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dalishthunder · 1 year ago

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Destiny Waits for No One

Chapter 3 - Survivor

Pairing: Nebarra/LDB (Gender Neutral Reader) Characters: GN!LDB, Nebarra, Khash, Lucifer, Xelzaz, Kaidan, Inigo, (Eventual Lucien) Rating: Mature Words: 5078 Additional Info: Xelzaz is the coolest friend you could ever have, Very Slow burn, frenemies to lovers, violence, so much trauma and ptsd Read on AO3

Some are born into greatness.

Some pursue greatness on their own.

Some have greatness thrust upon them.

And others... others still must rise to the challenge of an unjust world to wrest greatness for themselves.

The dead didn't need their worldly possessions. You were pretty sure of that... even if they were still shambling around. Which was how you found yourself offloading a lot of it at The Riverwood Trader. Lucan and Camilla were ecstatic that you had followed through, and you were rewarded handsomely. And as you all left the shop, pockets much heavier with the weight of gold, you vowed to feast for the evening. To a job well done.

Fus.

Force.

Was that what the draugr had shouted at you to force you back?

Some sort of spell?

"I wonder how Hadvar's doing...." A voice immediately jolted you from your thoughts, and you whipped around to see a woman speaking with the blacksmith. His wife. Sigrid, you were pretty sure. "Haven't heard from him in a long while."

"You know the empire keeps him busy."

"Still, it's been months."

Your blood froze.

Months.

Had he not made it back?

"Aye... I suppose it has."

And against your better judgment, you stopped to look over at them and steeled yourself. "I saw him- Hadvar a few weeks ago. He said he was going to head to Riverwood. Did he not pass through?"

The couple exchanged a concerned glance. "No, we haven't seen him since the New Life Festival."

"Oh.…" You said as though you knew when or what that was.

"Are you a friend of his?"

"Y-yeah. The legion might have called him back." You said with a bright, and hopefully convincing smile. "But I'll keep my eye out for him."

And you wondered if perhaps... perhaps you were the sole survivor of Helgen.

These people deserved to know the truth.

They would never survive a dragon attack.

You waved as you parted.... You didn't deserve to sleep on a bed tonight.

"Guys, I don't want to make you panic, but we need to hold an emergency team meeting." You whispered as you walked. Just loud enough for them to hear. Smile never faltering as you nodded to a guard leaning against the walls of the Sleeping Giant Inn. "Away from prying ears."

The smoke hurt as it filled your lungs.

Legs burning from running though you couldn't stop to catch your breath.

You'd tumbled down, Hadvar backtracking to pull you to your feet.

"To Riverwood. I have family there."

You should have gone with him.

The fear in that woman's eyes.

Once you were far out of the town's limits, you stopped, looking up at the sky for a moment; rain clouds gathering on the horizon, before turning to look at your companions. "I'm afraid I haven't been fully forthcoming with you."

Xelzaz just raised a brow, arms crossed as he regarded you. Inigo sat on a stump, head in his hands as he gave you his full attention. Your eyes briefly connected with Kaidan's before you stuffed your hands into your pockets.

Khash just looked at your curiously. "I do not know what you mean."

You let out an uncomfortable breath. "Helgen was burned to the ground by a dragon."

"A dragon? Here?" Khash's eyes went wide.

"I thought dragons went extinct several millennia ago." Xelzaz replied.

Kaidan's expression was neutral, "I want to believe you. But haven't you been having memory problems?"

"I know. I was there when it happened. I saw the carnage with my own eyes!" You snapped, flinching as you heard your tone. You sighed and licked your lips. "I think I might be the only one who survived. Hadvar was supposed to go to Riverwood, but it seems as though he may not have made it back."

"Didn't mean to disturb wounds. Do you think the Jarl knows?" Kaidan asked.

"If he does, then he must not care much for Riverwood seeing as they had about four guards total." Xelzaz went quiet for a moment, and you looked between your friends imploringly.

"I think there are really only two clear answers here, my friends." Inigo interjected. "We either have to let the Jarl know, or we run to somewhere where there are no dragons. Or, do one then the other."

Khash frown, lips curling over her sharp little teeth. "We cannot just leave these people to die. That would be wrong."

You chewed on the inside of your cheek, "The only thing we can do is go to the Jarl."

"Do we have any proof?"

"I think Helgen is proof enough..." You murmured. Perhaps they had even seen the smoke from that foul day.

"It's settled then." Xelzaz spoke up. "We go to Whiterun and inform the Jarl that a dragon has returned, and that Riverwood needs more guards."

You nodded, smile returning. "Yeah."

And so you marched to Whiterun, stopping for the night on the bank of the river. Khash turned out to be quite the fisherman as she caught you dinner, helping Xelzaz clean and prepare it for dinner. And despite the growling of your stomach, eyes drawn to the flames, you found yourself only picking at your food. You cleaned up after everyone, volunteering to take watch while the rest of your companions turned in for the night.

The embers crackled and popped, wisps of smoke taking to the wind.

The smell of burning flesh as everything ignited around you.

You didn't wake anyone for second watch.

"Can't sleep?" Xelzaz emerged from his tent sometime after midnight.

You shook your head, not taking your eyes off of the stars above.

He yawned, sitting down next to you and poking at the fire. "I'm sorry you went through that."

You swallowed, "If I tell you something, will you keep it a secret?"

"I can do my best."

You supposed that was fair enough....

"I..." The words caught in your throat like stale bread. "You know what, never mind. I don't really know what I was thinking there."

"Well now you have me curious." His cadence was light, lilting, teasing.

"Maybe another time."

It was still too raw....

The glint of sun on the axe, raised over the executioner's head.

Streaks of fire raining down from the sky... the only thing that saved your life.

You owed that dragon your life.

You owed that dragon a death for every life in Helgen.

"Tell me about yourself." You asked after a while.

"What would you like to know?"

"Do you have any family out there?" You chanced a glance in his direction to see him staring up at the stars as well.

"Yes. My parents and a little sister, back in Thorn. We're very close. My sister, Deekawo, is really quite talented...."

It wasn't long until your breath steadied as you listened to your friend speak about the Hist, and how his family still spoke regularly, and how no matter the distance, they could feel one another. You talked well into the night, and he was more than willing to humor most of your questions; Even teaching you a few words of Jel when you asked what certain things meant.

Was your family out there wondering where you were?

Did you even have any?

And as the first light of dawn crept over the horizon, you reached for your pack, puling out a taproot and handing it to him. "It's not much, but I know you'd mentioned you were interested in studying the properties of taproot firsthand and comparing it to dwarven oil. I, uh... don't have any dwarven oil, but I figure you could probably put it to better use than me."

"Oh, Thank you," He smiled, accepting it graciously. "I appreciate the thoughtful gift."

It was the least you could do.

He'd drowned out most of the screams.

"Think nothing of it." You stood, cracking your joints. "We should probably get breakfast ready though."

In a cruel twist of fate, you realized belatedly that your provisions were running low... probably something to do with feeding five mouths. You'd probably have to skip lunch and restock when you got to Whiterun.

The trek was simple enough, not as long as you thought it might be. The guards didn't shake you down as you entered, and what immediately hit you was that it didn't reek as soon as you set foot inside the walls. It was a clean city with bustling streets. The sound of idle chatter drifted through the air, pleasant and comforting. It felt... safe.

"Do we want to stop for lunch?" You called back, "I know we need to speak with the Jarl, but maybe not on an empty stomach?"

"I think that is a great idea, my friend." Inigo piped up, Khash giving a quick affirmative.

Kaidan shook his head, pushing past you. "You've already wasted weeks. Weeks people could have been preparing for a dragon attack."

You winced, smile faltering only for a second. "Yeah, you're right. We can wait until after. Maybe they'll even give us some something for a reward."

So you continued up to Dragonsreach, pausing for a moment to look at your companions and steeling yourself. You could do this. You survived a dragon.

Your skin blistered under the heat-

You could do this.

The doors groaned under their own weight as they swung open, and you strode in, doing your best to ooze the same sort of confidence a fool had… only to see an argonian sitting on the steps, head in his hands. You were pretty sure he wasn't the Jarl, but you felt compelled to stop anyway.

"Hey, are you on your way to talk to the Jarl?" He asked, "I came to tell him about an attack on Helgen. It's burned to the ground, and I thought I saw a dragon flying over the mountains! But he won't believe me. You believe me though, right?"His eyes were imploring; Her eyes filled with fear-

"That's why I'm here as well."

"Maybe he'll listen to you then!"

You nodded.

"My names Lucifer by the way." He stood, "You look like the adventuring type, so am I."

"Nice to meet you, Lucifer." You smiled at him, extending your hand.

He stared at it for a moment before clasping it in his own. "Could I travel with you? It’s a dangerous world out there, and I think we could be great allies.”

And so Lucifer the argnoian became your sixth member, introducing himself to your companions while you ascended the stairs to meet the Jarl. Eyes were drawn to you as you passed the well-stoked fires of their mead hall.

“What is the meaning of this?” A dunmeri warrior asked, drawing her weapon.

“I agree,” Said the Jarl, looking blandly around at his guards. “I thought I gave explicit instructions not to be disturbed.”

You dropped to one knee, “My Jarl, I bring news from Helgen.”

“If you’re going to tell me it was destroyed, I am already aware of what can happen when we get caught in the crossfires of this gods forsaken war.”

