#we literally need more of lucienne

[zilmart]

"My Lord, you are coming back, aren't you?"

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[magnusbae]

yall guys didn't even hear me rant about how fucked it is that Dream was not allowed to mourn his raven and how his feelings been bluntly disregarded because clearly someone else knows best for how he should mourn the loss of his companion

[onehundredandeleventropicalfish]

so, i just watched the sandman cast watch party for episode six (thank you to whoever put that on youtube)

and, there were a lot of fun things in there, but the thing that struck me most was that they pointed out that this moment is the first time in the show that tom sturridge ever makes actual physical contact with another person - dream has interacted with his ravens that closely before now, but only them, no one else has ever touched him

and death is a very physically affectionate person throughout this episode, and while dream clearly isn’t bothered by it, she’s (almost) always the one to initiate it

it’s one of the reasons the end of her half of this episode stands out, because he voluntarily takes her hands there, to thank her, which is possibly the biggest proof that talking to her here helped

now, granted, neil was actually wrong in saying this was the first, there’s one moment before this, when lucienne helps him up at the end of episode one

but in all other situations, if you go back through the other episodes, dream keeps his distance with people. they may get near to him for various reasons, but there’s always that barrier of no contact, even with hob. not just before episode six, there’s precious few moments after it too. in fact, i only found three. (there's not even any more with lucienne, after dream enters the gates of his realm the closest they ever get is when passing books between each other, and they only ever touch the books)

1) desire hair grab. which, dream is always at his most childish, his least restricted, when it comes to desire, and it shows. most of what they do all day is trying to get dream to break rules, and they’ve certainly managed to flout this one, but also, desire does it to get dream to stop acting so above everything and everyone, so it's almost the inverse of death here, pushing dream to be more human

2) calliope. which, honestly, is a good example for holding to the rule, not just breaking it, because this moment they get maddeningly close, but neither one actually moves to touch the other

it’s only at the end, with calliope trying to turn over a new leaf, that she initiates it, and it clearly means so much

and 3) unity, after she dies, his only physical contact with a human we ever see. and i think, in this moment, it’s not about dream. this is about how terrible it is, that vortexes have to die for the sake of all creation, he desperately doesn’t want to kill them, every time, and he feels enormous guilt over that. and unity saved him from having to kill rose, all he can do is be grateful, and to treat her as kindly as possible

but what a great physical translation of dream’s tendency to isolate himself. his biggest problem is that because he’s not human he doesn’t think he’s capable of experiencing life the way humans do, and he ignores so many of his own needs because those are frivolous mortal things and endless should be better than that

when really the endless, despite their age and their power, are painfully human, and death is the only one who’s really worked that out, which is why she does her best to put those things back in dream’s life

and for dream, he physically removes himself from that world, from those people, from the things he wants but thinks he shouldn’t. he’s devastatingly alone, keeping everyone he’s ever known at literal arm’s reach.

people have written about him being touch starved because of the cage, and i love reading all of that, but he was touch starved long before that

[lucienne-thee-librarian]

Sandman fic recs for Underrated Characters and Ships: Lucienne Edition (part 1)

This is a non-exhuastive list of my personal favorite Lucienne-centric and Morphienne fics and series I've found so far. If you can think of any others I've forgotten don't hesitate to add on!

Okay first off: my friend @pratchettfan87 has written a lovely fic I'm helping beta where Lucienne and her comic counterpart meet and bond and you need to go read it rn You Are The Light That Guides the Way. It's also a great exploration of the events of Sandman from the perspective of both librarians. It's not complete but it's rapidly getting put together so pls go give her encouragement and feedback so you can keep seeing more if you want! I'm gonna try to roughly go in order from most to least nsfw as we go down. Part 2 will contain other ships like Gault x Lucienne and Calliope x Lucienne.

Gen fics

And the Darkness Hummed by @navigatorwrongway - one of my all time absolute favorite Lucienne fics in this fandom, period that delves into her backstory before she even met Dream and takes you on a Journey through her life and it's. Mwah. It's art

nosso amor (our love) by marveling_under_an_open_sky is an achingly tender exploration of Lucienne's trauma and her getting comforted for once.

For Morphienne

Literally everything @cosmictapestry (aka cosmicjourney on AO3) has ever written is an instant recommend from me. Seriously. I can't think of one single thing she's written I didn't like. Heed the tags, but if you're old enough to be interacting with the NSFW stuff and it's your thing, do yourself a favor and dive into their delicious Morphienne smut drabbles on tumblr and the longer stuff on AO3. Go do it right now. It can be emotional and painful but all very well written. And his We Divinity series is heartbreaking and beautiful and with all the characters spot-on and the writing poetry like you've never seen.

and take thee up thy nurse's fee by stellerssong, a selkie!Dream au with wonderful atmosphere

It's About Old Friends by JerseyDragons is sweet and funny and a spot on take on a queerplatonic/sort of romantic version of their dynamic.

Wingmanning for Fun and Profit by unseenbox - is an absolutely adorable look at a Morphienne love confession from Matthew's POV.

Jewel by @softest-punk is super lovely and sweet, pure quality fluff.

Stellerssong's red moon series is a really interesting werewolf au of not just Morphienne but also Corintheus. It's on a slow burn but it's definitely worth it imo.

Also stellerssong's OTHER series "through endless revisions" is just a fantastic take on Daniel!Dream adjusting to his new life and everyone who knew and loved him having to do the same, but the specifically Morphienne standouts are as follows: please come back and be (just a little bit), eutropic, a pillar I am upright , room for one more taste , and for just to suffer that hurt. All of these are well worth the read, most but room for one more taste have angst and smut involved as well as sharp writing and characterization. Seriously can't recommend these enough, these are some of the best of the lot and that's saying something.

Dreams Written in Sand by cunticuss very slow burn but lovely and feels very them.

Woolgathering by sunsorbit is ANOTHER slow burn series full of wonderful characterization and pining and includes the library as an observer and character in itself which I'm always a sucker for.

How Vibrant the Color by unnecessary - unfffff. This is peak poetic emotional therapy dream sex. One of my favorites.

Gold by MDWG aka the most tender sex imaginable.

Contrapposto by stuntmuppet - pure smut. My only complaint is how short it is.

[roguelov]

We know that Morpheus' sad wet cat mood literally floods the dreaming, but what if he makes his lover squirt so violently that it results in the torrential rain that floods part of the dreaming. Imagine Morpheus' inner smugness and reader's blush when Lucienne reports to him that he needs to address the drainage issues.

Anon what have you brought me? What thots have you inflicted onto me? I am totally sane about this

You didn’t even know it was possible, well you didn’t know two things were possible. One, the surprising and blissful orgasmic release that made you squirt, and two, the effect it brought upon onto the Dreaming. Was it truly your doing? Or maybe Dream? Dream who loved it so much that he unknowingly altered the Dreaming.

Well.

He did.

He did love it. He couldn’t help, but moan loudly at the sight.

But, all you knew was the torrential downpour that occurred seconds after, and how you both stood in the throne room after your fun watching as rain trickled in through the high vaulted ceiling. The rain from outside had yet to slow down. Staring up at the ceiling in a mixture of emotions, your attention shifted upon hearing the clacking of shoes. Lucienne strolled in with a clipboard in hand.

“Most of the castle has been flooded,” she stated, scanning over her list. “Nothing too serious, only minor flood damage. An easy fix.”

You glanced away, finding more interest in a puddle. Your body felt extremely hot and flushed.

Dream, however, kept his composure. “Of course, thank you, Lucienne. Please inform Mervyn to begin clean up, I will do my best here shortly to fix the issue.”

Lucienne nodded, then walked off.

Alone again, Dream turned his attention to you. His eyes twinkled with mischief. “My dear, look at what you’ve done.”

You whirled around, staring dumbfounded. “Me? No, no, this was your doing!”

He hummed, smirking a little. He reached out, trailing his fingers along your jaw to draw you close to him. His lips skimmed over yours. “Perhaps, it was a joint effort.”

[theaceace]

Ok so when Rose gives the heart back to unity once more rendering her the vortex and then she dies in her sleep, something goes wrong (either because Desire set a sneaky trap or because it's close enough to breaking the rules of Endless not hurting family) that there's an explosive reaction, and when the chaos dies down Rose is still in the dreaming even though that definitely should have woken her up and Dream is nowhere to be found

Now Rose is stuck in the dreaming, and after a quick five minutes of panicking, comes to the conclusion with Lucienne and Unity that she'll have to track Dream down and get him to fix this. Lucienne needs to return to the palace to keep the dreaming running smoothly, Unity despite seeming chill about it has just DIED and also has never actually used any of her vortex powers the way Rose has and I'm basically just handwaving the fact that Rose is going to have to search for Dream on her own

Or not entirely on her own! Matthew is there, because every young woman embarking on a solo adventure needs a sassy talking animal sidekick, them's the rules

So Rose and Matthew set out on a trek through the dreaming, and this is the point where I could get wildly creative if I had the brainpower, and come up with fantastical dreamworlds

Because this is an AU and I say that being the descendent of an Endless should have some perks, Rose can still travel between dreams, she just can't affect them/the waking world or bring down the walls between dreams the way she could before. She's more akin to Matthew or Lucienne than a vortex, despite being human and aliveSo they spend a while chasing dead ends and leads that go nowhere until they wind up in some dream set in a pretty normal pub, and in true dreamlogic fashion there are people in clothes that come from a mishmash of the last 7 centuries, eating by rushlight while on their phones. But! Rose looks over and there's Dream! Amazing, they found him!

Matthew's like uhhhhh, I've spent a lotta time with the bossman, Rose, I'm not so sure that's - but it's too late she's already marching over

Meanwhile, Hob has been having a really nice dream in which his Stranger enjoys his company and didn't stand him up and doesn't wander off to 'inspire' any upstart playwrights and smiles at him like he did when they finally met up again a couple of weeks ago or whenever it was. He really wasn't expecting it to be interrupted by a girl rushing over to grab his Stranger's shoulder all excited about how we've found you Dream we were so worried are you ok???

And look. Hob is pretty used to rolling with the punches. After seven hundred years on planet earth, you gotta be. But this is, he hates to say, a pretty fucking weird turn for his dream to take usually it turns more toward his Stranger bending him over the table ahem

Also there's a talking bird. Why not

Rose has now realised that this Dream is not, in fact, the real Dream. BUT that means this guy must know Dream! Maybe he can help out? And Matthew is like wait, wait a second. You. YOU'RE the guy the boss went all starry-eyed (literally) over???

Hob reckons uuuuuhhhhh probably not? Took him seven hundred years to admit they're friends, and Matthew is like holy shit that hussy

Anyway I want Rose Hob and Matthew to go on a roadtrip adventure to save Dream is what I'm getting at. I was to continue the glorious tradition of Hob learning things about his friend (😍) thanks to other people and not from his friend himself (😭). I want Hob to play accidental therapist to Rose like he does to his students. I want Matthew to mock him mercilessly. I want Hob to sometimes be an asshole. I want them to BOND

And I want them to make it to the house of secrets and the house of mysteries where Hob is forcibly reminded that he was raised a Catholic medieval peasant when he sits down for tea with Cain and Abel (who think that Gadling would be an excellent name for a gargoyle if Morpheus ever makes another).

