#but believing they are two different species altogether

[cto10121]

Not anti fans saying they finally understand Bella’s (romantic) appeal to Edward in Midnight Sun…when it was also obvious in the original Twilight.

I think a lot of people really struggle with the fact that Bella is a bit of an unreliable narrator with regards to herself, due largely to her major self-esteem issues. Also, she is not in the happiest of moods re: her hatred of Forks. But even beneath her self-deprecation you see her selflessness and her consideration of others. The very first thing she does in the books is to sacrifice her life in Phoenix for Forks so that her mother could be happy with her new husband. She cooks and cleans for Charlie without prompting and lowkey considers Renée as a kind of daughter from years of having to be the mature one—and thinks nothing of it. She diverts conversation away from Angela when Jessica starts to grill her on the type of guys she likes. She encourages Mike/Jessica, making them sit together in the van. She enjoys her time at Port Angeles with Angela and Jessica and helps them find dresses, perfectly content in her auxiliary role. She is diplomatic in her rejection of her three suitors. And then there is the fact that she demands answers from Edward, sees through his lies, notices his vampiric qualities, but also keeps his secrets and is not afraid of the vampiric side of him (as we all know). She is very perceptive; hence how she solves his mystery in virtually no time at all with just a tiny bit of sleuthing.

All of this is downplayed because Bella doesn’t like to boast about herself or even attract attention to herself. Not in Edward’s POV, though. Since he is fascinated with her, he picks up on all these qualities and focuses on them. We get the full, truer picture of Bella’s personality without her self-deprecating narration, and many of her graces in Twilight are highlighted and reinforced in Midnight Sun. And this time we go into detail on Bella’s likes and dislikes, past the cursory summary in Twilight, because Edward is interested in all that. Bella’s humor also comes across more in MS, since Edward finds her funny—both intentionally and not.

Because that’s how first person narration should work. You get the full internal sense of a character, but also their biases and blind spots as well. Just as Bella’s narration is wholly focused on Edward and other people and her own appeal is diminished and backgrounded, Edward’s narration is focused on Bella and other people and his own appeal is diminished and backgrounded. When both have evidence of each other’s attraction to them, they both try to justify it, sometimes correctly, but always with psychic discomfort. The smart reader was supposed to pick up on the subtext in the original book…a subtext that is then made explicit text in the companion novel.

[harmonysanreads]

Yan Sunday’s darling looking him straight in the eye and biting into the halovian burger.

It is a threat.

“Sunday, look here for a second.” the Oak Family Head nearly failed to win the wrestle against the maelstrom of noises clamoring around the Golden Hour and distinguish your call from them. It was not his honed senses that provided the sole aid this time, rather, it was the syrupy lilt that dripped from your words and rendered him momentarily off-guard.

That is a weakness he'd like to believe he no longer surrenders to, while it is true he unquestionably would have if one was to focus on an earlier point of his life, Sunday would prefer to believe his tastes have since matured and his restraint has hardened. Indeed, Sunday is no more defeated by sugary pastries and cream-filled buns — where he crumbles to incorrigible pieces inside are moments like this, before a different species of sweetness. That, is another discovery altogether.

While he's left to collect and fix the bits back into rational human behavior, you revel in his predicament, as you do every time he lets slip an extra scrap of leniency. You don't hesitate to praise him for his cruelty, but he's always suspected you to be the sadist. A devil, a siren, an apparition that'll curse him to smithereens — there's no end to your list of virtues. It's not that he complains, that would be hypocritical as he's both the causation and correlation to your spirited schemes.

It's one of those burgers, but Sunday has always cherished a belief of it being the failed offspring between a donut and a burger instead. He's seen them his whole life (not that he's ever indulged in one of them) which is why the apparent normalcy of its appearance didn't ring any alarm bells in his head initially. One look into your pointed stare tells him that you have a purpose, but his attention is instead riveted to the movements of your lips.

You start by taking a bite out of the bread coated in cream, smearing your lips with the delicacy in the process before clumsily licking the cream with a swipe of your tongue ; Sunday stands frozen, thoroughly perplexed. Then, you lean towards the middle section occupied by two wing-like shapes, checking once to confirm that he was still watching before sinking your teeth into one of them.

... Oh.

It takes every atom of his body and every bit of his soul to continue playing statue, to not let anything more than a strangled breath escape and allow your face to be painted in the colors of smug satisfaction for months to come. Knowing you, he doubts you're ignorant to the fact that this time you've really hit a spot. So he stands there like a sculpture of disbelief, watching you finish the cursed burger for five whole minutes as vehicles fly past and by-standers cast questioning looks at the mute spectacle. By the time you're sated, he feels as though he's aged ten years.

“Mr. Sunday will pay for it, thank you!” you chirp at the confused shop keeper.

Just when he thinks his misery is over, you pull your ace ; licking clean the residual taste of the burger from your fingers, knowing painstakingly well how much he dislikes it. This level of audacity short-circuits Sunday's brain and he's unable to do anything but replay the image of a stray sprinkle still clinging to one corner of your lips as you skip away in search of more ways to torture him senseless.

[sukunasweetheart]

to satiate, seduce, and to sin.

HEED THE WARNINGS; fem!reader, half human(?) and half snake sukuna, its highkey yandere, mentions of eating people, DUBCON elements, dacryphilia, degradation, HEAVY smut, breeding, cum inflation, use of threats, squeezing/constricting, brainwashing, manipulation, body modification, trueform sukuna (two dicks), mentions of pregnancy and lactation.

Word count: 5k+

sorry guys, i kind of went all out with this one...

you are a researcher, and you’re looking for a rare specimen that most have assumed has disappeared or simply never existed in the first place. but recently, a few traces of activity from one has arisen, and you’re on the case to try and find him before he vanishes without a trace again. unfortunately for you, you decided to embark on this journey during the heat of his mating season... which leads you to making an interesting deal with him.

snake hybrids are and always has been extremely rare as a species - you’ve only seen them in books and blurry images. the information obtained on them - diet, habitat, behaviour - are also mostly just speculations. how they reproduce is shrouded in mystery. despite being half snake, they are much, much biologically different from actual snakes. many believe they are just a fabricated species.

you however, are confident that they are real, and that they’re still around somewhere. pursuing your passion for them, you’ve started another one of your many solo expeditions in search of any clues, or hopefully, one of them in the flesh.

and in this current one, you’ve seemed to hit a jackpot. you’ve been following this enormous snake trail for hours now. you’re really close to finding him, you’re certain.

after another hour or so of walking, a large cave can be sighted a good distance away, to your excitement. you tread carefully through the dirt, dead leaves and tree bark on the ground, making your way towards it.

standing at the entrance to the cave, you hesitate for a moment, heart thumping wildly. you’re so close. this could be a groundbreaking discovery, or it could be another false lead. you’re unable to see the other end of the cave at all, due to how ominously pitch black it is inside. good thing you brought a flashlight with you.

you put your backpack onto the ground and take it out, turning it on and off a couple of times to make sure that it was working. good as new. putting your backpack on again, you take in a deep breath before beginning to carefully make your way inside.

it’s awfully quiet. that’s usually a bad sign.

and if it weren’t for your flashlight, you would’ve needed a lot of time to let your eyes adjust to this darkness, as there’s little to no light that reaches into this cave. your footsteps echo against the walls, the noise bouncing off and heading down further, catching the attention of something lurking within the deepest end of this cave.

“hello?” you say boldly, letting your voice ring out, reaching out to whatever might be sitting in the dark before you. no answer.

you continue your walk, pointing your light towards the walls occasionally, and then the path in front of you to make sure you didn’t trip over anything. with every step, you start to feel more afraid. what if there’s nothing here? what if this whole trip and the expenses and the time you spent was all for naught? the thought of going back empty handed makes your stomach sink.

you halt altogether when your light falls upon something on the ground. a small creature...? no... it looks like...

the end of a large snake’s tail. 

in the blink of an eye, something wraps around your whole body tightly, rendering you completely immobile. your eyes widen and a frightened yelp escapes your throat, but you’re still holding on tight to your flashlight. a deep voice resounds in your ears, a voice that sounds so human.

“look at what’s wandered aimlessly into my den. a free meal. did you come in hopes to get devoured?”

you do your best to point your flashlight towards the source of the voice.

a man that has his arms crossed... looking closer, he has an extra pair that rests at his sides. a large mouth on his stomach. and from his waist down, he has the body of a snake. he stares down at you, amused. his giant tail coils tighter around you, noticeably more around the swell of your chest.

“...and a woman, no less. what do you want?”

your eyes continue to wander around his features, taking note of everything that stands out to you. glowing red eyes-- and just like his extra arms, he has extra eyes too! they’re a lot smaller than his main ones, however. oh, you’re so curious and ecstatic. so many extra features nobody had thought this hybrid would have.

“answer my question, vermin. who do you think you’re dealing with here? i’ll crush you until you’re choking on your own blood,” he spits harshly, wrapping around you tightly. you’ve come at a bad time. 

he’s in a rather sensitive mood right now, being so...pent up.

“i-i apologise... i’m a researcher. i’ve come this way to look for you,” you begin to speak carefully. “i wanted to prove your existence to the world. and it’s been a long while... but i’m finally here.”

he lets out an exasperated sigh. what a pathetic, insignificant goal you have. humans really love treading into places where they don’t belong, following their foolish curiosity, like a dog being lead around by its nose.

“i wanted an opportunity to observe you, if i may. just write some notes down... and a couple of pictures. would that be alright? please? it won’t take long at all.”

your eyes begin to wander again, being out of your control as you instinctively end up doing so, as if to prove sukuna right about your kind.

the scales of his tail... they have a very unique pattern to them, being adorned with beautiful shades of red and black. similar patterns run down his face and upper body as well. you’re itching to give him a sketch in your notebook. without thinking, you wriggle your arm out from his grasp and run your hand along them.

“ah... so magnificent. it feels exactly the same as a normal snake’s. i want to know more,” you mumble to yourself, loving the texture that runs underneath your fingers and palms. it makes him give a slight jolt, giving you a startle as you instantly take your hands off of him.

“i’m sorry! did that hurt? or...”

he narrows his eyes at you, staring into your innocent gaze as you blink back at him. a pleasant idea rises in his mind. his expression shifts into a gentler one, all too suddenly, as his tail loosens around you.

“...very well, then. i’ll let you observe me,” he relents, looking down at you with mischievous eyes.

