#sandmand

[justjams2003]

The Desire to be Loved-3

Summary: Love is Desire's first creation. As Cupid she shoots her arrows of love and rips them from people's hearts too. Occasionally, shooting a soulmate arrow. What does she do when her first Soulmate arrow in 100 years is between Cupid and Dream?

Pairing: Dream of the Endless x OFC Love/Cupid/Venus (you know how these beings have millions of names) (Also technically it could be an x reader because love is sort of anthropomorphic but in this story a she)

Warnings: Manipulation, threats, crying, cliffhanger, unedited, kind of like enemies to lovers, soulmate au, cursing, tell me if I miss any

Word count: 1,7k+

Dividers by: @hyelita

Tags: @intothesoul @briskesby coffeebeforewater

Masterlist

(I've moved next part to the bottom)

Love’s steps are usually much more graceful. Like a bird so carefully landing on a tree branch. So lightly that the branch doesn’t even move. It looks like nothing but the wind breezing through the careful sway of the tree.  

Or maybe her movements are more like a spider. Slicking up buildings, perching and waiting to shoot the arrow of love. She has wings but more often than not she doesn’t use them. She likes climbing things and sneaking around. Pretending that the human’s can see her and she needs to hide. Some childish game to distract her from the loneliness.  

Her loneliness of not being seen. Over a billion people on earth. And not a single one can see her. Maybe, sure, the ghosts can see her. But why would ghosts want to talk to her? Can ghosts even love? How would Cupid shoot them with love-arrows if they can’t be touched?  

Since life has been breathed into her lungs, Desire has been the only being she’d ever talked to. And when they did, he usually did most of the talking. Scheming, rather. Talking about every possible way, left and right, to take down his siblings. Or just something more to mess with the humans a bit. 

Cupid doesn’t like messing with the mortals. Or the thought of hurting the other Endless. She’s never really thought of hurting anything. She wasn’t made with the ability to think of harm. She liked watching the humans. They’re so social. Even the ones who claim they like to be alone, they always have another human close by.   

And those who don’t... they eventually die the same way she lives. But that’s her least favourite part. She doesn’t like thinking about it, it makes her feel weird... Her favourite is watching a couple with one of her arrows between them. The first shy looks between them, red cheeks that she’s never had. She tries to always be there for the first ‘I love yous.’  

But watching her now, is pathetic at the least. She looks exhausted, all her power is gone. Dream of the Endless has been out of action for 100 years. All dreams are gone, no dream of desire, no dream of love. No arrows showed up in her quiver. Desire stopped talking to her, after all there was no need to.  

And one day in utter frustration, she pulled too hard. What gave her power was the love and hope between people. It brought her power to see people happy together. More people in love, the stronger Love is. But in the last 100 years...almost nothing. All she’s done is pull out her arrows from people’s hearts. Weaker and weaker.  

And one day she just snapped. Seeing the human shatter and break, some new emotion she never felt before rised...frustration. She knew how fragile the humans are but her anger got the worst of her. It had been the 50th arrow that day that she had to take out. She had to watch how they’d wail and cry when their heart rip apart.  

She’d hacked the arrow along with the heart out. In the human world it just looked like a normal heart attack, but to her it was something much more horrific. The human heart beat in her hands and the blood poured and poured. She knew Desire would just laugh at her and there was only one other person who could even see her. 

But this, where she is now is even worse. The walls are blood red, the obvious realm of Desire of the Endless. She looks barely on the brink of life. Her everything looks grey and dull. “D-Desire?” She mutters hoping for some sort of life force grant from him. A loan until dreams reappear in people. Until love has some sort of meaning again.  

But when she finally limped her way to the throne she got the exact opposite response. “Hello, pet, could there ever possibly be something you want to say to me?” His tone is harsh like a bee sting. “I-I don’t feel so good.” He just scoffs and rolls his eyes.  

“You...you...sly minx! You’re like a fucking viper!” He has a cruel grin on his face. But Love has given up after years of psychological torture and isolation. She is just as quick to snap back. At him “The first words he spoke to me was a thank you. That’s more I’ve ever gotten from you!” Something seems to actualise up for Desire.  

“Oh, I see that’s how it is. You think he cares about you.” He grins and stands up from his throne. His sharp claw once again finds the sensitive skin under her chin. “I don’t understand why you hate him so much.” She mutters turning her face away. But he grabs her right by the cheeks and keeps her exactly in place.  

“I thought that you wanted your master to rule? I’ve been so so good to you haven’t I?” His mouth grazes across her jaw. Her breathing hitches. This is how he gets her. “He doesn’t care about you. He didn’t even know you existed before you stumbled your way into that fucking basement. And didn’t I tell you not to go back there?”  

“He didn’t hurt me like you told me would. Not once, he’s been nothing but soft and-” suddenly his hand wraps around her neck. She’s weak, and even before she only had a fraction of his power. She can‘t fight back. “’not once’? Not only did you free him from his cage you visited him more than twice?”  

