#blindworm

[toefungusbrandchips]

continuing the trend of sketching animals i find, heres pretzel- a seemingly leucistic slow worm!

from what i looked into, leucistic slow worms are really rare to see and im very sure this one probably is leucistic, they showed their little tounge out too and it was a bit pinkish, not really that dark like i see in normal slow worms but the eyes were dark. didnt get a great look at them because they kept tying into a ring when i held em. really cool find from a walk i didnt expect anything from! you rarely see slow worms alive, because when alive they hide really well in the dirt and undergrowth of grass or shrubs or leaf litter- basicaly everything they can find. even in my backyard. not that safe of a place for them though since we get a hedgehog and marten almost every day in here, both animals that can eat them! and cats, of course. i should probably sketch out resident marten soon too. i dont think i did pretzel much justice with the drawing, didnt get their skinnyness down at all but maybe next time...all the fat worms i see blinded my judgement.

[blirpus]

saw this little snakelike creature just now

[whats-in-a-sentence]

The Fairies sing.

You spotted snakes with double tongue,

Thorny hedgehogs, be not seen;

Newts and blind-worms, do no wrong,

Come not near our fairy queen.

Philomel, with melody

Sing in our sweet lullaby;

Lulla, lulla, lullaby, lulla, lulla, lullaby:

Never harm,

Nor spell nor charm,

Come our lovely lady nigh;

So, good night, with lullaby.

Weaving spiders, come not here;

Hence, you long-legg'd spinners, hence!

Beetles black, approach not near;

Worm nor snail, do no offence.

Philomel, with melody, & c.

William Shakespeare: The Complete Works, A Midsummer-Night's Dream (Act II, Scene II)

[herpsandbirds]

Do you know about reptiles native to the Netherlands? I feel like we don't have many here because of the cold, wet climate :(

Dutch Reptiles:

Hello yes, there are a few reptiles found in the Netherlands. Here are a few of them...

European Pond Turtle (Emys orbicularis), family Emydidae, found

This species is only found in the border areas of the country and is very uncommon there.

photograph by Bernard DUPONT 

Slow Worm (Anguis fragilis), family Anguidae

Also called Blindworm and Hazelworm.

Legless lizard.

photographs by Julien

Sand Lizard (Lacerta agilis), family Lacertidae

T - female, R - male

photographs by George Chernilevsky

Viviparous Lizard (Zootoca vivipara), family Lacertidae, Aamsveen, The Netherlands

photograph by Ocrdu

Smooth Snake (Coronella austriaca), family Colubridae

photograph by Mihai Si Furia Rosie

Grass Snake (Natrix natrix), family Colubridae

aka Ringed Snake or Water Snake

photograph by Mark Ollett

Common European Adder (Vipera berus), family Viperidae

photograph Benny Trapp

[dcbicki]

Wool of bat and tongue of dog. Adder's fork and blindworm's sting. Barbados lime is just the thing. Cragged salt like a sailor's stubble.

Practical Magic (1998) dir. Griffin Dunne

[haveyouseenthisanimal-irl]

[ponderingmoonlight]

Prompt #15 with Megumi? Rivals to lovers with happy ending please ♥️

There you go, I'm so so sorry this took so long <3 I hope you still enjoy it, I find it quite hard to write enemies to lovers under 5000 words :D

Opposites attract

Pairing: Megumi x fem!reader

Word Count: 3,3k

Synopsis: Megumi hated you the moment you stepped into Jujutsu High for the first time. As time flies, he always sees himself confronted with you on missions. However, one of these missions makes him rethink his feelings towards you

Warnings: Megumi is an ass from time to time, language

„Why am I here, blindworm?“

There you sit, sloughing on your chair at the classroom, feet stretched out in front of you. Damn, you were taking the best nap of your life when your stupid sensei came storming in and woke you up rudely. He surely wants to send you on another mission – hopefully alone. If you have to work with one of these losers again, you break off.

Especially him.

God, you truly hated Megumi Fushiguro. His quiet way, tall figure and calculating personality. He is quite the opposite of your outspoken, confident and risky self. Maybe that’s why you two don’t get along at all. And maybe that’s the reason why you always end up together. Hopefully not today…

“As charming as ever, I like that. I have a mission for you, (y/n)!”, Gojo cries out in joy.

