#Pavonis answers

[delta-pavonis]

Sobbing crying finally someone understands why (even though I love the art and writing and understand it’s important to the story) I have just never. Liked Daniel.

Like i don’t hate him or blame him but like. God it really could have been avoided and I just wanted Morpheus to have a happy ending ToT

And somehow you managed to write the singular fic that makes me not devastated about it. Ur Daniel is now the cannon Daniel in my mind

😭😭😭😭😭

Yes! Reading Daniel stuff has always been hard for me. The only way Daniel/Hob fic has worked for me has been if Hob and Morpheus never got together.

When I started writing this I *NEEDED* to figure out a way that Morpheus' story could go a la canon and for me (and Hob, who is often me) to not absolutely want to strangle Daniel. It actually didn't start as a Dream Songs fic, but then after I got out of the New Inn that Hob was just HEY THIS IS MY STORY. And then I sobbed and was like BUT NO I LIKE THAT MORPHEUS and HE WAS GROWING SO WELL (like he was a fucking plant 🤣).

And I needed to get around the STUPID LAWS... so what if Morpheus had more conscious agency in all of it? What if he wasn't setting this up for years pretty much unbeknownst to himself (like I believe Death says in the comics), but instead faced the consequences and made very specific plans to ensure Hob would survive AND be happy (at least eventually).

I am so glad this is jiving with people the way it jivved with me. 🥰

[delta-pavonis]

Absolutely! The more random the better!

I have SO MUCH MORE in my head than what gets down on a given page... Like, you want to know how __'s hair is styled in __ chapter or a fic I wrote four years ago? I got you!

Reblog if you write fic and people can inbox you random-ass questions about your stories, itemized number lists be damned.

[delulupunk]

DUNE AU DAMIAN WAYNE X READER PART FOUR

Mild brutalia

Fem reader

Notes: Under no circumstances should opinions expressed by characters be linked to this author in anyway. This is written in the style of Frank Hebert’s book, this means spoilers for Dune. While inspired by Frank Herbert’s novel the plotline may be similar, however it will not be the same.

Someone please bully me into a regular update schedule

Imperial terminology

Bene Gesserit: The ancient school of mental and physical training established primarily for female students after the Butlerian Jihad destroyed the so-called ‘thinking machines’ and robots.

Caladan: Third planet of Delta Pavonis.

Filmclip: An apparatus used mainly for training consisting of a shigawire imprint carrying a mnemonic pulse.

Faufreluches: The rigid imperial system of class stratification.

Shield, defensive: The protective field produced by a Holtzman generator. A shield will permit entry only to objects moving at slow speeds.

Spacing (Guild): Powerful organization which ad a monopoly on space travel and transport due to their Navigators.

Mating index: The Bene Gesserit master record of its human breeding program aimed at producing the Kwisatz Haderach.

Mentat: The class of imperial citizens trained for supreme accomplishments of logic. ‘Human computers’.

Sapho: High-energy liquid extracted from barrier roots of Ecaz. Used by Mentats who claim it amplifies mental powers. Users develop deep ruby stains on mouth and lips.

Without our mothers, we are nothing of worth. Commentaries On The New Emperors Family- Empress Y/N

The soft wind swished Talia’s hair to the side as she looked down at her favourite flowers, which were jewels in a sea of sage leaves.

Pondering she brushed her hand against the soft surface of the petals. She found herself wishing that she knew who her parents were- she understood the Bene Gesserit reasoning of why it was never to be shared, yet still she longed to have true clarity over she truly was. It was well known that the information wasn’t shared, in case the necessity for crossing blood lines arises.

Talia didn’t want to know just for the sake of lineages. No, she was interested in possessing a picture of her parents, to see which one she most looked like- where all these features of herself came from.

She raised her hand slowly to her face, rotating it as she analysed it. Her hands were slender yet firm, a mix of her parents she decided to dub it.

Would they be proud of me?

If only she had a little diary filled with memories of her parents, their subtle tics, their beliefs, their friends and foes. Would she align with them or simply be so profoundly different that she could feel nothing but disgust?

The soft crunch of leaves from strong boots filled the air, Talia noticed the imperceptible difference between the sound of the standard issue boots, and the strength of the Duke’s.

Duke Wayne stopped before her and tipped his head to his lady, causing a smile to grace her face.

“You don’t frequent the gardens much my love.” The Duke stated, however his eyes shone with curiosity.

“Well it hasn’t rained today, beloved, so I thought I’d pay a visit.” Talia replied, answering his hidden question. The sun today on Caladan had been glaring as if it was prodding around the planet for a traitor. Even at sunrise this morning. Talia found her skin covered with perspiration which was a sensation she’d completely forgotten, due to the humidity of Caladan.

“And I thought I’d pay a visit to you.” Lovingly the Duke muttered, dipping his head down to place a kiss as sweet as cherries onto his woman’s lips. Silently they kissed each other, their lips making small movements against the others. Talia firmly tilted her head up and moved her hand to the back of his neck.

Clang

Clang

CLANG

Their kiss was broken like shattered glass as they heard clanging of the gates.

Talia used Bene Gesserit techniques to prevent herself from snapping her head like animal, and instead turned with curiosity.

The training could not prevent her breath from catching, as the Duke latched his arm around her waist- pulling her inwards.

Dreams are all emotion, and no thought.

Lessons From The New Emperor- Empress Y/N

“The language of flowers is so elegant Damian, you must learn it one day! A bouquet isn’t just solely about aesthetics, it’s about hidden meanings!” The girl excitedly told him, her hands gesticulating as wildly as a bull. Each time she paced behind his back he felt a gust of air, she was truly going that fast.

“What doesn’t contain hidden meanings, beloved?” Damian smirked as he looked down at the papers thrown onto his desk.

“Yes, but the same type of flower can have different meanings, just dependant on its shade! Take for example…”

Damian shook his hand amused, his girl was truly an addict to knowledge. Not the same as a Mentat though, who concerned themselves with the nitty gritty and science.

He paused his thoughts to snigger at the thought of her being a Mentat, she was simple too happy and restless to be confined to her mind with all those facts.

Where Mentat’s found solutions in learning, she seemed to find joy. Damian admired her for it, he’d only studied purely for the duty of his House. Perhaps if he found pleasure in it, he’d be able to engage as throughly as she could in these conversations. Damian strengthened himself with steel, promising to love learning as she did, so he could see that brilliant smile of hers.

He was hyper aware of the harmony of her voice- it exhilarated him and awoke him from what felt a slumber for the ages. Each punctuation of her words, sent a jolt through his spine, while the soft syllables relaxed his head.

The girls fingers threaded through his hair, before yanking his hand back insistently.

“You’re ignoring me.” Damian could hear the pout in her voice, before any other senses could be felt. The twang of pain at her sudden pull came a moment too late, like an echo of a sound long passed.

Smiling amusedly Damian tipped his head back, “This better for you beloved?”

She grinned satisfied, “There’s my handsome-“

“Damian!”

A pillow rammed into his face causing him to splutter.

“I’ve been shouting your name!” Talia pulled her son from her bed and rushed to the other side of the room, hastily throwing a set of clothes at him.

“Come quick Dick Grayson is at the gates- he’s alive!” His mother cried.

Taglist: @maria-trisha

I love you all so much, thanks for still reading xxx

[unpredictable-probabilities]

The Pleasures of Dreaming and Waking

Summary:

Hob spends time with Dream after a long week at work. As they chat over their usual table, they grow more comfortable in expressing their fantasies and endeavour to explore them.

