#close-up nature

[missedmilemarkers]

[herbalnature]

Check out this unexpected photobomber—a slug hanging out on a mushroom stem! It's a tiny surprise in a snapshot taken to capture the delicate gills of a mushroom, showcasing nature's hidden moments.

[wild-e-eep]

It is time for a celebration of the stunning octopus suckers jelly lichen - Gabura fascicularis. Thriving in a boggy willow wood, surrounded by many friends. Notably cheek by jowl with Leptogium brebissonii.

What a beast!

The purplish octopus suckers and the blue-green Leptogium brebissonii look very much like parts of a single organism, but I think you can see the join in these close-ups.

[sitting-on-me-bum]

"The Ice Crown"

"This 1mm tall slime mould (Didymium squamulosum) was found in leaf litter on a Buckinghamshire woodland floor in January. Attracted by the way the frost had formed a crown shape on top of the fruiting body, I had to be very careful not to breathe on it. During a previous attempt with another slime mould, my breath had melted the ice when I inadvertently got too close."

By Barry Webb

 Close-Up Photographer of the Year 

[canisalbus]

i was testing some new clip studio pens and i drew ur doggy

.

[wandixx]

Seriously chaotic fashion misadventures

I realized I posted a teaser and never really followed up on it, so here is some more of that

“Hey, Dami?”

Boy hadn’t looked up from the kittens he was bottle feeding but let out a hum indicating he listened.

“I'm thinking about trying out a more girlish style. Do you think it would suit me?”

Well, Damian had no idea but if Dani wished to give it a chance, then, well, the only proper reaction was to offer his aid.

*-*-*

“Father, I require access to your rouge gallery.”

Bruce almost choked on his breakfast when his youngest made this announcement.

Rouge gallery, as his children playfully called it, was vast collection of lipsticks, which he collected to uphold his Brucie persona. Famous playboy with head constantly in the clouds couldn’t not show up with discreet signs of scandal from time to time. And it couldn’t always be the same shade. Or scent when he choose more subtle approach and used one of his more feminine perfumes.

In all honesty, he enjoyed this.

But that’s not the point, point was that Damian wanted to use it and Bruce needed to know what disaster would fall upon him if he agreed.

“Mind telling me why, chum?”

Dick, who visited Manor for a weekend, barely stifled his laughter while Tim stared at his empty coffee mug like it personally betrayed him. Cass just wore her usual knowing and mischievous smile.

Damian shifted in his chair, hands clenching on butter knife. He was nervous and suddenly Bruce dreaded the answer he was about to hear.

“I don’t see how me sharing this information would change anything. It won’t be used to cause harm to anyone but it’s necessary in the extracurricular project I just started.”

“Dami, what project?” Dick asked, voice oozing with genuine curiosity and excitement. He was almost bouncing.

“I don’t want to disclose it.”

“Is this a hero or civilian type of deal?”

Damian didn’t look any of them in the eyes, both hands clenching on his seat as he kept shifting. Bruce narrowed his eyes. Was his youngest… flustered?

“Civilian”

“Alright, great” Dick swung back with single clap, almost tripping his chair over “I think B won’t have anything against you using his rouge gallery, will he?” Man knew his oldest son well enough to recognize his ‘don’t you dare to disagree’ tone. He was confused but there wasn’t any harm so he nodded with affirmative hum.

“Thank you, Father”

Boy practically inhaled rest of his food and rushed outside. Despite all his training and all his efforts, they clearly saw his excitement. Tim pinched himself and returned to staring at his mug.

“Cass, have you seen what I’ve seen or am I overreacting?” Dick asked, barely restraining his enthusiasm. Girl nodded eagerly, shoving more crumbs into her mouth. Young man cheered, throwing his hands up.

“What have I missed?” Tim mumbled, frowning a little.

“BABY BAT HAS A CRUSH!”

Cass nodded again with wide smile.

Oh.