“in exchange,” he very obviously gazes upon your physique lustfully, “your body is mine to use.”

being a rare species, its been a while since he’d had someone to breed with in the recent years. especially during mating seasons- it’s been frustrating, to say the least. he never thought he’d become so desperate as to resort to use a human for satisfaction, but he’ll take what he can get.

“huh?? i- well-” you begin to say, flustered by the sudden demand. your thoughts start racing, wondering if you were misunderstanding him, by any chance.

“do you mean...” 

“yes. i’m going to mate with you. although, humans can’t get pregnant from my seed. so there’s no need to be concerned about offspring.”

he says it so matter-of-factly that it startles you. you don’t want to know how he found out about that last bit of information... but you mentally jot down some notes about it anyway. so snake hybrids can’t crossbreed with humans despite being relatively similar in appearance... interesting...

you seem lost in thought again and sukuna grows impatient.

“so? what’ll it be?”

you shouldn’t agree to such an outrageous idea. it’s wrong, and... and researchers shouldn’t do such things with the subjects of their studies. and yet-

he notices you squeezing your thighs together, and grins. what an indecent woman. he’s never seen one so willing.

what can you do? you can’t afford to go back without any pieces of evidence. how would you prove your discovery? you fool yourself into thinking that you’re only doing this for the sake of your career.

“...alright. we have a deal,” you tell him meekly. you can also take this chance to find out more in depth information about... his reproductive system. what better way than to experience it yourself? ...you internally smack yourself in the face for that last part.

“where do you want to start?”

“i’d like to have a closer look at your upper body, please.”

his tail shifts to bring you closer to him. you make proper eye contact with him for the first time, and being so close to his face makes your heart thump faster. if you forget about the tail and all... he’s just a handsome looking man.

you grip onto your flashlight tightly. he has pretty eyes, too. you ask for his hand, and see that his nails are dark, and sharp. for someone who’s half-reptile, he feels oddly warm.

“i want to see your teeth next,” you tell him.

“don’t be surprised if i bite,” he responds, before opening up his mouth for you. you hope he’s only joking.

you inspect the inside closely, watching his snake tongue wriggle slightly, and his well-pronounced fangs that gleam as your light hits it. 

“are you venomous?”

“i can be. it depends.”

you ask him a series of questions, pushing your limits to get as much information as possible from him.

“and the mouth on your stomach?”

he brings you down so you can have a look for yourself. this one is much bigger, but pretty much has the same basic features as the first one. fascinating. when you touch the lower lip, he suddenly encloses your hand with his larger mouth. shocked, you gasp and retract your hand quickly, to find out that it is still intact. he chuckles sinisterly above you.

“p-please put me down so i can grab my things.”

he lets you go and you immediately begin taking various items out of your bulky backpack. you place your flashlight down onto the ground facing up, so that the light hits the roof of the cave and illuminates your surroundings a bit. you start off by writing down a few pages of notes.

...was a little hostile during the first interaction...communicates sufficiently in human language... was found resting in a cave...four eyes, and four arms, including an extra mouth on the stomach...

it was pages and pages worth of description, anything off of the top of your head. you’d have to rewrite and tidy it up later. a thought suddenly comes to mind.

“do you have a name?” you ask him.

“a well-asked question. i’ll have you pleading with the name ‘sukuna’ later on, once you’re done with all that,” he tells you arrogantly, watching as you scribble into your little notebook.

...the specimen goes by the name of ‘sukuna’.

next, you grab your polaroid camera and aim its lens towards sukuna.

“there’s gonna be a small flash of light,” you warn him.

“yes, i already know what those things do.”

the last guy that tried to take his pictures without asking first, suffered some nasty consequences. it was all for naught though, because he didn’t taste very good at all.

you take as many pictures as you please, and he patiently remains still as he promised. you take a look at the results and once you’re happy enough, you neatly set them aside and shove everything back into your bag. truth be told, your heart could leap out of your mouth right now, from how intensely it was beating.

you had felt his eyes resting upon you from behind the whole time, feeling the way he was watching your body with his lecherous gaze, undressing you with it. 

“all done?” he voices gently, voice dripping with sweet poison. nothing like the tone he’d used when you first arrived here.

“...yes. are- are we doing it straight away?” it was a stupid question to ask, but you felt the need to say something, anything.

"i might lose myself if i have to wait any longer,” sukuna confesses, slithering closer to you.

“wait! let me just- i’ll get myself undressed.”

you had a feeling that if he did it, he’d simply rip everything off your body. you need something to wear for the trip home. sukuna smirks at you.

“...go on, then. put on a show for me, will you?”

the phrasing flusters you immensely, but you work hard to make your trembling fingers work to unbutton yourself and unhook your bra yourself. your breasts bounce lightly with every movement, and sukuna watches with incredible restraint.

“nothing like watching a meal prepare itself in front of your eyes... it’s a shame you’re only here to satisfy my lust and not my hunger too.”

the thought of it sends a shiver down your spine.

you swallow on nothing as you avoid his eyes, taking your last bit of underwear off. you’re scared, but in a strangely arousing way. have you always been this perverted?

“i-i’m done...” you say with a small voice, instinctively attempting to cover yourself up to maintain some form of decency.

“wonderful. let’s start with a little taste, shall we?” 

sukuna picks you up effortlessly with his arms, and without any stalling, your pussy is pushed up directly against the mouth on his stomach, his hands placed on your ass to support you while you wrap your legs around his waist.

“i’ll need to get your holes nice and loose for me. better it be pleasure than pain, right?”

something wet and warm slithers out and rubs up on your sex.

you nod with gratitude, watching the large tongue in anticipation. your arms loop around the back of his neck, and you’re looking down as he laps at your clit, making you quiver against his strong grip that holds your hips in place.

you timidly moan, immersing yourself in the feeling of this once-in-a-lifetime cunnilingus, of this strange snake’s tongue that rubs up against your sensitive cunt without holding back. it slowly slips its way inside you, making your hips jump in surprise.

“you’re sopping wet. i don’t think i even need to do much for this one,” sukuna comments, enjoying your little reactions. you continue to only stare at the tongue going in and out of your hole. he cocks his head slightly to the side.

“why won’t you face me up here? afraid to meet my eyes?” he voices rather sulkily, lifting your head up by your chin. once you see his lustful expression, something in you throbs without control.

“hah! your hole’s clenching around me so lewdly. it’s being honest, unlike you.”

the focus seeps out from your gaze, and you begin to enjoy yourself.

“yes... you needn’t be so shy. relent yourself to me.”

he pulls your face in closer to his, and kisses you in a feverish manner, shoving his forked tongue into your mouth. you moan pleasantly against his lips, and one of his spare hands claws at your breasts, groping them without mercy.

his bigger tongue slips out of your sopping cunt, and sinks itself into your ass instead. the saliva it secretes does a good job at being a lubricant for it.

your own tongue savours the strange shape and texture of sukuna’s one - lapping up at his lips desperately, like you would to a lover. he likes your eagerness. his own cocks are beginning to throb and unsheathe from the slit on his lower half, unbeknownst to you.

something about you... is quite intriguing. timid and coy as you seem, you’re not hesitating to unmask your true desires; your obsession with his body. even now, you’re sucking on both his tongues with such greed, it’s hard not to be captivated.

when he breaks the kiss, a thick string of saliva still connects the two of you.

“a harlot, you are,” he tells you with a mean grin.

you look at him with teary, vulnerable eyes. the tongue that had been thrusting in and out of your ass slips out, leaving both of your holes twitching for more.

“i suppose you’re all set now,” sukuna tells you. he finally reveals his aching two cocks, twitching with the need for release.

so that’s where they come out from... they don’t look too different from a human’s, besides the ribbed tip-

“you like them? they’ll be sure to grant you a pleasure you’ll never feel from anyone else.”

you begin to brace yourself, your holes clenching around nothing. your chest rises and falls quicker, indicating your excitement.

he lines them up, and pushes them into you, at a steady pace. your body trembles, and sukuna has to keep you in place as you gasp and hold onto him for dear life. he stretches you so mercilessly. you feel him twitching inside you, as he forces his way against your clamping walls.

“haa...so tight. you fit me like a glove, sweetheart,” he pants, the term of endearment slipping out accidentally. perhaps he’s gone without mating for too long. he feels himself getting easily attached.

when he pushes the rest of himself in fully, reaching all the way, both of his cocks fit snugly inside and forms a bulge on your abdomen-- they press up against a certain spot within you and something seems to erupt in your mind. an unexpected orgasm rips through your body without warning.

you let a string of moans as you arch your back, your walls spasming around him as a result of this sudden climax.

if it were his normal self, he would’ve teased you harshly for reaching your high just from putting it in. but his current sensitivity causes him to also fall off the edge.

“f-fuck, if you keep squeezing me like that, i’ll-!”

sukuna grits his teeth, drool running down the side of his lips, as his cocks also begin to release-- giving him an intense orgasm for the first time in years. they pulse strongly inside of you, spilling spurt after spurt of his thick, hot cum, in large amounts.

he shudders against you, being lost in the pleasure, and begins to lift you up and down, using you like a fleshlight even while he’s still orgasming. the feeling of it bubbling up inside you is something obscene, like it should be forbidden to feel this good and drunk with lust, especially at the hands of a devil like this.

you lean forward to kiss him again, wanting to feel his groans against your lips, and needing a taste of his tongue again. he does exactly that for you, as if reading your mind. had you been one of his kind, he would’ve kept you as his permanent mate. he makes out with you for so long that you’re left gasping for air by the end of it.

“tch. i can’t believe i’ve stooped this low, cumming so quickly like a virgin,” he murmurs with half-lidded eyes.

“nngh...sukuna- i’m already so full,” you whine pitifully. you can feel his spend leak out of you, even though he still has your holes plugged up with his two dicks.

“that’s not good. i’ve still got much more to give,” sukuna teases, liking the way his name sounds on your lips.

“you’ll just have to withstand it.”

he begins to move in and out of you again.

lewd, wet slapping sounds echo throughout the cave as he fucks you in earnest, already mindlessly going after his next climax. you shiver in his arms, yelping each time the tip kisses your cervix. the double penetration doesn't help your case - as both of them rub up against each other within you, making your eyes roll back in ecstasy.

"i-i can't... it's all too much," you mumble, the bulge in your abdomen continuing to disappear and reappear with every thrust of his.

"you agreed to let me use you. no going back now," sukuna tells you with a grunt, brows furrowing when you tighten up around him again, threatening to milk him dry. it drives him mad.

