariously on his thigh, dangerously close to his throbbing need.

Patience, patience, Colin.

Penelope’s eyes flitted back and forth from Colin’s hold on her to his own heady gaze. His eyes darkened and he leaned in to her icing-covered fingers. His wife’s breath puffed out, hot and smelling faintly of lemon, against his lips, then hitched when he darted his tongue out to lick at the pad of her fingers. Her cheeks flushed bright red. Her hand on his thigh clenched into a fist, holding tight to the thick fabric. Colin took the pad fully into his mouth, sucking lightly, bobbing his head down one knuckle, then the next, until her finger was completely between his lips and his tongue circled it clean. When he finished with the first finger, he moved to the next, then to her thumb, licking and swirling as if he were between her legs and sucking the sensitive bud hidden within her folds. Satisfied with the state of her fingers, he lapped at her palm, then dipped his head down to lick and bite at the thin skin of her wrist.

She let out a whimper from her parted lips, leaning impossibly forward until her eyes were level with his and their mouths were centimeters apart. Colin continued his kitten licks along her palm, sighing out against her skin, “You cannot know what you do to me, my dear.” Her head tilted so her lips could graze the stubble along his cheek, carving a path to the lobe of his ear, which she took between her teeth for a moment. Colin fought the urge to tip his head back and let her work her plump, radiant lips at the line of his jaw, a low groan forming in the back of his throat.

Penelope’s breath hit the shell of his ear, and it made him shiver in the heat of the summer day, “Mr. Bridgerton, you forget that I know all in this town and relationship.”

Colin’s resolve snapped along with his patience, thrown to the wind and gone for the while. He crushed her flush to him, finding her lips as quickly as he could in his haste. It was nothing but teeth and open mouths, carnal and anything short of a romantic, lingering kiss. He wanted her, and she wanted him. The romantics would have to wait for later.

She moaned into his mouth the moment his tongue touched hers, whining and full of need. Her breasts pushed against his chest in the best way, and her hand roamed in altering grips in his hair, her other moving closer and closer to his hard on for her. Sweat was already forming on their temples, running in rivulets down their cheeks and stinging their eyes when they opened to find a place the other wanted to devour. Penelope lingered on his lips at first, then she changed her mind and mouthed at the curve of his jaw and neck. Colin’s eyes darted to the deep cleavage exposed by her position against him, hunger clouding his vision. They were practically ripping the seams of her dress, begging for them to be taken into his mouth and worshipped.

His fingers moved aptly towards the few buttons that trapped her inside the suffocating gown, undoing them with a swiftness that even a seamstress would be impressed by. Before he pulled it down, he grabbed Penelope by her bottom and heaved her into his lap, making an attempt for her to straddle his waist. She obliged, doing her best to hike the fabric of her dress up and around her thighs. Though she participated in the action, her words were hesitant, not as confident as she’d been a moment ago whispering into this ear.

“Colin-“ He dragged her dress down her shoulders, helping her slide her arms out of the holes. “We’re in public!” Colin undid the bindings of her bodice, though simple in style, it was hard to maneuver through. He grunted at her as he struggled to undo the ties, his fingers fumbling and shaking with nerves.

”It does not matter.”

”But what if someone sees-“ She hissed.

”They do not matter!” Colin growled, ripping the bodice in frustration and tearing it off of Penelope in one fell swoop. The gasp that escaped her turned in to a low moan as Colin cupped at her breasts.

“Finally.” He murmured, dipping his head to take one of her nipples into his mouth, teething it to a hard bud. She arched into him, her legs tightening around his waist and cried out.

Colin released her at the sound, glancing up through his lashes at his wife, deep cherry red cheeks and parted lips kissed raw and swollen. He made sure to accentuate each breath against her goose-fleshed skin as he said “If you don’t want someone to find us, my dear, you need to be quiet.”

She whined and rocked her hips down. “Make me, please, Colin.”

Christ above, Penelope Bridgerton was going to drive him to absolute madness.

He flashed her a grin, giving her a quick kiss on her lips and cheek. “Trust me, love. I imagine what I plan will have it nigh impossible for you to keep your pleasures at bay.” Her response was to grind on his clothed length.

