#had to do this for the brain wormies

[poisonedfate]

bbc merlin - 04x02 The Darkest Hour II / 04x09 Lancelot du Lac

knew it reminded me of something

[stardust-thief]

look after you

an: this my first x reader fic LMAOO, i needed to write smth and this spencer was on my brain :// i am in the middle of a rly long donna fic but i cba this was much easier. also i absolutley have not proof read this sorry

synopsis: you get hurt while hunting down an unsub, after some reluctance (and kind words from papa rossi) you let spencer take care of you, 1.7k words

cw: descriptions of violence, panic attack, spencer swears and can drive (the most un-canon thing abt him) umm italians..., the rest is just fluffy, hurt/comfort, x reader but no y/n

masterlist

The unsub had his gun pointed at you, the cold press of the barrel against flesh. He was ranting and raving about needing to be seen and understood, having spent his childhood in emotional neglect. Teachers and parents failed him at every turn, it’s not his fault that this happened but he can fix it if he just drops the gun. Rossi tried to tell him this over and over, but he only got more angry, pushing the gun in harder and harder. 

If you were to open your eyes, you would’ve seen JJ and Luke there too, guns trained on the unsub. Their eyes glancing between you, the unsub, and the gun. But you didn’t. Not until the bang went off and you could breathe again. 

The flashing lights of the ambulance do nothing to dissuade the pressing headache you feel coming on, the movement of people helps even less. You watch as the EMT’s cart the unsub away on a gurney, sheet covering him. 

“You okay, kid?” Rossi asks from beside you, he had been hovering ever since the ambulance arrived. 

“I’m fine, just need a good night's rest. I’ll be good as new.” You hummed half-heartedly. 

David Rossi always knew when someone was lying to him, part of that talent comes from his job as a profiler, but it’s mostly because of some ancient Italian magic. “I’m gonna pretend you didn’t say that to me. Look, Hotch is on his way with Reid and Emily. They’re gonna be taking some witness statements, but I imagine Boy Wonder will be a little distracted. I want you to let him take care of you, ok? You’ve been through hell tonight kid, let him worry.”

Italians never lie, although you wish they did. Spencer had very obviously caught feelings for you, everyone on the team could see it. Unfortunately, so could you. Spencer Reid was one of the kindest, most genuine people you had ever met, always putting other people's needs before his own. A voice in your head kept telling you that there is nothing you have done to deserve someone like him doting all over you? You had only brought trouble to the people who loved you. Eventually you learned that it was better to just keep everyone at a distance; if you don’t let them in, they can’t get hurt. Which worked well, up until Spencer.

He had such a wormy way of getting into your brain at the worst times; whether it was when you were alone in your kitchen, or at slightly dangerous, very inappropriate times on a case. You couldn’t stop thinking about him and his stupidly cute (and sometimes ill-timed) facts. Some part of you wanted to let him in, in the end the stubborn side always took over. 

Before long, you heard the worried cries of Spencer trying to find you in the chaos. Rossi called his name and gave you a pat on the shoulder, “Remember, you deserve to be looked after too.” and left to find Hotch.

“Oh my god, are you okay? We tried to get here as soon as we could, but they managed to take down the unsub right? What happened, did he hurt you? How did you get so close? Talk to me are-” Oh, how he rambles. 

“Spencer, I’m fine. I just need to… rest, you know. He didn’t hurt me that bad, just a sprained wrist, couple bruises. Could’ve been worse.”

He spluttered, “Could’ve- you know, that doesn’t make this any better, I was so worried about you. He had a fucking gun to your head, I was going insane thinking about what could’ve happened. What did the EMT say about your wrist?”

“Just to rest it, and use an ice pack if it starts to swell or hurt.” You couldn’t look him in the eye, he was so worried about you. It made butterflies dance in your belly, but there was a twinge of guilt there too. He was so busy, he worked so hard and then went home to look after his mom. He had too much on his plate, how could you add more to it? “Spence, I’m really sorry about worrying you. I should be fine to leave now, so I’ll just head home and sleep it off. Have a good night.” You pushed yourself off the ambulance, eyes focused downwards, restless fingers fidgeting with the already frayed bandage.

“No- wait what are you talking about? You’re gonna drive yourself home in this condition? I can’t let you do that, even thinking about it makes me feel sick.” He lowered his head to yours and spoke softer this time, “Please let me take you home. I don’t have to stay, I just want to make sure you’re ok, ok?”

Fuck that voice did things to you. Leaning from side to side, you thought about what Rossi had said earlier. Maybe, it was ok to let someone in? It would be cruel to let him suffer more, not knowing if you were ok or somehow got in a car crash with 5 other vehicles on your way home. Just this once, you think.

Looking up into his soft eyes, you give a small nod. His lips immediately turned up into a smile, his hand comes up to cup your head, fingers stroking your cheek. It felt… nice. His thumb was calloused but he still moisturised enough for it to feel smooth, and he smelled like lemongrass and ginger. His hand fell to the small of your back as he guided you to his car. Ever the gentlemen, he opened your door and softly placed his hand over your head as you got in. Manoeuvring himself into the driver's side, he pulled out his phone and typed something, then quickly stuffed it away into a pocket and turned on the engine.

The sky was dark when you woke up. The unsub had a gun to your head at dusk, and Spencer was walking into your apartment when the moon was out. He took off his shoes and the door, and walked into your living room.

“I’ve never been here before,” he mused. “I like it.”

He looked at ease wandering around your apartment, his shoulders had relaxed and he let out soft musings as he perused your photo collections.

“Oh Spencer, not that one, it’s embarrassing!” You tried (with not a lot of effort) to pull him away from the frame.

“No this is cute, was this when you were at University?” He asked, wrapping an arm around you.

Oh my god. “Yeah, um- those were some of my friends at the time. I try and keep in touch but, you know.”

He hummed, pulling you closer into him. Finally content, he looked down at you. “How’s your wrist?”

“It’s ok,” you shrugged, “just a little tender now.”

“Where’s your kitchen, I can get some ice.”

“Spence-” you wanted to tell him no, to go home and look after himself. But his body was so warm, having him so close to you melted your brain, leaving you unable to think of any good reason as to why he should leave. “It’s the first door on the right.”

His grip tightened for a moment before he swiftly navigated you to the sofa, and turned to leave for the kitchen. The cold of the apartment rushed to get you as soon as he unraveled his arms. You hadn’t been alone all day since the unsubs attack, it somehow felt more claustrophobic. His hand on your throat, squeezing the air from your lungs. The way he grabbed your arm, contorting it so he could throw you to the ground. The gun, pressed into your forehead. The knowledge that the only thing between you being alive, and you being in a ditch, was a madman's finger on the trigger. Reality faded as each memory pressed further and further into your mind. You weren’t in your apartment anymore, you could feel the cold concrete beneath your hands. The thick air in your lungs, Rossi and the unsub shouting.

A hand on your knee, a soft voice bringing you back. There was no unsub, no gun to your head. You were alive. You were alive and Spencer was in your apartment, wiping the tears that had fallen down your face.

“You with me?” His voice was so soft, you couldn’t recall ever hearing Spencer raise his voice in anger. He was so gentle when he touched you. 

The floodgates burst, choked sobs made their way past your lips. Your shoulder shook as you cried, pressing yourself into Spencer’s arms. “Oh honey,” He murmured, pressing his lips into your head, softly rocking you back and forth as you sobbed and sobbed and sobbed. It was too much. You could have died today. Very nearly did. You weren’t ready to die, not yet at least.

As your cries softened into hiccups, you pushed yourself back from Spencer. “I’m sorry, that was so disgusting. It just all- I don’t know.”

 “Hey, you don’t ever have to apologise to me ok? What you went through was really scary, I’d honestly be more shocked if you didn’t cry.” His hand moved to draw soothing shapes along your back as you leaned back into him. “You want to watch something to calm down? I brought you some water and an ice pack for your wrist.”

He would be the death of you. You nod and push yourself back into the sofa, moving your wrist to rest in your lap. Spencer gently places the ice pack across your wrist and grips the tips of your fingers. He leans forward to push your cup of water towards you and grabs the TV remote, then turns and leans back so your side is pressed into his front. Truthfully, Spencer didn’t seem like the type to watch cable TV but he navigated the menu with somewhat ease. 

“Look at what’s on! It’s your favourite isn’t it, you want me to put it on.” He said as he nudged your shoulder.

He remembered your favourite film, of course he would remember it he has an eidetic memory. You hummed a yes as you relaxed your body further into his, finally content. Maybe Rossi was right, having Spencer close really wasn’t so bad after all.