"and i'll be sure to use this slutty body to my heart's content."

his previous loads makes for an even better sensation, making you nice and slippery for him. creamy, white rings are already starting to foam up at the base of both his dicks.

"it feels too good- too big- too big-" you babble, fresh tears piling up in your eyes as he continues to pummel into you, fingers digging into the flesh of your ass.

when the tears begin to roll down your cheeks, sukuna darts out his tongue and gets a taste.

"sweet..." he mumbles.

the urge to cum spills over, and he's releasing inside of you again. his seed repaints the walls of your womb and ass as he groans against the shell of your ear, making you dizzy with arousal.

"oh- my god-" you manage to let out, as you feel yourself getting filled up again.

"you're taking me better than anyone else has before...like a good little whore," sukuna compliments breathlessly, continuing to pump you full with his seed. he's never felt better. his head feels all fuzzy and the edges of his vision is a little blurred, as he focuses only on your sweet little face, lost in a state of euphoria. he leans into the crook of your neck, and darts his tongue out to taste your skin, desperately resisting the urge to sink his fangs into you.

as fast as he empties himself, his cocks fill up again even faster.

"sukuna...i feel... like i might burst," you pant, referring to your poor abdomen.

"...is that so?" he tells you, carefully sliding both of this cocks out of you. you feel a little relieved from the fullness, but also a bit empty simultaneously.

you gasp and jerk your hips when his large hand suddenly applies a bit of pressure to your stomach. everything that he'd stuffed inside you comes dripping out in large globs, falling into a little puddle on the ground.

"there we go," sukuna grins maliciously, watching as you tremble in his arms, enjoying this sensation of his cum oozing out of you... like the freak that you are.

"such a waste. i'll just have to stuff you full, over and over..." he whispers against your ear.

"nngh- sukuna... sukuna..." you chant, hips shaking as he re-inserts himself into you - both of his veiny cocks throbbing once again, aroused by witnessing you indulge in your pleasure.

he sighs erotically, as your plush walls welcomes him back inside, allowing him to slip inside so easily from the amount of slick you're producing.

you might actually go insane.

...sukuna uses you like a fleshlight for god knows how long. by the end of it, you're surprisingly still conscious, despite being ruined irreparably. fucking with such a sinful snake should've dragged you to the deepest pits of hell-- yet, being with him felt so heavenly.

"you ended up being more durable than i thought, love. i'm pleasantly surprised," he praises you, embracing your limp body closely.

"...might be worth trying on you..." he seems to speak to himself.

whatever it is that he's talking about, you're in no state to be pondering. you breathe heavily, eyes half-closed, trying to calm yourself after being so overstimulated for a period of time.

"rest easy. i'll keep you warm throughout the night."

his words hit you like magic, and the fatigue seeps into your consciousness, making you fall asleep in his arms.

-

your pillow...feels a little too firm. and- scaley? it's warm, though. and this texture is addictive.

when you open your eyes, you find yourself laying in a tangled pile of sukuna's long tail - your bare body covered with the clothes that you'd taken off before...

"you're awake. did you enjoy groping my tail in your sleep?" sukuna asks, recalling to the moments where you nuzzled against him with a perverted smile on multiple occasions.

flustered, you immediately want to voice your denial but your dry throat prevents you from doing so. you hold onto your own neck, coughing. he looks at you with a raised eyebrow.

eventually, you're able to point at your backpack that's still sitting towards the side of his cave, which he grabs for you. you rummage your bag for your bottle of water that you'd stashed carefully, and you take a big gulp from it.

"sorry. throat was parched," you tell him, your voice still a little hoarse.

"right. forgot how sensitive you humans were," sukuna says nonchalantly.

"but still, you sufficed better than i expected," he adds on, with a smirk. he reaches out and brushes the back of his fingers against your cheek.

the praise makes your heart race, and you recall your memories from yesterday. it feels like a fever dream. this will be a secret you'll tell no one.

and that brings you back to reality. you remember that you need to get back home. there's a mountain of things you need to do! but... somehow, the thought of leaving made you feel a bit melancholic. will you ever see him again?

"you know... i originally intended to eat you after using you for sex."

the sudden phrase makes your blood run cold.

"...but i changed my mind. that would be such a waste of potential."

potential? potential for what?

"...look into my eyes, sweetheart."

"sukuna, i... i need to return home," you bring up carefully.

his tail tenses up, making you feel even more nervous. it coils around you tighter, and lifts you up to him. he gently grabs your face, lifting your chin up.

you can't help but do as he says - like taking his orders had been ingrained into your muscle memory - and once your pupils meet his, escape becomes infinitely more impossible.

"you don't wish to leave. you want to stay here," sukuna coaxes you, eyes gleaming red. your mind becomes... clouded. his voice rings in your head. it hurts a little, but you can't look away.

"but...home..." you protest for the final time, eyes turning blank. the words leave your lips like the last spark of a dying light.

"this is your home, my love. i am your home."

he takes you in his arms and nuzzles against your neck. a tongue darts out and licks a stripe against your skin, making you shiver. your arms snake around him, like you can't get enough.

"tell me again, sweetheart. where is your home?" he whispers darkly against your ear.

"...my home...my home is..." you drone on, still having some urge to fight back against his manipulation. he embraces you tighter, and possessively lets his teeth nibble on your earlobe.

"my home is you..."

the phrase gives way for a gleeful smirk to form on his face.

"wonderful. i'm glad you feel the same way," sukuna emphasises, withdrawing his face from your neck.

"now, let your tongue out for me."

you do it without question, and he leans forward to capture it with his mouth, initiating an intimate kiss. tongues roll around against each other, and you feel yourself sink deeper into him. when he pulls away, you're left breathless, a string of saliva still hanging off between. he takes it with him, by giving a soft lick to your lower lip.

"how amusing...this ability of mine isn't even that potent. had your determination to go home been stronger, it wouldn't have worked. makes me feel pleased, knowing that you had a strong desire to stay with me."

"sukuna..." you cling to him lovingly, making his heart give a tug. it makes him want to mess you up. but your fragile human body couldn't possibly handle that. which is why...

"i'm going to grant you a snake's tail. to make you completely mine," he suddenly confesses.

"is that... possible?" you still ask questions, even in a state of hypnosis.

"for me, it is. i didn't bother correcting you when you mistook me as one of those common hybrids, but i'll let you know now. i'm something more akin to a god."

he doesn't elaborate further. the new piece of information shrouds his species with even more mystery. perhaps it should stay that way.

it's a risky process, and you might end up losing your life. but he believes you can endure it.

"i'll be honest. it'll hurt a lot, love. but my venom will soothe you. i'll numb the pain."

within the next few seconds, his fangs sink into the side of your neck.

some additional dot points and what happens after;

so you do survive the ordeal, and you wake up a week later after being essentially modified to become a snake hybrid yourself

memories are hazy, but youre still sound of mind and you eventually get used to this new body with sukuna's help

he did tell you that humans can't carry his seed, but now that you're also a half-snake, you can...

now he has a permanent mate that he can use whenever mating season comes around

he doesnt have to lift you up when he wants to fuck you anymore, it can be done in a missionary way, where both of his dicks can fit into your snake cooch at the same time (its still a bit of a stretch tho, hes so big)

whenever he mates with you, both of yours and his tails coil around each other's, like how real snakes do (itd be cute if a heart would be made with the tips at the very end)

there are still some human aftereffects on your body, like when you get pregnant, you start lactating... he has the privilege to drink it all up himself when they get sore and full, since his young won't be needing any of it anyway

at first, you intensely miss your human life, weeping pitifully in the darkness of the cave,,

he gets you curled up against him, licking your tears away, and then kisses your forehead, promising you that he'll protect and love you forever, since youre his one and only mate...

"convincing" you that there is nothing to miss about being human.

Masterlist

[mexsia]

Extraterrestrial Life forms like Maple Syrup. (🇨🇦’s Version)

During a really hot summer in Manitoba Canada, an Aboriginal family from the Turtle tribe that lived in Manitoba, was in a picnic near one of the many lakes in Manitoba. Which one would be is regardless, for a Refugee family from Ukraine also came to have a picnic and started to establish a conversation with the Cree family.

Then, a bigger family from Colombia who just became permanent residents, came to celebrate their victory in being able to stay permanently in Canada.

The three families began to talk with each other and the children begin to play among each other despite their differences in language, culture and knowledge.

Suddenly, something made a huge boom above the sky.

*BOOOOOOOM!!!*

The three families from different backgrounds quickly looked up to the sky as they gathered the children altogether and in place. Next thing they knew was that some kind of weird flying disk came down like an asteroid on fire towards the ground.

Seeing as the weird thing in the sky came quickly down towards them, the Colombians, knowing way too much thanks to the U.S movies—or as they called them “gringo movies”— they quickly made the other adults react and made everyone run for their lives and the weird disk came crashing in the exact same disk the three families were having their picnics.

One of the oldest Colombian children had to give his smaller sibling five bucks, for the little one had guessed that something completely unexpected would happen. And it did.

While the Colombian mom and the Colombian dad were checking that everyone was here and the Ukraine adults were contacting 911, The Cree mother started to get close to the strange disk that was now stuck on the ground. The disk was literally like the stereotypical U.F.O that was seen in the old movies and videos, just three times bigger. And in real life. And the size was like over three middle-class houses or even a whole school. The women who got close to the thing couldn’t really tell. But it was really big.

‘Well, the 911 hanged up on me.’ The Ukraine father said with frustration.

‘¡Oh por Dios! ¿¡Y que se supone que vamos hacer!?’ The Colombian mother asked really freaked out. She was a believer of god but mind open, but she was also pregnant with her fourth child and the hormones were not helping her. ‘¿¡N-nos Matarán?! O-’ the Colombian father had to hug her and calm her down because she was literally screaming her lungs out in Spanish. This was definitely not a moment to panic. Not yet.

The Cree mother, along with her husband and children, they got close, and just as the Cree woman was about to touch the strange thing, the big-disk-thing started to open up.

*FSSSSSSSS!!* A door started to pop up and it started to open and coming down.

The Cree husband acted quickly and took his family with the other families screaming, ‘THEY’RE COMING OUT, HIDE!!’

They didn’t need to be told twice as they also saw the door of the disk open up and come all the way down making a bridge for whatever came out could walk without lo much trouble.

The families didn’t know what to expect, but they certainly did not expected some kind of mutant-bee-rhino-of-eight-limbs-without-wings come down with strange suits on them.