You lifted your face to look at him fully in the warm, flickering light. Blond hair beard impressively braided, circlet adorning his brow, tired eyes watching you with something akin to boredome and disdain. “It was a dragon.”

“There are no dragons in Skyrim.” One of the guards replied.

“I can take it from here,” The Jarl waved him off. “There are no dragons in Skyrim. You’ve put too much stock in the ravings of drunks and fairytales.”

You set your jaw, finally meeting his gaze.

“I was there.”

A hushed silence fell over the hall.

“I was there when it happened. It slaughtered everyone.”

It was a few moments before the Jarl spoke again, “Why did it take you so long to come to us?”

“I was afraid,” You murmured, breath steady somehow. “I was afraid, and I had hoped someone else would have escapted to tell you. But after visiting Riverwood and seeing its defenselessness, I realized that I had hoped in vain. I am sorry.”

He contemplated your words, “Irileth. Send a battalion to Riverwood at once.”

“My Jarl-”

“I’ll not stand idly by while a dragon burns my hold and slaughters my people.”

“Very well. I will do so at once.”

“Good. As for you,” He affixed his gaze upon you once more. “Thank you for coming forward even if it was late. Take this as a token of good faith.”

One of his servants brought forth a set of leather armor. Nicer than the set you had managed to hodgepodge together.

“Let Proventus know if we need to adjust the fit for you.”

“Thank you, sir.” Hastily you stood, marveling at just now nice it was. “You are too kind.”

“I have another task that you may yet be able to help with. Follow me, my court wizard has been doing some research after your argonian friend tried to tell us he thought he saw a dragon.” He led you through the hall to a wide room with an alchemy table and many such articles befitting a mage, a man in robes hunched over his desk. “Farengar, I hope you have news about your project.”

“Give me a few more hours, I may be onto something but I need a little more time.” The wizard replied tersely.

“Very well then. Update me when you have some progress.”

You were dismissed for a recess, and released once more upon Whiterun. Coin purses remaining heavy by buying quick lunches as food stalls and eating it in the town square.

“Well, we did what we came here to do.” Inigo said between bites of a sweet roll. “We can always travel to find warmer sands… and avoid big smelly dragons.”

“Y-yeah.”

The conversations were light as you picked at your food. Lucifer trying to get to know everyone, he seemed personable enough, if a bit… odd. Not that that was necessarily a bad thing. You were all a bit odd.

A few kids raced past you, playing some sort of game, laughing and shrieking as they went their way.

Screams echoing all around you.

A devestating roar that rained fire from the sky.

A hand on your shoulder jolted you from your thoughts, and you turned to look at Xelzaz. “How are you doing?”

“Great, just enjoying the sun.” You responded, relaxing into his touch and giving him what you hoped was a charming smile.

“You just seem a bit distant.” “Sorry, I’ve just got a lot on my mind, there’s no need to worry.” You patted his hand. “I do however need to check out this armor though. I saw a blacksmith back towards the city gates. I figure I’ll go do that until the court wizard is ready to see us.”

“Let me come with you.”

Your smile was genuine that time. “Kai, I’m going to the smithy to take a look at this armor, let me know if the Jarl asks for me.”

“Aye.”

The two of you made your way through the streets of Whiterun before stopping outside of a decently large blacksmith’s shop called “Warmaiden’s”. And after making a deal with the blacksmith, she allowed you to use her workbench for a modest fee of twenty gold. It only took a few hours, work interspersed with sparkling conversation. Xelzaz truly was a remarkable person, multi-talented, sharp, a Lawman of House Telvanni.... You had no idea how you were supposed to be the one escorting him.

Because compared to that... what had you done? Survived a dragon attack by running away. Ignoring the pleas and screams of terror as you just... ran.

And just as you were putting the finishing touches on your new armor, you were called back to Dragonsreach. You tested the fit as you climbed the stairs, enjoying the sheer amount of mobility the armor allowed without pinching or tightness. Maybe you should become a blacksmith once you were done adventuring around. And an alchemist. And maybe you could learn enchanting! Then you would definitely be interesting enough to qualify as Xelzaz's friend. Maybe he'd even keep in correspondence once you finished escorting him around Skyrim and to the border.

"Ah, you made it." Jarl Balgruuf beckoned you to Farengar's wizardly chamber. "Anything we can use to fight this dragon, or dragons? We need it, quickly; Before it's too late."

Farengar nodded, "I think I may have found something, yes. I assume this is to be my assistant?" He nodded to you.

"Aye." The Jarl turned to you. "Succeed at this, and you'll be rewarded. Whiterun will be in your debt."

You swallowed down the fear. "I won't let you down."

You owed that dragon a death for every life in Helgen.

"Good." He turned, leaving you with Farengar.

"Yes, I could use someone to fetch something for me. Well, when I say fetch, I really mean delve into a dangerous ruin in search of an ancient stone tablet that may or may not actually be there." Farengar didn't look at you as he spoke, leafing through a book instead.

"Of course," If it meant bringing it to justice.... "What does this have to do with Dragons though?"

"Ah, no mere brute mercenary, but a thinker... perhaps even a scholar?" He turned to face you for the first time, hood casting his face in shadow except for the glimmer of candlelight in his eye. "You see, when the stories of dragons began to circulate, many dismissed them as mere fantasies, rumors. Impossibilities. One sure mark of a fool is to dismiss anything that falls outside his experience as being impossible. But I began to search for information about dragons; Where had they gone all those years ago? And where were they coming from?"

You nodded, "And this is where I come in.... What do you need me to do?"

"I learned of a certain stone tablet said to be housed in Bleak Falls Barrow; A 'Dragonstone' said to contain a map of dragon burial sites. Go to Bleak Falls Barrow, find this tablet, no doubt interred in the main chamber. and bring it to me."

Your eyes widened, and you placed your pack on his table, not listening to his protests as you dug around for the odd stone that you had picked up in the ancient ruins. "I think I may have it already." After a moment you pulled it out, "Is this it?"

Farengar let out an incredulous laugh and you smiled, "The Dragonstone of Bleak Falls Barros! Phenomenal work! Truly, you are cut from a different cloth than the usual brutes the Jarl foists upon me."

Your grin widened, "I-"

"Farengar! Farengar, you need to come at once. A dragon's been sighted nearby." Irileth burst into the room, breath ragged. She looked at you, "You should come too."

Ice filled your veins as fire licked at your skin.

Smoke filling your lungs.

The court mage looked far too excited, asking question after question only for Irileth to snap, "I'd take this a bit more seriously if I were you!"

That seemed to shut him up.

"If a Dragon decides to attack Whiterun, I don't know that we'd be able to stop it."

Even the stones had groaned, bending to the whims of the dragon's breath as they warped and melted.

The fear in that woman's eyes.

How many children-

A hand on your shoulder jolted you from your thoughts, and you turned to look at Xelzaz. Competent Xelzaz... he probably could have saved her.

"C'mon, lets see what we can do."

You nodded, gesturing for your team to follow you up the stairs to the Jarl's war room.

"-We saw it coming from the south. It was fast... faster than anything I've ever seen." A guard panted, hunched over, hands on his knees as he struggled to catch his breath. "It was just circling overhead when I left. I never ran so fast in my life... I thought it would come after me for sure."

The Jarl turned to Irileth, saying words you couldn't quite hear over the blood in your ears. Slowly, you approached the man, placing a hand on his shoulder, just as Xelzaz had done for you a moment ago.

"What's your name?" You asked, giving him a gentle smile as he looked at you.

"Alarik."

"Alarik of swift feet, your speed has given us a chance. Thank you for doing something I could not."

His breath began to steady, and he nodded.

"Jarl Balgruuf," You turned to face him, "Is there a place where we can shelter the children?"

He straightened up, looking at you with a mixture of disbelief and understanding, "Yes."

"Then get them there."

The Jarl blinked, clearly not used to being spoken to like that, before waving to his guards, "Get moving! There's no telling how much time we have left." He pointed to you, "And you, I want you to go with Irileth and help her fight this Dragon. You survived Helgen, so you have more experience with dragons then anyone else here. But I haven't forgotten the service you did for me in retrieving the Dragonstone for Farengar." With heavy strides, Balgruuf made his way over to a display on the wall. Taking down an axe and presenting it to you. "Take this, a gift befitting a true friend of my people, the Axe of Whiterun. May her blade remain ever sharp."

You nodded, taking it graciously... though you'd never used an axe in battle before. "Thank you."

You could hear whispers among your followers, and you turned to Khash. "A dragon. A real dragon? Oh tusk... I cannot. A real dragon! We are so tusking dead."

"I need you to stay here."

"What?! While you go fight a dragon?"

You gave her your most reassuring smile. "I'll be back sooner than you can say 'Whiterun'."

She gave you a blank stare. "Whiterun."

"I walked right into that one...." You sighed.

"That does not make any sense."

"Look, Khash, please just stay here where it's safe okay?"

Her eyes were accusatory, but she nodded. "Okay, but you better come back with a tusking dragon skull for me."

You laughed. "Deal."

As you left, you cast one last glance back at her, giving her a thumbs up.

"I'm coming with you," Xelzaz said, walking alongside you.

"Thank you."

"How are you holding up?"

"Ready to die a most glorious death," Your tone was light, joking, but one way or another, you were going to end that dragon's life or die trying.

Xelzaz laughed, a comforting sound, "Well, good to see one of us is optimistic."