[stump-not-found]

hellooo haiii :]

i saw a while ago that you said that you were fiddleford hater among lovers… do you mind speaking more on that? (sorry i really liek hearing ur views on stuff)

uhh yeah you know what i'll talk a lil about it . why not . i can share some analysis as a treat . will tuck my thoughts gently behind a readmore, so sweet and softlys

i think fiddleford is a fine character its just irritating when narratively he's treated as this very tragic figure when he's an adult man capable of making his own choices . this is a flaw with the books, to be clear - i do not think the actions of fiddleford align with the explicit narrative he has as a nice guy who had a terrible thing happen to him, which stanford must feel soul-crushing guilt over .

this is what bothers me about him: that he is intended to be read as just an all around good dude with tragic circumstances, rather than a messy guy who made shit-ass terrible decisions every step of the way

not even talking about fandom mischaracterization. that's a given in any collaborative fan space and i don't really hold it against people for doing that . fandom is fun, play with your dolls, do whatever - all that mostly means is im not gonna vibe w/ a lot of fanart, it's not going to impact my opinion of the character . i do think it's funny how the collective fanonization of him is simultaneously the wettest meow-meow, but also a total badass when . he's so fundamentally conflict adverse he destroys his own life and body over it .

my man fucks raccoons . i guess that's badass in it's own way . i guess

the thing that is compelling about fidds to me is he is a bit of a worm, and that worminess winds up destroying him from the inside out . he really embodies the entire concept of 'inaction is action', in a way that's deeply frustrating in both fun and not so fun ways

some of the fun things we know about fiddleford:

leveled the downtown area of palo alto

built a robot to try and kill his wife when she tried to divorce him

built robots to kill kids because his son wasnt paying attention to them

brain blasts people to get free labor out of them

started a cult to brain blast people

so horny for Cthulhu Columbo that he did not get his son a christmas present . not a single Tonking Truck . i know your brain is half melted at this point but cmon man

i don't really think the whole leaving his wife in the 70's is all that cute either . it's a one off joke, and there's something interesting about the fact that it's a one off joke . like what kind of financial freedom do people think a single mother is gonna have in this time period? why is that something that goes unchallenged?

and the fact he leaves them for a year is just like . that's also fucked man . i can personally attest to how fucked it is to have your dad just piss off for a year to do contractor work . what a wild subplot to be treated with such little narrative importance to his character . like . the fact that it holds so little importance to fidds is a narrative all on its own

it's just weird how the story treats him, man . he's not that endearing of a dude, which is what i like about him . i like that he makes bad decisions . i like that he doesn't respect when people say "no" . characters should make bad decisions and be bad people . i just really hate this presentation of his own actions being the fault of anyone other than fiddleford

oh also the research paper stint was insane . wild to me that that was presented in the story as like a cool or kind thing to do to someone . like that's a very reasonable boundary for stanford to be upset about being crossed, and its wild how that's presented as him being a jackass . there are MANY things that make ford a piece of shit . being upset about a guy doing something like that behind your back is not one of them

tho that's a whole other conversation about how ford as a character is defined by never having his boundaries respected, and this never being challenged, and in fact he should just be okay with it when it happens by the "right" sorts of people . once an object, always an object . love him

[drabblejester]

How would genshin impact characters or hsr characters respond if reader said “Do you still love me if I was a worm?”

would VARIOUS GENSHIN/HSR CHARACTERS still love you if you were a WORM?

requested by: anon :3

pairings: sampo, sparkle, neuvillette, and dottore x gn!reader

content warnings: none !

comments: the dottore is self indulgent sorry my liege. i love him

NEUVILLETTE:

You’re both sitting in his office, you pulled up in a comfortable chair while he sits in his throne-like one. You’re pretty empty brained, but a question soon pricks up. Would Neuvillette still love you if you were a worm?

You turn to him, blinking before asking the question. His gaze turns to you quickly, turning from attentive to confused in an instant. His eyes stare through yours.

“A worm?”

“Yes, a worm.”

“… Why would you suddenly turn into a worm?”

You hadn’t thought that far. You space out for a bit, mulling over the question in your head before deciding on an acceptable answer.

“That doesn’t matter- would you still love me?”

He thinks about the question heavily, bringing a finger up to his chin as he contemplated. Looks like the both of you really had to think about this.

“Mm. I would miss you, but I would still give you a plentiful enclosure. With many fruits, and plenty of dirt to.. squirm around in.”

You accept this answer, placing a light kiss to his nose before going off to your mind.

SPARKLE:

“Nope, I wouldn’t!”

Her answer is very plain and simple, grinning at you as if she just won an argument. You pout at her, how cruel!

“Wasn’t Aha’s emanator a worm? Why would I ever be different!” You yell (playfully), gently pushing Sparkle.

“I’d crush that little worm, and I’d crush you too and watch all your little wormy guts spill out! Bleegh!!” She cries, rushing towards your torso to reenact a FNAF jumpscare(THATS THE BEST WAY I COULD PUT THIS IM SORRY.)

You fall backwards to the floor, squirming around as she tries to grab at you again and again. If anything, you really look like a worm right now.

“What did I ever do to you! Wouldn’t even put me in a little box? Not even a fun one with glitter and flowers-“

“Not a chance!”

“Well, what would YOU do if YOU were turned into a worm?!”

She thought for a few seconds, before answering with a big, big smile. She approached you, skipping around you like she was playing ring-around-the-rosie.

“I’d expect you to make a massive enclosure just for me! And fresh food daily, and misting, and lots and LOTS of love…”

SAMPO:

You ask the question to him while you’re both on your phones, simply existing together. He turns to look at you with a puzzled expression, before it softens up again.

“Ohoh- isn’t this one of those little coupley questions~?” He purrs, gently tapping his fist against the top of your head. His smile is contagious, resulting in you inheriting it as well.

“Well, good ol Sampo ‘Worm Expert’ Koski will be HAPPY to answer your question! Ahem, excuse me-“

Sampo proceeds to fix his hair dramatically, clearing his throat before adjusting the collar of his shirt. You watch him as if you’re watching your favorite show.

“A nice little glass enclosure so I can look at you, some fruits and veggies, oats- do you like oats still? Oh, so what- I’m getting off-track!” He whines.

His little performance totally captures you, and you find your head being moved to his lap rather quickly. You stare up at him, one hand folded over his as you watch him ramble.

“-And regular watering, making sure your enclosure is nice and wet. Don’t forget the temperature just to your liking! And some other things…”

DOTTORE:

You’re met with a dismissive grunt from him as soon as you even speak. He waves his hand in your direction halfhazardly, going back to the little engineering project.

“Did you even hear me? I said-“

“-I heard you just fine. I’m not answering your question, go ask another segment.” He grumbles, in a mildly annoyed mood (as always).

You wind up leaving his office, going down the darkened corridors to find another segment to answer your question. Although you pass multiple of them, they all seem busy and unwilling to talk.

Eventually you stumble across the perfect segment to ask. Yet again, you repeat the question. He simply looks at you strange, before going back to walking down the hallway.

“Can you hear correctly?” You shout after him, to no response. He could hear you just fine- he just didn’t have an answer.

You carry on the hallway, and into rooms, for a very long time. The moon sets and the sun rises before an answer finally creeps up on you.

Dottore puts an ungloved hand on your shoulder from behind you, glancing up and down at you. Your breath hitches in your chest, awaiting some lovely and well-thought out answer, totally befitting of the Doctor-

“No.”

Dottore walks away, leaving you unloved as a worm.

my lieges would you still enjoy me if i was a worm

[luckaonmyside]

Grayson Hawthorne HCS!!

When he hit puberty he shot up from 5'4 to 5'11 in a year! He was really lanky and awkward for like three months then he started to BEEF up.

He freckles like CRAZY (Jameson does too) but he hates it so he avoids the sun like crazy.

If you do catch him in the sun, his grey eyes have just the tiniest hint of green.

He documented his life very religiously, keeping an extensive library of journals that he hides in his room under the floor.

The rest of this stuff might be a little occ because my brain likes to adopt book characters and give me brain wormies

I like to think that Grayson had a creative side that Tobias suppressed to mold him into the perfect heir. But before that he did all sorts of crafts, pottery, painting*, origami, scrapbooking.

I hated that Mrs JLB (love her) had Grayson drop out of HARVARD. One of the most prestigious schools in the USA. Grayson Hawthorne who doesn't "give up" or "back down" from anything??? He is so flipping hard headed he would not do that!! Anyways I think he would have transferred to a different program though (my personal fav choice is architectural design)

*(I have separate angst thoughts about this)

[darkbeargalaxy]

Would You Still Love Me?

Zack Addy x Reader

"Zack, would you still love me if I was a worm?"

Confusion spread across the genius' face as he looked up to answer you. For once he was at a loss for words. "What?"

You determinedly repeated your question. "Would you still love me if I was a worm? This is very important to me and I need you to answer honestly."

Zack set aside the femur he was examining and continued to stare at you with a puzzled expression. "It is impossible for humans to become worms, therefore your question is illogical."

You sighed and scooted your stool closer to your boyfriend. "I know, but just pretend for a minute that it is possible. Would you still love me?"

He looked away and proceeded stare at a screen showing an X-Ray of micro fractures on the victim's tibia. You waited patiently, knowing pretending was not your man's strong suit and that he considered all possibilities and variables before deciding to answer anything. You twiddle your thumbs in wait.

Zack finally turned around after a couple minutes of thought. "If you were transformed into an invertebrate, specifically a worm, I believe, based on data gathered from our current relationship, that I would still posses feelings of love for you." He nodded to himself and returned to studying the skeleton in front of him.

You grinned happily. You'd figured that Zack would reason out that it would be illogical for a human to harbor romantic feelings for a worm, despite it's previous form, and truthfully admit that no, he wouldn't still love you, but it seemed that you were wonderfully wrong this time. Zack still had some surprises up his sleeve.

"I have a question for you, now." Zack gave you an intense look that showed how serious he was about this question. You nodded for him to continue.

"Would you still love me if you were a worm?" You blinked, mirroring his earlier look of confusion.

"Huh?"

"Worms do not posses the same level of intellect and emotional capabilities as humans, but..." He tilted his head in though for a few beats before returning to watching you. "...would you still love me if you were a worm?"

You smiled, not needing to think for a response, and nodded. "Yes, I would still love you." Zack pursed his lips in thought.

"How? What is your reasoning for your response?" You leaned forward on the examination table and humbly shrugged.

