#this is about dream in the fishbowl

[wolfeyedwitch]

Current fanfic pet peeve: people who don't understand how breathing works.

[lacecap]

i saw you once in a dream

[thesilverstreets]

Slightly annoyed by a stupid detail in Dreamling fic:

Sometimes people write fishbowl!dream as being unable to speak because the air ran out... But that's impossible! While, yes, the oxygen could technically run out, the air would stay, unless they pulled the glass orb vaccuum (which would bring whole other problems). And as far as I'm aware, one does not need oxygen specifically to speak. People can speak when inhaling Helium, they just sound different because the density of the gas is different. So yes, Dream could very much speak. He chose not to. And could potentially not be heard through the thick glass. BUT HE COULD SPEAK!

[prolibytherium]

I only attract people who are extremely needy and high maintenance in ways I am not capable of dealing with or supporting OR people who I actively vibe with and could theoretically maintain a decent relationship but are ex/current christians in a perpetual state of crisis over their homo ways

[roadtripwitch]

I usually see people identify the reason Dream ditched Hob in 1889 as Hob calling him friend, but I don't think it's that, because Hob calls him "my friend" before that, at least in 1589, when Dream enters the tavern, and Dream says nothing about it. I think Dream bailed because Hob called him lonely.

I'm new around here, this may be common knowledge or disproved, and the show too mentions friendship more often, so I'm unsure.

[bigcats-birds-and-books]

i'm up to two and a half dreamscapes (of the five i need for nano), and it occurs to me that my own dream notes are not, in fact, the Best Fit for this project, which i discovered by reading through them and cackling last night.

so. back to the whiteboard, huh

[bloodurged]

I like the idea of morpheus, as the prince of stories and au of tistic, thinking of his voice as text with different characteristics. so the voice, the voice and THE VOICE are to him what they are to us.

[thebibliosphere]

There are a lot of things I'm sad about in my life. You don't get to go through the kind of medical trauma I've been through and come out unscathed on the other side.

But one thing I'm really bitter about is that I can't remember my wedding anymore. The pernicious anemia took it from me and wiped my brain clean. Except it's not clean, not really. I remember it in patches. Like red wine stains on a white rug that have never quite lifted out no matter how hard you try.

I look at the pictures on my bookcase, and they feel like remembering a story someone else has told me. There's a young woman in a white dress wearing my face, and she looks happy. I'm happy for her. But you can see the strain around her eyes, too. The pain she's hiding because no one with authority believes her when she says her body doesn't feel right. That something is Wrong.

They won't believe her for another decade. They won't believe her until it's almost too late, and it's that lateness that will rob her of her memories and turn them into a wavering rainbow suspended in the fine haze of watery sunlight that occasionally surfaces through the blanks.

There's one memory that's real, though. Solid. It's not my vows. It's not my father walking me down the aisle. (Though those are there, just hazy and dream-like). It's our first dance.

It's the lights dimming around the room as the staff cleared the floor, causing the fishbowls full of white roses and LED lights on the tables to wobble like pools of moonlight against dark paneled walls.

It's the band inviting us out onto the floor and us giggling because we know what's coming next, and no one else does. It's the twang of a banjo reverberating around the room through the speakers, followed by the dulcet tones of Kermit the Frog wondering why there are so many songs about rainbows.

It's us waltzing around the enclosed circle of light, singing to each other out of tune and grinning like idiots as everyone around us starts to laugh.

It's everyone joining in on the song because it's the Muppets, and everyone knows the words. It's 100+ people singing the Rainbow Connection, some laughing, some a bit tearful, because it's bringing back memories. Because it's making a new one.

It's looking up at my new husband through the brain fog and all the pain in my body and thinking, "I want to remember this moment forever."

I don't know what entity was out there listening to me at that moment and chose to grant that wish. I don't know why this is the one memory that stuck while everything else in my brain got decimated into scattered, fragmented snapshots. But I'm so, so thankful it is.

[lazuryte]

when your syntax swerves wildly out of control because the little blorbos in your brain cannot decide who gets the words steering wheel

[riddlesb1tch]

Claimed by Shadows

Azriel Shadowsinger x reader

summary: Azriel finds out that you are going to be helping your friend Kaelen with a task and he gets a bit...jealous.

warnings: none

"Azriel, wake up!" You shook your boyfriend’s shoulder, trying to rouse him from sleep. You had been at it for the past ten minutes, standing beside his bed, fully dressed and ready for the day, while Azriel hadn't even grazed the hem of consciousness.

Growing impatient, you gave his shoulder a more violent shake, but the stubborn male simply groaned, rolling away from you as if the world beyond his dreams didn’t exist.

You knew he was doing this on purpose. The exaggerated snoring, the way his lips twitched with suppressed amusement—it was all a game to him. Teasing you seemed to be his favorite pastime.

Crossing your arms, you huffed, "Azriel, if you don't wake up, I'm leaving, and you won’t see me the entire weekend!"

That got him moving.

In a blink, Azriel sat up and yanked you down onto the bed, pulling a surprised shriek from your lips. Before you could even register what had happened, you found yourself pinned beneath him, his powerful frame hovering over yours.

"Az!" you gasped, glaring up at him.

He smirked, his golden-brown eyes filled with heat and amusement. His tousled black hair fell over his forehead, his bare chest warm against yours. His lips—plump and pink—parted slightly as he took you in.

"You know," he murmured, voice still husky from sleep, "you look so hot when you're threatening me."

Butterflies erupted in your stomach at his words, and you internally cursed yourself for how easily he affected you.

Rolling your eyes, you retorted, "How would you know? Your eyes were closed."