You looked back to the rest of your companions, seeing them striding with you... filled you with a determination you hadn't realized you'd had.

You could do this.

Together you all made your way out, following Irileth and her battalion to the remains of a watch tower. You didn't see any dragons around, but the carnage was unmistakable.

"No! Get back!"

It was already too late.

Like thunder rolling over the mountains, a roar echoed through the plains, heavy wing-beats on the wind, and fast as a flash of lightning the dragon streaked towards you, raining fire down on the poor guards in front of you. Charred corpses left in its wake fueling you.

Immediately you nocked an arrow, letting it loose at the wyrm soaring through the sky.

But... it wasn't the same one.

It wasn't the same one.

"BRING IT DOWN!" Irileth cried, and arrows soared through the air.

It seemed to shrug them off, circling around... laughing?

Your blood ignited, and you ducked behind a hunk of stone just in time to evade its breath once more. You loosed another arrow at it, this time catching it in the leather of its wing.

It stuck.

"Aim for the wings!" You called out.

Inigo shouted an affirmative behind you, and Xelzaz shot it with a bolt of ice.

But it was agile, powerful, buffeting the arrows on the wind of its wings, dropping low to the ground and spraying ash and smoke, covering everything in a hazy darkness. "YOL SU GRAM!"

Fire. Air. Cloud.

You closed your eyes for a moment, straining your ears. It was rising.... You needed to get to higher ground. Carefully you made your way to the tower, stumbling a few times but never falling as you made it inside of the remains.

Good, the air was clear here.

Taking them two at a time, you peeled up the stairs. You held your breath as you aimed, ignoring the strain in your lungs, but it was moving too quickly for you to get a clear shot as it sped over the cloud of smoke, raining fire indiscriminately.

"No you don't...."

You stepped onto the remains of the ledge, doing a few quick calculations in your head as it circled around for more. Breath deep and far steadier than it should have been, as you shot another arrow at it.

If the gods were real, they showed you a small mercy, arrow flying true until it struck the joint in the wing. Its trajectory faltered, wing smashing into the tower, and it lurched... stone beginning to topple out from under you.

Shit shit shit shit shit shit shi-

You braced yourself, riding the tower down as it fell, rolling as you hit the ground, some of the blow cushioned by soft moss. Panting, you got to your knees, smoke and dust clearing just enough for you to see the rubble begin to move, the dragon shaking off the stone and mortar.

A single eye affixed to you, foreign and familiar, pupil dilating as the dragon craned its neck, only a few feet from where you were.

A single word uttered in its guttural language, "Dovahkiin."

It reared back and you barely managed to dodge out of the way in time before its jaws snapped at the air where you'd been.

"Kril mal lun... Zu'u naak hin sil."

You backed up.

"FUS!"

You were knocked back, landing on a charred corpse as the dragon advanced on you, a laugh in its throat.

It was toying with you.

Wildly you scrambled back, hand landing on a searing hot sword. You could see arrows whizzing above you, bouncing feebly off of the dragon's thick hide. Shouts all around you.

The fear in that woman's eyes.

Adrenaline in your veins, you could feel the air around you sizzle as the dragon opened its mouth again, lunging at you. You pitched forward, rolling under its chin.

There.

With every ounce of strength in your body you drove the blade into the junction where its jaw met its throat, flesh giving way under the steel. The dragon lurched back, driving it further in, a roar dying in its throat as it thrashed, blade breaking off, throwing you a few feet back.

Blood rained down on you as it choked and sputtered, and you grabbed the dagger that you kept in your shoe. But you didn't have time to move as it collapsed, trapping you under its thick neck.

It took you a moment, breath heavy still stinging with the ash, dust, and smoke, before you were able to wriggle your way out from under it, getting to your feet as the air began to clear.

So many dead....

But you could see Xelzaz tending to Kaidan's wounds. Lucifer downing a health potion. Inigo crawling out from where some debris had fallen.

Oh thank the gods....

And you turned back to the dragon, nudging it with your boot as you saw the last light leave its eyes.

It wasn't the same one that was in Helgen....

You wiped at your skin, hands slick with dragon blood as you began to return to your friends.

Something caught in your throat, and you paused skin tingling, vibrating. Each breath in felt... more powerful than the last, a loud wind in your ears as an eerie light surrounded you, ephemeral, soaking into your pores, your lungs, your tongue.

It felt as though you were full to bursting, like you were going to be ripped apart by the cosmos, something powerful settling in your soul.

Something... Right.

Every bit of you thrummed, and you stared at your bloodstained hands.

"Fus." The word rippled from your mouth, rumbling, clearing through the smoke.

You breathed deep, throwing your head back and roaring out to the heavens, "FUS!"

The air shimmered and shook, flowing like a crashing wave.

You'd never felt so alive.

All eyes were on you. Murmuring among the guards, something fearful and almost reverent on Kaidan's face.

"Dragonborn."

It felt... right.

Talos of Atmora, Tiber Septim himself, had been dragonborn. You didn't quite know what that meant, but you knew it was certainly not 'Nord nonsense', as Proventus so eloquently put it. On your way back to Whiterun you'd heard thunder on the wind, "DOVAHKIIN". Apparently most of Whiterun had heard it too.

Apparently you'd been... summoned.

You didn't like that one bit....

So... you'd decided you would make a stop in Riverwood beforehand. Clear the air about Hadvar; His family deserved that much, and if you were supposed to be... something important... you couldn't be a coward any longer.

No way could you face The Greybeards with that on your chest.

Fortunately, Lucifer knew a shortcut.

When he declined to use the map... that should have been your first red flag. The fact that you'd been wandering around in the woods for a solid day and a half should have been your second.

"Lucifer... uh..." You started as it began to get overcast on the second day, "I don't want to question your survival skills, but do you know where we're going?"

"... No. I think I may be lost now."

"..."

Xelzaz sighed, grabbing your map, muttering something in Jel that sounded rude. "Follow me."

So you walked. And walked.

And walked.

"Are we there yet?" Khash groaned. "My feet hurt."

A whiff of smoke met your nose.

Charred flesh.

Wing beats on the wind.

You dropped low, bringing your hand up to signal everyone to stop. The light mist was hard to see through, but you could see the wreckage of something ahead of you.

Slowly, you crept forward. A pained cough meeting your ears as something gold moved.

A survivor.

#nebarra skyrim #nebarra #xelzaz #lucifer the argonian #khash the argonian #inigo skyrim #kaidan tes #thunderous applesauce #destiny waits for no one #hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh #long-ish chapter

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bluejeanbaby · 1 year ago

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DAMIEN DECESSO, 47, ANTICHRIST CARDINAL, HAMISH LINKLATER, TAGS.

BASICS

NAME: Damien Lucien Decesso DATE OF BIRTH (& AGE): June 6th, 1976 PLACE OF BIRTH: Unknown. GENDER AND PRONOUNS: Male, He/him for the most part but he responds and enjoys all pronouns.

BACKGROUND

Damien never believed that he would be important. Raised as an orphan in church he was often reminded no one would ever love him. He never had many friends, considering there were not many children running around Satanic Churches, especially not in the small abbey in the south of Italy he had been shifted to. Rather than linger on the loneliness, Damien found comfort in reading and learning as much as he could. He turned to religion and truly created a bond with the infernal majesty. Not in a cheesy faith way, no. He swore that the fallen angel had actually been speaking with him. Damien was sure he could have told everyone around and blown their minds but he enjoyed keeping that connection to himself. Damien always assumed his differences were just because of his lack of family, or his shyness, he had no idea what bloodline he was truly from. Nor did he know his mother, one of the Sister's in the abbey was his mother and kept tabs on him. In fact he just assumed she was immensely bossy and hated him. Though as he grew older he noticed a certain fondness in her eyes that he never understood. He wasn't sure when the change happened. If he had to guess it'd be around eighteen. He left the church briefly to explore the world. It didn't take long before he realized people were fawning over him. They would do anything he asked, some even falling to their knees and crying upon meeting him. It took him a few weeks of freaking out and panicking before he slowly got a hang of controlling it. Really it wasn't so different from masking. If he hid his true self from others they would treat him just the same. Damien still doesn't understand why he has the power he does, but for now he uses it as rarely as possible. Only when he notices those in his congregation who seemed lost. Lucifer told him to lead his sheep. He listened. He climbed his way up to the church and got a cushy position, one where he could read books and perform any sort of magic that interested him. People around him continue talking about the fall of mankind, and yet Damien has no idea he will be the cause.

#bio #damien decesso #/i may edit the bio a lil later for clarity etc :)#horror bio

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windsweptinred · 30 days ago

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Oooo, other Danny ships. I've never delved into this before. What a fantastic suggestion @pickurpoisons-blog, let's do this!