I want Abel to offhandedly mention something unspeakably horrible in the basement, but when Rose opens that door it just leads into a big fancy hallway? They go through anyway, and something feels different about this dream. Matthew is all 'I got a bad feeling about this' because Patton Oswalt loves Star wars and I think it's funny. Maybe they see a stuffed raven with a white breast in a room of taxidermied animals

So they keep looking, and eventually Hob finds a door leading to a basement, cracks a silly joke about finding something unspeakably horrible down there to cover up the fact that he's actually fucking terrified (he's come to accept that this is not a dream in the traditional sense, although it took way longer than it should have), and heads down the staircase

(It's the snow globe)

And here I start to run out of momentum a bit but like. I think Hob Rose and Matthew deserve to come together to roast the shit out of Dream while Lucienne tracks their progress from the library with Unity and Merv, who are also roasting the shit out of Dream, and all roasting comes to an abrupt and choked end when they get to the basement

Maybe Dream has been reduced to a cloud of swirling black sand in the orb, or maybe he looks almost exactly as he did in reality, maybe the Dream Team have to get him out but in order for that to happen he has to allow them to help, or maybe he needs to free himself because something something it's a metaphor idk. Maybe Dream, in whatever state he's in, panics at the sight of his bae friend, his raven, and his niece all outside the glass just like Jessamy was. Maybe he tries to throw them all out of the dream, but he's weakened himself as though he really were trapped in the circle again, and Rose is able to stand her ground against him.

And idk I don't really have an ending beyond 'Dream gets out and everyone is OK and also Rose and Hob end up being exasperated penpals over Dream's... Dream-ness.

[mxcat777]

So what if

Dream is sort of Shakespeare's patron, right? So would that make Shakespeare on of His™? And if so, would he reside in the Dreaming after his death instead of the Sunless Lands?

'cause if so. Consider.

He's still writing. (A lot)

He keeps up with modern literature, but keeps writing (at least mostly) in Early Modern English (that's it, right? Do I have my lit facts straight?). Imagine his recent plays littered with slang, disney references, (un)subtle references to shit that was based on his stuff that he either loves or hates, both are good.

He's kind of a favourite of Dream's. The same way Lucienne and Jessamy and The Corinthian are. He can get away with saying shit, because if he offends Dream he can turn around and start sprouting some poetry at that vain-ass bitch and all is forgiven. (In the worst cases it takes a new play about his royal majesty the Dream King and how generous and benevolent and regal he is)

Fishbowling happens, not sure what Will would do, the plot bunny didn't care.

Dream is back, all is well, he goes to the New Inn, Hob and Dream are now officially Friends.

They meet up more bc friends see each other more often than once a century. Oh yeah friends also know each others' names and such. So Dream tells Hob a bit about himself.

At some point he's like, hey hob u wanna see the dreaming?

Hob's like yES PLz??

Hob gets a tour, and from that point on usually gets the option at night to dream normally or visit the palace.

On one fateful night, Hob decides to take a stroll through the library, goes looking for Marlowe's shelf, because he kind of wonders what other stuff that genius would have written had he lived longer.

Only to (maybe literally) bump into, you guessed it, Will Bloody Shaxberd.

He stares.

Will goes 'hey'.

And then Hob goes somewhat feral.

(no he is not over it, sue him, he's allowed to hold a grudge.)

He goes off on a rant about, see, ofc ur still plagiarizing marlowe he was so much better i can't believe dream left me for you you useless twat you couldn't write shit without him so why did you get the fucking privilege of living with him and knowing him for fucking centuries i had to fight 600 years for his bloody name and i'm guessing you got it right that first meeting hm?

And Will goes oh shit it's you! And then cuts Hob off with a "you're so right! I was an absolute shit playwright before your friend helped me!"

And Hob is... Understandably lost. This was not how it went in his head.

And then Will continues, I was so nervous the time right after that meeting, I knew he was some sort of supernatural being, no clue what though, he's really not good at introductions, is he, so I sort of assumed you were too, and I was waiting for your revenge for stealing your date away, recently found out you're actually human, albeit immortal, and it was not a date, though, speaking of, have you sorted yourselves out yet?

And Hob, quite understandably even more baffled, sort of gapes for a bit.

Before very nervously denying anything of the sort.

Will just stares.

And goes, bruv, you weren't subtle then, still aren't now, spare everyone else the UST, please, for the love of god, you two need to fuck post haste.

And Hob is like, hahaha, eh, yeah, nope, fun seeing you, BYE.

So Will sighs. And goes to see Lucienne, as any sensible person would.

Lucienne sighs as well. At which point Will steps to Dream himself.

"My lord?" "Yes, William?" "Forgive my directness, but so as not to risk any misunderstandings, what exactly is your relationship with Hob Gadling?" "We are friends. Why do you ask? Is that not clear?" "Well, to be perfectly honest, m'lord, I assumed you were... Involved™." "We are not." "But you'd like to be though, right?" "You dare presume to know-" " I dare presume to know what attraction, romance, love, all that looks like, sire. I must do, after portraying it in my plays for over four centuries. After writing several hundreds of sonnets on the topic." "I-" "In my humble opinion, my lord, it is a good match. He understands you, you continue to fascinate each other, he can provide a safe place where you need not be monarch for a moment. And of course, you are quite obviously attracted to one another sexually." "WILLIAM SH-" "Oh calm down! I'm certainly not judging either of you!" "...he is attracted to me?" "..." "Is he?" "YES! Lord give me faith! Kiss him! Go to him and teleport the both of you onto a bed! Or if you want to be sappy go slow and bring him a rose, but please, for the love of the collective sanity, do something!" "But how do you know? What if you misunderstood? What if it is unwelcome? I cannot lose him!"

At which point Will turns around, leaves the throne room, goes back to the library and rant to Lucienne

"I swear I'm going to write a play about them, just to point out how stupid this is. I feel compelled to call it a tragedy, but I think it needs to have a happy ending, otherwise Lord Broodphius would get stuck on the but what if it does end in tragedy, so I suppose a comedy would be fitting, but then again, this is too painful to watch to qualify as a comedy. Tragic comedy? Comic tragedy? I'll figure it out..."

And Lucienne is like, if you'd like to perform it properly I'm sure there are a few dreams who would be more than willing to help out, take on a role.

Hob comes back to the Dreaming a few days later and finds Will up to his elbows in paper, reference books, thesauruses and rhyming dictionaries (handy things those), and empty mugs and the like.

Will looks up, somewhat manic, and is like, Hob! Great! Just the person I wanted to see! Would you help me, please?

Hob's like, sure? Kind of apprehensive, but he gave everything some thought and decided that as long as he could go on dunking on him, he could let go of most of his jealousy (cuz that's what is was, he's mature enough to admit)

Will goes, Awesome! Tell me about you and Morphius! How do you see him, what's your story, I only ever get bits and pieces from his lordship, so I'm in severe need of some context...

And Hob is somewhat suspicious, but he indulges him, and really, telling the story comes too easy, so he gets into it completely and doesn't even notice when he starts slipping into rants about Dream, about how beautiful, and magnificent, and misunderstood, and kind, and way-out-of-his-league-but-god-dammit-he-went-and-fell-in-love-with-the-bastard-anyway he is

And Will takes studious notes.

And then goes like, so some of the sonnets I've written were with you two in mind, you wanna give me some feedback? (Ahem, sonnet 24/29, some others work too, undoubtedly, but I am no Shakespeare expert, unfortunately)

And he does something similar with Dream, maybe citing Hob's dislike of him as the reason he wants to know more about him without having to bother him overly much, like, I want to set things right between us, but I need to know more about him to do that, will you help me, m'lord

And he does

And Will just sits back and takes notes as Dream also spirals into a passion fueled rant about Hob

And all those notes end up in the eventual play

Auditions for the roles happen when Dream and Hob are out on a Not Date™ in the Waking.

There are surprisingly many auditioning for Hob's role, and surprisingly little for Dream's

Until Will points out that Dream would probably be more offended by an unworthy portrayal of his Love that of himself, at which point some of the dreams bow out entirely, bc Will knows how vain their lord is, so they decide not to risk unmaking and tactically retreat

Will is in his fucking element, it's been way too long since he's properly directed a play!

Eventually Will comes up to the Mutually Pining Idiots like, hey m'lord, Hob, I've written a new play, and I've been working with some of the dreams to make it happen, do you want to see??

So they watch. They watch as two absolute fucking idiots stumble around each other, everyone on and off stage can see how stupidly in love they are except for them, and both start sweating profusely when they start recognizing their own words quoted back at them.

The end of the play is something of a direct call-out and a plea from the dreams to please just talk to each other, fuck and get married, preferably in that order, but they're not picky.

Then everyone leaves them alone for the Conversation that is most likely going to happen.

Will stays behing hiding unobtrusively in the shadows tho.

He's not about to let all his work go to waste if these idiots ty to play it off again. He will lock them in a broom closet if he has to, watch him.

They don't.

Luckily.

There are like three sentences total spoken. Then they're aggressively making out.

Will leaves the room very content about his matchmaking skills.

And hey! He got a good play out of it, if he does say so himself!

[themirokai]

More Matthew the Emotional Support Raven? Don’t mind if I do! @mashumaru sent me this cute raven video, for which I am very grateful. She had tagged it Hob & Matthew (which totally tracks) but wanted to know if I could do a Dream & Matthew story with it. And I did! But it got a teensy tinsy bit angsty. Don’t worry, it ends as fluffy as the rest of these ficlets. 

There is one small detail from my “Shiny Things” ficlet in here. That one isn’t required reading but I do hope you’ll check it out if you haven’t already.

Huge thanks to the wonderful @argylepiratewd who has proofreading commissions open now! WD made this story so much better and they can do the same for your work. I highly recommend them for all your proofreading needs. Info here, check it out!

~~

Matthew hopped along beside Lord Morpheus as he strode through the Palace of the Dreaming. 

“So, we’re leaving now?” 

“We are not going anywhere, Matthew,” Lord Morpheus said from under his helm. “You are to remain in the Dreaming.” 

“What?!” Matthew stopped, then had to fly a few feet to catch up. “If you’re not staying in the Dreaming, then I’m not staying in the Dreaming.” 

“I frequently travel to the waking world without you.” 

“Yeah, to see your boyfriend, who I still haven’t met! And I know you’re not going for a hanky-panky session because you’re all suited up!” 

Lord Morpheus halted in his tracks and turned slowly to face Matthew. “A ‘hanky-panky session’?” 

Matthew was not about to let himself be sidetracked. “A date! A romantic tryst! Whatever! You’re not doing that because you’ve got all the finery and the spine mask!” He gestured with his wing to encompass the flowing black robe, the folds of which seemed structurally impossible. He noted with a little flare of pride that Lord Morpheus was wearing the sapphire Matthew had given him. 

Lord Morpheus sighed and went down on one knee, just as he had the first night Matthew had met him. He reached up to remove the helm and tucked it under his arm. 

“I am going to Faerie, Matthew. I do not need you to accompany me, nor do I wish it.” 

Matthew shifted from foot to foot and dropped his head, looking up at Lord Morpheus out of the corner of his eye. “Did I do something wrong?”  

“No.” Lord Morpheus chuckled and ran a finger over Matthew’s beak. “You have done nothing wrong. It is simply that this journey would not be safe for you.” 

“If it’s not safe, then all the more reason for me to come with you!” Matthew exploded with an unintentional flap of his wings. 

“Matthew—”

“Boss, I’ve been with you to literal Hell for you to fight literal Lucifer!”

