#the dragonfly pool

[best-childhood-book]

[none-ofthisnonsense]

The Dragonfly Pool by Eva Ibbotson is incredibly underrated considering it’s a story set during World War II in England which deconstructs the whole idea of it and has for main characters kids who aren’t afraid to imagine things and in the first 80 pages we meet an anarchist whose ideas are never put in question, someone without a country who speaks five languages and basically dreams of living in the Amazon Rainforest, a hopeful cow farmer, a tree, and a girl whose big dream is helping people. It’s a blatant commentary on the horrors of war and on how important friendship is to the world and an ode to kids’ imagination and a song for freedom and it’s criminally underrated

[whats-in-a-sentence]

It had everything you could want on an occasion of that sort – rumbling waterfalls, silver cascades, deep, amber-colored pools, mossy rocks, and deep moss on the banks in which you could sink over your ankles, every kind of fern, jewel-like dragon flies, sometimes a hawk overhead and once (Peter and Trumpkin both thought) an eagle.

"The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian" - C. S. Lewis

[critter-catcher]

This was a pretty cool thing to catch, a female dragonfly decided to lay her eggs in the water dish! See when they fly over water like this, dipping their abdomens in they're actually depositing thousands of eggs!

[emilylashay2]

[cake-apostate]

I read and reread Eva Ibbotson’s books all the time as a child, but I only now realize some things. 

In Star of Kazan, Annika’s awful, army-obsessed brother Hermann goes off to the military academy he’s always dreamed of attending. At the end of the story, he’s expelled, but he’s fine with that because he gained a passion for art and wants to be a painter, going as far to propose selling the property and moving. As a child, I didn’t understand why he’d change so suddenly, but now, I realized that Hermann is around twelve years old in 1908 Germany. He’d be just old enough to be a soldier or officer in the First World War. 

In The Dragonfly Pool, one of the students is the secret daughter of a famous actress; the actress is ‘supposed to be’ twenty-five, and she’s not supposed to have a daughter her age. On the first reading, I thought this meant that the actress was lying about her age. Now I think that there’s the possibility that her mother is twenty-five, but she had her daughter out of wedlock as a teenager. 

On a lighter note, there’s a scene in Star of Kazan where Annika goes to a café and isn’t interested in most of the desserts because she knows how to make all of them, but then she gets something she’s never seen before. I only understood that once I realized that most bakeries in America oversugar their pastries; I realized that I could make the same thing, but closer to my taste. 

[eldritchships]

They’re adding Raihan to the friendship/dating sim in Masters which means I apologise for the person I’m going to become in a couple of weeks

[teawiththespleen]

because of one slightly to the left time in my life at age 12 or 13 i feel a deep connection to Gnomeo & Juliette, Om Shanti Om, and the Step Up movies this time of year

we'd moved back into our house and the kitchen had no gas so for dinner we'd order in burgers and lemonade and id binge watch these movies while fireworks went off outside

[bwthornton]

Poole Pottery Dragonfly by Tony Morris 35cm Charger A One-Off #Poole #Pottery #Dragonfly #TonyMorris #Stratford #Warwickshire

https://www.bwthornton.co.uk/poole-pottery.php

Poole Pottery Dragonfly by Tony Morris 35cm Charger A One-Off #Poole #Pottery #Dragonfly #TonyMorris #Stratford #Warwickshire

[gme-news]

NILABAS ANG PINAKAMALAKAS PARA BAWIIN ANG GOLD | GILAS PILIPINAS SA SEA GAMES

via IFTTT

[runawaycarouselhorse]

[best-childhood-book]

[none-ofthisnonsense]

I've just had a personal queer history realisation - I think The Dragonfly Pool is the first book that made me realise I might be queer, if the obsession I had over the (canon!!) gay relationship is any indication

[inkdrinkerworld]

omg barista!remmy flirting with chubby!reader ??? my heart would melt !! i feel like he’d be hiding his flirting behind coffee recommendations, working up the courage to ask you out <<33

Yes!!!

You’re a regular at Remus’ job and even though you’re a season early, you’re craving peppermint hot chocolate.

Remus knows this very well, and every morning before you get in he’s got the milk heating and the ‘special’ hot chocolate powder down from whenever he hides it.

“Good morning,” you say sweetly, hands brushing down the hem of your dress before pulling your cardigan tighter around you.

You’re in your typical colourful garb, Remus adores it- even with all his muted tones.

He loves the way your colours are always somehow jewel tones that match with the dragonfly pendant sitting neatly at the base of your throat.

“Good morning, dove. You look extra lovely today.” Over the months, you’d gotten used to Remus’ flirtatious nature.

It was never loud or showy, but always just enough to have magma pooling in your belly.

“So do you. Did you cut your hair, Remus?” You set your hands on the counter in favour of raking them through the sandy brown hair that’s cropped just above Remus’ ears.

“I did,” just then the milk stars bubbling a little too hard and Remus is rushing to mix the chocolate. “I put something else in there this time. Try to guess?”

It’s a game that you’ve deduced is a flirty tactic; but you love it too much to turn it down.

Taking a tentative sip, you taste the peppermint and then something else. Something a bit earthy, a bit like cinnamon but not.

“Is that anise?” You ask and Remus grins. Getting one of those had been easier over the last couple weeks.

His hand reaches for the wet rag on the rack and wipes at the counter and stove.

“Mhm, I was playing around with the recipe to see if I can tweak it to fit fall too.” He looks down, eyes tracking his hands movements. “Unless you hate it.”

You tut, rolling your eyes. “You know I love this little game we play, Remus.”

He’s all bashful smiles as he nods, fixing your sandwich for you with a pastry.