His fingers become tighter around her neck. His claws draw blood and it drips down her chest. Her hands flail around his. Her breathing becomes raspy and painful. “I could make a million more of you if I wanted.” He whispers into her ear. But his other hand comes up and scrapes a line across her cheek.  

“But you’re oh so beautiful.” His pink tongue drags over the line of blood dripping from her cheek. Then he places a sloppy kiss on her cheek. “You were meant to be my perfect creation. But now look at you. Weak and fucking useless...” They let go of Love. 

When she crumbles on the floor he just coos. “Such a shame. Too sickly to fly, to teleport. I’m sure you couldn’t even pick up your bow if you tried.” He bends down to the girl struggling to get up. He grabs her by the hair, he can’t help but admire how beautiful he made her again. “I think I should try again, don’t you...?”  

Feelings are such a conflicting thing. Something that the Dream of the Endless never thought that he’d be one to deal with. Black and white and no in between, right? Make dreams, make nightmares, deal with the things that shouldn’t be. Sure, once in a while one of his many siblings would irk him or send him one of this in between things to deal with.  

But now things are different. Now he’s been caged up for over a century. Now for some odd reason there is something more than the repeating thoughts of cruel revenge against the Burgesses. Seeing Alex stuck in an eternal nightmare did warm the soul but just not enough.  

When the sand made contact with his skin and he opened his eyes to see Lucien staring down at him, it made his heart sink. More so seeing the shambles his kingdom had come to. And as he sat on his throne, breathing in the dust of his castle there’s only thing he can think of.  

In his lap sits the arrow left by Love. The arrowhead is glowing bright red. He inspects it closely, there are as always names written on it. But, even in his authority as an Endless, only Cupid knows who this arrow belongs to. But why did she come to him with it...? 

She looked to be in utter disbelieve about the contents of the arrow. Like she feared it contents. Why did she keep coming back to him? Why did she leave the arrow with him and not take it with her? Doesn’t this arrow have a time and place to reach it’s target? Won’t the scales tip, the fates must know this.  

But in the sights he’s stuck in, he needs his powers now more than he needs Cupid. And there is always one person to ask, who would know where his own creation is. But what feels more cruel is the utter fear behind her eyes at the thought of Desire finding out where she is and who she’s talking to.  

It can wait...right?  

“My king, what is that you have?” Lucien asks, picking at her fingers. The deep vibration of his voice echos. “Lucien, what books do we have on Cupid?” The librarian’s brows furrow, “Desire’s first creature? Is that...?” She asks, holding out her hand to inspect the object. “It is...she was the first non-human to find me.”  

The creature isn’t sure what to say. She doesn’t know her master to be one with much sentiment. “Why didn’t she inform anyone?“ She asks, it would’ve helped to keep all creatures in the Dreaming. “She knows her place. She’s submissive, she was made that way.” Lucien goes to speak again but Dream interrupts her.  

“What confuses me more is why she went against him? And what will happen if Love itself has gone missing from the human world?” Lucien’s brows furrow. “My lord you have been gone for a century, don’t you wish to get your power back before we focus on different issues.”  

Suddenly his voice sounds stern and his eyes go dark. “Lucien. My devotion lies with the dreamers and if they have no love there are no dreams. If there are no dreams there is no love. Do not question me.” The woman looks taken back and seems to gulp. She keeps her head down and keeps out of the way. 

A pang of guilt hits him seeing Lucienne cower from him. He sighs and lets the arrow disappear again, somewhere easy for him to grab and hide again. “But-” he stops her from walking away. “-you’re right, Lucienne. If I go charging into Desire’s realm, without my tools, I’ll be captured again.”  

Dream stands up from his steps, his long black coat billowing behind him. “I need to find my tools.”  

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Part 2~Part 4

[butternutt613]

A wee little Sandman!Ominis drabble on his lore

~~~~~~

In the beginning, after the heavens had been parted from the sea and the light had separated from the darkness, there was stillness, a silence of newly formed night. In that stillness came a whisper, a whisper of a wish, a desire for more than the earthly plane could provide.

A dream.

They started as just figments, fractions of the human consciousness lost in the endless void of sleep.

Then rose up the Oneironaut, the Dreamkeeper, Morfeo, Ominis, becoming the way night became dawn and dreams became memories.

Weaving sleep’s tapestry, Ominis was not of time or flesh but the soft breath between thoughts, the space between stars.

Ominis did not create dreams. Ominis shaped them, tended to them as tiny buds, growing in to everlasting trees. For eons, Ominis wandered through the sleeping minds of mortals, watching hearts desires unfurl into colors and chaos. Ominis carried the dreams of children in cupped hands, overflowing with magic and imagination. Ominis collected the half formed prayers of the insomniacs and cradled the nightmares of the mad.

It is said that the dream realm is stitched together by those dreams, the endless fields of slumber, a constant flow of light and wonder, a sky simmering with golden orbs of desire, each a sleeping soul. All who sleep know Ominis, even without seeing the Sandman.

They know the power Ominis possesses, to shape the dreams into what that soul needed most. Some are mended, some are unraveled, but all are shaped by Ominis.

It is also said that if a soul were to ever see the Oneironaut, truly and fully see Omins, then that soul would be forever changed. No waking moment would ever be the same as it was for they would walk forever with stardust in their eyes and a longing as deep and true as the depths of the space they had walked.

A longing not for the world they wake to, but the one they had left behind.

