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helliontherapscallion · 3 years

Note

pspspsp can I just request an immortal reader who's life is just dull/sad as hell since they've seen their loved ones leave or die in front of them so many times

but when they meet SBI or anyone, their life just suddenly brightens up? (Platonic and it can be any type of fic!)

(A/N): I got waaaayy too carried away with this. Star god reader my beloved (also, I’d imagine that your cloak looks like this guy’s but on the inside with the outsides being any color of your choice (credit goes to original artist))

If you want more god!reader content with the dream smp, @wooloo-inc has a really good series about a male!nature god!reader (aka, the god of dilf collection)

In the beginning when DreamXD created you (which if you think about it, that makes him your father, but I digress) from stardust and meteorite shards, you were a ball of fun loving sunshine (well, starshine?)

You loved watching over all of humankind, admiring their determination and bonds with other humans (both romantic and platonic)

Your older brother, the god of the moon, told you about how they viewed you and you were amazed

“Oberon?” You ran up to your older brother and tugged on his cloak making him hum in question, not looking up from his parchment scroll. “What- what do the humans think of me?”

He scoffed and glanced at you with his lily white irises, “why are you on about them again? They are lowly creatures compared to us, filled with greed and misfortune.”

“They worship us and that’s how you speak of them?”

“(Y/n) believe me, you have not seen the brutality they are capable of. War, famine, greed, plague, genocide, it’s all something you have not witnessed before. You have only seen the good in those things.”

“But Oberon, I wanna-” he lightly smacked the side of your head, “use proper English. We are gods and you will behave as such.”

You huffed, “I want to know about how they view us! I do not care about the bad things they have done! Plleeeaaassseeeeeee Beri?” You willed the stars that constantly gleamed in your eyes to shine brighter as you fluttered your eyelashes at him. He may seem like he hated everyone and everything (especially his siblings), but he had a soft spot for his youngest sibling. He just stared at you for a bit before he sighed and shifted in the massive throne so that you could hop up onto his lap. With a wave of a slender pale hand, he conjured up various images of humans with stardust gazing at the stars and the moon with carefree swipes of his hand.

“They view us as… poetic of sorts. They compare us to romance,” an image of two human males kissing then gazing into the stars laying down on a cliff came into view, “fortune tellers,” an image of the Aquarius and the Capricorn constellations popped up making you squeal in happiness. He chucked and changed the picture to a mother and son standing over a grave looking up in amazement at a shooting star, “and most importantly, as a sign of hope.

“They see us as complementary, the moon and the stars cannot be as beautiful without the other. We hold the power of the night and everything it touches, (y/n). This is our kingdom, do not forget that,” the image changed to the moon surrounded by stars and swirling blues and purples of nebulas.

You looked at the images with awe, absorbing every word that fell from his mouth. “Beri?” He once again hummed, his deep baritone voice sending vibrations along your back. “Will we be together forever?”

His lanky arms wrapped around your much smaller frame, “for all of eternity. The moon is nothing without the night sky and all of the stars it holds.”

Centuries passed and your fascination with humans only grew from there

When you eventually asked if you could meet a human Oberon reacted angrily and forbade you from speaking of humans again in your shared palace, worried for your safety

When he caught you attempting to sneak out, he locked you in your room for months on end

Humans wondered why the stars hardly appeared in the night sky anymore, forming the theory that they had somehow angered you

They prayed to you more and more, begging and groveling for forgiveness

They left more offerings at shrines

You heard their every word, feeling your heartbreak with sorrow and guilt for your lovely humans

You snuck out of the palace that night determined to make it up to the humans

You quietly snuck past the main room where you and Oberon used to sit on your thrones together and control the night. The large doors were cracked open showing your older brother watching the night with boredom. As you passed, his voice startled you, “I just cannot stop you can I?”

He appeared in the doorframe looking at you emotionlessly, his eyes glinting with hidden pain. “Do you realize how cruel of a place that world is? How cruel humans are?”

“I do not care, brother! They are in anguish because they think I am angry with them! Because you locked me in here!”

“I have told you time and time again, they are ruthless creatures. Humans are constantly clashing with their own kind for the slightest bit of power, they’re greedy creatures! Have you forgotten what happened to Arachnia?”

A shiver went down your spine at the mention of your fellow deity. She wanted to be with humans but they stripped her of her grace and virtuosity, torturing her when the moon would rise. That is the reason spiders attack humans in the night when the moon and stars show themselves and are dormant in the daytime. However, that did not deter you.

“I have not forgotten what happened to Arachnia, her tale fills me with grief. But not all humans are like that! They are compassionate, loving, and sweet creatures deep down, each and every single one of them!”

“They were not showing compassion or love when they tore Arachnia limb from limb! When they languish in riches while millions die around them! What part of that is compassionate?”

“Sure they do bad things sometimes, but have you forgotten the love they hold for each other? The determination and hope shining from within them when they pray to us? Have you forgotten that?”

“THEIR ACTIONS ARE NOT JUSTIFIED IN ANY WAY!”

“AND OURS ARE? YOU ARE BLIND, OBERON. HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN THE CRUELTY THE GODS HAVE SUBJECTED HUMANS TO? WHEN OUR FATHER TOOK YEARS AWAY FROM THEIR LIFESPANS SOLELY BECAUSE THEY STOPPED WORSHIPPING HIM AS OFTEN AS THEY USED TO? WHAT PART OF THAT IS JUSTIFIED?”

He just stared at you with angry irises and his chest heaving before he ran a hand through his long ivory hair and turned around, the flowing white cape flowing wildly behind him with unseen air. He walked back into the observation room and back to his throne. Without a second glance to you, he worked on the transition of power between the sun and moon. You could imagine your sister Aelia grinning brightly as she rose the sun for the day.

“You are to never return here if you step foot out that door. You will still have control of your duties of the night. However you will never return. Do not come back groveling for forgiveness when I have given you constant warnings of their cruelty. If I see your face show up here, I will make sure father smites you down. Now get out of my sight.”

You huffed and whipped around to the front entrance, the stars that constantly twinkled and the nebulas that constantly swirled in the inside of your cloak illuminating the white floors below you as you ran. You left the palace without a second thought, leaving your old life behind in favor of spending it with the humans.

When you came crashing to the Earth in a shooting star, you were amazed by the beauty of it up close and in person

It was everything you expected and then some

You heard the humans cheering and thanking you in their prayers when the stars returned brighter than usual

You being completely enamoured by all of the humans, even if they recognized you or not you loved them all unconditionally

You set up a little cottage in the tundra where you could see the night sky clearly with the occasional aurora borealis

From the roof, you controlled the stars

The tales of you defecting from the heavens was a popular one, and you became somewhat of a symbol of the hope that humanity should hold for themselves and compassion

Occasionally sending shooting stars over humans you knew were stargazing

You have met many lovers, friends, and even your own adopted kids over the next millenia, all of them accepting your immortality and everlasting duties

But it’s all the same in the end: they come, they leave, and they die

With each death of your loved ones, you could feel your will to keep going dissipate

The stars grew dimmer gradually in the night sky

The humans gradually stopped worshipping you as you disappeared from the night skies

You became a distant memory for elders to tell children

Disappearing from the face of the Earth for a few centuries when you could not take the constant deaths any longer

Nobody knew where your cabin laid so you were undisturbed for centuries on end, left to your grief

That was until a knock sounded at your door

The knock startled you out of the comfort of your bed. Reluctantly, you left the warmth of the multitude of blankets and donned your cloak to hide your unkempt appearance. When you passed the mirror hanging in the hallway, you could see that your face was shrouded by darkness with the exception of a single glint where your eyes were caused by the lone star that was a constant reminder of your position. Before you fell into a deep depression, the stars would illuminate your entire face if you put your hood up.

You opened the front door without a care in the world. If the beings on the other side were humans that would take you away and torture you, you didn’t care. You’re long past the point of caring for your own well being.

On the other side was a man of average height and long shaggy blond hair pulled into a slick ponytail. He was dressed entirely in green with a green and white striped bucket hat placed on his head. Past you would’ve been cooing at the object, but now you dully looked at the man in front of you. You glanced behind him and your eyes widened at the huge black wings sprouting from his back. You know who he was the second your eye caught the black feathers; he was the Angel of Death.

“Hello, Angel of Death.”

He tried to peer into your shrouded features, only seeing two pinpricks of light where your eyes should be. He gave you a friendly smile, brushing off the snow that gathered on his shoulders. “(Y/n), the God of the Stars and the Night Sky. Giver of compassion to the human race, it’s an honor to meet you.”

“Why are you here? Last time I checked, my last lover died centuries ago.”

“Yes, my condolences. They were lovely when I guided their soul to the afterlife.”

“You still have not answered my question, Angel of Death. Why are you here?” You grit out the last sentence through a clenched jaw. He has no right to talk about them when he assisted in taking them away from you. Him and your cousin, the Goddess of Death Kristin. They took everybody you loved away from you. You knew that their deaths were unavoidable since they were human and you were immortal, but you still couldn’t help but resent them.

“The Goddess of Death sent me. The God of the Moon and the Goddess of the Sun sent her a request to send me to check on you.”

You stared at him for a few moments before you saw him shivering slightly and sighed. You always had a soft spot for humans, even if the being in front of you was not a human in the slightest. He reminded you of an old friend. You stepped aside and gestured lazily inside the house, “come in.”

He started to visit more and more over the next century

He eventually befriended you about half a century into the visits

It was extremely difficult to do because of how guarded you were, but he managed to break you out of your shell

You realizing how kind he was and how much he cared for you

You quickly came to the realization that he was immortal as well after reading up on the Angel of Death

After another fifty years, he became your best friend

You both opened up and comforted each other about everybody you both lost over the years

When he adopted Technoblade and then Wilbur not long after Techno, you were extremely hesitant to get close to them

Even going as far as telling Philza that you thought that it was an extremely bad idea

Mortals always end up leaving in the end anyways, it’s best to avoid the endless cycle of hurt that came with having mortals around

You told him about your own adopted children that have died over the years

You refuse to meet them, cutting off all communication with Philza for a year or two

Eventually meeting his three adopted kids when you reluctantly accept a dinner invitation one day

You attempted to appear cold and uncaring, but your love for humans (especially baby humans) shone through when an infant Tommy started to play with your cape

It seemed that the stars and the moving nebulas within the fabric entranced him

From then on whenever you visited Philza, you always held Tommy until he was too old for you to do so

Becoming very attached to the blond with your strong innate parental instincts

You introduce Techno to mythology, sharing stories of your personal interactions with certain gods and entities throughout the years

You teach Techno how to cope with the voices as you constantly hear multiple prayers to you from humans at the same time

You arrange a meeting for Wilbur with the Goddess of Music when he asks you about her

Arranging for her to start giving him lessons in exchange of a favor that will be cashed at a later date

You help raise all three of them, often taking them off Philza’s hands for a night or two

Their favorite activity with you is watching you raise the stars and turn the sky dark

They always loved to watch you move the stars and summon shooting stars for them

The stars gradually returned to your eyes and a constant ecstatic smile slowly became synonymous with your face again

Humans started to worship you again when the stars in the sky became brighter

You became your old self again after centuries of feeling lost

To repay them for everything they’ve done for you, you decided to rearrange the stars for one night

One night of having a different star pattern couldn’t hurt

Sure, it’d make a few theories pop up among the humans, but those are fun to overhear sometimes

The young boys and Philza behind you watched in awe as your eyes started to glow brightly and you slowly moved your hands gracefully raising the stars with the moon, your cloak starting to flow with nonexistent winds. They’ve seen you raise the stars thousands of times, but it never ceases to amaze them. It was just so… entrancing.

You broke into a slight sweat and started to move the stars from their original positions in the sky. Shaking slightly, you pushed back against the strain and slight pain that it brought you. You’ve never done this before, so you really didn’t know what you were expecting. You felt someone put a hand on your shoulder.

“What’re you doin, mate?”

“Uh Dad?”

“Not now Techno. Mate, are you alright?”

“Dad, look up. They’re rearranging the stars,” Wilbur breathed out.

You could hear Philza gasp slightly as he watched star after star move until they locked into place. There in the twinkling night sky was each of their names gleaming brightly in small lettering. When you were done, you fell into a kneel onto the ground and rubbed at your aching head panting lightly.

You could hear the boys around you panic slightly as you regained your breath. As you heard them approach you you looked up at them and smiled, the stars gleaming brightly in your irises. “Do you like it?”

“Y-yes but gods, (y/n) are you alright?”

“I am fine, but stars, I have never done that before. Are you four ready for stargazing?”

“That was so pog, (y/n)! How’d you do that?”

“I hold the power of the stars and the night sky in my hands. My brother once told me that the night is our kingdom.” You laid down onto the grass and took off your cloak to cover up a shivering Tommy and Wilbur next to you. You sighed as you thought about your siblings; you wondered how they were doing.

“I will gladly move the stars themselves for you four. You are my family.” There was a stretched out moment of comfortable silence as you five watched shooting stars blaze by. Eventually, you saw an aurora borealis materialize above you. Furrowing your brow, you looked at it in question. They don’t appear this time of year, so why-

“Aelia,” you breathed out as you watched the greens flow above you. She must’ve sent a gust of solar wind your way.

“Isn’t Aelia the Goddess of the Sun?” Wilbur asked you.

“Yes, she is my oldest sister. She must have redirected the solar winds over here.”

“Damn, what’s with the gods changing everything tonight? You guys need to fuckin chill.”

“Tommy!” Philza scolded and was about to continue before he heard you start to laugh. They’ve only heard you genuinely laugh only a couple of times, so the sound that left your mouth immediately brightened the mood.

“Yes Tommy, I suppose we do need to ‘fucking chill’.”

“You swore! Fuckin pog,” Tommy cheered to himself as the others looked at you in slight shock at your words. If you’re being completely honest in all of the years you spent alive (which is since basically the beginning of time), you’ve never sworn once. You were raised differently than that. When you realized that the others were staring at you, you smirked at them. The stars twinkling and giving your eyes even more of a mischievous glint, “what? Have you never heard a god swear before?”

General taglist (comment if you want to be added):

@crybabyjabby @izzybobizzy13 @goldenstarofthunderclan @bunnyz-pxstel @averytiredfanfictionwriter @dcml04 @sparkling-gayyyy @bbigbbrainn @thaticecreambish @kiinokochii @satansphatass @bxkubitch @bxmentchildxx @roxy3457 @montygator17 @feverish-dove @the-fictionwriters-hairdo @jichuuchaeng @404rynnotfound @luluwinchester @laura--444 @the-cult-classic-bitch @youngstarfishdinosaur

#sbi x reader #sleepy bois x reader #sleepy bois inc x reader #philza x reader #technoblade x reader #wilbur soot x reader #tommyinnit x reader #god reader #requests #hellion's requests #1k special #hellion's 1k special #tw: death #tw: depression #tw: grief #tw: swearing

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thethreebroomsticksficfest · 2 years

Text

A Bad Idea

It's our penultimate fic of the fest and @starlingflight has wrangled you all invitations to Ron & Hermione's wedding! The drinks will be flowing, love will be in the air and some might say it's a perfect recipe for disaster...

AO3 link.

Username: StarlingFlight

Pairing: George/Angelina

Warnings: NSFW

Muggle music, George decided, was bloody awful. Muggle alcohol, on the other hand, was proving to be just as effective as its magical counterpart. He studied the tall glass in his hand, holding a drink that looked like a sunset in a glass, starting a bright sunshine yellow and gradually darkening to a rich, warm red

“What’s this called again?” He had to shout the question over the insistent pounding of drums and a very excitable duet singing about someplace called the ‘Love Shack’.

The girl sitting across from him shuffled her chair closer, edging around the table until her knee bumped into George’s beneath the delicate, lace tablecloth. “Sex on the Beach.” She had moved so close that her lips brushed George’s ear as she spoke.

He pulled back just far enough to see her face, inches from his own. Her chocolate hair was weaved into the same intricate style as Ginny’s and Luna’s and she wore the same flower-bedecked, baby blue dress, marking her as a bridesmaid and, most likely, one of Hermione’s Muggle cousins.

“Is that the name or a suggestion?”

She laughed far louder and more enthusiastically than the joke truly warranted. One of her hands landed boldly on George’s arm. He smiled triumphantly to himself and took another sip of the sugary sweet cocktail.

“Do you want to get out of here?” she asked. The multicoloured lights continued to strobe across the room, turning the tablecloth red, green and purple as though it had been hit by a colour-changing charm.

He smiled warmly back at her and opened his mouth to respond when -

“George!”

The bridesmaid’s hand fell away from his arm as they both turned to look behind them for the source of the shout. George suppressed a groan, Ron and Harry were staggering towards him, their arms thrown around one another’s shoulders.

“Alright?” Harry said, pulling out the chair on the opposite side of George and placing the amber-coloured pint glass he carried on the table with unnecessary force, causing some of the drink to slop over the side and spread across the tablecloth.

“Charlotte, I think Melissa was looking for you,” Ron said apologetically to the bridesmaid.

She hesitated for a moment, her eyes lingering on George, before pushing back from the table and scanning the busy dance floor next to their table. “I’d better go,” she said, sparing George one final glance before disappearing into the crowd of exuberant wedding guests. Ron wasted no time taking her vacated seat.

George turned to him, tearing his eyes from the dance floor. The bridesmaid was no longer visible, replaced by Bill spinning a laughing Fleur, narrowly avoiding a middle-aged couple who George did not recognise.

“Don’t you both have wives to entertain?”

“They’re dancing with each other,” Harry said, gesturing with his pint towards the opposite side of the wide room, where Hermione, Ginny and Luna had carved themselves a space in front of the DJ booth. They were hard to miss; Hermione looked the vision of a bride in her floaty, white dress, Auntie Muriel’s tiara flashed jewel bright in the disco lights, Ginny’s bridesmaid dress had had to be let out several times to accommodate for the baby bump which seemed to double every time George saw her recently and Luna was dancing with such wild abandon that several people nearby had paused in their own dancing to watch her.

George made a show of looking at his watch. “I think you’ve set a world record,” he said, looking up at Ron. “Married less than five hours and she’s ditched you already.”

The scowl he’d expected in response did not come. Ron had barely looked over at George, he was gazing over the crowded dance floor at Hermione as though he had never seen anything so miraculous in his life. George took another sip of his drink, swallowing down any further taunts that he ordinarily would have been unable to resist.

“Ginny sent us over,” Harry said, his expression only slightly less pathetic as he looked over at the dancing girls. “She says to remind you that you’re not allowed near any of Hermione’s relatives.”

George rolled his eyes, he had received this warning multiple times since the wedding ceremony this morning. His mother had cornered him whilst Ron and Hermione were signing their marriage certificate, Ron had reminded him during the endless session of posed photography in the manicured gardens of the country hotel Hermione’s parents had paid for for the day and Fleur had kicked him under the table at dinner when he’d innocently made one of Hermione’s cousins laugh.

“I hope Charlie’s getting this lecture as well.”

Ron snorted into his drink. “Unless one of Hermione’s cousins sprouts wings and starts breathing fire, I don’t think Charlie will be interested.”

Harry nodded in agreement. “He seems to be a bit busy anyway.”