Well, Corinthiel has always reigned supreme for me too as you know. 😅 But for those who haven't experienced Corinthiel yet. This ship seems to have been carefully woven into the very tapestry of fate. (In my very biassed opinion anywho). The fact that the second iteration of the Corinthian was brought back by Morpheus, purposely for Daniel. To be his successor's constant protector, Daniel's nightmare arcana, not his own. Like a parting gift to his next self. Was one of the few to know Daniel before his transformation, and thus will always perceive and treasure with ‘fondness’ the human spark within his Endless master. That Daniel has that mortal element to him that the Corinthian has always found so captivating. Almost as if they were handcrafted for each other. But most importantly, that they two share that same experience of being ‘born’ in the shadow of their predecessors. And the struggle to find their individual identity in a world that looks upon them as ghosts of their former selves. That unique journey that forms an impenetrable bond between them. This poetry just writes itself. Plus. We see the trust and ease present in their relationship in Nightmare Country. Just, I could go on… And on. 🤣

Danienne: This would be a soft, sad kind of love wouldn't it? Lucienne has spent so long with Morpheus, opening her heart to Daniel would be a phenomenally hard and powerfully brave thing for her to do. But this ship has such a message of renewal and hope to it. Of building something better upon the ruins of what was. The Dreaming comics and what follows show ‘Lucien’ being extremely supportive/protective of Daniel. And I think there's a chance for a wonderful, trusting and balanced relationship to form from that. I think it would be one of the few Daniel ships where the ghost of Morpheus wouldn't have to be exercised. But instead embraced and acknowledged as a foundation of new love.

Constantdream/ Dreamblazer: My second choice for a Daniel ship would definitely be Daniel x John Constantine (Based on Dead in America) but it could just as easily be Johanna. John immediately has Daniel's number. There's no confusing him for Morpheus, he takes one look and SEES Daniel. Knows exactly who this being in front of him is and what he's capable of. And I love that. Imagine how that must have felt for Daniel, to be known like that. Plus I do love the idea of Danny having that human connection, to maintain that link to his 'waking' side. With a human powerful enough is his own way to balance the playing field. The Daniel of Dead in America is a Dream who has truly settled into his power and is starting to flex his muscles. Aka, could probably do with getting knocked down a few pegs. 😅 And John has never been one to stand on ceremony. Would it be a harmonious relationship? Who knows. There's the potential for them to help each other in different ways to Corinthiel…There's the potential for them to bring each other and the rest of the world down around them. But it would be truly entertaining to watch.

Dreamling 2.0: I've never really been able to get into Hob x Daniel myself. Just because Hob is so firmly fixed as Morpheus's in my mind. But I have read a few exceptional fics with this pairing. I think in many ways it would be quite a tragic ship. The memory of Morpheus would inevitably haunt it. Hob would have to learn to love Daniel for himself. Not as the only remnant of Morpheus left to him. And Daniel would have to love Hob for 'himself'. Not because of the affectionate memories of his predecessor. But if they can surpass these issues and form their own bond, there's the possibility of something beautiful on the other side.

Dreamingstar/Lucidream 2.0: Believe it or not, from what I've seen of fanart/fanfic. One of the largest Sandman ships, pre 2022 seems to have been Daniel x Lucifer. And I can certainly see the appeal. I haven't read the Lucifer series post ‘The Sandman’ yet. So I can't give an in depth look into their relationship. But from the fanfic I've read there's… Well if Morpheus and Lucifer are the infamous divorced ship of the Sandman fleet. Lucifer and Daniel are the remarried one. They seem to share the same snarky banter of a dynamic as Morpheus and Lucifer. But it's softer somehow. Lucifer, like Daniel, has a foot in both worlds, his past and his future. So understands what it is to forge a new self, while always being conscious of one's inescapable past. There's an element of second chances embedded heavily in this ship. But also loss, Lucifer is always painted a delighting in the new opportunities of Daniel. And yet constantly missing the true equal he had in Morpheus. It's definitely one I'd like to look into more. Once I have a better grasp of Lucifer.

Ice Cream Sandwich: John Constantine x Daniel x The Corinthian

Should we wedge that vanilla goodness between those two delicious wafers? I don't know. Is it going to be messy as hell to consume? Certainly. But damn does it look delicious.

Oreo Sandwich: Hob x Morpheus x Daniel.

I know there's a very highly spoken of fic at the core of this ship I haven't read yet. And intend to at some point. As above, this throuple is a delectable dessert of a ship. It makes the mouth water just thinking about it.

I love the headcanon of Morpheus and Daniel having wildly different romantic tastes.

Don't get me wrong, if you want to have Daniel gravitate back towards Hob or Lucienne. Turn Corintheus into Corinthiel or Constantdream into Constantdream 2.0 etc. Go for it! May your ship sail ever onwards! May the beloved of ‘Dream’ always be so. No matter the form. It's beautiful and tragic and cathartic. And I'll most likely devour the fic.

But let's see some Morpheus and Daniel falling for different people. Showing that despite being ‘Dream’ they both have separate wants and needs. Both individual identities beyond Dream of the Endless, that can be explored through their relationships.

Morpheus needing someone who understands. Someone not set on a pillar of virtue he must constantly aspire to. Who shares his bloodied hands and thus doesn't back away in revulsion, but sees beyond them and loves him despite it all. Who can walk by his side as they try to do better together. And show him it's worth walking that path and not giving up. No matter how hard.

Daniel needing someone who doesn't look at him and see the shroud of Morpheus. Or a pale imitation to cling to desperately. Who understands what is to be born anew under another's shadow, especially the shadow of one's past self. And to seek their own sense of identity beyond that. To see Daniel. And value and nurture that drop of humanity in the vast pool of Endless that makes him who he is. Even if he doesn't see it himself.

Add the retired Morpheus trope and we can really have some fun with it! Each looking at the other's choice in partner like, “Really?! All the exotic fish in this vast universe. And that's the hot mess you choose to slap cheeks with. Well, allllrrrriiight. You do you… 🤨.”

Or Morpheus being an unrelenting naysayer to anyone Daniel ‘brings home.’ Give me them being constantly at odds with each other. Morpheus, “I do not approve” to Daniel's, “Fortuitous, as I do not recall asking your permission.”

But most importantly, it's a journey of them learning to cherish their similarities and differences. To learn that though they're both ‘Dream’, they are also Morpheus and Daniel. And that who and how they love is one of the ways they see that. And know there's a personal path all their own beyond merely being Endless.

#daniel hall #Daniel!dream #dream of the endless #Sandman ships #dreamling #constantdream #Lucidream #dreamingstar #morphienne #Danienne #The sandman #Icecream sandwich #Oreo Sandwich

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rabbittwinrithings · 2 years ago

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Whose getting stuck at the kids table on Thanksgiving:

Adults table: Xelzaz, Inigo, LDB, Nebarra, Caryalind, Varrick, Fir, Remiel, Thogra, Auri, Kaidan, and Shirley

Kids table: Khash (obv,) Lucien, Lucifer, and Rufus

#im not sure if I missed anyone???#lucien and lucifer are the ones who just never left #khash the argonian #caryalind thallery #varrick veil #fir jald #skyrim inigo #lucien flavius #skyrim auri #skyrim kaidan #skyrim nebarra #remiel skyrim #skyrim thogra #edit: i forgot rufus #rufus skyrim

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miraakulous-cloud-district · 3 years ago

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Thank you so much @the-troll-of-the-bridge for tagging me. I love tag games! 💖💖

So I have to make myself and my OCs using this picrew: https://picrew.me/image_maker/197705

I hope the link works, I have no idea how to do the *this link* thingy sorry. Also, be warned: long post about my OCs ahead :)) you don't have to read it, but if you do, tell me what you think about them if you'd like to 😄

This is me with a nice cup of coffee, because I like coffe. But enough about me I'm excited to talk about my OCs :))).

This is Haela. She's also my profile pic, made with another picrew. She's a dunmer who loves to dual wield daggers. She was born in Raven Rock, but once she came of age, they sent her to Cyrodiil to study and to have a better life and a brighter future. But that life didn't suit her at all, so she became a mercenary. She ended up messing with the wrong people, so she had to flee Cyrodiil. That's when she tried to cross the border to Skyrim, and, well, we all know what happens next. She's not really the Dovakiin, she joined the Dark Brotherhood and the Thieves Guild. She's very sarcastic and cold, but a big softie on the inside. Her travel companions are Lucifer, Nebarra and Rumarin (she ends up unexpectedly falling for him and they get together and bring out the best in each other).

This is my main girl Ravonna Winter-Born. She is the Dovakiin. She grew up in Morrowind, in the city of Blacklight (and, as Teldryn Sero would say, it was indeed spectacular). She is a Nord, but she was adopted by a dunmer who owns a tavern and who's also Teldryn's brother. She loves music and would often play the drum and sing with the bards that were regulars in the tavern. But she always looked up to Teldryn. How cool was it that he could summon a flame atronach?! She wanted to do that, so she joined the Mage's guild and became a pretty good mage. She specializes in conjuration and destruction. She didn't want to become a mercenary like Teldryn, because he was almost never home. She also didn't want her dad to worry too much about her. Her dad was pretty wealthy and very kind, so he would let beggars and homeless folks sleep in his tavern for free. Teldryn left for Skyrim and never returned. They all thought he was dead (then she's gonna have a really cute, heartfelt reunion when she goes to Solstheim after the cultists incident).

One day when she came home she found her father dead. He had been assasinated by the Dark Brotherhood, but who would want him dead and why? Filled with rage, she went on a quest to search and destroy the whole Dark Brotherhood. He had heared about it, and it's just not right that innocent people can just be assasinated like that. It's also cowardly in her eyes. If you have a problem with someone, why send someone else to deal with it? It's been years of traveling through Tamriel and she heared a little rumour about the Dark Brotherhood being in Skyrim. That's when she crossed the border and was caught by the imperials. Right after Helgen she and Hadvar split up and she ends up in Falkreath, desperate for some mead. There, she meets Lucien and OMG this is getting waaaay too long.