Azriel grinned. "Touché." Then, before you could say another word, he leaned down and caught your lips in a soft, lingering kiss.

His thumb stroked your jaw as his hand came up to cup your face, and when you tangled your fingers in his soft hair, pulling him closer, a low groan escaped his throat—sending a thrill straight through you.

When you finally broke apart, breathless and smiling, Azriel pressed one last kiss to your forehead before collapsing onto his back and pulling you to his chest.

You lay there, fingers tracing lazy patterns over his stomach.

"You wanna go to the café later today?" he asked casually, brushing his fingers through your hair.

You lifted your head, meeting his gaze through your lashes. "You know, your efforts in asking me on a date have dropped significantly since we started dating."

Azriel playfully swatted at your shoulder. "Do you, though?"

You sighed. "I can’t. I promised Kaelen I’d help him go through some old potion books to find a cure for the plague in the Autumn Court."

Azriel’s brows immediately furrowed. "When? You didn’t tell me about this before."

"I just did," you replied with a teasing smile, reaching out to stroke his cheek.

Azriel sat up suddenly, facing you, his expression unreadable. His lips parted like he wanted to say something, then closed again.

"Are you okay?" you teased. "Shall I fetch a fishbowl for you, Mr. Shadowsinger?"

Azriel ignored your quip, his jaw tightening. "Why you?"

"Because he asked for my help," you shrugged. "It’s not a big deal, Azzie."

Azriel’s expression darkened. "He obviously has a crush on you, Y/N!"

You blinked, then laughed outright. "That’s ridiculous!"

Azriel did not look amused.

"Y/N, I’ve seen the way he looks at you," he insisted. "During training, after training, every time you’re in the same room—"

"He’s my friend," you interrupted, shaking your head. "And even if he did have a crush on me, I’m not interested, so you have no reason to be jealous."

Azriel exhaled sharply, but his grip around your waist tightened possessively.

"I’m not jealous," he sputtered, though the glint in his eyes said otherwise. "I just don’t want another male eyeing what mine"

You grinned. "Okay, that was kind of cute."

Azriel smirked, but you could still feel the tension in his body.

"Now," you continued, pressing a kiss to his cheek before slipping out of bed, "I’m heading down to breakfast. See you there in a few?"

"Yeah," Azriel muttered, watching you go, still brooding.

Breakfast had come and gone, and Azriel never showed up.

You now sat in the Townhouse with Mor, half-listening to her chatter while your eyes constantly wandered to the door, waiting for your missing Shadowsinger.

Finally, Cassian walked in.

"Hey, Y/N," he greeted.

"Hey," you replied, still watching the door.

Cassian raised a brow. "Looking for someone?"

"Yeah," you sighed. "Did you see Azriel?"

Cassian shook his head, offering an apologetic shrug.

Before you could dwell on it, Kaelen appeared in front of you.

"Hey!" he greeted with a smile. "Still good for the library at one?"

"Yep!" you confirmed.

And then—as if summoned by pure spite—the doors finally opened, and in walked the Shadowsinger.

Your stupidly handsome boyfriend zeroed in on you instantly… and then his gaze darkened when he spotted Kaelen.

Striding over, Azriel dropped into the seat beside you and wrapped an arm around your shoulders, kissing your forehead.

"Hey, princess," he murmured. Then, to Kaelen—dryly—"Hey."

Kaelen nodded stiffly, then quickly took his leave.

You turned to Azriel, crossing your arms. "I waited for you for over an hour! Where were you?"

Azriel smirked and pulled a small bag from behind him. "I went to get you this."

You frowned as he held up a blue hoodie with “AZRIEL’S GIRL” embroidered in gold across the front.

"What is that?" you asked incredulously.

"Your outfit," he declared, "for when you’re with Kaelen. So he knows you’re mine."

You groaned. "Azriel, the whole damn Court already knows we’re together!"

"I’d just like to make it extra clear so he can focus his efforts on someone else," he said smugly.

"You’re impossible," you muttered, but a small laugh escaped you.

Azriel leaned in and whispered, "Besides… you look crazy sexy in blue."

Your cheeks flamed, and you shoved him away.

After much persuasion (and lowkey begging from Azriel), you begrudgingly wore the hoodie over your outfit before meeting Kaelen.

"Cool hoodie," he remarked, smirking.

You mumbled a quiet, "Thanks," before diving into your research.

An hour later, as you were packing up, a male dressed in an orange tunic approached Kaelen.

"Hey, babe," the male said, kissing Kaelen’s lips.

Azriel, standing beside you, visibly paled.

Kaelen was—as you had told him—not even remotely interested in you.

Turning to Azriel with a smug grin, you said, "See, Azzie?"

Azriel cleared his throat. "You didn’t say he was gay."

You smirked. "Regardless… you should listen to your girlfriend."

Azriel just groaned.

[achillesuwu]

Hear me out : post-return Arthur (with or without Gwen and the knights but let’s go with them),

Someone tell Arthur that he has to find Emrys, the most powerful warlock to ever walk the earth and ‘kill’ him to bring magic back into the land

Arthur thinks merlin died one or two hundred of years ago (*insert scene where Arthur began to cry in the middle of a library where there is a statue of Merlin with 1871 written on it*) because he isn’t the current Greatest Sorcerer TM and idk Gwen doesn’t know Emrys=Merlin but she does know that Merlin was truly the greatest of their time. So for them there is like 0 doubt that he is dead dead

*place some plot point here and there and Merlin being fucking badass with his dragons (a gigantic blue one without a part of his face and scar on his wings because of the purge, and a smaller (still gigantic for humans)read one when he show up*

Anyways, Merlin would of course never allow to put Arthur in the position of  ‘killing’ him and even let him watch him died so one early morning he leaves to scatter his magic into the land (aka technically ‘dying’ since he is magic and so is his body)

*dramatic scene of Arthur running in the wood only to see merlin fades into hundred of golden light*

*and here you can put Arthur being as dramatic as you want since he has literally no kingdom, so responsibility, no quest 💅*

Dark Arthur who is going to create a new purge in the hope of bringing back merlin ? Dark Arthur who try to use the whole a life for a life thing ?