Notes:

Inspired by this fic written by @delta-pavonis <3

Rating: Explicit

Word Count: 4,716

Square/Prompt: B3 - Somnophilia |  @dreamlingbingo

Ship(s): Dream of the Endless | Morpheus/Hob Gadling

Additional Tags: Established Relationship, Kissing, Neck Kissing, Making Out, Nipple Play, Smut, Eldritch Sex, Light Bondage, Consensual Somnophilia, Blow Jobs, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Orgasm Edging, Multiple Orgasms, Sweet, Sweet/Hot, Cuddling & Snuggling, Naked Cuddling, Post-Coital Cuddling, Porn Without Plot, Porn With Feelings

AO3 Link: https://archiveofourown.org/works/59931001

———

The sounds of conversations combined with the clinking of cutlery and soft footsteps is making Hob sleepy.

He had a long week at work and only managed to catch a break now that it's Friday; he stifles a yawn behind his hand and mumbles thanks to the waiter that just brought their order to their table.

“Are you well, my love? You seem exhausted.” A frown creases Dream’s forehead, and Hob still marvels at how Dream is more comfortable with expressing his emotions now, especially since they started dating three months ago; a fact that Hob still has trouble believing if he thinks about it too hard.

Hob nods and straightens up in his seat, trying to blink the fatigue out of his eyes. “I'm alright, love, don't worry. Just pretty knackered with finals week coming up. Been up late catching up on grading papers and all that.”

“You should have informed me sooner. We could always meet in my realm while your physical body rests.”

“Yeah, but I'm quite fond of this place,” Hob admits. “This table is where I was sitting when you first came back. I like talking with you here.”

“You are stubbornly sentimental,” Dream chides, though there's an unmistakable smile on his lips.

“You love it,” Hob says pointedly, taking some chips from the basket.

Dream makes a sound that might have been a chuckle. “Very well. What woes did you experience in the world of academia today? I have heard it is part of unwinding to talk about how one’s day has gone.”

“You learned that in one of those relationship books you read in your library?” He walked in on Dream reading that sort of book once in the Dreaming during their first month of dating. Dream vanished the book in an instant when he saw Hob, but Hob had been so endeared that he had pushed Dream against the shelf and kissed him senseless.

“Perhaps.” Dream drinks from his mug of hot chocolate to hide his face, but not before Hob sees the subtle pink on his cheeks.

Hob grins and reaches for Dream’s hand resting on the table, fiddling idly with the cuff of his sleeve. “Nothing remarkable happened, at this point even the students were just waiting for the weekend so classes were rather quiet. Then afterwards I went with some of my colleagues to that pub near the university, and we just traded mindless gossip to purge our brains of essays and staff meetings.”

Dream turns his hand so his palm is facing up, and he brushes his thumb back and forth on Hob's wrist as he speaks. “I am sure the other patrons enjoyed hearing gossip from academics.”

“I'm not so sure I did, honestly. My mate Nick runs his mouth after a few pints, and I didn't need to hear that he had a wet dream about our colleague from the Arts department. Does that fall under your jurisdiction, by the way? You just know whenever someone's fantasising in their dream?” Hob has already asked a lot of questions about Dream and his function, which Dream always answers with some degree of amusement, but Hob still feels like there's so much more to learn.

“I am able to see into someone's dreams should I wish, but unless a nightmare is crossing a line in troubling them or other similar concerns, I have no obligation nor desire to do so. And any fantasies they might have are created by their own minds.” Dream pauses and tilts his head slightly to the side. “Do you wish for us to do the same? To share such intimacies in my realm?”

Hob feels his face warm and he chuckles. He still gets caught off-guard by how direct Dream can be nowadays. “I thought you said you can't read minds?”

“I can sense daydreams. And yours are often loud.” The corner of his lips tilts up in a smirk.

“Well, can you blame me? People dream about that kind of stuff all the time, but for you and me, it would be real. It would actually be you.”

Dream’s smile disappears and he seems to hesitate, his face becoming guarded.

“Hey,” Hob says gently, stroking Dream’s arm with his fingers. “We don't have to, okay? All the sex we have here in the Waking is already perfectly amazing.”

“Crude.” Dream's eyes twinkle in amusement and he seems to relax. He pauses for a moment before continuing. “You have seen my form in my realm. How… different. I look.”

Hob raises an eyebrow. “You mean being paler and taller than an average human and having galaxies for eyes? And wearing that sinful robe that would be considered indecent in the streets of London?”

Dream lowers his gaze and is obviously trying to suppress a smile. “I am trying to be serious, Hob.”

“Oh I'm perfectly serious. I'm surprised you didn't sense my daydreams whenever we walked around your realm with you wearing that thing.”

“I… did. But.” Dream trails off, his fingers tapping restlessly on the inside of Hob’s arm.

“What's wrong?” Hob rarely sees Dream be so hesitant.

“I am… afraid. To hurt you, in my realm. If we engage in physical intimacy.”

Hob’s eyebrows lift in surprise. “Hurt me? You could never hurt me, love.”

“I might.” Dream’s voice sounds strained with worry. “In my realm I am… more. In the throes of passion I might lose control of my humanoid form.” He looks right at Hob. “You inspire such greed in me, Hob Gadling. I will have you for as long as it takes until I am sated.”

Hob swallows, his mouth suddenly dry. If Dream intends to discourage him by what he just said, he's spectacularly failing. “So exactly as we always do it, then?” he manages to say lightly.

Dream huffs out a chuckle. “You are not daunted at all.” He sounds almost impressed.

“‘Course not,” Hob says easily. “Is it something that you want, though?”

Dream nods slowly. “I have thought of it. More than once. I should like to have you in my bed, at the heart of my palace. So the very essence of our ardour seeps into each fibre of my realm, that none may doubt my affections for you.”

Hob takes a shaky breath, unable to look away from Dream. They should probably be talking about this somewhere more private, but right now the most prominent thought in Hob's mind is if Dream wants it just as much as he does then why haven't they done it yet.

“Okay, okay,” Hob says mainly to calm himself. “Since we both want the same thing, is there any way I can make you more comfortable with the idea? We can use safe words, and I bet you can sense anyway if I feel like something’s too much for me.”

“I am uncertain about that. I have never been able to sense your discomfort in any of our couplings.”

“That's because I've never felt any discomfort, love. Like I said, everything we've done has been amazing, and I think you know by now that you're not the only one who can get greedy,” Hob says cheekily.

A smile curves Dream’s lips. “That is a fair point.”

“I know. So then. Um…” Hob looks around at the pub. “D’you wanna go upstairs and talk about it?”

“You are not too tired?”

“Oh believe me, I'm more awake now than I've been all week.” Hob calls over one of the waiters and tells him that they're taking their food to go.

“Eager, beloved?” Dream raises an eyebrow playfully after the waiter leaves.

“No more than you, Your Majesty.”

Dream makes a low humming noise in his chest that might have been a purr or a growl. Either way, it's definitely a sound of approval and that's all Hob needs to practically drag Dream upstairs as soon as they get their takeout bag.

Hob takes a shower first because he's not sleeping with his boyfriend while carrying the grime of public transport, nevermind that it's the quickest shower he's ever taken in his life.

When he gets out of the bathroom wearing a fresh shirt and sweatpants, he sees Dream on his bed wearing black silk pyjamas, sitting up against a pillow and reading Lord of the Rings. The whole image is so soft that it makes Hob’s chest ache.

“I like seeing you like this,” Hob says as he sits next to Dream.

“On your bed?”

“Relaxed.” Hob kisses the tip of Dream's nose. “Do you still want to talk about it?”

Dream nods. “Do you?”

“Yeah. Thanks for waiting while I showered.”

“You were not gone long. I had not even finished the chapter I was reading.” Dream closes the book and puts it on the nightstand. “I still do not know what happens after Frodo and Sam meet Merry and Pippin.”

“Oh, should I shower for longer then so you can continue reading?”

“If you step in that shower again I should be inclined to join you.”

