#endless plot bunnies

[hawnks]

Keigo and you were each others only allies as children. Back then he wasn’t strong enough to protect you — so he makes himself stronger. And stronger. And stronger. Until nothing can stand in your way, until he’s built a good life for you to come back into.

But you don’t want it. Can’t let yourself take it. “I’m not going to hold you back, President Takami. I won’t mar your reputation like that.”

[blogoftheendless]

At some point after they’ve started hanging out in the Waking more, Dream gets fed up with watching random people hit on/ flirt with Hob, and he decides the solution is (obviously) to put a ring on it. 

He doesn’t get there on his own, Matthew helps. Unwittingly. A little bit wittingly. Look, he just needs these two idiots to get their shit together sometime this century, okay? So Dream asks Matthew how humans in the waking ward off the unwanted advances of others. For Hob, because Hob always turns down these hopeful humans with their lurid daydreams, so wouldn’t it be easier if he had some sort of way to make sure everyone knew that he wasn’t interested? It’s for Hob’s convenience only, and in no way about his own inappropriate possessiveness. Hob was HIS, and everyone needed to know that. 

So Matthew is like... uh, I guess a ring on his left hand fourth finger would do that? But that has a really specific meaning that you might ant to talk over with Hob first, boss, okay? 

Dream obviously does NOT talk it over with Hob first, just sweeps in and slips the (beautifully crafted) ring on his finger and says it’s to protect him from unwanted attention.

So Hob thinks it’s some kind of supernatural protection thing and that Dream doesn’t know what it means to humans. After all, the idea of wedding rings is relatively new, right, to a being as old as Dream? So he wears it, wanting it to mean something it doesn’t and knowing it will make it impossible to move on for as long as he does, because everyone thinks he suddenly got married and is off the market. 

Dream is very smug at first, but then nothing in their relationship changes despite Hob’s acceptance of his suit. (Alright, now that it went well and was accepted he can admit that’s what he was going for the whole time. Wedding rings have been around for 3,000 years and feature heavily in a lot of dreams, he knows what they are.) SO basically they are both idiots thinking their love is unrequited.

[ineedtherapydesperately]

Welcome to Wonderland but it's drugs used as copium against all the pain and trauma Red has true?? trueee

like here she's being delulu about all the pain that Wonderland has caused her - maybe she's introducing Chloe to the NEW Wonderland, the one that her mother protected and loved and nourished, but all Red can remember is the one that caused pain, caused death, caused blood, the one that was red, red, red.

so maybe Red starts taking drugs to cope with the pain. after all, they've got potions and pastries to help you grow tall. they'd probably have potions and pastries, spells and whatnot to help you feel better, feel more wonderful.

but Red can't keep this up yk?

her facade starts fading as the stress, the trauma, the addiction starts to truly hit her. she's conflicted, torn between the past and present, the past that SHE knows to be true, the present's past that everyone else knows to be true, and the present which comes about from that past but the past is not the past, at least not to her and she's so torn, so confused. her thoughts tangle up in words and riddles as she tries to understand, she knows the drugs are wrong but they're the only thing (expect maybe Chloe) keeping her sane in this world where the past is not really the past and the present is more like a fever dream.

so she breaks.

now the question is, which ending?? hurt/comfort or just straight up hurt/no comfort?

1. she turns to Chloe, who helps her through the vices, the horrors, the pain of addiction, as well as Red's own painfully fragile mental state

Chloe is the only thing sure in Red's heart, the one thing she can't afford to lose, the one thing she won't let leave. so she accepts the help, she relishes in it, and slowly gets better

Red lets Chloe heal their song, their love leading them into a gentle waltz around her heart, protecting and strengthening the barriers there, while installing a door there for Chloe. Chloe, her protector, her lover, her knight in shining glass shoes. Chloe, the song inside Red's heart, the only thing she knows to be true. Chloe.