"Well, I'd have five hearts, right? Which means I'd be able to love you even more."

"Love is a chemical reaction in the brain and the heart is a muscle." You laughed a little.

"Do you have evidence proving that worms cannot express or feel love." Zack frowned and shook his head.

"Not that I know of."

"Then you have no argument against me!" You spun around on your stool before hopping off and landing directly in front of your amused looking scientist.

"I suppose I must concede to your logic for now." He smiled slightly as you reached out to wrap your arms around him. He reciprocated the gesture.

"I suppose you must." You smiled back.

"If it were possible for a human to become a worm, I would have Hodgins assist me in taking the utmost care of you." That made your heart swell, though the thought of Hodgins being anywhere near your wormy self was not very comforting. He'd probably try to experiment on you or something. Zack's thoughtfulness was appreciated though.

"If I become a worm, I promise to keep on loving you as much as a worm possibly can." You moved a little closer. "Unfortunately, worms don't have lips as far as I know, so you'll have to settle for a hug around your finger every now and then." Zack shook his head.

"Worms do not have lips, that is correct. There is something else that possess lips though." You raised an eyebrow in question. "You, currently." A smirk crossed your face and you rolled your eyes playfully.

"Oh, I see."

"Fascinatingly, certain types of words cannot see."

You shook your head in mock disbelief. "And here I was thinking you wanted a kiss, now you're going all Hodgins on me. I can't kiss Hodgins."

"Fortunately, I am not he."

You chuckled as you closed the distance between the two of you.

[bg-brainrot]

Would You Still Love Me? (Astarion x Tav)

Featuring: Astarion x Rogue!Tav

Series: Fits into Love at First Knife, AO3 link here

Summary: When you ask the question, 'would you still love me if I were a worm?' Astarion's response surprises you in more ways than one.

Tags: POV Second Person, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Fluff, silly goofy mood, act 3 unascended Astarion

Word count: ~1.7k

--

You’re chatting with Astarion over dinner at the Elfsong when a question strikes you. It’s an odd one, and you’re not sure if you should ask it. Your curiosity builds as you consider Astarion’s possible answers though and, by the next lull in conversation, you can’t help yourself.

“Astarion?” you ask, spearing a potato on your plate.

The vampire swirls his wine glass, watching the red liquid fall into place before answering, “Yes, dear?” 

“Would you still love me if I were a worm?” The question spills out of you, sounding even sillier than it did in your head.

Your lover blinks at you, as if he couldn’t possibly have heard that properly. But when your expression doesn’t change, your eye contact doesn’t drop, no admission of jest is to be seen, he finally says, “Darling, what kind of ludicrous question is that?”

“Well, would you?” you counter, pointing at him with your fork before popping the potato in your mouth.

His face grows pensive as he thinks. It’s a few seconds later before he asks a follow up question, “What type of worm?”

You finish chewing as you think of the worms you know. Not many admittedly– life in the city meant that free patches of earth are few and far between. So you answer the only worm that truly comes to mind, “The earthworm kind.”

“And I would know that it’s you?” he asks, leaning forward now. It seems like he’s invested in the question now, despite his initial reaction.

You nod, as if that’s a given. “Yes, you saw me transform.”

“Hells, I was hoping I could pretend not to know,” he says with a smirk. 

“Wicked man,” you retort, shooting him a responding smile.

Astarion’s face looks thoughtful again as he considers the developing situation. “Could I turn you back?”

Now you shake your head vehemently. What use was the exercise if magic would fix you? “No, nothing could turn me back. I’m simply a worm from now on.”

“Hmm, and are you certain that you would love me?” He raises an eyebrow at you in challenge, as if he’s cornered you in your own mischievous little game.

“Of course,” you answer immediately. “I don’t think my little worm brain would be able to think of much else.”

“How sweet… I think,” he says, cocking his head. You suppose it is, though you had meant it as fact. “Well then, one final question, if you would?”

You nod, gesturing for him to continue with your fork. “Go ahead, I’m an open book. Or worm, in this case.”

“How long do worms live?”

You blink, having not expected such a question from him– and truthfully also due to not knowing the answer. “I don’t know. Maybe Halsin would?”

Astarion locates the druid, sitting a few tables away talking to Wyll and Karlach. He raises his voice to be overheard in the din of the tavern. “Halsin, be a dear, how long do earthworms live?”

“A fantastic question, Astarion!” The druid’s voice carries easily with excitement. “It truly depends on the conditions of the worm, but anywhere from a few years up to eight years.”

You balk at that fact. A worm can live how long?

“I’m happy to tell you all about ideal soil conditions–”

Astarion cuts the man off with a loud, “Thank you!” Then he turns back to you. “Well, there you have it.”

“Have what?” you ask in response, confused at the turn in conversation.

“You would live at most eight years. I’m immortal, my love. I think I can manage less than a decade of loving a worm,” he says, rolling his eyes at you.

You’re not sure how to take the casual way that he speaks of your impending wormy death, but you find it oddly comforting to know that he would in fact still love you. You honestly hadn't expected that. “So you’d keep me around? Made sure I stayed healthy and safe?”

He nods, as if it’s the easiest thing in the world. “Naturally.”

You can’t help but laugh at the idea of him keeping you as a pet worm. It seems almost unbelievable. “You wouldn’t throw me into the nearest patch of dirt? Or worse yet, let a bird take me?”

“Gods below, dear,” Astarion responds, aghast, putting a hand over his heart as if he’s been truly, deeply offended. “I would never.” Then he gets a far off look in his eyes and adds, “Well, maybe never. I suppose it depends on if I needed you as bait. But I’m certain I would be able to rescue you after the fact.”

“I would allow it,” you say, with a short nod. “If you’re using me as bait, it’s likely for good reason.”

"And after you pass? I would miss you terribly of course," he says solemnly, with his most maudlin, tragic expression.

"You'd better. And I expect the best soil for my burial," you say, pointing your fork at him threateningly.

“Of course, darling,” he says, only the hint of his smile visible from behind his wine glass. He takes a sip and looks at you again. “Now, why would you ask such a thing?”

You shrug, entirely convinced it was just a passing thought. But, as you poke and prod at your food, you find yourself answering, “I don’t know. What if, before this all ends, something happens to me. I already come with my own scars and problems, gods know how much worse it can get.”

Astarion stares at you over his wine glass, processing what you've just said before responding, "My love, believe it or not, I'm a vampire. I have 'scars and problems' of my own. If you think that anything could happen to you that I wouldn't be able to handle, you'd be sorely mistaken."

You hadn't expected him to say such words so sincerely, and you find yourself a bit taken aback. You love each other, you'd said as much on the night Astarion had been freed from Cazador, but it still feels a bit intimidating to know how deep that love could run. Apparently earthworm deep.

The idea that this man, who would rather bathe in blood than touch an inch of dirt, would continue to love you? Well, despite the inane premise, you find the warmth in your heart to feel very real.

"What about you, darling?" he asks, pulling you out of your thoughts. "If I were to become a worm, what would you do?"

You answer quickly, "Easy. I would still love you, probably keep you on my person, and offer you blood or other sustenance when you need it."

Astarion looks at you aghast. "Sweet hells, do not put me in your pocket."

"And why not? I would be extremely careful, and then I would never lose you," you respond, explaining yourself logically. "Besides, even as a worm, who knows what kind of trouble you'd get yourself into."

"I should be saying that to you," he says, placing his wine glass on the table, serious now. "I can't believe you would put me in danger like that. I fully expect you to place me somewhere nice, like the lawn of some pampered Upper City noble."

You think about his proposition for a second before shaking your head. "But then I couldn't take care of you. What if you get stepped on?"

Astarion considers your counterargument with narrowed eyes. “Ugh, fine. I shall stay in your pocket. But I expect you to clean it regularly. And I demand that you get a new lining for it. Silk, preferably.”

“Easy enough to do,” you say, nodding along. “You would be most comfortable worm this side of the Chionthar.”

At that, the man looks pleased, picks his wine glass back up, and reclines back in his seat. “Good. And, for what it’s worth, I'm sure you would make a very cute worm.”

You’re not sure if that’s meant to be a compliment or an insult, but you suspect it’s the former. “Thank you,” you say, smiling at your lover. “You would make a dashing worm yourself.”

“Are you both expecting to turn into worms any time soon?” you hear from behind you. You turn around to see Halsin standing tall over you. His tone is friendly, warm as he continues, “I would be happy to take care of either of you.”

You can’t help the blush of embarrassment that comes over your face. You’re also not sure how to take the words. Is he asking to adopt you both, as worms? Gods, how did you end up here… So you look back to Astarion who is now shooting you a look that says, Now look what you’ve done.

“Err, no Halsin. It was just an odd little conversation we were having. Sorry to cause you any confusion.”

“No need to apologize, my friend,” he replies. “Though if you ever do need help, you know where to find me.” He gives you both an affectionate smile before heading off. 

While it’s nice to know that others would care enough to take care of you as a worm, you’d meant the question to be solely for Astarion. You’re left burying your face in your hands to hide your shame.

“So, darling… what did we learn?”

“To never ask Halsin about earthworms,” you mumble through your fingers.

Astarion gives you a ‘tsk’ before responding. “No, my dear. If either of us turns into a worm, we must hide that fact from Halsin." He scrunches his nose in distaste before continuing, "I refuse to live in whatever healthy soil he’s found for us.”

