#and my second answer is always 'raven cycle'

[goshen-applecrumbledore]

20 fanfic author questions

tagged by @runawaydr3amerao3 to do this, excited as always to talk about myself, let's gooooooo

1. How many works on AO3?

52 and I can only ballpark how many have been orphaned. probably about 12.

2. Total AO3 word count?

953,146. Jesus christ

3. Top 5 fics by kudos?

all of these are old as hell which is why they're top. they are not all good.

transposition ciphers (9,010) fma, roy/ed

the hang of being alive again (3,600) the raven cycle, adam/ronan

not funny (3,573) check please (eugh), holster/ransom

awful wonderful (3,564) naruto, kakagai

hard reset (3,162) fma, roy/ed

4. What fandoms do you write for?

Currently, technically, just spn, the bear, true detective and house md. but fma is never far from my mind. my otp no matter how much time passes...

5. Do you respond to comments?

Up until very recently I never did because it never occurred to me. I wasn't trying to be a dick, I just didn't know I was supposed to. then I went through a period during spn after learning that where I felt bad and replied to everything. Now I reply to comments that ask me a question or are thought-provoking. I want to answer and to applaud. people leave comments that are more beautiful than the actual fic, you people are very smart and insightful.

6. Angstiest ending?

I'm not good at writing sad endings!! I believe in love! but, for this audience, worthless cartography. sam and dean hook up for the first time right before ahbl pt 2 and then sam dies, so dean thinks it's his fault in a divine retribution kind of way, so when sam is alive again, dean rebuffs him. I always meant to write a second part, but without it, it's pretty sad.

7. Fic with the happiest ending?

I was going to say pine sweat but I remembered it takes place in S5 so sam is dead within a fortnight lmao. it's definitely hard reset, an fma roy/ed fic. it's 15 years post-canon and after a lot of yearning and trying to make it work, they make it work. very blue skies everybody wins.

8. Do you get hate?

Not much these days, but I used to. mostly for writing roy/ed, with a big age/power gap, and for my novel with the same. for writing hockey rpf ships people didn't like, someone threatened to call my office and tell my bosses I was a pedophile. also when I was 13 I wrote a very OOC house/wilson fic and someone said it sucked and I got so mad I started writing original works out of spite (because nobody could tell me they were ooc)

9. Do you write smut?

Very much so, as a treat/reward/resolution to a story, much like sex is irl, lol. I rarely write smut on its own (blood sacrifice sex magic type of thing would be the closest, or middle name) not because I have anything against it but because in my own work I wanna feel very much like it's THE characters, whoever they are, and plot is the easiest way to do that. if I wanna just crank my hog I can do that on my own time.

10. Do you write crossovers?

Nosiree, I'm boring. no crossovers or AUs. barry tells me I will want to write an spn/x files crossover though, and because he's the one that got me into spn I've learned not to tell him he's wrong.

11. Ever had a fic stolen?

Yes actually, someone put huge swaths of one of my yakuza fics into a majima/reader fic. I opened a ticket with AO3 but they said it wasn't clear cut enough. I didn't pursue because I don't care.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes, this is my favourite thing!!! such a compliment and a beautiful reminder, in english speaking internet and under the shadow of the US, that there are other folks online. several of my spn fics have been translated into mandarin and 2 of my expanse fics have been translated into russian.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic?

Once, in hockey fandom, with someone I didn't like very much. she wasn't a good writer and it was a disaster. I don't remember what happened to it. I wouldn't do it again lol.

14. All time favourite ship?

If I'm honest it's gotta be roy/ed from fma. what if this very annoying kid sauntered into your life but then he grows up and he's brilliant and noble and beautiful and haunted and also the specialist boy in the world, but you're a decorated military official in a corrupt dictatorship and the kid hates your guts and you will never be able to forgive yourself for your past war crimes so why should this beautiful genius like you anyway?? anyway. im over that now

15. WIPs you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

A wincest john finds out kind of full-house-of-wincest type situation. somebody with a fundraiser fic should email me and tell me to swap their fic to that one. who said that

16. Writing strengths?

Dialogue and canon-complianticity

17. Writing weaknesses?

Nobody tells me what I suck at so I don't FULLY know, but. Speed. Grammar. Flexibility. everything I write sounds like everything else I write and I reuse the same words and idioms, like same song syndrome but for writing. a greatest hits album.

18. Thoughts on mixed language dialogue?

Only thing I've done in my fics is kind of a crossed-out written words in an epistolary fic. I've maybe had a few french lines in a fic but I don't think so because it was referencing subtitles. haven't read much either, so, no opinions. but I will say it's shit to do a weird patois in your English language dialogue

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Naruto baybeeeee. when I was 11 my sister found my scanned fan art of naruto and sasuke kissing on deviantart. I didn't even think she was on deviantart. 

20. Favourite fic you've ever written?

Hangdog, easily, but I think that's only because true detective s1 is remarkably rich and good so I'm really just drafting off marty and rust's coattails. but also probably Matryoshka dolls for spn, because it feels very well considered and tied together and intentional and satisfying, to me. but it deserves merit because as any spn fan knows, you gotta have a rich inner universe in order to truly play in their space. cw gets no credit.

EDIT: or, actually, my venture bros fic, lol. there was something very lovely about writing fic for a show that in no way makes me horny. Just a show I love very much.

No tags because I don't know anyone anymore but tag me if you do it because of me and I'll read it!

[itseyaaaa]

Do you mind if I ask your top 10 favorite characters (can be male or female) from all of the media that you loved (can be anime/manga, books, movies or tv series)? And why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before.....Thanks...

tbh it was hard to choose just 10 but i managed to do it so here u are!!

1) ADAM PARRISH from the raven cycle. He is the most relatable character I ever read so he deserves first place. Loved him since the beginning and keep on doing it. I usually never relate to characters but then he came in my life and i found myself staring at the pages while reading his thoughts bc that was how I felt too and it was kinda shocking.

2) JEAN MOREAU from All For The Game series. Since he was just a background character in the first 3 books I didn't mind him much, but then I read the extra content and his story broke me so much and I couldn't stop thinking about him, then the 4th book about him came out and I'm even more in love with him even tho he keeps make me cry. His story keeps tormenting me hoping he will get the happy ending he deserves.

3)HUA CHENG from Tian Guan Ci Fu. The greenest man in the world!!! Waited 800 years for the love of his life and he even died for him. He is just so perfect that I couldn't help but love him.

4) MONKEY D. LUFFY from One Piece. Only God knows how much I would give to have Luffy knocking on my door and ask me to join his crew. The happiness he brings, the serenity I would have if I had him in my life. The way he is a savior without even trying like pls come and save me too from this meaningless life and let's go have adventures in weird islands!!!

5) STILES STILINSKI from TeenWolf. He is my supreme teencrush. Never had a crush like this for an actor/tv character. He's literally the type of guy I would marry without second thoughts.

6)XERXE BREAK from Pandora Hearts. It's my favourite manga ever and his character was so interesting to read about, his powers, his story, the way he was connected with Abyss, his being mysterious and weird sometime, his intelligence, everything about him got my attention since the beginning. And personally his legal Chain had one of the best design and powers in the whole manga.

7) FA MULAN from Mulan . She was my childhood crush and I know the Disney movie by memory. I admired her so much and I wanted to be her since I was a child and my admiration still exist even now. she was an icon and a legend!!

8)SHERLOCK HOLMES from Moriarty the Patriot. Always liked sherlock as character but this version is the ultimate perfection. The animation design is stunning and the character too. I have a thing for intelligent men and he is the first one on the list.

9) MAKI ZENIN from Jujutsu Kaisen. Big ass crush for her since the beginning but then I read the Zenin Clan Arc and I was on my knees for her. A female character that it's not fanservice or a pretty face or two big boobs

10) SUNG JINWOO from Solo Leveling. It's my favourite manhwa and he is amazing. I actually have a bigger crush for Igris but it's one of his shadows but whatever. His story and growth is very interesting and I enjoyed reading it a lot.