~~~~~~

I am obsessed with him

[xony]

i had too many feels about GO2 and I had to make a playlist since that's the only way I have to express deep emotion!!!

enjoy!! (or suffer deeply idk)

[changedmyminditsnicehere]

My first attempt at writing and posting anything here! This is my first piece of fiction writing in literally six years, thank you Neil Gaiman and the Sandmand communituy for being so amazingly inspiring! This piece in particular was inspired by some soft prompts for Dreamling I saw going around and have since lost entirely, woops

(Ao3 link here)

---

Hob Gadling had never touched his stranger. Not once in 600 years. Perhaps to outsiders, that wouldn’t seem strange. Even in centuries more forgiving of homosocial tactility between men, his stranger had always looked so above it all. Untouchable in the same way one didn’t touch a sculpture in a museum. His stranger was marble and ebony, beautiful and foreboding. Not suitable for touching, certainly not by hands as rough as Hob’s.

Stood in the doorway to the kitchen, a new bottle of wine under his arm, Hob could barely believe the situation he found himself in. His stranger, his Dream, sat on his couch, listing slightly to the side as he agreeably joined Hob in a gentle inebriation. They were celebrating… something. Had Hob had a bad week, or a good one? Had Dream? Hob could barely remember. All he could think about was that little curl of hair, normally artfully tousled now just dropping over his left eye. Hob’s side. He could just reach out, brush it away.

Even Hob struggled to believe Dream had got to a point where he would do anything agreeably with Hob. 600 years of stoney silences and a heart-wrenching departure, and yet here he was, barely five years after his late arrival at the New Inn, on Hob’s sofa, drinking red wine Hob had pilfered from downstairs, looking so much less the foreboding majesty he normally projected.  Dream hiccuped slightly, leaning further against the left arm of the chair he was so majestically sprawled in. He leant, ever so slightly, towards Hob’s arm, which had somehow crept forwards without his noticing, along with his whole body. His traitorous right arm twitched. 

For the first time ever, Hob brushed against his stranger. His hair, normally totally defiant of gravity, was silky soft. Hob meant to pull back. Maybe if he continued as if it had never happened, Dream wouldn’t take umbrage. Maybe he could play it off with a friendly ruffle - no, no matter how drunk Dream seemed, Hob couldn’t imagine that going over well. Frozen with indecision, Hob realised, not everything was still. Dream’s velvety hair was brushing, slowly, meditatively, against the back of his hand. No matter how traitorous his arm might be, he knew even it wouldn’t dare to stroke his stranger.

And yet, sticking his courage and looking down, there was Dream, nodding his head into Hob’s grasp. Feeling, no doubt, Hob’s gaze boring down, Dream looked up. Without pulling away. Hob felt his palm curl, so gently, around Dream’s cheek. If Dream looked like marble, his skin felt like softest silk. His skin was warm, not with an inner heat, but with the reflection of the room, the warmth of Hob’s sitting room, just the two of them. Dream looked at him, inquiring. Slowly, almost sleepily, a smile crept like dawn across Dream’s face. He looked up at Hob, and rubbed his face once more against Hob’s palm.

Hob could feel his own smile creeping up on him. The skin around Dream’s eyes crinkled. His lips parted, pearly teeth opening ever so slightly. His tongue crept out, rose petal pink, to lick his lips. Without moving away from Hob’s hand, he spoke.

“Hob.”

“Mmm?”

“Do you think, you might be willing. To come down here.”

Hob’s knees buckled under him. Hand still on Dream’s cheek, he gazed into his eyes. Dream hadn’t stopped smiling. He leant forward, so gently. Hob wasn’t sure he had taken a breath since the first moment he felt Dream against him. And then, lips, against his. Soft, warm, ever so slightly wet. Hob was still frozen. Dream pulled back, smile shuttering in concern and Hob felt his brain finally kicking into action in response. He slips his hand forwards, once more into Dream’s hair, curling so delicately in its gossamer strands and pulled Dream back, back into his lips and properly into his arms. 

[little1too1dramatic]

Rue Keller; Shopping Heaven for Alt Kids and Geeks?

 Hi! (＾▽＾)

Rue Keller is known for it´s alternative stores, pleasing not only darkly inclined, but also those who prefer anime and Japanese culture. When you ask for those specific recommendations, this street often pops up. But is it deserved?

It´s not hard to get to rue Keller. It´s in nice neighborhood in the city center, more or less only 20 minute walk from Notre Dame and Centre Pompidou. That is, if you don´t keep walking in the wrong direction, which happened to me. I would like to say be careful, but most of you are not as dumb as me.