“Again? I just returned from one. Remember?”

“I remember that you wiped the floor with Megumi’s ass, even though that wasn’t exactly the task”, he replies dryly.

“Yeah, that was fun.”

Both you and Megumi are grade 2 sorcerers while being in your first school year, which means that you can basically carry out missions alone but are happily sent together by Gojo for more complicated matters – much to your chagrin and probably his. So whenever you get the chance to give Megumi a hard time you gladly seize the opportunity.

“Don’t be so rough, I know you have a sweet spot for charming boys like him.”

Oh, you know all too well that your sensei just wants to get on your nerves. But as soon as he mentions positive feelings towards a coward like Megumi, you can’t help but explode.

“Shut up, ew! I have no sweet spot for anybody!”

“Yeah, everyone here knows that”, Megumi’s low voice mumbles behind you.

“You.”

Your voice is shaking in venom while the vein on your forehead threatens to pop out any minute.

“What the hell is that loser doing here?”, you groan, face completely twisted in annoyance.

You just knew it. Seems like it’s Satoru’s favorite job to annoy the shit out of you by always putting the two of you together.

“Come on, give me Panda. Or what about Maki? Some girl-power would be nice. But not that”, you hiss through gritted teeth.

“God, you’re so full of yourself. Remember the last time when I saved your puny figure from getting eaten alive by that curse? You’re probably the worst and cruelest person I’ve ever met”, Megumi barks back in annoyance.

“I don’t mind being the villain in your story because you’re a clown in mine, Fushiguro.”

“That was the nicest conversation you two had in a long time, great! Now let’s get to work, I’m sure you’re doing just fine my children!”, Gojo interrupts while hugging you both.

Is there a way out of this madness? Maybe you can pretend you’re sick, too weak to go on a mission. But that’s not your standard and you know that. Giving Megumi the satisfaction of staying at home while he gets beaten up isn’t an option.

“Maybe I’m lucky and you die on me”, you mumble under your breath, storming out of the room faster than Megumi can follow past Yuji who just stares at you in awe.

God, Megumi hates you so much. How can a person be so full of herself? Yes, your abilities are quite outstanding, your curse technique is very good for being a first class student and to be honest you are actually pretty handsome, but the problem is that you are very aware of those facts. And you make no bones rubbing that into everyone’s face – especially his. His stolen glance is set on your back. You do have a really nice figure, feminine curves even though you train several hours a day. Yes, really attractive.

He shakes his head in disbelief. What the hell is he thinking? You are the crappiest person he knows, everything about you is disgusting, he hates you!

“Wow, they really hate each other”, Yuji comments, eyes following the two of you in disbelief.

“No, they don’t. Trust me, this is something completely different. And I love nothing more than teasing that out”, Gojo replies with a cheeky grin.

______________________________________________________________

“Stop breathing so loud, Fushiguro.”

Kiyotaka can’t help but glance at you in the rearview mirror, too stunned to speak by your nonsensical words. Why does Gojo keep sending the two of you on missions together? The air in the car is so thick that it could be sliced by a katana.

“Rot in hell, (y/n).”

He never heard such cruel words come out of Megumi’s mouth except when you are around.

“I’m already there, you’re here after all”, you bark back.

“Stop fighting you two, we’re almost there.”

Your gaze wanders around the rainy area. Somehow he’s right, you should focus on your mission. The fact that two of you were sent here can only mean that it’s going to get ugly. Once again it’s about a school, once again a lot of young people are dying. You need to stop this madness.

“There you are, I’ll create the curtain now. Good look you two.”

“Skilled people don’t need luck, but maybe it’ll help you Megumi.”

His blood boils in anger, just a glimpse into your stupid pretty faces challenges his self-control all over. Who do you think you are?

“What’s wrong with you? Can you just pull yourself together until we ended this mission? I hate you too, but now we have to work”, Megumi smacks into your direction.

“Always the good boy, such a role model! I want to puke in your face, it makes me fucking sick!”, you challenge him, watching as his facial expression darkens with every word.

“You.”