“Yes,” Lord Morpheus said, with a small smile as he stroked Matthew’s beak again, “but when we went to Hell I was not at my full strength, and there was much more jeopardy to me than there was to you.” 

Matthew cocked his head. “Why would I be in jeopardy? Do faeries hate birds or something?” 

“The Faerie Court functions on a set of incredibly strict rules, Matthew. Failure to follow the rules to the exact letter can result in one’s bound servitude, imprisonment, or death.” 

Matthew involuntarily ruffled his feathers. 

“And you, my raven,” Lord Morpheus continued with a gentle tap to Matthew’s beak, “have many strengths, but adherence to rules is not among them.” 

“But—”

Lord Morpheus stood and put the helm back on. “I shall return in a few days, Matthew. You will help Lucienne keep an eye on things in the Dreaming for me while I am away.” He reached inside his robe for a handful of sand. 

Matthew couldn’t just let him go—not if he was only going alone because he thought Matthew couldn’t behave himself. With a flap of his wings, and before he could second guess himself, Matthew leapt and attached his beak to the index finger of Lord Morpheus’s free hand. He gripped hard enough to hang from the finger, but not hard enough to hurt. He hoped. He wasn’t even sure if Lord Morpheus could be hurt in the Dreaming.  

Slowly, Lord Morpheus raised his hand to bring the dangling Matthew up to his eye level. 

“You realize that you are rather spectacularly proving my point, Matthew?” 

“I hro’is I ‘e ‘oo’,” Matthew tried to pronounce around the finger. 

Lord Morpheus brought his other hand up and wrapped it around Matthew’s body, pinning his wings in place. He gave a firm tug, and Matthew released his finger. 

“Boss, I promise I’ll do whatever you say. I’ll follow the rules! Please, just don’t go alone.”

Lord Morpheus took a breath, and the temperature dropped by several degrees. “Matthew,” he said, voice reverberating more than usual, “I realize that when you first met me I was in an extremely vulnerable position. But I would remind you that I am older than the stars in the sky and infinitely more powerful. Such vulnerability was an aberration that shall not happen again. This means that if I tell you that I require that you stay in the Dreaming, then you shall stay in the Dreaming. Am I understood?” 

Matthew bowed his head, worry and guilt twisting his guts. “Yes, sir,” he murmured. “I’m sorry I overstepped.” 

Lord Morpheus stooped to put him down and drew a handful of sand from inside his robe as he straightened. “I shall return in a few days’ time.” 

With that, the sand swirled around him, and he was gone. 

--

“Lucienne, when you were a raven, did you ever go to Faerie with Lord Morpheus?” 

“Hm. Yes, a few times, I think.” She continued arranging books on shelves without looking at him. 

“And perfect Jessamy? She must have gone a bunch.” 

“Yes, of course. Why are you—oh.” Lucienne turned to him. “He didn’t take you.” 

“And he was being nice about it and then I was an idiot and grabbed onto his finger as he was leaving like a—like a—god, I don’t know. Like a fucking toddler or something!” Matthew felt his wings open in his agitation. “And he got pissed because anyone would but it’s him. I am such a fucking idiot.” 

Matthew threw himself down on the floor on his side and Lucienne crouched beside him. 

“How did you grab his finger?” she asked. 

“In my beak.” Matthew brought a wing up to cover his face. “Like a fucking idiot.” 

He heard a strangled sound and moved his wing to see Lucienne trying to stifle her laughter. 

“It’s not funny! He’s going to unmake me!” 

“I’m sure it wasn’t that bad, Matthew,” she said, kindly. 

“It was so bad. Lucienne, I’m a failure as a raven. Just like I was a failure as a person.” 

“Enough of that,” she said, standing. “Come on, get off the floor.” 

Matthew groaned and covered his face with his wing again. “Maybe I can just sink into the wood and become part of the library.” 

“Matthew,” Lucienne said sternly, “get up. Now.” 

With an aggrieved sigh, Matthew hauled himself to his feet. She patted the back of a chair beside her, and with another sigh, Matthew flew up to it, so that he was nearly level with her eyes. 

“You are not a failure as a raven,” she said, looking at him over the rim of her glasses. “You are a modern raven, and you are the raven he needs now.” 

“But he can’t even take me out of the realm because I’d apparently be a danger to myself!” 

“He can’t take you to Faerie, but truly, he doesn’t need you there. He was concerned about your ability to adhere to all the rules, correct?” On Matthew’s nod, she continued. “Do you know who is better than anyone in this or any other universe at following rules?” 

“Lord Morpheus,” Matthew muttered. 

“That’s correct. He has had good relations with the King and Queen of Faerie for millennia. He really is not in any danger on this trip.” 

Matthew searched her face for sincerity and found it. If Lucienne wasn’t worried, he knew he didn’t need to be. Matthew took a deep breath and nodded. 

“Matthew, Lord Morpheus does not need a raven who can follow the strictures of Faerie at this point in his immensely long life. He needs a raven who can help him understand modern humanity. He was disconnected from the collective unconscious for over a century. He is out of touch, and he knows it. He’s gotten better in the time he’s been back, but he still needs assistance. He still needs you.”

“As long as he doesn’t unmake me for biting him,” Matthew grumbled. 

Lucienne rolled her eyes. “You didn’t bite him,” she admonished. “You tried to hold on to him. It was certainly foolish, but Lord Morpheus has spent enough millennia in the company of ravens to see the difference clearly.” 

Some of the worry began to fade from Matthew’s chest.

“He knows you love him, Matthew. And he cares for you, too.” 

Matthew gave a long exhale and thought of hours spent getting his feathers stroked. “Yeah…yeah, I guess.”  

--

Matthew was flying laps around the outside of the palace when his ears popped with a change in the barometric pressure. Lord Morpheus had returned to the Dreaming. The gravitational pull was immediate, but Matthew stopped himself from following it. He knew what Lucienne had said, but he still wasn’t sure what kind of reception he would get. Before he could dwell on the subject, an unmistakable voice sounded in his head. 

“Matthew. Attend me.” 

At least that was one decision he didn’t have to make. Matthew wheeled in the air, and rode the current of the Dreaming to Lord Morpheus. 

He found the King of Dreams seated on his throne. Matthew landed a few steps down from the top of the dais. He spread his wings and bowed. 

“My lord.”  

“That has never been necessary, Matthew, nor is it now.” 

Matthew ducked his head. “Thank you.” He took a breath and looked up. “I’m really sorry. About before you left. I was way out of line. I get that, and I want you to know it won’t happen again.” 

“I know that, Matthew. Jessamy was my raven for hundreds of years, as was Lucienne. You and I are still learning each other.” 

Lord Morpheus extended his hand, inviting Matthew to perch. 

“Come, Matthew.” 

Matthew landed with a few wing flaps. From his other hand, Lord Morpheus produced a loop of silver chain, about the size of a bracelet. The chain was intricately braided and sparkled in the shifting light of the throne room. 

“It’s beautiful,” Matthew breathed. 

“I traded a dream for it in Faerie. It is for you.” Lord Morpheus slipped the chain over Matthew’s head so that it sat around his neck. 

“Oh, Boss, thank you! I love it!” 

“It should be small enough to hide under your feathers when you are in the waking world.”

“Or I could make all the lady ravens swoon!” Matthew said, tilting his head to admire the silver against the black feathers of his chest. 

Lord Morpheus chuckled as he stood. “Come, Matthew,” he said, transferring the raven to his shoulder, “we have work to do.” 