George followed Harry’s eyeline and saw Charlie stood to the side of the dance floor with Victoire balanced on his shoulders and Teddy stood on his feet, swaying in time with the music. George’s smile spread unbidden across his face as he took in the scene.

“Fine,” he said, holding his hands up in surrender. “But answer me this, why is Harry allowed to impregnate our sister and I’m not allowed to snog Hermione’s cousin?

“I married your sister,” Harry said immediately, his face glowing crimson even in the semi-darkness of the wedding reception, just as George had hoped it would.

“And don’t use words like ‘impregnate’ and ‘our sister’ in the same sentence,” added a revolted looking Ron. He lifted his pint glass and emptied it in one deep swallow, George suspected he was hoping enough alcohol might help him erase the last thirty seconds from his memory.

“Look there’s Angelina,” he said, placing his empty glass back on the table and pointing in the direction of the bar. “Angelina! Come here!”

Angelina turned towards them. She was holding a translucent yellow drink, which looked like fizzy apple juice. Her braided hair had been swept into an elegant knot on top of her head and she was wearing a wine-coloured dress that did a remarkable job of drawing the eye to her curves.

“Alright, you three?” she said upon reaching their table. She took the empty seat beside Ron, placing a kiss on his cheek as she sat. “Congratulations! Who’d have thought, all those years ago back in Gryffindor Tower, that you'd actually manage to get Hermione up the aisle!"

George grinned. "I definitely didn't think he had it in him."

Ron’s dazed smile remained in place; he nodded in agreement. “I know,” he said dreamily.

“A toast!” Angelina declared, holding up her glass in the air. “To Ron and Hermione!”

“To Ron and Hermione,” George and Harry repeated.

The four of them clinked their glasses together loudly. George drained the last of his Sex on the Beach and slammed his empty glass back onto the table. Angelina made a noise of disgust. Her nose wrinkled as she looked cautiously at her now half-empty glass.

“What in Merlin’s name is that?”

Ron made a shushing noise and checked nervously over his shoulder for any nearby Muggles. It was pointless, George thought, given the volume of the music, which now featured a cheerful tune and a male singer begging someone called Eileen to ‘come on’.

“What did you order?” Harry asked, taking Angelina’s drink from her and giving it a cautious sniff.

“I told the barman to give me something strong,” she said. “He said it's triple vodka and red bull?”

“Triple vodka,” Ron repeated.

“Red bull,” Harry said, mirroring Angelina’s earlier look of revulsion.

George had no idea what red bull was and, judging by Harry’s face, he did not want to find out. “Come on,” he said, pushing away from the table and holding out his hand to Angelina. “I’ll get you a Sex on the Beach, it’s good.”

Angelina’s eyebrows shot up; a sly smile spread across her face. “Is that a drink or a proposition?”

“Go with him Angelina,” Ron said, pleadingly, “and keep him away from any of Hermione’s relatives!”

Laughing, Angelina rose to join him. She picked up her glass and forced the last of her drink down. “No point in wasting it,” she said in response to Harry and Ron’s puzzled expressions.

Angelina laced her arm through his as they moved away from the table. The hour was late, the reception room had been steadily emptying for the past hour leaving their path mostly unimpeded.

“What are you having?” George asked as they reached the bar. Earlier, the crowd surrounding it had made getting served a challenge; now the only people ahead of them were one of Hermione’s Muggle uncles and Neville, who seemed to be buying enough drinks to cover the entire guestlist.

“I’d kill for a firewhiskey,” Angelina said, leaning towards him so that no nearby Muggles could hear.

George picked up the laminated cocktail menu sitting on the bar and examined it. The look of distaste on his face had nothing to do with the way the sticky menu stuck to his skin and everything to do with the various sickeningly sweet drinks printed upon the paper.

His gaze flicked to the row of backlit shelves behind the bar, each one hosted an assortment of bottles filled with different coloured spirits. The music, which had started out fun and entertaining now seemed loud and irritating.

He looked from the bar to Angelina, “I have a bottle of Firewhiskey in my room.”

Her eyebrows shot up. “George Weasley, are you inviting me to your hotel room?” Angelina’s scandalised act was somewhat diminished by the amused smile on her face.

“You said you’d do anything for a firewhiskey,” George reminded her.

“I said I’d kill for one,” Angelina corrected.

“Are you suggesting that accompanying me to my room sounds less pleasant than murder, Angelina?” George asked, only pretending to be affronted.

Angelina pretended to look thoughtful; she tapped a finger to her chin and hummed in contemplation. “Is it a good year?”

“Seventy-eight - some would say the best.”

“I think most prefer seventy-seven,” she said, but she smiled as she gestured for George to lead the way to his room.

They passed the dance floor again as they headed for the exit. Ron and Hermione had been reunited and were now swaying slowly in the middle of it.

“Do you not need to say goodnight?” Angelina asked, nodding in their direction.

“No, I’ve given them both my congratulations. I’ll see them in the morning, Hermione’s given me a timetable for the whole weekend.”

Angelina laughed fondly. They continued their journey around the edge of the dance floor, in search of the exit. George nodded and waved as he passed a table at which Bill, Fleur, Harry and Ginny were now seated watching the happy couple dance. Even at a distance he could see Ginny had tears in her eyes; he filed this bit of information in his mind to tease her with at breakfast tomorrow.

The foyer of the hotel was blindingly bright compared to the dimmed reception room. A huge crystal chandelier cast brilliant reflections upon the panelled walls. A few people milled about near the doorway, clearly awaiting transport home. George saw the bridesmaid from earlier, wrapped, vicelike, around a young man who he did not recognise. No pang of regret, nor any spark of jealousy rose within him.

His room was situated on the second floor. It was as bland as any other hotel room George had ever stayed in. White and grey paintings hung on cream walls, crisp white linen covered the king size bed and the little 'lounge area' - two grey upholstered chairs crammed beside a small coffee table - looked out onto the neighbouring farmer's fields.

Angelina followed him inside. She wasted no time kicking her heels off and tossing them on the floor by the door before heading straight for one of the grey chairs.

"Ice?" George asked, retrieving the bottle of firewhiskey from the small suitcase in which he'd hidden it from the Muggle maids.

"I'll take mine neat," she said, stretching her long legs across the other chair. The skirt of her dress slid slowly up her thigh. George looked away, focussing on pouring out the firewhiskey and sending Angelina's measure levitating across the room to land in front of her on the little table.

She smiled gratefully, lifting the glass to her lips. George settled on the bed across from her, kicking off his black dress shoes and loosening his tie.

"Now, that's a drink," Angelina said through a sigh.

George took a long sip of his own drink. The exhaustion of the day seemed to melt away as the firewhiskey seared through his veins, burning new life into him.

“The sex on the beach was good,” George said fairly, earning him more raised eyebrows from Angelina. “I think you’re just picky.”

Her laughter seemed to fill the small hotel room. “I have taste, you mean.”

“You have taste?” George repeated incredulously. “Shall I remind you of Nick the healer who somehow had less brains than a mountain troll?”

She laughed again and shook her head scornfully at him. One long leg stretched across and kicked him playfully on the shin. “Shall I remind you of Katya, the girl who insisted on introducing you to everyone as ‘George Weasley: Order of Merlin First Class’?”

George winced and took a long pull from his drink. If he was honest, Katya had been pretty unbearable, but he would never admit that to Angelina. “What was that one’s name - it began with a T - the one who made a move on Alicia while you were away with work?”

“Thad,” Angelia supplied without any hint of discomfort. “Beautiful, repulsive Thad.”

“He was useless at dodging hexes,” George commented, smiling fondly at the memory of Thad, with his curly brown hair and chiselled jaw, howling in pain from the combined might of Angelina’s stinging jinx and Alicia’s conjunctivitis curse.

“Maybe we both have terrible taste,” Angelina said thoughtfully.

George raised his glass towards her, “I’ll drink to that.”

He drained the rest of his drink in one, refusing to acknowledge the difficult truth. The simple fact that there was nothing wrong with his taste in women, he did not go looking for the marrying type on purpose. He would never again give his heart and soul to another person who could be ripped away from him in a second. He would not put himself at risk of having to endure that kind of pain again as long as he lived.

“You know who was the worst,” Angelina said thoughtfully, pulling George back to the present. Her glass was now empty and she held out towards him for a refill. George obliged, topping up his own glass too.“The one who stole your watch - Valerie."

“At least she was a laugh - and I had a spare watch.”

He lifted his right arm, Fred’s gold watch glinted subtly in the dim light of the hotel room. George took another long pull of his firewhiskey, drowning the throbbing ache caused by the thought of its previous owner. His glass was empty once more.

“Merlin knows what she wanted with a watch,” Angelina said, staring contemplatively at her own drink. “I don’t think she could tell the time.”

“She always made me wear a hat when we went out - didn’t like the lopsided ears.”

Angelina looked up from her glass with an expression of abject horror. “You never told me that!”

George shrugged and reached for the bottle once more, lifting it straight to his lips, dispensing with the glass. Drinking seemed a safer course than replying. He was not about to tell Angelina that he had preferred covering up his ears too, that it had been the most exquisite relief to look in the mirror and think he saw someone else staring back at him.

“God, she really was the worst!” Angelina declared, throwing her head back and draining her glass so that she was caught up with George.

He stretched out a hand for her glass, prepared to refill it but Angelina shook her head in response. George watched as she rose from her chair, the tight skirt of her dress hitched dangerously high on her bare thighs. She padded across the room and dropped onto the bed beside him. Her fingers brushed softly over his as she plucked the open bottle from his hand and lifted it to her lips.

“For what it’s worth,” she said, lowering the bottle so it rested on the bed between them, “I think losing one of your ears was a big improvement for you.”

George’s laughter shook the bed and caused the bottle to teeter dangerously. He and Angelina grabbed for it at the same time, their fingers locked together around its cool neck. She was grinning wickedly at him, her face only inches from his. Blood and firewhiskey began to pound in his head.

Angelina’s grip loosened on the bottle. George pulled it towards him and forwent another drink in favour of placing it on the bedside table. He felt Angelina’s eyes upon him as he moved.

“I only came up here for the firewhiskey,” she reminded him.

“I know,” he agreed, but when he turned back to face her they both smirked at one another as though enjoying a private joke.

“You were also tasked with keeping me away from Hermione’s cousins,” George reminded her.

Angelina’s smirked widened. She leaned across the empty expanse of bed separating them, her dark eyes sparked with mirth and something else, something George had never seen there before but he now found utterly mesmerising. “I take orders from the groom very seriously.”

In any other moment, the notion of Angelina taking any sort of order from Ron would have made him laugh. Right now, however, George was having trouble catching his breath for vastly different reasons. Her face hovered inches from his, so close he could feel heat radiating from her.

He couldn’t say who moved first. One moment Angelina was stretched out beside him on the bed, her dress clinging to her curves in ways that sent George’s mind spinning, the next her lips were on his and they were kissing with bruising intensity.

The empty space between them seemed to disappear. Angelina’s hands gripped the front of George’s shirt, pulling him closer. Her thigh bumped against George’s; he grasped it, revelling in the feel of her smooth, bare flesh beneath his hand.

“This is a terrible idea,” she murmured as George’s lips left hers and began to forge a trail towards her neck.

He smiled against her skin, his teeth scraping lightly against Angelina’s jaw, eliciting a moan which sent a jolt straight to his stomach. She had said the same thing to him a hundred times before, always before following him into some ridiculous plot sure to land them in trouble.

“The worst,” he agreed, as he always did.

Angelina released her grip on the front of his shirt. George felt her fingers tremble as she moved to the topmost button and unhooked it. “It is a wedding though.”

It was one of her weaker justifications but George did not protest. He knew their routine well enough to play his part even when his mind was singularly focussed on the sweet taste of Angelina’s neck beneath his tongue.

Her hands grew steadier as they continued to work on the column of buttons, exposing more of George’s skin as she went. The tips of her fingers brushed languidly down his chest, sending a ripple of longing through him.

“What happens at Ashbury Hall-” he breathed.

“Stays at Ashbury Hall,” Angelina finished, completing their ritual. At the same time she tugged his shirt free from the waist of his trousers and slid it down his arms.

The cool evening air tingled against his warm skin but George didn’t care. His arms were now free of the confines of his shirt, he pulled Angelina close once more. She moved with the same graceful fluidity he had always admired on the Quidditch pitch, though George knew he had never seen her quite like this.

It was Angelina’s lips now that moved to his neck, lightly sucking and nipping as she moved towards his chest. George’s head fell back against the pillow; a low moan of pleasure escaped him. Her thigh hooked around his waist and he savoured the feel of her pressed against him.

It was the closest they had ever been to one another, but it still wasn’t enough. Desperate for more, George slipped his hands around Angelina’s waist, lightly caressing her hourglass curves before moving up her back. The zip holding her dress together was small, delicate, but George had never felt less gentle, desperately he dragged it down.

They separated only for a moment, allowing Angelina the space to shimmy out of the dress and kick it to the floor, and George enough room to discard his trousers and boxers, still he felt the loss of her keenly. A curious mixture of relief and desperation surged through him as she returned to his arms.

The swell of her breasts was covered by a fine layer of red lace. George’s mouth went dry at the sight of it.

In a flash it was gone. Angelina had unhooked it one handed and thrown the magnificent garment carelessly across the room.

"Beaters aren't known for their finesse," she whispered, her breath soft and warm against his cheek.

George brushed his fingertips lightly over her breast; her nipple hardened beneath his touch. Angelina inhaled sharply. "I think you'll find my dexterity breathtaking."

She lowered her head towards his, "shut up," she murmured before pressing her lips to his, giving George no option but to obey.

He wrapped his arms around her, gently rolling them so that Angelina was laid against the pillows and George was braced on his forearms above her. Her smooth, dark skin seemed to glow against the white bedding. She was a vision, a bright spark breathing life into the bland hotel room just as she had done for him when he’d wanted to end it all.

George hooked two fingers into Angelina’s matching red knickers and pulled them down her slender legs, removing the final barrier between them. His hand moved between her legs, every sigh, every moan he elicited from her proving that she had no complaints when it came to his finesse.

Angelina’s nails scraped down his back, George’s breath hitched in his throat.His mouth moved from her lips, to her jaw, to her shoulder, planting kisses on every inch of skin he could reach. Tension rose inside him like a coiled spring until George could bear it no more.

The mounting desire within did not abate as their bodies joined together. They moved in perfect harmony, the room filled with the sound of rustling bed sheets and the steady knock of the headboard bumping against the wall. Angelina's eyes met his and George felt as though she could see into his soul.

If anyone could, it would be her. If he allowed himself, it would be easy to imagine letting Angelina in. Allowing her to pass the walls he had so carefully constructed around his heart, allowing her the opportunity to, purposefully or not, destroy him all over again. Yet, his mind refused to consider doing any such thing, swiftly blocking out the mere idea of it and George knew there would only be tonight, this was all he would get and so he would savour it.

He would commit to his memory the way her eyes half-closed in the grips of pleasure, how her lips - so tantalisingly full - parted in ecstasy. He would remember how it sounded when she sighed his name in his ear, her breath tickling his skin like a caress. He would memorise the way their bodies fit so perfectly together, making George feel like he was whole once more.

They moved faster, the coiled spring stretched to breaking point. Angelina’s nails sank deeper into his back, gripping George to her. The headboard beat against the wall like a drum, the sound mingled with their harmonised cries of bliss.

George could have remained in that moment forever, but holding on was becoming more impossible by the second. The rhythm they had so carefully maintained faltering as George gripped Angelina’s sweat-sheened hips with white-knuckle intensity.

Angelina tensed beneath him. With a final cry, she came undone. George closed his eyes as he followed her over the edge, determined to cherish every last second with her.

***

Three Weeks Later:

George flipped the lock on the door, bringing an end to another hectic day at Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes. Hogwarts letters had been sent out the previous morning, an event which always signalled the start of the pre-term rush.

He turned his back on the door, preparing to survey the wreckage. His carefully stocked displays had been torn apart; decoy detonators were wandering the shopfloor aimlessly, a thick, pink substance seeped across the floor where a customer had evidently shattered a bottle of love potion, and someone had set off a box of Weasleys’ Wildfire Whiz-Bangs which were flying recklessly around the store, periodically exploding into colourful shapes.

The fireworks disappeared with a wave of George’s wand, bringing peace to the shop once more. He ignored the potion for now, deciding he would feed the pygmy puffs before starting on the real clean up. He had barely moved two steps, however, when the freshly earned silence was broken by a loud pounding on the door.

“We’re closed!” he shouted, not bothering to turn around.

He heard the lock click, the hinges squeaked as the door opened. Wand in hand once more, George spun around, prepared to face the, apparently deaf, trespasser. “Impedi-”

His mouth slammed shut and his wand fell to his side as he recognised Angelina. George frowned in confusion, trying to remember if he had forgotten plans they’d made but he was sure he hadn’t. They had only seen each other yesterday at Alicia’s barbecue.

“Do you have a Canary Cream emergency?”

Angelina scowled at him, her foot tapped impatiently on the floor. “Don’t try and be funny!”

He raised his hands beside his head in mock surrender, supremely confused now. “What’s got your wand in a knot?”

“What’s got my wand in a knot?” She repeated, her voice rising somewhat hysterically. “You want to know what’s got my wand in a knot?”

George’s confusion was quickly turning to concern. Angelina began to pace agitatedly in front of the display of extendable ears. George wavered, part of him wanting to go to her and another, much wiser part, aware that he had never been fast enough to block her jinxes.

“Will you tell me what’s going on - please?” he added quickly in response to her glare.

“Oh, George ‘I’ve got a bottle of firewhiskey in my room’ Weasley wants to know what’s going on,” Angelina said. George got the impression she was talking to herself. Heat rose in his neck at the reference to Ron’s wedding night, an event that they both had steadfastly pretended hadn’t happened. Except alone at night when George could think of little else.

“This is what’s going on!” Angelina yelled, dragging George unceremoniously from his reverie.

She was holding something in her hand, George took a cautious step closer in order to see it. His chest constricted, the room began to spin so that the tiny vial clutched in Angelina’s became blurred. It didn’t matter, George had recognised it immediately.

The bottle was distinctive: rose-coloured glass with a blue stopper, a small clear window allowed a view of the potion within which would either remain purple when a drop of blood was added to it, or, as it had now, turn a brilliant white.

“Y-you’re,” George stumbled, the words seemed too big for his mouth. “You’r-”

“Pregnant!” Angelina finished for him.