“Talk first,” Hob says firmly, rather proud of himself for declining such a tempting offer. Granted, he declined in favour of a much more tempting one. “How'd you feel about safe words?” he turns to his side to more comfortably face Dream, folding a knee under him.

“They could prove to be useful, yes. What words do you recommend?”

“We can use the traffic light system. Green means continue, yellow means slow down, red means stop immediately.”

Dream considers for a moment. “And you promise to use them with no hesitation?”

“Yeah,” Hob nods. “And you should too.”

Dream slowly blinks at him, looking surprised.

“You can use them too,” Hob clarifies. “You're allowed to say if you're uncomfortable, yeah?”

Dream is silent for a few moments, forehead creased in thought. Then he slowly nods. “Alright. And I should like to give you control to shape the Dreaming.”

“What?” Now it's Hob's turn to be surprised.

“My realm is tied to my temperament. I may cause a storm without meaning to. Or an earthquake. While you might not be powerful enough to stop these things entirely, you will have the ability to shape the environment to conjure whatever shelter best suits your comfort.”

The first thought in Hob's mind is how utterly sweet Dream is to even think of granting him that much power over his realm; Hob is aware that that much trust given to him is not to be taken lightly.

The second thought following closely after is that Hob wants to see just how much he can make Dream lose control while sharing his bed. He wonders if he can pleasure Dream enough for him to make actual fireworks appear.

Dream chuckles and rests his forehead against Hob’s. “Your priorities continue to fascinate me, Hob Gadling.”

“Shall I show you how fascinating I can be, then?” Hob reaches up to run his fingers along the collar of Dream's silk shirt.

Dream purrs low in his chest and holds the back of Hob’s neck to slot their lips together.

Hob groans softly and clenches his fist into the fabric of Dream's shirt, pulling him down to lie on top of him.

“I thought you wished to do this in my realm,” Dream says playfully against his lips, pupils already blown.

“Still do. Take me there then, my lord.”

There’s sand and the familiar feeling of drifting off to sleep, and then all at once Hob feels a different bed under him, smooth as satin and softer than goosefeathers.

Dream is looming over him, his black robe nearly slipping off a pale shoulder. His blue eyes flicker down to Hob’s clothes, running over them with a curious gaze.

Hob looks down and realises that he’s wearing a bottle-green robe, loosely tied at the waist and with nothing else underneath. “I owned something like this back then,” he recalls. “In the 1500s, I think. It was always comfortable.”

Dream nods in approval and noses along the line of Hob’s jaw. “Good. Here you shall have every comfort.” He sinks his teeth in the skin beneath Hob’s ear with just enough pressure to make him shiver.

“I wish I could carry your marks with me to the Waking,” Hob says breathlessly.

Dream pulls back to meet his eyes, and for a second Hob wonders if had said something wrong.

“If you truly wish it, I can extend my consciousness to my physical form currently sleeping beside yours. I will make love to you in the Waking as I do here. And you will have my marks until your body heals them away.”

Hob feels his eyes widen, his heart thumping in his chest. And once again he wonders why they’d never done this before. “Will I be able to feel what you do to my physical body? Even here?”

Dream considers it. “I can put your consciousness in the liminal space between sleeping and waking, just enough for you to feel my touch in your realm. Is this what you wish?”

“Yes,” Hob whispers, absently realising that he has his hands clenched into fists on Dream’s robe.

“Very well.”

Dream closes his eyes, and suddenly Hob feels smooth hands trail slowly up his thighs, even when Dream hasn’t moved at all. Cool fingers wrap around his cock and he gasps, hips jerking up against Dream’s thigh.

“Did you vanish my clothes?”

“I did not think you would need them.” There’s an edge to Dream’s smile, and when he opens his eyes the blue has vanished too, replaced by pools of black with brilliant stars at the center.

Hob pulls him down for a kiss, and Dream opens up immediately. Hob loses himself in the feeling of their tongues against each other and Dream’s body undulating above him. They both still have their robes on, but Hob can feel a hand slowly stroking his cock, a mouth around his nipple. He hears a whimper that might have been his but never felt it leave his throat.

“Dream,” Hob gasps, hips stuttering against Dream’s thigh. The sensations in the Waking haven’t stopped, but with most of his consciousness here in the Dreaming they all feel distant, like a vivid memory that can never live up to the real thing. “Touch me. Here.”

“As my love commands.” Dream unties Hob’s robe with one hand before pressing their lips together again.

Hob sighs against the kiss as he feels Dream’s hand caress his torso, gliding lower and kneading the flesh of his thigh. He wraps his arms around Dream’s neck, runs his fingers through soft midnight hair that seems constantly ruffled by wind despite the lack of any breeze.

The sensations in the Waking stop abruptly, and before Hob could begin to wonder why, he feels teeth sink into the inside of his thigh.

“Ah!” Hob arches his back, breaking the kiss and pulling Dream’s hair. His cock twitches and he feels the heat of Dream’s mouth wrap around him—in the Waking. Hob moans in frustration, his cock hanging heavy and neglected in the open air. “Do you even have plans to fuck me here?”

“I am marking you in the Waking. That is what you wish, is it not?” Dream rakes his nails lightly across Hob’s chest, scraping a nipple and making Hob twitch.

“Just in the Waking? What happened to being greedy?” Hob quickly bunches up Dream’s robes, thrilled to find that there’s not a stitch of clothing underneath. He grabs Dream’s bare arse and pulls him flush against his groin.

Dream throws his head back with a shaky gasp, his eyes fluttering close.

Hob pulls him down and mouths at pale clavicles, licks at Dream’s icy throat and nips at his jawline.

Dream surges down to kiss him, and at the same time Hob feels his thighs being spread open in the Waking.

Dream's tongue reaches into him from both ends, soft and slick and far longer than any human tongue should be.

Hob squirms as he feels Dream’s tongue move inside him in the Waking, feeling full and empty all at once. He grips the back of Dream's neck, ruts against his cock.

Dream makes a wounded noise and returns the enthusiasm, grinding down hard until Hob’s sure they're carving a dent into the plush cushions.

Hob feels precome on his belly, and he needs Dream inside him now but he also needs him to never stop moving.

And then Dream does stop, even his movements in the Waking.

Hob opens his eyes, mind clouded in a haze of confusion and lust. He sees Dream looking around their surroundings and blinking.

Hob begins to realise that even though they're still on the same cushions, they're no longer in Dream’s bedroom.

The ceiling made of a starry night sky is replaced with an elaborate mosaic of figures that might be deities, and the marble walls are now stained glass windows letting in colorful sunlight that dapples on the steps leading down from where he and Dream are.

Dream shifts to his side to give Hob room to sit up and look around. He realises that they're on a raised platform overlooking a great hall with long tables and tall double doors at the far end. They're the only ones here, and the vastness of the place has a solemn quiet to it.

“Where are we?” Hob’s voice echoes softly.

“You brought us here, beloved.”

“What?” Hob frowns and looks around again, paying more attention to the details.

The wall behind them is painted with doves and bells so intricately that Hob can almost hear them, and he suddenly recognises that the deities depicted on the ceiling are who the townspeople considered the gods of marriage from about six centuries ago.

“This is a wedding hall,” Hob breathes. I brought us here to shag on the altar.

Dream blinks at him slowly. “Why did you choose this place?”

“I didn't mean to,” Hob scratches the back of his head sheepishly. “I guess, um…” he feels his face warm up. He looks down and fidgets with the sheets. “I'm not proposing or anything, I don't even know what that would mean for you but… I s’pose I liked the symbolism of it. Us getting married…” He trails off and hesitantly meets Dream’s gaze again.

Dream is looking at him in bewilderment, and Hob feels panic rise in his throat, images of a rainy night and a black figure storming off flashing in his mind.