I'm so sorry for the long post. It's just that I've never gotten the chance to talk about my OCs and I love to do this and I love to write. I'm fairly new to this fandom, I got into Skyrim last September and I've had this tumblr for about a month. I might start posting about my OCs more, but I don't really know if anyone cares anyway :)))).

I have no idea who to tag, I haven't interacted with a lot of people on here, and I don't want to scare anyone with the long post :))) you don't have to read this. If you guys want to do this @otvlanga @nerevarbean @elder-scrolls-up-my-ass @luvsavos if you don't want to be tagged in tag games, I'm so sorry and please let me know. No hard feelings :))). Also if someone sees this and wants to do this, consider yourself tagged and let me know if you want me to tag you in stuff like this!

#skyrim #tes #skyrim oc #tag game #tes v #sorry again for the long post it's just that when I start talking about Skyrim I just cant STOP

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eveningstar1516 · 4 years ago

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Demonic Angels

This is a Human AU where the brothers aren’t brothers and Lilith is Lucien’s younger sister. Lucien is the human name I chose to represent Lucifer although Lucifer himself is mentioned. I used my HC’d version of Angel!Lucifer which is essentially how Satan looks but with longer hair. Angel!Lucifer’s name is not specified. TW: Graveyards, Demons, Angels, Attempted Corruption, Gay relationship, Manipulation, Mini Panic Attack, Angst, like, lots of it, Guilt Tripping, Abusive Relationship, Abusive Parents. If I missed anything, please let me know.

Lucien had finished closing up the shop and had started making his way home. As always, he always passed by Asmo’s Flower Palace and picked up his weekly order of Lilacs. The champain haired boy rang him up. His sunset eyes held his usual look of comfort as he knew why Lucien picked the same flowers at the same time each week. Lucien paid for the flowers and left the shop and made his way to the northwest end of the city. The walk was quiet. Not many people worked in this part of town which left the streets bare save for the few couples enjoying the end of the day. Reaching his destination, he waved hello to the usual attendants. Twins, although the only real similarities were their eye colours. A tall orange haired cuddly giant that loved food and his younger twin with navy hair that prefered to sleep. Stepping onto the land, he took a familiar route through the headstones. The sun had started setting and casted a warm orange glow over the cemetery. He stopped in front of a small but modest headstone. “Lilith Morningstar.” Kneeling down, Lucien removed the previous bouquet before placing the fresh one he purchased in its place. He stayed on his knees by his sister's resting place, telling her about his day. His new hire, a rowdy white haired boy. Always messing up but somehow fixing everything every time. He messed up in the most comical ways that Lucien couldn’t even be mad at him. Kneeling in silence, he reminisced about the time he lost her. He tried to protect her from their father and his abusive tendencies but was too late. Tears welled up in his eyes as he let them fall. Silently crying, his head bowed against the cool stone.

“You could have done more. You could have saved her” He ignored the voice in his head. His dark thoughts always rearing their heads at the worst of moments. Instead, he kept still and silent until a second voice joined, one that he didn’t recognize. “You did all that you could. You gave her a second chance of a life without pain.”

Lucien’s head shot up and looked around an empty graveyard. It’s just your imagination he told himself. “Not your imagination young boy” A chuckle escaped the creature. A tall raven haired man with ruby irises that seemed to glow was standing to his left. The most notable feature however, were the 4 pairs of midnight black wings , the jewel on his forehead, and the pair of curved horns that sprouted from his head.

“W-who are y-you?” Lucien had stood up and asked the creature with a noticeable tremble in his voice. The creature smirked. His deep melancholy voice sending shivers through Lucien’s body. “I’m you. Or more accurately, who you will be, young Lucien.”

“Now now Lucifer, you don’t know that for sure. You shouldn’t scare him like that.”

Lucien turned around, eyes going wide as he recognized the sound of the new voice. Another man, one with blond hair and sea green eyes was standing to his right. 3 pairs of milky white wings sprouting from his back and a golden halo over his head. “Fear not Lucien, we will not harm you, not so long as you’re still human, although that time is regrettably coming to an end.” “Speak for yourself Angel. You’ve seen the sin he has committed, he won’t be one of your charges. He’s one of us.”Lucien had backed until his heels had bumped into Liliths headstone. A hand on his chest in fear of the two beings in front of him. His body shaking. “W-what is it you two want?” The blonde turned to him first first.

“You need not worry yourself young Lucien, I am simply here to help you pass peacefully. You can join your sister up in the clouds. You-” “Lie Angel. You’ve seen his actions. You know of the pride he carries. I will be taking him!”

“He has also embodied humility in its purest of forms. Such as is a virtue in Father’s eyes!”

Lucien had sunken to the ground as the two beings bikered. Tucking his knees to his chest, he laid his head on them and took deep breaths. It’s just a dream. He kept on repeating. It’s just a dream.

The two beings had gone quiet and looked at the man on the ground. Lucifer took advantage of his weakened form and crouched down low. His voice echoing through Lucien’s left ear.

“You deserve it all. He abused you, humiliated you, took your sister away from you. He deserves to suffer don’t you think. We could make him suffer together.”

On his opposite side, the Angel had knelt down next him and tried his own persuasion. “He’s not in your life anymore. Your sister is happy. You can go be with her now. Neither of you will ever have to see him again and you can live together with the happy life you wanted. Don’t you want that? To see her again? To see her smile? To hear her laugh? To feel her arms around you when you see each other again?”

“Please, no more,” Lucien mumbled. His tears had returned and were flowing steadily, staining his pants as the droplets fell.

He felt his head being tilted up. Ruby red eyes met his in a captivating gaze. Sea green and Ruby red mixing together as the two beings held eye contact with him. The angel closed his eyes first. His body disappearing as Lucien felt a sudden presence in his body. White wings sprouted from his back.

Lucifer growled. He also closed his eyes and disappeared too. Joining the Angel in Lucien’s body, the two beings fought an invisible battle for dominance over this man's soul. Trapped in the middle, all Luciel could do was scream and clutch his head as his eyes screwed tight. He could feel the pain of horns growing, the halo burning, a pair of white wings turning to ash as another pair burned away revealing a silky black feathers blending in with the radiant white ones. All these senses assaulted him, his human body and mind not being able to take it all before he passed out from the sheer pain of it all.

“Father?”

Lucien groaned and opened his groggy eyes. A mop of blond hair and green eyes met him. He had a moment of panic before calm washed over him. The boy was clutching his black cat plushie. A small smile formed on Luciels face as he reached out and ruffled the blonds hair affectionately. Sitting up, he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes as the young boy climbed onto the bed next to him. Lucien held his son close. His dream, forgotten, like it never happened. He felt a pair of arms wrap around his torso and pull him backwards into a hug. Messy red hair could be seen in his peripheral vision as his husband cuddled him and left a good morning kiss on the side of his forehead. His son moved forward and nestled in his lap, the three of them cuddling each other. None of them aware of the ruby and sea green eyes watching the one in the middle.

#Drabble #Angst #Lucifer obey me #Diavolo obey me #Satan obey me #Asmodeus obey me #Asmo obey me #Mammon obey me #Beel obey me #Beelzebub obey me #Belphie obey me #Belphegor obey me #Angel!Lucifer #Someone take away my angst juice before I finish chugging the bottle #wait #don't do that #if you will I'll just draw angst instead #baby Satan is adorable and no one can change my mind

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thenightling · 5 years ago

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The original House of Mystery (for Sandman fans)

What is the House of Mystery? Or A History of The House of Mystery!

Everything you need to know lies below...

The original House of Mystery comic books were a horror anthology series published by DC. Cain The Caretaker didn’t make his first appearance until issue 175 for the issue “The Gift of Doom.” (Sounds like an Invader Zim episode title, doesn’t it?)

Cain was the caretaker for a strange and spooky old house, VERY similar to the one you see in the opening credits of Tales from the Crypt TV series from 1989.

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Notice how Morpheus describes The House of Mystery when he wakes up there in issue 2 of Sandman, after fainting at Cain and Abel’s feet upon his return from seventy-two-years captivity.

Each issue of the original House of Mystery comics contained one to three short (one-shot) scary stories told to us by the ghoulish and pun-loving narrator, Cain. Since the stories were usually stand-alone stories that means you could read them in any order. So if you want to skip straight to issue 175 to meet Cain, you won’t be lost if you choose to that.

The House of Mystery began as a supernatural horror anthology but that temporarily changed in the 1950s into the early to mid-60s.

During the comic book persecution and censorship era of the 1950s (which killed EC comics) DC tried to make House of Mystery more a crime drama comic or science fiction short stories and avoided the supernatural. But the arrival of Cain in issue 175 signaled the end of all that tiptoeing around the comics code. Cain brought the spooky, supernatural horror with him, back from the proverbial grave.

This is why it’s important The House of Mystery’s roots should not be forgotten. Cain’s very existence was an “F--- You” from editor, Joe Orlando, and directed toward the ham-handed censorship and prohibition against supernatural horror (That the general public somehow seemed to think was the cause of all their ills). For modern writers and game developers to downplay the supernatural horror attached to The House of Mystery and to diminish it in New 52 and in DC Universe online MMORPG is a sin against comic book history.