[emdubyaz]

@felixcosm I’m sorry tumblr deleted my answer when I wanted to add tags idk what happened but here we go again I guess,,,,

Like I said I’m really the wrong person to ask for book recs bc I only ever read fucked up and niche stuff that you definitely need to check the CW for first (and a lot of queer fantasy like these are all queer!)

But sure let me give you a tour through some of my fav book series!!!

The raven cycle/ the dreamer trilogy (4 books + an extra 3 (plus a short story)): CW (bc there are a few) my favourite book series,,, it’s all about vibes and the connection between family, friends, the world and your place in it. Ronan Lynch is my absolute fav character of all time omg there is no one like him!!!! 😭😭😭

some of my fav quotes:

“While I'm gone," Gansey said, pausing, "dream me the world. Something new for every night.”

“If you never saw the stars, candles were enough.”

“They were always walking away from him. But he never seemed able to walk away from them.”

“Trees in your eyes ... Stars in your heart.”

All for the game (4 books as of now but there will be another one): read the CW I’m so serious! this book series is like crack to me,,, Neil is such a little shit and funny main character! The way Andrew and Neil invented consent is revolutionary! Also heartbreaking twin brother relationship that has me on my knees (Aaron you deserve so much better I love you baby boy) also fucked up sport that is connected to the mafia (and so is every second character) last book is from Jean’s and Jeremy’s pov and that’s such a slay too tbh 🙂‍��️

some book moments I always think about:

“You know, I get it. Being raised as a superstar must be really, really difficult for you. Always a commodity, never a human being, not a single person in your family thinking you’re worth a damn off the court— yeah, sounds rough. Kevin and I talk about your intricate and endless daddy issues all the time. I know it’s not entirely your fault that you are mentally unbalanced and infected with these delusions of grandeur, and I know you’re physically incapable of holding a decent conversation with anyone like every other normal human being can, but I don’t think any of us should have to put up with this much of your bullshit. Pity only gets you so many concessions, and you used yours up about six insults ago. So please, please, just shut the fuck up and leave us alone.”

“Who said 'please' that made you hate the word so much?" Andrew gazed at him in silence for a minute. "I did”

“Yes or no?” "It's always yes with you."

captive prince trilogy (3 books + short stories): CW again a lot of people don’t like the slave themes in the first book but then love the second and third which makes me think that they didn’t understand the story at all. the book with the main characters who’s horny despite all the shit that’s going on, Damen the man that you are!!! ALSO BITCHY BLOND WHO RUNS THE WORLD LAURENT I LOVE YOU SO MUCH (no fr Laurent is out here playing real life chess and Damen just stands by like “whatever you want sweetheart”)

these books are so unserious sometimes:

Laurent could inspire homicidal tendencies simply by breathing.

“Is there anyone at this court who isn't my enemy?" “Not if I can help it," Laurent said.”

Dark Rise trilogy (2 books and the third comes out soon,,,,, hopefully the cliffhanger is killing me): another book with a bitchy blond (James alone is enough reason to read this book) I left work early to continue reading this book and I think that all you need to know about this book! Also Will has never done anything wrong I love him so much!!! Some of the organizations in this frustrated me a lot tho like why are you so stupid????? (They deserved their fate I’m not even sorry)

this book has all the right themes and messages:

“I think what people were is less important than what they are. And what people are is less important than what they could be.”

“My whole life, all anyone's ever wanted was to possess me," said James. "The only one who ever set me free was you.”

“Kindness is never a mistake," said the Elder Steward. "Somewhere in the heart it is always remembered.”

Spell bound (stand alone): this is such a comfort read!!! So cozy! Enby representation around every corner, a door mat that likes to trip people, boy without magic learning how to use magic, emotionally unavailable person turns into a cat and snuggles with the love interest, THE POWER OF LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP

the starless sea (stand alone): do you love books and reading? Then this is for you! Everything is connected and I mean EVERYTHING. So magical and cool and beautiful written. Had me spinning in circles while I was trying to connect all the dots (I didn’t connect shit)

this book speaks to me personally:

“Not all stories speak to all listeners, but all listeners can find a story that does, somewhere, sometime. In one form or another.”

“But the world is strange and endings are not truly endings no matter how the stars might wish it so.”

“A boy at the beginning of a story has no way of knowing that the story has begun.”

“Having a physical reaction to a lack of book is not unusual.”

“There is no fixing. There is only moving forward in the brokenness.”

I’ll stop here bc I fear I won’t shut up if I don’t. Yeah these are just some of my favs I do have more but I think these are also the ones you see me post about the most!

(sorry again that the other one was deleted, I tried my best to recreate it as best as I could!)

[andorerso]

Answer the Questions and Tag 5 Fanfic Authors

thanks for the tag @mosylufanfic <3

1. How did you get into writing fanfiction?

I started reading fanfiction when I was very young, maybe 10-11? and it pretty much immediately made me want to write my own stories. early attempts were... unsuccessful, but I always had a lot of ideas and I just wanted to get them out there... so I did

2. How many fandoms have you written in?

in reverse chronological order: Rogue One/Andor, GoT/ASOIAF, She-Ra, Grisha-verse/Nikolai Series, The Raven Cycle, American Horror Story, Reign, Pretty Little Liars, The Vampire Diaries, Supernatural, Twilight

and some I have never published but did write for: The Witcher, Dishonored, Magnificent Century: Kösem

so that's 14 fandoms total

3. How many years have you been writing fanfiction?

well, my first attempt was at 14 but I pretty much immediately abandoned that story after posting. I tried again at 16 and have been writing pretty consistently ever since. so it's been more than ten years, almost fifteen

4. Do you read or write more fanfiction?

lately I'm writing more than I'm reading, however in general over the years, it's definitely read. I've consumed so many!

5. What is one way you’ve improved as a writer?

I think my action has gotten better recently? it's still far from my strength but being forced to write some action scenes in recent stories definitely improved that area... who would have thought?

6. What’s the weirdest topic you researched for a writing project?

I've researched many weird stuff over the years but idk, I'm blanking on specifics

7. What’s your favorite type of comment to receive on your work?

I love it when people yell and curse at me <33

8. What’s the most fringe trope/topic you write about?

idk if I've ever written something truly fringe... actually maybe the dildo fic?

9. What is the hardest type of story for you to write?

smut! which is funny because I've spent the last month writing nothing but that. but smut is hardddddd

10. What is the easiest type?

I'm seconding modern AUs, that's my comfort genre, and I'm also very well-versed in anything paranormal

11. Where do you do your writing? What platform? When?

I switched from Word to Scrivener a few years ago, and I haven't looked back. Word would probably still work, but Scrivener is just very convenient, I can have all the things in one place, and it makes things so easy

12. What is something you’ve been too nervous/intimidated to write, but would love to write one day?

well, sex pollen belonged to this category, but I've just gotten over that! other than that, I've been going back and forth about this apocalypse/zombie exes to lovers longfic for months now, because it's intimidating as hell for many reasons, and it would be a lot of work which I may not have the time for currently, but there's so many parts of it that I love and want to write. mainly this very specific scene that will not leave my brain, but absolutely would not work without the proper background and build-up.... sigh

13. What made you choose your username?

here or on ao3? on ao3, it's wintersend (winter's end) and like. I can't even remember why I picked it. it's so random, I've never used it before and never since. I think it may have had something to do with the fact that I'm a winter child, and I was also into GoT at the time... I genuinely don't know

and here.... hmmm idk if I should tell you guys.... it's very niche, you wouldn't get it

tagging @frostbitepandaaaaa @quarantineddreamer @fulcrumstardust @flythesail @luciechat

[noyoucannotpushthevoid]

Back in Business: Raven Cycle Characters as Things People I Know have Said Because These are Fun to Make