“Look, I can't control what my brain thinks,” he hurriedly says. “You can whisk us back to your room—”

Dream moves and pins him down on the cushions, claiming his lips with teeth and tongue and the intensity of the birth of a star.

Hob’s body quickly gets back with the program, whatever he was feeling before they got interrupted by the location change has come back in full force, and then some.

He grunts when he feels Dream slip a finger inside him, the sensation so vivid that it takes him a second to realise that it's happening in the Waking. Dream adds another finger, slick with the lube that Hob keeps in his nightstand drawer, or possibly dreamstuff, Hob doesn't really care. He grinds down on empty air here in the Dreaming, a moan of pleasure and need escaping him.

“You wish to be united with me in this manner?” Dream is actually breathless, and his form is starting to blur at the edges like a freshly made oil painting hanging on a lord’s wall.

He has a subtle glow about him, and Hob can believe that it's coming from the stars in his eyes that seem to burn brighter now. His dark hair ripples softly as if underwater. It's as if one of the gods from the mosaic came to life just to loom over Hob and look at him with utter adoration, as if Hob is the one worthy of worship.

“Of course I do.” Hob threads his fingers through Dream’s hair, caresses his face, his shoulders. Marvelling at how he's allowed to touch a being such as this. “I'll have you in all the ways you would allow,” he says quietly, reverently.

Dream presses their foreheads together. “Hob.” The syllable drops from his lips like a prayer and then he's kissing Hob again, their robes vanishing in an instant.

Hob cups Dream’s face in his hands, his eyes falling close as he inhales the scent of rain and ozone and fresh ink on paper.

He feels Dream's fingers pull out of him in the Waking, and his stomach clenches in anticipation.

The familiar shape of Dream's cock teases at his rim, and Hob realises with a gasp that it's here in the Dreaming. 

Dream tenderly takes his hands and pins them beside his head on the pillow, their fingers lacing together.

Hob is already slick and soft and open, and his eyes roll back in his head when Dream slips in, filling him up inch by delicious inch as Dream’s lips move down to his neck. Their fingers remain intertwined, but Hob feels soft touches up and down his body, becoming more insistent as Dream thrusts deeper into him.

Hob’s eyes flutter open to see that shadows seem to be bleeding from Dream’s form, shaping into tendrils that act as his limbs. Hob doesn't even bother to try counting them, especially not when one tendril touches his nipple, flicking and rolling the hard nub until Hob is squirming and jerking his hips up to meet Dream’s thrusts.

The teeth that scrape and nip at his neck are definitely sharper than usual, and a shiver runs down Hob’s spine, prickling his skin with goosebumps and making his toes curl.

Dream tightens his grip on Hob's hands and slowly pulls out before slamming into him in both realms.

“AH–!” Hob arches his back, or tries to, but finds that the shadow tendrils are pinning him to the bed; wrapped around his waist, his arms, holding his thighs open as Dream continues to thrust into him.

Dream's face is pressed in the crook of Hob’s neck, making growling noises that could never come from a human throat.

Hob’s weeping cock twitches from what little friction Dream’s body is giving, unable to get any more of it no matter how much he strains against the tendrils. Dream slams into his prostate and Hob cries out a sob, tears forming in his eyes.

Dream slows down and pulls back to look at him, the tendrils loosening their hold. “Colour, my love?” His voice sounds wrecked.

“Green,” Hob whines, taking advantage of his mobility to raise his hips and take Dream deeper into him. “Green— Fuck, Please…”

Dream captures his lips in a searing kiss. The tendrils wrap around Hob once more, but this time they help him move, raising his hips to meet Dream each time, faster than what Hob would have been capable of on his own.

He can feel Dream's teeth on him in the Waking while he's being fucked into his own mattress; on his chest, his jawline, his neck, oh his neck, Dream is making good on his promise to mark him, sucking bruises onto the skin and soothing them with his tongue. When that tongue moves down to his nipples, Hob feels so keyed up that he can almost feel it in the Dreaming as well.

A tendril wraps around Hob’s cock and strokes him quickly while another one teases at the slit, and it's all too much and not nearly enough. Hob doesn't quite remember how to breathe, and he tightens his grip on Dream's hands as the tendrils manhandle him to buck and rut against his lover.

The air feels charged, like the moment before a lightning strike, and Dream is panting in Hob's ear as a sudden wind whistles through the wedding hall, the light from the stained glass windows changing colours rapidly as if the sun is moving erratically outside.

Seeing Dream so affected is what hurls Hob over the edge, and he comes with a roar that might have broken the windows but he can't hear anything else above his own voice and the pleasure lighting up his spine.

Dream speaks against his ear, soft lips almost caressing. “This dream is over.”

Hob slams back into the Waking with a strangled cry, frustration crashing over him when he realises that Dream has a hand wrapped around the base of his cock, stopping his release even as Dream repeatedly fucks into him, his other hand bracing himself on the bed for leverage.

The whiplash of going from a mind-shattering orgasm to his cock heavy with wanting has Hob going half-mad.

“Dream–!” he digs his nails into Dream’s back, squirming as he tries to get free of Dream's iron grip, only succeeding in deepening the angle of Dream inside him.

“Shall I fuck you into unconsciousness, my lover?” Dream is in his human form again but his blue eyes are no less piercing. “I can take you here, and in my realm, going back and forth until you can no longer distinguish between Dreaming and Waking. Giving you endless pleasure in my realm where you will not tire, and holding back your release here until I decide that I am done with you.”

A full-body shiver runs through Hob; Dream's voice only stokes the fire already burning Hob from the inside, his words making Hob’s cock ache and twitch in desperation.

“You are mine, Hob Gadling,” Dream's hips stutter out of rhythm before speeding up. “Not to capture nor possess. But to adore and—ah—cherish. Mine to care for. Mine to love.” His eyelids flutter and his breaths are coming in pants. “Just as I am yours. To do with as you please.”

He thrusts deep and Hob cries out, his nails raking red lines across Dream's back.

A flash of concern appears on Dream's face as he looks down at him.

“Green, green!” Hob screams before Dream could even think to slow down. “Dream, my love, please…” he whimpers.

“Yes,” Dream says breathlessly, leaning down to kiss him. “Your love. Yours,” he says against Hob’s lips. He deepens the kiss as he strokes Hob’s cock in time with his thrusts.

Hob clenches his hands into Dream's hair, moaning wantonly in his mouth as his hips buck up and down of their own accord.

“With me, my love,” Dream gasps. He slams into Hob’s prostate and twists his hand.

Hob's vision goes white and he screams, his body thrashing under Dream as he spills and spills between them. He hears Dream’s guttural cry in his ear and it only flings him higher into his peak, where nothing else exists except the two of them and Dream’s spend filling him up more than he thought possible.

Their embrace tightens as they shake and tremble, listening to the sound of each other’s breaths as they begin to calm down, their chests heaving.

Dream gently slips out of him and they both groan at the sensation. “Have I fulfilled your expectations, my love?” he asks quietly, brushing away a lock of hair that had stuck to the sweat on Hob’s forehead.

Hob’s brain takes a few moments to understand the question. “Have… What…” he tries to form a coherent sentence while still catching his breath. “I only ever expect for both of us to feel good, and I think we'd been pretty vocal about that just now.”

Dream smiles, a soft thing that brightens up his face. “Indeed. And now, you must sleep,” he brushes a thumb across Hob's cheekbone. “You have been exhausted this week, and even immortal bodies need rest.”

Hob just hums. Given how his eyelids are already feeling heavy, he doesn't have much room to argue.

“Cuddle?” he manages, sleepily running his fingers through Dream's hair.

Dream leans into his touch. “Both here and in the Dreaming.”

Hob vaguely registers Dream waving his hand to clean them up, and then Dream is lying down beside him and snuggling close, tucking his head under Hob’s chin.