2. Red starts losing it. what is the point of anything? nothing brings joy any more, only stress and pain and more memories of bloodshed and loss and red red red red red

there's only one thing sure in Red's heart. and that's the inescapable pain of all the trauma that she's been through. there's only one way to escape, to finally feel peace. she's sorry to Chloe, to Bridget, to Mads and whoever else could possibly care about her but she can't do this anymore.

the song inside Red's heart, the pain and horror crescendoing in a harsh and discordant duet, yearns, begs to escape. and Red can't deny it anymore, she's so sick and tired of everything, everyone. she loves Chloe, she thinks. but Chloe shouldn't be burdened by her baggage, her trauma, her. and she wants to finally be free, and at peace.

so she lets the song inside her heart leave.

anyways here's the fuckass prompt i was rambling about a few days back i love anson seabra

[darthstitch]

Hob knew he was being watched.

He looked down, with the kind of unerring instinct that he had never really lost. Yep, there the little one was, black hair all mussed from sleep, big blue eyes blinking wetly and that very familiar Pout.

Oh dear. This was a Problem. And Hob was helpless to resist that Pout, whether it happened to be on this little boy's face or a Certain Other Fellow's.

"What's wrong, m'lad? Shouldn't you be with your Papa?" Hob leaned over to pick the little boy up, smoothing over the unruly hair and settling him on his lap.

A small hand fisted into his shirt. "Fairies." The little boy said clearly. "Papa sent me 'way. Not safe."

"Ah. Well, you'll keep your old Dad company then while I teach, hm?"

The Pout transformed into the most adorable wee smile. "SHAXBERT YUCKY!"

Hob laughed. "That's my boy!"

The Zoom class was a complete Squee Apocalypse, with his students cooing over the baby. Dream was hard pressed not to laugh when he came in just in time to hear their son yell "SHAXBERT YUCKY!!!" once again.

But it was worth it.

[foxfabledwrites]

I Don’t Think I Could Love You More

Spencer glanced over at Aubrey from the driver's seat, his mind momentarily shifting from the road to her slightly pale face. They had only been driving for about twenty minutes, but he knew the signs well enough by now. Aubrey had that look—one she got whenever the road twisted too much, and the gentle sway of the car turned from comfortable to nauseating. She was doing her best to hide it, her eyes focused out the window, her lips pressed into a thin line.

Spencer knew better than to ask if she was okay. Instead, he took a deep breath and launched into his natural instinct—distracting her.

"You know," he began casually, "sharks have this incredible sense of smell. They can detect tiny amounts of chemicals, like one part per million of blood in water—equivalent to a single drop in an area as large as 25 gallons of water.”

Aubrey turned her head slowly to look at him, her expression somewhere between amused and exhausted. "Spencer," she said softly, but there was a hint of a smile playing on her lips. "Are you trying to distract me with facts about sharks?"

Spencer’s lips curved into a sheepish grin, glancing at her again briefly before returning his focus to the road. “Maybe,” he admitted, the soft hum of the car filling the silence for a beat.

Aubrey let out a small laugh, her fingers lightly tapping against the door handle as she leaned back into the seat. “Maybe something a little less predatory?” she teased, trying to settle the churning in her stomach.

He chuckled, nodding in agreement. “Okay. How about birds? Did you know that peregrine falcons can reach speeds of over 240 miles per hour when they’re diving for prey? That makes them the fastest animals on the planet.”

Aubrey closed her eyes for a moment, focusing on his voice rather than the slight turns of the road. “Now that’s more like it. Keep going.

Encouraged, Spencer continued, “Crows are fascinating, too. They’ve been known to recognize human faces, pass on knowledge to other crows, and even hold grudges for years if they feel wronged. It’s called ‘mobbing’ behavior.”

Aubrey’s soft laugh filled the car. “Well, crows are basically the world’s most dramatic birds.”

Spencer smiled, feeling her ease a bit. “And hummingbirds… their wings beat up to 80 times per second. They’re the only birds that can fly backward. Their agility is unmatched.

Aubrey shifted slightly, her eyes opening just a sliver. “I don’t think I could love you more,” she murmured, a sleepy smile crossing her face as the tension in her body seemed to dissolve a little more with every word he spoke.

Spencer’s heart fluttered in his chest, warmth flooding through him. “Just wait until I tell you about penguins,” he said softly, his tone teasing yet tender.