He strained against his breeches, aching and uncomfortable in its entrapment. He shifted to lower Penelope onto her back on the blanket so he could remove his garments. She moved to cover her top with her arms, but a sharp glare from Colin had her lowering her arms to lay on either side of her head instead. Her hair laid like an orange halo around her, blending in to the shade of red her skin was turning at being exposed. Her skirts had draped down over her legs again, covering her deliciously decadent thighs. It irked Colin, and Penelope could notice. She quirked a brow at him in question of if he was going to act on it.

Slowly, he took the hem of her skirts and lifted it back up. He made sure to graze along her legs with his fingers as he did, and also making sure his wife didn’t cross her knees together in embarrassment at her womanhood showing so openly. No undergarments were in sight, letting Colin take in all of Penelope’s beautiful intimates. He swallowed at how she dripped with need, with want, for him, no less. It was enough to make a man fall to his knees in devotion.

Colin licked his dry lips, sucking in a sharp breath of air. He caught Penelope’s gaze and held it as he went to reveal himself. His fingers fumbled in anticipation, but he eventually got his breeches down to his thighs, his member springing free finally after a month of longing to be sheathed in his wife for eternity. No matter how many times they did this he always felt the giddy anticipation of a green boy in love for the first time. It was how Penelope always made him feel, and had made him feel, for many years now.

He shuffled to hover over Penelope, settling himself between her legs, taking her dress and hiking it further over her legs. Her chest heaved up and down as his fingers brushed stray hairs from her face. He nodded at her for reassurance, and she nodded subtly back, cheeks flushing like a young maiden in love.

He first touched her with his fingers, feeling her heat and wetness along the pads, feeling her in her most vulnerable areas. He wanted to make the slide as painless as possible for her, of course. He wasn’t going to get pleasure if she wasn’t feeling it as well. When he inserted his finger down to the knuckle she sighed, closing her eyes as he crooked it inside her, in and out again. He paused after a moment to insert another, and paused every few menstruation’s to wet his length for her. Every time he pulled out she opened her eyes to make sure he was coming back, mewling at him when he inserted his fingers inside her again. She bucked her hips up when he had three in all to their knuckles, not quite reaching that bundle of nerves she needed him to, but so close all the same. Every time he neared it she bucked up into him, mouth hung open in pleasure.

Colin watched her writhe beneath him until she was close, then he stopped abruptly. She looked at him with both a mix of rage and the most adorable pout of her lips she could muster, and he couldn’t help but find it endearing.

“I think you’re ready, now.” He grinned at her, adjusting himself and lining up to her entrance.

She did nothing but huff at him, but he noticed she inched her hips closer and closer to him. As the tip of his shaft entered her, he trembled, shook with the pleasure of feeling her around him again. He’d thought about it, dreamed about it, and had even written about his want to be buried within her over his time away. He was a man in love and a man without for so long, it was bound to make him practically delirious with desire when he arrived home.

And now he was here, not dreaming, not imaging it, but here with his wife. In the park, on a picnic in a secluded area of the woods, eating lemon pound cake, and fucking his wife like they’d never get the chance to again. He tried to be gentle as he fully sheathed himself in her, grinding his hips lightly against her in an effort to be slow. Once he was in all the way, they both paused, breathing heavy, staring into the other’s deep, blue eyes.

This was love. This moment right here. It wasn’t the main one, but it was love in its purest form, in its most vulnerable and pivotal. They were both exposed in more ways than one, but they were exposed together, with one another.

Colin cupped Penelope’s cheek with his palm, brushing his thumb along her swollen lips. “Open for me, love.” And she did. Her lips parted and he slipped two of his fingers lightly inside, resting the pads of them on her tongue. Her teeth grazed his skin, not unpleasantly. “Now close.” He ordered. And she wrapped her lips around his digits, holding them there in place. His slid his hips back to slide out of her, the air hitting his heated skin and making him shiver again. He took his other hand to hold Penelope’s next to her head, clasping their fingers together and intertwining them, and he squeezed.