With a swift motion, you’re trapped against the wall by his body. Your sharp and fast breath hangs in the thick air between you two, the way he pins your wrists against the brick wall makes…sparks fly. You can’t help but notice his striking blue eyes when he glares down at you, the warmth that radiates from his body along with his delicious scent. Fuck, what is wrong with you? Why is your face heating up under his gaze, why does it feel so…good to feel his frame pressed against your own? His lips suddenly look so inviting, so warm and soft. But no, you hate him, you hate Megumi since you first met, he is everything you despise reincarnated in one person. God, he annoys you so badly, you need to get out of his grip, you need to-

“Stop it. I’m serious”, he gasps against your face, lips so close to your own that you can feel his breath brush against your now prickly skin.

Fuck, you see stars. His grip around your wrist tightens, his face is getting closer to yours. Will he…? No, that’s impossible, Megumi hates you with all his heart, he told you over and over again. And you hate him too since the moment you first laid your eyes on him. But why…why do you feel the urge to press your lips against his?

“Or what?”

Your voice is suddenly so soft and vulnerable. God, you look so adorable with that pink blush creeping up your cheeks, lips parted and doe eyes wide open. That desire, that urge to brush his lips against yours seems to become unbearable. Just once, just this one damn time. Just to prove to himself how disgusting you are.

Boom.

It happens faster than any of you can react. The wall behind you explodes and buries you under its rubble.

You are instantly greeted by scorching pain consuming your whole body. Fuck, fuck, fuck. Blood streams down your face like a waterfall, your right leg aches in the most disgusting way imaginable.

“Fuck, are you alright (y/n)?”, Megumi screams, eyes widen in horror.

So much blood. Your whole body seems to be covered in crimson. Even though you’re not screaming or even groaning, he can clearly see the shock creeping up your eyes when realization hits you. But he has to focus on that curse. Yes, he needs to take care of that before he can help you.

You desperately try to free yourself from the debris that threatens to crush your body while Megumi fights off the curse that seems to be responsible for all of this. As usual, his facial expression is dead serious while his little shikigami work for him.

“How bad is it?”, he questions, eyes focused on the monster in front of him.

Your leg feels like burning alive, a little glance at your body is enough for you to realize that you are not well. Maybe even so critical that time is running out for you.

“It’s bad”, you hiss back while pressing your trembling hand against the gash in your thigh.

A few broken ribs, a laceration on the head, here and there some open wounds and abrasions – nothing too serious, you’ll get over that. But the giant gash in your thigh is definitely something else. Your leg was almost completely pierced by an iron rod. Surely that wouldn’t be a problem either if the bar was still in you, but it isn’t. And that’s why you’re bleeding out at the moment.

Finally that curse is gone. Just a look at you is enough to make Megumi turn pale in an instant. You’re sitting in a pool of your own blood, lids hanging heavy in your eyes. His heart skips a beat when realization hits him like a wall. You could die right here if he doesn’t do anything.

“Come on, let’s get you out of here”, he mumbles, hands on their way to grab your body.

“I don’t need your help, Fushiguro”, you growl at him.

“Are you sure? Cause it sure does look like it”, Megumi replies dryly and begins to inspect your wounds.

“If even half of that blood is yours you need to get out of here right now. I’m calling Gojo-sensei.”

“Everything hurts”, you blur out.

The sight of your terrified eyes makes Megumi’s heart sink in his chest. He has never seen you like this. But what’s even worse is the fact that he is so damn worried about you, that the thought of losing you alone makes his breath hitch.

“Stay with me. Don’t close your eyes.”

His voice sounds so soft, echoes as sweet as honey in your ear.

“Megumi.”

His strong arms free you from the rest of the rubble above you and lift your numb body off the ground with ease. Your vision slowly but surely begins to get blurry, it gets so hard to keep your tired eyes open.

“What is it, (y/n)?”, he softly asks while maneuvering his shikigami around in order to find the other curses that have to be here.

“I don’t remember a moment where you were so kind to me”, you purr.

“Well, that’s because there wasn’t a single moment where you were so kind to me”, he remarks with a small smile.

“I h-have to say…That…That you’re not…t-that bad.”

Your words are a true mess, so quiet that he has to focus on your low voice in order to understand. But oh you look so lovely, wearing a soft smile on your lips and that tender gleam in your eyes makes his heart skip a beat. Over and over, he told himself that he truly hates you, that you are an evil person that doesn’t deserve his affection. Always keen to hide his stolen glances and the way your sight makes him hold his breath. Your body, your brain, your everything. But seeing you like this, vulnerable laying in his hands, he can’t help but admire you. Admire a woman this strong and independent, a woman who never fears anything.