Only one-half of the street is actually filled with anything your dark heart would desire – if you come from the other, with caf�� and elementary school, you might be quite surprised. Never mind, just confidently scroll through it, until you get through all the coutures and gallanteries to Manga Dori. You won´t be surprised with majority of their sortiment being mangas, but they also sell katanas, some magazines and of course, figurines. Staff is always nice and it´s probably the only shop where I was never the sole customer. They have decent amount of publications, neatly sorted out by name in the case of well-known authors and genres. They even have a BL corner, I need to actually go through it next time! You can occasionally find a piece in English, and as you walk around the aisles even non-Manga section! They have some publications (I still hope to see Fruits or Kera one day), from Japanese comics in less orthodox art styles to a Pusheen book. I have that in Czech and I feel the need the get French version for… scientific purposes. I found some publications with lolita characters, but I will have to report on their quality. 

You can go to Pop Culture next, they represent western geek culture from next side of road. Aside from comics and another round of figurines, they have vinyls! The owner of this place is a nice, chatty guy eager to help, and he didn´t mind me coming and looking for some vampires or Sandmand in the sales. The atmosphere here is nice, probably best out of all those stores, and if you need any other recommendation, our office manager buys his Star Wars figures here. His collection is enormous.

And now my favourite. L´indien Boutique. If you are into goth, punk, rock or even just some spooky things, come here. Even if you are on budget – they sell patches for 4 euros, buttons and pins for less and they even have a 1 euro section. You can buy postcards with some musicians here, but be warned. They have an unreasonable amount of Morrissey, and even weirder of half-naked Morrissey. I will forever treasure my card with Husker Du, the only piece of merch I was able to find anywhere. They some plainer clothing in the front, also hats, from crochet e-kids ones to band caps. And jewelry. A lot of jewelry, like this amazing coffing ring that I will need to get if I will have any money once I´m done in Paris. In the back, they have more interesting clothes. I have to say, in terms of price and what you get, L´indien is my favorite in entire Paris so far. It´s not ovepriced, the selection is nice and you get the feeling that (very nice) owners know what they are doing. Also, I never met a shopkeeper that wasn´t very nice here. They carry things from brands like Killstar and Banned, but also more whimsical pieces. For example corsets, Lots of corsets around 35 euro, over and under. I feel like anyone could pick one, from the most Victorian goth to cyber punk. You can also get band tees for 20 euros here, another thing I want to get by the end of my stay.

Now there´s New Rock. You probably know their shoes, super sturdy, super high, super cool. I want to buy them when I will actually start making money. Should you go in if you don´t have disposable 200 euro? Sure, they also sell hair colours. I saw Revolution and Manic Panic here, but they have much more that I don´t remember. Prices are always under 10 euros.

You won´t have to walk too far to Black Sugar. If you want cheap cosplay and Harajuku inspired dress, come here. If there´s anything to get excited about, it´s their bags. Sanrio, Sailor Moon and a lot more, on every shelf around the store. As for their clothing, it´s cheap. As in, you pay more than Aliexpress for the same quality. You can see some lolita dresses and blouses that would probably need a lot of restoration to be salvaged, but also some not so terrible pieces. Their pants look good and would suit both 90s ravers and Visual Kei enthusiast. Some of their boleros are actually cool too. They also have some better quality lolita clothing, in different rack. They probably realized how much the comparison would hurt them. They had really cute black and white dress for 55 euros and some blouses that actually made me think.

Other than that, they have some good figurines, for example Naruto ones for 5 euros, which is great. Any emo or scene kid should be aware of their accessories. Armwarmers, striped socks, chokers, etc. The price isn´t terrible either, but quality leaves something to be desired. There´s supposed to be another store of the same type next to Black Sugar, but it´s always closed. I only got in once, and it was worse than its neighbor, both in selection and quality. I can´t find it on Google Maps and I don´t remember the name, so behold the suprise, I guess.

If you will stay up until night, you can go to Dr. Feelgood, a really nice rock bar. Sometimes they have parties, so stay tuned if you are around!

If you go straight to Kilo Kawaii Shop in le Marais from this point, you will go around a cheap cosplay shop My Bootik, that also carries some alternative goods. The price is not high, but quality reflects it.

All in all, this place looks pretty good on paper, but once you get there, it´s not so much. You can go through all the shops in half an hour, feeling both over and underwhelmed. There is almost nothing original, the prices are only slightly better than on cons and you will sense that this place might be dying a little bit. At least you will get to see some cool people – this  place is never crowded and if you do meet someone there, they are either an otaku or a member of some subculture. And it´s near to our next spot, secondhands on Rue de la Verrerie.

[reaja]

I need to make dinner but the sandmand says nay my beautiful daughrer instead u can have a small little nap and who am I to say no to that, I am fadingg as I type

[maguro13-2]

Natsuki : *whistling* I can't try out my new sweet hot rod. I wonder if that Shizuru or Monika person can do a ride with me? Hmm?

*Car bumps into Natsuski's rod*

Natsuki : My Rod! Oh that does it! You are so dead a-hole! Come on out and fight me!

*Mr. Sandman comes out of the car*

Mr. Sandman : Oh yeah? Well say that to my fists why don't ya!!