You spend the time Remus is looking down taking him in again, and when he catches you staring all you can do is smile.

“Enjoy the rest of your day, dove.”

“You too Remus,” when you sit at work to have breakfast, you realise Remus had snuck in an extra of your favourite biscuits and drew a small dove on your receipt.

[geosesarma]

The king of the midsummer pond, Libellula pulchella, the Twelve-spotted Skimmer. True to their specific epithet (pulchella = beautiful little), they're one of the most gorgeous northeastern dragonflies.

This guy was perched on a dead tree next to a small pool, making sure the other male skimmers (Libellula cyanea and Libellula semifasciata) didn't get too close to his territory

Sometimes the white spots on their wings, as well as the pruinosity on their abdomen, will even reflect slightly blue

[transvampireboyfriend]

part 1 - part 2 - part 3 - part 4 - part 5 - part 6 - part 7 - part 8

When they get to the lake an hour later, Eddie is the first to come spilling out of Steve's car.

He walks several paces away from it, tuning out the post-drive chatter of his friends, his arms stretching above his head as he walks closer to the lake, stopping a few feet away from its shore.

Eddie inhales deeply, enjoying the fresh air and admiring the sunrays twinkling on the water. He can feel them on his bare arms too.

So.

Maybe the world won't end because he said a bit too much about how good he thinks Steve Harrington is.

Steve came out to them last year, on a sunny afternoon when they'd all been lazing around, reading magazines on Steve's living room after spending all day in his pool. Nancy and Eddie were arguing about how hot some actor was.

Eddie can't remember who it was now, but what he does remember is Steve casually saying "I can settle this argument, lemme see", and crawling on all fours to where Eddie and Nancy were laying practically on top of each other.

They must have worn the same perplexed expression when Steve declared "He's hot", because he then took a look at both of them and shrugged, said "I like both. I like whoever" and that had been that.

So Eddie knows Steve would not make a big deal over him basically saying he finds Steve attractive, but he's still worried, because their sexualities don't automatically mean Steve will like him like that and Eddie would never assume that, but now Steve might think he did.

He looked uncomfortable in the car and it's the only explanation Eddie can come up with.

And Steve's never been particularly receptive of Eddie's gestures, Eddie tried flirting a few weeks after Steve came out and Steve froze, whenever Eddie pays him a compliment Steve gets a little weird like he did in the car, Eddie's tried asking him to do stuff together like go on a hike, or Eddie teaching Steve to play guitar or he's even asked him to dance but Steve almost always backs down when the activity involves touching Eddie.

And it's fine. Eddie can understand, he's not everyone's type, it's cool. He just wishes he could shake the attraction off, but so far he's had no luck. If anything he only feels more attracted to Steve with every day they spend together.

And Eddie doesn't want to make him uncomfortable.

So Eddie needs to be careful not to let it show too much, because then Steve would feel forced to verbally reject him and Eddie just knows that Steve would hate that, not to mention he would be devastated himself.

Steve can't know.

After all Eddie said in the car, he'd been thinking maybe it had been a terrible idea to come along on a week long trip to a remote cabin with Steve. He'd already shown too much of his hand by gushing about him to everyone who would listen, Eddie spent the whole trip kicking himself over it.

But, as a dragonfly circles him, Eddie thinks of his friends, and he decides he can be an adult about this. He'll clear things up and apologize if Steve's still uncomfortable and they'll have a normal week.

This is meant to be fun and he always does have fun with his friends, Steve included. He always has fun with Steve especially, and he won't let his dumb feelings ruin that.

Eddie listens to quick steps coming up behind him and then a small but firm hand slaps his back.

"Are you alright?" asks Nancy, coming to stand next to him.

Eddie scoffs, doesn't turn to look at her.

" 'Course I am," he supplies "why wouldn't I be?"

Nancy gives him a withering look.

She was the first to find out about his crush, already knowing Eddie so well within a couple of weeks of their friendship.

Eddie fondly rolls his eyes, finally looking at her.

"I'm fine." he assures her "It's fine."

He offers her a smile and turns back to the lake.

Nancy gives him a once over before she wraps her arm around his waist.

Eddie sighs into the touch, her warmth comforting even in the mid day heat.

"Don't lose my fucking scrunchie" she threatens.

Eddie chuckles "I promise I won't" he lies, probably.

"Stop making promises you can't keep." Nancy shoots, untangling from Eddie's side "We should get you your own."

"Maybe I could make some!" Eddie suggests, "To replace the ones I've lost,"

"How did we switch from you buying them to this?" Nancy asks, her mouth tilting into an amused smirk.

"Oh come on, this way is more fun!" Eddie protests, almost stomping his foot in his excitement.

"You don't know how to sew" Nancy reminds him.

"Do too!" he protests, thinking of his many customized jackets and jeans. Though, he'd never made something so delicate as Nancy's pretty hair accessories.

"And Buckley said she'd teach me!" Eddie concedes.

That startles a laugh out of Nancy, "Yeah, I'd like to see how that goes" she says.

"Oh, I bet you would" Eddie shoots back winking at her. He gets shoved for it.

"Shut up." Nancy demands, giggling.

As their laughter dies down and Eddie straightens up, Nancy turns to the lake.

"It's so pretty here" she comments, looking out at the forest tree line beyond the water.

"Sure is" Eddie agrees, watching birds fly by.

After a while Nancy slips her hand in his and interlaces their fingers.

"C'mon," she says "we're the designated lunch ladies"

"Oh?" Eddie asks, following as she tugs him along.

"Yup! Steve and Jonathan are unpacking and Rob and Argyle called dish duty"

"Thank god for that," Eddie quips

Nancy laughs "That's exactly what I thought"

part 3