“You’re pretty okay too I guess”, he replies, hands wrapped tighter around your sagging body.

“How about staying awake for a little longer? I bet you can’t make it until we’re back at Jujutsu High.”

“I bet I will, asshole.”

____________________________________________________________

“She kept bugging me about telling you that she stayed awake to the end. And that you’re a loser.”

“So she’s fine, that’s great!”, Gojo proclaims and pads Megumi’s shoulder.

It was a close call, he knows it. And that sweet seconds just before the wall behind your back shattered…What was that? Affection? No, no, no. That’s simply not possible. You are the worst person walking on this planet. The thought of you alone makes his gut twist in disgust and heats up his face. You drive him crazy like no other. And the fact that you almost died and were a decent person for one second won’t change that.

“Should have left her there. I’m leaving”, Megumi mumbles and turns away.

Why was he here anyway? Shoko already stitched him up a few hours ago, he has no business being in the hospital wing. “Didn’t you want to visit her, Megumi-chan?”

“I would rather train with you than seeing her. Why would I care about her well-being?”, he remarks quickly.

Gojo and Shoko watch him as he storms out.

“Do they really think they hate each other?”

“Yup”, Gojo confirms.

The fresh air of the evening hits his face with full force. Fuck, what the hell is wrong with him? Why is he feeling this way? He shouldn’t be worried about your well-being, he shouldn’t care at all about the fact that you are injured. After all, you put yourself in that situation. God, he just hates you so much. In his world, there’s no place for positive feelings towards you. But still… He stops in his tracks, eyes glued to the ground.

Why does he want to turn around, to let his feet carry him into the hospital room, to sit beside you? What is it that urges him to at least check on you? Pictures of you flood his mind. Your breathtaking smile, the stunning glimmer in your eyes, the confidence that’s dripping from your sweet voice. Why do you have to be so damn perfect and why the hell is his heart beating so fast by the thought of it alone?

As if in trance, he begins to walk back into the direction of the hospital wing, back where you are. He has to prove to himself how much he hates you just one more time. Just once…

He quietly sneaks past the room where he hears Shoko and Gojo still talking. If you have to stay for the night, you have to be down the corridor on the right. Over and over, he looks over his shoulder. If someone catches him sneaking up on you he might need to burry himself alive. All the jokes, the constant teasing from Gojo about you and him really get on his nerves. Why can’t they see that he fucking hates you?

There it is, the door to you. As noiseless as possible he opens it and gets immediately greeted by your gaze. You almost look surprised when he closes the door behind him again and awkwardly stands in the middle of the room, simply staring at you with his hands in his pockets.

“Didn’t expect you here”, you comment dryly.

“Yeah, I didn’t plan on coming either.”

“Did Shoko tell you that I stayed awake?”

“Sure.”

“And that you’re a loser?”

He gifts you with his most annoyed look.

“Yeah.”

“Good. Listen, there’s something I wanted to tell you in person…”, you begin while nervously fumbling with your fingers.

This catches Megumi off guard. You always know what to say or react. How is it possible that you are jumpy? And to top it off, because of him?

“Why did you save me, Megumi?”

What on earth is going on? He scratches the back of his head, too stunned to speak. Are you serious?

“Just because you think I’m the bad guy doesn’t mean I am a bad guy, y’know”, he mumbles.

You let his words sink in, gaze never leaving his face. The last hours really showed you that Megumi isn’t as bad as you always tried to make yourself believe. He saved you despite all the things you said to him without even blinking, risking his own life to save yours. Maybe…maybe it isn’t even hatred you feel towards him.

But something completely different.

“I will never say this again but…I think you’re my favorite enemy”, you confess quietly with a small smile.

Megumi’s heart stops beating for a second, your sweet words triggering feelings in him he tried so hard to avoid. God, how many nights did he tell himself that you are no good, that he just has to hate you with all his heart? But…Is he really hating you though?

“I can probably give that back”, he mumbles.

For once in his life, Megumi sees nothing but your striking beauty and brain when his gaze meets yours. Maybe, just maybe you aren’t as bad as he thought you are. But why does he feel so strongly towards you? What the hell is wrong with his heart?