Penelope bobbed her head in a nod, and Colin slammed back into her with a force he’d been holding back on until now. He buried himself in and out of her relentlessly, slamming into her for any sort of relief he could find for his aching cock. Penelope bit down on his fingers as he hurried his pace, moaning with each hit inside her, squeezing Colin’s hand in a death grip that he was sure to leave bruises along the back of his hand when they were done. She tried to thrash her head to the side, but Colin’s hold on her with his fingers prevented her from doing so.

She was slick and warm for him, making his relentless pace in and out of her an easy slide. It spurred him on, knowing she was this wet for him and only him, and that she’d only be this way for him always. No one else would be privy to how she looked when she was on the flush of an orgasm, or when she was close to screaming from his pleasuring, nor would anyone ever witness how utterly wrecked he must look lusting over her, his wife, his everything to him.

Colin kept his pace, fraught at the thought of tiring himself out after waiting so long for her. He was close, embarrassingly close for such a short time, and he couldn’t hold himself back from wanting to drive into Penelope with wild abandon. He mumbles a sorry as he rips his fingers from their hold in her mouth and unclasps their hands so he can grip her hips instead. He rocks back to sit on the balls of his heels, lifting Penelope’s hips up so he can slam into her at an angle now, sheathing himself deeper and deeper into her for relief.

Now he was hitting that sweet spot of hers he loved so much, her cries inaudible as she reaches her peak. She lets out the tiniest of moans when she comes, tightening around Colin’s cock inside her. And it’s enough to send him spiraling. He spills into her soon after, her whines urging him on and keeping him ramming into her until he’s spent completely.

When he’s through, Colin collapses on top of his wife, caging her in with his frame. They both heave with exhaustion, the clearing silent but for their labored breathing. Colin goes soft inside her, but he doesn’t want to pull out. He enjoys her warmth, arousal or not, and wants to relish in this moment with her.

Colin hears a sniffle in his ear. He whips his head up to see his wife crying, arousal flushed cheeks streaked with tears.

“Pen, what is it? What’s wrong?” He inquires, worried he’d done something to hurt her in his endeavors.

Penelope wipes at her eyes, shaking her head. Colin holds himself up, ready to pull out of her, but she stops him, gripping his forearm tightly.

“No, no. Stay, please.” She says.

He stills, stiff in her hold.

”Please, Pen, tell me what did I do wrong?”

Her eyes grow watery again and her lips wiggle in a pout. She wraps her arms around Colin’s neck and yanks him down to her, maneuvering his head to rest in the crook of her neck. He feels more tears wet his cheeks as they fall between them.

“I… I just missed you so much, Colin.” Penelope confesses.

That’s when Colin realizes that he hadn’t actually done anything to hurt his wife. She just missed him. As he missed her. This was what he loved about his love, this was what love meant to him. It meant Penelope loving him for him. It meant Penelope missing him. It meant Penelope going along with his antics of fucking in a public park, amongst the eyes of God and men alike.

She was his. And he was hers. She was home.

———

“Colin, did you leave my basket at the park?”

Violet questioned her son upon his arrival to Number Five. He arrived alone. With no basket, and no wife in sight.

“No, no, mother, I have it right here.” He hastily places it on the table next to his mother where she sits in the drawing room, observing her son.

”You were gone for quite a while.” She remarks.

Colin nods, “We haven’t seen one another for quite a while.”

”Hm.” Violent hums.

”Well then, mother, I’ll be taking my leave. It was lovely to see you again.”

Her son kisses her on the cheek and then walks out of the room. If she notices the blush that crept along his neck at her questioning, she doesn’t say.

And if her cook finds a ripped bodice bundled up in the blanket within the picnic basket later on in the week, they certainly do not say so.

[mysteryshoptls]

SSR Rook Hunt - New Year's Attire Vignette

"Come now, tell me everything...!"

[Mister S's Mystery Shop]

Diasomnia Student: Let go! I touched this last remaining limited edition collaboration T-shirt first!

Heartslabyul Student: No way! I was just a bit faster! You should be the one to let go!

Rook: Non! Please calm down, both of you.