#submission #george/angelina #george weasley #angelina johnson #ttb spring fling

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randominagines · 3 years

Text

This is a part 2 for "I earned it" (here you can find part 1)

Pairing: Ouat Peter Pan X fem!reader

Warning: mostly smut, language, a bit angst but also a bit fluff

P.s. if you find any mistake please correct me, English is not my mother tongue and I want to improve. Reblog, if you can, it helps a lot, thank you💕

P.p.s. gifs belong to the creators

I earned it pt. 2

Being around Peter when they were in public was kinda hard lately: y/n was trying her best not to show to the Lost Boys any sign of interest toward him, she was keeping it cool but at what price? Peter was a tease: he loved provoking her all the time, through intense looks, whispered dirty words, intimate yet quick touching and absolutely irresistible smirks. She was really forcing herself to pretend that nothing had changed between them, but the truth was that they were dealing with an insane amount of sexual tension. Since he defended her from the latest boys arrived on the island, they started to look at each other in a whole new prospective: they spent the following month finding excuses to be together all the time and becoming quite passionate fuckfriends. They managed to find moments to be alone, to have great sex, but with the recent arrival of the pirates on the island, she had been quite busy healing boys and taking part in the battles and he... well, he was the leader, no one was more busy than him. Sometimes, Peter was not exactly discreet, but she always used to stop him in that cases: she absolutely didn't want to take the risk of letting the Lost Boys know about them.

That day, her assigned task was checking the seashore with one of her closest friend, Jonas, to see if pirates were planning on landing on the island, so she was practically having the first quite moment since the week started. Y/n was hiding behind a massive plant with Jonas; she was observing the vessel through a telescope, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration but no one was moving on the boat. She suddenly felt a hand on her shoulder and winced. -- Fuck, Jonas, you scared the shit out of me! -- she scolded her friend while touching her chest, he laughed. -- Sorry, but we're the only two people here, who did you think could have touched you? -- he made fun of her while tenderly pinching her cheek, he considered her a little sister. She shook her head. -- I was overthinking. -- she defended herself before putting the telescope down. He sighed. -- This is pointless, I still have to help Felix preparing the wood for the bonfire. -- he complained while taking the telescope and observing the vessel himself, she bit her lower lip: she knew he had no patience at all and this was the less adapt task for her best friend. She touched his arm to draw his attention. -- Just go, I'll stay untill Patrick and Andrew come to replace me. -- She said while taking the telescope back, he raised an eyebrow. -- Are you sure? I don't like the idea of leaving you alone -- he asked, he really cared a lot about her, she nodded and winked at him. -- Please, we both know that I can take care of those pirates, plus, they'd never attack right now: they just lost three battles, they'll need time to reorganize. -- she explained while taking her flask and drinking a bit of water, he nodded standing up. -- Okay, y/n, I'll see you at the camp. I'll tell Patrick and Andrew to come as soon as possible to relieve you. -- he said and she smiled at him. He left.

The forest was particularly silent that afternoon; the gentle summer breeze moving the leaves and the waves crushing on the sand were the only sources of sound keeping her company. Neverland was the most beautiful place she had ever seen and she felt home there. She looked at the vessel again, her gaze quickly drawn to the mesmerising colours of the sunset: the sun was disappearing behind the sea and it made the sky look half orange and half blue, with gradual shades of pink and purple in the amidst. The contrast with the deep green of the forest standing behind her back was incredible. That green was familiar, intense, she loved it, then she found herself thinking that it reminded her of Peter's eyes. " Oh come on, y/n, stop thinking about him." She mentally scolded herself. She had been thinking about Peter a lot during the last weeks and she found herself stupid for that. When he was just her platonic crush it made sense fantasizing about him, but now that they were fuckfriends she felt like she was not allowed anymore to romanticize him in that way. They had silently agreed on a relationship made up of physical contact and that was all.

She suddenly heard footsteps approaching but didn't stop looking in the telescope. -- Patrick? So soon? -- she asked while lowering the telescope, but a familiar voice spoke to her. -- Not exactly. -- Peter said. She turned and saw him slowly sitting next to her, the green of his eyes that had visited her thoughts just a moment before now shining because of the sunlight and an almost disappeared mark of a bite she herself left on his neck still slightly visible on it. She smiled in satisfaction looking at it, she loved marking him. -- Pete, what are you doing here? -- she asked while turning toward him, now they were sitting one in front of another, the still hot sand under their crossed legs warming them up. He brushed a lock of her y/h/c hair behind her ear and shrugged. -- Can't I feel the desire to spend some quality time with my Lost Girl? -- he asked and she chuckled. -- Well, this Lost Girl is busy checking on the pirates and can't be distracted. -- she joked while pointing at the vessel, he smiled. -- Well, you're officially relieved of duty. -- he said and grabbed her behind her neck to pull her for a kiss. She left the telescope fall on the sand and crossed her arms on his shoulders, her lips parting to let his tongue in. He caressed the back of her head slightly pulling her hair, a moan escaped y/n's lips. He noticed and maliciously smiled. -- You love the way I touch you, don't you? -- he provoked her while caressing her neck, his fingers wrapping around it. She raised an eyebrow. -- I might enjoy it, yes. -- she answered and he bit his lower lip: that girl never gave him a proper satisfying answer, and he was absolutely crazy about her for that. She caressed his chest, her fingers sliding under his shirt and drawing figures on it, he sighed tensing up. He wanted her so much but in the last days they didn't had the chance to go beyond passionate stolen kisses and intimate touching, but not intimate enough for Peter's tastes. Anyway, he had spent a lot of time with her and he started to realise that he really liked y/n. Of course he felt an insane attraction toward her, but there was more, he was just not ready to admit it. She grabbed his shirt and pulled him for another kiss, her tongue licking his lower lip. He grabbed her by her waist and made her sit on him, she almost gasped but positioned herself in order to not lose her balance. He caressed her back while deepening the kiss. She stopped the kiss and gasped for air. -- Easy, tiger, I need to breath. -- she joked while caressing the back of his head, he raised an eyebrow while looking at her: she was sweating a bit, her skin was shining in the sunlight and her y/e/c eyes were filled with desire. -- Shit. -- he whispered between his teeth, she looked at him in confusion. -- What? -- she softly asked, her lips barely touching his. Peter caressed her lips. -- You're fucking beautiful. -- he simply said, his eyes scanning her face, a mix of desire and pure devotion in them;

She widened her eyes: she didn't expect nothing like that. The simplest yet most sincere compliment she had ever received. She was not stupid: y/n was well aware that he wanted her, she had been acting a bit elusive and making him beg for it not only because they hadn't been able to find some time to fuck, but also because she wanted to play with his desire a bit, so she knew about it; but that compliment, the way he was looking at her, the gentle touch of that moment: was Peter developing feelings for her? She was not sure. But in that case, how was she feeling at the idea? She loved having sex with him, but involving feelings in that relationship? She was not sure. She smiled at the compliment. -- Well, why aren't you fucking me already, then? -- she teased him. A spark lightened up his eyes: he grinned and kissed her, his lips now more demanding and his hands helping her lay down on the sand. She pulled him on her and grabbed his shoulders, her legs crossing around his waist. He moved his lips toward her neck to suck her skin there, she moaned pulling his hair before pushing his head toward her chest. She needed more. He immediately understood it and moved the edge of her tank top up to please her. Peter stopped for a second when he saw her bare breasts and smiled, his eyes filled with lust but also something else: he found her perfect. She impatiently moaned as to invite him to touch her; Peter grinned and his lips barely touched her nipple, he was making her crazy. She sighed in frustration when he licked it and immediately lifted his head to look at her, amusement burning in his eyes. She looked at him. -- Peter... -- she cried, her hands caressing his hair. He rubbed his lips on her nipple. -- If you want something, just ask. -- he whispered on her nipple, his breath on it sending shivers down her neck. She rolled his eyes. -- You're an asshole. -- she joked while biting her lower lip, he was teasing her. He bit her nipple making her gasp. -- Insulting me is not the smartest move. -- he said while moving his lips toward her collarbone. She sighed in surrender. -- Okay, fine, just stop teasing me and touch me as you should. -- y/n said while grabbing his chin and intensely staring at him. He smiled before squeezing her leg. -- Good girl. -- he whispered and finally sucked her nipple. His tongue draw circles around it while her body started to move, the impatience of having more growing inside of her. His lips moved down her body, leaving a trace of kisses on her stomach, her belly, her hips. She was wearing a pair of shorts, so she could perceive his hands caressing her inner thigh. She tried unbotton her shorts but he stopped her. -- Let me do it. -- he commanded while unzipping it, she nodded and caressed his shoulders. He slowly removed her shorts and spread her legs, smiling because she was already wet. He snapped his fingers and made a towel appear under her body, to avoid troubles with the sand. She smiled at that thoughtful gesture. He kissed her inner thigh before moving her slip aside and finally kissing her where she needed the most. He loved looking at y/n in those moments: that was nothing that gave him more satisfaction than giving pleasure to her. He loved her body language; the was she arched her back when he was doing good, the little yet sexy moans escaping her parted lips, the way she pulled his hair to make him understand that she was close. He had never been so happy to fuck someone before, she was unbelievably beautiful. She was normally very authoritarian and indipendent, a typical tough girl, but seeing her vulnerable, fragile side was his absolute privilege and he intended to give the right value to it.

Her legs started to shake a bit so he guessed that she was about to come: he started to move his tongue faster while one of his hand travelled up her body, under her tank top, to touch her nipple. She closed her legs around his head and he squeezed her breast. She looked down to meet his eyes. -- I'm fucking close. -- she whispered out of breath, her eyes half closed. He looked at her but didn't stop working. In the moment she was about to come, they heard footsteps approaching. She immediately tensed up, her body brusquely stopping. He raised his head to look around and she felt her orgasm disappearing, she had just lost it. -- Fuck! -- she complained while sitting up, he looked at her, half pissed off at the idea that he couldn't finish his job and half sorry for her. -- Y/n? -- the voice of a boy shouted her name, she puffed wearing her shorts. Peter caressed her leg while looking at her. -- It's Patrick with Andrew, my shift is over. -- she said while pulling her hair back in a ponytail. He nodded and smiled at her. -- I'll finish what I started, just come with me. -- he said standing up and reaching his hand, she took it and stood up but immediately left it. She smiled while removing the sand from her legs. -- Okay, I'll see you at the Thinking Tree. -- she said while looking at him: his hair were a bit messy because her fingers tormented it and his eyes where still filled with lust, his pink lips curved in a smirk. He was extremely handsome, she had to admit it, not to mention the way he treated her: with such a kindness that she started to think that the best part about spending time with him was not the sex. She caressed his cheek. -- Now go, I don't want the boys to see you here, they could assume things. -- she said and took her telescope and her flask. He chuckled while pulling her close. -- I don't mind them knowing, actually. -- he said and tried to give her a kiss, she curved it. -- I do. -- she confessed and took a step back. He was so surprised his hands remained suspended at mid hair. -- What?... Why? -- he simply asked and she shook her head. -- You wouldn't understand. -- she said and shrugged, he was shocked. He remained silent for a moment, then his expression turned from confused to angry. -- There is someone else, isn't it? Who? -- he immediately jumped to that conclusion, she bursted into a laugh. -- Peter, I barely have time for one secret relationship, let alone two. -- she nervously said and crossed her arms over her chest. He aggressively pointed his finger at her. -- That's a lie. -- he accused her, a knot forming in his stomach. He felt a rush of anger, but not the usual kind of anger, a more specific bothering type: he felt jealousy. She took a step closer to him, her face standing centimetres away from his. -- You're free to believe I'm lying, but I'm not. -- she whispered while flashing him a defiant eye. The boys were so close that Peter and y/c could clearly distinguish their words, they were talking about the pirates. He took a deep breath to calm himself down before speaking. -- I'll leave, I don't want you to have to explain why you were with me. This could mess your other relationship. -- he venomously whispered at her ear before snapping his fingers and disappearing in a green mist. In that exact moment Patrick and Andrew arrived. She sighed looking at them. -- Y/n, sorry if we're late, we wanted to tell Pan that the Shadow left the island to find new recruits but we couldn't find him. -- they explained while she passed them the telescope. She nodded running her hands through her hair before speaking. -- Don't worry, he was probably at his Thinking Tree. -- she lied and they nodded. She stayed a while to inform them about the fact that the pirates were mostly quite all the afternoon long, then she left. She felt sad and stressed, she had like the feeling of being responsible for hurting Peter and it was the last thing she wanted to. She had a lot to explain to him.

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

Two days had passed and Peter had practically been ignoring her. Not a word, not a touch, not even a look. She was starting to hate that situation, she missed him more than how she would have imagined and seeing him mad all the time made her sad. The whole camp was influenced by his bad mood, not to mention the fact that the sky had been filled with grey clouds for two days straight. That evening, she decided that she was tired of waiting for him to talk to her, so she addressed the elephant in the room.

-- Peter? -- y/n's voice made Peter stand up, he was laying on his bed while playing his enchanted flute. He raised an eyebrow when she knocked at his door. -- I know you're in there. -- she puffed while crossing her arms, she was sure he was in his tree house. He was torn: he really wanted to see her but he was also still mad at her as well. She bit her lower lip. -- Okay, you don't have to open this damn door, just listen to me. -- she said putting her hands on the door, he looked at it as he could see her through it while putting his flute down. -- I know I messed up, it's just... I was scared. -- she softly confessed. He raised his eyebrows while opening the door: she was standing there, her expression filled with surprise because she didn't expect him to let her in. He moved his head to invite her to enter and closed the door once she was in. He crossed his arms. -- I'm listening, y/n. -- he said and stared at her, his green eyes practically drilling a hole in her soul and his voice seemed a bit different after two days gone without hearing it once. She took a deep breath. -- Okay, maybe the fact that I insisted on keeping this thing between us secret was a bit, how could I define it?... -- she asked while thinking, he raised an eyebrow. -- Bitchy? -- he suggested, she frowned. -- I was about to say misunderstandable, but your suggestion will do just fine. -- she admitted while running her hands through her hair. Not even in that moment he couldn't help himself noticing how beautiful she was. He cursed inside while she looked at him. -- Peter, I didn't want them to know about us not because I have someone else; I didn't want them to know about us because they have been so quick to judge me before. -- she explained, he parted his lips: he couldn't imagine such a thing. She went on. -- When you defended me from those boys who said that I had earned my house by being your whore, I felt disrespected. I had to work quite hard on this island to gain this boys' respect, because I'm the only girl here, and I still have to work everyday to keep it and I will always have prove my worth to the new recruits. Neverland is my home and I love being here, but this is not an easy place to live in. If the boys start thinking that I have privileges coming from my being close to you, they will question the respect they have developed for me and I cannot afford that. I'm the healer, I lead my own group in the battles, I have responsibilities as part of your closest advisors, I sometimes train the new boys, I need them to respect my authority. -- she added, her expression severe but her eyes filled with sorrow. Peter knew she had so much strength in her, but he couldn't imagine how much of that strength she was forced to show everyday to prove her worth. He admired her words. She looked up in order to avoid crying. -- They had no problems addressing me as your whore and at the time we hadn't even shared a kiss yet, immagine how quickly they will judge me as soon as they will know that we are having an affair. That's the reason why I was so scared by the idea of them realising how close we are. -- y/n concluded, her fingers tormenting the edge of her shirt. Peter walked toward her and caressed her cheek, his green eyes stuck into hers. She gave him a glimpse of a smile, she was happy of being touched by him, she missed that contact.

He looked at her. -- No one will stop respecting you, they will treat you as you deserve, as the skilled, smart, intelligent, brilliant person you are. They will not treat you as my whore, they will treat you as my girlfriend. Otherwise I'll let you kill them, just to prove that you don't need someone to protect you. -- he said and caressed her lips with his thumb. She widened her eyes in shock. -- Girlfriend? -- she incredulously asked, he nodded smiling. -- If you want, of course. -- he added, she simply nodded and kissed him. She hadn't realized how much she actually missed him: she melted into his arms, her lips moving in perfect harmony with his. He caressed her back while smiling on her lips, she moved a lock of his hair from his face to fully enjoy his beautiful eyes. -- I'm sorry if I made you angry. -- she whispered and hugged him, he immediately held her back. -- I was not angry, I was hurt. -- he confessed; she looked at him in confusion while he sighed, he was tired of playing games. -- I was hurt because I have feelings for you. -- he simply said. She widened her eyes but a smile curved her lips, her hands squeezing his shirt. -- I can't believe it... -- she whispered while laughing, he frowned. -- What? -- he asked, his heart pounding faster at the thought that she was going to say something like "I don't feel the same". She bit her lower lip and caressed his chest instead. -- That we were both so stupid to catch feelings for our fuckfriend. -- she said and smiled. He took a deep breath before smiling and kissing her. She immediately jumped and crossed her legs around his waist, his hands under her legs and his tongue searching for hers. He helped her laying down on his bed while she pulled him on her lips, she never wanted to stop kissing him again. A smirk appeared on his face while noticing how impatient she was.

He moved his head toward her chest but she stopped him and pushed him down on the bed, her body moving to be on the top of his. He grinned looking at her and squeezed her leg, she started to loosen his belt while smirking. He gasped when she started to pull his trousers down; he helped her removing them. She kissed his neck, leaving small bites on it, then her lips travelled toward his chest, her hand caressing it too. Peter moaned when her lips stopped near the waistband of his boxers. He raised his torso to look at her, his hand under her chin. -- What are you doing? I own you an orgasm. -- he said and grabbed her neck. She smirked and removed his hand, the lust in her eyes lookinglike dancing flames. -- You'll have all the time, now it's my turn. -- she looked at him. He felt his desire growing so much he decided not to oppose to her will. He nodded laying down and she removed his boxers. Peter was impatiently burning with desire and he deeply moaned when she finally took him in her mouth. Y/n was an observer, she studied Peter's moves and his body language to understand what could please him more; that's why she was absolutely amazing at satisfying him. She knew how to drive him crazy, with the proper rythm and the perfect combination between rude and gentle. Peter took her hair in his hands to move them away: he loved watching her while she was giving him pleasure, he found her hot. She caressed his chest while moving her tongue as she knew he liked the most, she could perceive him getting closer to his orgasm. He suddenly moaned. -- Babe... Stop... -- he whispered, his voice deeper than the usual. She nodded and raised her head, she knew he didn't want to come so soon. He caressed her lips before pulling her for a kiss, a passionate kiss that made her gasp. -- I do love the way you touch me, by the way. -- she whispered on his lips, her fingers running through his hair. He smiled while laying her down on his bed, his eyes stuck into hers and a smirk curving his lips. -- This time, we won't be interrupted. -- he said, his hands caressing her waist, and she bit her lower lip and he kissed her again. While he started to move his head toward her legs she smiled thinking that he was all right: no one was going to stop them.

#peter pan imagine #ouat peter pan imagine #peter pan ouat x reader #peter pan x reader #ouat peter pan x reader #peter pan x fem!reader #ouat peter pan #peter pan ouat #ouat imagine #once upon a time imagine #peter pan x you #peter pan x y/n #ouat peter pan x you #ouat peter pan x y/n #peter pan ouat imagine

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jeweled-blue-eyes · 3 years

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I was going through the manhwa and it hit me that unlike Athy and Jennette's dresses, we never see anyone dissecting the meaning behind Claude or Anastacius's costume, even though they have much underlying symbolism to offer with all their varying colours and motifs. And these are the two most rich characters in terms of backstory and human relationships. Ur detailed dissection on Jennette's costumes are so good that I'm scarily tempted to tempt u to do this one. Will u do this one analysis🥺???

I don't know anything about the medals or the flowers on Claude's clothings since I'm don’t know flower language... But I can give my thoughts on some of his clothings.

Claude wears three types of clothings throughout the manhwa: 1. royal military uniforms 2. togas 3. victorian children clothings of the upper/middle class (play suits + sailor suits).