They seem to walk like a four legged animal, but unlike four legged animals, these species had a dorso like a centaur and had four arms with three finger each hand. They had two pairs of antenas on the head, and a stinger-bee-like on what it seemed to be the butt. Whether they were female or male it was unknown or at least unrecognizable. For the humans at the very least.

One child of each family, a little sweet girl of five years old from the Cree family, a shy little boy of seven from the Ukraine family, and a little “demonio” (demon in Spanish) from the Colombian family, had either the courage or the stupidity or the innocence to walk up to the strange “aliens” that just came to earth.

The Aliens looked at the children—or as they called them “larvae”— and the children looked at them.

There were three aliens in total, it seemed that they were all the same specie, for the children and the rest of the human families at the very least. The aliens on the other hand, they seem to be quite surprised for this, they see that each “larvae” was the same kind of especie, but they also can see a lot of differences which for them it was extremely difficult to process, since not many sentinent species were different from each other.

The Colombian mom, being the bravest and the most agressive along with the Cree mother, they both screamed the names of the children out loud while the other adults made improvised weapons just in case.

The aliens became alert as they heard the strange “cry” and they soon found out that the “larvae” did not lived on their own. But rather, they were being protected by the adults of their species.

The children suddenly came running to their mothers and the fathers putted themselves in front of the rest of the others.

The Ukraine mother started calling the police, while skipping the details of the agresors being “aliens” she asked for help, for she felt they were in danger.

The aliens on the other hand, they just standed there. Unable to comprehend the speaking and body language from the new species they encountered. But from what they could gather, the new species were sentinent, like them.

The leader of the alines tried to present itself, but the new encountered species seem to have become extremely scared as they heard him talk.

Or as the humans would say, heard him scream.

Not knowing what to do, one of the Leader’s subordinates finds a strange bottle dropped and still intact. As he picked up, she saw a strange liquid inside, and a strange decorative sticker in the form of a strange leaf of orange color.

The subordinate checked whether it was secure or poisonous with his futuristic technological scanner stocked in his head, the scanner concluded that it wasn’t poisonous, but rather, it was very nutritious for her own specie. The subordinate liked the “nutricious” part and tried to open it up. But it wouldn’t.

The other subordinate looked at him confused.

The subordinate #1 gave the bottle while quickly telling him the nutricous factor. Subordinate #2 tried to open the bottle quickly but couldn’t either.

The leader was still trying to find a way to communicate with the strange creatures when he notice that all of them were paying attention to something else, and when he saw where they were looking, the leader concluded that it was someone else.

{What are you doing?!} the leader asked somewhat angry and embarrassed that his subordinates were literally fighting for a “simple” bottle.

{We’re trying to open up this bottle! It won’t open!} Subordinate #2 exclaimed as he was pulling the bottle’s body away from subordinate #1.

{I-It’s too powerful!} Subordinate #1 exclaimed as he was pulling the bottle’s cap without being able to open it up either.

The leader became even more frustrated. {What’s so important in that bottle that—}

{High levels of Glucose and Fractose!!} Both subordinates exclaimed as they made ven more effort.

{. . . What?!} The leader was shocked.

In their planet, their nutrients were based on Protein, Glucose and Fractose. Protein wasn’t the issue but Glucose and Fractose was another thing. There was a glucose and Fractose drought among their civilization. Which was bad as they needed both to survive. Especially their offspring whose diet was based off mainly from these two things.

If the leader was able to make a friendship with these creatures, they could save the dying offspring. But the lack of communication was something troublesome.

‘Ejem.’ Someone made a noise behind them.

The three aliens turned around and they saw the small little boy with strange hat on his head (Mariachi hat in other words).

The boy extended his hand and looked at the bottle. The aliens must have thought that it belonged to him so, with reluctancy, they gave him the bottle.

The boy smiled smugly as made the cap of the bottle spin for a few second and it lifted up opening the bottle.

For the humans, it would have been embarrassing, but for the aliens it was impressive, especially if it was a “larvae” that opened up.

As for the human families, even though they were still wary of the aliens, it seem to curious them as they seem to be fond of the maple syrup. And the organic one.

Soon, the police arrived, in shock, they called the military, the military numb founded and called the Interpol, the Interpol escorted the aliens and the three families while calling the Canadian Prime Minister, the UN president and the UN president came with the representative of humanity Mazlan Othman.

The three families came along the three aliens to meet the Canadian Prime Minister, UN president and humanity’s representative.

Long story short, they were able to make a machine that could translate each others words thanks to the help of the aliens—or as they call themselves “Kruch-ëđbæl-ù”— and they were able to make negotiations with the Canadian government and come with a trade with maple syrup in exchange of a little knowledge in future technology.

Soon, humanity was able to learn the diet of these creatures and when they learned that the offspring of the Kruch-ëđbæl-ù were in danger, it didn’t take long before a lot of countries signed up to help them.

But most of the help came from Canada, who had large resources of maple syrup and honey ready to be sold.

The Kruch-ëđbæl-ù quickly called their leaders and told them that they had large amounts of fructose and glucose ready to take home, but they needed help for it.

The back up didn’t take long to arrive, and with them a lot of their most sick and hungry offspring. It was dangerous for an offspring to be far away from their progenitors, but these were extreme times and the offspring couldn’t wait anymore. They had to eat.

As soon as the Kruch-ëđbæl-ù offspring were full and ready to go home, the back up and the three scouts took the large amounts of maple syrup and honey while promising to come with the technology knowledge as soon as the rest of theirs offsprings were saved.

Humanity understood and let them leave.

The Canadian government gave the Mexican family and the Ukraine family their nationalities as a reward for helping the aliens find the thing they needed. The Cree family received money, land, and scholarships for their kids as their reward which was greatly appreciated.

Who would have thought that a simple picnic with pancakes and maple syrup would have make them heroes?

The End.

[dr-futbol-blog]

Sanctuary, Pt. 10

McKay and Weir are with Beckett in the lab where he explains to them how very strange it is that Chaya is physically in such perfect health, impossibly so.

But first, look at McKay's face when Beckett mentions cancer:

His mother definitely died of cancer.

McKay is also not happy that, according to Beckett, she's perfect:

Because how do you compete with perfect? How do you compete with perfect when you genuinely believe that you're the most unlovable person in two galaxies? His only hope was demonstrating that she was somehow even worse.

His reaction to the mention of STDs is also curious:

There are two things I know for certain. The mention of sexually transmitted diseases made him think about sex, as is only natural. And there is only one aspect about her sex life that might even remotely interest him. Like, it's good that she doesn't have STDs, all things considered. He wouldn't want the Major catching anything. Also, as someone that had reached his sexual maturity during the 1980s, being reminded of STDs might have given him pause regardless of orientation but especially so if it was during the crisis years that he discovered his interest in guys.

But what ever the reason, it did make him think about them having sex and that thought is painful to him. Why would he care even a little bit unless it was something he wanted for himself? He's not envious that he has found someone, that they could have a connection. He didn't care about Beckett and Perna getting close. It's not general, it's specific to Sheppard.

But as much as he's suppressing that completely normal and heterosexual thought, he's still right on the money about her:

McKay: But she is human? Beckett: Oh, without a doubt. Weir: So how is that possible?

He doubts that she is human. Then Beckett makes a point that is significant toward the resolution of the episode later:

McKay: You make it sound like some sort of a— Beckett: Paradise? Aye, because it is. Weir: And that's a problem because? Beckett: Because human life, quite simply, Dr. Weir, is more fragile than that. I don't care what galaxy we're in. It's unnatural.

Human life is beautiful because it is fragile and transitory. Their shared humanity was what Sheppard had been using to get her to see things their way. But she is not human. She's a whole different species.

It seems like McKay and Weir are starting to get worried for Sheppard. And the music tells the audience they should be worried for him, as well.

If we witnessed Sheppard starting to lead Chaya on at Proculus, she now appears to be leading him on quite expertly. She is basically allowing him to walk her around her old home while using him to learn everything they know about the Ancients and their war with the wraith. He even explicitly makes reference to now (unlike previously) being truthful with her: "I'd be lying if I said we controlled it all".

From the look on her face as he gets Sheppard talking about the shield, she was there during the siege. There are painful things in her past, as well. In this, too, they are alike.

Something odd happens when they enter the control room. First, Sheppard tells her to call him John. Tells her he would prefer it. Not please, call me John. I would be happy if you called me John. He says "I would prefer it" as though he's saying that he would prefer that she not call him Major. Like he insists but not in the usual coquettish way.

I discussed the reasons why McKay calls Sheppard Major and continues doing it for a very long time in connection with The Defiant One (S01E12) but I will make a note of it here that twice, when Sheppard has told people to call him John, he has ended up kissing them (cf. Conversion, S02E08). And that in the first episode in which McKay finally calls him John, it follows from Sheppard himself referring to making out as a way to stop McKay from talking. So I'm just saying. There's a pattern.

But it's not altogether certain that this is what Sheppard actually wants here, her calling him John. That he's actually inviting her for closer acquaintance by the gesture. Because it's followed by this exchange:

Chaya: John… how did you make enemies of the Wraith? Sheppard: That was my fault. Chaya: Yours? Sheppard: I basically woke them up trying to rescue some people they'd captured. They didn't take too kindly to that.

He looks real fucking odd when he's telling her all this. We saw previously that he let Teyla do the explanation related to the wraith while he seemed all kinds of uneasy back on Proculus. This is a thing that is not easy for him. He is carrying such guilt for letting this happen, putting "untold thousands, maybe millions" of people's lives in danger, that it's crushing him at the best of times. And here, he's discussing it breezily, like it's no big deal. He makes odd faces like he can't believe this shit is actually coming out of his mouth, especially in this nonchalant tone.

So, placing a hand over the heart can signify sincerity, to be sure. But he's not being sincere here, he's basically being mind-controlled. Having the hand over his heart can also be a way of subconsciously protecting it from her. It's possible that he tells her to call him John because he doesn't want her calling him Major.

Not because it's so formal and keeps them at a distance. But because she is invading his privacy, his innermost thoughts and beliefs, in a way that leaves him exposed and there are things he doesn't want to share with her. Things that he has only started to want to share with someone else that isn't her. He would rather she call him something else. In addition to being a common designation for a trick for the turning, John is actually also the most impersonal of all of the things you can call him. Because it's not him telling her these things. He would never.

The one time we see him turn his body toward her while walking, which he frequently does with McKay, he covers his heart. He sets up a barrier between them. Even here, as they come to a stop, his head indicates that he would rather not be facing her.