"’You're not gelatinous’ (Gansey with his infinite knowledge) ‘That's so mean, what do you mean I'm not gelatinous!?’ (Noah, a ghost)” "Who made a Candyland wiki?" - Ronan to Gansey at 2 am "One's a family" - Adam "If this is how the session's going to start, I'm going to start [twerking]" - Henry "This [search] is just a speedrun for how quickly [Ronan] and I can get kicked" - Blue "I love forgery" - Hennessey  "There's a hamster in here, it's starving and dead" - Adam about his last brain cell "'You get energy from your brain?' (Blue) 'I get nothing from my brain thank you very much' (Ronan)" "Define 'sleep with'. Cause I think you mean teddy bear, but I wouldn't be surprised if you meant sex" - Hennessey "Wouldn't you want back up if the spider monster comes to getcha?" - Hennessey to Ronan "Why is the third image furry porn?" - Gansey: aghast, dismayed, and traumatized "So he doesn't have a little stone rattling around in his big stone?" - Ronan to Adam after listening to him shit talk one of his Harvard professors "Okay, first of all [s]he doesn't have a rat brain..." - Ronan defending Chainsaw "Okay then I would like to fire man chick the chicken chicken" - Henry, very drunk (guess who was not when they said this…) "Cock" - Ronan "Don't cry on an empty stomach" - Gansey "[Noah], do you got squishy bones?" - Ronan "'Are we dumb' (Adam)  'Yea' (Ronan)  "Why...but probably' (Blue)" "You can't take the moonshine out of [Kavinsky]'s stomach" - Kavinsky drunk on moonshine "Rejoice my chicken brethren" - Henry fucking around at the Barns "Can I go animal handle?" - Ronan "You're very tall and [she] like[s] to be on top of tall things" - Ronan “explaining” why Chainsaw likes to sit on Adam’s shoulder so much "I've been trained in harassment, I can now harass in the workplace" - Gansey, but unintentionally “You’re like really fucked up version[s] of [Matthew]” - anyone who knew Matthew first to Ronan and Declan “You might see Bill Clinton in hell” - Blue * “You know bugs. You know they always have jacked legs” - Gansey attempting to flirt “Moth-er focker” - Gansey being really unhelpful while the gang is helping Ronan clean out one of the unused barns “It’s my santa skin” - Gansey dressing up as Santa “Why wasn’t I interested in carriage etiquette?” - Ronan sarcastically lamenting his lack of knowledge when he can’t answer Gansey’s incredibly niche question “What about grundle’s mom?” - Ronan intentionally messing up Grendel’s name to annoy Gansey (hc: Gansey fucking loves Beowulf) “If you cannot be a person, be a bodyguard” - Mr. Grey’s personal mantra “He’s fruity…like the juice” - Blue about Ronan

*Shout out to my English lit prof for cheekily saying this and then moving right back on to Paradise Lost without giving us a second to process

[ladytauria]

hey! 5, 11, 18, 23 from the ask game <333

mayaaa thank you <3

5) character you were most surprised to end up writing

very very surprised to have ended up writing for / enjoying writing for jason so much!! like, in hindsight it makes sense, as he’s the character i read for the most, but. yeah! did not expect that <3

11) what aspect of your writing do you think has most improved since you started writing?

i started posting fanfic at 12 & writing at 10, so. everything. but xD i think my ability to tell a coherent narrative has improved by leaps & bounds, even when i don’t have an idea of where i’m going when i start something. i also think i’ve gotten a better handle on description, which was an issue for me when i started, lol.

18) were there any works you read that affected you so much that it influenced your writing style? what were they?

this is a surprisingly difficult question to answer bc i KNOW there are influences, many of them, but when i try to think of them i keep drawing blanks??? and then the ones i have thought of i keep going 👀 are you sure? is that right? did it influence you or do you just think about it all the time?

which like…

isn’t that what influencing is? but i digress, lmao.

anyway!!!

i know sarah j maas is a bit controversial BUT smth about reading her books made something click in my brain? & i feel like my writing voice actually solidified after

major envy for maggie stiefvater’s prose—reading the raven cycle made me nostalgic for a place i’d never been, which wasn’t something that had happened to me before xD anyway, genuinely love her writing

on the fanfic side

i think about “The Bird, The Fog, The Mist” by bacondoughnut constantly

“Reclaiming Innocence” by murtagh morzanson / cdelphiki is also always rotating in my head (i’ve read it 3 or 4 times) alongside the second (i think) fic in “In for a Penny”. both of them influence how i write younger jason

“The Penny Drops, The Penny Dreads” by batbirdies is the other fic i think of when i think of young jason/jason’s childhood.

the “i guess you were my first boy wonder” series by pissvinegarandacrowbar is jaydick & one of my favorite jason characterizations ever~

and then uh, i would not have fallen headfirst into jaytim / be a jaytim writer at all without “The Many Deaths of Jason Todd” by zoeleo! that catapulted me into loving jaytim <3 before that jaydick was my main ship (i still adore it~)

also every time i read your prose it inspires me to get more poetic with mine <3

23) any obscure life experiences that you feel have helped your writing?

hmm 🤔 i’m not really sure any of my life experiences are particularly obscure. ah, but! when i was younger i came across this little graphic—the only 12 1/2 writing rules you’ll ever need. (i actually used it as my desktop background for ages lol). anyway, number 10— Go for walks. Dance. Pull weeds. Do the dishes. Write about it. that one really stuck with me for some reason, & led to me paying more attention to my body/feelings, especially if i was bored or uncomfortable, bc it was something i could potentially use for writing!

that sort of mental check in also has done wonders for like. keeping an eye on my mental / physical health too lol.

[ get to know the writer ask meme ]

[evilwickedme]

20 questions for fic writers

Thank you for tagging me <3

How many works do you have on ao3?

69 lmaooo

what’s your total ao3 word count?

407,178 which is. A lot

What fandoms do you write for?

My current main fandoms are DC comics and marvel comics, but I've also been writing a lil btvs. Historically I've written a fuckton of Harry Potter, The Witcher (TV), a decent amount of leverage and daredevil (TV), the raven cycle, all for the game, and a few other fics in some random fandoms

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

before we get married, I need to get permission from batman; hang on til the chaos is through; in which an entire university becomes far too involved in Pankratz and Vengerberg's love life; This is all just HR paperwork waiting to happen; and The Sound Of My Own Voice (Asking You To Stay)

Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I respond to every single comment, with exactly one exception, that absolutely haunts me. The person just kept replying to me no matter what I said and I couldn't make them stop

What is a fic you wrote with the angstiest ending

Mornings, for sure. One of my first ever spideypool fics back from 2016. Peter dies at the end. know we're not together (but I won't forget you) is a close second though

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

Oh I don't know, I have a lot of happy endings but they usually follow a fuckton of angst. Maybe in which the daily planet staff are 100% convinced that the kent-lanes are fucking superman, but I wouldn't call that a traditional ending

Do you get hate on fics?

Nah, although I've had some unnecessarily harsh public bookmarks

Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Oh yeah. My first ever smut sucked but then I wrote so much in 2021 for the witcher that I actually got pretty good at it, or at least as mlm sex. I have some body dysmorphia issues around vaginas and I never feel like I write that well. Anyway I tend to go for excessively sweet or incredibly kinky and borderline unhealthy fics

Do you write crossovers?

Only the buffy/jason fic, unless you count daredevil tv and marvel comics or itsv and marvel comics to be crossovers

Have you ever had a fic stolen?

not as far as I know

Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes!! It's incomplete unlike the original fic but someone translated most of I'm a mess (but I'm the mess that you wanted) into Russian. This wasn't the question but @flowerparrish also podficced the first chapter of my jaybuffy fic!!

Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Yes but I removed it from my page following an extremely brutal and somewhat traumatizing fight with some of the people I was cowriting it with

What’s your all-time favorite ship?

Mmmm I don't know, that's a good question. For a long time I would've answered jily. Spideypool is probably the main contender now, although spuffy could give it a run for its money - despite the fact that I've only written one fic for them (and implied them in my jaybuffy fic), I've adored them since I was 13, which is. Over 12 years ago fuck

What’s a wip you want to finish, but doubt you ever will?

Mmm I'm always hoping I'll finish my wips, but the ones I doubt the most are my yennskier fic (no progress in over a year), my literati fic (although I did make some progress about a month ago), and I don't plan on going back to my drarry Hogwarts professor au for obvious reasons

Edit: OH ALSO the Witcher s2 outsider pov is never ever getting finished I'm sorry I know I promised it to a lot of people in the comments but it's not gonna happen

What are your writing strengths?