Desperate Arthur who try to find a way to bring back Merlin but since Merlin is technically not dead (since well, he is magic and he always had been and always will be. ‘Merlin’ was ‘just’ an human form of Magic) he can’t do it in the usual way ? An answer could simply be to throw Merlin’s memory into the land and hope it will stick and if it does you can put a dramatic reunion

(Merlin’s immortal children/descendants/friends who prepared (with Merlin) the whole « let’s kept his memories secure somewhere »Plan and now have to watch Arthur French kissing Merlin and acting like he did all the work here : 🧍🧍🧍🧍🧍🧍🧍)

Etc

PS : *the whole ‘killing’/unaliving/dying was more of a

Gods : hey dude, I understand human life is cool but could you resolve some bug here and there ? YOU ARE MAGIC HIMSELF AND YOU ARE LITERALLY THE FORCE BEHIND THE UNIVERSE SO PLEASE STOP MOPING FOR A MINUTE AND DO YOUR THING

Triple Goddess: *hem*

Godness number 436 267 728 877 634 : HEY LOOK EVERYONE, THE LADIES THAT CONVINCED MAGIC TO BE HUMAN AND PUT US IN THIS SITUATION WANT TO SPEAK 🙄

Triple Goddess:  Maybe we should bring his bf back so he would do something about it ?

Death : I can do that

Merlin : *stop moping*

Everyone : Myselfdam finally !!! He is going to work !!!!!

Destiny : hum, well actually—

Merlin : *start pining*

Everyone : NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

And there you have it, the perfect au 💅 (please, somebody write it 🥹)

What is currently killing me about merthur is the whole Merlin fell first but Arthur fell harder. Because if this is true (which I fully believe it is) and Merlin was so so broken over Arthur's death. And waited dutifully and solemnly for 1500+ years. Then just imagine, imagine (!) what Arthur would have done if Merlin died. Broken wouldn't begin to describe it. He would have raged and torn the world apart to bring him back. If Merlin turned dark in s5 trying to prevent the end, then imagine how dark Arthur would become if he lost Merlin. Nothing, I mean nothing would have stopped him from bringing Merlin back.

[pathologicalreid]

fluff masterlist

main masterlist

note: italicized titles denote requests

spencer reid x fem!reader

clue: in which penelope hosts a new year's eve party. with a murder mystery theme.

doctor and doctor: in which you add a degree to your repertoire

newly creds: in which the BAU team wants to see your newly issued credentials

nicknames: in which you meet the team for the first time, and receive your first nickname

attention: in which you attempt to get your boyfriends attention

fluorescent: in which spencer rambles about rocks and you get distracted

drop: in which reid seems to be there every time you drop something

occupational hazard: in which you and spencer have a discussion about the dangers of his job.

in sickness and in health: minutes before your wedding is supposed to start, spencer gets cold feet, and you have to find out why.

cryptic: you and spencer get a surprise beyond your wildest dreams

breakfast in bed: your boyfriend surprises you with breakfast in bed to celebrate spring break

in plain sight: your quick thinking (in an attempt to protect him) leads to a very thankful spencer

puzzling: trying to tell spencer you're pregnant, but he's too concerned with your well-being to fill out your custom crossword puzzle

red flags: spencer protects you from a drunkard

(lack of) convenience: the power of suggestion leads you to take a pregnancy test while you're on a case - and it's positive

three's a family: you and spencer are surprised to find out that you're pregnant, while you're already in labor (yes, this is a second cryptic pregnancy fic)

pure and applied chemistry: your boyfriend picks you up as a surprise at your chemistry lab (biochemist!reader)

separation anxiety: spencer's first case back from paternity leave involves children, so a concerned party reaches out to you

orange juice: you and spencer have an announcement to make, but you're not sure how to go about it

a special occasion: moving your daughter into a toddler bed brings about some interesting conversation

kindergarten crush: when one of your students goes missing, the BAU sends the A-team to question you

goads and goats: telling your dad (who's also your boss) you're pregnant ends in him giving spencer a hard time

a league of your own: when your boyfriend seemingly evolves, you resign yourself to the feeling of being left behind

fishbowl: you offer to bring spencer lunch when he forgets his at home, leading you to become an object of curiosity at the BAU.

dewey decimal system: in which spencer does the most spencer activity first thing in the morning - reorganizing your bookshelves

amorphous: your first ultrasound goes exactly how you'd expected it to, but not exactly how you'd wanted it to

sweet talker: in which french!reader gets caught using a special nickname for a particular genius

litmus test: in which Spencer needs your expertise to help solve a murder, but crime fighting is most decidedly not for you

blue ribbon: in which you and Spencer dedicate yourselves to helping your daughter with the best baking soda volcano the science fair has ever seen

first snow: in which you and Spencer experience the first snow in your new apartment together

spencer reid x gn!reader:

heatmiser: spencer takes care of you when he comes home to find you sick

running on empty: spencer makes a bet to go without coffee and ends up foregoing all caffeine

spencer reid x platonic!fem!BAU!reader

neophyte (2): in which dr. reid gives advice to help you cope with the requirements of your new job

[honeybeezgobzzzzz]

𓅨 How to Unintentionally, Get An Endless To Marry You: Chapter One

How to Unintentionally, Get An Endless To Marry You: After saving a strange man from a fishbowl cage, you earn yourself a favor. When you cash in said favor, you don’t realize that you and the man aren’t on the same page on what you need from him.