Aubrey’s laughter was gentle this time, her hand reaching out to rest lightly on his arm as the road stretched on before them.

[burning-academia-if]

Alright going on break (real) I'll see y'all when I'm recharged!

Further explanation is just creatively I'm feeling great! But my social internet battery is at like...0 LMAO I've never been good at being online so I really do need to recharge as much as I'm bad at taking breaks it seems

I'll still post for the Raffle for Palestine stuff and rest assured if someone draws me I'll be solid for that! But in regards to asks and everything, I won't be back for that. Definitely felt the struggle with scenario prompts this past week so, yeah lol

[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!

[evphorium]

how about corporate enemies to lovers though muse a and muse b both want the promotion and don’t see eye to eye but when they’re forced to work late together and travel together for conferences things change except the twist is maybe one of them was just using the other to get the promotion except uh on real feelings got involved

[delta-pavonis]

A Dreamling AU Concept

Inspired by @issylra's blog name of "dream a little bigger, darling," how are we feeling about a Sandman/Inception AU... The concept: The King of Dreams is starting to get angry with the humans meddling in his realm via this PASIV device. At first it was cute, like a toddler with Play-Doh in the presence of Rodin or a sand castle at the feet of the Leshan Giant Buddha. It is easily contained and barely needs monitoring. Then humans start layering dreams, one within another within another within another. It is stressful for Lord Morpheus' dreams and nightmares, requiring three, four, five of them at once to maintain stability. Further, they start to subvert the very essential function of dreams, twist them into something no longer helping humans, but in some cases outright harming them. Dream decides that he must move to protect his creations and humanity at large. He enters some of the layered dreams himself. Enter a dream architect, one Hob Gadling, who not only is in-demand for the most elite and elaborate cons, but creates some of the most beautiful things Dream has ever seen in the Dreaming. They're usually in the background of the dreams he builds, little things, a new constellation here, or a piece of artwork there, an absolutely perfect sunrise, or a devastatingly graceful willow tree. Hob takes his time with each of these bits, a sort-of signature of his, a little private gift to himself. Except a dark figure starts appearing in the dreams he builds, always in the background when the dream has been made its most complicated, when they are actively using it to run a job. And he is always always looking at Hob's signature. The Stranger starts appearing more and more often in Hob's work. No one else on his team sees the man in black and Hob thinks he might have truly knocked his last screw loose. Until this... being... his Stranger... not only allows Hob to approach, but speaks to him...

...and Hob's world is never the same again.

[gleefully-macabre]

Suppose Clio, Muse of History, decided to pay Hob a visit.

He’s a teacher, and assuming he teaches at the University level, likely is required or at least expected to research, write, and get published (in the US, academia’s motto is “publish or perish”). Clio could inspire him by guiding him to other publications that support his perspective. Basically, a supernatural research partner.

Then I thought “What would Dream think of this?”and went straight to the Jealousy angle. I’m assuming physical intimacy is not REQUIRED for a muse to share her gifts, but is an option.

Clio assures Dream that she’s not trying to take over his temple (the New Inn), but confirms what Dream suspects: that she intends to make Hob’s bed her alter.

Cue Dream starting his own campaign of seduction because he DOES. NOT. SHARE.

Meanwhile, Hob’s just trying to get this damn article down to 12,000 words and Dream being a very effective distraction is not helping.

[littledreamling]

Here, have a half-coherent, sleep deprivation induced plot bunny with absolutely no context:

“Those will kill you, you know.”

Holb spun at the sound of the voice, deep and rumbling, barely audible over the chaos that was the pride parade filling the street around him. The voice belonged to a void of a man, a black spot among the riot of color. He was pointing at the cigarette pinched delicately between two of Holb’s fingers with a furrowed brow. He wasn’t sure if he was being flirted with or judged; it was the oddest opening line he had ever heard either way.

“So I’ve been told,” Hob said, almost a yell to be heard over the din.

“What’s your name?”

Definitely flirting. It was the most awkward attempt Holb had ever seen, but there was something almost endearing about it that made him smile.