What is striking is that all three types of clothings he wore can be associated with freedom and oppression equally (1. military 2. ancient romans 3. royal navy).

Let's start with the first outfit he wore as a child: The sailor suit.

In 1846, the four-year-old Albert Edward, Prince of Wales was given a scaled-down version of an enlisted man’s sailor suit. It was almost certainly a carefully chosen decision calculated to make the public associate the monarchy which had declined in popularity with the most popular institution in Britain -The Royal Navy.

What do we know about the royal navy? Besides it’s role in British colonialism and the suppression of many Asian and African peoples, it helped to defeat a series of opponents for the most part countries goverened by authoritarian or dictatorial rulers (Philip II, Louis XIV, Napoleon, Kaiser Wilhelm II), in other words: tyrants.

Sailor suits which are associated with childishness and innocence stand in juxtaposition to it’s militaristic origin . It’s a reminder how young Claude was still pure and innocent, yet without being fully aware of it he was thrown into a battle for succession at such a young age, and expected to survive or die trying.

We could also dvelve into color theory a little bit: Brown is mostly associated with humility, plainness and poverty. It could be a reminder of his commoner origin. Perhaps it tells us that his mother didn’t have much money back then and Claude had to get dressed in clothes that didn’t gave away easily how often they got mended or got dirty, because his mother could only afford a few sets of clothing. This is only a speculation: perhaps the money meant for Claude was mostly used for the treatment of his mother’s sickness. (I can’t see the Emperor paying the treatment of a chronically ill lover. Unless he actually loved her).

We could also assume that Claude intentionally picked out plain brown clothing that would allow him to blend well with the environment. The flashback in chapter 73 shows us little Claude hiding behind the bushes from the palace guards. Considering his state of increased alertness, he seemed to be used to sense danger approaching and find ways to hide quickly and efficiently.

Ah before I forget too much brown can also create feelings of sadness, isolation and loneliness...alright, you get what I mean, I stop here.

Now to Anastacius. While Claude’s attire is more lowkey about it’s violent origin: Anastacius’ is more upfront. He’s already aware of the situation he is in. He knows his little brother is more talented than him and feels threatened enough to consider the words of Caracks who tried to lure him away. Anastacius wears something resembling a mix of military uniform and a victorian play suit in blue and red.

Blue was also considered the most prestigious colour, and was granted to “royal” regiments.

I think Anastacius and Claude’s outfits were meant to show that they were at a crossroad in life. When Ana was still friendly with Claude he started out wearing play outfits and then as his relationship with Anastacius deteriorated, gradually started to wear normal suits and uniforms until he was wearing his ceremonial military uniform at the day he killed Ana.

The Obelia brother’s wearing a military uniform signifies that they are at war with someone. They are ready to spill blood. You can see it in The Lovely Princess, where when Athy meets Claude for the first time, instead of a toga he is wearing a military uniform and continues to do so almost until his death. We know that Diana was the one who introduced him to Siodonna’s fashion. With the memories of her gone, so was the peaceful presence in his life and he became a misanthrope. The memory spell had taken full affect and he was incapable to love or care for Athy in any way. Athy became his biggest torment, his enemy. Similarly our! Claude is only wearing a military uniform at official occations like Athy’s debutante ball, where he had to face the nobles which he resented so much. And even now, in the latest chapters he bothered to change his clothes with magic from a toga into a uniform when he reunited with his elder brother.

Whenever Anastacius and Claude are wearing a military uniform they are meeting someone hated (LP verse Claude met Athy, birthday baquet! Claude met the nobles (Roger), and now in chapter 109 he met his brother who had tried to kill him), they either want to demonstrate strenght (the uniform at Athy’s birthday baquet was more show) or they are ready to attack (the uniform in the recent chapters was more practical to move in).

However they are also stress on the fact that they belong to the royal family and are ought to be respected.

Ana wore almost constantly military uniforms, because he felt the need to show that he was the heir. Not only by birthright, but also in appearance. Only when he went undercover he switched his wardrobe to suits (still, in purple in the color of royality) and puffy shirts. You can see it when Anastacius entered the palace with Jennette. When Ana is fighting against Claude he is either wearing a royal blue (past) or a combination of red and black (present).

“ Black and red. In western culture, these are the two most sinister colors, as red typically conveys the meaning of blood or anger, and black is that of darkness or death. Being a very visually striking combination, they can also convey a sense of power. Together, they additionally give the impression of burning coal or wood, i.e. "fire and destruction".”

(TV Tropes: Red and Black and Evil All Over)

In his previous life he bought fire and destruction upon Obelia...like in Athy’s nightmare remember? So it’s is kind of a bad omen as well.

Anastacius uniform in black and red forms a strong contrast to Claude’s uniform, which is dyed in colors of purple and pure white. “The color purple is often associated with royalty, nobility, luxury, power, and ambition. Purple also represents meanings of wealth, extravagance, creativity, wisdom, dignity, grandeur, devotion, peace, pride, mystery, independence, and magic.”

My point is that Ana’s appearance reflect his state of mind. Being all the time at war with his brother. The paranoia to get overthrown. The fear not to be enought. He insisted on wearing the ceremonial royal uniform, the crown and the coat, in royal colors, because he felt inferior towards Claude and it made him feel safer. If he thought his own skills as heir were lacking he sought to compensate with the way he presented himself in public (his inferiority complex might have contributed to his lavish livestyle and tendency to waste money).

The only exception where Ana is not wearing a uniform is a scene during the time of Ana and Claude’s falling out. But he still emphasizes that he belongs to the Imperial family in another way: The brooch on his vest, has the same blue shade as the color of his eyes, which are a trademark sign that only the Imperial family possesses. In chapter 109, Claude and Athy chose to wear a similary colored brooch to show that they are the “true” heirs.

#does this make sense #I'm tired #anon #answered asks #wmmap outfits #wmmap #who made me a princess #sbapod #suddenly became a princess one day

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hawkepockets · 2 years

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Hello! I hope you are having a good day. I have a question for Prem! Does he have tattoos? I’d love to learn more about them.

From @commander-coppercogg

@commander-coppercogg your ask brightened my day!! (ㅅ´ ˘ `)♡ yes, prem has tattoos, but they’re changing!

up until now, prem has used illusions to create a shimmering, color changing “tattoo” of wings on his back and arms. they symbolized his dedication to dwayna and were a little bit of a joke with himself about being a “peacock” (aka a big showoff obsessed with his appearance). most of the time they just looked like slightly enchanted ink, but on rare occasions when he wanted to really intimidate an enemy, he would magically peel the wings off his skin and extend them. it made a big impression!

since path of fire, though, prem’s relationship with illusions and with dwayna has completely changed. he’s gradually weaned himself off using glamours to perfect his own appearance, letting his scars, moles, less sparkly eyes and heavier figure show through. the wings were still part of his signature look, but he no longer felt like they were as funny or appealing as they used to be, since he’s had to let go of some of his vanity and dwayna has left the world (and him) behind.

after the icebrood saga, prem finally goes to the festival of the four winds and apologizes to his family for the fight that ended their relationship almost 10 years ago. although it isn’t completely smooth sailing, he’s allowed back into their hearts and onto the zephyr sanctum, where he spends some time reconnecting with his zephyrite culture, training aspect magic, learning to cook, helping with his mothers’ glider crafting trade, and also going through an intense magical physical therapy regime, where most of his old wounds are reopened and healed correctly this time, without scarring. once that’s done, prem gets a new tattoo, this time with real ink and all over his body, of a serpentine dragon with many small wings. it resembles vlast, aurene, mordremoth, and his original dwayna feathers each a little bit. it’s done in black ink, but if he catches someone staring he likes to use a little bit of magic to add color to it, make it slither around his body, ruffle its wings, puff steam, or wink. aurene is particularly fascinated by it, and he likes to turn the dragon blue for her—she might be big and Elder now, but she’s still a baby at heart, and it makes her stomp her feet in delight. :-)

[ID: three full color reference sketches of prem’s upper body from the back. his hands are braced against his lower back as if in pain. in the first drawing, labeled “with illusions,” prem’s figure is smoothed out and slimmed and there are no visible flaws on his skin. he is wearing teal boxer shorts and a matching feather earring, and his hair is cut short and smoothed back. there are wings drawn over his shoulderblades, back, and arms in a bright ombre from teal to purple to reddish pink. some feathers are floating off the surface of his skin. this is labeled “not real tattoos.” a doodle, connected to the drawing by an arrow, shows prem holding out a sword, looking stern, with the illusory wings fully extended. this is labeled “threat display.” his nails are painted teal.

the second sketch, labeled “no illusions, before Sanctum” shows prem with his hair still short but messier. he is wearing pink shorts and a brighter blue version of his earring. his body is slightly wider now, with visible love handles, and it’s covered in scars. most are just small dark lines, but there are three huge, ugly burn scars on his left shoulderblade and lower back. his nails are pink.

in the third sketch, labeled “after Sanctum.” prem’s hair is long and worn in a loose, perky ponytail tied with a gold ribbon. his natural figure is still visible, but the scars are gone. he has a black line tattoo of a serpentine dragon that wraps around his left arm and spews swirly clouds of steam onto his right. it has a wide eye looking right at the camera and a horn on its nose like a Thai dragon, or vlast. it’s labeled “real ink this time” and “many small wings.” attached doodles show a full body view of prem from the back, flexing, and you can see that the dragon wraps around his body all the way down to his achilles tendons; and one of his arms with the dragon’s face on it, colored in pale blue, turquoise, and purple-pink like young aurene. it is smiling and breathing steam out of its mouth, and small stylized wings and sparkles float in the air around it. this is labeled “messing around with illusions.” End ID]

#gw2 #guild wars 2 #gw2 commander #pact commander #oc: prem #pocket talk #undercooked #answers #commander-coppercogg #long post

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hen-of-letters · 3 years

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@spnprideweek day one: flags

This little ficlet for #spnprideweek is brought to you by my big, non-binary bisexual love for this beautiful fandom, and my desire to fix that moment in 'Baby' when Cas indulges Dean by saying "werepire", but Dean doesn't hear him and Cas doesn't know. It ended up getting a bit long, so there's more under the cut or over on AO3. Thanks!

Dean's at Pride, and feeling a rising level of discomfort.

It's not the fact that he's wearing eyeliner in public for the first time in his forty-two years. Hell, he'd been wanting to do that ever since he was a kid, dreaming of being a rock star. The covers of music magazines in gas station racks had been windows on a world free from the brutally narrow definition of what his Dad meant when he told him to "be a man". Gradually, though, he'd learned what is gloriously apparent today under the hot June sun: that there are as many ways of being a man as there are men.

It's not because the sleeveless white t-shirt he's wearing is somewhat snug. (The heat had made him shed his pink, purple and blue plaid shirt - the one he'd worn today because Claire always called it his 'bi flannel' - and tie it around his waist.) He and Cas are both wearing a little of their contentment on their waistlines these days, and he believes Cas when he says that he adores his body because he means it when he says the same to Cas.

It's not the big, heart-shaped sticker slapped on his chest, which is striped in the colours of the bisexual pride flag in a way that's much less subtle than the flannel. Dean's always known that he wasn't only into chicks, but putting a name to it is new. Dean's had jobs and Dean's had roles, but having an identity had always seemed like a luxury well beyond Dean's means. Now he's not constantly running for his life, though, he has the breathing room to figure himself out. And he's good with this part of himself. More than good.

It's not the two flags that are padding the pockets of his jeans. One, he'd bought for Cas: it's striped in pale pink, pale blue and white. Earlier, he'd gone with Cas when he'd met up with some friends he'd met online (having managed to get past all the cats this time). The ex-angel had found that discussing their experiences of being trans had helped him feel happy in the body that had become his own. Dean could only feel immense gratitude for the way Cas' face had lit up afterwards when he'd talked about how he was creating himself, becoming himself, and embracing the human condition of change.

Dean hopes that the gift of the trans pride flag will show Cas that Dean understands and loves him, and the same is true for the other flag, which he'd picked up for Jack. It's yellow, white, purple and black. Dean had had to do a little research when Jack had used the term non-binary - it's amazing how the world can move on while you're living in an underground bunker. He'd kept on researching, too, after he'd learned the basics. Maybe he was still figuring himself out. Maybe there was more to discover about himself, and wasn't that fantastic?

Jack is wandering around somewhere with Claire and Kaia. Jody and Donna are here, too, with Alex and Patience. Adam and Michael have probably partied their way through fifty international pride parades by now, but they should be meeting up with everyone else later. Sam and Eileen are not far away. Eileen was the one who's slapped the bi pride sticker on Dean's chest - with unnecessary force, if you asked Dean. She'd grinned at him, showed off the identical sticker on her own chest, and said, with a suitably cheesy wink, "we need to stick together". He remembered the moment he'd nervously asked her the sign for 'bisexual', and when she'd shown him - the letter signs for 'b' and 'i' - she'd added, "me too," and Dean had scooped her up into a crushing hug.His love for his family is endless, and them all being here is definitely not why he's uncomfortable.

And it's not the body glitter freckling his cheeks and his shoulders with gold, although his feelings might change by the time he tries to remove it tonight. He'd been gilded with it when he'd been dancing up a storm with a group of drag queens. They'd admired his eyeliner - a deep brown shot through with gold along his upper lashes - but winked and said it was "a little subtle for Pride". As soon as Dean had seen the tube of glitter, he'd yelled "hell yes!" and even managed to hold still long enough to be coated in the stuff before moving his body to the beat again. Although he's sure his feet will be aching later, so far his favourite cowboy boots are not the source of his discomfort.

It's not the bright pink feather boa, either, which he'd acquired from the same source as the glitter, when he'd been sent off with a kiss to the cheek and the words "be bold, honey!" He'd expected the boa to tickle or irritate, but for some bizarre reason the sensation of feathers around his shoulders and the back of his neck feels incredibly comforting and reassuring. He feels warm and safe and oh. Oh.

As that particular realisation sweeps over him, Dean tightens his hold on Cas. He's standing behind him with his right hand on Cas' hip, and his left arm is up over his shoulder and wrapped around his chest. His hand is splayed out, at once putting his silver wedding band on display and somehow attempting to conceal Cas from the eyes of his many admirers (and, well, good luck with that. Cas is incredibly beefy these days).

Which brings us to the source of Dean's discomfort; to the thing that's deepening the furrow in his brow and the dimples beside his pursed lips: namely, the sheer number of guys hitting on Cas.

It's not like Dean can blame them. Cas' muscular frame is wrapped in black jeans and a tight black t-shirt bearing the Led Zeppelin 1975 tour logo. The short sleeves show off the floral tattoos trailing down his left arm. Cas is wearing a rainbow-coloured enamel belt buckle and, because he's determined to be the death of Dean, black cowboy boots. Before they'd left, Dean hadn't been able to resist grabbing a black kohl pencil and smudging a little along Cas' upper and lower lashes. And, okay, maybe Cas' wide-eyed bewilderment every time he's flirted with is vaguely amusing. But when Dean is right here? Not cool.

Right on cue, here's another one. From over his husband's shoulder, Dean levels his very best glare at the guy. It's a look that can stop a demon dead in its tracks. A vampire would tremble. A werewolf would wet itself. But one young gay guy with a few drinks in him? Totally unaffected. Like the others, he's all smiles and understanding when Cas politely, if awkwardly, waves him away. (Literally. With a final dorky little wave goodbye.)

Dean realises that he's moved his right arm around Cas' waist, so now Dean is wrapped around Cas like some kind of koala/octopus hybrid. An octoala? A koctopus? Definitely koctopus. Heh.

Dean snorts at the thought, which is somewhat unfortunate, given that his face is right next to Cas' ear. Cas flinches and turns his head around to fix him in a squinty glare.

"Koctopus?" Dean says, apologetically.

Cas narrows his eyes further and tilts his head to the side.

"Um, the way I was wrapped around you. I was like a cross between a koala and an octopus."

Dean nudges Cas. "So what does that make me? C'mon, you know you wanna say it."

Cas just tilts his head a bit further to the side, either in confusion or outright despair. Dean has untangled himself from Cas and stepped back, and looks down at the ground, suddenly self-conscious.

Dean feels Cas' hand on his shoulder, and then it smooths over his back, finding the back of his neck underneath the boa. Whatever his shape, Cas' touch has the exact same effect on Dean. He looks up into the impossibly blue eyes of his husband.

"You're a very glittery," Cas begins, softly, "and very beautiful," one corner of his mouth lifts, and then he purses his lips together, trying to hold back the smile, "koctopus."

The corners of his eyes are crinkled. He's not amused by the joke, Dean knows, just absurdly pleased to be saying something he knows will make Dean happy. Of course Dean knows that Cas loves him, knows the whole cosmic-realm-crossing magnitude of it, but in little moments like this, he's floored by it. Dean can't help his sudden exhale or the massive grin that breaks across his face. He wraps his husband up in hug that they hold for a good long moment, before Dean leans back to kiss Cas.

No one had ever explained to Dean how difficult it is to kiss someone when you can't stop smiling. He'd never had that problem before Cas, but now it's practically a daily occurrence. It's a menace because kissing Cas is one of Dean's favourite pastimes. Now, they trade little pecks between wide, toothy grins, until passion takes over and the kisses become heavier.

It takes someone wolf-whistling for them to part, and then they're back to grinning and staring into each others' eyes, until Dean spots something on Cas' face. And something else. And something else. In fact, there's something all over Cas, and that something is gold glitter. It's on his face, his hands, his Zeppelin shirt, and even in his hair. Dean runs his fingers through the unruly curls - Cas has been wearing his hair longer lately - in an attempt to shake it out, but only deposits more glitter into Cas' locks.

"Oops," Dean says, "I kinda glitter bombed you there. It's all over your shirt, too. Sorry, Sunshine."

He doesn't sound terribly sorry.

"This is your shirt, Dean."

"Aw, man."

He does sound a little sorry now, but his future laundry woes are forgotten when Cas presses another kiss to his pouting lips. They're forgotten again when something across the crowd catches Dean's eye.

"Oooh," Dean exclaims as he drags Cas towards the stall he's spotted.

It's selling cowboy hats in every configuration of colour imaginable, and Dean is practically jumping on the spot excitement. Cas looks his husband up and down, slowly.

"You think your outfit's lacking accessories?" he deadpans.

"Yup," is Dean's gleeful reply, "and so's yours."

Cas' groan is lost to the noise of the crowd and the beat of the music, so no-one will ever know if it was one of protest or defeat. He does, in fact, end up wearing a black cowboy hat with a rainbow band, so if it was protest then it was highly ineffective. Dean's has a pink crown, purple band and blue brim, and he's carrying another black one with a band in the non-binary flag colours for Jack. Cas admits that Jack's going to love it.

"Damn, this is awesome," Dean says as they head back to meet up with the rest of their family.

Walking hand in hand with Cas, Dean's thoughts wander. Dean could kick his younger self for every time he'd called someone gay or a girl as a way of saying they were weak. Because all he can see in the people around him is strength. He grins again, giddy with the atmosphere of defiant joy. All around him is everything he'd spent his life fighting to protect: freedom, family, and love. Holding his husband's hand a little tighter, he's grateful that in the end he gets to have both: freedom and peace.