Dialogue and characterizations imo

What are your writing weaknesses?

Descriptions my fucking God I struggle so much with them

Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language for a fic?

I'm fluent in Hebrew and my first ever fic was in Hebrew, so if that came up I'd feel pretty comfortable with it. Anything else I'd have to approach someone who spoke the language, and I'd rather just write it in English and say it was in the other languages

First fandom you wrote for?

Harry Potter and again, it was in Hebrew. I recently described what it was about to a group of friends who called it, and I quote, "adorable". I was ten or eleven at the time and I do not plan on reposting it.

Favorite fic you’ve written?

That's a toughie. I think probably I'm a mess (but I'm the mess that you wanted), but Under the Pink Hood, Of Three Times Lily Evans Changed Her Mind About James Potter, and know we're not together (but I won't forget you) are all honorable mentions

I'm not a tagger - I usually don't even participate in these kinds of posts - but I guess @not-the-blue @supergirlboy @penny-anna and any other mutual or even follower are invited to participate if you wanna

[enjoljeacharlichele]

Hi....If you don't mind, can I ask, what are your top 10 (or top 7) favorite media (can be books/ manga/ anime/movies/tv series)? Why do you love them? Sorry if you've answered this question before......Thanks....

Hi! First of all, sorry, I totally forgot to answer. Second of all, don't worry this is like my first ask, so.

This is certainly a Question™ wow, it took me a bit to answer and we're talking about my favourites right now, in a month they'll probably change.

So, in no particular order:

1. Pillars of the earth (book), the first and best in the Kingsbridge series, it has amazing characters, a compelling plot and so much architecture. Seriously, it taught me about architectural styles better than my own art teacher in high school. The characters do sometimes have oversimplified motivations (they are evil so they only do evil stuff) but most of them act in grey areas and I love it.

2. Naruto, my sweet, sweet plot-hole filled Naruto. This one I mostly love because of all the emotions it gives me. I listen to the songs to give me motivation, they make me cry. I love Naruto himself, how he was deprived of love from the beginning and so he made sure to give it to everyone he met and it worked!!! Love changes the world!!!! Love saves everyone!!!! Also the poetry of Sasunaru but that's another story (Romeo and Juliet, Kishimoto? Really?)

3. Mo dao zu shi. It's structured, it makes me want to rip my heart from my chest, the characters are complex, you could talk about hidden meanings for days....and again, everything is determined by love. Lan Wangji's enduring and desperate love? Jiang Cheng's love, which I won't even try to explain right now? Yes.

4. Charmed, mostly because I grew up watching it but also because it is a good show with strong female characters and also Prue goes away so all is well.

5. Fairy Oak. These are italian books for children that tell the story of a world in which there are people that use the magic of creation and others that use the magic of destruction, and also people that can't use magic at all. They all live in this town, Fairy Oak, and the protagonists are two twin sisters, Vaniglia and Pervinca, the first uses the magic of creation, the latter the magic of destruction. The big villain wants destruction magic to prevail. It teaches children about the importance of love, family, friendship and community, and that you don't have to be afraid of being who you are. It also has gorgeous illustrations.

6. Pride and prejudice. I eat historical romance for breakfast so of course I love this book and everything that comes with it. It's serious and moving and hilarious. Seriously, everything about Darcy and Elizabeth's relationship is hysterical. Jane Austen's prose is so witty and dry, I'm always in awe. I love all her other books but P&P has a special place in my heart.

7. The Raven Cycle. I...don't really know how to explain it, I'm not sure anyone who has read this series can explain it, but. Still. I'm here for the poetry of falling in love with your friends. The beauty of knowing and being known. The importance of diving into your demons and coming out holding their hand. Just. Beautiful.

Aaand I'll stop here. Sorry again for taking so long and thank you for asking!

[entityforged]

GETTING TO KNOW YOU !

respond to the following prompts. include as much or as little as you want; you don't have to answer them all !

tagged by: @sunfollows my most beloved

tagging: @lovedew @wickedluvs @gryscled @2minus @sugarcrushride + anyone else who wants to do this, i do not have the energy to go check who has and hasn’t been tagged lol

name / alias. kian or brekker are both good! birthday. october 21 zodiac sign. libra sun / scorpio moon / cancer rising height. 5'5" unfortunately hobbies. reading, thinking about my blorbos, playing video games, watching youtube, collecting journaling supplies, making playlists favorite color. black and pink favorite book. i am so bad at picking favorites but it's probably the raven cycle, those books mean the world to me last show. uhhhhh i think my rewatch of stranger things season 3?? i don't watch a lot of tv for some reason recent read. just finished the spirit bares its teeth on friday and it was so gross and so good and i need to yell at andrew about it sources of inspiration. uhhhhh everything? sometimes i get an idea and then pick the fc, sometimes i see a fc i want to use and then create someone for them to be. i get a lot of inspo from music, books, tv…idk this is always such a hard question for me lol. if there’s ever anyone or anything you’re curious about, feel free to ask! story behind url. entityforged is only the second non-lyric url i’ve ever had? usually i pick a lyric from a song i really like but this time i just stared at my mutuals’ urls and tried to pick something with a similar vibe. the idea is that i (the entity) am forging all these weird little guys!

[bloodydeanwinchester]

What kinda books do you like reading? (Usually) I got back into reading a couple of years ago and haven't stopped since 😅

gosh this is kind of hard to answer because it has literally been over a year since i last read a book that wasn't a fic 😅

when i was reeeeally into reading like 5-10 years ago i mostly read YA but then i think i kind of grew out of it and i had a difficult time finding books that i enjoyed. and then i started reading destiel fanfic and i stopped reading other books all together lol

my favorite series for a long time has been the raven cycle by maggie stiefvater. but there's a second trilogy and i never even finished reading it lol. i really love most everything that VE Schwab has written but ESPECIALLY the villains series. the last book i read was verity by colleen hoover which was really creepy and i loved it. i normally like books that are kinda dark and often (but not always) with paranormal aspects.

what kind of books do you like reading??

[harpers-tartarus]

Its important for everyone to know that @whatisamildopinion inspired the way I wrote the prologue for my fantasy book (have I written anything else? no, but that's not related lol) bc their aasimar au is permanently imprinted in my brain:

It goes like this: you are born into a prison of beautiful lights and love all around. You think that there is nothing to want or to need. You wear silk and gemstones and you are your mother's pride; her chosen.

Your father, on the other hand, detests you because his illegitimate son is born first. A Twilight legitimizes him under the dusk sky and that doesn't help. Your brother is several shades lighter, nearly a foot taller, with ears that don't jut out as much.

The tide is turning against your kind, you can see it and so can your god. Humanity turned on the Black Seed, why wouldn't they turn on you, too?

Succession is a nightmare for everyone involved because someone always loses and somehow it is both the siblings. He loses by being born first and being a hybrid of two very different species; you lose because you are your mother's daughter and the second-born.

Your father lost whatever vengeance he had against your mother, losing her in the process; what woman could ever love a man that had chosen to purposefully impregnate a mistress after his own wife was with child in an effort to ensure that his bastard is born second? A truly deluded one. Perhaps there had never really been any love there, but you were too young to ask and by the time you cared, it was much too late.

So, you dive headfirst into your studies. Your runetype will reveal itself in time, but you do not have much and you know it when the first assassination attempt hits its mark.

You are lying in a pool of your own blood and it just gets deeper and deeper until it drowns you. For the first time, you hate your father, standing there unmoving as he watches you, his heir, die. There is copper burning your nose and vengeance in your heart and when you reach out for the Black Seed for the first time, he does not cast you aside as your father did.

The last thing you hear is your mother screaming as she paints runes in the air above your body. Your choked lungs breathe once more before darkness comes.

When you awaken, you withdraw from your father so fast that you hope it hurts. He makes demands of your mother who shields you with trembling fingers. Your mother has never feared anyone or anything and the mere thought of your father instilling such a thing in her makes you ravenous for a comeuppance you now know you will not live to see.