Hob wraps his arms around Dream, drifting off to sleep and smiling at what a lucky bastard he is.

———

(Dreamling Bingo Masterpost)

(Masterlist)

[tj-dragonblade]

WIP Word Train Game

Tagged by @mid0khan, thank you! ❤️ The word this time is CARE

C, from the selkie-verse fic:

"Coffee was a terrible experience, the first time." Hob smiles. "Better with sugar, then? I remember you were drinking a caramel macchiato with extra syrup the other day?" Dream blinks at him. "Yes. You recall my order?" Hob feels his face heating as he scores the heart into the second loaf. "Er. Yes. You were easily the most beautiful person I'd seen in ages. Hard to forget." There's little point in waffling about it; they're meant to be evaluating their compatibility with this whole affair, after all.

A, from the search agency AU:

After, when they have cleaned up and crawled into one bed together, Dream lies quiet and pensive in Hob's arms, and Hob simply holds him, gives him time to gather whatever words seem to be on his mind. "I do not love lightly, Hob," he says at last, softly but firmly. "Be not fickle with my heart—" It's a plea masquerading as a warning, and Hob, always greedy and grasping, always falling too hard too fast too strong, head-over-heels-Hob, he wraps his Dream close and answers both. "Never. I swear it."

R, from the academic conference AU:

Relief and elation surge through Hob, and he dimples brightly. "Well, good. I'm—that's good." He rolls off the bed, stands. "C'mon then." They each wipe down and cleanup in the bathroom, then pirate the sheets from the rollaway to cover the inevitable wet bits in the bed before climbing back in. The digital clock on the nightstand reads 1:10 as Dream tucks himself up beside Hob; Hob dares to pull him in just a little closer and settles, calculating how many hours they'll get if they go to sleep in the next five minutes. Dream nuzzles into his chest, drapes an arm over his stomach with a sigh, and Hob drifts off with a soft smile on his face.

E, from the search agency AU:

"Ethel Cripps left for the States, long 'bout a month ago," Hettie reveals, sipping at the pumpkin spice latte Hob brought her, letting the cup warm her fingers in their worn woolen gloves. "Word has it she went to New York. There's a particular shop in Staten Island where she would have had good luck in unloading stolen items of a certain nature." She elbows Dream good-naturedly. "Best place for you to start your search, young man," she cackles. Dream allows the physical jostling with more grace than he showed yesterday. "Thank you, Hettie. I am in your debt." "Well, one day mayhap I'll have need to collect," she returns, and waves them on their way.

Fingers crossed for forward movement on any of these; I've still got stalled asks from a couple weeks ago that will help whenever I can get my brain back into gear. In the meantime! Tagging, no obligation, your word is SHIP: @seiya-starsniper @five-and-dimes @softest-punk @valeriianz @delta-pavonis @teejaystumbles

[loonytoonybastard]

Saw your ml au dead boys art and I'm IMMEDIATELY so invested, they'd be so cute fr 👀 if you want an excuse to talk about them please take this as one, otherwise just know your art is adorable and my head is full, many thoughts xhsndjsnfk

Thank you<3 I’m so glad you like the doodles!

Honestly you’re giving me such an opportunity here, I don’t even know where to start lol.

First of all, this au is actually a collaboration between me, @knifesimmons, @innocentmapleleaf & @necromancer-snail over on the dead ppl detective agency server. So if you’d ever like to get the complete experience, and not just my silly yapping, you can just dm me, I’d love to send you a link to the server, so you can check it out for yourself:)

Now I think the best place to start, is a character introduction:

Heroes:

Edwin/Coccinelle: Edwin is the holder of the ladybug miraculous. His strict yet absent parents, have homeschooled him up until recently, since he’s decided to go to school.

Charles/Jinx: Charles is the holder of the black cat miraculous. He’s transformed as often as possible, and absolutely loves the freedom it has given him. Plagg is incredibly protective of him, because of his poor home life.

Crystal/Panthera: Crystal is the holder of the tiger miraculous. She frequently crossed paths with the hero boys, before becoming a holder, because of her ex Davids tendency of getting akumatized constantly, like an infinitely worse version of Mr. Pigeon.

Niko/Inoshishi: Niko is the holder of the pig miraculous. She runs this aus version of the Ladyblog; “The Coccinelle Chronicles”, she has so many videos, that she can’t post to it, because it would reveal her identity.

Jenny/Tau: Jenny is the holder of the ox miraculous. She is incredibly tired of a certain cat, always sleeping on her awning/roof, but at least it gets her more customers. She has to be the responsible adult in the group, and she definitely did not sign up for it.

Villains:

Esther/Hawkmoth: Esther is the holder of the butterfly miraculous. I mean she’s Esther Finch, need I say more.

Monty/Pavonis: Monty is the holder of the peacock miraculous. He’s a senti monster, but isn’t aware of it yet. He secretly works for Esther, but eventually gets redeemed.

Additional cast:

The Night Nurse/Gaurdian: NN is the guardian of the miraculous, and is the one tasked with picking the holders. She’s also dating a certain Ms. Jenny Green.

Death/Grand Master: we haven’t talk much about her role in the story yet.

Also they wear school uniforms (styled after Edwin’s uniform in the comics), for no other reason then I wanted to, and no one can stop me.

(I don’t get asks often, so this is a little overwhelming, but um I hope you like my answer:])

[ifishouldvanish]

Writing game: Post the last line that you wrote and tag someone for every word of that line. Thanks for the tag, @ruiniel !

Adrian leaned into his touch. “You,” he answered, swallowing thickly. “He appeared to me as you, Olrox.”

- for an upcoming chapter of For Love (Castlevania Nocturne; Alucard/Mizrak/Olrox, E)

No pressure tags: @red-hot-moon @ver-writes @xshingie @delta-pavonis @emospritelet @aquilaofarkham @piratekingpitchblack @beeeinyourbonnet @andreth-with-a-sword @abovethemists @killingdoll @unwanted-animal @stygiusfic @dervampireprince @wittyvitale @coffee-writes @paarthursass or anyone who sees this and wants to do it (yes, that includes you, person reading this and thinking "surely they don't mean ME. We aren't moots/have never interacted/aren't in the same fandoms/etc". Yes, I mean you, specifically, actually.)

[valeriianz]

🥑 ⇢ you accidentally killed somebody, which mutual(s) do you text for help?

🔪 ⇢ what's the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project?

☁️ ⇢ what made you choose your username?

🥑 ⇢ you accidentally killed somebody, which mutual(s) do you text for help?

accidentally on purpose?

i'd probably text you to establish an alibi haha

but what does "help" imply? lol like, i need help mentally, because im having a breakdown over killing someone? i'd call @seiya-starsniper, @delta-pavonis, or @hardly-an-escape (at least one of you would hit me with the, "everyone's dying, bitch lets get you some fruit.")

if i need help DISPOSING OF THE BODY AND EVIDENCE, GET A NEW IDENTITY AND MOVE TO ANOTHER COUNTRY, @watercubebee got me <3 lmao

🔪 ⇢ what's the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project?

answered, here!

☁️ ⇢ what made you choose your username?

also answered, here!

[aralezinspace]

Who are you in fandom?

hella stolen from @wolf-and-raven-dreaming cuz it looks fun xD

Current handle: @aralezinspace

Other handles: just the one

How do you fandom (fanart, fanfic, cosplay, chat, read fanfic, multiples of these, etc)?

Every one of these at some point, it's mostly chatting, reading fanfic, and writing fanfic with the occasional cosplay and meme creation

Where do you post (ie: Tumblr, AO3, FFN etc)?

Tumblr and AO3

Which current fandoms are you in?

Doctor Who, Sandman, Black Butler, Assassin's Creed, Tolkien

Do you have past fandoms you aren't actively in?