She continues prodding:

Chaya: But you saved your people? Sheppard: Most of them.

Again, he says this casually. Like it's not a big deal. The thing that he tells Col. Everett not a night goes by that he doesn't think about it, he just brushes over it. This is not John Sheppard. This is not Sheppard acting casual, not Sheppard pretending everything is fine, not Sheppard putting on a charming persona to game someone. He's clearly not driving this baby. He's not in control.

It's not that he trusts her so much for no reason. It's not because they have some special connection that makes him want to open himself up for her. The faces he keeps making after each one of these comments tells us that he does not want to be saying these things. Even he doesn't know why he's saying these things.

Orlin told Carter that reading someone's mind was an invasion of privacy. This is technically not that. But she's far from innocent. Maybe the Others imprisoned her for a reason. We're asked to sympathize with her due to her loneliness but she is a convict, a prisoner on her planet. Perhaps she was jailed for a reason.

Sheppard leads her through the control room, showing her each and every one of their systems. Note that he doesn't introduce them by saying something like "And these are..." or "And here you can see..." He just lists them out for her.

Sheppard: Main control console, environmental support systems, communications. And this…this is… Grodin: Sorry, Major. We haven't the faintest idea what it—

We are again shown that McKay was right. Earlier on, they had this exchange:

McKay: Maybe I should tag along, in case you have any questions—Sheppard: I think I've got it handled, Rodney. McKay: There are a lot of systems you know absolutely— Sheppard: Got it covered.

He predicted that Sheppard would come across systems he knows nothing about and there would be questions related to them. But the thing is, Sheppard had never intended for this to happen. He dismissed McKay because he was never going to show her any systems, let alone their most central, essential systems. He is the head of security of this operation, he is not stupid but a brilliant tactician and a strategic thinker. She's not the chief inspector of Atlantis, he has no reason to want to show her these things.

She initializes a new piece of Ancient technology only recently discovered. She plays innocent but clearly does it on purpose. But at the same time, we are shown again that her touch has a tangible effect on things. Her touch basically has magical qualities. Her touch made the machine come alive, made it brighter. Her effect on people is something similar.

Grodin sure seems to clock something about their interaction as odd:

Sheppard seems excited about the possibility that she too possesses the ATA gene, and this seems like the first genuine reaction from him ever since she touched him. He had been emphasizing their similarity in an attempt to use her sympathy to get their help, so he may have seen this is as something that might work in their favour.

He seems entirely himself as he tells her: "The Atlantians were good at lots of things, but writing instruction manuals wasn't one of them." He seems happy, he almost smiles, glancing at Grodin fiddling with the machine twice as he does. One might venture a guess that he has watched someone figure out how Ancient technology works up real close more than a little, and might even be quoting said person verbatim here (as a matter of fact, his exact words in Hide and Seek (S01E03) were "Oh, yeah, there were some explicit instructions, which I chose to completely ignore"). He's mostly looking at Grodin while he's telling her this so we can assume that he's thinking about something or someone else. His mind is not on her while he talks about the instruction manuals.

But this is a short respite. The weirdness continues:

Sheppard: We should probably wrap this tour up. I know Dr. Weir is anxious to talk to you. Chaya: Will I see you afterwards? Sheppard: And during!

He almost stutters when he tells her that Dr. Weir is anxious to talk to her. Clearly, she's not the only one that's anxious. But why would he be anxious about that?

Is he expecting Weir to notice that something is wrong? Hoping that she would? Trying to protect someone that might be there?

Whether or not he (or McKay) was supposed to be at this meeting of Weir with Chaya, whether he had been invited or not, Sheppard is making sure that he is going to be there. Again, this might be her influence--she does not want him to leave her alone, so he's forced to tag along. Or, again, he could be inserting himself into the meeting in order to protect the others, whether consciously or subconsciously. But it certainly doesn't seem like he's going to the meeting with her because he wants to be with her so much.

He is clearly starting to internally freak out about what ever this is that's going on. His face here, at the very end:

He gives her another one of his fake smiles. And then, where she doesn't see, he draws in a breath through his teeth. Compare his expression with McKay's at the beginning of this entry, where he's thinking about cancer.

John Sheppard is not alright.

Continued in Pt. 11

[childlikegoblinqueen]

SCOM Last Chapter Writing Notes: Affluence, Politics, Power.

Ahhhhhhh! I keep saying this but we're really getting close to end game! I hope everyone is still enjoying the story. I know the fandom's quieted down to a few of us on the couch, but I like it here.

Anyway, thank you all for your continued support. Your encouragement/comments etc are a huge help.

Hunter was "born" into an unkind world altogether. He had one "family" member who trained him to believe that his worth was contingent on how useful and obedient he was -- when in reality he was seen as disposable.

Willow had a loving family, but dealt with bullying. She was born into a world where the ruler seemed benevolent, but was really authoritative and planned on killing her and everyone around her.

They chose to bring a child into a world they thought would be kinder.

Aside from the parenting fears and Willow and Hunter struggling through health concerns for both Willow and their child, a lot of SCOM is about how easily trauma is exploited and how some folks just seem to say and do whatever they want with few consequences.

The New Isles Government was formed to contrast Belos' rule, but it struggles with those who actually AGREED with some of his ideals and those who seem to have no guilt over the aforementioned exploitation if it benefits them.

While Belos had the delusion of being the "savior of humanity", Osran is just the latest in a long of wealthy heirs that believes he is entitled to continuing the empire his ancestors built on exploitation.

There will be a little more on this in the next chapter. Hunter is going to come face to face with his granddaughter, Langwidere (who married Boscha...) and there will be a few surprises there.

But in general, the last chapter features a flashback to the Inner Circle Trials where Hunter overhears Eda lament that a rich guy will always get away with crimes.

Maybe this is a little TOO on the nose, but it's something I feel deeply.

After Hunter is able to fight off his kidnappers in Nommeking he finds himself (and his family) in a strange place where there seems to be Grimwalker History. And not just Golden Guard Grimwalkers.

But of course, Osran shows up before this and flexes his powers in a way that neither Hunter nor the others have ever seen from an oracle.

Of course we know that within disciplines there are different special abilities that can be developed. Darius' Abomination form for instance, which Dana suggested was acquired using unethical magic practices. Perhaps to get revenge for his Mentor's "mysterious" death?

Osran also has power granted to him by his species of demon. He uses a similar magic to Kikimora's sealing spell (they are related, after all) but his version is more brutal. He also is able to remove the life forces of his opponents leaving their bodies husks until he can rejoin the two ... or at least he says he will.

Nommeking is a micro government within the Boiling Isles that rules by affluence. Of course everything eventually has to go to the New Isles Government, but first, crimes committed in Nommeking must go through the Magistrate who chosen from a pool of suggested candidates chosen from a group of Electors made up from the Houses that bring in the most Snails per year to the city. From these candidates, the Magistrate is appointed by the High Oracle.

Osran himself. And before him it was his mother, and her grandfather, and so on and so forth.

Osran doesn't particularly give away the hand he's playing though... but he certainly doesn't believe he will lose. After all, he's an aristocrat.

He also believes he's entitled to something that he was denied a long time ago.

[aliasrocket]

Re: your Rocket x fox/fox hybrid reader post

I've never written that specifically, so I can't speak for anyone who has, but as someone in the process of writing a fic where Rocket is paired up with an alien that has a mixture of animal characteristics, I personally gave the character those to make them a little more exciting and alien. I still love reading about people's gotg stories and characters/readers portrayed as human or human adjacent, no hate to them, but my personal thought process was, there's a whole galaxy to explore, why not give the character readers are inserting themselves into some inhuman ability or characteristic while keeping their personality as something you could still find in an everyday person.

I mean, as much as I love our collective angsty babygirl, Rocket, a talking cybernetically enhanced raccoon is pretty fantastical. And myself as a Rocket angst enjoyer and having read and loved your therapy fic, I agree that lots of people are probably drawn to the relatability of his mental issues. So, in my opinion, it seems fun to play with a reader character in a similar vein of fantastical yet relatable.

Thanks for sending this ask in and to everyone who responded to that small post asking about the whole fox reader ideal. I got new perspectives that genuinely helped me understand why people enjoy it.

Actually this is something I’ve kinda wanted to talk about fro a while but never really had the means to. And hey, this blog has expressed a wide range of opinions regarding Rocket, so why not?

DISCLAIMER : I will still remind everyone that this is me just sharing MY opinion because I love talking to you guys and sharing our different perspectives. This is not a means to change people’s minds but more so to give a (probably) new perspective to this topic.

I have thought about that for a long time, how complicated reader inserts actually are. They seem like a very simple concept at first but when you’re in fanfic and you have to write a reader insert with a fixed story with a canon character, there important things to consider.

I’m creating headings as I go because I realized my points get rather elaborate and I want you guys to be able to read this post easier.

One. It’s not actually the reader.

The reason they’re called the reader is because you, you reading this, are reading the fic. Nevermind that there are others reading it too. It was made for you, because you came here to imagine being with this character you adore.

And it as much as it may suck, especially for Rocket enjoyers, we aren’t any other species but human. We don’t have wings, we aren’t born with powers or enhanced strength.

But that’s exactly what I love about reader inserts. Even if you are vastly different from the world you’re inserting yourself to, you find a way to insert yourself without having to change what you are. You don’t have to change yourself to be loved by your favorite cast of characters. That, in my opinion, is what fanfic is for.

(But character x nb/trans/male/female/queer/genderqueer/readers or anything of the sort are NOT included in this topic because some of us are actually one of the above, where as none of us are alien/foxes/animals. Probably.)

So, I can’t imagine myself making fox reader fics or even making reader insert fics where the reader is from some other planet because that is no longer me. (I understand that even if the reader is human it technically still isn’t me but we’ll get to that in point two.)

I believe my mindset on this is also influenced by the fact that I want to be a published author later on in my life and I think that if you want to explore other galaxies and other powers and abilities that other lifeforms can have, you can more comfortably do it by making an original character altogether.

my personal alternative : original characters.

Yes, there is stigma around it, but a lot of people have pulled this off well and surprisingly enough, I’m not gonna lie, a lot of the OCs people ship with Rocket are fairly well written. Even the designs are so well put together and blend it perfectly with the gotg universe!

Speaking from experience, it is much easier expanding on those explorations on a character you make rather than an insert because you can make the character your own. Self inserts have to be more general to be able to relate other readers. Yes, you are your own audience. But most of us publish fanfic. To some degree, we do cater to other people as well.