The Black Seed is the god of vengeance but also inevitability and he sees your fall far before you do.

They say you changed after the attack, which is true, but your people do not believe that. You put on a brave face for them so they do not know of the screaming matches your family is now engaging in daily. You love your people. You love your mother. You do not love your father and you do not love your brother. Maybe if you had, certain events would not come to pass, but inevitability is a sea you will drown in and you know that it is not your responsibility to extend an olive branch for a conflict that was not your fault.

You are still blamed for it, as though you had any part in your conception. If anything is to be blamed, it is your father's hatred of himself, of his own kind. You wonder how he can, but you stop yourself from asking; the answer will drive you mad and there is no god of madness to claim you when that happens.

It is the day of your eighteenth cycle, the day everything will change, and your brother tells you that he hopes you die in the Trials. He tells you that you are not strong enough for what comes next, that you are no leader; you don't even have a Runetype and he bears the Diviners' colors proudly. Years ago, this would upset you, but there is no love lost between you; the line was drawn in the sand years ago and the battleground is painted with your blood.

You enter the forest with only a dagger at your side and the fortification of your mother's love.

The war is lost before you reach the fork in the path, because as you found an ally in a god, so, too, did your brother, but his god dares to break the rules.

You do not feel it when you are smote, you only know that you are there one second and gone the next.

Death is inevitable and your death was even more so.

You are dead but you are not forgotten. Your life is short but your legacy is long and one day the truth will be discovered with fresh eyes that will claim you as the followers of the Black Seed do.

All that is left to do, is wait.

[thesporkidentity]

final act, let's go! again, if you want to watch it the video is on the choreographer's vimeo channel. and i would also recommend reading the summary in their program here, because act 3 gets real confusing real fast at the end if you're expecting it to follow the novel.

mina my beloved! i'm so glad they included her work with all the journals

i cannot get a good screenshot but there's a repeated bit of van helsing just putting his hand on quincey's gun like son please stop waving that thing around my good brave boy and it is a rare moment when i laughed in this show

the mina+van helsing interactions are so sweet 🥺

mina+RENFIELD NUMBER? that one i did not call. he does all of the lifts while in a straightjacket, phenomenal.

i can cry and scream about the bloofer lady while also laughing that lucy is the same size as this literal child, i contain multitudes

i live for the fact that literally every time either jonathan or mina comes back on stage to join the other, they run to each other and do a dramatic lift and spin, yes, they SHOULD get to hug more!

no no no i know what's coming now and i know it's going to be beautifully choreographed and performed and i'm going to hate what happens. i am likely to yell at dracula so much as this scene progresses, so let me also give my compliments now that the dancer is AMAZING and perfect in every aspect of his performance so far my god the man can dance. also who said he could have such a fantastic nose that shouldn't be allowed

btw, everyone else walks normally in this show (or like, as normally as you can in ballet shoes), but he stalks. he always has an incredibly deliberate pace with the graceful dancing stalking steps and it really sets off something in my hindbrain, i'll leave what that something is up to interpretation because the answer to any guess will be "yes"

oh heck there's no slow almost teasing horrible seduction at all in this one, it is all out and violent from the get-go

sitting here chanting no! no! no! no! as she keeps running back to jonathan but he can't! wake! up!

do love how both she and jonathan have an extended lift in their drac pas de deux with their arms outstretched like on the crucifix (multiple in mina's case, they kept moving so i couldn't get a good screenshot but there's a second one where she's hanging on him back to back with her arms hooked over his like christ)

okay this is just a gorgeous pose, they're doing such a good job and the way his face keeps cycling between ravening rage (sorry for the alliteration lol) and yearning is A+

aaaaaand now i'm back to just shouting NO at the screen

they really committed to being both horny and horrifying at the same time and not allowing you to separate those emotions, and i salute them for it

only photo i could get on jonathan's killing rage because he is booking it after that, he will not be contained

ah yes, we were overdue a number with the corps in this act, but all these writhing limbs are freaking me the hell out it's like the orgy from cats but with more corpses...

that coooooooat! and now mina's doing the ethereal trance en pointe tiny steps

also this act has gone totally off the rails and i'm so glad i read the program before i saw it xD

that lighting design though!!!

quincey D: also he is just crazy strong, damn. like i KNOW ballet dancers have to be so so strong and quincey is helping, but also that's a whole-ass man and they're both only using one arm

oh that's just a cool shot, that's some caravaggio bullshit right there

wait no THAT'S some caravaggio bullshit, i am distracting myself from quincey with the lighting design because it went off in this act especially

and that's a wrap. i'm not sure with the musical cue whether they were trying to imply the vampirism would live on in mina like the 1968 tv play or just that she would have to cope with the trauma of that night, but either way what a haunting shot to end it with

anyway, if you watched and enjoyed this ballet, if you can please donate to the ballet to support their continued work, or you can buy tickets to see it live again this year in milwaukee october 26-29, 2023

watching the 2018 milwaukee ballet production of dracula and y'all the dracula/jonathan pas de deux is amazing

[speakergame]

very out of the blue but do you have any favorite books? I'm trying to read more this year 👀

Reading more is a fantastic goal to have, and one I highly encourage! I love books and will read just about anything you put in front of me (though my tastes when left to my own devices skew heavily toward fantasy, especially modern fantasy), but let’s see if I can narrow it down just a little :)

my favorite book series is The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater. if you are a fan of Welsh history, found family, dream magic, and talking trees, I really cannot recommend this series highly enough

my friends Jaida Jones and Danielle Bennett recently had a new book come out, Master of One, and it’s really really good! more found family, which you’ll find is a favorite theme of mine. plus fae shenanigans, can’t go wrong there

Ghost Days by Asher Elbein and Tiffany Turrill is also great. it’s one I actually backed on kickstarter a couple years back. it’s a collection of Appalachian horror short stories and is wonderfully atmospheric.

I recommend anything and everything Seanan McGuire has written, especially the Toby Daye series. Terry Pratchett’s Discworld series is excellent, though you’d have to ask more organized minds than mine where you should start with that. Neil Gaiman’s Anansi Boys and Sandman were both formative for me. So was Elvenbane by Andre Norton and Mercedes Lackey, though I admittedly haven’t reread it in a long time. (so was the Dresden Files, but I very much do not recommend them, for a whole host of reasons that others have gone into more eloquently than I could. The Dresden Files were, in fact, one of the things that first inspired Speaker as a novel series, but not in a positive way... more out of spite. long story, accidental tangent)

The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings trilogy probably seem obvious, but I had an elementary school teacher read the first chapter of The Hobbit to me and that was how I discovered fantasy as a genre, so that one’s always been important to me. it’s probably also not surprising that I, a known goth and literature nerd, am a fan of both William Shakespeare and Edgar Allan Poe, as well as any and all Arthuriana I can get my hands on.

admittedly, most of the reading I’ve been doing lately is of the interactive variety instead of physical/traditional books, but I love them too. and I would love to know what your favorite books are too!

[darkhangels]

3. once upon a dream

enjoy the silence masterlist 

morpheus x f!reader

warnings: swearing 

words: 4200

When you fell into your slumber you found yourself not in the dingy dark dungeon crawling with rats but instead in a bright, ethereal cathedral? Warmth relief ebbed through your body like rays of sun. It was quiet and there were no cloaked men to be seen. It was nothing, nothing but peace. 

And the dam broke.

You fell to your knees in hysterics. You had done it. You had broken the cycle.

And the tears mixed with laughter wouldn't stop. Even if it was for one night you had finally done something right. 

“You requested an audience?”

Your head snapped up to the quiet yet commanding voice. In front of you laid a narrow throne perched on top of a plethora of steps fit to make any monarch of the waking world jealous. On top of the throne sat a man.

No. He was not a man and describing him as such would do an injustice to the being before you. 

He wore a long black coat, long enough to be a cloak, with matching black shirt and trousers all which draped around his thin yet tall build and clashed against his white silk skin. His midnight hair messily framed his forehead in an elegant way. His face was nothing short of art, so beautiful and yet so alien with a crushingly sharp jawline and matching cheekbones.