#sorry to be late posting this - I was poorly but then I'm also naturally blessed with the writing speed of a sloth #thank you so much for hosting this event #spnprideweek #spn #supernatural #destiel #dean winchester #castiel #dean is bi #trans castiel #non-binary Jack Kline #my fic #happy pride 🌈

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mileyjassie · 3 years

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(𝑺𝒊𝒈𝒏𝒊𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒍𝒚) 𝗕𝗟𝗨𝗘! 𝗖.𝗦𝗬

Pairing: Cho Seungyoun (Woodz) x Reader

Genre: Angst / Drama/ Suspicious happy ending

Word count: 2.4K

Synopsis: You wanted a little more of red from him, but he was only blue, and behind the purple light you find the red half he tries so much to hide.

Author's note: It can look confusing but it's more simple than you think, they're kind of into his mind, he's not really 100% mental healthy and she wants too much from him, more than what he can actually offer. Inspired on his "Love Me Harder" MV and "EQUAL" album songs (the changes of you/your to he/his might look confusing I know)

You made me blue. Day after day, a little bit more blue.

So explain to me, what does this mean for both of us?

I met you early, I needed you.

Close. Close. Close.

You hid me yourself, you hid yourself from me perfectly, never, I never found out how well you hid from me.

I pay attention again, I remembered that space again, that purple place.

I went to you, hugging you without thinking. You hugged me back, of course, snuggled up to me. It was gradually, little by little that I realized that you were hiding from me.

"Do not touch me." I didn't hear you say it with your own mouth, but you did, I heard it from somewhere outside, I heard it from somewhere inside, very close to my ear, but too far away to hear it perfectly.

Your disgusted voice, your voice low and agonized.

"Take your hands off me."

"I hate being touched. Get away."

"Leave me alone, Get out! Get out! Get out!"

I looked at you more than scared, my hands leaving your arms with hurt, I was shocked, you didn't say anything to me, but that was what I really felt.

You loved me, yes, it was true.

"Take your hands off me."

You looked at me more than confused, even more confused than me when I let go of you with frowning brows.

"What happened?" You said to me with your hand outstretched, not understanding the contrast of humor.

"Why do you think this?" I asked in a harmless voice, approaching his silhouette and squeezing his arms. "What's going on? Why do you think that way?"

"What you mean?" He asked confused and without explanations coming from me, not understanding why I was looking at him like that. "For what reason you let go of me this way?"

"I heard your voice, I heard it inside you, asking me not to touch you, do you feel disgust of me?"

You froze, as if it was shocking to hear a truth that you were already fully aware of.

"I'm not disgusted of you, I love you, how could I be disgusted of you?"

I looked at your expressions carefully, you hid, you hid something from me, but you weren't lying to me.

It was a mistake to show him that I was aware of his secrets. I should have closed my eyes, kept quiet, but I didn't, I wanted to force you to tell me the truth, I forced you to tell me about a problem that was only yours. But I just wanted to help. I wanted to take a burden off of you, without realizing that only you could carry it.

It was inside those purple curtains, in that small place, behind it I saw what you were hiding. A warm, small room, without much light, showing the bloody tone of the room. Red.

Once... I saw your eyes that color.

If you knew I was there...you would be so mad at me.

He was trapped by the arms so I released that young man.

I let you go.

A very, very familiar stranger.

His smile was sharp, intimidating, cunning and smug. Long ginger hair, expressive eyebrows, reddish and dark eyelids.

"Have you been crying?" I murmured to him, his thin, narrow eyes searching for me with amusement.

"Angel, why do you think that? ..."

I dry swallowed, proceeding.

"Because your eyes are red."

He smiled to himself, delighting in a satisfaction that I could never understand what it was about.

"I don't cry, honey, I don't keep enough space inside me for such feeling ..." he said serenely, as he walked unhurriedly through the dark corners of the room, analyzing me with purposeful walks. "Not even for pleasure."

I followed him with my eyes, clenching my fists, knowing I couldn't be there any longer.

"Now that I have released you leave my beloved alone, as you make him suffer internally and is taking him away from me."

His reaction was kind of surprised, impressed for some reason.

"So, now is everything my fault?" He leaned over dramatically, placing his fingerprints on his chest, finding a cane next to his silhouette, left on the wall beside him. "Naive."

I furrowed my eyebrows, staring at him with discomfort, as he went around and around and still didn't feel like I was in conversation.

"I was stuck here, if you didn't notice ..." he Ironized without much malice, ceasing his walks. "What power would a prisoner have?"

I turned to face him, thanking silently for his lack of approach.

"I deduce that if you heard something before you came after me, it came from him, and from no one else ..."

I shook my head, not accepting to be carried away by the perverse lines of the man in front of me, but he did not care, he played with one of his eyebrows, approaching with a few steps, hitting the end of his cane on the floor without much force.

"Did your lover disappoint you?" He hummed, but I stopped him in seconds.

"He wouldn't do that." The answer made him smile again, proving me he have a superior aura that I would never achieve.

"Of course he would ..." he retorted with a nod, waiting for my reaction with a lazy pose.

"Why?"

"Because he is sad."

I parted my lips, swallowing my words in shock, dispersed in my own mind.

Seungyoun was sad?

Those were words that hit me like fire, my chest tightening in an unfamiliar feeling, perhaps more intense than simple concern. I heard him snap his tongue, an expression of disdain already stamped on his initially cynical face.

"Stop this." He said in a disgusted tone, an almost angry sound. His treatment almost refreshed my memory, yet it was different, different from when he had been disgusted with me before. "You remind me of him."

I looked up, remaining silent.

"You are not as surprised as you are pretending to be in front of me now ..." he approached it bluntly this time, brushing the tip of my hair with the top of his fingers. "You are as sad as he is, you know that. That's why you hurt him as much as he does to you."

He swirled my strands in his fingers, raising his eyes to mine again, forcing himself to absentmindedly walk away.

"Pitiful."

I pressed my lips together, looking around, not knowing which choice to do.

"So what do I do now?" I watched him walk away, without listening to me. "If you have no fault, what do I do to purify my love? What do I do for him not get disgusted of me?"

His shoulders lifted minimally, my comment seeming to immediately pique his interest.

"What exactly are you asking me for, cutie?" He turned slightly, his reddened lids darkening in my sight. "Tell me exactly in the right way."

"I want him not to be disgusted of m-"

"You can't cure a paranoid" he smiled roguishly, tipping his head along with the slight inclination of his tall body. "...honey."

I looked at the door, giving him one last look before striding towards it, feeling the cold, long fingers sink into the skin of my forearm, preventing me from leaving him with that one act.

"What you're looking for I can give you and it will not be difficult."

I raised my face to analyze his face with curiosity, the lines of his malicious expression attracting the attention of my pupils, my eyes strolling over his provocative details shamelessly, forgetting the ardent spirit that inhabited that being.

"What you want is still him. I know that, you can't hide anything from me ..." he spoke in a low tone, taking the strands of my hair out of my sight. "You want him, don't you?" He lowered his face, joking as he noticed the clear tension exhaling from my body. "In a sick way ..."

"How can you say something like that?"

"Yeah, I know." He raised his eyebrows as he closed his eyes, cocking his head to the side convincingly. "I know what you want from him, and I know he will never give you... but I can work it out."

I watched his grip soften on my arm, letting go and making a slight gesture of surrender.

"How?"

That Seungyoun smiled pleasantly, extending his wide white palm to me. I looked at him suspiciously, pulling the corner of my lips in disdain.

"We're not friends."

His smile did not fall apart though.

"We could never be." He said softly, insisting on letting his hand hang in the air. "Under no circumstances."

"For you what would we be, then?" I asked uncomfortable, not surprised by the continued presence of entertainment on his face.

"For real?" He let out a faint laugh, opening his palms in false innocence. "At most I could be your other lover..." he stood up, tall and straight, looking at me from above. "But that's only if you wanted to. What is not the case ... or is it?" He walked around me, leaning back, his cheeky face finding mine to just mock my discomfort again.

"Whether I'm attracted to you or not is not enough." I mumbled through clenched teeth. "I love only one."

He sighed, quietly and without a laugh, clasping his hands on my shoulders, his warmth present behind me. I stopped right there, not afraid of him, but of what he chose or not to do.

"I know that."

...

You were in front of me, looking at me with deep disappointment, not knowing whether to fall or remain standing. You staggered and murmured things that I couldn't understand, smiles rising and falling between my blinks.

Nearby watching you suffer your crises I remained, the room only with you and me, the sight of the purple curtains behind your body hiding the room that one day kept your secret.

I did not approach your body, but I remained uneasy, watching you reject yourself several times without knowing what I could do to relieve some of your pain.

When you fell to the floor, you lowered your head in weariness, wet hair hiding your face.

I went to you, falling on my knees to hold your neck in my warm hands. "Dear?"

Your smile widened when your head fell back in satisfaction, a large, contented smile, however profoundly wicked.

You were with me, warm and hot. But what about your other self? Your really you, where were?

"Seungyoun."

"My pleasure, honey. It wasn't that bad, huh?" His reddened and amused eyes greeted me, laughing with my astonishment.

"What did you do?" I removed my hands from his neck, being prevented from moving away, his hands gripping my wrists and pulling me back, our bodies close enough for him to enjoy, dropping a fake kiss near my face.

"You still blame me so much." He let go of me, looking away slyly. "If he's not here, it's because he does not want to."

I dry swallowed.

"What?..."

His body relaxed, sitting calmly, without guilt, without worries.

"Can't you hear it?"

I turned away, looking at him with distress.

"Your fault"

"It's your fault."

"You know it."

"He despises you. He thinks you have betrayed him." He waved his hand, disinterested. "Which I think is funny, really."

"I shouldn't have done that. You tricked me."

Seungyoun rolled his eyes, shrugging.

"I didn't tricked you, I promised the sickly love you asked me for, you could have it in the dirtiest ways possible, I would be there to make it happen ..." He explained, laying his head on his shoulder, following me with sharp eyes when I got up euphoric. "It's not my fault if he chose not to stay ..." He laughed maliciously, his shoulders rising and falling again and again.

I hid my face in my hands, closing my eyes tightly.

"Go away! I don't want to be with you, I regret it."

"Regret?" Hhhe asked doubtfully, a serious, almost moral tone coming from his throat.

I remained silent, listening to him shout at me.

"Say you regret it!"

"Of course I regret it!" I turned around, already seeing him standing, approaching frighteningly fast in heavy steps.

"Tell me to go away then! Do it now if you want! Come on! Tell me!" He yelled loudly, shaking me frantically.

It was not an angry tone, but he wasn't pretending tho too.

"Get out! Don't touch me! I don't like being touched! Let me go!" I replied euphorically, trying to let go of his hands, my eyes closed with all my strength. "Take your hands off of me!"

I kept responding in agony, still feeling his hands.

"Leave me alone, Get out! Get out! Get out!"

When I opened my eyes, I saw your sad look staring at me with distress. You were back, as if nothing had happened.

"Are you disgusted of me?" You asked in a wistful tone, your eyes narrowing, your eyebrows squeezing. "Is that what you think of me?"

I stammered, not knowing how to fix this.

"I'm not disgusted of you, I love you, how could I be disgusted of you?"

Seungyoun looked down, moving away.

"Then why did you say those things?"

I went to him, hugging him.

"I don't know. Just ..." I held my breath, running my hands through his hair. "Pretend it never happened, my love..."

Seungyoun returned the hug, squeezing me into his body.

I was able to hear his voices again.

Repeating the same things.

I hugged him tighter.

I didn't react.

I pretended to not hear.

To not know.

That was his own problem, which I could not possibly opine. And I hoped he was doing the same for me.

I'M A PARANOID

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rina-writes · 4 years

Text

Tattoo

Summary: You have been thinking of getting a tattoo for sometime and inspiration strikes on a spontaneous date with your boyfriend Ethan, who supports with your tattoo from design to after care.

Warnings: The Fluffiest of Fluff

A/N: Figured it was a good time to post fluffy!E before the vid tomorrow. <3

You always went back and forth on getting a tattoo. When you were much younger, it wasn’t your thing. Why would you mark you body with something permanent? You changed your clothes 15 times before going out because your shirts didn’t look right with your boobs. How would you decide on a tattoo?

As you got older, you realized that tattoo’s shouldn’t only be viewed as something you wanted to represent you for the rest of your life. They could be moments, like remembering a first road trip or the album art of the band of the first concert you attended. Tattoos could be used to mark the story of your life.

Ethan, your boyfriend, was part of your inspiration to get tattoos. You started dating around his first couple tattoos, back when you were still unsure about them. Seeing his leg sleeve grow, especially the tattoos that represented memories you both shared, made you want to do something special. You especially enjoyed tracing his tattoos with your fingers and laying soft kisses on them during your intimate moments. He would often play with your hair absentmindedly, enjoying the attention. You wanted to share this interaction in reverse as well.

After months of research, you couldn’t find a tattoo that spoke to you. Ethan always urged you that sometimes you just need inspiration from the world, not from Instagram or Pinterest. You took it with a grain of salt eyeing some of the sillier tattoos on his leg. The fears of younger self came rushing back to you about making a mistake.

Then, one night, Ethan had this wild idea to go camping.

Uh huh, Ethan Dolan, camping, outside, willingly, without his twin brother. You kept checking his temperature the entire drive to the campsite. Ethan laughed, holding your wrist firmly, but not too tight as to hurt you. He looked at you, allowing the Tesla to take over the drive and leaned in to peck your lips.

“Trust me, when we get there, you’ll understand.” He said to you.

“I dunno...” You said, hesitantly, smiling as you pulled your wrist from his grasp to hold his hand. Your fingers interlocked and he brought the back of your hand up to kiss the back of it. He didn’t break eye contact and you chuckled.

“Now you’re just showing off.” You said, gesturing to the auto pilot with your free hand.

Ethan shrugged smugly, giving your hand another squeeze before fiddling with music playing the car.

By the time you arrived, the sun was about to set in a couple hours. You recognized the area from pictures Ethan had showed you from a video where he and Grayson went camping without technology. Unlike Grayson, Ethan had no intention of roughing which was easy to tell thanks to his glamping setup. Your tent was luxurious, way too big for two people and Ethan had brought enough blankets and pillows that they could be a fort all on it’s own. For dinner, he had made vegan meatballs with spaghetti and tomato sauce. He also made pancakes that he tried to pass of as crepes for dessert.

“It’s all I can make...” Ethan confessed, looking away embarrassed as he placed the pot of sauce on the logs of the campfire, next to the meatballs wrapped in aluminum fall.

“Thankfully, it’s my favorite.” You said, sitting in the spot next to him, checking on the meatballs to make sure they didn’t burn.

It was so quiet and spacious. After eating and chatting, you took a break before dessert to explore. Ethan led you up and down a few paths, holding your hand at the steepest points. You watched the sunset from a high point, your breath taken away. After taking a few nature shots and photos of each other, Ethan leaned in for kiss. His hand rested on the back of your neck and you deepened the kiss by getting close enough to sit in his lap. Your arms wrapped around his shoulders as your lips massaged his, gradually getting more rough. His tongue tapped at your lips and you parted them to grant him access, both of you now breathing deeply to keep from breaking the kiss. While it only seemed to seconds, you could see the sky was starting to lose it’s orange hue.

“We should head down,” You said breathlessly, breaking the kiss.

Ethan pulled back only slightly, your foreheads still chuckling, his hazel eyes looking chocolate brown in the dark as he stared deeply at you.

“You’re right.” He smiled, “We can do plenty more of that later.”

You giggled and he extended his hand to help you stand up with him. The descend was a lot scarier with less light. You were clinging on to him, but you were also aware he was scared and clinging out to you. It was the blind leading the blind with a chorus of “What was that?” “Where are you?” “I’m scared.” and just pure screaming. By the time you reached the bottom, following the light and smell for the weakening fire at your campsite, you were both laughing with relief.

You enjoyed your “crepes” with fruits that Ethan had packed in a cooler along with the cold beverages you had to drink. While you were chatting, you noticed, Ethan look up at the sky. You were about to follow suit when he grabbed your chin. He turned you to look at him and your breath caught in your throat. Every now and then, your mind was catapulted back to when you first started dating. When your brain was still processing all of his handsome features, his cut jaw, his full brows, his large expressive eyes, his pink lips, his shinning smile, his soft, brown locks...everything that made him breathtaking. With the campfire light shining his face, it all seemed to look brand new again and you loved it.

“Don’t look yet, I want to show you something.” He said, and you nodded.

He could have said anything to you at that moment and you would have nodded. Ethan chuckled.

“Why are you staring at me like that?” He asked, biting his lip softly.

“No reason...” You smiled, pecking his lips. “So, what do you want to show me?”

“Let’s clean up first.” Ethan said, gesturing to the stuff around you both.

You both divided and conquered cleaning up the campsite. The final step was to put on the fire. You decided to take on the task while Ethan got the flashlight ready to go back to your tent. You turned off the flashlights to not attract bugs as you entered. Despite the tent being large enough that you could stand, you both somehow managed to trip over each other. With lots of laughs and fake bickering, you finally closed the tent and turned the flashlight on.

“No turn it off.” Ethan said, not wanting to ruin the surprise.

“Oh okay...” You said hesitantly, laying back on one of the larger cushions. You turned off the flashlight. “Come here and cuddle me.”

“I will, I promise.” Ethan said, his voice at a distance that told you he was still standing up. You heard him unzipping something and you saw that he was moving the top of the tent. There was a plastic covering on top, similar to a sun roof on a car. From your position, you swear you could see the whole galaxy. The rich deep purple and blues of the sky speckled with diamonds filled you. It felt like your heart was going to burst. Ethan crouched down and gently patted the cushioned floor for you. He finally found your arm and laid down next to you pulling you closer to him. As your eyes adjusted to the darkness, Ethan studied your face as you stared incessantly at the sky like a kid watching cartoons.

“Are you crying?” His voice had a teasing tone, but he was whispering like he does when you cuddle at home.

“A little...” You admitted, snuggling into him. “This is so beautiful. Thank you.”

“I thought this would be a great way to show you how I feel when I look at you every day.” Ethan said, unable to make direct eye contact.

“God, E that was so corny.” You teased, but still inching closer for a kiss.

“Yeah...I know.” He agreed before closing the space between you to continue you where you left off on the mountain.

A couple of weeks later and you were at the tattoo parlor. You had decided on your tattoo based on your camping night together. You couldn’t stop thinking about those stars, and how they looked from that little sky roof. You wanted to get a similar view, but add to it, with some trees lining the area around the sky. After a few consultations with the tattoo artist, you decided a rectangle shaped “frame” on the side of your ribs designed to show a starry night in a pine tree forest. The coloring was going to be black and white, so it had a spooky element that Ethan really liked as well. Now, was the moment of truth.

As you signed the waiver, Taylor, your tattoo artist, smiled at you. They looked exactly how you wanted your first tattoo artist to look, friendly, edgy, and have really cool rainbow hair and even more rainbow tattoos.

“Are you sure about this?” They teased. “I mean...this is a pretty intense tattoo for your first.”