“Yes, Boss!” Matthew cawed happily.

~~~~

UPDATE: This story has art now!

The detail of Morpheus bringing Matthew a gift came from @wyvernquill 's tags on this awesome art they did of the “Shiny Things” Emotional Support Raven ficlet. 

Master Post of Matthew the Emotional Support Raven Ficlets. 

As of posting, I am out of raven prompts. Have you seen a picture or a video of a raven? If you send it to me, I will use it to write a ficlet!

[withoutyouimsaskia]

Remember Me, Special Dreams

Part VIII.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25

GIF: Originally posted by​ @sic-vita​​​

Summary: Self-insert. You're having trouble with recurring night terrors and Morpheus pays you a visit. (Title from the lyrics of Placebo’s Special Needs)

Warnings: language, angst, mentions of night terrors.

Word Count: 1.4k

A/N: Hiya! Hope this message finds you well. I’m so excited to be able to introduce a couple of familiar faces in this chapter. Let me know how you like it and enjoy your evening/day.

Sandman Masterlist

-----------------

Morpheus’ sand swirls softly around your body for the second time in two nights. You pay more attention to the process this time round since you are aware of what is happening. Your understanding does nothing to delay things however. The pull towards sleep is inexorable. Your eyes fall closed and your mind drifts.

The next sensation you are aware of is a surface coming up to meet your soles.

The impact with the flagstones is jarring. You wobble like a new-born lamb taking their first steps.

Morpheus is unaffected, his posture is perfect, his dark locks unruly but not messy. You suppose you should not be surprised; this is his realm after all.

You are standing in a corridor fashioned from a pale stone. Steady flames in torch brackets emit a warm light. A large wooden door sits before you.

“Where are we?” You ask.

“This is my palace.”

His reply catches you off guard.

You have no idea what to say back so you smile and nod a few times.

“Walk with me,” he requests politely.

The doors open of their own accord which sends your eyes widening, but the view through them goes one step further. Your mouth genuinely drops.

You see a library. A library beyond your wildest imaginings. One with lots and lots of windows and walkways and spiral staircases. Grand and majestic and yet inviting and peaceful.

Morpheus begins to move. His strides are long and you are so enraptured by your surroundings that you struggle to keep up with him.

You somehow reach a table. You barely notice the scarlet upholstered chairs or the blue reading lamps, let alone the presence of another person standing at the head of it. You are too distracted by the never-ending morphing of the shelves and the impossibly large amount of books that sit on them.

"Why didn’t you mention this place sooner? I would have been much easier to persuade if you had led with this.” You are still looking up as you tease the Dream King.

You manage to drag your attention away from the magical scene.

A person watches you bemusedly over the top of their round rimmed glasses.

Colour rushes to your cheeks.

"Oh!"

You shrink backwards in the throes of a cringe attack.

"Lucienne."  

"Lord Morpheus."

You watch their simple exchange but cannot help but notice the warmth in their eyes.

Then, those two pairs of eyes fix on you.

“Y/N, I would like you to meet Lucienne. Lucienne is the custodian of the palace library and provides me with invaluable counsel regarding matters of great importance in the Dreaming. You can trust her with your life.”

You can barely contain your excitement; not only had Morpheus brought you to his literal home, he had also just introduced you to a friend.

Embarrassment suppressed, you approach Lucienne and offer your hand to shake.

“Hi, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I’m Y/N.”

Between her returning beaming smile and fantastic outfit, you realise that you are quickly beginning to like Lucienne.

You step back beside Morpheus. A soothing vibration spreads through you as his hand hovers near the small of your back. You instinctively lean towards him, but the sensation disappears when Lucienne visibly notices the declining space between you.

Morpheus starts to explain the circumstances of your presence.

“I have recently confirmed that Y/N’s parasomnia is responsible for the unusual activity we have been experiencing in recent times.”

 The smile drops from Lucienne’s face.

“Sir, are you sure it is safe for someone with that kind of influence to be at the heart of the Dreaming? I cannot help but compare the events to those created by vortexes.”

“Y/N is not a vortex.”

“But Sir-,”

He speaks again with quiet authority, “Y/N is not a vortex, Lucienne, and she is here because she is under my protection.”

“Of course My Lord. Forgive my caution.”

“You need not apologise, you have every right to be cautious, and I thank you for voicing your concerns.”

Lucienne nods. “Will that be all My Lord, or is there something I can assist you with?"

Morpheus gestures to the pile of books on the table.

Your eyes track down the spines. Your full name stands out in gold lettering on a couple of them. At the bottom of the stack, sits the first volume from ‘A Song of Ice and Fire.’

He had looked up Game of Thrones like you had suggested.

You suppress a giggle as Morpheus starts talking to Lucienne again.

“I made a start yesterday in cross referencing the records of seismic disturbances in the realm against Y/N’s nightmares. I would appreciate a second pair of hands to reach a conclusion more swiftly.”

“I would be happy to, My Lord.”

Lucienne sits down, moving the tails of her coat out the way. Morpheus sits opposite.

“Let me get this straight. Everyone’s dreams are recorded here in these books?”

“That is correct, as well as every book that has ever been imagined in the Waking World, even if they are unpublished or unwritten.” Lucienne says.

"So this is how you were able to look up my dreams for the cottage dream?”

“It is, yes,” Morpheus affirms.

He and Lucienne begin to read. After less than a minute, they are talking out loud about your night terrors in explicit detail.

It brings them back with disgusting clarity, and reinforces to you just how much trouble you seem to cause everyone you come into contact with.

Then, more and more technical words and phrases that mean nothing to you start to be woven into the already triggering conversation.

You look back and forth between Lucienne and Morpheus, an uneasy sensation in your gut.

You are very aware of the fact that you are becoming overwhelmed.

Your inferiority complex starts a berating inner monologue.

In your already heightened emotional state, this thought process quickly spirals out of control.

The word burden stands out. It bounces around your neurons with persistence.

You are already so wounded by your guilt and self-loathing that every insult sticks like toffee to a molar. Not impossible to remove but likely to stay around for a good while and exacerbate the ache in your heart.

It all becomes too much.

You are checking your surroundings for a way to leave.

It appears that backwards is your only option so you take it. You move slowly at first, tiptoe stance engaged.

“Y/N?”

Morpheus speaks your name but you know you are too far now for him to be able to see you.

“Let her go, My Lord.” You hear Lucienne say.

“But-”

“Let her go. In my experience, humans only slip away when they do not wish to be followed. Give her some time alone.”

“Very well,” Morpheus acquiesces softly.

Despite this comment, you do not trust that he won’t change his mind.

You run the remainder of the way from the room and also in some of the corridors beyond.

It is only when you find the palace entrance do you finally stop.

Tears start to fall as you walk across the bridge over the mirror lake. You find a sheltered spot in amongst some trees and try to stem the flow of sadness.

There’s a creaking noise as an imposing black carrion swoops down to sit on a branch above you.

The bird caws once.

"Hello," you say meekly.

"Hi!"

Your eyebrows rise.

"What the f-" You start to exclaim before catching yourself. "No, remember, this is the literal place where dreams are made, of course there could be a talking bird."

"I am way more than just a bird, I’m Matthew, one of Lord Morpheus’ ravens.” His tone is sassy and little proud.

You huff. “Did Lord Morpheus send you to come and check on me, Matthew?”

“Nope.”

You look down. “Oh, I’m sorry.”

“Don’t worry about it.” He flies down and sits beside you on the verdant grass.

“What’s your name?” He asks, fixing a bright, beady eye on you.

“Y/N.”

Matthew squawks. “You’re Y/N?! The Dreamer that Morpheus has been going to visit.”

“The very same.”

”Well, Y/N, I can’t help but notice that you’ve been crying. You want to talk about it?”

-------------------------------------

"Oh no what's this, a spider web and I'm caught in the middle. So I turned to run. The thought of all the stupid things I've done."

Taglist: @pinkcyclewitch @layla2-49 @shoidy-cat @silverhart93 @boofy1998 @dotieeee      

[valiantstarlights]

[Shadow and Bone AU] The Morning After (the Sharing a Bed + Assassins Prompt)

To show my gratitude to everyone who voted on the Dreamling Shadow & Bone AU poll, I have written for ✨️both versions✨️ under the cut. Enjoy! 🖤

This entire AU is, of course, dedicated mainly to @issylra , who made this wonderful GIF set that serves as my primary inspiration for this AU. 😊

(sad wet cat) Darkling Dream in the position of power

"You grind your teeth in your sleep."

Dreem freezes and turns his gaze from adjusting his horse's saddle to the side, where Hob is feeding his own horse with an apple he got from the inn. He is studiously not looking at Dream.

Dream had woken up with a sore jaw this morning, but as he periodically wakes in a similar manner ever since he was a child, hundreds of years ago, the pain is familiar and expected. He had thought nothing of it. And no one, not even Calliope, who shared his bed hundreds of years ago, has mentioned anything to him.

"My apologies," he says. "If I kept you awake--"

"Don't worry about it," Hob says. "My sister Johanna is the same. It's how her stress manifests."

"I am not--"

Hob's unimpressed side-eye makes him close his mouth. He does get stressed due to his duties and responsibilities, but it's not that bad. He cannot call himself stressed when there are other people like Lucienne working round the clock just like him, trying to keep Ravka afloat.

"It is no matter," Dream says, "as we have only shared a bed for a night due to necessity. I will not keep you up at night again."

Behind them, Matthew trips a little as he's passing by, eyes wide. He fumbles with the firewood he's carrying and walks faster.

Dream resists the urge to pinch his nose. Now he's going to have to deal with that, as well as Jessamy's knowing smirks after Matthew inevitably tells her about it.

Hob watches Matthew's progress, and when he's out of earshot, he shrugs and says, "I just held your jaw when it woke me up. That stops it, and you didn't even wake. I was kept awake staring down at your pretty face."

Dream flushes, and reddens even more as it's now Jessamy's turn to pass near them, carrying a couple of dead rabbits. She maintains her graceful walk, not breaking in stride, unladylike shit-eating grin on her face. She waggles her eyebrows at Dream when they make eye contact.

For saints' sakes, there are literally Fjerdan assassins on their tail. They do not have time for...smirks and fumbling firewood and flirting.

Dream sighs after Jessamy walks far enough from them. "Mr. Gadling," he says, unable to address Hob so familiarly by his nickname at the moment. "I thank you for your assistance, but you need not worry any longer. Like I said--"

"Honestly, it's fine," Hob says. "When we were children, I used to do the same for my sister."

Ah. Of course. Hob is a naturally caring person, and Dream's...problem is similar to his sister's. Hob just did what he did out of brotherly concern.

Hob continues, "When she got older though, she decided that it was too embarrassing for me to help her, so she gagged herself every night with a length of silk tied around her head. It prevented her teeth from grinding, but not her jaw's movement. So she still wakes with a sore jaw, but now she has drool around her mouth and she has to wash the silk handkerchief too."

Dream does not know how old Johanna Gadling is right now, but he feels compassion for her. "Has she found a cure?"

Hob smiles sardonically. "No cure, apparently. And trust me, she tried everything."

Dream's heart drops. Of course. Incurable. Yet another thing that is wrong with him. "I see."

"But Rachel, her wife, now helps her with it. Just holds her jaw like I used to when we were kids. Massages her cheeks in the morning when it hurts. That sort of thing." He looks pointedly at Dream. "Sometimes you just need to ask for help."

Dream bites back his instictive 'I don't need help,' and instead says, "I do not have the time to find myself a partner, nor the space for them in my life."

"Good thing I'm already here, then," Hob says, and before Dream could protest that, he has stepped closer and reaches for Dream's face. "May I?"

"Jessamy and Matthew--"

"Can go get eaten by volcras. My priority is your comfort. Let me." Hob's eyes are magnetic in their intensity. Dream finds he cannot look away. "Please," Hob adds.

Dream looks away and nods. If it's only for a moment, then it should be fine.

Hobs fingers are exceedingly gentle when they start to rub Dream's cheeks and jaw in a circular motion. It hurts, on Dream's end, but it's the good kind of hurt brought on by a massage. Dream sighs contentedly. He never thought...

"Feels good?"

Dream opens his eyes to find Hob standing closer to him. The man is focused on his task, but his gaze have strayed to Dream's lips.

Meanwhile, Dream didn't even notice that he has closed his eyes.

"Enough."

He steps away, dislodging Hob's skillful fingers from his face. They could have been attacked while Dream is getting his cheeks held like a pathetic child.

He scans the forest around them. Nothing at first glance. A couple of yards away, Matthew stands watch while Jessamy is roasting the rabbits. At least the two of them are doing their duties, unlike Dream who can't even be trusted to be vigilant for dangers against the sun summoner standing right beside him. "Thank you," he says, belatedly, awkwardly. "It feels better."

It does not. His cheeks still feel sore and painful.

Hob hesitates before obediently stepping away. "Look," he says. "Just...just call for me when your jaw hurts again. I'll help."