Natsuki : AAAH! *Panic* L-L-Like a good neighbor State Farm is there!

*State Farm guy appear*

State Farm Guy : With State Farm agency--

Natsuki : PEACE, SUCKER! *pushes man into Mr.Sandman*

State Farm Guy : Eh, W-What?

*drives off*

Mr. Sandmand : *growls angrily*

State Farm Guy : *gulps*

*Blows Landing*

Mr. Sandman : You messed with the wrong guy!

[arietisart]

Theoretical question: If you could pay for a YCH (your character here) where it would be a "commission" of a couple and let you choose anyone for a fee… what canon would you like to be able to match with anyone (oc, self insertion, other canon, canon from another series(cross), etc; fem, masc, non-binary, etc)?

[snigepippi]

Firsr time I read the comic was in 2001. I got a very clear impression that it was the opinion of this specific moon deity and the thessalian, not the author or even a common opinion among all deities. I assumed that as there are many gods and goddesses sharing the same aspects in the sandmand universe, other moon deities would of course know Wanda is a woman.

Hey Neil, in your moving tribute to Rachel Pollack, in this year's DC Pride, you mentioned that she'd had some polite disagreements over how Wanda's story ended. I'm curious if you'd be willing to say more about the conversations the two of you had? I'm a genderqueer person who really loved that arc of Sandman fwiw, I'm just v curious what those convos were like.

It wasn’t so much about how the story ended as about Wanda not walking the moon’s road. My attitude was that the Gods and Goddesses of Sandman were all idiots and fallible when they weren’t actually dangerous, and that this was another instance of the Triple Goddess doing the kind of thing that would come to a head in The Kindly Ones; Rachel’s was that the Moon should be infallible and recognise Wanda as a woman anyway. (I am probably not doing justice to either side of a 32 year old conversation.)

She felt I’d got that wrong, so told me she would remedy that by putting her own trans character, Coagula, into Doom Patrol.

[justjams2003]

The Desire to be Loved- 5

Summary: Love is Desire's first creation. As Cupid she shoots her arrows of love and rips them from people's hearts too. Occasionally, shooting a soulmate arrow. What does she do when her first Soulmate arrow in 100 years is between Cupid and Dream?

Pairing: Dream of the Endless x OFC Love/Cupid/Venus (you know how these beings have millions of names) (Also technically it could be an x reader because love is sort of anthropomorphic but in this story a she)

Warnings: Manipulation, threats, crying, cliffhanger, unedited, kind of like enemies to lovers, soulmate au, cursing, gore, snake slander :(tell me if I miss any.

Word count: 1,8k+

Dividers by: @hyelita

Tags: @intothesoul @briskesby coffeebeforewater @i-voluntears @dreamingblueberries @idkamt @deniixlovezelda @lmg-stilinski24

Masterlist

What overcame him can only be described as fury. Utter rage. As if he himself were not Dream but Destruction. Desire had not put the humans in danger, it is true that he was not stupid enough to do that. However, they did harm Cupid. There’d be no other explanation for his hollow puppet following after Dream.  

Morpheus doesn’t see warm brown eyes staring back at him, but instead malicious glowing gold. Like a slithering snake watching his every move, deciding when to strike again. And he’s used Cupid’s body as the tall grass that he’s used to hide from Dream. Or rather, a second skin from which he can crawl inside and out when needed. Just another way to abuse her.  

Dream’s pale hand wraps around the puppet’s neck. “Come out and face me, you unhuman abuser.” The creature’s expression changes to that sinister smirk that Desire has trademarked. She speaks but it is not her. It sounds painful. The voice sounds to be physically crawling with claws out of her throat. “You know where to find me.”  

The puppet does what puppets do when their master lets go of their strings, she falls limp, then disappears. The dream-maker curses and within seconds steps into his gallery hall. He grabs the heart of Desire and his boots hit the red glass walls of Desire’s realm.  

“What did you do with her?” His voice is rough and his jaw is locked. “She is my creature you cannot have her.” The younger brother snipes with a pained attitude, clearly displeased with his older brother catching him in his shenanigans. “She is not something to be owned.” The rougher voice replies just as quickly.  

Desire’s lip is raised in disgust. He sits upright on his throne, crossing his legs and leaning forward. “I breathed life into her flesh, I can take it away just as easily. That makes her mine to own.” Dream steps forward. “Perhaps. But it is awfully cruel to keep Love from loving merely because the free will you gave her is awakening.”  

Desire scoffs, “This is not love this is desperation. She’s nothing but a pet, I made her to be used.” This ticks Dream off. He does he same as he had with the marionette, grabs Desire right by the neck, threatening his life. “I will summon every nightmare that I have ever made and ever will make to haunt every frame that your eyes show you. You think that Endless do not too have dreams? I see, do not think I do not.”  

Desire clenches his jaw. He knows that Dream speaks the truth and anything Dream can conjure would be 100 times more terrifying than he could. They swallow, their eyes look for a way out but can’t find one. “She’s in Despair’s realm. I don’t know where.” Dream doesn’t say anything, just squeezes Desire’s neck tighter. “I don’t know where! I don’t know what despair she has, I gave her the perfect life!”