SO MANY still always willing to talk about them xD including but not limited to Pirates of the Caribbean (my first love), Naruto, YuGiOh, Arcane, vampire things, mythology... I'm sure there are more xD

Do you have fandoms you'd like to explore but haven't yet?

More book related fandoms but I've fallen behind on my reading xD

Name of your favorite characters:

Dream of the Endless, the Doctor, Sebastian Michaelis, Jack Sparrow, Ezio Auditore, Kassandra of Sparta, Basim ibn Is'haq

Do you like fandoms set in modern times, historical, or don't have a specific preference?

I'm willing to give just about anything a shot, if the world draws me in it doesn't really matter the era/place

What themes attract you most in fandom (ie: hurt/comfort, romance, horror, fluff, etc)

Love adventure, hurt/comfort, whatever the technical name is for 'the royal and their sworn protector', the John Wick trope (best in their business but wants to get out and is reluctantly drawn back in), love a real good slow burn, love some good crack, LOVE some good angst with resolution

Share!

Favorite fanfics you've read: Literally anything by @delta-pavonis and @cuckoo-on-a-string they're literally so incredible other fave writers include @signiorbenedickofpadua @cuubism @moorishflower @just-french-me-up @7-wonders @honeybeezgobzzzzz @roguelov @bitteraristocrat @peachesofteal @softest-punk

Links to favorite fanart: (do not repost - please link to the original artist's post) Art by @teejaystumbles almost always makes me lose my mind in one way or another, also massive fan of @wolf-and-raven-dreaming/@ambarden I'm so invested in the comic it's not even funny also the collective Unhinged-ness of @amielot and @dragonnan just makes me laugh

If you read this at all consider yourself encouraged to add your own answers!

[pellaaearien]

9 people to get to know better (Tagged by @moonatoms I love you so 💖)

last song: Ancient Aliens, off the Subnautica soundtrack

favourite colour: purple

currently watching: Dropout, turns out we missed half a season of Make Some Noise! Also I'm going through series 6 of Doctor Who with my partner and we just finished Blue Eye Samurai, which was excellent.

sweet/savoury/spicy: I love spicy but it doesn't agree with my tummy and my tolerance for sweet has taken a huge hit recently for some reason, so I'm gonna go savoury. Like, umami. Yeah.

currently playing: As in, video games? Fields of Mistria! I'm also currently streaming Necrobarista, and I'm never not playing FFXIV.

current obsession: Rotating my blorbos in the microwave that is my mind

last thing you googled: google doesn't save my history and I genuinely do not remember. Maybe the answer to a duolingo question so I didn't lose my perfect lesson

no pressure tagging @avelera @signiorbenedickofpadua @arialerendeair @eidetictelekinetic @delta-pavonis @virgo-dream @agrippina-pelageya and @cuubism

[delta-pavonis]

https://www.tumblr.com/rongzhi/678238558808621056?source=share

I saw this video and immediately thought of sword dancer!Dream in your Knight Rhythms au

HOLY FUCKBALLS.

So this has been in my ask box for FOREVER and I just now had the extra spoon to copy and paste the link and OH. MY. GOD. YES.

Just.

DAMN.

Absolutely. Yes. Going into permanent dancer Dream inspiration pile along with the Georgian dancing someone else put in my ask. Y'all are amazing.

[bazzybelle]

Current Tag Game

Thanks for the tag, @phinofthestorm @windsweptinred and @mentallyinvernation

Current time: 11:17 AM

Current mood: Honestly, emotionally drained. It's been a week.

Current activity: Answering this questionnaire, listening to Speak Now (Taylor's Version), procrastinating cleaning my house.

Currently thinking about: That's a loaded question my friend...Let's see: My rabbit's food intake (he's had a VERY rough week), cleaning the house, my WIPs...

Current Obsession: In general, definitely Sandman. I had wanted to read this comic series for years (since meeting my husband in 2012), but it's a very heavy series. Essentially, I wasn't in the right headspace to dive into Sandman's many existential themes, until 2020. So I listened to the Audiobooks and feel deeply into the lore and the characters and the amazing world building. Then the Netflix show came out last year and Dreamling became a Thing.... Yeah sorry, I'm stuck here.

On a smaller note... I'm way too currently obsessed with how much Hades is eating and pooping. He was in GI Stasis on Tuesday and we almost lost him. It's been... it's been rough over here. He's ok. Death is a mug's game for him apparently. But now husband and I are just obsessively checking his food intake and how much he's pooping while he recovers.

Current favourite song: The same one it's been for like the last decade. Dreams by Fleetwood Mac.

Currently reading: Dreamling fics (specifically You create me against your lips by @delta-pavonis) (GUYS... THIS FIC!) (no but seriously... it's SO GOOD, and the art by @teejaystumbles makes me feral).

I also bought this beautiful Jane Austen anthology, so I'm making my way through it (currently reading the intro/biography).

Currently watching: I got Disney+ recently and it's got BOTH Boy Meets World and Criminal Minds so... randomly watching eps from both shows.

The next shows I'm planning on watching are Silo and I wanna watch Nimona.

Current favorite character: Hob Gadling from Sandman. He's just SUCH a guy. I already liked him a whole lot from the comics, before Ferdinand Kingsley rocked on up all "yes, but what if you loved him MORE?"

Not only do I love Hob's zest for life and hunger for everything, I love what he represents. He's the Human Everyman in a story about eldritch beings and supernatural magical beings. Hob's just there loving life. On the other hand, he is also the representation on what it means to be human. He is NOT a good man, but he keeps trying to be. Like humanity, he keeps trying to be better and to learn. Like humanity, he strives to grow and experience. He serves as a grounding presence for the otherwordly beings we meet in The Sandman series.

I dunno... I just think he's pretty neat.

Current WIPs: Oh God... Ok... so... I've got two in my Carry On list (Youth Without Youth and No One To Save) and three in my Sandman list (Hob Hanahaki, Reincarnation AU, and Grey's Anatomy AU). I also have a Renaissance/Queer coming out novel that I've been plotting out.

Tagging (no pressure): @carryonsimoncarryonbaz, @amywaterwings, @ninemagicks, @namistrella, @aroace-genderfluid-sheep, @wellbelesbian, @yellobb, @tryan-a-bex, @artsyunderstudy, @facewithoutheart, @stardustasincocaine, @blackberrysummerblog, @ivelovedhimthroughworse and @forabeatofadrum

[litcityblues]

'Revelation Space' --A Review

I can't remember why I picked this one off the shelf in Foyles when we were visiting the UK back in April. I think I was looking for Iain M. Banks or possibly Ken Macleod-- trying to scratch that British SF Author itch in London seemed the appropriate thing to do at the time. Failing to find either of those authors, I went ahead and selected this one- having heard of Reynolds before, but never actually having read any of his work.

Turns out, I made a really, really good choice.

Set in the year 2551, the first half to two-thirds of the book is centered around three plot strands that gradually merge. The first centers around Dan Sylveste who is an archaeologist excavating the remains of a long-dead alien race, the Amarantin on a planet in the Delta Pavonis system that they call Resurgam. Sylveste is obsessed-- for, nearly a million years before, something destroyed the Amarantin and he has dedicated his life to finding out just what happened to them and caused their destruction Unfortunately, he doesn't much care about people getting in the way of his obsession-- there was a mutiny on the colony and some split to head back to the planet Yellowstone some decades earlier and now it appears Sylveste is on the wrong end of another mutiny and he's taken captive.