"I think I can massage my own jaw, Mr. Gadling," Dream says. "But thank you for alerting me to the cause of the pain. I would not have known otherwise."

It was a mistake to divulge that, Dream realizes as soon as the words leave his mouth. Hob's jaw has dropped, and he looks...offended, for some reason. He also looks like he has a lot to say about that, but is struggling to choose what to say about it exactly.

"I'm going to take care of you," are the words that win out. Dream opens his mouth to protest but is cut off by Hob continuing to speak. "I don't know why no one seems to be doing that, but I fucking will. I swear."

Dream glares at him for his audacity. "I can take care of myself," he says coldly, then turns and walks toward where Jessamy and Matthew are.

Is he not the one who took care of everyone when they were ambushed? What more must he do to prove that he is capable?

The day isn't over yet, but Dream already feels exhausted.

--

(soft dom) Sun Summoner Hob in the position of power

Dream wakes in an empty bed, surrounded by General Gadling's scent, but not by his strong arms. He reaches over to touch the sheets where the general's body used to be. Already pleasantly cool. It had been some time since the man rose.

Rose and left Dream on his own.

He does not begin to cry because he understands. The general is a busy man, after all, and he cannot reasonably spend all his time with Dream. It would be unfair to everyone else who needs him. Someone has to check on the progress of the Grishas-in-training, meet with the king of Ravka, advise troop formations to border skirmishes, and saints knew what else.

Dream, his incompetence wielding his own powers, and the assassin from last night, are just minor problems in the grand scheme of things.

He rubs his eyes and tries not to feel bereft, glad that at least he did not get kicked out as soon as the general woke.

"Good morning, my darling Dream."

Dream whips his head to the side in surprise, and sees General Gadling looking over some reports as he drinks some caf. They lock eyes, and the general smiles kindly at him behind the lip of his cup. "Did you sleep well?"

Dream nods mutely. His eyes have zoomed in on the general's hair and its less than perfect state, with endearing locks falling over his forehead. Dream wants to run his fingers through the dark strands and brush them until they lie neat and flawless once more.

Wait. Hair.

His hands fly to his hair as he frantically tries to wrangle them flat. How untidy he must look. His siblings have often teased him about his hair in the morning. Delirium, for instance, liked to compare his hair to various things like baby birds with their beaks open, crab claws, and once, an uncontrolled forest fire.

What must General Gadling think of him? He looks like a savage. Probably smells like one, too.

He blushes in shame, suddenly wanting to get out of the general's bed so as not to sully it even more. "I...may I..."

General Gadling gestures to the door at one side of the room where the ensuite bathroom is, and Dream rushes to it before the general could say anything else.

He does not see General Gadling's gaze follow his progress, nor the way his eyes darkened when he caught a brief flash of Dream's pale legs, revealed when his nightclothes parted as he clambered out of bed.

--

"I've had food sent over from the kitchens," General Gadling says once Dream emerges, feeling (and smelling) more human, the clothes he changed into once more belonging to the general.

The fabric is light and soft and cool, and it hangs off his thinner frame, almost falling down one shoulder.

"You didn't have to, General," Dream says, eyes widening a little at the various breakfast items now arranged on the General's desk. There was too much food for just two people. The amount would have fed him and his siblings well for a couple of days. "We could have just eaten with the others."

"Perhaps. But the staff has yet to finish their thorough sweep of the grounds," General Gadling says. "And besides, I would like to spend more time with you, if that's alright."

Dream flushes and nods. He doesn't know why the general would want to spend more time with him. Unless...of course. He must want to ask Dream about the assailant. It would certainly help in the investigation, and Dream had been too shaken up last night to be helpful. "I...yes, General."

"You could just call me Hob, you know."

Dream shakes his head. As far as he knows, only the General's closest circle calls him that. His sister, the Lady Johanna, their uncle, Duke John, the general's childhood friends and now second-in-commands, Jessamy and Matthew. Dream would not dare claim to have the same level of familiarity with him as the aforementioned people.

Before the general could say anything else, there was a knock on the door. It opened before the general could bid the person on the other side to enter.

The person turns out to be Eleanor, the most powerful Inferni in the Second Army. She enters languidly, eyes spotting Hob in his golden kefta immediately. "Search is finished," she says, her voice not sounding like it's usual acerbic way when she talks down at Dream. It sounds, sweeter, somehow. Low and suggestive.

"Thank you, Eleanor," General Gadling says, sounding just like he always does when addressing the other Grisha. "I will be down shortly."

"Oh," Eleanor says, now noticing Dream standing next to the desk laden with food. Her eyes are cold as she assessed his clothes, her eyes lingering on his exposed collarbones. Her voice is still sweet, but there was a hint of her familiar hatred in them now. "He's still here."

"He is," General Gadling says affably, though the smile did not reach his eyes. "Go on, run along. Tell the others I'll be down in about ten minutes."

"Don't sell youself short, Hob," Eleanor says, the gentle laughter in her voice laced with poison. "I'm certain you'll need at least an hour." She turns her unfriendly smile at Dream and walks out the door, not bothering to close it upon her exit.

General Gadling sighs and pinches his nose. "I'm sorry about that. She's a bit..."

"It's alright," Dream says, and starts to pick at the various berries on one of the plates. "I know she does not like me. But I'm glad that she cares for you enough to allow you ample time to eat breakfast."

General Gadling is looking at him strangely, but then he huffs a smile and kisses the top of Dream's head. "I like that you always see the best in people, darling. Shall we eat?"

Dream nods, and keeps his attention on his food, taking care to look as neutral as he could. He's not stupid. He can take a hint. And Eleanor has just given him a lot.

General Gadling might be kind to him, but he's kind to everyone. He's just getting temporary special treatment because of his unnatural powers. The novelty will fade soon enough.

He knows the General does not really mean for Dream to call him Hob. That term is reserved for his closest inner circle. A circle that apparently also includes Eleanor. Now there is someone who actually deserves to stand by the General's side, and yes, share his bed.

Dream fights down the urge to vomit.

"Finished already, darling?"

Dream barely holds back a flinch as he hears the endearment. How can General Gadling sound so sincere when he obviously doesn't mean it? He nods. "Yes, General," he says to the plate of food that's still three-quarters full. "Thank you for the food."

"Oh," General Gadling says, looking charmed. Dream doesn't know, or cares to know why he's looking at Dream like that. Like he's something wonderful and precious. Dream knows he is not. "You're very welcome."

Welcome.

A strange phrase, often used as a reply to someone's gratitude, but also to make someone feel like they belong. Like they're wanted and meant to be where they are without anyone kicking them out for being dirty or unworthy.

Dream stares down at the delicate painting on the border of the ceramic plate in front of him, its fine details the work of a master craftsperson, easily worth more kruge than he has ever held in his entire life.

It's a plate meant for royalty to eat off of, and an orphaned street rat from Ketterdam has no business eating from it with his grubby fingers.

Dream places his hands neatly at his side and wills the shadows to retreat from his fingertips.

[wyvernquill]

Narrative Determinism, or: Why Dream Stays In The Fishbowl

Okay, so, this is hugely inspired by a conversation with my dear friend @darkonesdagger7437 who gets preview snippets from my fics now and then - and every time I write Fishbowl Angst(tm), she calls Dream some very choice words, and implies he’s an idiot who could be out of there at literally any point, IF HE REALLY WANTED.

And, well, that got me thinking.

It’s true, isn’t it? From the moment Roderick died, a single sentence, hell, a single word to Alex could’ve set Dream free; and even before that, he probably could’ve found a way to contact his siblings, ask them for help. Hypothetically, he could’ve even bargained with either of the Burgesses for his freedom.

And, for the record, you can easily find a thousand reasons for why he doesn’t do that! I’ve seen a lot of quality discussions touching on Dream’s characterisation, his actions, the relationships he has with his siblings, with Jessamy, and so on and so forth. There’s reasons aplenty in the “text” of the show - not all of them necessarily good reasons, admittedly, and the end effect might still contain a frustrating note of “why couldn’t he just swallow his pride and call for help though?”, but, well, that’s Dream for you. He’s a stubborn fool sometimes.

BUT, setting all those reasons woven into the narrative aside, the simplest explanation is just this, as silly as it sounds:

If Dream had been freed, there would have been no story - or, at least, not THIS story!

I know I’m in part just pitting Watsonians and Doylists against each other all over again, but my point remains: in some way, Dream remains trapped because the narrative NEEDS him to be trapped, to kick off the story of The Sandman. To tell this particular story, Dream needs to stay in that damned bowl for 100+ years, so he cannot take any of the ways out that are offered/open to him.

(If you want to tell another story, however... well, that’s a completely different matter, I say, winking affectionately in the direction of the 1001 Dreamling Hob-rescues-Dream-from-the-fishbowl fics.)

Now, technically this is true for every story, but to me, it gains a different weight in The Sandman, which is, on many levels, a story about stories and storytelling itself. It seems only fitting to especially remind ourselves that Dream, beyond being trapped by in-text circumstances, beyond being trapped by his own stubborn and prideful character, is, above all, trapped by the narrative he is in, and what it demands from him. He is the Lord of Stories... but this one is Lord over him, actually.

...

...OR IS IT, I exclaim dramatically, once more turning to the previously-winked-at fanfics!

Because, you see, canon is only one version of this story. A very influential version that arguably has a certain dominance over others - but, well, the show is already a reimagining of the comics. Which is more The Sandman, then? Is it the one that came first, chronologically - the original? Or is it this newer adaptation, updated, made “better” (in huge quotation marks) by the decades that went by since the original was conceived? Sandman 2.0, New and Improved, The Definitive Edition?

I personally believe that The One True Version Of The Story doesn’t exist. Sure, there is such a thing as (show/comics/book/whatever) canon, referring to what is or isn’t in the text of a specific (more widely spread, more dominant) version, but retellings and adaptations and fanfics and headcanons and what-have-you aren’t automatically lesser or irrelevant just because they’re not The One True Story. (Which, I believe, just from the occasional post of his floating onto my dash, is not so far from Neil Gaiman’s general thoughts on the matter.)

So, bringing the post back to Dream and the narrative he is trapped in: we can break him out of it.

We can imagine a version of the story in which the narrative not only ceases to demand his imprisonment, but in fact now requires an escape! We can send Hob, Jessamy, Lucienne, Death, The Corinthian, or even some lovely OC, to get him out of that fishbowl. We can give him the power to do it himself, one way or another, earlier than in canon. As readers, as writers, WE are Lords over stories, too.

Dream is only doomed by the narrative if we let him be... and, honestly, that’s a strangely reassuring thought. Isn’t it?

[ilovewhiteroses]

Workplace Affair Part 3.

Pairing: The Corinthian x Female Librarian of The Dreaming Reader Genre: Fluff, smut Warnings: Smut (sex in a human’s dream), knife play in an erotic way Rating: 18+ Notes: - The Agents, my OCs, previously appeared in ’Think Twice Before You Create Us’, where they were straight up evil, but I rebooted them and in this fanfic, they are two law- abiding dreams, who follow Morpheus’s orders

Your sensual encounter with Corinthian had its consequences, although it cannot separate you from each other either...

 Morpheus managed to care of things quickly in the Waking World, so he could return to his palace in the Dreaming sooner. He had just set foot in the throne room when he heard groans. He went closer to the source of the sounds and saw you riding Corinthian on the throne and then continued having sex on the floor. Morpheus seethed inwardly with rage. He had seen many things in his long life, but never like this. It's not enough that you broke the rule that a dream can only mate with a dream, while a nightmare can only mate with a nightmare and even these only with his permission, but you also desecrated his sacred place, where he used to make important decisions... He must replace the throne, he thought to himself. On the one hand, he didn't want to leave Merv with the task of cleaning up the traces of your intercourse, and on the other hand, the throne was very old, so a new one would have been needed anyway. But even then, he couldn’t believe that you two, especially you, were capable of such a thing. He won't leave it at that, he will talk to you...