“Holben.”

“Did your parents hate you?” The man asked incredulously. Holb snorted.

“Evidently,” he chuckled. “My friends all call me Holb, though.”

“Hob?”

Holb laughed, then realized the man really had misheard him. He wasn’t surprised; the entire street was a cacophony of sound. No one had ever called him Hob before. It felt good, like a warmth settling in his chest. He snuffed his cigarette against the bottom of his shoe and pocketed the butt to throw away later.

“Yeah, that’s right,” he said with a smile. “What about you?”

“Dream,” the man replied.

“Your name’s Dream?” Hob laughed. “Now who’s parents hated them?”

Dream’s lip ticked up in a minuscule smile and Hob grinned in response. Together, they continued walking, caught up in the flow of the rainbow stream around them, though they only had eyes for each other.

[honeygrahambitch]

I need a crack fic where Bedelia ends up babysitting Will and Hannibal's child who is of course a mini devil. By the end of the day Bedelia is so done.

[akela-nakamura]

I have so many fucking WIPs.

They keep expanding.

If anyone wants to know what I'm working on that's not on AO3, just ask.

There's so much hidden in my GDocs yet, y'all don't even know

[endless-oc-creations]

Mimi’s Endless Oc’s

↳Introducing Everleigh Horvath

Summary: Eve was on her way to becoming a nurse for her local hospital, but then her Aunt Irma ended up getting diagnosed with cancer. Her Aunt Irma and Uncle Dale practically raised her after her mother abandoned her in their custody when she was only five years old. So, Eve felt like she needed to focus on taking care of her aunt instead of her studies. Then when her Aunt passed away, Eve decided to quit nursing school so she could be by Dale's side and take care of him. He wasn't dealing well with her Aunt's death so Eve decided to take her Uncle on the road trip he and Irma always talked about going on before she died

Things were going good… until the dead started to roam the earth. Suddenly the world was not what it used to know. People were being eaten alive, being killed by the dead and the living. But, the group Eve and her Uncle Dale found was the only good thing they found during this disaster. They became their family.

But even though it was a kill-or-be-killed world now, nothing could prepare Eve for falling in love with the asshole redneck of their group, Daryl Dixion.

💕 Forever Taglist: @bravelittleflower​ @sunlitscribe​​​ @eddysocs​​ @jvstjewels​ @raith-way​​ @waterloou​​​ @decennia​​ @hiddenqveendom​ @aaronhotchstuff​​ @foxesandmagic​ @booty-boggins​​  @asirensrage​​  @connietheecunning​​  @lucys-chen​💕

Want to be added? Shoot me an ask!

[darthstitch]

Look, the two best parts of this accidental baby acquisition bunny that I have right now are:

1. Matthew got to play stork.

2. Dream is SUSPICIOUSLY quiet as to how baby Oliver came to be. He does blush beautifully when he's pressed about it.

In the meantime, Hob is so proud that Oliver apparently loves listening to his old Da rant about Shaxbert, listening rapturously to every word and sagely adding baby babble as emphasis. The kid might look like Dream, but he definitely gets his disposition from Hob.

[nacricissa]

The immediate post down from this on my dash is a post about noted Historian with Opinions who is Down to be Friends with Incomprehensibly Old Beings Hob Gadling. That would be such a fun time. None of the rest of DC has to exist, just the Endless and Hob, and this guy is like "I know firsthand how records of history can be wrong but also human memory is fallible can we please go make sure I'm remembering this fact that no one but me seems to believe is true." And then they go back and he's like Oh No I forgot this meant I would see X person again, shit, I didn't know I was gay when I first met him oh dear. I also feel like the Doctor could have an interesting convo with Destiny.

I know very little about the show Doctor Who I have seen all of like one special and half an episode. So I can't write this. But someone should.

We need more weird historian rep in Doctor Who. The companions are too normal when faced with the prospect of time travel. I want a companion who makes a list of super specific historical destinations related to their dissertation. I want somebody whose first reaction to finding out that the Doctor is a time travelling alien is to create a Microsoft Word document and ask, “What caused the Late Bronze Age collapse?”