And his eyes?

God, his eyes. Two twin stars shimmering at you, slowly dissolving into a pale iced blue the longer you stared into them.

A new sense of dread collapsed onto you and you clambered to your feet. As your heartbeat echoed in your ears. “Who are you?” You stuttered shielding yourself by crossing your arms over your chest as if they would protect you from whomever was in front of you. 

“Who am I?” The deep voice practically purred as he stood up and started descending down the steps. “I am Dream of the Endless and you requested an audience with me, so you shall state your matters at once” He said coldly as his eyes studied you. 

“Speak to me, Dream of the Endless”

The ritual. Had it truly worked?

Your gaze flew to the ceiling above you as swirls of deep magentas and sapphires of the universe danced in synchronized patterns on the ceiling. You stared in awe at the sight, the rich hues entrancing you “Where am I?”

“You are in the heart of the dreaming” A different voice answered you.

You turned to your left. A woman with dark skin, in a burgundy dinner jacket watched you over the top of her rounded glasses. Her ears were pointed and her existence was entirely other- worldly. 

You gulped terribly as fear started to overtake you. The woman appeared wise beyond apprehension and fairly harmless but not enough to soothe yourself from the anxieties gripping at your heart.

“The dreaming?” You breathed.

“Where you go when you dream” The woman explained.

You nodded mindlessly though you knew you had no idea what was going on, this was surely just another dream.

“Enough” The booming voice called. He was no more than a meter away from you now and you took a few steps back before daring to look into his eyes again.

And you found such a strong sense of familiarity, You had seen these eyes before.

“Have we met before?” You whispered.

“Perhaps, mortals tend to forget in the waking world” 

You started to laugh maniacally, clutching your stomach for support. This had to be a joke and honestly you didn't mind, any second you weren’t watching a raven get brutally murdered, you were thankful for.

The king of dreams shared a confused look with his librarian as they looked back to you with concern.

“I’m sorry” You heaved between laughs. “It's just-” You could barely get a sentence out before erupting into laughter again. “I mean, I have the same nightmare for over a month and now I’m dreaming about goth guys and whatever random crap my mind can conjure up” You wiped at the tears in your eyes, calming yourself down.

“Nightmares” The man questioned cautiously.

“Well yeah actually that's why I seeked an audience”

Dream nodded for you to continue. “Well it always starts the same..”

Both watched curiously exchanging glances every so often. Your new found euphoria wavered as you explained every dull detail, tears now pricking your eyes again at the harsh memories coming back to you.

“Its not even the dream itself its the fucking heartbreak that comes with it, it always feels so real, so heavy”

“And I suppose” The brooding figure softly spoke. “You want me to do something about it” 

Your head craned to meet his eyes. “Please, I planned to confront you, ask you why give me these dreams, why every night for over 35 fucking days, but I couldn’t care less anymore” You picked at the skin near your fingernails before sighing and letting a single tear roll down your cheek. “Just make them stop, please”

The king of Dreams' eyes unwillingly softened at the sight in front of him. He watched as the mortal struggled to keep herself together, so strong yet so delicate. The dream was gruesome, yes, but he’s seen worse. 

“I sympathize with you” 

Your head shot up with a hopeful glint in your eyes.

“But I will not interfere”

And just like that any sense of hopefulness or happiness left your body and you instead drowned in a pool of anger.

“What?” You growled.

The stranger stared at you with a callous look lifting his jaw up. You stuttered and angrily wiped at the hot tears seeping from your eyes. “Why not?”

“I do not need to explain myself to a mortal” He callously exasperated.

“Are you not the king of dreams? Dream lord? The sandman?” You hissed in disbelief.

Dreams' eyes now narrowed. “I cannot interfere” He gritted out.

You had come too far to back down now. “Can’t or won’t?” You challenged, stepping close to the stranger. All earlier hesitation, nowhere to be found. You truly had nothing else to lose.

It was his turn now, stepping closer, the two of you now only mere centimeters away from each other's face. He looked down at you with a stern and finalized face. “Won’t”

You glared up at him heavily breathing as you clenched your fists at your side. Why did he have to be so beautiful?

You searched his eyes, silently challenging him, but his stare was overwhelming and made you feel so small. The atmosphere around you cracked and bent under the excruciating pressure of the two of you's proximity. Your mouth dried and heartbeat hammered in your chest as your eyes betrayed you as you looked down to his lips only for a fraction of a second. The man clenched his jaw as he watched you and you could have swore his lip upturned only for a second.

“In fact” He practically whispered in your ear. “This dream is over” 

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

You shot up out of bed. Confused, pissed off and a third thing you were yet to admit to yourself. 

You had two possible explanations.

Number One: The ritual worked, you had truly met the sandman himself and he was an arrogant little shit. (A beautiful one too, but you aggressively shook that thought out of your head)

Number Two: Your imagination and desperation was so strong it managed to break the cycle of nightmares.

You were inclined to believe Number Two and yet something deep within your conscious knew which one was the right answer.

Maybe you should've just given up. If the God Of Dreams himself won't help, what hope was there for you. 

Well you didn't have the nightmare last night. If you could somehow go to "the dreaming" again ,as the pointy-eared woman described it, you would plead your case again and keep coming back again until he inevitably kills you or ceases the nightmares. 

Easy enough right? 

"Every night for over 35 days, sir?" 

"It's unheard of," The Dream Lord muttered deep in thought. 

Lord Morpheus had sat upon the steps, his coat pooled around his engulfing him in a sea of black. Opposite him the faithful librarian anxiously paces.

Lucienne strode closer to her lord cautiously but with intent. "So why?"

Dreams' eyes snatched up to Lucienne’s. "I wasn't aware, Lucienne" He spoke his next words carefully, unwillingly ready to admit even to himself "I can't feel her nightmares or her dreams, it's just nothing"

Lucienne licked her lip and readjusted her glasses nervously. "How is that possible?"

"It shouldn't be" 

“Maybe she lied but she seemed far too emotionally affected for it to be a ploy” Lucienne wondered, thinking out loud.

“And she managed to reach me in the dreaming, It takes true commitment and desperation to be able to do that” He muttered, silently impressed. 

The two look at each other, each with a gaze of fear. 

"Lucienne, find everything you can about this situation" Dream ordered, sitting up from the steps in the throne room.

Recomposing her posture, Lucienne nodded "Right away, and you my lord?"

"Me and Matthew shall visit the waking world and question our rogue dreamer" 

Lucienne's forehead creased as he tilted her head to the side. “If I may, Sir, would it not be more beneficial to simply read the book in the library about her, instead of visiting the waking world?”

By this time Morpheus was already striding towards the doors of the throne room.

“Better to hear it from her herself” Morpheus now turned around to glance at his librarian “Do you not think Lucienne?”

Lucienne knew better than to argue with her Lord over something so trivial. “Of course my lord”

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

It was 17:45 and you were working at the coffee shop. The light outside had dwindled as the sun had disappeared over the horizon, painting the sky with bright hues of blue and orange. Throughout the day you had simply felt like you were only floating, zoning out and contemplating how life had gotten you to this exact moment.

You hadn’t seen Lorna this morning, or Corey, though you weren't particularly upset about that. And you felt so unnatural. Like you knew secrets that no one else did.

Maybe you were actually going insane. But it all felt so…real.

The handsome stranger, annoying and cruel as he was, you couldn't help but be intrigued. Was he truly the sandman? Lord Morpheus, King of Dreams, Dream of the Endless? He had so many names all which now sent unwilling shivers down your spine. The gaze in his eyes haunted you still and you wished, prayed, you would dream of him again.

The bell to the coffee shop chimed and you looked down before going up to the counter. "How can I help you today?" 

"You could start by telling me everything"

Your eyes widened at the voice and your head swiftly looked up. 

It was the king of dreams himself looking all the more ethereal, standing out from the blandness of the coffee shop. He wore a shorter coat, still long but enough to fit in as much as he could with humanity.

"How are you here?" You stuttered. "Am I going insane?" 

"No” 

You trembled ever so slightly and took a few steps back from the counter. “What do you want?”