 A few days later, your mind was still on your last meeting with Corinthian. Even now you felt the initial fear when you asked him about his eyes, and the pain in your heart when you found out why he did all the things he did... You saw his sexy body in front of you, you felt his touches on different parts of your body ... In your human life, you would never have dared to have sex at your place of work, no man would ever have been able to persuade you. But Corinthian was different, literally. You read his book out of curiosity, because even though you knew him intimately, you felt that there was more to learn about him.

You finally met Lucien and Merv, who had been very busy lately and only now got around to talk to you. You asked what they managed to do with regard to the construction of the palace. Allegedly, the library will be expanded and a few broken windows will be replaced, among other things.

 "I’m sorry we didn't take you with us, but someone had to stay here in the library. Next time, when the architects call, you can go, I'll stay." Lucienne said with a smile

"Oh, it's okay, I wasn't bored, I kept myself busy." you answered with a shrug, meanwhile lush images of the sexy time in the throne room appeared before your eyes. You have no idea how much fun I had, you thought to yourself.

Suddenly Matthew appeared and said:

"Hi everyone! Y/N, Morpheus is calling you, he wants to talk to you about something.”

Merv and Lucienne stared at you. As soon as the raven said that, you felt as if you were standing on a cliff and someone pushed you into the depths. Nervousness and panic gripped you inside. No, it's impossible that he might have seen us, because he would have let us know that he was back...

"Okay, I'm going." you said and hoped the others didn't hear the tremor in your voice. "You're not coming?" you asked Matthew.

"No, because he emphatically stated that only YOU should go." he said, you gulped.

"Okay, I'll be back soon." you told them and walked to the throne room with trembling legs, as you heard Merv asking the others why the Lord called you to him.

 You entered the huge room, but this time you had completely different feelings than last time. You've seen Corinthian and Morpheus from afar. The nightmare was in his usual elegant, cream coloured outfit with his hands behind his back, Morpheus stood on the stairs and looked at you with narrowed eyes, as if he wanted to strangle you. Oh, shit…

You stood next to Corinthian, he smiled at you and said a quiet ‘hello’ to you. You said hello back, but you didn't dare to smile, you were too nervous for that. You also put your hands behind your back, making the three of you look like you and him were two students who pulled a prank and were waiting to be scolded by the principal. Morpheus stood silently and stared at you, and you, in your agony, were already waiting for him to get over with it. Better to relieve the tension, you asked Morpheus with a forced smile on your face:

"May I ask you, My Lord, did you manage to arrange everything in the Waking World?" Morpheus didn't answer, he just continued to stare at you in silence.

Corinthian leaned in close to you and whispered,

"I asked him too, but he didn't answer me either."

After a few minutes of awkward silence, Morpheus finally spoke:

"May I ask what you did while I was away?"

You were about to open your mouth to answer the question, but Corinthian cut you off.

"Lord Morpheus, we were doing our usual tasks. I was in the library and Y/N helped me find the book of the man whose nightmare I appeared in next.” he told this lie with such confidence that even you believed it.

“Is this true, Y/N?” Morpheus asked looking at you and you nodded.

"Hmm, interesting… I remember differently." As soon as he said that, you knew you were done. You gulped and tried to keep yourself together.

"What do you mean by that, Morpheus?" Corinthian asked almost offended.

"As soon as I returned home from the Waking World and entered the throne room, I heard voices. In fact, not simple voices, but moans." You felt your face start to burn, you already knew what he was going to say.

"Lustful, loud moans. I came closer and saw you fornicating on my throne.” You were about to faint at this point, the thought of Morpheus seeing you freaked you out. You looked at Corinthian to see his reaction, but unlike you, he remained relaxed, even smiling proudly to himself. Morpheus continued:

"It's not enough that you broke the rules and had a secret affair, but on top of that right here, in my holy place! What excuses can you come up with?”

Neither you nor the nightmare knew what to say. It would have been pointless, because Morpheus wouldn't have listened anyway.

"I knew it. Corinthian, to be honest, I'm not surprised by you, but you, Y/N, I thought you were smarter than to put yourself in a situation like that.” You didn't dare to look Morpheus in the eyes, but Corinthian carefully reached for your arm, indicating that nothing would be wrong, don't worry. Morpheus saw that you regretted your actions and softened a bit. He took a deep breath and thought about your punishment.

“I must note that what you did is not the worst thing that has ever happened in the palace, it is rather unpleasant. But so that this doesn't happen again, I'm warning you: from now on, there can only be a work relationship between you, nothing more. If I hear of any more misbehaviour of yours, Corinthian, you can never set foot in the library again, I will tell you whose nightmare you must be in, and you, Y/N, I will set the Agents on you, who will watch every step of yours. Did I make myself clear?” he asked with a stern look and you and Corinthian nodded. The thought of possibly never seeing him again made your stomach churn. Morpheus asked you to return to work, he has to deal with other palace matters. On your way out of the room, Corinthian whispered to you:

"Don't worry, we'll figure out something." you looked at him and saw his lovely smile. I hope so, you thought to yourself…

 When you returned, Lucienne was alone with a magnifying glass in her hand, reading a small print in a book. She looked at you and asked:

"Is everything alright? Why did Morpheus call you?”

You had to come up with something fast. "Nothing out of the ordinary, he just told me a few names whose book I should look for and that he needs to take care of the matters of the palace." You tried to look her in the eye as you said this because you knew that the hallmark of a liar is looking away and you didn't want Lucienne to get suspicious. She pouted her lips and shrugged.

"Alright then. Let me know if you need help searching.”

"Thanks, but it's not necessary, I'll handle it." you said. Until then, at least I'll have time to think over a few things…

After that, you didn't see Corinthian for days, or if you did, he only dropped by for a few books, and you pretended to be co-workers. He looked at you and even though you couldn't see his eyes through his sunglasses, you knew that with them he would say 'I'm sorry' and 'I miss you'. You missed him too: his closeness, his crude humour, his kiss...When no one saw you, you thought of him longingly.

You saw Lucienne marveling at how well you behaved around the nightmare.

"What? Didn't you tell me to watch out for him because he could cause trouble?" you asked her surprised

"Well, yes, and you're doing right. Good girl!" Lucienne answered you. Oh, but if you only knew about the insanely sexy moments I've had with him...

 Another few days later, Merv told you that the Agents would soon come to check on you. Fuck! You almost had a heart attack at the news, you thought Morpheus had told them what he saw and maybe asked them to question you about your relationship with Corinthian. Although the main task of the Agents was to find meaning in human's dreams, their duties also included checking on the palace employees from time to time and reporting the situation to Morpheus.

You, Lucienne, and Merv stood there while Agent 1 and Agent 2 went through the documents and your notes. It was the second occasion in a short time you were this nervous, you thought a librarian job in the Dreaming would be less stressful. The Agents questioned you, but it was only about work things, luckily there were no issues concerning your private life.

Corinthian came again for another book and asked you to help him find it. Lately, Lucienne also went with you, but now she had something else to do, so after a long time you could finally be together again. You could talk to Corinthian in another hidden part of the library. He told you that the Agents counted all the Dreaming residents for the census, including him and asked him about this and that, but thank goodness they didn't ask him about you, so Morpheus really didn't tell anyone, only he knows about your little adventure. Of course, deep down you were afraid that you would get caught again, because then you really wouldn't see each other anymore. You agreed that when there is no one else in the library, he will come for you and you go into a human's dream, someone whose nightmare he has been in once.

 Night has come in the Waking World, the human went to sleep and dreamed of a beautiful forest. It was evening and you arrived at a big tree in the forest. You remembered that Corinthian once mentioned this 'human dreams of a forest' thing.

"Whose dream are we in?" you asked him while enjoying the beauty of the forest.

”His name is Joel Mayfield. He had a couple of burglaries a long time ago, for which he was arrested. I appeared in his nightmare to warn him that it will not end well if he commits another crime. It seems that I managed to influence him and now he dreams of less dangerous, more peaceful things" He said and took your hand. "Come, let's find a place where he can't see us." You went further and came to a slightly hilly part. You stopped and then looked at Corinthian and asked:

"What if the Agents show up?"

"I don't think they'll show up, but if they do, I've set a trap for them." Since it was a dream and anything could happen, he actually set up traps so that wherever the Agents stepped, the ground would swallow them up. You liked the idea and were glad that he was so forward thinking. You calmed down, you knew you were safe. You kissed each other and you wished there was a bed there so you could finally make love comfortably. A large, comfortable-looking king size bed appeared. To make it even more cozy, you set candles around it. You knew this from your human life, that there is nothing more romantic than candlelight.

You both started undressing. You took off your top and bra, then you sat on the end of the bed. Corinthian also took off his jacket and shirt, then he took off your skirt, leaving only your panties on. You slowly climbed onto the bed, he took off his trousers and underpants, then knelt on the bed and started to climb towards you. He stopped at your ankles, then carefully began to caress your legs and thighs while looking deep into your eyes. Your heart was beating fast. The candle flames reflected on the dark lenses of his sunglasses, a metaphor for his fiery desires. His hands reached your panties, which he began to pull off you, you raised your bottom slightly so he could take them off you more easily. He didn't take his eyes off of you for a second as he slowly pulled the garment off you, taking deep breaths. By the time you were completely naked, he tossed your panties aside and licked his lips. You pulled him close and you kissed passionately. He wanted you so much, he wanted to taste every inch of you. He knew your body, knew where and what you liked. You closed your eyes to feel his touches even more intensely. He started at your neck: first kissing it, then carefully biting it. He went lower, gently and carefully biting the mound of your breasts, teasing your nipples with the tip of his tongue. He continued to kiss you, moving towards your belly and then your pubic mound. He then kissed the inside of your thighs, close to your pussy. You moaned longingly, letting him know that you wanted him to kiss you there too. He took this as encouragement and licked you. When he heard you murmur a low ‘Oh my God’, he continued and ran his tongue around your folds and then your clit. As a result, you started to squeeze the two sides of the pillow and turned your head back and forth, you enjoyed it so much, it was so good. You felt like you were in heaven and lying on a soft cloud. After Corinthian brought you to your orgasm, he moved back to kiss you and said,

"I'd like to try something with you, if you're in."

"What would it be?" you asked quietly and inquisitively as he flipped you over so now you were on top.

"I would like you to run my knife all over my body, and then yours!" he said as you sat up. You were surprised by the request. You have never been asked to do something like this before. "But only if you want to." Corinthian looked at you worriedly, he was afraid that he might cross a line. You bit your lip and thought about it for a moment, then said:

"I want to, but I'm telling you in advance, I won't cut you with it." you caressed his chest as you said this and the knife was already in his hand. You took the sharp tool in your hand and carefully touched the tip to his neck, then slowly stroked it along his naked upper body. He moaned and whimpered softly, enjoying that you made small scratches on his skin, You began to carefully scratch your name into the skin above his belly, but you made sure not to cause him pain, while you looked at him and flashed a sexy smile.

"You like it?" you asked confidently.

"Oh yes, very much." he replied and in the meantime he grabbed your breast with one hand and started kneading it gently, which made you even more aroused. You took the knife from his skin and now put it to your own neck and started to drag it along yourself, Corinthian's hand moved back to your hip. The tip of the knife touched your breasts and stomach, and then, guided by a sudden idea, you turned the knife in your hand and carefully touched the handle to your clit, where you began to slowly caress yourself with it.

"Oh my god, that’s so hot!" Corinthian moaned in his deep voice, you could tell he was going to like that. You stroked yourself a little more, then asked:

"What do you want me to do?" you raised your eyebrows sexily.

"I want you to ride me! I want you so bad!” You giggled and teased him a little more before he took the knife from your hand and threw it away. He grabbed your hips and lifted you up so you could gently place him inside you. When you felt that he was in, you leaned forward, grabbed the headboard with one hand, placed the other on his chest and he started moving under you, moving his cock in and out of your wet pussy. You loved how he fucked you like that, but you also wanted to control. You sat up in a riding position, you grabbed his wrists and pinned him to the bed, you fucked him, wildly moving your hips.