Rook: If you continue to struggle so… Your precious shirt will stretch and everyone will be at a loss!

Jade: This may be presumptuous of me, but… From where I stood, it seemed as though the other customer was a tad faster at claiming the product.

Diasomnia Student: See! Even he says so. Now, take your hand off, I must go to the register.

Heartslabyul Student: Dammit! I'll definitely get the next one, you can count on it!

Jade: There seems to be at least one dispute like this every day now.

Jade: Those two earlier were clashing just the other day as well… Amazing how they don't tire of it.

Rook: During this sale, there are limited stock of rare items available that rotate daily.

Rook: While it may be a wondrous thing that customers come in to purchase these more valuable products, it is also a shame that they resort to in-fighting.

Jade: Perhaps we need to devise a way in order to sell these limited-time products better.

Jade: At the moment it is first-come, first-serve, but what if we were to implement a lottery system for these products?

Jade: It may greatly reduce the conflict between customers, as well as any other displeasure with the ongoing sale.

Rook: With regards to dealing with the frantic scramble for our products, I think that's a superb idea!

Rook: However… That will also result in customers who will be saddened by their lack of luck.

Rook: I'd like it if all those who came to our sale were able to leave happy.

Rook: If only we could have every customer of the Mystery Shop be happy as a clam.

Jade: I see. So you wish to see a solution that would bring satisfaction to all.

Jade: I admit that is a very you thing to say, but would that not be tricky to implement?

Rook: You may be right… But here's what I think. Conflict happens because the heart yearns.

Rook: Therefore, the best course of action would be to give them something to satisfy that yearning.

Rook: For example, let me think…

Rook: What if we were to transform the inside of this shop into something beautiful that'll bring joy into people's hearts?

Jade: You mean you wish to decorate this shop?

Rook: That's right! Anybody and everybody will feel satisfied once they look upon something gorgeous.

Rook: Up until this point, I have attended many plays that would be considered top tier.

Rook: Venues that perform these first-rate plays have a way of moving the hearts of those who have come to watch before the curtain has even been raised.

Rook: For example, if there were to be extravagantly beautiful decorations in the entrance hall…

Rook: Each person who came in through those doors would instantly be swept up into a wondrous new universe… Or the like.

Jade: I see. It would make sense that a refined theater would also make sure to be surrounded by magnificence.

Jade: Regardless of whether we would be able to do something to that degree, that may be a fine point to start from.

Rook: This is the best chance for me to put to good use my own experience of witnessing countless works that artists have poured their heart and soul into!

Jade: There are many students in Pomefiore who excel at having an artistic sense.

Jade: To be able to see just what kind of decoration you are thinking of as the Vice Housewarden of said dorm, Rook-san… I must admit that my own curiosity has been piqued.

Rook: I'm touched by your kind words. Now, we should go right away to ask Sam-san for permission to decorate the shop.

Sam: ―So, you'd like to increase the shop's decorations in order to appease the hearts of our customers who keep squabbling over the products, hm.

Sam: Please, go ahead and try it. Of course I'd like for it to settle the arguments, but I especially am hopeful that it will increase sales.

Rook: Merci, Monsieur Mysterious! I begin preparations right away.

Jade: I will do my best as your team mate as well, so please let me know what I may do to help.

Rook: A fantastic offer! I'll absolutely take you up on that, Monsieur Prémédité.

Rook: ―With all of the knowledge and experience I've accumulated, I'll absolutely be able to transform this space into something beautiful.

Rook: In order to quell those heart-wrenching arguments… I'll bring forth a beautifully decorated shop that'll soothe their souls!

[Mister S's Mystery Shop]

―A few hours later

Rook: Mayhaps this colorful lamp would be best suited placed against this monotone-colored wall.

Rook: It's quite a difficult task to determine where things should go to keep a good balance in the room. Fufu… And yet that is what makes this even more worthwhile.

Jade: As you've requested, I've finished preparing the decorations you need.

Rook: Merci, Monsieur Prémédité! You've been a huge help.

Jade: Not at all, this was a simple task.