“Let me kiss you. Just once. Just to prove myself that I hate you”, he blurts out.

You hold your breath, dopamine, adrenalin and who knows what other hormones pump through your veins and leave you dizzy for a second. You didn’t just hallucinate him saying that, right? The sincerity in his eyes tells you he’s dead serious.

“Sure”, you reply automatically.

With fast steps he crosses the room, now standing in front of you. And then he bends down to your bed, grabs your face and kisses you so passionately that you forget how to breathe for a moment. Your tongue intertwines with his, dancing in the most delicate way while you hold onto his strong shoulders for support. Is this really happening or are you dreaming again? Just a few hours ago, you spat venom at him like every other month before. But this…This feels so much better than constantly insulting him and to pretend that you hate him with all your heart. You realize with all clarity of your intense kiss that you probably never really hated him. No, this feeling his completely different from disgust.  

He breaks away from you, panting hard just like you. Your glossy eyes look up to him, hands still resting against his shoulders.

“Yes, I do. I absolutely hate you”, he breathes out.

“I hate you too”, you moan before pulling him close with all force for another passionate kiss.

Maybe, just maybe Megumi Fushiguro isn’t so bad after all.

But just maybe.

_____________________________________________________________

Bonus:

“Oh, (y/n)! Are you feeling any better?”, Yuji shouts at you while waving you over.

“OMG, are you seeing this. Am I dreaming?”, Nobara mutters next to him, completely mesmerized by the sight of you and Megumi.

Are those shikigami? Your hand is intertwined with Megumi’s, the both of you walking next to each other and…smile? Since when exactly are you smiling at Fushiguro?

“What do you mean?...Wait, when the hell did this happen?”

“Megumi, I thought you hate (y/n)!”

“Would you two mind to stop staring at us like that? (y/n) and I are kind of a thing now”, Megumi explains briefly while stopping in front of both of his friends.

“Did he force you into this, (y/n)?”, Nobara whispers in your ear.

You let out a heartfelt laughter, the confusion of your friends matching with your own.

“This might be the worst decision I ever made, but let’s see how it all works out.”

Megumi gives you a reproachful look and squeezes your hand firmer. Oh, even in a relationship, there will always be that small part of him that hates you.

Along with the much bigger part that loves you with all his heart.

[humanmorph]

oh and I saw a snake or some other sort of wyrm-like being

actually pretty sure it's a blindworm (Blindschleiche) but still pretty exciting to me.

[wild-e-eep]

It's not perfect data by any means, but you can make some pretty interesting insights by browsing iNaturalist's species maps.

As someone who was very enthusiastic about reptlies growing up, it was always perplexing to me how I could never find any reptiles near where I lived (between Glasgow and Edinburgh).

Whenever I went on holiday I would find plenty, but not at home. As you can see from the iNaturalist data, I am not alone in finding reptiles to be scarce in the Central Belt.

adders:

slow worms:

...also slow worms seem to have something against Italy o_O

[pandora-in-babyjail]

You spotted snakes with double tongue, Thorny hedgehogs, be not seen; Newts and blindworms, do no wrong. Come not near our fairy queen;

-twink shadow

what,

[childe-of-saulot]

What animals are in your bog? What, besides people, do you eat?

I doubt you would want me to go over every single one so i will just give a vague idea with some honorable mentions. There are a lot of salmon in the general area the bog is pretty surrounded by streams. In general there is of course a lot of insect life especially dragonflies(the are called Guldsmed in Danish which means Goldsmith, same as the job title) There are also many types of birds, especially cranes who make their homes in bogs. For amphibians and reptiles we have a lot of frogs and a few newts, shout out to the Slow-worm which is a legless lizard (its also called a Blindworm and a Long cripple. which is just kinda mean tbh) For rodents we have stoats, squirrels and mice. might see a fox come through but they do not typically live in bogs. Its also not uncommon to see deer. but we really do not have a lot of 'big' animals in Denmark. As to what i eat: anything :). In case you wanted to read about other 'creatures' who also tend to live in bogs, its here.

[merlins-teaching-arthur-poe-blog]

Eye of newt and toe of frog, wool of bat and tongue of dog...

Adder's fork and blindworm's sting...

Barbados lime is just the thing...

Cragged salt like a sailor's stubble...