“Fuck Y/N, don’t stop! I'm yours, use me!” he encouraged you heatedly, you loved that you could drive him crazy. You let go of his wrists, then he sat up, put his arm around you and you continued like that, which made your lovemaking even more intimate.

It may have all happened in a human's dream, but it was very real to you. Romantic and passionate. By now, your opinion of Corinthian has changed. You read his book, and it is true that there is no forgiveness for what he committed in the Waking World, but at the same time you understood him, because he only did what he was created to do. No one told him what was allowed and what was not allowed in the world of humans. Until then, people were afraid of him, but he also longed for their recognition, and even though Corinthian knew that he was only a physical manifestation, he enjoyed being able to fit in.

As much as you didn't like him at first, lately you've started to feel something more than just a crush on him. He told you ‘I'm yours’. Did he just say this in the heat of the moment or did he also have tender feelings for you? You hoped it was the latter.

He grabbed you and flipped you over but was careful not to slip out of you and now you were under him. You looked at the sky as you put your arms around him and this time you really made love under the open sky, in the light of the stars, the moon and the candles, so passionately that you have never experienced anything like this before...

After you both calmed down from orgasms, Corinthian pulled up the covers and snuggled up to you. He put his arms around you like you were the little spoon. He kissed your cheek and then whispered gently in your ear:

"See you in the next dream!"

  Tags: @thecorilove86​, @placeinthemiddleofnowhere, @kittycat-kai,  @e-dubbc11, @onehundredyearsofyearning, @yellowwithalisp, @icytrickster17, @lazy-queen26,  @jessamydreams, @amidalasruby, @drowningnikki, @destiny-rahl, @atomwritez, @treasures-of-the-alleyway, @dayleis, @idealai, @belladiaz, @foodlover123456789, @violentviolet88, @merryandrewsworld  @strudelbug07, @ionlyjoinedforboydholbrook​​

[igotanidea]

counterparts: Morpheus x OC chapter 7

Prologue

Chapter 1: sometimes reality sucks

Chapter 2 : Welcome back to reality

Chapter 3 : A rough nightmare

Chapter 4: Crumbling

Chapter 5 : Falling to pieces

Chapter 6: Reunited

Chapter 7

Remedies

-So, what exactly is your plan, Morpheus? – I ask him as when we get back to the  palace- I mean, considering recent event, you do have a plan, don’t you?

- During my … imprisonment … - his voice slightly falters – my tools were stolen from me. I need  to gather them back before I can rebuilt my realm.

-Your tools? You mean like your eyeliner? – I joke – Sorry, sorry – I raise my hands in surrender – out of line, I know it’s hard enough for you.

The Dream Lord says nothing just watch me with his piercing eyes. Something is different about him since he was captured. Almost like he became softer or more insightful. I mean he spend a 100 years in a cage so that can definitely give one food for thoughts. I got to admit I am pretty impressed he is not crazy by now. Hence, he was always  a bit of an outcast living – quite literally - in his own world, so maybe that counts as insanity. I get a bit lost in my own thoughts so Morpheus outruns me to the castle and I got to jog to keep up with him.

-Kayleen, you are back – Lucienne smiles when she sees me

-Indeed. It’s good to see you for real. Seems like the last decade did nothing to you.

-Thank you. It’s pretty sad I can’t say the same about you, Kay.

-Well, there’s been a lot on my plate so what’s outside followed everything happening inside.

-Was Matthew helpful?

-Oh, he’s a hell of a talker, but you made quite a good call in assigning him to me. We get on pretty well. I definitely enjoyed his company.

-Are you two done chit-chatting? We got work to do – Dream cuts in impatiently

-Yes, my Lord – Lucienne turns to him – how shall we help?

He sighs and sits down on the steps of the Throne Room. Damn, his coat looks so cool just spread there.  Like a being of its own, I can almost see that starry sky lining. Truly captivating.

-Like I said I need to gather my tools and in order to do that I’m going to need some answers. At this moment there’s only one being who can provide them

-Surely you don’t mean the Fates – I look at him carefully. Maybe he did gone mad after all.

-It’s the only choice – he looks at me, blank expression on his face

-Perhaps. But you know the price. The Kindly Ones are not to please easily, they definitely know their worth. Almost like someone else I know ……

-Don’t you dare finishing that sentence – Morpheus warns and again I raise my hands in surrender.

-My Lord, if I may, the Fates are only going to give you pieces of information they will feel like sharing, not exactly anything specific that may be of help – Lucienne tries her best to talk him out of this irrational idea.

-Are you in the mood for the brain games and shenanigans, Dream? Never was your strong trait so now I quite understand why you need me.

-Enough! – he stands up, abruptly. This quiet rage of his fills the whole room.  – It’s been decided. I shall do as I please and if that’s your attitude, Reality you might as well go back to Waking. You seem like no help at all.

Ok, he’s using my other name now. A clear sign of irritation.

-Well, my attitude, which clearly gets on your nerves so much is not an issue here, is it? At least it makes you think about what you’re doing! You know, unprocessed trauma can adversely affect you, so better let It out now! Come on. Bring. It. On. – I hiss through my teeth. As you can see I’m not the one who’s making his quest easier.

He throws dagger at me. Once again, I don’t care. He can do whatever the hell he wants, because deep down we both know he can’t make it alone. 

-Do you ever shut up with your irony and sarcasm?

-Never. It’s pretty much the only thing that keep me alive.

-For now. It might as well change within seconds. At MY will – he steps closer, towering over me now. 

Lucienne looks like she wants to run away from this place. In the past, we usually kept our squabbling private for the sake of our reputations.  Lucienne was the only confidante who knew about them. And now, the person, who is used to our fights and bickering, is terrified beyond recognition. Guess after a hundred years of Dream’s absence we all need a little reminder of how stubborn and incapable of surrender we both are.  

-Oh, I’d love to see that. There must be some place limit on people you put in Hell. Oh, and I forgot to mention, your dear sister promised to intercept me before you take your action, so not a chance. And your will? You mentioned it yourself – you are not so strong without your tools, so good luck with that.

We are now standing right in front of each other, sure as hell neither of us will give up voluntarily. This is only embarrassing for me because of the high difference. Whether I like it or not, I still got to look up at him. His dark coat is floating, sand starting to surround his figure. At the same time my hands start to glow yellow and my hair lifts lightly. Light and dark set against one another. Quite a view if it wasn’t for the circumstances.

-I hate you – he hisses, eyes not leaving mine for a spare second.

-I hate you more – I answer mimicking his tone

-Tools or not I could harm you in so many ways ….. – his eyes darken. 

-Oh, I bet your imagination can serve you quite well with that.

-You have no idea…. – he takes another step toward me, so I feel his breath on my cheek, causing chills to run down my spine. 

-Come on then. Kick the cat. What’s stopping you? – I throw him a challenge.

That seems to push him over the edge. He grabs my chin forcing me to look at him. To my surprise, though, it’s not a hard grip. It seems more like he was just longing for any contact with other being, even if it’s only a human, though immortal. We stay like that for a second, not saying a word, Lucienne just eyeing us not daring to say a single word.

-Why are you like that? – he whispers, his face inches from mine – You just love to push your own luck. I won’t be this patient forever, you know. I strongly suggest you to be cautious of your own actions from now on – with that he lets go and turns around exiting the Throne Room.

What the heck just happened?  I mean, what is wrong with him?! He just sends so many inconsistent signals. He can be manipulative I give him that, but come on! Once again, I’m stuck in my head, stand still not really able to move until Lucienne grabs my hand and gets me back on Earth. Well, some sort of Earth, after all.

-Come on, Kayleen. We can’t let him do anything unwise.

-You mean stupid?

She looks at me with disapproval.

-Kay, you really might want to hold your tongue. At least for some time, do you think that’s possible? Unless you have a death wish?

-Well….. speaking of Death…..

-Oh, please don’t. I’m just trying to look out for you. Can’t let my friend hurt herself. As much I can’t let the same happen to my King, so we better hurry up and catch Lord Morpheus up.

-You, re right Lucienne. I’m sorry. I’ll try to do better but still can’t promise anything. He gets on my nerves as much as I get on his.

-Well, same old, same old. You two are so much alike, you know.  I wonder why none of you ever notices that.

-What …..?

-Kayleen, we don’t have time for that – she nearly pushes me from the castle. As we try to catch up Dream she fills me in on information. - Lord Morpheus had already been through a loss before you came back to Dreaming so he might be a bit more…. upset than it seems.

-What loss? What are you talking about? I mean, I know about Jessamy, I felt that really hard when it happened but what am I missing?

-He had to absorb Gregory.

-The Gargoyle?

-The very one. Apparently in order to gain some strength. 

 -Makes sense. Gregory was his creation after all. That must have been hard for him, I imagine. Bet Cain and Able won’t forgive that easily.

-Let’s just make sure it will be worth it,ok? – she says and I nod in agreement.

We spot Morpheus’s coat in the distance so we pick up the pace. Dream is walking towards the darkest part of his Kingdom – the bridge and the dark waters. Shit!

-So this is your plan? – I ask dumbfounded when I realize that he’s going to travel through the Dreaming waters to sneak a peek into people’s dreams and nightmares

-My Lord, this waters have become quite dangerous in your absence.

-Do you think I forgot how to navigate them?

-No, just that …..

-These waters are as much a part of me as I am part of them. I can’t go to the Fates without giving something in return. There is nothing left in the Dreaming to offer so I shall take from other’s dreams.

-But….

-You were right Lucienne, Dreams and Nightmares seem to no longer recognize their master.  I shall remind them – and with such words he spreads a fistful of sand in the water. His gloomy reflection pulls him in and in seconds he's gone.

-What am I even doing here? – I say not sure how to act

-He will need you when he returns.

-For what? Facing the Kindly Ones? As some crazy kind of safety valve?

-Kay…

-Ok, ok, fine. I know, I promised to bite my tongue. So what now? We just sit here and wait? Who knows how long it’s going to take him. Last time he took his swimming lesson in this waters it was hours. 

-Lord Morpheus knows that the time is of value now.  You know patience is not one of his strongest virtues.

-That I do. Lucienne, I really do. So in the meantime, I got a favor to ask.

-Yes, Kayleen?

-Please go back to the castle, ok? I will wait here, but I just need some alone time. I can tell I won’t be having much of that in the upcoming days. Being in the Dreaming is wonderful, even if the Realm is in pieces,  but I just need to balance my energy to be at full potential. Otherwise I might lose myself.

She nods, understandingly and walk away leaving me with my own thoughts. As I close my eyes I try to became more aware of my surroundings. I wasn’t lying I need to ground myself in something real and avoid becoming detached. After all, I am still the embodiment of Realty, counterpart of Dreams. No use of me if I decide to sail away and keep my head in the clouds.  Someone will have to keep Morpheus on the ground. His tunnel vision and single purpose can cloud his judgement and cause some bad decisions. We don’t want that. Well, at least not on my watch. I surely don’t want another 100 years of Waking crumbling.

-Kayleen  - I open one of my eyes to Dream’s voice – time to go. Time to summon the Fates.

Yay. It’s seems like we gonna have so much fun.

@asianfrustration13 @musicconversedance @hyper-half-blood @missusnora @pearlstiare @deniixlovezelda

[cosmictapestry]

SO I WAS THINKING ABOUT EASIER BY THE CRANE WIVES + THE WAY YOU WRITE MORPHIENNE, specifically Dream’s perspective. The only peace I have ever know / Is the peace I made with you um??? Can someone say allies and friends for billions of years?? And if I were someone else, would this be easier? hooooh boy. The thing that gets Dream in the end is his inability to see himself as someone beyond his function. It’s debilitating him, and I think it’s a huge factor in why he struggles so much with letting Lucienne love him. If he was not one of the Endless, if he could be Better and Stronger and More Whole, he could do it maybe, but not now, and not with her. Please tell me someday / I'll at least be able to sleep. I am going to fucking cry.

Anyway I’m eating breakfast rn before work so I’m not exactly in the most coherent of mindsets and I don’t think I said everything I wanted to say, BUT DO YOU SEE MY VISION.

currently listening to this on repeat to Fully Understand Your Vision. it lives in me now etc etc etc. it’s literally exactly this like this is so so so correct. he cannot be something beyond his function he cannot be himself please don’t make him be himself. every time he’s ever tried he’s turned into a monster. the part of him that is Him is weak and afraid and cruel because of it. and he can’t fucking hurt lucienne if he hurt lucienne he’d destroy the universe along with himself. that’s his best friend man……….. that’s the person he knows best in all of time and space……… he loves her and he doesn’t know how not to destroy the things he loves so he’s just going to try his hardest to enjoy her company without letting himself believe that she truly loves Him too.

and yeah this is like. Extremely relevant to we divinity. and i try to keep it in my head the need to leave this empty bed and be nobody instead because it’s easier. and if i were not myself would this be easier. please tell me someday i’ll at least be able to sleep. starting a dream girlypop playlist solely to frame it around this song thank you so much