Warnings: None.

To Note: Morpheus x Afab!Reader

Word Count: ~2.4k

Masterlist | Next

"So..." you drag out the word, not really knowing what to do now that you've gone all kamikaze on your employer and broken out the strange man locked up in the basement of Fawny Rig. "I didn’t expect to get this far in my plan and have absolutely no idea what to do now..." You look around, trying to figure out where you are. Certainly not in that damp old basement. Had something witchy happened when you shattered that glass prison? "And where are we?"

"You are within a dream," his voice is deep and rich, perfectly fitting his out-of-this-world beauty. Your eyes draw back to his face, and you are more than glad that he is now wearing clothes.

"A dream, gotcha... how did we get here?" An obsidian eyebrow rises, and his lips twitch. He finds amusement in your false bravado of nonchalance. He can feel how unnerved and stressed you are.

"Did he not tell you?" You make a face at the strange, beautiful man. "I am Dream of the Endless. Prince of Stories, Master of Dreams and Nightmares, and Lord of the Dreaming. You may call me Morpheus."

"Like the Sandman?" Why do all mortals call him that? Either way, Morpheus nods at you.

"You have freed me from my confines, Y/N. I owe you a great debt that you may call upon whenever you wish."

"A what? All I did was the right thing, no need for dramatics," you tell him. "You don’t owe me anything… though it would be nice if you could, like, zip me on over to my house? I don’t think I’ll be too welcome back at the manor, you know, kinda broke you out and everything..."

Morpheus tilts his head to the side at your rambles, surprised by your lack of greed and intrigued by your apparent belief that he owes you nothing for releasing him. Quite a peculiar mortal you are. Morpheus decides to observe your dreams more closely when he returns to his realm.

"You shall be returned to your home upon waking," Morpheus promises, observing the expression on your face. He had told you that you were in a dream.

"Okay, um, are you going to be okay? I mean, I don’t exactly know anything about being an Endless or whatever, but you were stuck in there for a while."

"You needn’t worry for me, Y/N." You open your mouth to argue, but how could you not worry when he looks so damn skinny and pale? Sand swirls around your head, and a cloud of sleepiness hits you.

"Uh, Mom, no, you don’t need to set me up with the son of your friend..." you trail off, massaging your forehead while hoping your mother finally gets the message that you don’t need her help finding love. Your love life is your own. Simple as that. They meddled enough in your youth to the point where you keep mum about most of your current life.

"But Y/N, he’s a banker, well off, and has a nice house! It’s even got a pool!" You pinch your forehead and tap your foot on the floor, counting to ten in your head so you don’t go off on your mother for trying to set you up for what has to be the thousandth time. "If you marry him, you’ll never have to worry about a single thing again! All your problems would be solved!"

"No, Mom, no." You repeat to her. "I don’t need you finding me a husband, okay! You’ve tried this a million times before and none of them have ended well! Besides! I’ve—I’ve—I’ve already gotten married!"

You have no idea where that came from because you most certainly have not gotten married. You haven’t even been in a relationship for at least three years! Not that your family or friends would know that, but that’s beside the point. You just told your mother you got married, and she will sink her teeth into that like a dog with a bone.

"MARRIED!?!" She practically screams over the phone. "You got married without telling me or your father!? Without inviting us!?" You hold your phone away from your ear as your mother calls for your father in distress, shrieking about your complete and utter betrayal.

"Honestly, this is why I keep to myself," you complain to yourself as she throws an absolute conniption to your father. There’s a lot of back and forth between your mother and father before your father takes over the phone call.

"So you got married..." He doesn’t sound upset, just tired. Most likely from your mother’s antics. You massage your temple.

"Uh, courthouse wedding?" you offer, knowing that your friends and family would buy that excuse. "I didn’t want any frou-frou or excitement, just a... civil ceremony. Didn’t even wear a fancy outfit. Just signed papers and was done with it." He grunts in acknowledgment. You take after him in that aspect.

"Well, your mother is demanding you come visit with your partner," he sighs out. You inwardly cringe. "And before you say you’re too busy, she already threatened to make plans to visit you, so you can’t escape this." Shit.

"She’s not relenting on this?" you ask, despite knowing the answer.

"No." Your shoulders droop.

"Okay, okay, tell her we’ll be up in like, a week." You relent with a heavy sigh. "I’ve got to—I've got to figure things out first, but… we’ll be up." Your father says his goodbyes, and ending the call, you stare at the wall across the room in horror.

You just told your mother that you were married.

You are, in fact, not married.

And you just promised to bring said spouse up to your parents' house in a week.

You have one week to find someone willing to be your spouse.

Shit. Shit. Shit.

There is no way you are going to drag your friends into this mess. No way. You don’t have the money to go and pay someone off to act as your spouse, and you wouldn’t feel comfortable bringing someone like that into your parents' home anyway. That leaves you with one other option that you are mulling over.

Morpheus. Deity, or Endless, whatever he had called himself. He surely has the time to help little ole you out for a weekend after you busted him from his cage. He did say that he owed you. You would consider this payment. But how exactly do you go about summoning an Endless?