You snort at Astarion’s conclusion, but still find yourself agreeing. “Fair enough. Better yet, let’s try to keep ourselves at the very least bipedal.” The two of you share a laugh, but in the back of your mind you’re already thinking of your next question. I wonder if he would still love me if I were a mimic? I suppose there’s only one way to find out.

[my-castles-crumbling]

Prank Wars

Submission 1 for Wolfstar Bingo! - Rating: T - No warnings - Word Count: 595 - AO3 link

When asked later on, James couldn't really explain how things got this bad. It had started innocently enough- a bit of food thrown at dinner, a funny note sent in class. They'd never pranked each other before. Early on in their friendship, it had been mutually-agreed-upon that their skills were best used as an unstoppable team, rather than splitting up their unique abilities to end up in civil war. Strength in numbers, and all that.

But the tension between Sirius and Remus had reached horrifying heights, and somehow, the two had ended up in an all-out war. James and Peter both struggled to stay out of it, only because they were both too terrified to take sides, and if they were honest, it was much more entertaining to watch from afar.

From James's point of view, Remus and Sirius were evenly matched. Remus was smart. He had brilliant ideas and was skilled at all forms of magic. But he lacked nerve and, of lack of a better word, the utter balls to go overboard.

That, of course, was what Sirius had in excess. Sirius acted first and thought later, which resulted in many situations that caused James to almost piss himself laughing.

Of course, the whole thing was caused by the fact that neither would admit that all of their underlying irritation and anger toward the other was caused by feelings and tension that had been building since September 1st of their first year. James and Peter both had lamented to each other that the way Moony and Padfoot both looked at each other was disgusting, and the sooner the two came to their senses, the better.

It turned out that it was the pranks that did it.

On one random Wednesday evening, Sirius decided it was a genius idea to charm the shower to spray some sort of questionable goo out of the spout, right before Remus showered. This went flawlessly, right up until a very angry Remus tried to fix the showerhead and the whole thing fell off. So, Remus, with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist stomped out of the bathroom, goo cascading down his bare chest and a furious expression on his face.

But, rather than be scared, Sirius was very distracted.

Because up until that point, Remus had been quite shy about his body. None of them had made a big deal of it. They knew of his scars and his desire to hide them, so even though they'd all caught glances, they didn't push him to walk around shirtless like they did. He swam with a t-shirt and changed in the bathroom and that was that.

So this was the first time Sirius had gotten a good look. And from what James could tell, he had quite forgotten how to use his brain. All of his blood had gone...elsewhere.

"Erm, Pads? Help Remus fix the shower, yeah?" James judged him, trying to shock him out of his gaping.

But Sirius, who had turned bright red, was only able to mumble, "Fucking- fuck," under his breath before following a now-quiet Remus into the bathroom.

At first James was nervous that Remus would take Sirius's staring the wrong way. But suddenly, he heard a small thump and a suspicious moan that he was sure he was not supposed to hear.

"C'mon, Wormy, let's go!" he shouted quickly, pulling his friend out of the room just as another moan was heard through the bathroom door.

He figured his friends could finally figure out what to do from here.

[nireisjournal]

Me when I wish to yap I suppose owo;; So Suou and the number 4 I can't promise this will be quality it's mostly just silly speculation/whatever I found/delusion

So the number 4 is unlucky that's the basis of this, it's unlucky because of it sounding like death in so many languages

I'm not gonna start with 4 though I need to first start with this (he's so silly with the borb)

So this is from the Chinese new years merch iirc and I think it's quite funny to have his associated animal on here the bird commonly known for resurrection and revive especially in some mythologies where it has to go through burning itself up in order to come back to life... *squints* ...

being a nerd rq (i had to take a class of this bear with me)

ironically for what I was starting this post with, the phoenix in specifically Chinese mythology are good luck though for these ones they don't resurrect usually. However they are paired with dragons either for good or bad or for good AND bad (it's usually a m/f situation cause [Long] dragon [Huang] phoenix) for JP, they appear only during a new era and hide themselves during bad, descending to do good deeds and then leaving to wait for a new era and when put with a dragon they're either as enemies or lovers (the two names for the phoenix since despite it being widely put as female it's actually Feng for male which represents the Sun and Yang while Huang is the Moon and Lunar) So in the full art he is the only one with a non zodiac animal (ofc Kaji too but he has a snake and turtle) Wow ironically he's 4th on this line u- *dragged out*

OK now the part where I actually point out him being 4th in everything so he's very usually featured as the fourth character, he's on the 4th cover of the manga and the cd and the 4th anni (With Nirei ofc) I'm sure there's other visual instances however I am not the best at finding things it's probably why I keep losing my braincells too.

He's put 4th in the trailer announcement too even though he shows up before Sugishita on the trailer when its showing the vas it goes Sakura Nirei Sugi Suou everyone else but in the anime when it actually introduces them (with the lil nameplates or not on account of Sakura and Sugi not having one) Sakura Kotoha Nirei Suou Sugi and then Tsuge and Kiryu

However I am short and cannot reach the top shelf i highly doubt this is related i just find it funny he truly got locked into the 4th slot even in the trailer.

Did I even have a point with this? probably... have I forgotten? Probably... I mean silly closed off character who doesn't like engaging with others and opening up to them oddly associated with number of death and also has a name that means revival and phoenix imagery (also dragon imagery since he always says there's a dragon in his eye) I am not going to go deeper into this my brain is to wormy already and I'll start to ask stuff like man what if he was revived or is going to be or maybe its why he keeps his distance cause he's- *dragged away*

[meepwrites]

I am convinced that Peter Pettigrew had a strong bout of guilt mere days before he gave away the potters location.

Because he also didn’t give it away immediately, I believe which is so ?? He was more than likely in internal turmoil let’s be real.

I have this idea that Remus always lagged behind all of them in duels - he wasn’t weak: his spells were strong and precise but he was more a strategist, not the best at reacting by instinct without thinking things through that’s why Sirius usually had his back or even Peter sufficed really as long as he was given time to think.

On the other hand I think Peter was great at instinctual reactions if for nothing else than fear but he lacked the strength, the precision and the skill that the others had so he was often times the most ‘in danger.’

Now imagine them engaged in a duel against death eaters mere days before Peter makes his decisions - it’s a tight spot, James is with Lily in hiding and Peter was called out of his own on an emergency, it’s just him and Sirius and Remus, waiting desperately for back up or the hope of a retreat but the death eaters are snarling at Sirius, Remus is still exhausted from a full moon not long past and of course they aren’t going any easier on Peter - everyone knows of his double role they won’t give him favours and many don’t truly trust him, he’s panicking and a miscounted spell is about to hit him until-

Sirius jumps infront, shield charm at the ready, the spell rebounds and Peter rapidly watches Lupin duck behind a tree and stun the one who’d cast it,

Sirius is looking back at him, tall and grinning - the time of war has taken its toll even on him, he’s steady on his feet, a strong grounded presence but it’s clear it’s done with a lot of effort, concentration focused on a steady posture making his smile wobbly but he’s still grinning,

and protective and he asks

“You alright Pete ? That was a close one, good thing you stopped growing in fourth year, spell might have flown right over your head even if I didn’t show up !

He jests - like always but Peter can see it in the way he grips his wand that he’s terrified of death, of losing any of them right there.

Remus ducks behind the charm, somewhere from the left and Peter hears Sirius greet him, feels the charm be re-enforced.

And he stands there, the roar of the battle becoming indiscernible - he stands there as they’re both, so tired and worn - still giving it their absolute best and there is a sob in his throat, so vile and bitter and nauseating knowing what he’s about to do as soon as Voldemort next calls upon him.

There is no doubt now and it hits him like a crash,

“Oye wormy, I get it, I really do.”

Remus’s voice cuts through the fog in his brain and the wet streams of tears along his cheeks are now apparent, he feels pathetic.

And he thinks that no, Remus’s doesn’t know, he couldn’t he couldn’t possibly know, he would never think he was a betrayer.

“But I am about to pass out here, so-“

Remus turns to him too, smiling, smiling just like Sirius had,

God lord they’ve always cared for him.

He can see the tiredness in Lupin’s eyes, his body has held up the worst out of them all,

But he’s standing still, and he isn’t afraid.

He isn’t thinking of betraying his friends - even though Peter knows how he’s been accused.

The pit in his stomach is immense as he sees how both Sirius and Remus choose to fight even past how far they can.

“Please,”

Remus’s voice continues.

“Save your tears for once we made it out of here.”

There is a soft lower tone as he focuses back on the battlefield infront of them :

“I will give you chocolate.”

Peter feels his heart in his throat, he wipes his tears and shields their back, hand wavering.

He doesn’t know how his friends, for now, can stand so strong.

[alessiamalfoyzabini]

Vampire's Kiss | Chapter Three

Pairing | Vampire!Jungkook x Reader

Word Count | 4,4k

Warnings | +18, trouble for MC is not over, use of a dating app to look for someone, Jungkook is absolutely cute and sexy, kisses, fluff

⤷ Summary | Humans have finally unveiled and accepted the centuries-old existence of vampires, in a modern world people share their lives with these peculiar and mysterious creatures, but it is not all roses.

Will two souls belonging to such different species be able to be together?

➢ Author's Note | Hi, guys! ❤️

I apologize to all of you who have waited so long for chapter third to arrive, I'm really sorry, but life has been really hectic and I'm also working on many other stories, so I hope you enjoy the chapter now 😭💕

Let me know what you think, I always love your comments ❤️

Taglist: @katherine-kookie @peterstarkchrishiddleston @reallygenerouskoala @btsuga-d @angelicsmilesworld @jimincrystal @velvet-stardust2002 @ke1k029 @kylafox09 @pantara @takemeaway5402

Chapter List - Previous - Next

You're going to kill Park Jimin.