[h3rmitsunited]

Can we talk about Gault for a minute?

Like I just wanna talk about Gault.

Right, like okay, so 1912, Dream gets captured and this severely fucks the Dreaming. Some of the dreams/nightmares/staff whatever go looking for Dream (according to Lucienne), but then however long passes and most have gone. Where? I don't know, I haven't read the comics, I'm just going off the show, but this is what Lucienne says. The Dreaming is decaying and falling apart by the time that Dream returns. What I take this to mean is that most of the dreams and nightmares people have are gone too.

Dream and Lucienne work to get them back and fill the Dreaming back up again and then it's just the three still missing. The Corinthian, Fiddler's Green.

And Gault.

We know that the Corinthian has been fucking and fucking things up in the waking world. We know that Fiddler's Green has been Gilberting it up.

And Gault.

Gault carved out a secret corner in the Dreaming. Her own dream where she didn't have to be a nightmare. Because she found this scared and abused little boy that needed to escape from the nightmare he was living in the waking world, and she did what she could to give him somewhere to play, where he had power, where he could fight back, where he could control things that he was afraid of, where he could be with his mom.

She gave him a costume, a name, the name of the man that had created her, that had, for all they knew, abandoned them, and made that the hero of these stories that she helped Jed live out.

And she hoped.

She hoped that these respites from Jed's waking life could be enough to keep him going, and she hoped that if she was found out, that she could be understood, that she could plead her case to Dream.

But she knew who he was. She knew when he stood in front of her in the palace how he would see this despite trying to convince him otherwise. And it is so interesting that she would give Jed the Sandman name, that she would help him fight nightmares with that moniker, like she hoped that that is what the Dreaming could be, that they could give hope and joy and power in Dreams because bringing fear in sleep wasn't what she wanted to do anymore.

And it's so interesting that there is this dichotomy of Dream's creations, like I have such a fascination with the concept of his nightmares and dreams, because there is purpose to having both, putting meaning into waking existence by processing them through your subconscious and like the chicken and the egg sort of situation, like what power does Dream have over what people think of, does he create the nightmares or does the subconscious create them and he only puts them into shape in order to put them into the dreams for the subconscious to interpret in a more physical way. Like if he didn't put a specific concept into a dream, would people just not dream of it? Like he was in the Burgess mansion for a hundred years, so people just had no dreams or did they have dreams that were just stuck in 1912. How much are dreams and nightmares capable of changing on their own?

And that goes back to Gault, who dreamed of being more than a nightmare, of bringing hope and power and control to a little boy and was destroyed for it, and then brought back as a dream. Does that change who she was? Did she come back with her conscious the same as when she was destroyed, or did Dream change her when he formed her into a Dream?

I think I may be thinking too hard about this. Do the comics go into these sorts of things? Like the logistics of the Dreaming? Like I enjoy the Dream being a disaster and causing his own problems by being Dream plotlines, but I'd also just love to get an understanding of what the literal existence of these seven Endless means and what they actually control and maintain and do with their jobs. It's so interesting

[sixthwater]

Welcome to yet another clash of fiction and astrology! Today we are exploring Netflix's adaption of Neil Gaiman's "The Sandman", and seeing how a few characters beautifully display the core characteristics of certain houses in astrology.

The connections we will be diving into are:

Dream — Eighth House The Corinthian — Tenth House Lucienne — Sixth House Death — Seventh House

Would you care to sit down while I explain?

Dream

I know that this is a weird association considering he is the master of our dreams, and that immediately goes to the twelfth. However, Dream stresses a lot about how he and the human race are connected on a more sensitive scale — which yes!! Is still very much a twelfth house  thing! It's just that the way he talks about it is always transactional and intimate.

Humans provide the emotions, anxieties, goals — the spectrum if you will, for Dream. In return, Dream provides the appropriate 'realm' that they'll receive that night depending on whatever message they need to receive or if they just need a momentary escape. Transactional. It also immediately goes out of balance the second he’s caught and his items are stolen. People stop dreaming and basically go into a comatose state. If he can’t hold up his end of the deal and ensure things are okay, then things fall apart. Which is not necessarily a twelfth house thing. On a much lesser note, there was the whole thing with him having to go through trials and missions and basically rediscover himself all over again to get his tools back which just stinks of eighth house themes. (Which, as a side note, I guess you can place everyone just passing his stuff around as an inheritance?? Right we can place that under inheri)

He also directly deals with death, despite not handling that sector of life. Hell he even got kidnapped in their place. Despite that he witnessed his raven being murdered in front of him and his captor ended up dying from a fatal wound thanks to a blow caused by the very bubble he was bound to. A mortal ended up dying from one of his tools as well. Just to be sensitive, I won’t place any of those examples here, but he’s not very new to those matters.

Speaking of which, his captivity did make many negative feelings bubble to the surface. While Dream is not new to these intense emotions, he is used to controlling them due to his service and how it can cause harm to the dream world. It did paint his view of humans in a negative light for some time and he found it very difficult to ‘just move on from it’. What does the eighth house deal with? Those exact deep, murky, disgusting feelings or thoughts we’d rather not explore. It holds the part of our psyche that is begging to be looked at so we can come face to face with our flaws and embrace our shadow side as something to not lock away and hide, but to soothe and heal.

There’s also this very interesting scene that covers how deep the eighth house goes as well. It covers intimacy, deep emotional turmoil or investment. When things affect this house, it will either make, transform, or break you. We can see the combination of a deep grudge as well a devoted partnership play out (bonus points for it taking place in the underworld)

The eighth house is a very deep pool to dive into, but it should not be scary. You should be encourage to make a dive every once in a while to get used to what’s going on in your waters, to make sure you don’t have to undergo any major maintenance, and everything is working as it should be. Lest you break down at a time you really can’t afford to.

The Corinthian

This man drove me fucking crazy because I could NOT figure out  which house he was it only took me seven episodes until they literally spelled it out for me

The tenth house is part of our reputation, and I find it hilarious that I'm writing this during an episode from a sitcom all about someone's reputation.  It's a mix of how you present and hold yourself within your career. It can also be around peers that only / mainly know you for your  achievements. It's the 'idea' of you that others hold and spread around to those that have even less of a perception of who you really are,  thus; the reputation is born.

It can also be the image that you prefer to present yourself as to  the public. A shield before people are let in and they get to know your sixth, seventh, eighth, and fourth house. A place to possibly represent the type of fans or followers you'll gain, and what influence you have over people or in that particular area.

There's more to the tenth though, because it's tied to our fourth house (not specifically talking about MC/IC). Our roots, ancestry,  family conditioning - all of that follows us and molds us subconsciously  into what we want to project or pursue for our career. Which you can see pretty damn well with The Corinthian whenever he interacts or talks about Dream

While Gault took a more passive and friendly approach to 'disobeying' orders and breaking free from what they were made to do, The Corinthian goes 100 mph into a brick wall essentially. Just to prove a point and flip off Dream. There are pretty obvious parallels to a sour relationship for him when he 'bonds' with Jed, even if it's manipulative and still rooted in getting underneath Dream's skin

You can see how much of an impact Dream has on him whether or not he wants to admit it, and that translates right back to the impact your fourth has on your tenth

It's an angle of influence and it gives you a metaphorical soapbox to direct other people who look up to you or see you as someone with wisdom, power, or experience

Remember, the tenth is an incredible angle in your chart. It’s a symbol of where you stand within your field, the quiet power you hold within you. Where you landed after your fourth sent you off. How you can lead others should they look up to you for guidance. There’s much to be tapped into when it comes to this house. There’s a reason why it’s considered an angle.

Lucienne

Ok I'm being objective for this entire post so I get to have my five minutes: this is my bitch right here and of course it is I'm a sixth stellium with a virgo mars leave me alone

Anyway the second they showed up and gave me this line, it was done. I mean I was open for a change of heart, but they were consistent as expected:

Speaks volumes and pretty much sums the sixth up. The steadfast loyalty despite not knowing if Dream would return wouldn't necessarily be tied to the sixth in particular, but from Dream's eyes it gives him a sense of stability and comfort. After going through everything he experienced and coming back to his kingdom in shambles along with 90% of his staff gone, he has one person who attempted to keep things together and was right there the second he returned. It's an idea that someone or something will always be consistent and you know it will be there for you no matter what. Not to an undying, intense level, but just...so you don't have to worry about it. That's the sixth. Also taking care of such a stressful, annoying and mundane thing as journaling every single thing that happened while he was away? Yeah.It's also associated with guidelines and following things correctly (at least loosely)

Gotta be able to clear your checklist off somehow.

There's also a display (at least attempts) of objectivity from Lucienne so they can follow their Lord and the rules placed within their Kingdom, and while Dream was gone, they still attempted to keep the world running so things could keep moving without much problem

Where would the world be without the workhorse that is the sixth house?

Death

If you're still here I'm sure these connections are annoying you but I have a case to make okay!

Death's entire episode (besides the obvious) was about ripping away the fearful aspect of it and showing it in a more 'softer' light. To a point where, at least in the Netflix adaptation, they're probably the most empathetic towards the human race

When looking at Death, you'd think of the eighth house first.  Rightfully so. However once they start talking about how we're connected  and we feed off of each other — they can't survive without humans and vice versa — it can start to sound like a mix of eighth and eleventh. However, Death can act extremely intimate and caring towards their profession and with others. They take extreme care when showing up for their 'appointments', and when discussing how they just 'have a job to  do', they mentioned that they've been here since the first living thing came to be and they'll be the last to go so they can tidy up:

"When the last living thing dies, I'll put the chairs on the table, turn out the lights and... lock the universe behind me when I leave."

This is what the seventh house is. It's gaining energy from the  other party during intimate conversations. Feeling like the other person  can understand parts of you better than you understand yourself at  times. It's a feeling of partnership with others through slowly merging your ego with others before trying to dance with the whole world all at  once. It's you not liking pickles on your sandwiches so your partner takes them for you because they like pickles, so the perfect partnership  is made.

It's also where you can get help in discovering sides of yourself  that you haven't figured out yet, and a great source of personal frustration. The seventh can be parts of you that are so obvious, you  end up being blind to them. It's a side of you that you end up only  bringing out around people that you feel comfortable with. Parts of you that others will need to help make you aware of by mirroring that  energy. It is up to you if you want to make amends with that not-so-hidden side of yourself. Death sealed the deal with this house when they expressed their difficulty with their job in the beginning:

It's an air house, as well as a social one. It encourages growth  through interacting with others. It follows houses that want you to  build your ego so you can figure yourself out first before engaging with others. Once your roots are firmly planted, you can continue your  journey with the help of others to shine lights on things you might have missed, because we can't do everything alone.

Thank you for your time everyone! I hope you enjoyed this post! Honestly I wanted to include Fiddler's Green and other characters but sometimes they don't throw in enough dialogue or screen time for me to make a definitive case (like I definitely wanted to do Matthew, but I cannot argue for the house I claimed). Please let me know your thoughts below, did you also think Lightbringer's battle outfit was sexy because I did.

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