"Okay, um, Morpheus?" you ask out loud, having no idea what you’re doing but figuring that if he is as all-powerful as he seems, he would probably hear you. "I think I’m ready to cash in that favor now, but I don’t really know how to contact you? So uh, yeah, if you can hear me I’d be grateful if we could talk soon. Like really soon."

You stand in your apartment for a few moments, not really knowing what else to do but waiting for something to happen. Nothing does. So you take a deep breath and head for bed. Only when you fall asleep that night, you find yourself standing in a place you have never visited before, or even remotely recognize. Disoriented, you spin in a circle of confusion until your eyes catch sight of a throne perched above winding stairs, and the very being you need to talk to sitting in said throne.

"Oh, okay, this works too," you murmur to yourself, still wondering where exactly you are. Morpheus regards you calmly, taking in your appearance fully for the first time since he regained his full power. You are such a... mortal. There is nothing special about you, but perhaps that is because Morpheus has only ever seen you in a state of stress. Yet you are the very reason his realm and dreams of the universe have returned to normal, and that makes him intrigued. He rises from his seat and slowly walks down the stairs.

"Hello," he greets, his voice a low timbre you find far more attractive than necessary. You blink at him and hold up a hand, giving him a small wave because what else are you going to do? Perhaps you should bow? Or curtsy? While you try to figure out what decorum is appropriate, the Endless comes to a stop in front of you. "You wished to speak with me? I will fulfill my debt to you. What is it you require?"

Right to the point. That helps you because he is unbearably gorgeous and you feel entirely inadequate in his presence. A few days shouldn’t be too hard, then you would never have to see him again. You could just tell your parents it didn’t work out and you got a divorce! Clearing your throat, you gaze up at the Endless with a nonchalant look.

"Please be my husband," you state boldly. For a few moments, silence stretches between you, and finding it uncomfortable, you speak again. "I need you to be my husband. My mother won’t stop harassing me about getting married, and I really need her off my back. She’s making me visit for the weekend, and I can’t show up without..." You trail off.

"A husband," Morpheus finishes for you, unblinking at your demand. It is a rather simple demand for the great debt he owes. Nonetheless, he will do so to his best ability. "Very well, I shall be your husband." The relief on your face catches the Endless off guard as the stress slips free from your facial features and you physically relax.

"Oh, thank you, thank you," you breathe out. "You have no idea what she is like, and I just need her off my back about this. She keeps trying to set me up with these mediocre guys I’ve never met before. She doesn’t understand that I don’t want or need her help in that... department..." While you trail off, Lucienne comes striding into the throne room.

"My lord, your presence is requested—" She pauses mid-sentence at the sight of you standing so intimately close to Morpheus. "I was not aware you had an audience, shall I return?"

"No," Morpheus replies, his eyes not once straying from yours. "We have finished our business." You tilt your head to the side, wondering what will happen now.

"So should I leave?" you ask, looking around in confusion. Wherever you are is positively beautiful! But you have no idea how you ended up there in the first place.

"That will not be necessary," he reassures you, "I am sure you are curious about this place. It is only right that you are shown our realm." You blink at his word choice, thinking he is referring to himself and the lady. "Matthew, will you please introduce Y/N to the realm?"

A raven pops up from behind Morpheus’ shoulder and cocks its head at you.

"Sure! Hi! I’m Matthew, Morpheus’ raven!" the bird chitters, much to your surprise. Then again, this is a dream! Dream of the Endless. You should probably try to figure out more about him.

"Uh, sounds good, lead the way," you say, following the talking raven out of the throne room while Morpheus and Lucienne have a stare-down you are not privy to. The moment you are out of earshot, Lucienne's eyebrow goes up.

"May I ask who that was, sir?"

"My wife," Morpheus answers simply.

"Your... wife," Lucienne repeats slowly, making sure she heard correctly. "And when did this happen?"

"Three minutes ago." Three minutes ago?? Lucienne is going to need to hear how exactly this came to be. Immediately.

"...and that’s Fiddler’s Green. He’s a major arcana and has some awesome views if I do say so myself!" Matthew finishes, puffing out his chest proudly. "The whole place got an upgrade since you broke Morpheus out of his fishbowl."

"It certainly has to be the most beautiful place I’ve ever been," you respond in agreement, your mind still reeling from the sights and beings you have seen on the tour. "I—I had no idea what would happen when I set him free, but seeing all this… I’m really glad I did."

"Yeah, don’t be surprised if you have random dreams and nightmares walking up to you to thank you," Matthew echoes, fluttering down from a nearby tree. "They’ve been watching their home disintegrate for over a hundred years, so you breaking the boss out is kinda a big deal to them."

"Is... that why they kept staring at me?" you ask, tilting your head to the side while remembering how you had been stared at in the village. It had just about given you a complex before Matthew guided you away from the town.

"Oh yeah, you’re kinda famous here..." the raven says before stilling and going silent. Clearly, something has distracted him because the bird hasn’t shut up since he started showing you around. You carefully watch as Matthew is silent for a few more moments before shaking his head and ruffling his wings. "Okay! The boss is inviting you for dinner… not entirely sure how that works in a dream… and wants me to bring you to some palace staff."

"Why bring me to the palace staff?" you question as the raven takes flight again.

"Cause he wants to impress you..." The moment Matthew mutters those words, the poor bird squawks midair in a ruffle of black feathers and nearly tumbles from the sky. You catch him before he hits the ground.

"What?"

"I mean he’s trying to introduce you to everyone and everything, ya know?" Matthew blurts out in a rush of words, still jilted by the blast of annoyance and ire he’d received from his lord very much intruding on his thoughts and sight. "Don’t you want to know what it’s like living in a palace? I’ve seen the baths and man if I had my body back..."