“Answers”

You peered into his eyes again, your fear apparent, his eyes softened. “I do not wish to hurt you, I swear it, I only wish to talk” His voice uttered in a tone oh so comforting that sent an ache down into your soul. And you almost fell for it too, anyone would’ve, the soft velvet undertones of his voice was like being wrapped in a silk blanket.

“I cannot interfere”

“Can’t or won’t?”

“Won’t”

“I thought you said you wouldn’t interfere” You said in an accusatory way as you crossed your arms. 

“I needed time to think over your claims,” He explained. “In truth your nightmares could pose as a danger to my realm” 

Your eyebrows snapped together and you almost lost your footing. “What? How?”

His head motioned towards the door. “I will explain as we walk”

“Wait I can’t just leave work” 

“You will do as I say” Dream commanded, raising one eyebrow.

Any other day and you might've smirked or argued back but instead you breathed heavily through your nose, and rubbed your temples. Considering the stranger in front of you, you threw off your apron and grabbed your jacket. 

Fuck it, right? It was only 15 minutes before the shop closed anyways and no one else was in the shop. 

You switched off all the lights and grabbed the keys, Dream watching you wordlessly. Swinging the door open you gestured to the man to go through. With one nod he strode through the door, you silently following after him and locking up, throwing the keys into your pocket.

Turning on your heel to the man, you anxiously started picking at the skin on your fingers. You figured out pretty quickly that the Dream Lord wasn’t a big speaker. But he wasn’t the only one who needed answers. “So, everything I dreamt last night was real?” You questioned.

“Yes”

You studied his face anxiously looking for any sign of emotion, before you let out a frustrated sigh. “I mean, How can I trust you? How can I trust this isn't a prank or a psychotic break?”

Dreams' eyes traced your face as he thought deeply before answering you. “When you were a child, you had a nightmare about your play toys coming alive and to this day you are still unsure of whether it was a dream or they had truly come alive” 

Your face blushed a deep red and you looked down, “Sure didn’t tell anyone that” You cringed as you pinched the bridge of your nose. “Thanks for the answer though”

Out of the corner of your eyes you had sworn you saw Dreams lip twitch up, only for a second and you found your face flushing for a different reason now. 

You started to walk in the direction to the bus stop and Dream strode beside you in pursuit. “I don’t know what else I can tell you, I told you in as much possible detail about the dream”

Dream nodded, putting his hands into his pocket. “Do you know the exact date these nightmares started?” He asked, looking forward as the two of you meandered through the busy streets. 

You walked beside him, keeping enough distance just for precaution. “Yeah, the 19th of September”. You had remembered the first time you had the dream, telling almost everyone you knew about the crazy real dream of you sacrificing yourself for a raven. Then, everyone laughed, but now instead everyone looked at you with concern and pity.

Turning his head to study your features, Dream asked another question. “Do ravens or cloaked men, anything from the dream have any slight of importance or relevance to you?” 

You thought for a second before biting your lip and shaking your head. “No, none of it”

The conversation grew silent and you looked at Dreams' puzzled expression. “So why does this pose a threat to your realm?”

Dream sighed and looked forward, a broody glare on his face. “I am dream of the endless, that means I am not just the king of dreams. I am the dreaming. It is me. I can sense, manipulate and see anyone's dreams, apart from your nightmares”

Your eyebrows knitted. “But you just said you knew about my dreams from when I was six years old”

Dream swallowed harshly, fighting back an exasperated sigh, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. “Yes, I can see all of your dreams from before, but I stopped sensing anything 39 days ago”

Realization hit you and your knees wobbled ever so slightly, It was the day the nightmares started.

“Wait, so you're not the one controlling my dreams?”

“Evidently not” Dream bit out.

You stuttered and stumbled over your words in disbelief. “Is that even possible?”

“Yes, but I can usually sense it. But like I said, I can’t sense a thing to do with you or your nightmares” He seethed.

You recoiled at his harsh tone and soon realized he was pissed off. Not at you, necessarily but at the fact that someone else is controlling dreams. Someone that's not him. You picked at the skin on your fingers even more so now. 

The night was slowly and slowly falling down as the last bits of light dissolved. You had left behind the bustling streets as you now meandered through the silent and eerie park, isolated from everybody else.

“So, what are we supposed to do?”

Dream let out a breath of air as he huffed, looking at you with amusement. “We?” He stopped dead in his tracks turning so his full body was facing you.

You mirrored his actions as the both of you stood face to face in the middle of the path. Memories of the dream last night echoed in your brain.

You searched his eyes, silently challenging him, but his stare was overwhelming and made you feel so small. The atmosphere around you cracked and bent under the excruciating pressure of the two of you's proximity. Your mouth dried and heartbeat hammered in your chest as your eyes betrayed you as you looked down to his lips only for a fraction of a second. The man clenched his jaw as he watched you and you could have swore his lip upturned only for a second.

“Yes, We” You emphasized the last word.

Dream looked down at you amusement glimmering in his eyes. “And what makes you think I would allow you to help me?”

You scoffed and crossed your arms. “Allow me? Well firstly they are my nightmares are they not?” You challenged.

He stares at you, unwavering. You continue “And it was I that called on you dream lord” You pointed out. “Maybe I don’t want your help anymore”

Dream scoffed, rolling his eyes ever so slightly. “It matters not that you called upon me now, this is a matter of urgency to my realm, whether you like it or not” 

You looked down, chewing at the inside of your mouth. This was your fault, you were the one who kept having these nightmares, it was your decision to invoke Lord Morpheus. Maybe you should've just left it alone. Now you have a literal god, no, more than a god running around, cleaning up the mess you possibly made.

Softening your gaze you looked up to him through your lashes. “Please” You whispered. “Just let me help”

Dream examined your face, deep in thought. He should say no. It's dangerous and unconventional. He should say no, you were only a mortal, you would get in the way. But he could see the regret and guilt in your eyes, and he feels himself unwillingly softening. After all, this affair would be dealt with in a matter of days and you would never have to see each other again.

“Fine,” He croaked.

Your shoulders dropped in relief and you let out a breath of air. “By the way I’m-”

“I know exactly who you are '' Dream cut you off before purring your name.

And you hated that an involuntary shiver fell down your spine at the way your name tumbled off of his tongue. You clear your throat and straighten your posture. “Right, of course you do” 

A flap of wings interrupted your conversation and the next thing you saw was a small black figure landing next to Dreams boots. Inspecting the midnight bird you realized it was a raven. And your breath hitched. Dream watched with a confused expression on his face as your breathing grew heavier and heavier.

A raven

A sacrifice

A death

You stepped back as your knees buckled and you expected to feel the slippery hard surface of the wet concrete floor to smack into your body. But two arms clad in black cradled your forearms before you could’ve hit the ground. You grabbed Dream's arms to steady yourself before looking up to your saviour and gave him an awkward smile as his head tilted, watching you still with that confused expression. 

The raven's head cocked to the side as it let out a caw and your face flushed in embarrassment. You turned back to Dream and awkwardly chuckled. “Sorry not good with ravens considering y'know”

Dream gave a loose nod and you calmed yourself down utterly too aware that Dreams eyes had not left your face. Looking back to him you saw his face loosely etched with concern? You shook that thought out of your head and cursed yourself for thinking such foolish thoughts as you stared into his eyes and your mouth dried, and Dreams lips parted as he took a short breath in, before you realized you were still clutching onto his arms. You looked down and removed yourself from his grasp, he himself quickly drew his hands back into his pocket. You dusted yourself down awkwardly. Stupid sexy man.

“Yeah, well think about how I feel,” A voice said.

Frowning and looking around to where the voice came from you looked at the raven perched next to Dream.

“Was that-”

“Yes it was me, hi”

Your eyes widened. This was the weirdest day ever. “Holy shit!” You exclaimed, staring at the raven.

The raven slowly waddled closer to you, cautiously not to scare you. “Holy shit, indeed, I’m Matthew, You must be the mortal with the raven murder dreams” 

Blinking slowly you nodded. “Yeah I am” You kneeled down so you could be closer to the bird.