Within those words Dream knows what haunts Cupid. He remembers the horror in her eyes and the way the blood dripped to the floor like sticky syrup. The way it coated her golden hair, making look like wet copper, a rusty pipe. Most of all he remembers how she wailed in despair.  

She can’t escape it. She can’t escape this nightmare. Each time she tries to stop it from happening, it does happen. No matter what she does or doesn’t do. The heart always ends up beating in her hands. She holds the soul of the lover pumping blood until it shrivelled up and grey in her arms.  

At this point, she’s given in. She sits on the floor in the corner of the room it all happened in. Even when she does this, the organ still ends up pouring her hands with blood. The tears she cried at first matched this boundless drip but now it has ended and there is nothing left in her soul. Only the fear she has for herself and just how cruel she has become. 

“Cupid.” She doesn’t hear. All she hears is the man that at no time has ever stopped crying. Grabbing at his chest as he dies of a broken heart. That and that pump-pump-pump as the cardio vascular muscles pull and contract trying to save a person who stands no chance.  

“Cupid!” In between the gasps of a dead man and the point where all blood drains she hears it. Him. Has he come to fulfil his promise of finding her? Of saving her? Why did it take so long? Why did she have to break this poor soul’s heart over a million times before he found her? 

“Cupid!” Her gaze snaps. It is him. The scene restarts again. The man’s crying starts again. No, no, she can’t do this again if there is some glimmer of an escape. Her head finally raises from the position it’s been locked in for all this time. “Call again.” Her voice is rare but the other one isn’t. 

“Cupid!” There it is! A mirror in the corner of the room that ripples when the voice calls out. She lifts herself. Her knees crack as she does and her legs have long since gone into pins and needles. But anything is better than that blood curdling scream that comes now. She jumps, she jumps every time. The heart shows in her hands again and again she wants to stop and cry. 

“Cupid!” She mustn't become distracted, this is her only chance! She must come to him herself or else she can never escape this hell. She places the heart down, the man cries even louder at this. She flinches but in her last moment of strength ignores his pleas for her to stay and comfort him. She’s tried that before.  

Her hand, smeared red with blood, reaches to the mirror and then through the mirror. She feels a soft hand, a cold one, a pleasant change from the burning blood bound to her hands. A gasp of relief escapes her and she steps closer. She can just barely make out his face and those glowing blue eyes.  

“Come to me, Cupid. I have found you.”  

With one step through the glassy mirror, relief falls on her shoulders. More like tumbles down. Peace comes within the instant. And suddenly she can breathe again. Glades upon glades of ceaseless flowers that jump and dance in the wind and the sun and the colours that plummet from their petals.  

The mountains too are painted in vibrant images of a thousand hues. The suns first early rays comes from the right and cast a shadow behind her. Bees and birds and butterflies bound from beautiful buttercups. What looks to be fairies, made from which she is, tend to the flower field.  

The hand that holds hers helps her as she hunches down in the hibiscus flowers. The tule of her dress surrounds her in a image of a flower’s petals spreading in the face of the early mornings rays. Her hair seems to match the colour of sunshine and Dream can hear his own heart beat in his ears.  

“You made this for me?” Her eyes, this time like hot honey on his tongue, look up to him. She squints against the sun shining down on her. Her button nose scrunches up as she does. A coy smile shows his white teeth against those pale lips. 

“I did not.” Her brows furrow, “Then who did?” He tilts his head to the side, the sunrays hit her eyes again, he notices and moves back. “You did.” Cupid turns back to face the flower meadow. “Me?” He nods, allowing her to think. “You started out as something merely made by Desire...but it seems your affect on the humans has made you into something more...”  

His blue eyes don’t seem to match the blue sky and it’s all she can think about. “This would be your realm.” He explains to her, he can’t seem to look away. It’s strange, a pout forms on her lips. It runs over Dream like a crashing wave you cannot run form. He cannot stop when he is already crouched down beside her and his thumb pulls on her bottom lip. 

“Why the frown?” Her cheeks match the colour of a dusty rose. She takes her head back from his grasp and her eyes scan the scene. “I was hoping there’d be someone to talk to.” Dream feels his heart soften like wet clay. His knees give in and he sits down next to her in the flower bed. 

“You are lonely?” Her small hands takes the delicate petals of a flower between her fingers. “I’ve only ever talked to Desire.” Dream scoffs at this. “That is sure to cause a lonely heart for his company is only about themself.” He stands out in the colourful field. “You could make some company.” 

Dream suggests and her brows pull together. The Endless gently plucks the flower she holds from her hands. He seems to summon a bundle of sand which so carefully trickles onto the flower. The daisy sprouts eyes and appendages and a mouth. It’s eyes look all around before settling on Cupid. 

“Hello.” Love smiles and brushes the petals again. “Hello. Go, play.” She says, letting the now mortal flower jump around in the meadow. “Thank you, but I was hoping something with more substantial consciousness.” Now it is Dreams turn to furrow his brows. 