It's been a whole week since that party and you're still spinning in your head his words, which had the effect of making you even more depressed.

“In truth ... they specifically told me that they don't believe our relationship, they will only believe it when we go to their house for lunch.”

The idea of spending time with them again haunts you, Jimin had said one evening. One.

Yet, you still have to help him, because his parents did not see passion from both of you, you were blatantly fake in their opinion.

Well, kudos to Father and Mother Park, you certainly don't lack the nose like bloodhounds!

But why at their home of all places? Are they going to secretly feed you to their servants? You shudder just thinking about it. They are certainly up to something, Jimin repeats to you that you should stay calm, but it is easy for him to talk. You are nothing to them, just a dirt stain on their perfect son's shirt.

You must be eliminated somehow.

But the worst thing about all those days spent thinking and agonizing between you and you is the wrong idea that Jungkook may have gotten about you.

Shit, he's just a guy you met briefly at a party, so why can't you get him out of your head?

You always think back to the way he held you close, to his cautious and sweet look whenever he tried a more direct approach with you... and there they are, the damn butterflies! They don't leave you alone for a moment, your wormy little brain even dares to loop back his last words, before Jimin cursed Park ruined the atmosphere.

You roll over on the bed hugging your faithful stuffed animal you've been carrying around since childhood, gazing into his inane black eyes, you sigh.

“What should I do, Little Sunshine?” but the teddy bear, predictably, does not answer you.

He has left without deigning you another glance, perhaps seeing you there with Jimin he must have thought of who knows what, they know each other and must know of your best friend's reputation as a womanizer.

You violently plant a hand in your face, long ago to fuck Jimin it was enough to be his acquaintance, it wasn't necessary to get up to girlfriend status, you may have said Jimin is just a friend ... but in someone else's eyes there may still be a possibility that the two of you are some sort of fuck buddies.

Besides, why else would a human like you willingly accompany a vampire like Jimin?

You feel like screaming like crazy, you don't just do it because you sense your phone ringing in the darkness of the room.

You try to compose yourself, imagining it was a business call, but it turns out to belong to your best friend.

You stare at the phone screen with tears in your eyes almost.

<<Ellen!>> you shout, on the other side your friend whines, <<My sweetest Ellen! You called at just the right time>>.

<<You scream like that again and I'll block the phone in your face!>>.

You ignore her empty threat and begin to tell her what happened with Jimin and about the meeting with Jungkook, omitting nothing. By the end of the explanation you are out of breath and your eyes are glazed over, why do you have to feel that way about a stranger? What is happening to you.

<<Let me understand... Jimin asked you to be his fake girlfriend and this Jungkook, whom you described as more handsome than a normal vampire, flirted with you for at least half an hour or so and then left offended?>>.

You frown, <<He didn't flirt with me! He was just being nice...>>.

You hear a laugh stifled on the other end of the line, <<I used to say the same about Shawn and look at him now, chained to me in the sacred bond of marriage>> a smile escapes you… actually it doesn't sound bad.

<<What should I do?>> you ask more to yourself than to her.

<<Uhm... you said he works with Seokjin, right? Isn't Seokjin the creator of Vampire's Kiss? Maybe he's on that site too, try looking for him... and maybe contact him, they even created a very convenient app!>> you widen your eyes. Sure! That could work...

<<But what if he doesn't want to hear from me? I mean, he didn't leave on the best of terms, surely he must have thought of something strange>>.

<<Take your balls out and look for him! You said you felt something different next to him, right? Don't let such an opportunity pass you by, what you felt doesn't happen to everyone ... and for your sanity and mine too, put your mind at rest once and for all>>.

You nod, she has a point, then you hear her stifle a shriek.

<<Wait a minute! ... You said that just looking at him turned you on-!>> you close the call in half a second, redder than a tomato! There, that thing you might as well have avoided revealing it to her, even if it simply slipped out of your mouth without realizing it ... such a thing has never happened to you, neither with humans nor with vampires, that was a detail as embarrassing as it was surprising.

You make a decision and install Vampire's Kiss on your cell phone, the app's simple and intuitive screen allows you to enter your account right away, go to the purple heart with the magnifying glass and search for Jeon Jungkook.

The results are immediate and the search leads you to no less than five users, but only one is the one that immediately hits you like a bouquet of soft flowers in the middle of your face.

He is right there, posing for a photo taken in the middle of a summer day, not at all concerned about possible sunburn, and you smile instinctively at his caption, which is short and absolutely adorable.

So your impression was right, this is a good guy. You zoom in on the photo and look admiringly at the sunlight softly shining on him, he is also smiling and without thinking about it you take a screenshot, do you look crazy? Probably yes, but your chest tightens at the idea of not being able to see him every day.

It's really crazy... it's just a stranger.

But you and this stranger have one thing in common. The two of you are desperate for love, to the point of signing up for a dating site to find it, your finger trembling, undecided whether to press your purple heart to follow him and thus engage in conversation with him or just drop everything and move on from your lightning-fast meeting at the party.

You turn off the phone with a sigh. Even if you wanted to try, you are nothing compared to him. You would only have wasted his precious time.

“But seeing you there, under the moonlight, I-”

You shake your head violently, it's no use daydreaming, he didn't even finish the sentence. That only indicates one thing, that it was not meant for you two to continue the acquaintance, period.

Suddenly an annoying noise starts from your stomach, you cast a glance at the time -- 2:11 p.m., you haven't even had lunch and there is nothing edible in the fridge, in short, the typical life of a single career woman. But below the house there are several small stores open 24 hours a day that sell noodles and allow you to cook them immediately after purchase. Yes, you would have graciously taken advantage of their services, that is also the beauty of living in Korea, every place becomes home.

You turn on the light and look around for your shoes, heedless of the eyes burning at the sudden impact.

Next mission: don't starve.

You look thoughtfully at the shelf stuffed with packages of noodles, there are all flavors and colors, but maybe you'll have to buy some instant cook rice too to satiate your stomach more, and speaking of your stomach, you hear it growling once again.

Ungrateful, why doesn't it give you time to think?

You grab a packet of spicy chicken-flavored noodles on the fly, then reconsider -- better two.

Excited to eat, you jump merrily without looking over your shoulder, like the clueless fool that you are, you feel your head collide with something sharp and immediately see the stars in the middle of the convenience store, a stifled moan escapes your lips and you squeeze your eyes shut trying to chase that pain away, being interrupted by another unexpected moan of distress.

You turn back to the source and notice a boy behind you, head down, you can just make out a wonderful mass of dark, wavy hair.

You blanch, your own flushes of pain sidelined. Did you hurt him? Medical bills are fucking expensive.

"I-I'm sorry! Did I hurt you very much? I didn't want to, believe me."

The boy makes a strange noise, as if he has suddenly held his breath, then slowly his head rises and you find yourself going wide-eyed.

In front of you Jungkook in casual clothes and a jacket far larger than his own size is holding his chin with one hand.

“Gosh, you knocked me out,” he chuckles with difficulty, removes his hand and you see a red spot take shape on that area of smooth, soft skin, “I didn't think I'd find you here....”

You're frozen, you can't utter a single word, the only thing that assures you you're still alive is the slow pulsing of the bump on your head, but is this guy made of granite or what? A very sexy granite, of that there is no doubt.

"I didn't... I didn't think so either” for the simple fact that not even twenty minutes earlier you looked him up on a dating app, then clandestinely saved his picture like a poor desperate spinster.

"Are you okay? I think you were the one who got the hardest hit,” he asks worriedly, out of the corner of your eye you notice how his hand tries to rise, but he instantly lowers it, you gloss over the incident by waving yours away.

"No, absolutely! I'm fine, I'm so sorry, I'm stupid,” you mutter to yourself, feeling guilty.

You see him looking around carefully, “I'll get you some ice, wait here!” not even time to tell him to let it go, it vanishes in an instant.

You lower your eyes to the packages of noodles, “This happened because I never buy real food, right?”

You both find yourselves so seated face to face in front of the convenience store, you're uncomfortably pressing ice on what appears to be quite a bloody good bump. Jungkook just stares at you with that innocent look on his face, is he seriously a vampire?

You take the floor, trying to fill that uncomfortable silence, deliberately ignoring the palpitations of your heart, “Does it still hurt?” you point to his chin, which seems to have returned to normal coloring, in fact he denies it.

“It's okay, for us vampires pain is momentary, we heal quickly.”

Okay, now what?

There, meeting him was not some kind of miracle, but a curse.

"Um... you look different, I mean... with these clothes you look normal, no wait! I mean you look great even without clothes, No! T-those elegant clothes! But you look fabulous even like this, really!” you stumble over your own words and god, you want to hole up in some dirty hole on top of a remote mountain. You look great without clothes, really?!

“Hey, hey, don't worry, you look very good in your normal clothes too,” he smiles amused, then changes his expression, “Did you have a good time at the party when I left? I apologize for how I left you, I don't usually go to parties and I don't know how to behave,” he explains, his voice sounds colorless, different from the sweet voice he used before and even during your first meeting.

Something has been bothering him and you even know what it is, or at least you think so. You shouldn't worry about it, but you like him and want to clear it up.

You take a breath, “Jungkook, I don't know what you thought seeing me there with Jimin, but I assure you we're just friends, there's no romantic or ... well, sexual interest,” you just want to calm him down, but evidently your words have the opposite effect, because he whitens starting to gasp.