Two. Even then, it is distant.

Even when the reader is human, no amount of generalizing is going to take away the fact that this person probably isn’t like you, even when they are meant to be you.

What I mean by this is that majority of the time, the way the reader acts or thinks or speaks in the fic is probably not the way you would specifically. Some readers in fics are shy, but you could be someone who openly flirts with people you’re interested in. Some readers are sarcastic and blunt but you might prefer to spare people the trouble. You get my point.

This related back to point one in the sense that, writing a reader insert is already in itself distant enough and I think making them a different species is just going to make the reader in the fic even more distant from the actual person reading your fic. The same goes for giving the reader specific abilities or talents and what not.

Conclusion.

In any case, as mentioned previously I still see the appeal in writing readers in a fantastical way because that is also what fiction is for—exploration of the things we cannot normally explore in real life.

And anyway just because I think this way doesn’t mean I don’t read reader inserts like the ones you mentioned because there are a lot of those going around both on ao3 and on tumblr. It’s just a personal preference that I stick to when I write.

[drelldreams]

Mass Effect lore collection from the books

Camala + Batarian lore (Source: Mass Effect Revelation)

Read if you wish to know more canon info about batarians and their colony Camala.

Under the cut.

One of the most important planets in the Skyllian Verge is Camala, a primarily batarian world and desert planet known for having some of the largest deposits of eezo in the Verge under its surface.

The planet also features two large metropolian areas of over a million people each, the capital Ujon and the city Hatre, location of the world’s primary spacesports.

As the colony world has a wealthy economy, it draws in a lot of visitors and immigrants of different species.

Of all the batarian worlds, Camala is easily the wealthiest one.

Among Batarians, social standing is extremely important and insulting a batarian’s social class is considered a very grave insult.

As social class is of such high importance among batarians, batarians place high value on dressing as well as they can afford.

Batarians tend to wear robes, even males.

Some of the most popular liquors on Camala are made by the hanar.

It seems like common knowledge says that the Blue Suns were founded by batarians and recently started taking on humans, when the reverse is true. It is possible that few people know the truth about the story behind the Blue Suns.

Batarians tilt their heads to the left to show admiration and respect. A tilt to the right is a greeting directed towards someone a batarian believes to be inferior.

Batarians tend to have relatively lean builds, compared to humans. Their necks tend to be longer and narrower than human necks, and their lips thinner.

The ridges of cartilage on top of a batarian’s head extend to their neck.

Batarian faces are covered with fine, thin hair that grows longer and thicker around the mouth, making them the second known species in the galaxy with hair.

Batarian names in the books: Groto Ib-ba, Jella, Helanda, Sh’n’ya, Edan Had’dah

It appears as if female batarians tend to have old Germanic sounding names (Jella, Helanda). Their names also tend to end in a though that could just be due to a Western-centric and anthropocentric approach from the writer.. (no offense to Drew I love him). Or it’s just the translator.

Surnames of batarians tend to have apostrophes in the middles or they are some sort of double name

Batarians are on the cutting edge of medical science

Most people don’t know into which pair of eyes to look in batarians, which gives them an edge in negotations as people will avoid eye contact with the race altogether, resulting in other people not being able to read batarians well

[chrysaliscreatorii]

Absol - Poison type

The Miserly Pokémon

One of the most private (or in this case, even more so) of the Absol species, sightings are particularly rare, but most are accompanied by tales of bad experiences.In particular explores or hikes of obscure woods, swamps or general marshlands.

Accounts telling of how after eating some fruit or other local flora, this Pokémon would suddenly appear and use its venom to incapacitate people and Pokémon alike. Victims recall the experience after being poisoned as foggy or groggy, only to wake up hours later at a medical facility. The reason for the displacement being that this Pokémon seemingly drags those it attacked out of its territory and close to a populated area, almost as if ejecting them altogether.

As mentioned before, this Pokémon seems to only attack those that actually eat or collect the unique fruit and resources of its home, leading many to believe that that it is not fond of partaking any of it and will attack those that dare try.

On a scientific note, it is observed that this Pokémon has a unique biology as it seems to posses different types of venoms within its body.

The one on its tail seems to be some kind of sleeping agent toxin that causes those injected to become groggy and fall to the ground unconscious, in addition to that, it seems to chase specific substances in the body, but so far does not seem to pose any mayor threat.

The one on it’s fangs seems to be some sort of pain killer, that (if used alongside the one of its tail) knocks one out and numbs the body further, making the body unfeeling to any kind of stimulus.

The one that seems to confuse researchers however, appears to be a third toxin that they haven’t been able to confirm it’s penetration and introduction method into the body. It has been described as the worst of the three and seems to vary or alter a lot (almost as if it were multiple or different agents), it has been described as a sting that slowly starts to worsen over time over the whole body but thankfully(?) seems to be very slow acting an treatable, and unlike the former two that seem to complement one another, the third seems to be in direct opposition, as certain enzymatic activity shows them affecting each other in an conflicted manner.

[chalterdh22]

Chapter 13:  Where’s Our First Mission Boss?

We all woke up early the next day.  After eating, we started out to the Cutless, my heart racing.  A new adventure awaits me.  I didn’t even care what he wanted me to do if I could do something. 

“Wait, what do you want me to do?” I asked, angrily.

“This will be a quick one and done.  I’m only stopping, grabbing some information on a prospect and we are leaving.  Please stay inside and watch the kid.”

“Um, if you brought me along to be a glorified babysitter, I’ll go back to mom.  At least she gives me actual work to do!”

“You don’t think watching Grogu will be work? Hm…”  I huffed and walked on board the ship.  I didn’t care if he’d be gone 5 minutes or 5 hours.  I didn’t want to be left behind.

“What about Grogu?  I thought you were supposed to be training him up as a Mandalorian!”

“I am.  Sometimes we need to be patient.  That’ll be his lesson on this trip.  Yours too.”  Walking on the ship, I just stopped talking altogether.  I was so frustrated.  I just wanted to see new places and engage with different types of species.  This would have been perfect.  Maybe he was still weirded out from our conversation from last night and he’s punishing me.  No, I thought.  I don’t think he’s one to handle things like that.

We all sat down, and Din buckled Grogu into his little seat.  I buckled my belt in the co-pilot chair, waiting if he was going to use me or his auto pilot again.  He didn’t say anything, so I just sat there.  “Are you ready to go to Adelphi?”  I looked over at him.

“Sure.” I shrugged, at this point not caring where we went.  “Can I help fly there?”

“Yes.”

Once in space and the path had been set, Din stood up and went back to the weapons area and started arranging a few things.  “What’s on Adelphi?”  I turned to whisper to Grogu.  He looked back and blinked.  I could vaguely feel a sense of relief, like it would be ok.  “A friend?” I asked.  Grogu cooed.  “I wonder why he would want us to stay behind if he’s meeting a friend?”  Something hidden passed through my vision.  “It’s a secret friend?”  Grogu looked at me and I knew that answer.  “Ok, I won’t push him anymore.  I’ll be a great little babysitter!” I said smiling, leaning in on the kid and nuzzling with him.  He squeaked and picked up his arms. 

I took him out of his pod, as he already unbuckled himself.  “Plus, it gives us time to work on our plan,” I whispered to him.”  I sat there and looked at him in my lap.  He gave me flashes of some of the talents he had done in the past.  “I didn’t know you could do such things.”

“What can he do?”  I spun around to see Din walking back up to his chair.

“Uh, I dunno.  He seems to have these gifts I don’t understand, but I feel like he’s trying to explain them to me.  It’s weird, because I don’t hear him, I just get flashes of ideas or something.”

“Hm.  Well, you two have a strong connection then.”  he said, almost sounding aggravated.  “We’ll be landing in about an hour.  I shouldn’t be gone for more than 2 hours.  Can you manage to stay out of trouble?”

“Yes boss!” I said putting my hand up to my forehead.  Grogu made bubbling noises agreeing with me as well. 

“Great,” he sighed.  Like he didn’t believe us!  How rude, I thought.

We finally landed, almost exactly an hour later.  The city we were in didn’t seem anything special, so I at this point wasn’t too concerned about not missing out as much.  Mando got up out of his chair, opened the hatch, stopped, looked at us and said, “Please stay here and watch over him.”

“I will!  I swear!”  He left and closed the hatch.  “Ugh, I thought he would never leave.  Ok you, what sort of things can you do?  I feel like you can read my mind and shoot thoughts you have to me.  Is that all?”

He closed his eyes, reached his little hand out and I saw out of the corner of my eye something floating towards him.  A bottle of nitro fluid!  What the?  I just stared with my mouth opened as it landed softly in my hands on my lap.  “What did you just do?  You can move objects with your mind?  That’s wild, and so cool!  Can you teach me?  Or is this a species thing?”

He looked right at me, hopped over, and sat on my lap.  He placed a small hand on my knee and closed his eyes.  Suddenly, I felt weightless.  I felt the need to close my eyes too and when I opened them, I was floating with him on my lap.  I sat there wide eyed, not sure what to do or say.  It felt like he had me up there for an hour, but it was only a few seconds and Grogu put me down gently.  “Ok little man, teach me, please!  This is awesome!  Does Din know you can do this?”

Grogu looked back at me, and I could see clearly that Din knew what his powers were.  “What else, what else?  Oh, tell me there’s more!”

He looked up at me with his big black eyes, closed them again and held a handout towards my side.  I felt a jolt, like a pinch of something.  I went to swat it away, but nothing was there.  What is going on?  Then I felt it again, but it intensified.  I tried to stand up, but I curled on my side and started to giggle.  Wait, was he tickling me?  How was he doing this?  Then it stopped and he looked at me smiling.

“Wait, you can tickle people without even touching them?  Especially someone covered in armor head to toe?”  He smiled and I smiled.  Oh, this is perfect.  “Have you ever done this on him before?”

A hard no flashed through my mind.  “Can you teach me?”  He looked and blinked at me a few times.  I felt like this would be a hard task for him to explain to me.  “That’s fine.  I’ll just get myself a front row ticket to this show.  I leaned back with him still on my lap and closed my eyes.  Oh, this will be good, I thought.  This will teach him to leave us behind!

[altairtalisman]

Boris' Bio

"Three, two, one... and you're dead."