Oh no.

Who were they? What did he know about them? Was Protocol 3r0s started? Did someone run a background check already? What could they do if they somehow hurt Damian? Was this person a risk to their identities? Oh gods, oh no.

He probably will have to do The Talk™.

He always dreaded having The Talk, with any of his kids. He felt The Talk with Damian would be even worse. Understandably so.

“Also sleep in at least three da-”

“Fuck off, dick.”

“Was this insult or-”

His children remained obvious to how much work it meant, cheering and sassing each other like they often did.

*-*-*

Damian did not know how it was possible but he lowered his guard enough to get caught.

"What are you doing?" Brown choked out after they stared at each other for a long moment.

"It does not concern you–"

"You're rummaging through my wardrobe, not many things concern me more and also, that's frickin creepy don't do it to anyone outside of the family"

She did have a point however he was not convinced it would be the correct approach if he shared his plan. Father's wards (even unofficial like Brown) tended to make assumptions and overreact based on these conjectures. Dani wasn't easy to scare off but he didn't want to check if his family would manage. They often did things thought to be impossible.

He tried to get away but the blonde stood fiercely in a door, leaving the window as the only way out. He wasn't this desperate. Yet.

Girl looked more and more angry at his silence. He had to give her some answers.

Now that he actually considered it, she could be a useful asset. She was far better versed in women's fashion and if he phrased it correctly, he wouldn't even need to bribe her. Question was, how should he phrase it?

"I have an acquaintance- I have a friend," he corrected himself "from the animal shelter I volunteer at. She mentioned wanting to try out more 'girlish style' and asked for my opinion. I wanted to see if you had any clothes that would fit her. She is smaller than me so I thought that whatever I take, it wouldn't be missed." 

Brown grinned with an unsettling gleam in her eyes. He suddenly regretted opening his mouth if not coming to this room in the first place. 

"Say no more, I have a plan Demon Child"

[adragonthatwrites]

Shen Qingqiu as a Naga thoughts continued (Part 1)

At first Liu Qingge doesn't know what to do, which is very much a first for him. He's been in the business of Monster Pest Control for years and this is the first time he's found himself frozen in the face of a beast.

On the bright side the Naga hasn't made any move towards him either, even though he's seen it and it undoubtedly knows he's seen it; they're looking right at each other.

Eventually, Liu Qingge works up the nerves to start slowly backing away, one careful step at a time. He hopes, however stupidly, for a moment that he can just back his way out of this and turn around and leave the territory without further incident.

This hope dies a sad, sad dead as the Naga starts moving in response. Liu Qingge is a trained professional and damn good at his job at that, so he does not panic. His heart is beating against his ribs like a terrified bird but he remains outwardly calm and collected as the Naga slowly unspools from its hiding place, slithering out into the clearing and seemingly following him in his retreat.

His conclusion from the shed skin was correct; it's fully grown. Not a Constrictor type; wrong patterning, and huge though it is he knows those fuckers can get big enough to swallow dragons. This one isn't quite to that size, though its torso alone easily dwarfs his own.

It; he, it's a male; has shimmering green scales; darker on the back, slowly fading into a soft teal green along the underbelly. They shine in the sunlight, reflecting like gemstones in places. The Naga has dark hair, pulled partially up away from his face but otherwise allowed to spill about his shoulders.

His eyes are trained with incredible intent upon Liu Qingge, tongue flicking out every so often to taste the air and coils whispering softly over forest floor as it draws closer to him.

The distance between them is shortening, and Liu Qingge is rapidly running out of ideas for how to get out of this (not that he was coming up with many aside from Back Away Slowly)

Then Liu Qingge steps on a stick, and a loud crack rings through the air. The Naga suddenly freezes, eyes going wider and coils pulling tight. And Liu Qingge, like a fucking idiot, turns around and runs.