Ignoring whatever had ruffled Matthew’s feathers, you right him in your arms and lift him to your shoulder while you walk back towards the looming palace.

"I’m sure you could still enjoy a bath, Matthew," you reassure him. "Birds take baths, don’t they? Granted, not extravagant ones, but still..."

"My point is," Matthew begins, clutching your shoulder with his feet, "we’re trying to be good hosts and the palace staff want to make sure everything is perfect for you. Don’t ladies like being pampered?"

You look down at the clothes you are wearing in contemplation. Well, the raven has a point. Jeans and a t-shirt aren’t exactly worthy of Dream of the Endless, are they?

"Uh, I’ve never been pampered in a dream, but I suppose I could find out?" you offer. "I’d hate to dismiss the hospitality."

Date Published: 12/4/24

Last Edit: 12/4/24

Masterlist | Next

[writing-for-life]

I feel we’re not talking enough about this panel…

Because yes, we always rant on about how much the fishbowl changed Dream, or that it was the onset of his change. And that’s also true. But…

The ruby was wrenched from his very being when he was young (he was still all white at that point, from what he wore to his hair. Just like Daniel). He took it from his chest. It was part of his essence (I’m sure we could find different words, like what we commonly call soul or heart in the literary/poetic sense, but of course it’s also about what he is, and about his function. Dreams and hopes. It was “powered by his spirit”). Most of the relevant info is linked here:

And then he gradually turns black, from hair to clothing (there’s still white in both in The Heart of a Star—by the end of it, it’s gone). And we wonder why he was often (not always) so cold and detached.

Then that essence gets released again, becomes a part of him again.

But it’s not just about power. It’s about gaining back his proverbial essence, his heart and soul and spirit, all that he is. Even if it hurts because there’s nothing now that keeps the pain and the constant teetering on the edge at bay that comes with feeling so deeply, and feeling everyone else so deeply (severing yourself from your essence, from your feelings, from all the dreams and hopes you have, also for yourself—isn’t that, at least to a degree, what humans do when they dissociate?).

But it also plays a part in him realising his wrongs and starting to set them right.

For billions of years, since he wrenched the ruby from his very being, he was basically incomplete because he denied himself what made him complete. He turned it into a tool, for whatever reason he believed made sense at the time. And then it all comes flooding back, and it’s just so much. Tools are indeed the subtlest of traps…

Yeah, thinking about that makes me a bit unwell…

[sweetcherryharry]

sour — 02: traitor

Synopsis: Harry and Y/N were the "it" couple from 2013 to mid-2014, until things got extremely messy and they broke up. based on the album 'sour' by olivia rodrigo.

(masterlist)

Brown Green guilty eyes and little white lies Yeah, I played dumb but I always knew That you'd talk to her, maybe did even worse I kept quiet so I could keep you

The image of Harry's face, etched with guilt and tinged with a flicker of deceit, flashed through Y/N's mind. His green guilty eyes, as she now thought of them, held a secret, a truth he had desperately tried to conceal. But Y/N, with the intuition honed by months of shared intimacy, had sensed the shift in his gaze, the subtle change in his demeanor.

She recalled a particular evening, just weeks before their breakup, when Harry had received a text message, his phone illuminating his face with an eerie glow. He had quickly glanced at the screen, a flicker of something unreadable crossing his features before he hastily shoved the phone back into his pocket.

"Who was that?" Y/N had asked, her curiosity piqued.

"Oh, just Niall," Harry had replied a little too quickly, his voice a touch too casual. "He's asking about band practice tomorrow."

Y/N had accepted his explanation, but a seed of doubt had been planted in her mind. She knew Harry well enough to recognize when he was being evasive, when he was hiding something. And in that moment, she had felt a tremor of unease, a premonition that something was amiss.

Now, with the clarity of hindsight, Y/N realized that the text message had likely been from Nadine. The little white lies that Harry had sprinkled throughout their conversations, the subtle omissions and evasions, all pointed towards a truth he had desperately tried to conceal.

"I played dumb, but I always knew," she whispered one night to her best friend, one of those endless days where the hours seemed to stretch for forever, and her tears seemed unlimited. When she finally said it out loud, the words were heavy with regret and a touch of self-reproach. 

She had ignored her intuition, choosing to believe Harry's words over the whispers of her own heart. She had wanted to trust him, to hold onto the illusion of their perfect love, even as it crumbled around her.

The memory of another night surfaced, this one filled with laughter and whispered secrets. Y/N and Harry had been sprawled on the floor of his living room, surrounded by takeout containers and a half-finished bottle of wine. They had been talking about everything and nothing, their conversation flowing effortlessly as they shared their hopes, dreams, and fears.

At some point, the conversation had turned to relationships, and Harry had confessed to feeling suffocated by the intensity of their public image as a couple. Afterall, they were both A-listers and in the mere eye of the public. "It's hard," he had admitted, his voice laced with frustration. "We can't even go out for a coffee without being hounded by paparazzi. It feels like we're living in a fishbowl."

Y/N had understood his feelings, but she had also felt a pang of insecurity. "Do you ever wish things were different?" she had asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Harry had reached for her hand, his thumb tracing circles on her skin. "Never," he had said, his eyes locking with hers. "I love you, Y/N. And I wouldn't trade our relationship for anything."

But even as he spoke those words, Y/N had detected a flicker of doubt in his eyes, a hesitation that had sent a chill down her spine. Now, she realized that even then, he had been contemplating a different path, a future that didn't include her.