Original design by @toastermart

More details on Boris is under the cut

Name: Boris Zhurov

Age: 43

Height: 185 cm

Birthday: 6 Vierum 1979 (Laintayra)

Orientation: Cisgender Gay Male

Pronouns: He/Him

Species: Chronoven (formerly human)

Title: The Twelfth Hour

Country of Birth: Zarov

Likes: Vodka, cup noodles, guns, smooth-sailing hits

Dislikes: Nantraxian cuisine, most beings (especially whiny ones)

Hobbies: Killing, housework, collecting guns, smoking

Personality: Sassy and unafraid of death, he makes the perfect hitman... unfortunately for him, he's now burdened with an extremely long lifespan that he can’t get rid off easily which makes him downright miserable

Style: Usually business casual, will dress formally for high-profile kills

Abilities: Able to freely cross between Ratein and the Astral Realm without the need of dimension gates. Is able to use cosmic magic, stop time, view events happening in the past, present and future, as well as cause anything that his weapon comes in contact with to 'dissociate' from existence (apart from chronovens, The Caretaker and The Artiste)

Like the rest of the Hourly Twelve, Boris is also able to open portals that allow him to travel anywhere. Also able to reverse time, but only once and at the cost of his life. Being a chronoven, he's only able to die either by his lifespan naturally running out, or by time reversal

Due to his training as a contract killer, he possesses an extremely keen eye that allows him to shoot fatally with perfect precision and accuracy. As a result of his job, he has gained the exclusive ability to turn invisible by reflecting light rays around him... though whether or not he actually uses it is a different story altogether

Background: Growing up with a contract killer for a father, Boris was naturally groomed to be one himself and started working as one when he turned 15 thanks to his father recommending him to the Vitaufero Association. When he was 22, he was contracted to assassinate his own father, which he accepted as he held no attachment to him and a job was eventually a job regardless his personal feelings on it

While working as a contract killer, he had tried to form friendships with others, only for them to either distance themselves from him once they learnt about his job, or end up dead at someone's hands, sometimes his own. Boris then understood that the life of a contract killer was a lonely one, and eventually shunned any attempts of connecting with others, be it with the association members or not

In 2017, he accepted a contract to assassinate a famous Syeoangi doctor. He didn't question it, and made his way to Syeoang in order to carry out the hit. He eventually got a hold of the doctor's schedule, and planned the assassination accordingly. On the day of the assassination, he directly shot at the doctor's heart, only for him to not be affected and continue to go about his day

Stunned, Boris continued his attempts throughout the day, but kept on failing despite shooting directly at areas of his body where it was sure to kill the doctor. Exasperated, he decided to go against what his father taught him and approached him in broad daylight, armed with his favourite knife. Before he could discreetly carry out the hit, the doctor suddenly turned towards him with a knowing smile and expressed his sincerest delight in finally meeting the one who had been trying to assassinate him all day

The doctor expressed that he was sorry to inform Boris that he couldn't be assassinated, and asked if there was any way he could help the contract killer avoid being placed on hits himself. Boris didn't believe him, and decided to stab the doctor in the head. The doctor laughed, easily pulling the knife out and returning it to Boris before explaining that his existence was intertwined with time and space themselves, and could only die by natural means or of his own accord

Before Boris could ask what did the doctor meant by the latter, they heard a loud crash coming from the roads. They discovered that a cargo hovercraft had crashed into a girl no older than nine, and the girl died on the spot. Boris was about to slink off into the shadows and report that he was unable to kill the doctor, but was stopped by said hit

The doctor then removed a meteorite necklace that he was wearing and put it around Boris' neck, telling him to swear to save the girl. When Boris asked what he would get in exchange, the doctor smiled wryly as the necklace glowed, blinding the hitman as he heard the doctor telling him that he would help Boris fulfil his contract in exchange for the girl's safety

When Boris opened his eyes, he was greeted by the same scene prior to the doctor confronting to him about the assassination attempts, but couldn't place a finger on why he felt as though he had been through this before. His eyes flickered to the roads where he saw the girl playing on, and was about to walk away before hearing a vaguely familiar voice telling him to save her

Boris was about to ignore the voice and walk away, but noticed the cargo hovercraft barrelling towards her. Against his better judgement, he rushed and saved the girl, noticing out of the corner of his eye that there was a corpse of an old man near where he once stood. After saving the girl, he returned to the corpse where he discovered an identification card in his pocket, the name familiar but one he ultimately couldn't remember

Boris then sent a letter to the association for advice about his predicament, who in turn reached out to the contractor in his stead, but his contractor couldn't remember who he wanted assassinated. With his contract dissolved, Boris then returned to where he was residing while in Syeoang, making plans to return to Zarov. Before he knew it, a shot was fired at his heart. He slumped against the wall, scoffing that had he known that he would've died that day, he would've spent the previous hours drinking and smoking his favourite brand of cigarettes

As his vision faded, he could vaguely make out the necklace that he didn't realise he had glowing, which he recalled that he had seen such a sight before somewhere. When he came to, he was greeted by Hadir of the Tenth Hour, who explained that he had became a chronoven and replaced the doctor

Boris let out a huge sigh, sardonically expressing his joy that he had went to heaven. Hadir then explained that chronovens weren't dead, and had abilities closely related to time. She also explained that chronovens had extremely long lifespans, so much so that they were basically considered immortal. This grabbed Boris' attention, who was dismayed at the fact that he would be forced to live for an eternity whether or not he wanted to

Hadir then clarified that Boris could die if he reversed time, but added that he wouldn't be able to smoke and drink prior to his death because Boris wouldn't exist to enjoy it. He then asked who made the rules, to which Hadir had no idea as no one truly understood how the necklaces worked, at most what abilities the necklaces granted as well as the chronovens' physiology

Seemingly to prove her point, Hadir shot him with a colourful gun. As Boris' colourful body fragmentalised away from where he was shot before quickly reforming back, she explained that he could only die from letting his lifespan run out naturally. She then informed him that apart from them both, there were ten others and with Boris replacing the doctor, the Hourly Twelve was whole once more and soon disappeared

Disgruntled by his new existence, he initially considered reversing time to before he saved the girl and allow her to die, but decided against it as it was too troublesome to do so just to end his life. Boris eventually settled on allowing his lifespan to run out naturally, even though he knew that it would make him absolutely miserable. To numb his misery, he took out a cigarette that was on his person and placed it in his mouth, smoking it as he thought about how tedious it was to live forever...

True Form:

[rhymeswithmeg]

okay but the discussions that dsmp brought up today (11/12/2022) were so interesting.

so from tommy and tubbo's perspective, you don't have to know everything. and perhaps more importantly you don't want to know everything. but from dream and punz's perspective, it's safer to know everything so that you can avoid the pain altogether.

but do you learn and grow as a person if you aren't letting yourself feel anything? and is it worth living forever if you're stuck with who you are right now? not that now is bad, just that it's a human thing to want to improve. that's how our species survives.

onto what we learned in the stream: killing and reviving people mercilessly for the sake of science causes a lot of unnecessary pain, and we know that because of the lasting effects it had on c!tommy. c!lazar and c!vik were never fully developed characters like c!tommy and c!ranboo and c!wilbur were and the audience doesn't know what their true intentions would have been, but that certainly doesn't mean they should be tortured. [Nobody deserves that except for Dream and Punz because they purposefully and knowingly inflicted that pain on others.]

interestingly, both dream and punz had died and been brought back. limbo's supposed to be like the worst thing ever, right, but if you know there's an end to it, maybe it's not as bad. which bring us to if there's no end to life.

but the point about all of this is that the very existence of a revival book means that life will eventually become meaningless if death is not real. and if none of your meaningless actions have consequences, why would you waste time thinking about ethics? it's true that if the revival book fell into someone else's hands, the means to the end would have been different, but i'm not sure their end goal would be any different.

most characters on the dsmp want power. there are exceptions, but that's really what drives a lot of them. and for good reason; they've been taken from and taken from their entire lives and they just need some stability. it makes sense.

the difference between dream and punz and most characters is that the two of them believe themselves to be so physically powerful that their actions have never had real consequences on them because nobody could deeply hurt them. i'm honestly interested in seeing if punz reacts to his bees being blown up because that was something he really cared about before him and dream made an alliance.

i remember them making an alliance. it was outside of the shell of the unfinished prison right next to bad and skeppy's house. dream knew there would be a target on his head and he knew he needed an inconspicuous but powerful ally like punz. i know that at first dream paid punz but it seems like out of nowhere punz developed this loyalty to dream beyond the money. perhaps with the reveal of the revival book?

most characters, however, think a lot before they act. though they are deeply flawed, tommy and jack and niki and ranboo and tubbo and puffy, they have their loyalties and desires but they think about the consequences before committing to something because consequences are real to them.

when consequences aren't real, people go bad. the existence of the revival book and the dream-punz alliance meant that consequences didn't exist for them anymore and what little left of their morals they had eroded away because it was unnecessary. why operate by someone else's rules if you have the power to make your own?

anyway this story is so interwoven and interesting and somehow they're almost done (THERE'S SO MUCH LEFT OPEN??) but yeah i hope you enjoyed my thoughts on the tiny little block men.

(found a reupload of the punzovod which i think has the thing i was talking about in it? it's been 2 years so hopefully that's the right one)

[lordofthestrix]

💭 finn

send 💭 + a topic to receive a headcanon about said topic. Freya: What do you know about Finn? Tristan: We were acquaintances a thousand years ago. He was the most noble of your siblings, and he knew me as a man of my word. A couple of aimless considerations: First of all, Tristan's chosen words here leave my unending need to expand upon my ancient vampire questioning if there could have been some unexplored deal between these two back in Marseilles. A man of his word is something awfully specific to be acknowledged as by others. Finn wouldn't have the scope to decide if Tristan was or wasn't one without some particular opportunity putting it to the test. And then Tristan's own description. I believe I wrote about this before but it is interesting to me that Tristan just as specifically characterized Finn as the most noble of the Mikaelsons. A quality that most would instantly associate with Elijah. So...Tristan and Finn have nothing in common when it comes to the specifics of their values. But that isn't the point. During the Strix gala the first time Tristan looks genuinely impressed with Marcel, he even shares a smile with Aya while hearing him, occurs when Marcel shows what Tristan afterwards calls the rare integrity to refuse to blindly kill Mohinder. He responded "you chose well" in correspondence to not doing what was seemingly expected of him. How these two ideas not collide against each other is material for a different headcanon altogether but Tristan intertwines an immense importance in loyalty to those you consider as yours with an often unexpected but powerful individualistic interpretation to principle. To follow your own justice. Your own desire. Your own principle. Your own craving Above and beyond anything the world might have to say about it. That is something he consistently appears to respect in others. So...Would he have liked or agreed with Finn's initial hunt to extinguish the entire species? Not in the least. But he can respect the steadfast determination to perform what he believes is just. Even if he wholeheartedly disagrees. Under his very particular set of standards, I don't think he is overdecorating the portrait. Finn is, under Tristan's point of view, the most noble of the Mikaelsons.