For a while in the 1960s into the early 80s The House of Mystery was DC’s answer to EC’s Tales from the Crypt. While EC had The Crypt Keeper, Vault Keeper, and Old Witch, DC had it’s knock offs own versions in Cain, Abel, and Mordred AKA The Crone from The Witching Hour (or sometimes Eve).

Nope! No similarities here!

Note: I don’t care if they’re a rip-off. I love them both.

Despite serving the same purpose as The Crypt Keeper, Cain was physically modeled after Len Wein. Both Cain and Abel were physically modeled after real DC writers. But their purposes were strikingly similar to the EC characters.

Len Wein even posed as Cain for a DC staff Halloween party.

Where Vault Keeper got his own spin-off with Vault of Horror, Abel got his own spin-off from The House of Mystery with The House of Secrets.

Cain was so much like The Crypt Keeper that both would say similar phrases such as “Pleasant Screams!” or “Pleasant Nightmares!” and “Greetings, Boils and Ghouls!” They both loved their horror related puns.

EC’s characters of the Crypt Keeper, Vault Keeper, and Old Witch only appeared together in media outside of the comics for the entire second season of the animated Tales from the Crypt Keeper horror anthology cartoon series that ran from 1993 until 1999.

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EC comics fell victim to the mid-50s comic book witch hunts where comic books were blamed for all things from juvenile delinquency to mental illness and violent street crime. EC collapsed but its legacy would live on. Tales from the Crypt would get movies and a popular HBO TV series in the late 1980s, followed by a three season animated series that would run until 1999.

The House of Mystery comics spawned their own legacy. DC attempted several other horror anthology spin-offs including The Witching Hour and Tales of Ghost Castle. The Witching Hour was hosted by three witches who represented the traditional Mother, Maidan, and Crone trinity. Sandman fans will recognize them as the Hecatae. Tales of Ghost Castle was hosted by a certain Lucien, The Librarian.

Lucien’s come such a long way from his humble roots that you might not recognize him now in his current form.

A more dapper suit of clothes and better hairline.

In the early eighties it seemed like the horror anthology comics were a dying genre but Alan Moore kept Cain and Abel in use for Swamp Thing. Swamp Thing began as a story told in Abel’s House of Secrets after all. (issue 92).

The House of Mystery is where many DC properties can find their roots. The House of Secrets was a spin-off of The House of Mystery. Swamp Thing was a spin-off of The House of Secrets. I, Vampire (the stories of Andrew Bennett) came from The House of Mystery. Constantine, by extension, began as a Swamp Thing character. This is also true of Matthew The Raven who began as the human Matthew Cable in Swamp Thing.

For a few years in the early 80s Elvira: Mistress of The Dark took over hosting The House of Mystery and took many jabs at poor Cain.

And ultimately all these horror hosts from The House of Mystery and the other DC anthologies found their way to... Sandman.

The House of Mystery gained editor Karen Berger at issue 292 in 1981. She would more or less single-handedly run DC’s horror line into the 1980s. Karen Berger was the editor for Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman and later founder of the Vertigo imprint.

She also once bribed Cain with cookies!

(Fourth wall? What fourth wall?)

In issue 2 of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman we get “Imperfect Hosts.”

The title is a pun on the fact that not only was Morpheus a guest convalescing in the House of Mystery with Cain and Abel doting upon him but virtually every character in the issue (other than The Sandman, Morpheus AKA Dream of The Endless, himself,) were former horror host characters. Let’s count them.

Cain = House of Mystery Cain’s Gargoyle, Gregory = House of Mystery Abel = House of Secrets Eve (AKA The Raven Woman) = Secrets of Sinister House. (Note: Eve can change her form at will to look like a Maiden, Mother, or Crone. Lucien The Librarian = Tales of Ghost Castle (Turns out that was Morpheus’ castle all along! Don’t you just love retroactive continuity?) Note: Lucien had a love of werewolves and a pet werewolf named Rover.

This is paid homage to in the werewolf issue of Sandman, issue 38.)

The Mad Mod Witch (AKA The Fashion Thing) = The Unexpected

Destiny = (Neil Gaiman added the “of The Endless” and gave him a family) = Weird Mystery Tales

The Three Witches (AKA The Hecatae / The Fates / The Kindly Ones - The Furies) = The Witching Hour

Bonus mention: Judge Gallows = The Unexpected. Neil Gaiman never used Judge Gallows but both versions of The Dreaming spin-off have a version of Judge Gallows. (I am NOT a fan of Judge Gallows.)

Thanks to Sandman, Cain and Abel (as well as many of the other horror hosts) were now established as being loyal subjects of the Dream Lord, Morpheus, and their houses (which could appear anywhere in the world) had their roots in the realm of dreams (known as The Dreaming.)

Cain’s own existence in The Dreaming (Realm of Dreams) could be taken as a pun since the Judeo-Christian Cain was supposed to have been banished (or wandered) to The Land of Nod. In children's’ literature The Land of Nod is an old term for “The land of Dreams”.

Whether Cain is the literal Judeo-Christian Cain, or just a dream-entity created from the collective unconscious idea of who Cain should be, is left ambiguous even though Lucifer, in Sandman, respects Cain’s mark as if it definitely is the real mark of Cain. It could even signify the importance of symbolism and belief that it would be respected even if he was just the collective idea of Cain.

Lucifer is also, apparently, one of the only things that can frighten Cain.

In Judeo-Christian lore Cain and Abel were the sons of Adam and Eve. Abel made an offering to God of a slaughtered lamb. God was pleased. Cain made an offering of fruits and vegetables he had grown. God showed no interest. In jealousy Cain murdered his brother by bashing his head with a rock. A version of this tale is told in Sandman issue 40, The Parliament of Rooks.

When God asked Cain where his brother was he replied “Am I my brother’s keeper?” Though a more accurate translation of the scene had God ask where the sheep keeper was and Cain replied with something like “Do I look like a brother keeper?” Cain was banished for his crime and given a mark that was to serve as protection that others were not allowed to do him harm lest they be punished sevenfold.

In modern lore this has been used to indicate he was also cursed with immortality. A nod to this comes up in Sandman issue 67 during Sandman: The Kindly Ones.

The TV show Lucifer followed an overly simplified version of this lore borrowed from the show Supernatural and its version of Cain the mark just meant he was immortal and served no other purpose. The version of Cain in the Lucifer TV series was very, very different from the version who hosted The House of Mystery and would regularly appear in Neil Gaiman’s Sandman.

In Sandman Cain does have a compulsion to habitually kill his brother fairly regularly. Since they are both immortal beings Abel usually recovers.

The Aunts in Netflix’s version of The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina are modeled after Cain and Abel as they were depicted in Neil Gaiman’s Sandman.

The use of Cain, Abel, and Eve in Sandman could also be seen as a nod to George McDonald’s novel, LIlith, which also entailed a mysterious and ghostly “librarian” known as Mr. Raven and a surreal fantasy world. It’s been told that Lucien was Morpheus’ first raven. And some believe he may be Adam the way Mr. Raven was Adam in Lilith.

Not only did Neil Gaiman salvage nearly all of the old horror hosts who were falling into obscurity after Crisis of Infinite Earths (DC’s first major reboot) but he made these old horror hosts important characters within Sandman lore as either being servants of or (in the case of Destiny) relations of the main protagonist.

Neil Gaiman, in a way, saved their lives in preserving them as fixtures of DC canon in a now beloved “ever-green” story that is Sandman.

The Sandman issue Imperfect Hosts (which can be found in the graphic novel The Sandman: Preludes and Nocturnes) is a treasure trove issue for lovers of old school horror comics. There are even subtle nods to the artwork of the late Bernie Wrightson (A favorite of mine).

Imperfect Hosts also gave us Abel’s adorable baby gargoyle, Goldie.

Goldie was named after Abel’s “imaginary friend” that Abel and sometimes Cain would tell stories to. She was very likely not imaginary at all but real and a ghost who was haunting The House of Secrets.

It is said this cover is depicting the original Goldie.

In the original House of Mystery comics Cain would sometimes torment his brother. It wasn’t quite as brutal as it got in Sandman. And Cain had a soft spot for children, reveling in stories where those who mistreat children get their comeuppance. (Side note: I wonder what became of Cain’s pet cat, Oskar / Oscar. Cain still has his gargoyle but not his black cat.)

Thanks to a repeated running gag that was featured in (and outside of) Sandman,, which carried over into the 2008 House of Mystery volume 2, we can safely assume Cain’s voice is a great deal LOT like Vincent Price.

Cain and Abel appeared in some of the Sandman spin-off comics of the late 90s and early 2000s but those have since been de-canonized (no longer acknowledged as having happened).

During New 52, DC higher ups decided that they loved the concept of The House of Mystery. This was during a spike in Doctor Who’s popularity in the US. They saw The House of Mystery as a mysterious old house that is apparently bigger on the inside and can appear virtually anywhere and latched on to this TARDIS-esque aspect of it (as that is the nature of The Doctor’s ship, The TARDIS, in Doctor Who). But they seemed to have no love for Cain the caretaker or The House of Mystery’s spooky ambiance... The House of Mystery became the base of operation for Justice League Dark, and home of Constantine and Zatanna.

Cain the Caretaker was nowhere to be found but a new Cain, the supposed “real” Cain and “Sire of all vampires” became the main antagonist of the 2012 reboot attempt at I, Vampire... (it only ran for twelve issues and if not for DC Universe Online MMORPG name dropping him, that vampire version would probably mercifully be forgotten by now.) I usually like vampires in fiction but I hated this.