"So… he'd probably talk to her while he was with me, maybe did even worse," she murmured, the words catching in her throat. 

The thought of Harry with Nadine, their bodies entwined, their laughter mingling in the air, sent a wave of nausea through her. She had tried to push the image from her mind, but it lingered like a ghost, haunting her waking moments and invading her dreams.

The realization that Harry had betrayed her trust, that he had been unfaithful, cut deeper than any of his words or actions. It shattered the foundation of their relationship, leaving her feeling lost and alone.

Sarah –her best friend– held her hand, trying to comfort her. “And why didn’t you say anything?”

"I kept quiet so I could keep him, I fooled myself." she confessed, her voice cracking with emotion. She had been so afraid of losing him, of facing the reality of their crumbling relationship, that she had chosen to ignore the signs, to bury her doubts deep within her heart.

But her silence had been in vain. In the end, she had lost him anyway, and the pain of his betrayal was magnified by the knowledge that she had allowed herself to be deceived.

And ain't it funny How you ran to her The second that we called it quits? And ain't it funny How you said you were friends? Now it sure as hell don't look like it

Another lonely night stretched before Y/N, her thoughts consumed by images of Harry with his new girlfriend. She clutched her phone, Harry's contact open on the screen.  Her thumb hovered over the keyboard as she typed, "Ain't it funny how you ran to her the second we called it quits?"

The image of Harry and Nadine, hand in hand just weeks after their breakup, was a constant reminder of his betrayal. It was as if he had been waiting in the wings, ready to claim Nadine the moment Y/N was out of the picture.

"... and ain't it funny how you said you were friends?" she continued, her voice dripping with sarcasm. Harry had insisted that Nadine was just a friend, a nice girl, but that was it. But the speed with which their "friendship" had blossomed into a full-blown romance spoke volumes.

Y/N's mind drifted back to a conversation she'd had with Harry a few months before their breakup. They had been discussing a mutual acquaintance who had quickly started dating someone new after ending a long-term relationship.

"I don't understand how people can move on so quickly," Y/N had remarked, shaking her head in disbelief. "It's like their previous relationship meant nothing to them."

Harry had nodded in agreement. "It's disrespectful," he had said, his voice firm. "It's like they were already emotionally invested in someone else before the breakup even happened."

Y/N's stomach churned as she remembered those words. How could Harry have been so hypocritical? How could he have condemned someone else for the very behavior he was now exhibiting?

"Now it sure as hell doesn't look like it," she muttered, anger and hurt rising within her. The photos of Harry and Nadine, plastered across magazines and websites, were a constant reminder of his betrayal. They were laughing, kissing, their bodies entwined – their happiness a cruel mockery of Y/N's pain.

The injustice of it all burned in her chest. She had given Harry her heart, her trust, her everything. And he had thrown it all away, discarding her like a used tissue, replacing her without a second thought.

"Friends," she scoffed, the word leaving a bitter taste in her mouth. Harry's claims of friendship were a joke, a thinly veiled attempt to justify his actions. He had betrayed her, plain and simple. And the fact that he was trying to downplay his relationship with Nadine only added insult to injury.

Y/N's fists clenched, her nails digging into her palms. She wanted to scream, to lash out, to make him feel the pain he had inflicted on her. But she knew it was pointless. Harry had made his choice, and there was nothing she could do to change it.

You betrayed me And I know that you'll never feel sorry For the way I hurt, yeah You'd talk to her When we were together Loved you at your worst But that didn't matter

Y/N tossed and turned in her bed, the sheets tangled around her legs like a web of restless thoughts. Sleep was a distant luxury, replaced by the relentless replay of memories and the gnawing ache of betrayal. 

"I can’t believe he betrayed me," she whispered into the darkness, her voice cracking with unshed tears. "And I know that he’ll never feel sorry for the way I hurt. He doesn’t care"

The realization stung, sharp and piercing. Harry, with his carefree spirit and charming smile, had always seemed immune to remorse. He moved through life with an air of effortless grace, leaving a trail of broken hearts in his wake. 

Y/N had seen it before, witnessed the casual way he'd dismissed past relationships, the nonchalance with which he'd shrugged off any responsibility for the pain he'd caused. And now, she was just another notch on his bedpost, another casualty of his fickle affections.

A wave of nausea washed over her as she remembered the countless times she'd excused his behavior, the endless justifications she'd concocted to explain away his flaws. "He's young," she'd tell herself. "He's still figuring things out."  Or, "He didn't mean to hurt me. He just doesn't understand the impact of his actions."

But deep down, she knew the truth. Harry wasn't clueless; he was careless. He was selfish. He had the whole world in his hands. And he would never truly grasp the depth of her pain, the way his betrayal had shattered her world.

The memories flooded back, relentless and unforgiving.  Late-night whispers, stolen glances, the lingering scent of Nadine's perfume clinging to his clothes. 

She remembered that from time to time, he’d talk to Nadine, while he was with her. Y/N choked at the thought, the knot catching in her throat. The realization that their relationship had been crumbling long before the official end, that Harry had been emotionally entangled with another while still in her arms, sent a fresh wave of agony through her.

And yet, she had loved him. Loved him through his mood swings, his insecurities, his moments of self-absorption. "Loved you at your worst," she whispered, a bitter laugh escaping her lips. "But that didn't matter."

She had poured her heart and soul into their relationship, offering him unwavering support and unconditional love. She had forgiven his mistakes, overlooked his flaws, and celebrated his triumphs.  But in the end, it hadn't been enough. Her love, her loyalty, her devotion – none of it had mattered.