“Oh god, I made you feel like a lowlife, didn't I?” he puts his hands to his face shaking his head, “I'm just an idiot, you don't have to pay attention to me,” he complains with his forehead pressed against the surface of the table.

"You didn't make me feel like a lowlife! I just wanted to make it clear that I didn't lie to you, I was really there to accompany Jimin” maybe it's best not to specify the plan that brought you there that night.

But the boy continues to shake his head, at times in despair, “I never thought you had lied to me or anything...” he raises his eyes to you fearfully, “I was just... disappointed, your knight for the evening had returned and my company therefore no longer needed, that's it, I was disappointed and envious,” he chuckles exasperatedly, most likely at himself.

You feel the same pleasant grip on your heart as a smile makes its way across your features. Should you tell him?

Maybe it's not such a bad idea after all, you would have loved him even in case of rejection, he seems like a really good person.

“I'd like to tell you a secret...” you start by saying and immediately come back with a straight back, in his eyes you can glimpse ill-concealed curiosity, “I too felt disappointed... my real knight left that night, leaving me with one of his underlings,” you sigh sadly.

“That knight may have felt he was in over his head in that situation,” he says embarrassed, but you shake your head.

“He shouldn't have left me there, it's his duty to make sure I'm okay!” you don't know where all that courage came from, you just feel it's the right thing to do.

He tilts his head to the side, biting his lower lip with what you identify as a canine, the soft scarlet skin drooping under his pressure, but not tearing. Images and thoughts of what he could have done to you with those luscious lips of his leap into your head, adding to all the erotic dreams you've had over the past few nights, they always knocked treacherously, but you let them in willingly.

“Even this knight has a secret to confess” he leans toward you, enough to breathe your own air just inches away, you remain in awe of his deep irises, where you catch a vermilion flash, “Wasn't the moon beautiful that night” you begin to cough because of your own saliva, you didn't expect such a statement, not from someone like him toward someone like you. You beautiful? Is he really saying that? The darkness must have been to blame, the moon cannot be darkened by a mere human, he must have seen wrong.

But wait… vampires see in the dark as nocturnal predators, don't they?

A grin from him surprises you and you also understand the motivation behind it, after all, the rush of excitement your body undergoes is not ignorable. Now you also have confirmation that vampires perfectly sense a person's emotional and physical changes.

You try to compose yourself, bringing a lock of your hair behind your ear, he remains firm in his position.

“I like you, I've done nothing but think about you, do I have a chance?” his bluntness amazes you in no small part, he is showing much more courage than any other man who would have gone around us instead.

You swallow, not knowing what exactly to answer, so you try with resolving one of your doubts, “Y-You know I'm human, right?”

It seems a silly thing to ask, but it's very important to you that he knows what he's getting into, you two have different rhythms and abilities, you don't want him to feel stuck in a relationship too different from the ones he was used to with women of his own kind.

But his eyes soften, you feel you can also calm down.

“Of course, I knew right away...the sound of your heart beating is something I couldn't give up, your skin is warm and it warms mine,” he takes your hand between his, the ice falling to the ground from your shock. Doesn't he care about that? “Can we at least try?”

In that instant you realize that you cannot give up on him so easily, you nod contentedly as your eyes glaze over, incredulous that such a thing could have happened to you.

From that moment you continued to go out every day, especially at night hours, as he wrote in his profile on Vampire's Kiss, he loves to take walks under the dark sky and he also took his dog, Bam, with him from time to time. You, who usually prefer cats, found no difficulty in falling in love with that handsome, hyperactive dog, so similar to his daddy in both physique and character.

You and Jungkook are now hand in hand at the seashore, neither of you speaking, simply listening to the sound of the waves calmly crashing on the shoreline.

You see him lying comfortably on the sand, heedless of the grains that go to hide in every fold of his comfortable clothes, without much thought you follow his example.

It is nice to gaze at the stars like that, but turning your head in his direction you find yourself thinking that the best show is there by your side.

Unlike you, he has never looked away from you, you have literally found the boy of your dreams, “What is it?” you ask with a laugh in your voice, he doesn't answer right away, settling on his side.

“I feel a little confused,” he replies, frowning a little worriedly.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean I love this beach at night, but the only thing I can think about is you next to me, it's a little confusing to me, now whenever I come here without you, I'm sure I'll be thinking about you nonstop.”

You watch his face engulfed in darkness, yet you can make out the brightness of his eyes; he is a nocturnal predator, you lift yourself up on one arm to get a better look at him.

“Who says you'll come back here without me?”

He inhales sharply, “Don't say such things, don't make promises you can't keep, baby,” he hisses an inch from your face, he has never called you that. Sometimes you forget that he is an adult vampire, much older than you. You like being called that by him, with Jimin it's a game... with Jungkook it's something more intimate.

"Why, Jungkook... Have I been giving you a lot to think about these days?” you are literally talking on his lips, clenching a fistful of sand tightly, the urge to kiss him is becoming more and more pressing, but he shakes his head, pulling away suddenly.

“You always make me think a lot of things, but no ... you don't have anything to do with it, it's just that all my relationships have ended one way,” he laughs without humor, “That is, with a broken heart, mine. It's funny coming from a vampire who doesn't have a heart, isn't it? Or at least, not as alive as you humans',” he explains with a look up at the sky. No, you can't believe it, it's impossible that there is someone who can leave such a boy.

"Are you so convinced that this will also apply with me? If that's really the case, then why have we come to this point?” if he believes it will end badly, why the hell did he invite you on all these dates?

He shrugs, “I've never dated a human girl, I look good with you! I would never say otherwise, but...."

Sighing, “You're afraid,” you finish for him, “But you know what? I have never dated a vampire guy, yet I want to give myself and him a chance, even if it ends badly, with him now I want to think it will be okay."

Silence falls between you, you return with your back to the sand, unsure of what just happened.

Perhaps you have both gone too far in such a short time? Oh... maybe he wants more space for himself, that's why he talked about going to the beach alone, your lips begin to tremble.

“Jungkook... maybe I'd better go home,” you murmur, rising slightly again in search of your bag and shoes, but a hand on your arm stops you instantly.

"What? Why?” he stares at you like a lost puppy, unable to understand your intentions.

“Maybe I rushed you too much, I'm sorry,” you try to wriggle your arm still in his grip, but all you get from it is an imprecation from him that makes your eyes go wide, he has never cursed in front of you, and before you can say anything to him you see his figure descend entirely on you, just like the vampires in the old movies, with only one difference, at that moment he is not interested in your blood.

His moist lips make contact with yours without hesitation, you accept them willingly using your free arm to anchor yourself to his blemish-free neck, you close your eyelids inhaling his wonderful scent, crushing his weight on you as if your very life depended on it, he lets you do it by filling your lips with numerous small kisses in the mold, your heart threatens to melt under all that tenderness and you note with happiness the softness of his lips that taste like cherries, not resisting you lightly grasp a flap of his lower lip between your teeth, savoring it on your tongue.

His shoulders shake and he releases your arm from his grip so you can sink a hand into your hair, this encourages you to do the same with his, enjoying his little moan. Jungkook with an extra bit of resourcefulness deepens the kiss, tapping his tongue against the seam of your lips, which you open willingly to his passage.

You kiss him as you've never kissed in your life, in your chest a soft warmth pushes to bring you to accept him in his entirety, your eyes moisten from that almost suffocating instinct, it has an effect on you that you can't even imagine. It scares you a little, but that is bearable if it means keeping his taste alive on your lips.

He separates from you slowly, “I've been dying to do this,” he whispers an inch from your noses, you take a big breath.

“So it's okay?” you whisper, you don't want barriers between you two, it's hard enough to accept the fact that you are not yet an actual couple.

He brings his head to your chest, resting his ear exactly over your beating heart, then nods.

“I think I've lost hope, every woman I've had wanted different things from me, mainly money and sex, then there were the ones who wanted to own me in everything... I've just come to a dead end after all these years, it's not easy for me to open up now.”

Gently you stroke those locks from which only a sweet floral scent comes, “Jimin said you never attend parties like that.”

“It's not easy for me to stand by and watch couples who are doing much better than me,”he look up with huge eyes, almost as if you want to express something very obvious, “I'm a very envious guy, you know?” you burst out laughing, sounding like a child, and lean slightly toward him to print a tender kiss on the tip of his nose.

He looks surprised and awkward for a moment, then returns to hide his expression.

“I'm talking seriously, and you go and do things like that,” he mumbles, shrugging.

“You're so cute,” you whine, he lets out a grunt.

“A little human talking like that to a vampire much older than she is.”

A question mark the size of a house makes room in your mind, “I've been wondering this for a while... how old are you?”

You hear him smiling at you.

“S.e.c.r.e.t,” he punctuates nicely, before lifting himself up on his arms and planting another soft kiss on you, “I'll tell you my age, if we're good together.”

You arch an eyebrow, “On Vampire's Kiss you wrote twenty-five, so I already know how old you are,” you say in an offended tone.

He shakes his head, “Twenty-five years I've been living in Seoul, baby.... We vampires tend to fake our age so as not to scare you humans."

Oh dear. He always has an answer for everything!

“All right, how long would you be willing to make me wait?” he clearly pretends to think about it, his expression too theatrical, but you let him. You find that side of him really adorable and would never try to change it in any way.

“A hundred days, a hundred days and you'll know who you've decided to spend your life with,” he chuckles, wrinkling his nose, nodding in agreement.

“A hundred days.”