Jade: We've been able to put up some quick decorations here and there, but this may be the extent that we can do now during the day.

Rook: You're probably right. The two of us can finish the rest of what needs to be done after the shop closes for the night.

Jade: Indeed. Incidentally, these decorations you've brought in are quite fabulous, Rook-san.

Jade: And you've brought such a surprisingly large quantity, as well… How could you have possibly procured all of these during your rather short break?

Rook: All the interior items I've brought to be used as decorations inside the shop came from the Pomefiore storage room or borrowed from various students.

Rook: Some are donations from former students, and others are personal items from current students.

Jade: I see. It is astounding that one dormitory is able to amass a collection this wonderful…

Jade: I should expect nothing less from Pomefiore and your adherence to the spirit of the Fairest Queen.

Rook: Isn't it just? My beloved Pomefiore dormitory is overflowing with beautiful things.

Jade: Yes, I have come to understand that. However, I believe the most spectacular thing of all is…

Jade: Your ability in being able to choose decorations that would complement this shop well in that short amount of time, as well as your ability to negotiate borrowing them.

Rook: Oh my, I'm honored to hear you praise me like that. Thank you, Jade-kun!

Jade: Not at all. However… Will the simple act of decorating the shop truly abate these arguments?

Rook: Truthfully, I have prepared something special.

Rook: Once my plan is set in motion, it should allow for everyone to be soothed and forget about their infighting.

Jade: A "special something," you say… I cannot wait.

Rook: Fufu, as for what it is, you shall have to wait for its time in the spotlight.

Rook: Tomorrow, this Mystery Shop will become an even more beauté establishment― That I can definitely promise!

―The next morning

Scarabia Student: Alright, today I'll buy some of the ingredients on sale… HUH, WHAT'S ALL THIS!?

Scarabia Student: THE SHOP'S INTERIOR… IS EVEN MORE EXTRAVAGANTLY DECORATED!

Octavinelle Student: You're right. It's almost like it's not our school store!

Trey: There's fancy lamps, paintings and other interior decorations here and there…

Trey: They've been arranged so as to not bother the Eastern decorations that were already put up, but instead they actually work well with them. The shop feels completely different.

Ortho: This is amazing! Is this all your doing, Rook-san and Jade-san?

Rook: Oui! It may have almost taken us until dawn, but I'm pleased with how it turned out.

Rook: The theme was "the theater."

Rook: To transport all who step through the threshold into a whole new world, just as a theater presenting a high-class play would…

Rook: That was the purpose behind this design.

Jade: Rook-san's aesthetical sense is, in a word, fantastic.

Jade: I may have contributed a helping hand, but everything was done according to his guidance.

Trey: Regardless, this is really well done.

Trey: Looks like me and Ortho can't just dilly-dally if we want that special bonus.

Trey: Anyway, good work, Rook, Jade. You two didn't sleep much last night, right?

Trey: You can leave the shop to us, go ahead and get some rest.

Rook: Fufu, I appreciate your consideration, Chevalier des Roses! But there's no need to concern yourself, as you can see, we are fit as a fiddle.

Jade: Indeed. Moreover, if we were to take a break here, we may be passed up by our rivals.

Trey: Haha, didn't think you'd fall for that one.

Ortho: Tooooo bad. ―Ah, Trey-san. Looks like there's a customer waiting to pay.

Trey: Oops, we should get back to work. See you two later.

Jade: …Well, then. It seems as though our customers are taking well to the new decorations so far…

Rook: The most crucial thing now is to determine if it will help reduce the arguments between our customers.

Rook: Based on the product lineup we have today… It is highly probable that those two who were fighting over that shirt yesterday will come once more.

Rook: Furthermore, we've only the one pair of the limited-edition shoes today.

Rook: What a sad fate that only one of them will be able to claim their prized item…

Rook: Yet, would their clamorous hearts be quelled much like our other customers? This is what I have worked towards.

Jade: At noon, our special limited products will be on sale. It is almost time.

Rook: Oh, speaking of which.

Diasomnia Student: YOOO!! I'M DEFINITELLY GONNA GRAB THOSE LIMITED-EDITION SHOES TOO!