The next strand centers on the starship Nostalgia for Infinity (great name!)-- and its crew. Ilya Volyova is searching for a cure for their captain, Brannigan who has been infected with a Melding Plague that attacks human cells and machine implants and twists them into unstable combinations. Right away, you realize that this isn't the Starship Enterprise we're talking about here. The Captain is barely human anymore and has to be gradually warmed so they can communicate. The rest of the crew is in reefer/cryo sleep as they travel the distances between the stars and Volyova needs a new gunner because her current gunner Boris Nagorney has been driven insane by something-- she isn't sure she wants to know what- and she's forced to kill him. The Nostalgia for Infinity feels like a massive, deserted ship, with long, dark corridors and twists and turns and all kinds of surprises to be found-- lots of Nostromo from Alien and Event Horizon vibes with this one.

The final strand centers on the assassin Ana Khouri, who lives on the planet Yellowstone (in Epsilon Eridani) and is hired by a mysterious figure known as the Mademoiselle to assassinate Sylveste. With the assistance of the Mademoiselle, Khouri joins the crew of the Nostalgia for Infinity as the new gunner and they depart Yellowstone to head back to Resurgam to find Sylveste.

(Should be noted: I've never read Altered Carbon books, but I've seen the Netflix series and there are similar vibes here. No warp drive or fancy interstellar travel, so they deal with the effects of time dilation and years pass between point A and point B-- which again, strikes me as very real, very ground in the hardest of sci-fi interstellar travel and the effects it has on people. That aspect of this is really well done, to me.)

Once back at Resurgam, the crew's mission becomes clear. They want to find Sylveste so he can cure the Captain- and eventually, after threatening the colony below, they get him delivered to the ship. Sylveste has other ideas, however: he threatens to trigger the antimatter bombs hidden inside his artificial eyes that could destroy the ship and render him unable to aid the Captain. He wants to go to Cerberus, a nearby planet orbiting a neutron star that he believes holds the answers to the questions has sought for his whole life. Sylveste gets the answers he was seeking: Cerberus is actually a massive beacon, aimed at alerting machine sentience to the emergence of new space-faring cultures so they can be destroyed. That sentience is what destroyed the Amarantin and as the book ends, the characters all think they have done enough to avoid awakening it once more.

Overall: The hardest of science fiction, there is a lot to recommend about this book. First of all, it's incredibly well-written. The crew of the Nostalgia for Infinity isn't one you will forget anytime soon-- the ending, which goes into full-on cosmic/Dave Bowman/Star Child territory is the perfect climax to this big, meaty book. I love that this future is complicated. It's not shiny and pretty and easy-- technology comes with costs to human biology in this world. It's a struggle out there in the cold dark, but people are doing it anyway. I hate getting sucked into trilogies I wasn't planning on reading, but this one has its hooks in me well and good, so I guess it's onto the next two! My Grade: **** out of ****

[arialerendeair]

20 Questions for Fic Writers

I was tagged by @dsudis!! Thank you for the tag! I'm gonna tag... @cuubism, @gabessquishytum, @blueberrymffn, @delta-pavonis, @teejaystumbles, @seiya-starsniper, aaaaand anyone else who wants to play!!

Blank questions for your convenience under the cut! My answers are below!

1. How many works do you have on ao3?

As of today - 668!

2. What’s your total ao3 word count?

A lot. 5,188,608 currently!

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Sandman and Shadowhunters actively, have written for Avengers, Sherlock, Supernatural, and many others!

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

Never Judge A Shadowhunter By Their Scent

The New York Shadow Market (Featuring Protective Alec Lightwood)

Magnus Bane: Certified BAMF

A Curse, A Choice, A Claim

A Mutually Beneficial Arrangement

5. Do you respond to comments?

Yes, I answer all of my comments - even if they are a year late, I answer all of them!! (As anyone who sent me a comment in the past 7 months can attest with my spam of responses in October, lol.)

6. What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I tend to be a 'happily ever after or ELSE' type of gal, so I'm gonna skip this one!

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Oh jeeze I need to pick one. Recently? Probably Make It Count, my Titanic AU for the Sandman fandom. STUPID proud of that one.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

I definitely have, yup!

9. Do you write smut? if so, what kind?

Everything that could make you blush, and then a few more kinds for fun. Everything from clothes-on frottage to tentacles.

10. Do you write crossovers? what’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I do write crossovers!! Craziest one I've ever done is the 5-fandom crossover battle of the five fandoms fic I did!

The War for The Dreaming

Has Hades (the game), Good Omens, Supernatural, and Shadowhunters, all set in the Sandman universe. WILDLY fun fic to write.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Sadly, I've had almost a dozen fics stolen over the past decade. 0/10 do not recommend.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Oh yes, a bunch of them!!

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

The two longest fics I've ever written -

A Tale of Two Dragons, Two Riders, and How They Saved the World (More Than Once) with @to-the-stars-writing!

And

Colour Forecasting with @blueberrymffn

Are 510k (with a 535k sequel, plus another 60k in other side fics), and 626k (with 2 more epilogues that are both not SHORT) respectively.

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

I don't... have one? I sail an armada, y'all.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

*sighs* Oh yes. Candy Coated Nightmare. I am not finishing it on principle. It was originally inspired by a gif fic. That gif fic was taken down when the creator left the fandom due to their art and gifs being stolen over and over again.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Speedy writing, ADHD hacking my brain, and BAMF characters.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

FUCKING. RESEARCH. (Also writing in any dialogue type that is not modern-time.)

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I like it when used sparringly - can be hard to follow the fic when it's used a lot!

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Back in 2004, Gundam Wing. (Though, if we're being technical - that's the first fandom I published fic for. The first ever fandom I WROTE for was Sailor Moon and it was back in 2000/2001.) o

20. Favorite fic you’ve ever written?

*stares at pile of fics* I... I don't think I can pick one. I don't... there's no possible way I can pick one.

1. How many works do you have on ao3?

2. What’s your total ao3 word count?

3. What fandoms do you write for?

4. What are your top five fics by kudos?

5. Do you respond to comments?

6. What’s the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

8. Do you get hate on fics?

9. Do you write smut? if so, what kind?

10. Do you write crossovers? what’s the craziest one you’ve written?

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship?

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish, but doubt you ever will? T

16. What are your writing strengths?

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

19. First fandom you wrote for?

20. Favorite fic you’ve ever written?

[tj-dragonblade]

Last Line Tag Game

Tagged by @seiya-starsniper and @delta-pavonis - thank you! I have been working on three different wips the last couple of days so two tags, two snippets, both from bingo fics:

For the trapped in the frequency square, which is turning out very dry in the drafting:

His missing arcana and the existence of a dream vortex and the damage to his realm, they wear on him. He is stymied in his function, faced with questions and reminders of his absence at every turn, authority slipping through his fingers unexpectedly and leaving him off-balance, overly-harsh in his insistence that he knows what is best. When he discovers a ghost living in his realm and a child conceived of its presence, he is tired. The emotions that rise in the aftermath of evicting Lyta Hall and her dead husband, of Rose denouncing him, they leave him aching for some unspoken solace, and it is Hob and his welcoming smile that rise in his memory again.

But that is not their story, to seek comfort in one another's presence during hardship, and he has other matters still to attend to. He owes an apology to Lucienne; he has been intractable and unkind in his dealings with her, undeservedly. She is gracious in accepting, and brings with her good news in the form of Fiddler's Green, and then he is left with one more wayward nightmare to deal with and a vortex whom he must kill.

He is grateful, that it does not come to that; grateful that Lucienne and Unity Kincaid bring him an alternative solution at the very last moment. Their solution brings answers that enrage him, that wound deep to the core of him, and again, he finds himself wishing, when all is said and done and his sibling has been warned, to sit with his friend and share his tribulations.

It is an absurd wish, for again—that is not their story. Why does he yearn so strongly for a thing they have never had?

Hob would commiserate in his displeasure, he is somehow certain.

But it is not yet 2089.