He makes it about five paces before something huge is crashing into him. Claws hands meet his back and wrap about his shoulders and then he's spinning, rolling over as coils come forth to wrap about him and secure him tight in their hold. Next thing he knows he's caught tight in the embrace of the Naga, smooth scales pressed against him from all sides and a pair of shining green eyes peering curiously at him from less a palm's width away.

[ruporas]

drank too much

[ID: Digital Art of Vash and Wolfwood from Trigun Maximum. Vash’s body is turned slightly away from the viewer as he holds a staggering Wolfwood by his shoulder. He has one foot ahead of the other, the foot in the back used to stabilize himself from tipping over. Wolfwood is tethering into Vash, his weight pressed into him with his arms wrapped around Vash’s waist and his face is hidden away as he leans against Vash’s shoulder. Vash’s expression can be seen, his eyes wide and mouth tight-lipped, and his face is flushed red. A speech bubble comes out from Wolfwood, saying a drawled “Spikeyyy...”. The background are desaturated pastels of blue and green, showing night time, as they stand in the middle of an empty street that is also lit by the moon not depicted. Yellow light is seen coming from the inside of a saloon. End ID]

[turtleblogatlast]

I think a lot about Leo’s tendency to push his way into the spotlight despite clearly being a natural in the shadows. Hell, you could argue that his worst moments are when he’s forcing himself onstage, and his best are when he does things no one notices until it’s already been done.

[herbalnature]

Delicate blueberry blossoms hang gently in the foreground, promising future sweetness. In the background, the rustic charm of a wooden fence adds a touch of tranquil countryside vibes.

[wild-e-eep]

Big crowd; Bunodophoron melanocarpum.

[sitting-on-me-bum]

Trimeresurus Insularis, A Venomous Viper Native To Indonesia

sagnik31

[nepeteaa]

well, do they?

shop here

[starry-bi-sky]

Thinking about the CFAU and marveling at how much Danny and Jason care for one another. Does anybody else figure out that Danny is going to kill the Joker, or is that knowledge Jason exclusive? I can't see Danny being close enough to any other Batfam member to disclose his plans, but I wonder if he drops hints. They're a family of paranoid detectives. I'd be surprised if they don't figure out Danny has a PURPOSE for being in Gotham at some point. Whether Danny's able to disguise it as wanting to be closer to Jason or not is another burning question.

Its def Red Hood exclusive! You're right in that Danny isn't close enough to disclose his revenge plot to any of the batfam members -- hell, not even Sam and Tucker know his true motives for returning to Gotham, and they're his best friends right after Jason! And Red Hood knows only because Danny accidentally slipped up ;].

I do also think that the Waynes kinda think something might be up with Danny -- at least Dick and/or Bruce might since they're the only ones who actually know him beyond brief mentions of him. Tim knows about him due to his stalking, but doesn't really know him -- and Danny plans to keep a healthy, friendly distance from the family so he can carry out his plans.

It's not that he holds any dislike towards them -- quite the opposite. He appreciates what they do for Gotham and recognizes the hard work that goes into keeping their Rogues Gallery at bay (even if he is bitter about Joker, but there's an obvious reason for that) -- but, well. He knows they're the vigilantes, he doesn't want to risk them sniffing out his murder plot before he can even go through with it.

Luckily for him he can excuse any distance he puts between them as just being busy with life and trying to settle in, and they're not close enough to him anymore to find it suspicious. I do think they figure out he's back in Gotham for a reason, Danny's not going to exactly hide the fact that he's back to find some kind of closure -- but what that closure is?

I think the only person who might suspect something sinister going on would be Bruce, who saw the sinking rage in Danny's eyes at the funeral -- it was part of the reason he didn't tell him who killed Jason (beyond secret identity reasons). But that depends on whether or not Danny reveals some of his hand, and the fact that he was still holding onto that rage (somewhat unwillingly) all this time.

[collageofnudes]

Little Angel

[thewolfnessphotography]

Lavender and bumblebee