You both don't know each other very well yet, but already hearing him say such a sentence sent your heart to heaven, and the butterflies in your stomach to a valley in bloom.

How much more can you like Jeon Jungkook?

[brainrotarchive]

@wolfstarmicrofic • day 20 lovesick • 315 words

“Prongs, I need you,” suddenly James was pulled into one of the secret passageways. His best friend looked horrified.

“I was poisoned,” Sirius whispered, eyes nervously twitching towards the entrance. Before James could continue to ask what happened or even had the time to raise an eyebrow, Sirius continued.

“That Hufflepuff girl Martha poisoned me with a friendship potion. It’s like a parasite in my brain, I can’t stop thinking about her. It’s like I want her to know me, fully know all of me and it makes me sick. And she’s very pretty all of the sudden and something is wrong!”

“Friendship potion? I never heard of anything like that. I could ask Lily but are you sure it’s not amortentia? Or maybe you just like her?”

“No, it’s not romantic or something. Totally a friendship thing. It’s like I want to spend all my time with her and protect her from all the hurt in the world and she just happens to be fit, you know?”

“So you don’t want to shag her?” he now took the opportunity and raised an eyebrow.

“No, yes! Maybe. If she asked nicely why not. As a friend”

“So you want to shag me and Wormy, too? We are all friends!” James couldn’t help but chuckle.

“No! No offense. We’re like brothers that would just be weird. I just mean a friend like,” he paused to think, “ a friend like Moony, you know. He’s obviously handsome and everybody would be lucky to sleep with him but he’s also my best friend and I would do everything for him. Everyday is just better when he is around and I miss him when we are not in the same room. A friend like that.”

James realized there was no need to ask Lily about a ‘friendship potion’ and that his best friend was even dumber than he had thought.

[theoneandonlysemla]

Thank you for the tag @skyrim-forever and @hircines-hunter

This week Sujamma wants to hear all about your big ideas. What’s a new story idea or OC idea you have? Maybe you haven’t fleshed it out yet - this is a great opportunity!

Tagging: @dirty-bosmer @ladytanithia @labskeever @moriche @heavy-metal-dick @vanilleeistee @sheirukitriesfandom

Honestly, I had to think about this for a while and discuss the ideas floating in my head with my dearest @skyrim-forever. I guess all my ideas are going in here now :P Be aware of spoilers for my works!

#1: The connection between Dealings with Daedra and A Taste of Death

If I remember correctly, I did already speak about how I'm interconnecting my main Elder Scrolls fics with each to build up the "Nevri literary universe". The storys of A Tale of Hunt are already established as canon events in Dealings with Daedra: The Curse of Molag Bal with Faralda making some vague comments about Ancano (and their beef being obvious), Nevri stabbing Ancano leading to the entire plot of "One Last Time" and Morotar making comments about Ancano getting laid and that saving Nevri's ass from him and the wrath of the Thalmor.

So, how will I incorporate poor Ria into the fic? Well, the main point of Nevri's journey in TCOMB is her affliction that she can not die. Through some hints Morotar and her get the suspicion, that the key to this mystery might have to do with necromancy. They hear about a haunted fort near Falkreath and choose to investigate, where they find a certain bosmer gnawing on the bones of some dude. Of course, this is Ria and poor girly first things her saviour (Mannimarco, the asshead mer that put her into her misery) has at last returned (only took him like a thousand years or so) when she sees Morotar. Because my cunty boy has a striking resemblance to his great-great-granddaddy, the King of Worms. After all they do learn that Ria has a comparable affliction as Nevri (well, Nevri did not get murdered by a horny necromancer tho) and decide that it would be a great idea to contact Wormi Mc Wormboi. Will this really be a great idea? Hmmmm... Dunno, but it will not be that amusing for poor Ria. No worries, she'll get her happy end after all that bullshit.

#2: More Ancano and Faralda smut

Okay, so I'm totally overdue with writing about these two, but I have worms in my brain and that is a totally valid excuse, I guess. Anyway, I've been thinking of their ride back to the college after the events of "Crawl, dear". Ancano will be a self-pitying idiot and for a moment Faralda will be weak and give him this pity. They may fuck in a carriage and perhaps it will be a little fluffy! <3 Oh and looking at my notes, she will be a little too friendly as he will slip an "I love you". But don't worry, he'll earn a slap for that because we all know that he does not know what love is!

#3: Chants for Ereshkigal

And there is this other idea of Faralda being an absolute menace and faking a pregnancy to see where it goes (yes, he turned her into a psychopath and it is all his fault!)

He'd be appaled at first but then be like "omg status symbol child?!" (and that he has a claim on her when she birthes her child). He also can boast about a child he has, send it to the best schools and have it play 10 instruments yada yada yada. And then she drops the lie, he's devastated and just to crush him a little more, she tells him that at the slightest suspicion of her carrying his child, she'd yeet it out immediatly, lol.

Totally different from Elder Scrolls and yet still connected with it, is my original work that I started writing in 2021 and had on hiatus for two years now. It is a fantasy novel with a world based on Mesopotamia and focusses on the themes of religious surpression. The story follows Barah, a seamstress in her mid-twenties that had the misfortune of getting sold out for her blasphemous statements. At the same time, a goddess has appeared in the temples and all of the towns people pay homage to her. Barah is brought before the goddess to apologise for her blasphemy and to be "cured" from it, but the goddess sees something in her and orders that she should be her personal servant. With that, she gains access to the royal palast and further problems begin, especially with one of the mistrusting advisors to the king.

Currently, I'm overthinking this entire thing and consider taking the world into a more fantasy direction, making the high society into elves that wield magic or something and add some class division. Not sure yet, will have to sit down and overthink some more.

Not snippets here, because all of it is in German; maybe some day because I'm also considering a re-write in English because I'm crazy like that.

[accio-sriracha]

Wolfstar and Markers.

~~~♤~~~

Sirius likes to draw on his friends.

It's just something he does when he's bored in class.

He writes Property of Sirius on each of them. Sometimes abreviating it to P.O.S. for the double meaning.

He draws little cupcakes and pieces of cheese on Peter's hand.

He loves to draw golden snitches and broomsitcks across James' thigh during the summer, charming them to fly around.

But, rather ironically, it was Remus who usually sat next to him.

It was an exceptionally boring day in history of magic class, they were all waiting for the lesson to end as Professor Binns droned on about the Great Goblin War.

Sirius pulled the marker out of his bag, grabbing Remus' arm without waiting for permission.

Despite pretending to be annoyed each time, Remus stayed carefully still.

A little too still.

He literally spent a good portion of the time Sirius was drawing on him not breathing.

It was secretly his favorite part of the day.

He loved the feeling of Sirius' fingers skating across his skin.

He loved watching his concentrated expression from the corner of his eyes.

He loved the way Sirius took his time, careful not to mess it up.

How Sirius always told him he wasn't allowed to wash it off.

He never did, keeping it until the end of the day.

He pretended to hate it but each time he felt himself falling a little deeper in love with his best friend.

Sirius moved on from drawing moons and stars to drawing hearts at some point during their fifth year.

It was literally all he would ever draw on Remus now.

He kept the same drawings on the others, quidditch themed for Prongs and various snacks for Wormy.

But always hearts on Remus.

Remus couldn't figure out why, but the tiny detail made his own heart flutter faster every time.

He wondered what caused the switch, wondered if it was as significant as he was making it out to be in his head.

One day, while Sirius was doodling on Remus' hand, James asked him,

"Why the hearts, mate?"

It was pure bored curiosity, there wasn't any real interest in his eyes when he said it.

But Sirius looked up, and his answer made Remus' entire brain malfunction.

"I'm waiting for Remus to ask me to be his boyfriend. This is about as obvious as I can get before I decide to ask him myself."

And then he just-

Went back to his doodling.

As if nothing even happened.

As if that wasn't the single most earthshattering thing Remus had ever heard in his life.

As if that wasn't something Remus had been dreaming of doing for years.

Remus could feel the shock on his face.

He could tell he wasn't doing a very good job of hiding any of the emotions swirling through him.

Did Sirius know then? This whole time had he secretly known how much Remus enjoyed their little moments together?

"Moons?" Sirius whispered.

Remus hadn't realised how long it had been since they stopped talking.

Sirius was staring at him, a small flicker of uncertainty passed over him, like he was realising there was a possibility he was wrong,

"You okay?" He asked.

"Can you hand me that marker?" Remus replied instead.

Sirius' eyes went wide for a fraction of a second before he nodded, passing it to Remus.

Remus reached out for Sirius' hand, Sirius gave it to him without hesitation.

He drew a single shaky heart, adrenaline pumping through him.

"Yes." He whispered, "I do want to be your boyfriend."

And that was it.

They've been together ever since.

Sirius loves to tell people the story of how they fell in love.

He always pays specific attention to the part where Remus sat shocked into stillness for fifteen minutes before Sirius finally asked if he was okay.

Remus proposed around Christmas, they were gathered at the Potter's home, watching baby Harry stumble around as he tried to walk.

Sirius and Remus were sitting on the sofa, Peter sat on the ground, holding his arms out for Harry, and Lily and James stood by the kitchen, watching them all with a smile.

Remus had told the others his plan already and they thought it was amazing.

"Hey Pads?" He whispered, kissing the top of his head.

Sirius hummed and leaned in closer to him.

"Can you go grab me a marker? I think I saw one on the counter earlier."

Sirius paused and leaned away, giving him a curious look, "A marker?" He repeated. Remus nodded,

"Yeah, I think it was in the kitchen."

Sirius shrugged and stood up, walking over to the counter to find the black sharpie Remus had placed there earlier.

He sat back down, passing it over, "What's this for?"

"Give me your hand." Remus whispered.

The others went silent, watching them quietly.

Remus could feel adrenaline shooting through him, just like the last time he'd done this.

He carefully drew a heart on Sirius' hand, big enough to reach from one side to the other.

Sirius smiled, "I didn't think you still remembered. It's been years since I've talked about that."

Remus nodded quietly, lifting his hand up so Sirius couldn't see what he was writing.

Sirius watched him, impatiently waiting until Remus let him see.

Inside the heart was now four words, written in Remus' neat cursive,

"Will you marry me?"

Sirius looked up so suddenly it caught Remus by surprise.

He threw his arms around him, burying his face into his shoulder,

"Yes." He breathed, "Of course I want to marry you, Moons."

They kissed, teary eyed and holding each other close.

The others ran to them immediatley, pulling them into hugs and shouting congratulations.

Sirius told that story for an even longer amount of time.

If you look carefully enough, you'll still find a black marker in every room of their home.

Every note they leave for each other are always signed by these, and always with a small heart at the bottom in place of a signature.

Sirius still draws little hearts on him when he's bored sometimes.

And it's still Remus' favorite part of his day.