At one point those who were unhappy with the New 52 changes to The House of Mystery were told “Oh, this is a different House of Mystery from the one in The Dreaming. There are multiple Houses of Mystery.” but readers were, needless to say, skeptical, especially considering Cain’s pet gargoyle, Gregory, was IN the House of Mystery that was being used for Justice League: Dark in New 52! Did Gregory just randomly wander into the wrong House of Mystery?! No! Because we were told he “came with the house.” That means it IS Cain’s House of Mystery. Nice try to save your asses there, DC.

DC, through their Vertigo imprint, tried to placate fans of the original Cain and Abel and House of Mystery by having Cain and Abel appear briefly in the 2016 Lucifer comics (Now no longer canon) with their own House of Mystery and House of Secrets in the realm of The Dreaming but this only served to confuse readers further...

Especially since, at the time, Hellblazer was referencing a very different Lucifer (New 52-ified and based on the old and generic idea of The Devil) and a very different Cain.

Finally Scott Snyder decided to fix things. Scott Snyder discretely brought Cain and Abel with The House of Secrets and House of Mystery (as well as all of Sandman lore) back to mainstream DC continuity during the event known as Dark Nights: Metal.

That’s Cain in the bottom left. And that’s Abel in the upper right. Separated so Cain cannot commit casual and compulsive fratricide (Abel always recovers) during the meeting of the immortals.

In late 2016 Cain The Caretaker made his very first appearance in television animation. He appeared in the show Justice League: Action for the episode Trick or Threat. The episode merged the classic Cain’s House of Mystery with the continuity of Constantine owning the House from New 52 by having Cain giving Constantine a key to The House of Mystery by the end of the episode. Letting Cain essentially be Constantine’s roommate / landlord, It was a fair compromise of merging the lore. And it was done expertly by the great Paul Dini, with love and respect for both The House of Mystery and Sandman.

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In February of 2017 The House of Mystery would also appear in the direct-to-video animated movie Justice League: Dark. Though a decent animated feature, unfortunately this was the version from New 52 so no sign of Cain and the house was a little less... spooky.

The downplaying of the Gothic ambiance of The House of Mystery is a crime against the history of this comic and what it stood for in the 60s when it was used an act of spooky rebellion against the comics code and irrational persecution and censorship. It was an act of defiance that should be allowed to stand.

Abel’s House of Secrets made a brief appearance in an episode of Young Justice as a magick shoppe. It was likely the last thing a little girl ghost saw before she died as her spirit seemed only able to utter the word “Secret.” (Secret is a heavily modified ghostly character from DC comics.)

In 2019 the Justice League: Dark event was added to DC Universe online MMORPG. And though the game has Dark Nights: Metal content the game is more heavily based on DC’s New 52 so the House of Mystery in The Justice League: Dark raids does not have Cain The Caretaker and it looks more like the Plaza Hotel in Home Alone 2 rather than anything truly gothic or spooky...

It was very disappointing to me.

In 2018 Cain, Abel, and The House of Mystery and House of Secrets yet again became regular entities in DC comics with the Sandman Universe comics. The House of Mystery is back to being a creepy old haunted house with a small graveyard separating it from it’s companion, The House of Secrets. Both are still kept by Cain and Abel respectively within the realm of The Dreaming.

May The House of Mystery always revert to the spooky old house where Cain will tell spooky stories to frighten his guests!

#Neil Gaiman #Karen Berger #The House of Mystery #DC Comics #Vertigo Comics #Cain The Caretaker #The Sandman #Neil Gaiman's The Sandman #Horror Comics

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martyrdorn · 5 years ago

Text

Mia Daniels

there is a reason why people say not to look back

She sat back, lounging on an old blue and green hammock. The color was faded and dirty. Not that Mia cared. The hammock has been in her backyard her whole life. A constant in her life. With everything that has happened with her life, she is grateful for the dingy old hammock. How an old hammock made her feel normal Mia would never know, but it did.

She closed her eyes as she lounged, the wind blowing gently through the trees. Rustling the leaves and wind chimes.

The peace made her want to cry, and she did not know why. Years ago she would have killed to have peace. For Abaddon and Leviathan not to have their noses in everything she did. For Raphael and Metatron not to be watching over her shoulders. For Michael and Lucifer not to be fighting every second of every day. But now, the peace made her want to cry.

The world wasn’t on her shoulders, she didn’t have to spout the word of God anymore. She could have the peaceful life she wanted, the house with a white picket fence. She could come home to a man who loved her, children, a dog. She could have anything she wanted. But… every idea that came to mind made her want to scream, yell and cry.

Even relaxing in the hammock made her uneasy.

Mia felt as if she was rebuilt to crave chaos and war. The uncertainty that came with Lucifer, with Michael. She didn’t know if they did it, or she did herself. Surviving the only way she could, destroying the old and creating something new.

It was what happened. Mia killed her old self, the young naive girl. The girl who believed in love at first sight and still made wishes on shooting stars. The girl who had a bounce in her step, and eyes full of stars. The girl who had a million dreams and every intention of following through.

She killed that girl, with a knife, a sword. She didn’t remember. The only thing she did remember was that her own blood was the first to coat her hands.

There was no choice, Mia had to replace that darling girl. She had to replace her with the girl who made demons fear her. The girl who had a mouth full of blood, and a crown of thorns. The girl who had fire in her eyes and the devil in her ear. The girl who made the devil kneel. The girl who made an archangel fall.

It was the only way either of them would survive.

It haunts her, the memories of what could have been. What should have been? Her life could have been completely different from how it turned out. And it did, in another life.

One she didn’t have to become a martyr or death. One where the universe didn’t rest on her shoulders and she could simply shrug.

Theo was in that life, she missed the boy with shaggy brown hair and puppy dog eyes. Perhaps that’s what she missed the most from the life she destroyed. Mia could picture it, the naive boy who wore his heart on his sleeve holding hands with a girl who wore hers the same way.

But that life is long gone, some distant memory in some poor boys' mind.

Mia Daniels was dead, yet not. The girl who drove out of Alabaster County with the Devil in her passenger seat wasn’t the same one who came back. That girl had a heart of gold and no knives in her back. The girl who came back wore war as a second skin and could pull knives from her back in the hundreds.

It left her wondering what her parents would say if they could see her now. She could ask them, they were alive and well, just inside the kitchen doors. They knew vaguely what she has done… did. She came home covered in ash and blood, tears staining her cheeks once. They held her as she cried, soothing their daughter as she told them everything she did. Her parents never once asked her more for more information then she was willing to give. Giving their war-torn daughter the space she needed.

Her family has been woken up countless times to her pacing throughout their house. Fidgeting with her fingers as she muttered under her breath in a language that they couldn’t understand.

It got worse and better the longer she was away from Heaven, Hell. The screams of the damned, and the voices of the heavenly choirs far from her small southern home.

Mia avoided the local church like the plague, her parents and brother still went. Praying for someone to help her. She couldn’t bring herself to tell them that Atlas gave up on humanity, forsaken the creation that was once his pride and joy. Or that Raphael helped her all they could, that there was nothing more he could do.

Pastor Jim still came over for Sunday dinner, chiding her for skipping the blessing. She didn’t have the heart to tell him either. She stops herself from speaking about God, or Angel, or the Devil.

Separation from them was what Raphael had suggested.

She lounges back in the hammock, listens to the wind rustling the leaves and windchimes. Crickets starting to chirp as the sunset. If Mia opened her eyes she would see fireflies starting to show up, floating through the tall grass. Twinkling like stars. It was peaceful.

And it wasn’t going to last.

It never was going to last.

It was a flaw in Michael’s plan for salvation. Peace never lasted, something always came in and wrecked it. Whether on purpose or by accident. Peace never lasted. Humans never liked complacency.

In this case, she would destroy it herself. She’d go back to Lucifer, back to hell. To her home. She promised she would return, come back to him, to Damon, Lyra. The sun shining on her skin wouldn’t last.

Lucien had joked once, calling her Persephone. She didn’t correct him.

Peace made her cry, and chaos made her thrive. And she may miss the girl that died, but the girl who died would have loved the one who thrived.

#.txt #ch: mia daniels #verse; oblivion #type: writing #type: excerpts

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thenightling · 5 years ago

Text

The Dodged Bullet

Warning: This is deliberately bad!

The dodged bullet:

The following is the horrific notion of what would have happened if The CW, Fox, or Syfy adapted Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman instead of Netflix. This is going to poke fun of common tropes of Fox and CW shows. See if you can spot them all.

I am going to deliberately write this very, very badly.

The generically attractive young man in his early-twenties walked toward the crime scene. He wore a long leather jacket, designer sneakers, expensive brand-name jeans, and a stylish and perfectly fitted black polo style shirt under the jacket. It was rumpled but just so as to hint at what a great body he had under it. He had thick, dark brown hair. Brown eyes, a smoldering gaze and a dazzling smile. He’s Caucasian and generically attractive. He’s thin but not rake thin, more like sexy male model thin. He’s got muscle tone.

At the moment he looked stoic, hands resting in his pockets. He crosses the yellow crime scene tape without anyone stopping him. No one questions his presence but he is not invisible. This is “grounded” in reality, folks.

The Sandman solves crimes! The Sandman is a private investigator with a secret. He is a real Sandman! Hidden in his jacket is a leather pouch which will probably get used maybe once or twice an episode (budgetary reasons). And he gets confused by certain social cues and pop culture references but otherwise he’s just a generic hot guy.