[hollowayhqs]

Character information

Name: James Whitley Age: 35 Gender: cis-man Pronouns: he/him Species: human/mortal (warlock) Face claim: Michael B Jordan Character Occupation: journalist Neighbourhood of residence: the lookout Affiliation: Anam Coven (formerly) / Whitley family Length of stay in Holloway: born and raised in Holloway until he went to College, returned two weeks ago

Character Summary

James was born and raised in Holloway but has spent his adult life far from the town, away from his father and the connections of his family.Born as the first and illegimiate son of Bill Whitley, a famous author, James' life was not up to a good start. To the outsiders of Holloway it might have looked like a small scandal but those residents of the town connected to the supernatural world knew right from the start that this was something far bigger.

For generations the powerful Whitley line, witches that some believe can be traced back even to the origin of the town, has resided over the Coven of Holloway, leading in times of peace and of war. Succession has always been female, being passed from mother to daughter. Until in the last generation the oldest and only daughter found an untimely and mysterious death, just months before she was to become leader of the coven, leaving her brother William 'Bill' Whitley to fill the void at the head of Anam Coven – something not all witches of the town liked to see.And now, instead of a daugther to succeed him he had a son. Another warlock, though powerful not meant to ever lead the coven.Some even feared something akin to a civil war, so it was surprise to many when Bill refused to marry the mother of his child and instead turned to a different woman.

During his father's first marriage James did not just grow close to his stepmother Audrey, the only woman he calls Mom to this day, but also to his younger sister Piper, whose birth made the witches of Holloway sigh in relief. Finally a girl in the Whitley line again.They were the only family he ever considered his, where he ever felt welcome. But since Bill Whitley, head of the Anam Coven, was always drawn into the wrong directions it did not took long until an affair of his broke that very family apart. James has never forgiven his father for that. He has never forgiven the Coven for being complicit in so many things and so many lies. Though his powers were stronger and he knew he needed the protection of the other witches he turning his back on Holloway and his father was his only dream throughout his teenage years.

Leaving Piper behind was the first hard decision James ever made in his life. Throughout their entire childhood, he had felt responsible for his little sister Pip, the heiress to their line, protecting her as well as you can expect of an 8-year-old. And though Pip is now all grown up it is not easy for him to leave that mindset behind.

After a particularly nasty fight with his father James - now a young man ready for college - packed his bags and left Holloway altogether. He spent a few years in New York, where he grew closer to fellow Holloway resident Vivian Zhou. James and Vivian fell in love pretty fast, a love that burned hot and heavy, destined to last for a heartbeat instead of an eternity. Though he was ready to lie his heart at her feet he could never muster up the courage to tell her the truth. About his father, about the Coven, and most of all not about his powers. Whenever the supernatural world called to him in New York he either ignored that call or hid it from Vivian.They were young, they lived life gloriously, and soon they were expecting. They had not planned this pregnancy and even before Maya was born it was quite obvious that they did not agree on anything. While Vivian wanted to return to Holloway, to be close to her family - and his - to have their child grow up in a city she still called home and stay there, James knew that he would never set foot in Holloway again. Not as long as Bill lived, not as long as the coven still looked at him as if he could usurp their precious throne any minute. Something he had neither thought of nor ever wanted.James understood that Viv longed for the help of her family, but he could not face his own.

He wanted to stay far away from his father and he wanted his child to do the same, to be free of the drama and the power that Bill Whitley needed more than air to breathe. For Maya was a Whitley girl and James feared what that could mean should the coven ever find out about her existence.

So eventhough it broke his heart, he told Vivian, on a day he still regrets more than any other in his life, that if she returned to Holloway she had to do it without him. When he refused to give Maya his last name - another way of his to keep her away from Bill and the coven - Vivian did what any mother would have done.She turned away from him.Again it was a fight that broke apart a young Whitley family and to this day James has wondered if in all his years trying to get away from that man, he has become more like Bill than he ever wanted to be. The first son, the heir in a different way then they ever expected.

James traveled half the world, searching for something that might fill the hole in his chest, regretting that he could not see his daughter grow up, too prideful to change something about that, too scared of the coven to even attempt it. He regularly send money and birthday cards, but he knew - from his own lived experience - that it would never be enough. Then he returned to New York, working as a journalist, ignoring the voices of doubt that told him he was doing exactly what Bill had done - writing about other people's darkness and turning it into money, all the while feeding the shadows of his own soul.

When James got the call, one late evening, that his father had died, it shook him to the core. Not because he grieved for Bill, no that man had left his world a long time ago, but because he was painfully aware what that meant for his sister, for his daughter.

James returned to Holloway, to help his sister succeed as new leader of the coven and to keep an eye on Maya, even from afar. He fears that if his daughter should have inherited his power – something that can basically be seen as fact given the strength of the Whitley magic – she could fall into the web of the coven. He knows that he should have told Vivian the truth, should have been there when his daughter first discovered that side of her. But he still stays away, keeping Maya's heritage a secret.

Whispers grow loud again, whispers that fear history will repeat itself and even dare to pitch James against Piper.

But he has no desire to stay in Holloway for long, no desire to fix the bridges he once burned, but aware that those ashes still make it hard for him to see the right path ahead. He lives close to the lake, far away from most supernatural residents of the city, scheming how he can get his hands on his fathers grimoire, the ancient tome of Whitley witches. Maybe he will find a curse, a spell, that can save Maya from all of this.

You can often find him walking through Holloway, with his dog Varus for company and too many pairs of eyes following him, searching for the remnants of a past he tried to forget for so long.

[tuiyla]

I'm a men hating lesbian lol but even I feel a twinge of sadness when I think of bram and what great friends they could've been. I hadn't paid any attention to sam until s4 started and I was glad to see a friend for brittany since she was so sad without santana. They have somewhat similar personalities and I thought seeing them get into all kinds of funny shenanigans would have been a lot of fun but I guess we can't have platonic friendships on glee and no one can ever stay single. Imo sam isn't a bad friend but he's a terrible boyfriend. He would've been a better character if he were never made to date anyone lmao btw how funny or ludicrous is it that bram never talked after they broke up, although now that I'm thinking about that's the case with most relationships on glee, they end and then the people in question never exchange two words again

Oh absolutely agree, I've long maintained that Bram could have been great if only they didn't feel the need to make it another pointless romantic ship. Like you say, most of them never even talk after a breakup. My forever sadness about Glee is that they wasted so much time on these midgame ships instead of developing friendships and real bonds between the characters. You expect me to believe Bram was real while it lasted when they literally never ever talk again? Okay.

I was glad to see the two bond in Britney 2.0 though I was already dreading the inevitable. Idk man it just takes away from Sam's character to have him go after Brittany a) so soon after her breakup when she's clearly vulnerable, makes him look like an asshole really and b) ignore his past relationships and have him claim he's "always had a thing for her." Literally What. Ridiculous. Everything about Bram could be fixed if it was kept platonic. Imagine a version where he's there for Brittany as a friend, not as someone who wants to get into her pants. It turns something sweet into something gross. Obviously their sexual attraction is not inherently gross, obviously for all the bad faith peeps out there; it's that the story they present makes it feel like that's all that mattered.

But had Bram stayed platonic, we could have them bond over feeling left behind by graduate exes. Bond over insecurities and even body image, bond over the silliness that they get dismissed for otherwise. Except, Brittany genuinely thought Sam was funny and unique and smart and he automatically assumed the lowest SAT score was hers. Funny that. But hey isn't a version where someone other than Santana appreciated Britt's intelligence and is there as a friend great. But you know the season already had the Blam friendship to hype up and the writers didn't give two fucks about developing Bram's dynamic beyond using it to stomp on Brittana/occasionally Samcedes. Sam spends so much more time with Blaine that season and honestly I wouldn't be surprised to learn that Britt spends more time with the newbies than her boyfriend. The newbies! Famously a different species altogether.

That's my main problem with Bram and all lazy Glee midgame ships. They get together and the writers call it a day because obviously people who are dating don't also need to be friends and, idk, talk. Well that's far from my only problem with Bram lol, in fact what we had of them was more than enough thank you very much. But I would have welcomed more of them had it been a friendship not a lame attempt at a midgame ship.

Side note but my pet peeve is when people "blame" Sam's decline in intelligence and common sense compared to season 2 on Brittany. Common argument is, they dumbed him down for her. To that I say, Sam wishes he was on Brittany's level.

[markrogersart]

⚔️🦖SOLD: “Battle in the Red Caviety” 18x24 Oil on Panel 2022. After getting sober, the legendary wizard Haxm Forehand felt that it was his moral obligation to help young Orren on his quest to rescue his sister Floy from the cave-dwelling extrreserials that had spirited her away two nights prior. The desert sorceress, Mora Fess, also joined the party and together, the three adventurers traveled upon flying carpet to the mine known as the Red Caviety, which was now known to be a subterranean outpost for the Zeta Reticulan Grays. 👽✨Over the years Haxm had several encounters with the Grays, and after healing one of their kind who had been shot by bandits, he believed himself to be on favorable terms with the aliens. His strategy for getting Floy back was to be one of negotiation and diplomacy. 👽🦖Things did not go according to plan however, for as soon as the party encountered met with the Grays, the scene erupted into total chaos. Unbeknownst to the adventurers, they had been followed.  🦖🏜In addition to the Zeta Reticualn Grays, the deserts of the Southwestern Bellows were also home to an altogether different species of alien, sometimes referred to as the Reptilians or the Draconians. From what little Orren could make out, it seemed that the Reptilians “had finally discovered the location of the Ceremonial Science Temple” and for some reason or another, the Reptilians were raving about a forcefield--apparently controlled by the Grays--that was preventing their Ancestral Draconian Warship from landing. (Or something like that, Orren couldn’t be sure.)  🧙🏼‍♂️ Here we see Haxm trying to mellow everyone out with crystal magick, Mora preparing to obliterate the extraterrestrials with her enchanted cast iron pan, and Oren staring into the dead eyes of an alien and peeing a little. 👽 (at Fort Wayne, Indiana) https://www.instagram.com/p/CjtGnq3uWLu/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=