Heartslabyul Student: I'M GOING TO PURCHASE THOSE SPECIAL SHOES! NO WAY I'M GOING TO LET ANYONE ELSE HAVE THEM!

Rook: Looks like they've arrived.

Rook: Now… It's time to put to the test whether my little production will pull at your heartstrings.

[Mister S's Mystery Shop]

Diasomnia Student: I ENTERED THE SHOP FIRST, AND I TOUCHED IT FIRST!

Heartslabyul Student: YOU GOTTA BE JOKING! STOP TRYING TO STEAL MY STUFF!

Jade: We seem to be in the same dispute as yesterday…

Jade: It seems as though it truly was a hard sell to quell their fighting with only distracting decorations.

Rook: Fufu, it's too early to come to that conclusion, Monsieur Prémédité.

Jade: Hm?

Rook: ―NOW, IT'S SHOW TIME!

[spotlight shines upon the students]

Students: !?

Diasomnia Student: WOAH, THAT'S BLINDING! WHAT'S GOING ON!?

Heartslabyul Student: M-My eyes… I'm seeing spots…!

Jade: That's… a spotlight? Those two have frozen in surprise from being suddenly lit up.

Rook: Oui! I borrowed one from the Film Research Club with Vil's permission and installed it in the shop.

Jade: Well, it's completely stopped their argument in its tracks. I see, so was this blinding tactic your "special something"?

Rook: Non, non. This is only the beginning.

Rook: The heart-throbbing thrill starts now! Take a look at the wall over there.

Heartslabyul Student: Just as I felt I was getting used to the light… Now the lamps along the wall are blinking.

Diasomnia Student: Not only that, but the light is reflecting off the other decorations and it's making the shop look even more glamorous… This is more than magical, it's…

Students: Beautiful…

Rook: Fufu, it looks like our customers have calmed down a tad.

Rook: We made it so that all the lamps set up around the shop would turn on remotely, what do you think? Do you like it?

Heartslabyul Student: Y-Yeah… Now that I take a better look, are all these decorations different from what was up yesterday?

Rook: Seems as though you've finally become aware of the changes brought about in the shop.

Rook: That must mean you were so preoccupied by your desired item that you failed to notice said changes.

Rook: I find your determination and persistence for your special item to be rather fascinating!

Rook: Would you please tell me what exactly it is about that item that has you under its thrall?

Jade: From what I have been able to glean from my own research, it seems these shoes are high-end and quite rare.

Jade: It is a replica of the same model worn by a legendary basketball player early in their career.

Jade: These were sold out in a blink of one eye on release, and currently fetch a premium price.

Rook: I see. A legendary player wore them, which makes this a legendary pair of shoes.

Rook: Is it because it is worth so much that you are adamant to acquire them?

Heartslabyul Student: It's more that I admire the guy. I am a huge fan of that basketball player.

Heartslabyul Student: Yesterday's shirt is also of the same as their favorite design.

Heartslabyul Student: Who wouldn't want to get their hands on something that the person they admire also owns!?

Jade: I see, you admire them.

Jade: Many of the limited-edition articles here, including the shoes, are products that aren't readily found for purchase.

Jade: Sam-san must have procured them by using some proprietary routes.

Rook: Which means, if you were to let this opportunity pass you by, it may never come again.

Rook: Your determination to pursue your goals is just… BRAVO! YOU'VE EARNED MY ADMIRATION.

Rook: Now, you're up next. Tell me why you wanted the shoes.

Diasomnia Student: I'm a huge fan of the designer of this sports brand, and I've collected a ton of their stuff.

Diasomnia Student: The same designer made the shirt from yesterday, too. These shoes today are considered their best work from their early years!

Rook: That desire of yours to collect beautiful things… That is just as fantastic! A wonderful reason!

Rook: I must know more about your interest in these shoes.

Rook: What was it about that legendary basketball player that drew you to them?

Heartslabyul Student: Eh?

Rook: What other products has your favorite designer also made?

Diasomnia Student: Uhh…

Rook: Did they have some sort of flashy play style? Did they have some special skill?