He looked like a normal raven, with silk black feathers, large body. But he wasn’t the raven from your dream. Relief overtook you and you found yourself smiling with childlike wonder at the bird. “It's nice to meet you Matthew, sorry for the rude introduction” 

He cawed and spread his wings as he flew onto your shoulder. “Nice to meet you too, and don't worry about it, I don't blame you, trust me as an actual raven, I would be shitting my pants” 

You giggled at his response and turned back to Dream, a tired expression on his face. 

You looked up to the sky and realized it was pitch black, save for a few stars. Eyes widening you fumbled for your phone in your pocket and realized the time. 18.30 and you had missed your bus. “Shit” You groaned. 

Dream raised an eyebrow curiously. “Missed my bus”

Sighing and rolling his eyes. This was going to be a long couple of days. He grabbed a leather pouch from his coat and poured the contents into his palm. 

You watched curiously before realizing it was sand. “You really are the sandman” You almost screeched. Dream said nothing. “Like the Metallica song” You muttered, repeating the earlier conversation you had with Lorna.

“I like her,'' Matthew declared to his boss, and Dream had to physically stop himself from rolling his eyes yet again. Sprinkling the sand around the three of you, you were suddenly engulfed in a vortex of sand. Shielding your eyes from any loose grains until the wind around you had heard whipping around you had calmed down and you curiously opened your eyes again to find you outside your apartment complex. You looked at Dream bewildered. “You know what, I’m not going to even ask”

“So, what's the plan?” Matthew croaked, still perched on your shoulder.

Dreams gaze turned to you and you shifted ever so slightly. “Tonight when you sleep, you will come to the dreaming and Me, You and Lucienne shall try to resolve this”

“And me!” The raven croaked. Dream sighed and ignored his raven.

You nodded slowly “Ok, Well I’ll see you both in a couple of hours then, I suppose”

Matthew flew from your shoulder back to Dreams instead. “Oh and thank you for getting me home, safely” You smiled at Dream. He nodded and with that you entered the apartment complex, making your way up the stairs.

After watching you safely begin to trudge up the steps Dream turned around. And started emptying sand into his palm. Matthew cleared his throat. “So, are we going to talk about it?” 

“About what, Matthew?” Dream exasperated.

Matthew cawed and fluttered his wings. “Oh, I don’t know, you practically jumping to catch her in your arms”

Dream turned to his raven with a pointed eyebrow. “She was about to fall Matthew, if you still had arms would you not do the same thing?”

“Sure, sure whatever, Boss”

There was a pause between the both of them. “I really do like her though”

Dream sprinkled the sand around them and wore a harsh expression on his face. “Don’t get too attached, after this situation is dealt with I doubt we’ll ever be seeing her again”

Matthew cawed at his master's side as the two of them transported back to the dreaming.

[oevidius]

so i'm rereading the raven cycle (surprise, surprise) and as i was doing so, i found a very interesting parallel.

so we ALL know the quote of how ronan felt when he first saw adam walking his bike up the hill to aglionby and sending a prayer to god that was just one word: please.

anyways... that was obviously a desire on ronan's part. he wanted to know adam, to see him more, and then when adam was introduced to gansey and ronan, he wanted adam even more..

but as i was reading the raven boys, i came across the moment that adam had finally decided to go to aglionby:

he was at the grocery store, checking out, and his mother's card got declined. however, in the next check-out over to him, he saw a boy. with an aglionby sweater, nonchalantly swiping his card. this boy, however coincidentally had a buzzed head.

now, it says right after that adam knew it wasn't ronan because he wouldn't have been of age to have his drivers liscense yet... but adam had always associated that boy WITH ronan once they met.

the reason why i call this a parallel is because each of them encountered a "desire" when they saw each other (obviously the adam situation was a little different). but in general, they both had a realization in those moments. and these moments of want, desire, whatever you want to call it, were directly influenced by each other in some way.

for ronan, it was that he wanted adam. whether it was friendly at first (which it might have been i don't really think so, but whatever) and sending that prayer of please to god to be able to see adam again. and then that initial, passing want, turned into desire for the other. initially, we see how ronan acts towards adam: very standoffish and hostile. this is most likely due to ronan not being able to come to terms with the fact that god had answered his prayer. also it could be because of the fact that that was his sort of coping mechanism for hating himself for liking adam. as we see later on, ronan doesn't fully accept he has these feelings until opal says "why do you hate you" and then obviously ronan replies with "i don't." this leads to ronan being a little bit more obvious about his feelings. so for ronan: when he saw adam in passing, the realization came to him that he wants to be able to love himself by loving someone else (this is just my interpretation, i don't think it was straight off the bat with that mentality when he saw adam, just when he met him again in full).

for adam, it was the realization that he would do ANYTHING to be able to be one of those boys who were able to swipe their card and drive off without a second thought. he saw this ronan doppelgänger and wanted so badly to be like him. that want turned into a desire for academic achievement (he wanted to prove himself that he could be like any other aglionby boy). when he met ronan, he saw that stranger in the grocery store and had fueled that desire even more. he saw ronan as a rival. we hear that besides in latin, adam is at the top of every class he takes. he sees ronan as a threat to his future and even so far as to say his scholarship. when adam breaks up with blue, they start hanging out more and this makes adam come to terms with the fact that ronan isn't as bad as he thinks he is (which is cliche, i know). the truth is, is that adam has always thought of himself against the world, even to his friends. when adam saw that boy in the grocery store, he thought of that as just another challenge (to get into aglionby) but one that he felt would get him ultimately closer to his desired future.

ANYWAYS that's all i have to say, uhhhmmmm i literally kept this in my mind for so long and so i finally decided to actually put words to it?? and try explaining what i was thinking?? but yeah :)

[karyokinesheesh]

DOA with Durandal/Bianka Ataegina reader

warning * Cursing, Chaotic Nikolai, Fyodor and his god complex, grammar error, clueless sigma, crack-ish, Bungou Stray Dogs manga spoiler, (Honkai) seed of sumeru manga spoiler

Requested by* on this post

A/N: [DEA Playstyle] I will include BKE playstyle too because (spoiler warning) DEA battlesuit contains some bubble universe that Su told her to protect if I'm not wrong Or just let's say it's because of the lore and also I'm making all of these platonic one ig 🕴

[Fem!reader]

You're second the most ambitious person that Nikolai ever know

Even Nikolai concerns how you join the DOA even though you're the "right and good" people

But all of that aside, he sometimes still trolling you lol

And Nikolai knows you're the 'active' one when you're sleeping (and he is ABSOLUTELY afraid if he had to sleep in one bed with you)

How? Only god and Nikolai knows.

You often help Sigma managing his Casino

And some of his customer likes you! They always asking him are you really working at the casino (and some of them were eager to ask about your number which Sigma politely answered "nah y/n won't be with someone like you" in the most polite way)

Well, most of the times he would answer "haha, no need to burden yourself by helping me" whenever you're volunteered to help him managing the casino

What a gentleman he is *sobs*

For Fyodor, he sees you nothing but a annoying woman who asking him to do exercise with pawn

Yes, you really do encouraging him to exercise with you and eating healthy food

"Y/N, God's messenger doesn't need a healthy food and your dumb exercise"

Because he's already using the god complex card, you're using the counter "Well, Fyodor, this is an order from the god itself"

"..."

The only things he would admire is your performance at battle

Especially whenever you went:

That's why he's seeing you as his pawn ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

You rarely interact with Bram

"The vampire with superiority complex? Yeah he's my comrade" -Y/N

The one time he's interacting with you is when he admires your battlesuits (both BKE and DEA)

"Such a beautiful and gallant battlesuit, reminds me of one of my soldier back then..." He starts to story telling his whole backstory

And you was like: 🕴man I'm heading to a mission rn

But he personally chose your BKE battlesuit (and eh, BKE stands for Bright Knight: Exelsis incase you're wondering) where you went:

And lastly, Kamui.

He's the one recruiting you from your orphan

Sounds like someone's backstory? I know

But it's like Atsushi's backstory and add it with Raven's (honkai) backstory with a liiiitle bit of Mikasa's trauma of life cycle