Ethan, who’s leg was bouncing up and down next to you, perked up at the words. “Taylor, is right, Y/N. The ribs really hurt. You should go for somewhere with more cushion.”

“I want the ribs.” You said, standing up with more confidence than you actually had.

“Alrighty,” Taylor said, “Come over when you’re ready. I’ll show you one final stencil and we will get this party going.”

Ethan stood up, giving your butt a light squeeze. Your eyes widened and you looked around to make sure no one saw.

“What do you think you’re doing, mister?” You asked, turning to wrap your arms around Ethan’s neck.

“Checking which places have the nicest cushion for this tattoo.” He grinned before kissing your forehead. “Jokes aside, I’ll be here when you need me.”

“I’ll be fine.” You assured him.

You were not fine. You were so close to crying, but your dignity wouldn’t let you. There were certain spots that hurt more than others, and your jagged breathing always revealed which ones the tattoo gun had just hit. Ethan was beside you the entire time. He was constantly giving you water, wiping your forehead, holding your head, kissing the top of your head and coaching you through it.

“It looks so sick, babe.” Ethan said, as he walked over to see how the tattoo was coming along. “You’re gonna love it. I’m actually pretty jealous.”

You let out a hum, which you had been doing for awhile now.

“You alright, hun?” Taylor asked, looking at you. “If you want, we can stop and finish another time.”

You shook your head quickly. “I...wanna...finish.” You huffed out.

“She’s a tough one, Tay.” Ethan grinned, making Taylor smile as well.

“I can tell.” Taylor said, before focusing back on their work.

Ethan sat down on your other side, dipping his head to look at you since your head was bent down. He rested his forehead gently on yours and you moved your head closer to him, taking in his scent.

“It really looks amazing, Y/N. Reminds me of that night.” Ethan said, his voice soft and full of nostalgia. “But, it’s also so you. I’m so proud of you, baby. Your first tat.”

You hummed again, trying to smile. He continued to pat your head and speak to you softly. Soon, Taylor announced you were done. They helped you stand up, Ethan steadying you from behind. You turned in the mirror and your eyes started to water. It was everything you hoped for. It looked great with your skin tone, even with the redness for the fresh tattoo.

“I’d hug you, but you know...” You laughed softly.

“We can hip bump on the other side.” Taylor suggested and you left as you turned to hip bump them.

Taylor wrapped you up and Ethan helped you to adjust your clothes. He practically carried you to the car. He didn’t want to hurt you, so he was very careful with you the entire time. He convinced you to spend the first half of your healing process at his place so he could take care of you. You agreed, mostly because you were so exhausted and the thought of sleeping in his large bed and soft sheets was appealing. He helped you to take off your clothes and clean up before helping you into bed for a nap.

Ethan spoiled you during your recovery. He helped you in and out of bed, waiting on you hand and foot. You loved the attention. Even when being intimate, Ethan was incredibly careful of your tattoo. When your tattoo was a lot more healed, you almost wished you had a bit more time with Nurse Ethan.

“It looks amazing, babe.” Ethan said, when he walked in on you getting dressed. You were in your bra and shorts, about to put on a t-shirt. “Come here.” He said, pulling you to the bed. He sat down and motioned for you to lay across his lap as he traced your tattoo with his fingers. This was exactly how you imagined it, no it was better. Your eyes began to feel heavy and you closed them, while Ethan continued to admire your tattoo.

“I love you, baby.” Ethan said, kissing your side.

“I love you too, E.”

#ethan dolan #ethan dolan x reader #ethan dolan scenario #ethan dolan blurb #ethan dolan imagine #dolan twins #dolan twins scenario #dolan twins fluff #dolan twins imagine #dolan twins blurb #r-writes-fic #fic-tattoo

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dansnaturepictures · 2 years

Photo

My wildlife and photography highlights blogs 2021: Blog 6: The story of my year of butterflies, flowers and other insects on patch at Lakeside and at home part 1

What a difference two weeks make is what I said in late February this year, when on my Lakeside walks ice gripping the landscape had given way to wildflowers and blossom adorning it and much sunnier weather under the glow of the snow moon. Spring was springing. The catkins had been around for a while as I mentioned in my birds at home and on patch highlights post, they then eventually gave way to the beautiful blossom and glorious green buds which would overcome the landscape. Of course it was my best ever year for seeing and photographing blossom especially on my daily whilst working from home Lakeside walks, as I was based at home in lockdown and noticing all the little bits of these things starting to come and being so in tune to notice the slight changes in the landscape. The blossom like a festival of life made my heart sing as I saw it more and more at Lakeside. Where I had loved seeing the autumnal colour at the back end of last year gradually come and transform the landscape, I so enjoyed doing it with blossom and really seeing the stages of the different types of blossom and it really taking over the landscape so well and beautifully. With the beautiful show the catkins allowed me to enjoy at Lakeside I then longed for the blossom and anticipated this spring time spectacle. I never forget the joy of seeing my first bit of blossom this year on a social distancing walk with my Dad one lunch time. I felt the first blossom and seeing it overcome the landscape a lot more this year, then seeing it develop patch by patch from just the one little bit of blossom to big swathes of it on the trees, and this was all perfect for me to take part in the National Trust’s brilliant #BlossomWatch on social media as we all celebrated this special piece of spring. I enjoyed pink and white blossom alike thriving in the sunshine and brightening up grey days so much this spring. The catkins and the green and white buds I very much enjoyed noticing to great detail and admiring for their individual beauty and how they turn the landscape a certain colour too which I perhaps hadn’t so much in previous years.

As well as the blossom, flower wise at Lakeside and in the garden I had my best ever spring for daffodils. Seeing an extraordinary amount of all different colours in the garden which I just loved and lots at Lakeside. I enjoyed taking them in so much they are such a hopeful and optimistic part of late winter into early spring and getting pictures of them mostly with my macro lens taking some of the best I ever had this year I thought. One patch of lunch time walks also late February into March I had an amazing flower moment when I stumbled across the first ever group of crocuses I recall seeing north of the steam railway station at Lakeside. They were a strong group of purple and white beauties that grabbed my attention straight away, just a small patch shining out from a vaster landscape they stood out so much even from distance. This was amazing to see and feel and I was just so captivated by their beauty when going towards them and being there with them. I loved taking pictures of them macro and otherwise and I also enjoyed seeing bees on and around them a bit of an early-spring hub of life standing out this year I did love them.

Other flowers I enjoyed seeing in and around Lakeside this year with my passion and little bit more knowledge for flowers now fully raging in my heart and I had a great year for flowers here were; speedwell including possible germander and marsh, periwinkle, many violets, forget-me-not a few times of different sizes some possible field forget-me-not brightening up the place each time I loved the bright blue glow of these floral treats nestled into bits of Lakeside a lot this year, lesser celandine, greater spearwort, yarrow, cuckooflower taking over nicely in the spring one I loved learning this year such a beautiful and colourful flower, lovely garlic mustard, hedge nettle, deadnettle a beautiful bright purple flower on the green out the front lots of times, possible dogwood, lovely little purple vetch nicely so much of different varieties, white vetch too, lovely purple alfalfa growing well beside the steam railway track, chamomile, love-in-a-mist, bird’s-foot trefoil such a delicate little plant I enjoyed taking in really close up and seeing its markings and shape there this year, on a fantastic foray into flowers on June 29th at Lakeside and on the way the charming and unique viper’s-bugloss or blueweed one of my favourites to see and ones I’ve known longest especially at Lakeside, selfheal, St. John’s-wort and splendid views of knapweed, cornflower, poppy, green alkanet, pleasingly immaculate scarlet flowers the bouncing bess I do like those, pale yellow-eyed grass as part of a blooming area of flower bed by the visitor centre a nice bright colour to see, columbine, wood avens a lot, the quirky shaped and lovely yellow and green agrimony bursting out in June as were the lovely pink infused bearwind/bindweed I saw a lot of them both, nettles including the lovely white bee nettle I enjoy seeing, yellow iris a sight for sore eyes looking very bright in spring I had been looking forward to them and they soon took over the beside lake areas and wet meadows in all their yellow glory, crane’s-bill including likely cut-leaf crane’s-bill a lot and the lilac delightful gem of the bigger meadow crane’s-bills which I love seeing and accompanied the oxeye daisies so well in late spring here, common mouse-ear chickweed in good numbers a great little white one, bright and ripe purple glorious grass vetchling creating some top memories, possible Spanish vetchling too, bird vetch, mallow, colourful honeysuckle, broad-leaved clover, white clover both clovers seen so much, spiky and tall thistle which was nice to see, the always key part of spring and attractive dog rose its always great to see my first of these in a spring I do really enjoy seeing the rest of the plant which I appreciated this year too these took over the landscape with other roses a little bit too especially noticeable so many dog roses emerging over one June week, cow parsley in a great volume a special sign of spring which I learnt and observed at so many places this year, lots of buttercups helping create a yellow carpet nicely going into mid spring, daisies they take over the landscape in spring quite well too and a special year I had for dandelions with both yellow and then the fluffy ones creating carpets in the landscape well the daisies and dandelions together especially on the green out the front looked so pretty. So many of these flowers I saw again and again too and I enjoyed every minute.

Aside from the daffodils this year continued so well from last year for me seeing and photographing flowers/plants in the garden and on the balcony at home doing this so often it really did captivate and enchant me especially on sunny days, seeing great things such as viburnum one I learnt so much this spring, sedum, great red and white pretty fuchsia, camellia, dog rose and roses on bushes in both gardens the front bush looking especially lovely covered in pink roses with delicious vanilla looking white ones in the back garden, poppy, buddleia looking nice and purple and luscious green too growing well a very vital plant for insects butterflies and bees especially hence the name butterfly bush as we went into summer a key hub for insects and we’re lucky to have so much in the garden with some nice orange flower coming in July too, rose and dog rose on the bush in the front garden and rose on in the back garden too on a bush with a multi coloured and brilliant luscious looking rose bush at another property visible from my room at the back of the scene from my room too which was great they key parts of spring, koi, rhododendron, bright pink steeplebush out the front and from a neighbouring property out the back, rich red dahlias one of my favourite flowers to see domestically which I loved again this year especially in the sun, honesty, amazing looking and bright pink snapdragons by a neighbouring fence with quite a lot of colourful flowers growing nicely again by our fence and others nearby these did look fantastic in the summer I spent some great moments with them, spurge by the neighbouring fence as well, my first oxeye daisy of the spring in May one I always love seeing every spring and summer in the wild to my surprise seeing one in the garden I saw them a lot in the garden this year and many more. It was a bright, colourful and rich festival with the hanging baskets and similar from above from my room and on the ground level looking very special as the spring went on with fantastic colour and beauty with just so many flowers bursting out which was great and I can say the same for the balcony on the middle level too. I was surprised how many of the flowers remained colourful over the winter months and it was like a bright festival through spring and into the summer with so much colour some species the same as last year others different. We had a nice great wild grassy bit at the back of the garden where the honesty and more was which developed this spring which felt brilliant there was loads of great stuff growing in and around the garden this year. I loved seeing speedwell and daisy in the front garden both that I am more used to seeing outside the property speedwell one of the key stars of my delve into flowers which I love seeing. Honesty, speedwell and daisy in more wilder flowers being seen at home was joined by some willowherb another key family of me learning flowers in June which was great. The same day I loved seeing some cuckoo spit on the beautiful vast lavender adorning and dominating the garden here a sap type substance helped to form by froghopper nymph. I saw this gleaming in the sun three days later too. I saw a snail in the lavender this year too which was interesting with it tucked in. That day I also loved seeing some poor man’s weather-glass aka scarlet pimpernel one I enjoyed learning last year when I got started with learning lots of flowers which was lovely to have looking pristine in the stony front garden this year, a small, bright, colourful and addictive flower for me. So a good year for our humble sized stoney front garden with a nice contingent of tiny wildflowers adorning the garden alongside the domestic ones as well as the lovely back garden of course. Yarrow and oxeye daisies made a great sight growing from behind our fence out the back with lots of greenery around the garden.

I also loved continuing to see the quite rare Grey Silverfish in my en suite and pretty consistently in 2021 getting some more pictures and lovely views of these fascinating insects, feeling rewarded to rescue some from the sink and toilet now and again and I saw other interesting insects and spiders very well in the house this year again which I enjoyed seeing lots of spiders and some long staying it was great to have that connection with them I saw one on a buttercup at Lakeside interestingly this spring too. I liked seeing a crane fly in the house too which I got a memorable picture of in June. As the year went on, on the vast amounts of dandelions in the blooming front garden I loved seeing bees and hoverflies getting one very special hoverfly view which I took a macro picture of. In April I enjoyed getting a very clear view out my window as I worked of two Small White butterflies I went on to see these from my window again, including battling with each other in the air. I enjoyed seeing a beetle in my room in early May.

All of this was so fantastic and made me feel so happy on its own, but of course in spring it only became a matter of time before I started seeing butterflies the staple of this part of my hobby at Lakeside. With me securing butterfly views elsewhere as I talk about in other highlights posts this year that moment came on 18th March in a generally fantastic and packed few minutes of a Lakeside lunch time walk. I walked into the southern fenced off nature reserve area and was stunned when a butterfly flew out in front of me. I watched it wondering if it was the already seen by me elsewhere Red Admiral this year but it took me a while to come to and realise it could actually be the butterfly I knew logically I was most likely to see at Lakeside as the blossom that they like increased based on previous experiences the Peacock. I then watched it fly and saw it settle and realised it was definitely a Peacock. I loved taking in its beautiful markings with the turquoise and beige eyes shining out to me. I took the first picture in this photoset of this Peacock. The next day in more butterfly like weather with it much sunnier I did see Peacock, but also I saw my first Brimstone of 2021 dance along the green bud clad lakeside (as in actually next to the lake, not just the name of the country park) trees. I also distinguished it from the similarly coloured buds to see one doing the same the following Monday which I enjoyed.

I was guessing between the first Peacock and a flower moment I knew based on previous years was going to happen towards the end of March as to which would happen first and in truth the area I saw the Peacock was checking if the other had happened, the snake’s-head fritillaries coming out at Lakeside. That following week to the Peacock I walked through the woods in the southern fenced off nature reserve area coming from the other side to where I’d seen the Peacock and I was overcome with immense joy when I noticed these special flowers probably 10-20 again sat together on the woodland floor make the landscape bloom with their immense white and purple colour. As I walked in towards these enchanted woodland flowers, one of my favourite species after now three consecutive years of being so lucky to get to enjoy them so much, the sun came out to illuminate them and this became one of my most enjoyable moments of spring. I cherished their supreme beauty as I could not stop taking photos of them with my macro lens, so addictive just like the crocuses. This was a joyful moment and moment of happiness and connection to nature which I did need at that time the pleasure I felt just made me feel so special nature really can raise your spirts so much I love them so much and felt very lucky again to have these gems so close to home one of the best flowers we have for me. I took the second picture in this photoset of one of the flowers.

On a very sunny day one so warm I didn’t even need a jacket on to go out on a Monday I had booked off work at the end of March I had one of the most monumental days I’d ever had at Lakeside with flowers, insects and spring a big part of that as I produced nearly 70 pictures and saw so much incredible wildlife, a perfect blend of seeing the wildlife I had seen on lunch breaks quite immediately before this day and lots of firsts for my year and ever for me. This included my first Comma butterfly of the year seen flying nicely and sightings of Peacock and Brimstone again and Red Admiral for the first time at Lakeside this year meaning on that day I had the entertaining moment of having seen 100% of the butterflies I did at that stage all year in one day and I lapped up my first macro pictures of the year of butterflies of them a strong day for my macro the lens I most like using for butterflies, insects, flowers etc. Bees and other wildlife posted about elsewhere in these highlights posts joined a list of botanical bliss at home and Lakeside to join the rest of the long weekend perfectly making it one of my best ever. The list of flowers I saw that day on perhaps one of my best flower days ever was my first ever beautiful snowflake which stuck long in the memory a sweet spring memory with this flower similar to the famous snowdrop, my first cowslip and important for spring bluebell of the year I had a smashing spring for seeing cowslips at Lakeside I enjoyed seeing them shine delightfully in the landscape sewing a glorious yellow carpet into it more than I ever did this year, I had a brilliant year for seeing bluebells here too in typical wooded areas and more open both traditional blue and some white and pink, daisy, dandelion, daffodil, lesser celandine absolutely everywhere really shining and bringing to life the floor especially the yellow and green sea in the woods which I found quite adorable, speedwell, violets and a very precious second look at one of my favourites the snake’s-head fritillaries being stunned by their sheer beauty and enchanted by their magic again as I released there was more like forty than my previous guess of twentyish on the floor. Daffodil, viburnum and flowers from hanging baskets and pots stood out in the sun at home that day and I enjoyed a ladybird on my bedroom window on the outside too. Listening to the beautiful bird song too that day I felt spring had sprung. The next day I enjoyed more stunning purple periwinkle at Lakeside which I took a memorable picture of one that I ended up putting on my 2022 wildlife photos calendar as part of the contingent from this first part of this year in my photos on that and other brilliant flowers that day like the snake’s-head fritillaries at Lakeside and home too, I also saw my first Small White butterfly of the year that day it was by late March’s standards another quite sweltering one and I saw another Small White a little clearer on a lunch time walk the next day. I had such a memorable year for periwinkle this year seeing them so well here on many occasions one of my flowers of the year for sure.

After the run of three long weekends I had with days of annual leave added on and Easter I went on to not only enjoy the group of snake’s-head fritillaries I see every year now at Lakeside seeing them multiple times and taking more pictures at different angles and things but I also discovered several other groups of them with some more out in the open in the southern fenced off nature reserve area at Lakeside. I was addicted to looking at and photographing both with my macro lens doing closeups mostly or more general views of the groups of them which looked fantastic or taking landscapes with them in these prepossessing gems of flowers in all different light conditions and moods. I reflected on their sheer splendour in groups and alone across this truly wild urban area as well as how heroic they have been for me this year to really raise my spirits as we went into spring and allow me to feel creative with them photographically. They are a picture of a perfect spring and a vibrant, rich and colourful piece of grassland and few wooded areas I can never tire of these. I even enjoyed having a feel of their texture at one point which was great and I followed them right to the very end of their season taking so much joy out of them this year.