And for the roleplay square, the fabulous @abyssalcryptid has given us this and this very inspiring (and nsfw) art, and I am drifting a little from the given visuals but they were the springboard for some student-seduces-teacher roleplay smut all the same:

"Spread your legs, sweetheart, lean back in my lap and stroke your pretty cock for me, show me how you do it when you fantasize about me—"

Dream obeys, hooking his stockinged legs over either of Hob's on the outside, bites his lip to catch a whimper at how it shifts him on Hob's dick. He leans back against Hob's chest with a little whine, tips his head onto Hob's shoulder, and Hob can't help pressing a quick kiss to the corner of his mouth.

"Like this, Professor?" Dream asks, sounding just the right amount of breathless while both hands slide down his own body, one reaching to crumple the black plaid skirt up out of the way and the other grasping his cock. He arches against Hob with a moan at his own touch, and Hob brushes another kiss to his cheek, a bit breathless himself.

"Yeah, sweetheart, just like that," he murmurs, lacing the fingers of one hand with Dream's where it's gripped tight in the fabric of the skirt. "And this time, it really is me inside you, you don't have to pretend—"

Dream clenches around him, squirms as he strokes himself slowly, hesitantly, like he's shy about it; he's panting the sweetest little noises and Hob murmurs encouragement, runs his free hand up Dream's bare stomach, over the knot of his unbuttoned blouse and slips beneath it, searching out a nipple. He finds it covered by a layer of lace, and tuts his approval next to Dream's ear at the discovery. "Oh, love, you've dressed up so pretty for me, top to bottom, haven't you," he coos, enchanted. It shouldn't be as much of a turn on as it is, not when he's already seen the stockings and the shoes, when the black lace panties are on the floor at their feet, but knowing there's more to see under the saucy little shirt when they get there, that Dream's gone all-out on playing this scenario to the hilt, is just. So hot.

"Yes," Dream gasps, his strokes growing more confident. "It's all for you, I needed you to want—to want me as much as I want you—" He's squirming beautifully as Hob's fingertips trace over his nipple through the lace. "Professor—please—"

"You've no idea how much I want you, darling," he breathes, nibbling at Dream's earlobe, his cock throbbing in the warm sheath of Dream's arse. He spreads his legs wider, Dream's legs opening further with the motion and Dream gasps a soft cry at the shift, fist moving steadily over his cock, head arching back on Hob's shoulder. "Every day, I see you in class and I'm supposed to focus and teach? When all I want to do is lay you out naked on my desk and swallow your prick, turn you over and lick you open, fuck you with my tongue until you're good and ready to take my cock? Torture."

Tagging, no obligation, tag me in your existing post if you've just done it and I missed it: @kydrogendragon , @ralkana, @the-apocrypha, @five-and-dimes, @aquilathefighter, @teejaystumbles

[random-thought-depository]

Any thoughts on how common sapient life is in your galaxy?

Real world Estimates vary alot , but the 36 estimate that floats around has logged into my brain, 36 civilizations capable of contact within the milky way. It is such a weirdly precise number, and from a world building/lore perspective It is plenty without being insanely large, I feel like a long running star-Treck eseque space opera could get by with only 36 species, especially with on-top of that inter species cultural differences and sapient soft ware /droids and uplifted animals, or even one “species” being multiple closely related sapient species forming one civilization with a shared planetary origin, not trying to pressure you to make 36 species, quality over quantity, and you do whatever you feel like,

Another problem I have with space epics is the why are there so many people in space question, the demographic transition apparently reversing in the far future just so the giant interplanetary setting is sufficiently populated with humans, I’m not sure If you implied if your civilizations have contacted each other yet or not but I don’t have answers to that more satisfying then “ in the far future only the crazy people that wanted a ton of kids passed down there genes” or “companies and governments mass produced lab grown humans so they could get more taxes/ sell more products”

If there were only 36 contact-capable (presumably: radio and/or interstellar travel capable) civilizations in our galaxy, our galaxy would be a very lonely place! Our galaxy has an estimated 2-400 billion stars, divide that by 36 and each of these civilizations would have a volume containing about 5-10 billion stars to itself. It would mean the nearest contact-capable civilization would probably be more than 5000 light years away, as 5000 light years is about 1% of the galaxy's disk. This would be an assumption well-suited to creating a setting similar to that of the Dune or Foundation novels, where it's thousands of years in the future and humans have settled thousands or even millions of worlds but we still haven't encountered any intelligent aliens.

Now, to try to answer your question...

If you're asking about the scale of "known space" in my setting, I'm not sure exactly how many inhabited worlds human space has, but it's probably in the range of 40-50 (more if you count every world that just has some research outposts and/or mining colonies on it). As for number of divergent humans like bearfolk, bonobo-like humans, those desert-adapted hominids in the Delta Pavonis system, etc., I'm thinking there's maybe ten or so species or races or whatever you want to call them like that (they're still closely related enough to be able to make babies with us and each other, so arguably technically they're still all the same species). I'm undecided about whether this volume of space will contain any actual intelligent alien species or whether there will just be different branches of humanity. It's a bit hard to answer this question because the number of worlds and the number of species/races/whatever you want to call them goes up as I make up new ones and I don't want to constrain myself with any firm "final count," at least not yet.

Of course, human space is only maybe around 30-40 light years roughly centered on Epsilon Indi with maybe a few inhabited planets a bit farther out, so it's a very tiny part of the galaxy. If you're asking how many intelligent species there are in the whole galaxy...

Tentatively, my setting has 11 Gaian class worlds (worlds with plants, animals, liquid water, significant atmospheric oxygen, etc.) within 20 light years of Sol (including Earth and the two Gaian class planets in the Alpha Centauri system), and 20 Gaian class worlds within 30 light years of Sol. I think this works out to about one Gaian class world per 15 stars (I went with a very optimistic estimate for how common they are cause I wanted a good number around nearby stars). Extrapolate this to our entire galaxy, and our entire galaxy might have about 13 billion Gaian class worlds. I think it would be lower though, cause this is extrapolating from a sample in the galactic habitable zone; Gaian worlds are probably less common in the less metal-rich outer parts of the galaxy and much less common in the Population II star regions of the galactic core, halo, globular clusters, and thick disk. Let's say maybe 5-7 billion Gaian class worlds in the galaxy (similar to my estimate here).

Next question is how common sapient species are...

This is actually a bit hard to answer, cause I'm still undecided about whether human space in my setting will include any well-known intelligent alien species or whether basically everyone there will be some variety of human with intelligent nonhumans only being known from ruins and other signs of activity in the distant past, radio "leakage" from civilizations too distant to be directly contacted in the near future, and X-Files-ish bump-in-the-night encounters in deep space.

If intelligent aliens evolved independently on one or more planets within 30-50 light years of Sol, that would suggest intelligent species are very common on the galactic scale.

If I go with the "known space is basically just humans" option I might give an estimate like no planets currently inhabited by intelligent aliens within 100 light years of Sol. That would give an upper bound; there are an estimated 15,000 or so stars within 100 light years, so if our part of the galaxy is typical this suggests a maximum of about 10-20 million intelligent species in our galaxy (and the "real" number is probably substantially less).

I think this gives a good sense of how big our galaxy really is; it might be quite empty even if it has millions of intelligent species!

As for impetus to expansion, my setting actually kind of avoids that problem! Most interstellar colonization happened in a single wave a few thousand years ago, and the actual number of colonists involved in this migration wave was small, possibly less than a million total (a few thousand to tens of thousands per colonized world). The planets were mostly populated by natural population growth after the establishment of a small initial colony, and in most cases most of this population growth happened in a low-tech dark age because it turned out establishing a self-sustaining industrial society with a few space arks worth of starting resources was harder than the mission planners thought it'd be. There are more recently established colonies, e.g. the Earth human colony on Mars, but they have quite small population; I think the Martian human population might be something like a few hundred thousand people.

Thank you for your interest!