~~~♤~~~

[onegianthotmess]

I’ve had a scenario in my head about Floyd telling his mom when Jade and Rayne start a relationship and it’s honestly hilarious to me.

Jade and Floyd’s parents are likely a bit unhinged because, well, just look at their sons. They’re also definitely mama’s boys because they’re in constant contact with their mother and I’ve heard that they often talk about her, too. I imagine that Mama Leech is a concerned mother who loves her unhinged sons and will commit mass homicide if they get a single scratch anywhere, even if it’s from them being stupid or something-

So, when Floyd finds out that Jade has been quietly dating Rayne for a few months (he just wanted to keep his pearl to himself, okay-) Floyd immediately is like “Oh, I gotta gossip to Ma about this!!!” and very quickly begins contacting his and Jade’s mother.

And it goes something like this (idfk if they have phones in the Coral Sea, but this is the best way I could communicate what’s in my head-):

Floyd: Mama!

Mama Leech: Hello, Floyd! How have you been? Are you okay? Is your brother okay? Why are you calling?

Floyd: Mama, I’ve got some fun news about Jade that you’re gonna love!

Mama Leech: Well, what is it? You know I’m not patient, dear.

Floyd: Jade has found himself a cute little goldfishie for a mate!

Mama Leech: Are you talking about a goldfish mer, Floyd?

Floyd: No, Ma! I’m talking about one of the two goldfishies I told ya about! The girl with the red hair!

Mama Leech: Oh, the shy one who’s almost fully blind in one eye?

Floyd: Yep! That’s the one!

Mama Leech: This is wonderful news! How long have they been together?

Floyd: Well, I just found out, but I think they’ve been dating for a few months? Maybe five at the most?

Mama Leech: Jade is serious about a relationship and he hasn’t even told me he was considering one?!

Floyd: That’s how I felt! Honestly, ya’d think he’d trust his own brother-

Mama Leech: Floydie, sweetie, I love you very much and you know I’d kill millions for you and your brother, but not even I fully trust you. You aren’t even telling me this with Jade’s knowledge or approval, are you?

Floyd: Ya caught me red-handed, Mama! No, I’m not!

Mama Leech: Well, I understand why he wouldn’t trust you, but why in the Coral Sea would he not trust me? By the Sea Witch, I’m his mother!

Floyd: Maybe you should call him and give him a piece of your mind, Ma? There’s no use in giving his scolding to me or Pops or anyone else.

Mama Leech: Oh, I’m going to do just that! I’m going to go tear your brother’s ear off! Goodbye, Floydie, I love you!

Floyd: Bye-bye, Mama! Say “hi” to Pops for me, okay?

Mama Leech: I will, dear!

Mama Leech: *hangs up*

Floyd: I might get my ass handed to me later, but the show’ll be SO WORTH IT!

And after that, Jade gets a scolding from his mother about not telling him about his cute little goldfishie girlfriend while he’s on a date with Rayne-

So Rayne is just there, listening to her boyfriend’s mother scold him about not telling her about his relationship and how she wants to meet the cute girl that managed to catch his attention so easily and how Jade has to bring her home during the next break so she can meet her and see her for herself.

That’s as far as my wormy brain thought, but you can finish the rest with your lovely little imaginations!!!

[inthefightgarden]

so umm i just finished mother of learning in like 5 days, and my brain is now full of wriggling squiggling worms. i'm also just starting a re-read with the audiobook and it is already giving me even more questions and ideas! so here i am to share my wormy burden ^_^

anyway, here's something chapter 1 started me thinking about...

do you think zorian's mother knows about their bloodline? (also her name is cikan. i had to look it up, so saying it here incase anyone else needed reminding)

we know that cikan really hated being associated with zorian's grandmother, but she was still immersed in witch culture at least somewhat in her home life. we don't really know how old she was when she first started to reject those practices, so it's hard to judge how much she would have learned before she went out of her way to avoid it, and we also just don't have enough context about the witches' traditions for raising their kids to make guesses about her knowlege level.

we do see later on in the series (what comes to mind is the confrontation in koth) that cikan doesn't have much knowlege about magic as zorian knows it (eg. what you can expect from certain spells used for travel), but given that the witches are an separate spellcasting tradition from the ikosians that doesn't necessarily tell us loads about what she might have picked up from her mother.

also, knowing you have a bloodline is pretty important information to have, so even with the antagonism you'd think zorian's grandmother would've at least made sure cikan knew about that... if SHE knew, anyway, cause that's also not something we can really take for granted is it? there are a few ways i can picture it being

option 1. most of what we see in the series is not typical from an empathy bloodline. archmage zorian is an outlier and should not be counted. and even daimen, the more "normal" natural mind mage is still a whole magical prodigy, which isn't exactly baseline for most people with empathy either. so yeah... zorian's grandmother may not have known that she had a empathy in her family in the first place.

option 2. we do hear (i don't remember when or who from. maybe one of the teachers? was it ilsa? idk) that empathy is a pretty common form of natural magical ability, and it's kind of a mild plot twist that it's a bloodline thing if i remember correctly. so even if zorian's grandmother knew about an empath in her family history she might not have known that meant it could pass down.

option 3. part of the reason in world that empathy isn't usually thought of as a bloodline thing (again, if i'm remembering right) is because it's so comparatively common, so it's entirely possible that empathy bloodlines (and possibly to a lesser extent bloodlines in general) are just quite common for witches to the extent that it's not really something that needs to be said explicitly, or at least wouldn't have been if cikan hadn't done so much to assimilate with the dominant culture and distance herself from witch tradition and knowlege

BUT, those options are thinking about the reasons cikan might NOT know about their bloodline... so again, does she know? even if she doesn't think of it as a bloodline she might be aware that her family has a history of empathy. so now for some thoughts on what the situation might be if she IS aware of the family history.

(note. i'm pretty damn sure cikan herself isn't an empath. zorian would be able to tell if she was "open", and she just doesn't have that understanding of how other people feel. but if you think otherwise, or just want to think about a "what if", i'd love to hear about it ^-^)

(oh and same goes for kiri and fortov)

cikan might know that there's a family history, but not really know what that means in practise. as i mentioned earlier she doesn't seem very knowlegable on magic, so she might not have any clue about the signs and how it typically presents.

she also might be in denial about the possibility that her kids inherited something like that from her, given what we've seen of how she thinks about her heritage. or she might have focused any concern about the possibility onto kirielle, who seems to be where much of her trauma goes, and not considered that the boys might get it. especially considering the witches' beliefs about sex and magical lineage.

but she also might know or suspect that zorian and/or daimen is an empath. which if nothing else is certainly the option with the most potential drama.

personally, i doubt she knows that daimen is an empath. he put a lot of work into hiding it, and i feel like it would probably affect how he sees him. given how much baggage she has about her witch heritage i just can't see that knowlege not somewhat tainting her golden boy, you know? like i know she's fine with him being a mage and really proud of his prodigy status, but i just can't envision her seeing empathy the same way, and i think it would come through in a slightly colder attitude to daimen. especially given the cultural stigma against mind magic when she's worked so hard to become socially acceptable.

but i'm just not sure whether she knows about zorian or not! on the one hand i could totally see her just being oblivious, in denial, not having the right context, whatever, but I can also kind of see the way she treats him (specifically in relation to him socialising and stuff), through the lense of knowing he's an empath.

like he straight up told her as a child that crowds caused him physical pain. he had tp stop going to church because it made him actually pass out! that is some pretty intense stuff to just ignore... we're never told that he saw a doctor or anything about this via his parents (as far as i remember, please let me know if i'm missimg something!) so did she have some idea about what was going on or was it just plain neglect?

and if she did have some understanding of the situation, how did that affect her behaviour? did she think if she ignored it he'd just adjust and never find out? did she just not want it to be associated with her family history if/when he did find out? did she think that if she forced him into triggering situations he'd eventually realise? or that he'd learn to control it subconciously? or did it just not matter how he felt as long as he was still functional when it came to his political use? did she hide it more out of personal shame, or a legitimate conviction that she was protecting him like with kiri?

like i said, i'm not sure what my headcannon is, but the topic fascinates me. as you can probably tell from how long and rambly this got. sorry ^_^'

but yeah, i'd love to hear what other people think!