“I could give you the gift of choice. To chose when the humans can see you and when they cannot, just as I come and go.” He suggests to her, wanting to do almost anything to keep her happy. “You just saved me from eternal hell and now wish to gift me more?” She is unused to people being kind. 

“If it sets your heart at ease we could call it an exchange.” Her eyes jump from his eyes to her sharp jaw and then back. It’s hard to keep focus when he’s not looked away from her once. “What for?” Dreams allows the arrow to appear in his hands and then places it in hers.  

She smiles now at the sight of the arrow. “What would you like me to do with this?” She asks, her eyes reading the names over and over again. Dream smiles, “Is it our names written?” He asks her, his eyes only hold softness, no anger. 

Cupid nods, not trusting her voice. “I’d like for you to keep it. And only when you feel the statement is correct may you pierce our hearts with it.” Suddenly tears pool in her eyes and she shudders trying not to cry.

A choice. He’s given himself the chance to earn her love. He’s given her the choice to love him or not. Her first choice ever and it seems it will be the most important one she’ll ever make.

Part 4~Part 6 (coming soon)

[firemandeanbuck]

Delirium

Dream is fond of Delirium. He may not admit it out loud, but he adores his sister and her quirks. He loves her never stopping transformation, her wild eyes, her ever changing voice, her inhuman hair. Everything. Her messy mascara and misplaced eyelashes.

Del also loves her brother. She loves the way he smells like purple, how he walks 12 steps at once. She loves the little smile he gives her and only her. She loves that he came with her when she wanted to search for Destruction. She loves that he is better now and talks to Orpheus in his dreams.

Dream is busy these days. It has been 15 days and 8 nights since he last came to the gallery to talk to her. She is worried about her brother. It isn't unusual, but a gut feeling in her jacket's right sleeve tells her something is up with Dream.

What if he is on trouble? what if he needs her help?

He did say she is welcomed in the dreaming. She will find Lucienne to help her too. Lucienne loves her. Delirium loves Lucienne and how she looks like the sound of rain and smells like a blue star.

Delirium goes to the Dreaming; everyone lets her pass. She meets a lots and a lots of people and a lots and a lots of people. A raven, a pink haired dwarf, a bald pumpkin head.

She meets a small brown-haired woman, she asked her where her brother is,

"I don't know who your brother is", she said kindly,

"Um... Dream", Delirium for a moment forget his name.

"Oh, he is in the Sands of Creation",

"Okay", for some reason, she did not need to ask for directions. She fishes where going to the right direction, as if they knew where they were.

There, Dream was working on his super duper duper duper important project. He was creating Dreams and nightmares.

No one told Delirium about it. She just Knew.

Each of the Endless can tell when the others are creating. Destiny and Death can't CREATE, but they take of what's created.

Delirium loves loves loves Dream's Dreams, they are so kind and somehow all of them taste like rainbow.

"Delirium, sister, come", he held out his hand for her, she took it and held it while standing next to Dream.

"Um.." Delirium was smiling.

Dream was making copper butterflies. They were so pretty, a shade darker than intended due to the blackness of the place.

"I ask for your assistance, sister",

This surprises Delirium even more. Dream asking for HELP?? From HER??

"These butterflies aren't as shiny as yours", he Frowns.

She can see the flaws from months away, "Of course they aren't silly, you didn't feed them butter! AND their blood isn't yellow"

"Thank you sister." he hummed and made the nessesary modifications.

Delirium sat of the floor and was distracted by the flying black roacks, she made them frogs to play with, they sounded happy.

"Do you wish to eat, sister?"

"UM... Do you have those tiny chocolate people? You know the one with green hands and grey smell?"

"Of course"

Still holding her hand, Dream led her to the dinning table.

The butterflies were complete, absolutely silly, as they are meant to be.

Ever since then, they had been roaming the dreaming.

for auntie @mathomhouse-e my beloved. happiest of birthdays <3

[mimuranda]

New obsessions and disappointments

06/09/2022

Hi tumblr!

I've been quite out from Tumblr in the last year and a half , cause my life has changed so much in this time (first to the worst and then to the BEST).

This is a great opportunity for me to work again a bit on this account, that I wish to improve. In the meantime, and since a few months, I have been a few series and films, that have successfully achieve the impossible: to take me out of the Good Omens fandom.

Not that I don't like it anymore, of course I ADORE Good Omens. However, we have to talk about a few new obsessions I've got, as well as a few deceptions.

Among the dissapointments I would name Tokyo Ghoul, and Sandman.

For Tokyo Ghoul, I had GREAT expectations and I felt so disappointed it made me sad. I cannot understand how such a potential, such a cool story went to waste and total nonsense. For moments I think they directly skipped parts of the manga, because if not the whole story is very bad written, which, knowing the base idea, I don't think is the explanation. Just stopped watching in the third season and I don't think I will ever end it. I am thinking about maybe give an opportunity to the manga, what do you guys say?