On one April Friday it was one such session of coming back to look more at the snake’s-head fritillaries, where when in this nature reserve area I took myself back into a landscape and seemed to notice more fritillaries every time I looked in a different direction nestled in woods behind me and on grass, that lead me to my next butterfly species of the year when I saw a delightful Speckled Wood flitting around. I got to see it circle around in flight and enter a rhythm of landing on the blossom for a fair bit which allowed me to lap of views of this wholesome and nicely intricately marked butterfly always a highlight of early spring and get some pictures. I was so thrilled to see this butterfly. And it gave me that Friday something I love having in wildlife watching but is especially prevalent in my lunch time walks due to the short space of time I have in having a truly packed few minutes where beside the Speckled Wood, blossom and snake’s-head fritillaries I was also excited by two Peacock butterflies, the cackle of a Green Woodpecker and I saw it, the springtime delight of a Chiffchaff calling and Woodpigeons seen very well always great when things all happen at once. After Speckled Wood my goal was Orange Tip, one of the biggest spring time butterfly targets and always one of the key moments of any spring for me seeing for the first time in a year one of my favourite species. It’s a good guessing game as to which butterfly I will see first in a year out of this and Speckled Wood too. Fast forward a week and I saw my next Speckled Wood just as sun was starting to really come back out fully like had happened before the Speckled Wood a week earlier in the woods at the west of Lakeside coming out of an area next to the lakes with a really tall bench which is a refreshing new area of Lakeside for me I’ve loved exploring this year its nicely hidden away where I saw the Comma near on the day off. Then I saw a butterfly emerge in the air with it and battle with it a bit which I just adore seeing in butterflies an exciting bit of behaviour, it was a white one and to my delight I then saw the ice lolly bright orange wing ends of the male Orange Tip. I had seen the butterfly I had wanted, sneaking it in just before my April week off which I wrote about in another highlights blog and it was a fantastic sense of achievement to have had this in mind on my walks for two weeks and then be able to see it and that day was 10 years to the day that I saw my first ever of this species which allowed for a top moment of celebration. It got even more astonishing as I managed a fantastic view of it, getting very close to it and taking a wings closed picture of it with my macro lens the third picture in this photoset. As I’ve said before Orange Tip photos are so hard to come by they are flighty butterflies so to get one so early on but not just a record shot with my big lens an actual macro picture so I had to get (safely) pretty close to it was phenomenal for me. I loved having this integral part of my spring at Lakeside. One of the bits I wrote for my highlights blogs last year that sticks in the mind most was commenting on an Orange Tip sighting here and saying how it’s a species before working from home and lockdowns I never thought you could see at Lakeside really so it was a front runner in this big theme of opening my eyes to the exciting species that are truly around me. And just to indicate that nicely it was my eighth butterfly species of the year and of those six had been seen by me for the first time in the year at Lakeside and at that stage there was only one of the other two which I hadn’t seen at Lakeside at all in the year thus far which allowed me to celebrate what a precious site this is for wildlife on more doorstep which I’ve known my whole life so this felt amazing. That day Brimstone made a nice sighting and I saw more white butterflies on the northern path possibly female Orange Tip. I went on to see Orange Tip and Speckled Woods well a lot more at Lakeside this spring.

After a fairly created by weather lull in seeing Orange Tips at Lakeside in May I liked seeing the bright orange that gives it its name on the end of the wings of a male Orange Tip going down the northern path. And nicely with it my first definite Green-veined White of the year seen at Lakeside after seeing one elsewhere clearly, which was a great view for a few moments seeing its distinctive markings of the black markings equally sailing down its wings and that intricate and pretty outer wing patterning and I took some pictures a great opportunity. The next day on the grasses beside Lakeside and at the front of the house I loved seeing two Painted Ladies or maybe the same one twice in a carpet of beautiful dandelions and daisies quite quickly at one point in a small shrub. This was my second earliest ever sighting of them in a year, second only to the Sunday before my first of the year at Farlington Marshes charted in my next post as we saw a satisfying little wave of them come to the south especially. Which for a migrant known for its usual once in a decade surges on the UK like 2019 it was great to be a part of submitting sightings to Butterfly Conversation’s annual migrant watch which I enjoy doing and feel like I am doing something helpful. This day at Lakeside with the sun out it was pretty warm, and patches of grass appeared to be rising promisingly to herald the hope of late spring into summer and the assurance of the dizzy days of peak butterfly season. I took a memorable buttercup picture there that day a standout flower picture of my year. One day in May through a real changeable weather period and notably wet month really whilst it did have a fair bit of sun too I enjoyed seeing Speckled Wood by the entrance of Lakeside and a Small White, whilst at that stage I was very happy how despite the weather we were seeing most of the usual butterflies and I was pretty much where I usually was at that stage in a year with how many I’d seen I did yearn for the days when butterflies were about consistently bringing the splash of colour to Lakeside and this gave me promise for that. That week I chased a lovely bumble bee around a booming patch of green alkanet west of beach lake which really captured my attention as a moment.

A key theme this year though was the butterfly, other insect and flower season being that bit slower than last year when everything was early and I noticed this sharply at Lakeside obviously with being there every day observing things closely. I did wonder however whether that was the case or with me feeling busier than the fully locked down core part of spring last year I wasn’t noticing the little things of nature as well. But on the Wednesday of that week I was reminded I was very much noticing things still when I saw the butterfly I had been searching for, one of my favourites the Brown Argus for the first time this year. Walking across the area I know as Marbled White meadow the south east of the site such a strong part for butterflies I noticed the grass one side of the path was crucially getting really long which is the point the butterflies really come out, when then with the sun crucially also out I then had a moment of magic as I stumbled across a bright Brown Argus sat there and then it flew a little too, a gentle quaint butterfly gliding through the high blades like a penny being skimmed. I was so euphoric to see this special species for me in this rich urban site for butterflies, an honour to have such an incredible species so close to home with its fine intricate markings. I really felt I safely got in the grass with it that day and felt very proud of Lakeside as I enjoyed a very precious prolonged view of this gem of a butterfly. Within the grass another thing I was looking for those few days was around with some luminant oxeye daisies seen in the sun my first outside of the garden this year and I loved taking in their beautiful and bright quality they are flowers that are so indicative of a mature spring and summer for me so I loved seeing this natural work of art. I did go onto see loads getting valuable photo opportunities for close up macro with my macro lens as well as clumps of them standing out within the landscape, both I love doing which added to this splendid spring day so well. I saw a crane fly well in that meadow that day too as I felt so in aw and love with nature.

I had a brilliant May week the next week as the weather improved with warm and sunnier days and spring’s grip truly tightened with the grass higher and higher and the flower adorned meadows supporting life so well. 25th May fittingly for the return of my favourite TV programme the very optimistic ‘Springwatch’ on BBC Two was one of my best days this spring especially for flowers and insects. I showed faith in an area that had had some urbanisation works near to it the field to the west of Lakeside but found that day it was still as wild and rich in insect and flower life and such a support base for this as it ever was when I used to go there a lot. It was so rich in vegetation as flowers adorned an area by a footbridge that had been built to connect to a development and all the flowers I saw that day were teeming with insects as a young bird squawked nicely from the thick vegetation. The flowers I loved seeing there with masses of that was broad-leaved clover for the first time this year and I saw a lot more in those coming days, mouse ear that was taking over the place nicely the first time I ever noticed them with buttercups continuing to be everywhere as well and bright yellow winter-cress that was fairly new to me I saw them at Lakeside in the north east field area the week before. On this vegetation and around I spotted Orange Tip and Peacock butterflies, bees and a Helophilus pendulus hoverfly which was a very bright coloured and intricately marked magnificent insect I had such a great year for seeing hoverflies again so this was a happy moment. That lunch time walk was headlined by a star of my spring in lockdown last year symbolising the hope and passion of me learning bits of nature I didn’t know as much about before when I saw my first swollen-thighed beetle of the year on a buttercup where they love to be as I celebrated with beetles generally this year. I had really been looking forward to this sparkling emerald wonder I do look back on seeing them fondly last year so I was very happy to see one this year. I felt so gloriously connected to nature that day. I took the fourth picture in this photoset of this beetle on that memorable day. Also there was a great gentle beautiful scene as I walked beside Monks Brook and saw lots of the popular sign of spring cow parsley this took over Lakeside nicely around that time too and I loved seeing it a lot. Another flower I learnt this year the red campion was looking very nice here in the sun and in great numbers with these having lots of insects on too they looked divine. On the way to this area along the tarmac path beside a green north of Lakeside I liked seeing balls of spurge and more little crane’s-bill flowers possibly cut-leaved crane’s-bill so this was great to see. A pink bluebell in the woods stood out on the way back too and that night I saw one of my best sunsets this year at home looking so gorgeous and red/orange it was entering the strongest time for sunsets with the late evenings so I loved taking this in.

The next day back at the Marbled White meadow area a reptilian being was interesting to see, quite lizard like most likely a slow worm scuttled into the long grass which was good to see. That day I also saw my anticipated first Small Heath on patch this year a great bright little butterfly to see. That week the Thursday was very sunny and warm and I had one of my best ever days for photos I think with so many taken and with me a bit behind on my season for them and dragonflies at that stage I just sensed damselflies would be about. I saw a flash of blue by the Lakeside entrance the lovely Common Blue damselfly for the first time this year. I then found a rich wet bog area north of the lakes by trees south of the steam railway track at the bottom of the bank which I discovered seeing dragonflies and damselflies last May, and this day this May in a perfect area of them I very quickly saw a luminous and so such beautiful damselfly the Blue-tailed Damselfly another first of the year subtly perched on a luscious green bit of vegetation and there was the rich bright colours my favourite colour red of my favourite damselfly the Large Red Damselfly flying around and landing. Some great photo opportunities with another insect joining it on a bit of vegetation too. I got so lost in the wonder of nature watching and the little things of nature, it was as though off the well trodden patch I was peaking into a magical world of life and colour which sums up spring perfectly. I enjoyed seeing some very little flowers that day which I had seen earlier in the week and I got a photo this day. Purple and white vetch and oxeye daisies added so much to the colour and richness of the Marbled White meadow area again that Friday, interestingly seeing and photographing ants on both vetch and seeing a lovely bright white spider on one of the large daisies.

The next week I loved seeing a delicate Speckled Wood flying through some wetness along the northern path at Lakeside it looked really cosy as it hunkered down into the thick vegetation and I could just spot it in some leaves now really taking over. On a much sunnier day the next day I was transfixed to watch a Speckled Wood in the southern fenced off area at Lakeside fly towards me a bit too I took photos as it landed and flew for a little bit. In the long grass which I admired so well alongside flowers starting to look really interesting I loved the thrill of the chase of getting to see a few Small Heaths looking bright and lovely and trying for a photo with my macro lens. That day in June I loved seeing an I believe red-tailed bumble fee on a buttercup on the green at the front of the house it was lovely stuff to see it dripping in yellow pollen in the flower a very beautiful bee to see and I loved seeing and hearing the loud buzz of a bee on some wonderful extensive piece of vegetation flowering in our front garden wrapping around the fence which I took quite a few pictures of too this year quite a revelation of the year looking and beautiful and providing a great source for the bees. The bees loved this and I saw more on it. It became a hub for these vital and precious creatures bumble bees and others especially on warm and sunny days and felt so important having them here. The following week I did see a very still bee on a dandelion on the green out the front. A bee in room and a fly was nice to see in June. The next day on a rare weekend Lakeside walk on Saturday 5th June on the way there I was heartened to see the area of the estate dedicated to the flowers with species growing up again so nicely after it was mowed down last year, seeing poppy, chamomile, oxeye daisies, speedwell, daisies with some pink, bird’s-foot trefoil and others doing well here a key area for the wildlife such as bees and nature as a whole but also our wellbeing it does always look so good to see in a fairly urban area and I liked thinking and seeing this that day an addictive walk for flowers on the important World Environment Day. The following Wednesday I noticed yarrow here well and the orange poppies I always see here year on year making me really feel it had bounced back so much. Back to that night 5th June butterfly wise at Lakeside I liked seeing Common Blue butterfly landing and gliding through the meadow looking ocean like bright blue in the eastern meadows with Brown Argus a gem of this place seen very well flitting around again with great colours in the landscape too. A Painted Lady bounded beautifully down the northern path looking so bright and orange too and I also loved seeing the nice and bright orange Small Heath too that night too and I loved seeing my first ever common malachite beetle another very memorable beetle this year which I loved zooming into the world to see. I also saw a cantharis rustica soldier beetle in long grass that night a beetle seen and learnt at Martin Down in May as my further afield butterflies highlights post shows up next, with its divine red heart shape on its body a key identification tool and I did love seeing them this year. I saw a little mouse or similar bounding over a grass path in the meadow that day too which was nice. With the grass nicely higher and higher here too I loved seeing lots of broad-leaved clovers, oxeye daisies, vetch of all shapes and sizes and grass vetchlings adoring the meadows as well as other insects. I photographed oxeye daisy and grass vetchling together and I enjoyed taking photos of flowers together more than one species this year and I did that so much with the beautiful oxeye daisies.

As I said in my favourite birds highlight post around that time I did very much enjoy sharing the joy of seeing wildlife during #30DaysWild. But that was also in the Springwatch days and I really enjoyed BBC Springwatch, such an amazing programme my favourite on TV to celebrate British wildlife, learn a lot and also share in observing the sights and highlights of the season the quality of the content and knowledge they deliver and how they present it on TV and online is amazing they do so much and its rather a three week festival than a TV show really, with so many others too with the spring watch list of species to look out for I found this magical and what the show is all about with the sharing on and offline the wonderful moments of the season and spring progressing and that helped me get so much from this series with phenomenal wildlife featured this year from a very dedicated an fantastic team on and off camera I was captivated by it this year with the world all around me too helping give me fond memories of that time. I was proud when Springwatch won a BAFTA this year for last year’s series!

From 7th-11th June I had a brilliant week and a week of orchids at Lakeside in a top time for flowers again, started perfectly by an orchid day on the Monday one of my best days of this spring. Among a gaggle of geese and Moorhen by lake and slight marsh bit on the shore of beach lake and strong yellow iris in a big year I had for them I was thrilled to see some Heath spotted-orchid with quite a few there, an archetypal wildflower and I loved seeing its distinctive shape and colour of perfectly bright pink. This was something I noticed here last year as that week and time rather became a time of looking for species of key moments I had coming to Lakeside every day whilst working from home last year and this was one of the key goals achieved. As the week went on I saw more in meadows to the east of the site and joyfully in and beside the fenced off nature reserve areas and by the lakes as they were a sight for sore eyes taking over a little like I’ve observed so many flowers do this year and I got attached to them for sure. On that Monday and all week I was so proud of the urban site Lakeside when I saw one of my favourite flowers, one its well known species and one I learnt and got to love here last year first seeing it then, the bee orchid as I was thrilled to spot one along the northern path with a second flower on the plant coming out too I didn’t see any at this part of Lakeside last year but did see them adorning the eastern meadows. This one lurked perfectly in the path fringes which like much of Lakeside that week was beautifully engulfed in the ever-growing rich grass. Luckily I decided to walk back out that day as I was deliberating which bit to walk along and it was seeing some white flowers some possible snowballs with a nice white spider on them I found out after the picture which caught my attention that then had me right beside the hedge line and I spotted the flower I craved the bee orchid. I might not have noticed the orchid if it wasn’t for the desire to see and photograph the white flowers! So it felt fateful. The northern path and my beloved Lakeside Country Park came up trumps as it was exceptional to look at this charming and stunning wildflower with its intoxicating patterning and divine mixture of colours I could not take my eyes off this botanical treasure. I got the fifth picture in this photoset of this flower. Just like the snake’s-head fritillaries in early spring, the two of them alongside foxgloves are my favourites I felt excitement pulse through me seeing this for my fledgling more serious interest in flowers they both positively this year gave me the same buzz and thrill as I get when seeing birds and butterflies birds especially with them starting my hobby the two main parts of my hobby so it was a flower milestone for me at Lakeside this year. I loved taking photos with my macro lens of the supreme beauty of this elegant flower three times that week I was addicted to seeing it and captivated by it. Other highlights on the Monday at Lakeside was a special Red Admiral one of my favourite butterflies, crane’s-bills, cuckooflower, Common Blue and Blue-tailed Damselflies and my first moth in house this year that night one of possibly three that week which was long-awaited. On the Friday of the week I saw a lovely common spotted orchid here between the two fenced off nature reserve areas.

On the Tuesday night a big bold brown moth the Waved Umber flew in and stayed for most of the week. I really enjoyed seeing this extremely attractive new moth for us and one of the more memorable ones we’d ever seen come in. I knew what it was thanks to MothIDUK on Twitter which was invaluable again I really relied on this a lot last year the dedicated and amazing people who work so hard to help so many of us which is great to see. It was lovely to see this fine large and well marked moth come in as the moth season happily for me got going for night flying ones especially. It was interesting to see it hanging around and nearly in my room as the week went on. And really nice to get photos to record this great home wild moment. On the Tuesday also it was great to see pink, red and white gigantic poppies on another flower bed patch I noticed nearer to Lakeside around the estate with vetch and cornflower captivating it was a captivating moment in the sun with an electric blue-tailed damselfly with them too I have had a great year for them including on a crane’s-bill which the sixth picture in this photoset that I took that day shows. It was a really good balmy day and evening as I took the time to enjoy a lot this year. There were vetch and poppies showing well in the usual patch of flowers around the estate I love going to as well. On the Wednesday there were beautiful scenes of masses of oxeye daisies by the bowl area at Lakeside which presented chances for memorable photos and there were other great flowers on the verges of the bowl which looked pretty and was great for biodiversity. It was brimming with life and I enjoyed a quartet of butterflies that day Brown Argus, Common Blue and Small Heath in the meadows with Speckled Woods by the trees. It was great to see everything so wonderfully grown on a very warm and sunny day. The next day another Common Blue butterfly was an exciting blue flash by the steam railway station in the meadows helping light them up more. Cow parsley and dog roses coming on greatly in the space of a week had begun to dominate the landscape with the high grass too so there was a lot of great colour.

In a week where butterflies and bugs was the theme in the Facebook photography group we are in that do themes it was fantastic to see a bright, prominent and possibly newly emerged Speckled Wood coming down the northern path it was so shiny like a new car. I took the seventh picture in this photoset of this, one I was happy with one of my standout butterfly pictures this year of it I’ve had a good year for these butterflies here. They were a reassuring presence over a month or so in spring being around in all weathers to show that the butterfly season was still progressing even on wetter days. That day I got a part 2 at the field and river area to the west of Lakeside seeing a lot of the same to when I mentioned it above a few weeks earlier with campion and cow parsley everywhere especially the cow parsley painting the landscape white which was nice against lush green. It was also nice to see white clover and ground ivy here the latter a lovely little one I learnt that day, as well as two Swollen-thighed Beetles straight away in a this patch on oxeye daisies this time as opposed buttercups the last time after not seeing them anywhere else in the country park in between, it was stunning to see these emerald diamonds shining so well. On the Friday I saw my first dragonfly on patch this year, I couldn’t see exactly what between two likely species but it was nice to see a flash of blue which excited me and was a key part of spring on patch with dragonfly sightings lunch and evening walk targets at that stage all the same.