Flip the switch and let the cauldron bubble!

Who is getting their cauldron boiling at midnight?

[plaguedocboi]

You would love the area I live in, because as soon as the sun sinks behind those greater than life trees on the horizon, all the critters and snails just make the whole area, the fields and the trees, the little gargling stream by our house and even the old treehouse in our garden their own My favorite thing to do when I had a terrible day is just step out in the evening, just before the last light is gone, and trying to find the most bizarre places for slugs and snails to hang out The best spots I have found so far was a cluster of tigerslugs (is that the english name?) that had gathered on one of the old lanterns that doesn't work anymore (it's hanging like 2 meters above the ground, I have no idea how they got there so fast) Or that one frog that fell on me from the hazelnut tree, also no clue what he was doing up there. Now that I think of it, I only ever find all the little guys above ground, but I am sure there is a good reason for that There was also a ginormous earthworm wrapped around the swings, it must have been as long as my forearm, only missing a few centimeters, but it could have also been a really thin blindworm (also unsure if that is the english name) I wasn't wearing my glasses for that one

I loooove roaming around looking for beasts and creatures but I’ve never had a frog fall on me from a tree. That’s genuinely hilarious. And that worm sounds Impressive.

[grow-bettah]

Hello Hello Hello, What's all this then? Oh! It's a silly Good Omens AU!

Well who is that handsome fellow? That's Crowley! Doesn't he look incredibly stylish with his tie and turtleneck? Well, let me show you something else...

Who's that blurry little guy? Still Crowley! But oh, it's her snake form! What, they're not a snake, you say? That's right! He's a blindworm! What a sweet little guy. only 40cm long! Very handy and easy to carry, isn't she? Yes, Yes. And look at those adorable heart sunglasses! They adorn her pretty beady black eyes perfectly!

But now, some more about his personality.. because not only looks count! He's a feisty little guy (not only as an expression, she's barely 150cm tall!) and is very clingy and protective of Aziraphale. They don't want to admit it, but he's helpless without Aziraphale, as he's completely colourblind and her hearing is also heavily impaired. It gets quite difficult to navigate, so he prefers to stay close to her favourite angel. Aziraphale enjoys the company, but some of his customers (who are unfamiliar with blindworms and the fact that they're harmless little reptiles) get a but scared when they see Crowley taking a nap on the angel's shoulders. Don't worry, she doesn't bite! Or does she...?

[51kas81]

Pygopodidae, commonly known as legless lizards, snake-lizards, or flap-footed lizards, is a family of squamates with reduced or absent limbs, and are a type of gecko. At least 35 species are placed in two subfamilies and eight genera. They have unusually long, slender bodies, giving them a strong resemblance to snakes. Like snakes and most geckos, they have no eyelids, but unlike snakes, they have external ear holes and flat, unforked tongues. They are native to Australia and New Guinea.

The slow worm (Anguis fragilis) is a reptile native to western Eurasia. It is also called a deaf adder, a slowworm, a blindworm, or regionally, a long-cripple and hazelworm. These legless lizards are also sometimes called common slowworms.

Mallee Worm-Lizard (Aprasia inaurita), family Pygopodidae, Northern Yorke Peninsula, South Australia

Photograph by Jack Bilby

[spiegelgestalt]

I sometimes think about a woman in my neighborhood. She is very strict. She values cleanness and proper manners. She will tell you directly to your face if she thinks you are being stupid and she will make her opinion heard in front of everyone. She's also very stubborn. She's not the easiest person to get along with is what I'm saying. And I was a bit scared of her.

I live next to a bit of wild nature. Someone should care for it but Noone has the time and the resources. So it's always a bit dirty and sad. Very overgrown but not in the idyllic way but in the - wow Noone cares about this place way. One day I saw her move past my house. She went into the shrubbery and she had a watering can in her hand. I wondered what she was doing but not enough to ask. I saw her a few more times and my curiosity grew and grew. One day I couldn't take it anymore and I went to look. There under a bush was a little nesting place for 6-7 tiny blind worms someone had given them a little plate with water where they could drink. And I realized. She cared for them. She cared for this little tiny blindworms every day without fail. And I realized I was wrong about her. She was very kind. I just hadn't seen it.

This story doesn't have a moral. Just that people contain multitudes I guess.