He’s probably portrayed by a Tom Mison type. He might be American. There’s an English accent but it’s so slight (so hidden by Americanisms) that it’s almost undetectable. He approaches the pretty, ninety-pound, college age female detective with perfect, blond hair. She looks up at him.

“Hey, Murphy.” She says in a friendly tone. Yes, Murphy is his alias. She thinks he’s just eccentric and thinks he’s The Sandman but he gets results!

“Detective Walker.” He smiled with obvious affection. He crushes on her, pines for her. But she mustn’t ever know the truth. It is forbidden for one of his kind to be with a mortal. Even if she is a Vortex. And her great power may one day destroy the world… or save it! That’s the real reason he was here, to watch her. He had never expected to fall in love with her…

The show has almost no scenes in The Dreaming and when there are it’s about 90% CG over green screen, like the Enchanted Forest sets of Once Upon a Time, or the under-whelming Hell of Lucifer. There’s probably a throne room with a starry night sky behind it, and an under-whelming “vast” library on par with Belle’s library in Once Upon a Time that will be shown very rarely.

“We’ve got another one.” She said gravely. “Eyes torn out. Pretty girl. Whoever this creep is- this predator must be stopped!” The implication here is the victims are all damsels who have been targeted by an evil man targeting them for misogynistic reasons. But don’t worry! The show is totally not sexist! Detective Rose Walker kicks ass! And in season four she’ll be raising her own long-lost little brother! Even though it’ll take her at least five seasons to learn Murphy’s secret (if she ever does).

“I thought the ‘me too’ movement would have at least reduced some of this.” She said with a shake of her head in disappointment at the world.

The line of dialogue doesn’t actually really make sense under easy scrutiny. Why would “Me too” actually make a serial killer reconsider his life choices? Oh, well, the audience doesn’t have enough time to question it.

“Me too?” The adorable, awkward, pretty “Murphy” questions.

“Boy! Where have you been? In a cave?” “Actually I was trapped inside a prison cell for a hundred and five years and before that I resided in another dimension.”

She rolls her eyes. “Not this again. Tell me you can at least figure something out with your ‘Dream powers’” she said cynically. He might have been insane and socially inept but he got results!

Morpheus knelt down next to the body and placed his hands on the corpse. There isn’t even any SFX for this. He’s just sensing something. He grunts in a sexy portrayal of sexy CW level pain.

“What? What is it?”

“I think I know who did this…”

“Who?”

“Corinthian…”

(Opening credits here. Maybe the opening riff of Enter Sandman by Metallica. No, wait, Fox and CW can’t afford that. It’s Mr. Sandman by the Charlottes! It kills the mood but everyone knows the song. You’ll be sick of it by episode five if you weren’t already. And it will get a LOT of use since the song is cheap / practically public domain.)

The next scene is not present day. It’s a flashback. And by flashback I mean a hastily put together set in Vancouver Canada. It’s probably someone’s private stables being passed off as a medieval village. No, wait. Its eighteenth century. There’s a sexy other character wearing slightly anachronistic style sunglasses hiding his eyes (No CG here, the production team figures the glasses are enough). In fact his eyes might not even be weird at all. He just likes sunglasses! There, that’s better, no wasted money here. He’s wearing a badly fitted white wig over white hair.

“My king,” the sunglassed man says with a bow. We have to be blunt for our easily distracted audience, so there’s the reminder that this is the dream king. “Thank you for letting me accompany you to the waking world. There are such delicious things here.”

“Yes, the food is rather pleasant.” Morpheus replies. His costume is decently fitted but obviously borrowed from another show, possibly a left over from Buffy The Vampire Slayer. Those props and some period costumes still get use. Isn’t Morpheus adorably oblivious, though?

Morpheus is wearing a dark blue frock coat and lace. His trousers are exceptionally tight to show off the actor’s perfect ass.

The Corinthian’s costume is cream colored. There was a behind the scenes fight and as small victory for the one crew member who actually read Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman in getting the cream outfit. Others working on the show wanted the costume to be black to make it more obvious he was the bad guy.

An attractive, tall, black man (probably American), under the age of thirty, is behind Morpheus. This is his loyal manservant, Lucien. But it’s totally not racist making the dreaming librarian / butler black when the show hasn’t had any black characters yet. No, it’s inclusive!

The attractive black man speaks. “My Lord, I think he intends to do harm to the mortals here.”

“Nonsense, Lucien. I’m certain it’s fine.”

The Corinthian wandered away from his master and he soon drags off attractive young female into an alley, hand over her mouth. No, The Corinthian isn’t gay anymore in this version. But it’s okay. Hob Gadling, Morpheus’ immortal friend (who now runs a bar for some reason) is gay! He’s very gay. In fact that’s the extent of his entire personality. But isn’t this diverse and inclusive?! And there’s no more problematic gay nightmare, even though in the original comics The Corinthian gets uncreated and the second Corinthian is a relatively decent guy for a nightmare.

After some persuasion Morpheus finally listens to Lucien and walks down into the alley. He stops in his tracks when he sees The Corinthian has killed the girl and his licking his fingers, having obviously already eaten her eyeballs (gotta keep that TV-14 rating!) He lets out a gasp. “Corinthian, what have you done?”

We cut back to present day and “Murphy” is walking into the bar owned by his friend, Hob Gadling . Hob sees him and smiles. “Murph, oh, honey, you look like Hell! Come sit down and tell me all about it. You know I love juicy gossip.” He says in a naisly, lisping voice.

Imagine this scene was written by some very straight guy whose only exposure to gay people were 1990s Will and Grace reruns.

Hob places a shot glass in front of Morpheus and Morpheus downs it quickly. “Have you seen Matthew?”

Matthew was Morpheus’ straight human friend and roommate. He had learned Morpheus’ secret in the pilot episode when Morpheus rescued him from a car accident using his dream magick. Ha! And you thought we’d have talking birds in this thing. Lol! No! Grounded, remember?

“Matt? Oh, sweetie, you can do better than him. I keep telling you, he’s just not your type.”

Morpheus raises an eyebrow but says nothing about the implication about his sexual identity. There will be a LOT of queer baiting on this show without confirmation in regard to his sexuality.

“I need to talk to him. One of my nightmares is loose in the city.” You can tell this was written by a New Yorker because they take for granted “The City” to mean New York.

“One of your Nightmares? Why couldn’t it be one of those sexy wet dreams?” Get it? Because if the character’s gay he has to always be horny!!! Ha-freakin’ –ha.

(Please know I don’t actually feel this way. I’m mocking bad TV writing. This whole thing is a spoof.)

There’s an awkward pause intended for the viewers to laugh.

“I don’t believe any water nymphs have escaped The Dream dimension.” Morpheus replied in confusion.

He calls it The Dream Dimension in the show because “The Dreaming” didn’t sound hip enough according to some executive.

“I’m afraid it’s The Corinthian. So now I have two problems.”

Hob nodded sympathetically. “The detective you might have to kill…”

“And now this.” This is an idiot proofed recap for people turning on the show late or just watching it in passing while doing other things or playing on their phone. CW does this sort of in-story forced, shoe-horned exposition all the time.

The episode plays out a little bit like an episode of Lucifer mashed into an episode of True Blood.

While they’re trying to find the killer, Detective Rose Walker meets Murphy’s roommate, Matthew, and the two hit it off while chatting about Murphy’s weirdness. They decide to start to date. As Morpheus has feelings for Rose that he won’t admit to this causes a strain between him and Matthew Raven (There’s that bird reference! What? That should be Lucien’s last name? Naw!) And between him and Rose Walker.

Morpheus lashes out rather than admit to what he is truly angry at and he and Matthew argue over something petty and this leads to recovering alcoholic Matthew to start drinking again as sad music begins to play.

Morpheus eventually finds The Corinthian and is forced to destroy him. He had to kill his own creation so he is kneeling in angst crying prettily while the sand left over from the uncreation slides through his fingers. Some new female cover of Queen’s Who Wants to live Forever? Is playing in the background. The original version is “too old” and too expensive for use. So here’s a very generic sounding cover done in a style that makes it blend in with every other pop song played during the forty five minute mark of a CW show’s run time (including commercial breaks).

The song plays as we cut to Matthew drinking alone sexily in an alley. He’s sweaty and wet, but he just looks like a wet fashion model. Morpheus is sexy crying over the sand that was the Corinthian, and Rose going to sleep prettily in her bed, no bed head here. Oh, and she sleeps in perfect makeup! There’s no scene where she even remotely looks like she’s out of makeup.

She’s having strange dreams but they look pretty mundane. Like real-world mundane. It’s her living room set that we probably saw a few minutes ago, just dimmer lighting and some haze to make it clear this is a dream. Because even with a show about The Dream Lord, dreams have to have an old fashioned camera fringe haze. Murphy is there with his back to her. He looks sad. He turns to look at her and she gasps. She sees a star (lense flare) from Murphy’s eyes in the dream as he looks at her in surprise like he wasn’t expecting her to see him. She wakes up with a gasp, and everyone in her apartment building also wakes up at the same time, signifying that their dreams were connected.

And so ends what was probably the third episode of CW (or Fox’s) The Sandman.

And that is pretty much how CW or Fox would have done The Sandman.

#The Sandman fan fiction #The Dodged Bullet

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