On a very warm and sunny and key week in my year in June on a memorable lunch time Lakeside walk I saw my first Black-tailed Skimmer dragonflies of the year a target around that time with a few patrolling the bright blue lakes as blue as the sky and bits of reeds and zipping by. I was in aw of seeing this excellently marked, bright coloured dragonfly that I learnt was here during working from home last year after not really thinking of it before. I got a photo once more that I was very happy with of a dragonfly with my new general lens of the Black-tailed Skimmer. This sparked a brilliant few minutes on what was the hottest day of the year at that stage a scorcher with birds, butterflies and flowers all seen so well. This included a delicious scene with yellow irises and heath spotted-orchids with pink and yellow combining well which was lovely with some nice photo opportunities I got the eighth picture in this photoset of heath-spotted orchid that day. It was interesting seeing either a dragonfly or a damselfly I couldn’t quite tell which behind a Little Grebe I noticed in a picture I took of it this day which was interesting. That day also at the bottom of the southern fenced off nature reserve area I was captivated by lighter dragonfly which I determined was a female Common Darter my earliest ever sighting of one in a year which I was really happy with. Then another insect came and made it fly up from where it was sat on some vegetation and this was a Meadow Brown the butterfly I was trying to see that day. It was great to see it on an oxeye daisy my all-important first summer species of the year as it often is either it or Large Skipper alongside foxglove flowers my three signposts of summer turning from spring. That week I saw this brown and orange wonder with one with open wings for a bit too seeing them four days running elsewhere on a day off on the Tuesday which was smashing as their numbers were nicely booming. That Monday everything looked so high and booming in terms of grass, trees and other vegetation which it was great to take in. Red Admiral and a nice patch tick at Lakeside Banded Demoiselle were great sightings that day. That day did provide me with some uplifting moments that were much needed as we found out some hard and sad personal news that day which shows again the powerful and calming nature of nature which I love so much. I saw bright red poppies on the way back on the patch of flowers around the estate looking big and memorable I could really feel their texture as I took a photo. That week a rose bush in each of our gardens became covered in flowers which looked amazing and so beautiful and there were some at Lakeside too which was so beautiful.

That week I did like seeing oxeye daisies and bird’s-foot trefoil mixing nicely a great duet of two stunning flowers which were taking over the landscape really well. I saw the biggest oxeye daisy I ever had at one point and it had a blade of grass growing through it! There was some nice orange flowering in the meadows too. And I was transfixed that week in the meadows near the allotment to see a Large Skipper my first on patch this year after seeing them elsewhere on the Tuesday that week. I looked at it on a blade of grass and took macro pictures in a bit of gentle wind it swung side to side as though it was on a fairground ride which was a key moment for me this year. I saw a nice female Black-tailed Skimmer that looked electrifying and delicious in its goldy coat. I had not often seen them there. There was the warm key part of summer colours of Meadow Brown that day too. These were out in good numbers now and it was brilliant to see three more butterfly species Small Heath, Common Blue and Speckled Wood that day. One of my favourite bits of the butterfly season is the summer ones coming out as you’re usually well established for seeing butterflies through the spring at that stage and taking photos of the them I got a bit more consistent with the latter the proceeding couple of weeks and then all of a sudden it’s this great guessing game of thinking about the order in which these butterflies of strong summer days are going to trickle back into your life. That day I liked seeing Cantharis rustica soldier beetle well again the beetle of the moment this spring with lots about at Lakeside and elsewhere I loved seeing them and learning this beautiful species this year. It was a rich flower day that day too, with my first patch pyramidal orchid this year seen that day a pink work of natural art, as well as heath spotted-orchid well and others it was great to see a ladybird out that day too. That night on a visit to my Dad’s house where I showed him my recent pictures including one of this species I was happy to see some herb-Robert in his garden as well as a snail as I saw the next time the herb-Robert and I enjoyed eating redcurrants and some more flowering too. At our home we had moths coming in nicely those few days too. We saw lots of lovely moths little and bigger this year coming in seeing them bounce off the ceiling and lights which is a fascinating sight too.

On the Thursday of that week a beetle not one I’d seen before made a great sighting on a bramble type flower. Seeing a Speckled Wood along this path made me nostalgic of views here early last decade just as I was getting into butterflies. I then took in the sheer beauty of the astonishing bee orchid here with multiple flowers now on this special plant. I took this in once more for the last time before we went on holiday to Anglesey for a week. Thinking it may not be around when we returned from Anglesey as I address below it was just about and I did go onto see more in the eastern meadows at Lakeside, just like with a star of the time snake’s-head fritillary before my last week off before that in April another of my favourite flowers I took in this bee orchid a lot and safely felt one of the flowers for a brief moment which was interesting. I liked seeing oxeye daisy and meadow crane’s-bill linked together nicely the day before we set off for Anglesey on the Friday just as they were linked which I also took a photo of the day before our week off intended for this trip last year which was postponed due to the pandemic.

The night we returned from Anglesey was a very sunny one and with them coming out at that stage as expected, just after a holiday rather than just before in June as had become my tradition for the latter in the meadows at the east of Lakeside, I saw my first delicious bright orange and spotless (compared to Large Skipper) Small Skipper and ghostly white Marbled White of the year at Lakeside. I was over the moon with both of these as it really moved my butterfly season on into the summer species, meaning all of my year lists grew during that week off for Anglesey with the tail end of the time off back at home, and Lakeside continued to dominate my butterfly year lists for number of ticks at it alongside Martin Down which rather reminded me of the wonder of nature we have on our doorstep after coming back so allured and in aw of the sensational wildlife of the brilliant and incredible Isle of Anglesey and wider North Wales and I celebrated having gone to one of the best parts of the UK how much I love my home area too and how much amazing wildlife is across the whole of the UK. I was thrilled to see so many Small Skippers about that night with Meadow Brown out in promising numbers too, with Small Heath and a brilliant view of a Red Admiral along the northern path too and I loved seeing in the southern fenced off area Marbled White landing on a tree which I’d never seen before and my shirt too which was a top intimate wildlife moment with one of my favourite butterflies. I so often before last year saw my first Marbled White which I have a proud big year tick record of seeing them here for the first time year after year on a cut through over Lakeside returning from the train station on my commute and I would call that first night sometimes joined by Small Skipper sometimes not, Marbled White night so this was another of those. Emperor and Black-tailed Skimmer dragonflies made great sightings that night too with the grass getting higher and higher which was lovely as I got used to the place again. I took the ninth picture in this photoset of a beautiful Small Skipper that night. Blue-tailed and Common Blue Damselflies, another look at the bee orchids just about hanging on and the joy of showing my Mum on a rare Lakeside walk with me and a snail completed the highlights that day with a moth seen well at home. It was a good flower night with agrimony doing nicely with another yellow some silverweed I saw one I only learnt the day before at RSPB Valley Wetlands in Anglesey with white clover around a lot here as it was in Anglesey showing how the country is so gloriously connected. What a wonderful and memorable key summer night for me this year. On that following Sunday I liked seeing a lovely snail I noticed on the balcony that night which looked great a real rainy day scene as it was a rainy evening.

The next day as I did on the Friday night it was interesting to see a battered Meadow Brown on the green out the front on my lunch time walk with a lot of its wing missing. This made it look really large and bright especially in flight. There was Marbled White again in the northern fenced off area which was nice to see and Black-tailed Skimmers about down path between the two fenced off areas and beach lake’s shores key areas for them this year I took the tenth and final picture in this photoset of a Black-tailed Skimmer that day. I got a great view of a Small White on the green the next day. It was not entirely expected on that day that was a little bit dark but I knew the moment would come at the end of June into July, but I suddenly switched to my insect focus mode when I spotted a minstrel coloured Ringlet progressing through the air beside vegetation along the northern path within Lakeside. This area of Lakeside had turned up trumps again and I found it so sweet to see my first Ringlet of 2021 which I fully confirmed it was against the similar Meadow Brown having not detected any orange when seeing it flying as it landed and I saw the wonderful rings on its patterning. This was my 31st butterfly of year as I really felt I was in the business end of the butterfly season with so many species about the figures I’d seen in a year getting quite high and I was proud by how many I’d seen. The Ringlet landed high and low and it was a fantastic connection to nature moment on my lunch time walk really keeping me happy and it was a third year running Ringlet was a year tick at Lakeside which I am so pleased with. Lakeside at that point was surging as the place I had got most butterfly year ticks at in 2021 at that stage after battling with Martin Down for it in the mid-late spring period which made me proud too on the day I wrote this bit in fact butterfly year ticks at Martin Down took it level again but I was still very proud of Lakeside and Martin Down as they dominated together. There was a special view of a Blue-tailed Damselfly that day as well I had a brilliant year for seeing them probably my best getting some photos too.

The most pivotal part of that week was the last day of June when I had an amazing lunch time walk of butterflies, other insects and flowers at and on the way to Lakeside, the day hinged on three pillars of fixation which was a perfect way to end a fantastic month of once daily reflecting on how one moment or a few moments showed me really connecting to the wild for #30DaysWild I enjoyed taking part in this so much this year. At the flower bed around the estate I always like looking at there was a plethora of colour in this oasis in the urban area with yarrow which I had a brilliant year for and loved learning both pink and white, red and orange poppy, varied colours of cornflower, clovers and the similar looking but different sized oxeye daisy and chamomile together two of the stars of my year looking stunning. Locally to me it created such beautiful and colourful scenes all together and at home in the front especially with lavender, roses, scarlet pimpernel etc. and the back as well it was looking very colourful too which I loved taking in. At Lakeside that day the grass at the east of the site looked extremely tall the strong growing conditions of the key ingredients of sunshine and warmth as well as showers in equal measure concocted conditions for the longest grass I’d ever seen at Lakeside I believe. I was then over the moon to spot a new group of bee orchids along a back path in more open habitat to the one on the northern path, just when I thought the bee orchid season was over with the latter fading. It was brilliant to see so many of them three plants together at least with lots of flowers and I adored their intricate markings and the splash of colour and wonder they bring I do find them so attractive. I took more photos of them, and I also marvelled at lots of splendid ripe pyramidal orchids looking stunning. There was a dynamic duo of avian themed named bird vetch and bird’s foot trefoil painting the piece of grassland purple and yellow and blending so well to do this which really was a sight to behold, and my first moon carrot ever which I loved learning a white and purple one added to this well. On this moon carrot I saw my first ripe looking scarlet Common Red Soldier beetle getting a stunning view of this on one of its food plants and getting a photo. I’ve had a brilliant year for soldier beetles. This like Swollen-thighed beetle is one I learnt last year and became a poster for that time in 2020 but in the summer. A Burnet Companion moth added a splash of colourful joy to the day and as the sun just started to poke through there were then healthy numbers of butterflies about they seemed to be everywhere the most individual butterflies I’d seen in a day at that stage I believe. This was headlined by dozens of Marbled Whites especially in the main bit I nickname Marbled White Meadow this exquisite summer species I felt so lucky to see them male and the sweetly browner getting quite golden prominent females one of my favourites, and I loved the orange flair of Meadow Brown and Small Skipper being seen well again with Ringlet briefly again too. A blue tinged mini beast caught my eye that day and I saw it was for the first time this year on this part of the site the glossy emerald dashing Swollen-thighed beetles. My two key species of my great delve into beetles in 2020 which I love seeing, one epitomising spring and the other summer were together on a day in early summer 2021. Like the bee orchid that day with the Swollen-thighed beetle after seeing them in this area of Lakeside well last year I saw them at different parts of it at that stage this year so it caught them up a little bit. Something slightly different that day was a body of a deceased Golden-ringed Dragonfly I found I’d never seen one at Lakeside before the original dragonfly I learnt in the New Forest and one of my very favourites so this was exciting in itself but it was nice to have a look at this treasure for a bit I’ve had a good year for looking at deposits of nature as such like feathers and bits of flowers especially those few weeks which this added to. It was a treasure to see this and feel its surprisingly delicate wings for such a strong dragonfly. Seeing the lovely colours of this natural work of art. You may have read in a daily blog I did back in August and I will re-visit it too in a new style highlights blog for August-December this year later in this thread on dragonflies but there was more to come for Golden-ringed Dragonflies at Lakeside for me as the summer went on this year.

Into July and on Friday the 2nd on a brief evening look at the same area I saw the flowers and Meadow Brown and Marbled white again with special views of stunning self-heal flowers adding nicely to the sea of yellow agrimony and others and I also loved seeing my first local wild carrot also known as Queen Anne’s lace that day at Lakeside and on the green out the front seeing its intriguing soft white texture. One of my stars of the year. I saw a nice white micro-moth that night too. The day before Thursday 1st July and on a walk where my Dad came along we saw heath spotted-orchids very well with some looking extremely tall which I took photos of. They were perfectly pink and purple and I liked taking a photo of them standing tall in the landscape and a macro closeup. Oxeye daisies, meadow crane’s-bill and another type of crane’s-bill a pink one looked great here that day too. I really wanted a Marbled White picture after not quite managing it on the Wednesday. I safety chased one into a clump of oxeye daisies and did get the picture I blurred it in another shot but liked the look of the oxeye daisy which was focused on in it so took that photo forward too. It was great to see both immaculate and beautiful species. Meadow Brown and Small Skipper which I saw well here the next week too were around a lot too as well as Blue-tailed Damselfly and Black-tailed Skimmer which I got top views of too I had such a great year for them. There were great scenes with the oxeye daisies and meadow crane’s-bills to the backdrop white flowering in bushes well grown scenes too. I was back at Lakeside on the Sunday that weekend and I picked up where I left off from the exciting summer place we’d got to for flowers and butterflies on the walk, seeing some self-heal nicely just before getting into Lakeside, seas of agrimony turning the grass yellow, bird vetch, alfalfa along the northern path, bindweed, the splendid pyramidal orchids, very beautiful bee orchids again seeing bits of sun touch them nicely, oxeye daisies with Marbled Whites, Meadow Browns, at least one Ringlet and Small Skippers dancing through the grass. That day also I marvelled at a swollen-thighed beetle on some bindweed which was quite colourful with some pink and yellow so with the beetles green this made an exquisite sight and I reflected on how I was at that point having an amazing season for swollen-thighed beetle being so lucky to see them so many times. It was a novelty that Sunday getting to share some Lakeside photos for #WildflowerHour on Twitter as new photos as usually on a Sunday we are elsewhere I have done some specials of recent photos brought together in a tweet during the hour involving Lakeside species.

April as it always does brought that addictive mostly light and in places darker emerald shade in the trees to engulf the landscape around Lakeside and the bits I can see from my room one of my favourite times of year I love this colour a real picture of spring and I strongly associate it with it. I just adored taking in this smashing tree and hedge scenery in landscape and closeup pictures as I liked taking in so much colour on vegetation around this time. Catkins as I said began to shade the bare landscape I had come to admire over winter, then it exploded with blossom before morphing into this green and I as I said just love the focus of coming here every day to be able to notice this bit by bit. On one showery but still sunny in places day I opened the door to the sweet aroma of the rain that had just fallen, and it felt so lovely to take in the luscious green vegetation with that smell and feel of rain in the atmosphere. In the spring and summer months, it’s quite the pleasant and connective feeling being so impacted by the conditions outside just like you are when out in warm or bright sunshine and your mood is lifted so much which we have enjoyed a lot over that time in the year and the sun really illuminated and made this glorious green shine lovingly around this time. Going into May the blooming white blossom had been replaced by more minimally white bits with beautiful pink buds on trees with much of the landscape going greener as the season rolled on, hawthorn and possible apple blossom I loved seeing this year. In May when I started taking part a little bit but not to the degree of #30DaysWild or #BlossomWatch in two great initiatives connect to nature the theme for mental health awareness week and walk this May on social media I liked seeing the sunshine illuminate the pure green vegetation. I liked seeing alongside the green getting darker as the season of spring intensified interesting darker colourful shades of blossom too and other very interesting bright colours in the landscape around home especially.

I liked observing a carpet of illuminating daisies and dandelions on the grass out the front these really did create some memorable and beautiful scenes this year. On a May Thursday I liked seeing pockets of bluebells in the wooded landscape on an evening walk seeing them in scenes where I looked over the lakes through the trees which was extremely beautiful. I took memorable pictures of them that day with it being a peak time for bluebells, buttercups which carpeted the fenced off nature reserve meadow areas so well and that cuckooflower taking over the landscape nicely which really excited me I took a photo of buttercup and cuckooflower together a key memory for me in May. There was strong sunny evening light that Thursday helping to create top views with the lakes looking a divine shade of blue and the woods looking so nice. That next Friday I took a memorable picture of bluebells and buttercups together from the northern path again in the evening, as well as fluffy dandelions creating great scenes. These were enduring images of spring which I love so much on a walk where there was moody and dramatic light which was great to be out in. I found this quite relaxing to take me into a weekend and that Thursday and Friday I took incredible amounts of photos finding some great inspiration across the board. 4th May was a big day too with so many photos taken including lots of landscapes, a magnificent two rainbows in changeable weather and across the board of my photography and for seeing wildlife too. At home a shower engulfed us, but with a charming golden glow to it from the sun shining and I liked I watching the atmospheric sunlit rain shine through the back of the house as I did a lot those few days. April into May especially I loved photographing wet flowers from the rain a key theme in my year. They looked even more special on occasion with another key theme of my year on them when sunlight lit up the raindrops making them sparkle. Lots of flowers alongside the beautiful buttercups adorned Lakeside and area by being there in huge numbers and I took pictures showing this well this year too od flowers including cow parsley, oxeye daisies and daisies and dandelions.

On 17th May I loved taking in the tall trees at Lakeside rather romantically I think visible from my room in bright green leaves which was splendid to look at, it really was a key moment in my year and made me feel so triumphant that we were at the heart of spring. At Lakeside that day also a quite warm walk when the sun came out when everything looked nicely green, on a week a photography group I’m in on Facebook had a theme about trees in May, these trees looked so good at Lakeside too really radiating positivity. Bushes bursting into growth and life around out the front helped this feeling at that stage too and the front garden was well vegetated too. On a pivotal day in my year 27th May and big date for me generally the landscape was dripping in that ripe and sweet shade of green on a very bright sunny and warm day and there were some very delicious scenes as the lowering sun and shadows which I liked observing that day lit up the lush green leaves. In lush green times especially I was lucky to have stunning mornings and evenings as well as more traditional walks and photo taking times bathed in sunlight this year, really so positively atmospheric in morning or evening with shadows around too. In June it was so brilliant to see oxeye daisies carpeting the grasses of Lakeside it seemed more than ever this year with loads of them elsewhere too. They were well grown in the long grasses of Lakeside with the patches of white talking over the park and it was beautiful to see a patch of oxeye daisies shining out along beside the steam railway track it was nice to see swathes of white in the rain by the lakes on a wet Friday that week too. That week I did also enjoy seeing a beautiful patch of silvery looking white clover on green out the front taking over nicely with both white and broad-leaved clovers doing well at that stage. Sorrel looked lovely and added a red streak to the landscape too. I loved seeing the raised area of grassland looking towards the visitor centre from the south west of the site one of my favourite views within Lakeside I liked seeing and photographing it last year too that had been carpeted by lovely cowslips in spring looking nice draped in the rich colours of meadow crane’s-bill and oxeye daisies that dynamic duo that I enjoyed a lot this year. On June 29th I noticed as I had a bit before how the trees were a real rich and dark green that is symbolic of the height of summer days. Looking really delicious on a mostly grey day but smashing on a sunny one too. It reminded me to treasure the time of year that had so quickly come upon us really. A tree in another property visible from my room looked this luscious shade of green too and it was interesting to see some little berries on it. This on a fantastic day when England winning against Germany in the European Championship 2020 gave me one of my greatest ever football memories.

By July early July this old style highlights blog had become very long as I did the bits of writing for it so I started another, coming up in my thread of highlights blogs is the butterflies, other insects and flowers at home part 2 of my year regarding July until early August when I decided to do the format change on this theme.

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