Then, we have Sandman. I really am a big big fan of Neil Gaiman. I love the Sandman comics. And I know they go at a slow pace, but the adaptation is damn slow and almost boring. The vortex story got me completly bored. I think they chose very well the main actor, he looks and acts just like morpheus, and of course, the poesy of some dialogs and good use of myths and folklore are great, but they come from the comics so.... really, I won't be keeping with this show, I am starting to doubt the ability of the studios to successfully adapt the masterpieces of Gaiman, because American Gods season 1 was great but the second one was LAME and NOTHING happened...

But I also watched good stuff.

Let's talk about it!

First of all let's talk about this BRILLANT GENIUS ANIME:

This is the MOST FUNNY, WHOLESOME, INTERESTING AND BRILLANT anime, comedy and even series I have seen in a while. I love it, have already seen the whole show 3 times and if I could I would do it again because I've not laught this much in years. I will do a whole post regarding this anime because it must have one. This is pure gold, the characters, the plot, the punchlines, the MUSIC... If you have not watched it yet, you should do it NOW. Please look at those badass parents and those kawaii girl and doggo, it's impossible not to LOVE THEM. This is the most popular anime in this moment in Japan and probably in the world and I UNDERSTAND WHY.

Then we have Tokyo Revengers. This is exactly my jam. This is the kind of anime I particularly enjoy even when it is not perfect. Sentimental shonen full of battles, blood, tears and amazing bonds between the characters. It'll make you cry, if you only come to care for the characters which I think is quite easy, there are a lot and 90% of them are extremely charismatic. I binge-watched this thing, which ended in a MASSIVE CLIFFHANGER, so then went reading the whole manga in less than 2 days which also is at a MASSIVE CLIFFHANGER AND PLOT TWIST (even if I think that the manga last arc, even if I am enjoying it, should not exists, because we already had a great ending).

DAMN! It's plenty of angst, lovely friendships, epic battles (for teens, because they are 14-16 y.o) and lovely happy moments, then heartbreaking sad moments. There is also a whole mystery plot based on the paranormal element of the story, which is that the main character can time-travel, which is not explained but I honestly don't really care, I accept it. Will talk further about this in a future post too.

Then, we have MY FAVOURITE ANIME and one of my top 3 tv show ever, that I came to finish - and was traumatized for a whole month: I caught up with Attack On Titan:

I just confirmed what I already thought when I saw the first two seasons. This is a JEWEL. Everything in this anime is AMAZING, even if it will completly destroy my heart. There is no way this can end well (I don't have read the manga, so do not spoil me please). I cryed all the tears in my body and I feel I will keep crying until the end. The last seasons I just watched were the most revealing for the plot and honestly, I think this story is extremely twisted. The explanation to all the questions we have as viewers is such a good idea, but so twisted and sick in its nature... then is when I realized this anime goes quite deep in the thematics it explores, and I can only bow before this magnificent story.

THIS THREE SHOWS I MENTIONNED ABOVE MUST BEEN WATCHED.

And finally, there is Miraculous, a show so popular that the fandom reached me before watching it. I did not have any clue of what this story might be on, and I have to say I was framed by the fandom. I thought it was more adult, darker, and with a better development. Miraculous is not a bad series, particularly knowing the target viewers are childs, but it has a lot of problems. I can't help but thinking it is lost potential, which is quite frustating. However, despite a lot of problems and errors, and that I would love it to be a bit more mature and angstier, the story that is behind is quite captivating and the love square between only 2 characters (yes, you read correctly) is amazing. I love Chat Noir and how he is completly smitten by Ladybug. And I have to admit that the fandom has made amazing things (fancomics and fanarts) that are extremly captivating. So despite myself and the show not beeing that good (you can skip it) i am obssessed with the content related to it.

So this 4 shows are my current obsession and I'll be probably be reposting a lot of content related in the future weeks/months. It is also quite inspiring for me to draw again, which I've been yearning to do for a while.

Hope I made you discover a few things and if you have recomendations related to any of these please share and comment!

[shorteststory]

TOP 30 STORIES, DAY 21 // THE LIBRARY OF UNWRITTEN BOOKS

(Sharing my creative process via 30 stories as shorteststory.com/engine runs!)

This story is my love letter to @neil-gaiman's Library of Dream and "Make Good Art" philosophy, and something I wish I’d internalized sooner.

Too many books go unwritten because people don't find time/make time to write, or they're waiting for permission, inspiration, and clear skies.

Sometimes life gives us these things, but more often than not, you need to decide your art is worth the time. That's how I started my whole silly career, which I wouldn't trade for the world.

Make time for your art. It's worth it. You're worth it. Write like the future of the world depends on the imagination, compassion and audacity of your words and ideas.

Because it does.

[spookyscarysnails]

SNOM

tiktok.com/@snailysacha

[rotgsecretsanta]

A quick poll of the fandom to see what kind of exchange you’d like this year and how many people might be interested. Please share!

[grodyego]

quick cain & abel drawing for my friend @constantlyscreaminghere !! i don't go here but they were fun to draw !