Rook: If they were a world-class designer, then I'm sure they had some sticking principles. Could you perhaps elaborate on what those might have been?

Rook: I desperately want to know what makes your heart pound, what ignites your passion!

Rook: Yes! Tell me all of your feelings!

Rook: COME NOW, TELL ME EVERYTHING…!

Diasomnia Student: Th-This is a little…

Heartslabyul Student: WHAT'S WITH THIS CRAZY PRESSURE…!!!

Heartslabyul Student: But, also, like… When some guy's just being real insistent like this, somehow that just helps my own head clear…

Jade: People tend to come to their senses when they witness another's antics. I think it is a phenomenon that most people have experienced.

Diasomnia Student: I guess it's pretty lame of us to be fighting in this decked out shop… Plus, it's New Year's…

Diasomnia Student: …Alright.

Diasomnia Student: I was able to buy the shirt yesterday, and shoes are a big deal for you basketball fans, right? I'll let you take the win this time.

Heartslabyul Student: Really? I owe you one!

Jade: …It seems they've resolved their dispute.

Jade: However, that was much more peaceful than I was expecting. Perhaps he did not covet the product to that extent.

Rook: No, I'm certain he did. I mentioned this when I proposed the decorations for the store…

Rook: "People will feel happy and satisfied when they look upon something gorgeous."

Rook: Just as the quarrel have sprouted thorns in their hearts, the beauty has softly untangled them from it…

Jade: In other words, it cooled their tempers.

Rook: You could say that. At any rate, beauty itself was the resolution for this conflict.

Jade: I see… Although, I suppose I could see another major cause in their resolution.

Rook: Hm? And what is that?

Jade: While the customers were taken in by the shop's decoration, you pulled them in further with your own conversation.

Jade: Your urgent pressing for their responses was spectacular. Had you calculated that into your considerations from the start?

Rook: Non. I only wished to know what made their resolve so strong that they could not help but argue over it…

Rook: That's all.

Jade: Hm. Then perhaps they felt under siege from your innocently curious questions.

Rook: Ahh… How wonderful it was to be able to quell their arguments and see them both satisfied.

Rook: Beautiful things will always bring joy to people's hearts, yes.

Rook: Fufu… It is a fantastical feeling to know that our decorations were able to soothe their aching hearts.

Requested by @pomefiwhore.

[notgilderoylockhart]

"Duck Foie Gras Terrine, pickled fruit, roasted apple bonbon"

Duck foie gras, with pickled red grapes and a roasted apple bonbon, most likely candied, topped with gold leaf. And what seems to be some pickled red cabbage on the side.

2. Venus Clams

Venus clams with dill and red chilies in oil. Inside the oil are specks of red, which could be chili flakes. There also seems to be a few drops of balsamic vinegar between the clamshells and a dollop of green pesto. If you zoom in a little more, there also is something that looks like white foam, which would fit the sea theme of the plate.

3. Pig Foot

I'm going to go out on a limb here and guess this might be a play on the recipe for Maple Glazed Pig's Head with Lobster in Martin Picard's book Sugar Shack Au Pied de Cochon. The bloody sauce might be a red wine reduction. There is a small amount of what looks like mashed potatoes under the foot.

4. Mussels with tomatoes

The mussel meat is arranged in a circularly inside a baked tart shell, with the occasional melted tomato in between. Next to it is an entire mussel as well as a decorative sprig of parsley.

x

5. not shown

x

6. not shown

7. "Ajoblanco, bread, crushed almonds, galic, olive oil, salt, a garnish of green grapes"

Ajoblanco is a cold soup made from exactly those ingredients. We sadly don't get a close up of it. Pity.

8. "Rabbit Three Ways"

We also sadly do not get a close up of this dish, but we do see a something resembling a stuffed pastry on Daniel's fork in a close up. From left to right, I'd say we can see a rabbit pastry, a bacon wrapped tenderloin and a braised leg here.

9. Steak

Alas, again, we do not get a close up, but I can't make out anything other than 2 giant pieces of steak. The steak is cooked medium, a blood-less perfect pink, which is the culinary standard, when a guest doesn't give a temperature preference for their meat.

10. Dessert

This might be a pavlova with strawberries and ice cream. There are a wide variety of meringue shapes, some dollops, some piped with a star shaped tip, a slightly larger one for the strawberry ice cream to perch on top of and another, even larger ring shaped meringue, for the second white ice cream. The empty space on the plate between the meringues is decorated with cut up strawberries and what seems to be powdered sugar.

[shit-ultrakill-imagines]

Imagine this:

You are at the altar, and it is a beautiful spring day. There is a gentle breeze, the air is refreshing, flowers in bloom and vibrant trees and grass surrounds the venue. All of the people who love you and you love back are in attendance dressed beautifully, looking on happy and proud as can be.

The music starts, playing a gentle and loving tune as the ceremony begins. Then you see them. Your loving fiancé walking down the aisle. They look stunning, greeting you near the priest. You both exchange your vows to the best of your ability. The priest turns to you,

"Do you take this filth to be your lawfully wedded spouse?" You respond with a gleeful "I do." The priest turns to the filth,

"And do you take them as your lawfully wedded spouse as well?" The filth gives a grunt in agreement as happy as a clam. "Then I now pronounce you as spouse and spouse."

You look to your new life long partner. They look at your direction. There is a feeling of mutual love and hope. You give your newly wedded filth spouse a gentle kiss on their forehead as the music swells in tune with your shared feelings. The audience cheers for your new union.

Everything is looking up, and even if neither of you can predict where life will go, both you and your filth are determined to see it through, no longer alone, but together as one.

Congratulations.

this is fucking beautiful. thank you so much.

[venussaidso]

Beyonce inside a pearl clam in her Renaissance concert and then me seeing that she has her Atmakaraka planet (Venus) in Chitra.

Like... This is so Chitra-coded of her 😭

She's such a Chitra icon purrrr. 🐯

(Her Ashwini symbolism is overwhelming though I'm gonna need to make a post on it. She's not beating those Ashwini Asc allegations 💀)

[dragon8er]

Papaveraceae

Hey guys, Dragon8er here!

This is an interesting one.

I had an idea one day.

"What if I combined all the different AU versions of Poppy from Omega Timeline: Poppy's Story?"

And so I did.

This.

Is Papaveraceae, AKA Poppymalgamate. Named after the family of flowers that Poppies belong to.

The Poppies featured here (from top-down, left-right) are:

Poppy, from @ut-poppy-askblog, created by @fmsdraws

Doodle, created by @skulgan

Minini, created by @q--cool

Sketch, from Poppy: Torn Asunder, created by CHAOS_FANTAZY

MTT!Poppy, created by @fmsdraws

Ash, from Undertale: Ashes to Ashes (cancelled), created by JustTheMoon (included for posterity and out of respect)

Buttercup, created by @bigfungus7

Opium!Poppy, created by yr_local_canadian_eh

Layne, created by MrkySpices

Charcoal!Poppy, created by me :)

Fille, from Omega Timeline: Heart of the Omnitrix, created by @tramon81

Fell!Poppy, created by @thetruegodofstatic

This design was actually inspired by The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli.

A painting depicting the Greek Goddess Aphrodite as she rises from the clam in the sea she was created from.

It's also inspired from a sculpture I once saw that was a bunch of humans stacked on top of each other, but for the life of me I can't find it again.

I figured these inspirations were fitting of the sorta deific/tragically beautiful vibe I was going for.

I also really wanted to give each of the Poppies in this a different expression representing different pains. Like they're all being tortured in different ways.

This was also the 3rd design I made.

The first had more of a cryptid vibe. I didn't finish it 'cause I didn't like how it was going.

The 2nd design was a bit more vague and weird.

I like it enough, but ultimately I liked the third and final one the most.

It was very hard to make (you can imagine the struggle of trying to combine 12 different designs) but ultimately I like how it all came together.

I got some other small stuff in the works.

And new Undertale: Monochromasis pages will be coming soon, trust me lol.

Until then, this has been Dragon8er, and I will see you all Drago-l8er!