Y/N buried her face in her pillow, the tears finally flowing freely.  The pain was overwhelming, a suffocating weight that threatened to crush her.

It took you two weeks To go off and date her Guess you didn't cheat But you're still a traitor

The calendar on her nightstand mocked her with its red-circled date, a cruel reminder of the swiftness of Harry's betrayal. 

It took him two weeks to go off and date her. Two weeks. A mere fourteen days since their world had imploded, since the promises of forever had turned to dust. 

And in that blink of an eye, he had moved on, seamlessly transitioning from their intertwined hands to Nadine's eager embrace.

The injustice of it all clawed at her, a bitter taste in her mouth.  While she was drowning in a sea of grief, wrestling with the wreckage of their shared dreams, he was already building a new future, a future that excluded her entirely.

Guess he didn't cheat… 

she thought, a hollow victory in the face of overwhelming hurt. Technically, he hadn't physically strayed during their relationship. But the emotional infidelity, the clandestine conversations, the growing connection with Nadine while still under the guise of friendship – it all felt like a betrayal of the deepest kind.

But he’s still a traitor.

She accepted the words, a loud accusation in her mind. He had betrayed her trust, her love, her faith in their bond. He had chipped away at the foundation of their relationship, brick by agonizing brick, until it crumbled beneath the weight of his deceit.

The label stung, a brand seared onto her heart. Traitor. The word echoed in her mind, a constant reminder of his duplicity. He had played the role of a devoted boyfriend while secretly harboring feelings for another, weaving a web of lies that had ensnared them both.

God, I wish that you had thought this through Before I went and fell in love with you

A heavy sigh escaped Y/N's lips as she gazed out the window, the city lights blurring into a kaleidoscope of colors. The night was a mirror of her emotions, a jumbled mix of sadness, anger, and regret.

She wished he had thought this through.

The words hung in the air, a lament for a love that had been carelessly discarded.  If only Harry had paused, had taken a moment to truly consider the consequences of his actions, to weigh the depth of their connection against the fleeting allure of something new.  If only he had recognized the treasure he held in his hands before carelessly tossing it aside.

But wishes were futile, a hollow comfort in the face of a broken heart.  The past was immutable, a tapestry woven with threads of love, laughter, and ultimately, betrayal.  And now, Y/N was left to pick up the pieces, to mend the shattered fragments of her dreams and forge a new path forward.

The road ahead would be long and arduous, filled with challenges and setbacks.  There would be days when the pain threatened to consume her, when the memories of their shared past haunted her every waking moment.  But Y/N knew, deep in her heart, that she would survive this.  She would emerge from this crucible stronger, wiser, and more resilient than ever before.

She would learn to love herself, to trust her instincts, and to never again compromise her worth for the sake of another. She would embrace her independence, celebrate her strengths, and pursue her passions with unwavering determination.

And one day, when the wounds had healed and the scars had faded, she would find a love that was true, a love that would cherish and respect her, a love that would stand the test of time.

A love that would make her forget the pain of Harry's betrayal and remind her of the boundless capacity of the human heart to heal and love again.

[timesorceror]

So I started this rec list sometime in mid to late 2024 after listening to @thisweekinfandomhistory's episode on the Crack Van, where one of the hosts commented (and I'm most definitely probably paraphrasing here) about how rec lists are something of a lost art.

This, combined with my burning desire to write a primer on Dreamling (in the hopes it could perhaps one day get covered on the pod) was what pushed me to start going through my 30-something pages of bookmarks (of which those occupy slightly more than a third of my total pages of bookmarks) and start categorizing them in preparation for this list.

Sorry about all the parentheses; I've very likely got some rather loud undiagnosed ADHD and cannot for the life of me keep my brain from interjecting with every single bit of information, relevant or otherwise. But, I digress.

There are ten posts included in this monster of a fic rec masterpost, and they are divided between Oneshots, Multi-Chaptered Fics, and Series. The reason for the divide is simple: Tumblr only allows 100 inline links per post, as I also learned from listening to the lovely ladies of the This Week in Fandom History Podcast.

The rec list posts are below the cut, along with a link to my masterpost Google Doc, an explanation as to the method behind my madness, among other things.

Oneshots - Part One Contains: Alternate Universe, Angst with a Happy Ending, Crossover

Oneshots - Part Two Contains: Fluff / Happy Ending, Fishbowl Rescue, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, New Inn Is A Temple

Oneshots - Part Three (NSFW) Contains: Accidental Vouyerism, Age Difference, BDSM, College / University AU, Centaur AU, Dragon AU, Dream Sex, Fantasy AU, First Time / First Kiss / Getting Together / Friends to Lovers, Fluff / Smut

Oneshots - Part Four (NSFW) Contains: Fishbowl Rescue, Hurt/Comfort, Medieval AU, MPreg / Breeding Kink, Nursing Kink, Omegaverse, Oviposition, Pacific Rim AU, Period Sex, Retired Dream of the Endless, Selkie AU, Sex Pollen, Shapeshifting, Star Wars AU, Stuck in An Airport AU, Soulmates / Soul Bond, Temporary Amnesia, Tentacle Sex, Touch-Starved Dream of the Endless, Venom AU, Werewolf AU

Oneshots - Part Five Contains: Soulmate AU (No Smut), Touch-Starved Dream of the Endless

Multi-Chapter - Part One Contains: Alternate Universe, Angst with a Happy Ending, Character Study, Crossover, Fishbowl Rescue, Fluff, Friends / Enemies to Lovers, Getting Together

Multi-Chapter - Part Two (NSFW) Contains: Angst with a Happy Ending, Body Swap, Canon Divergence AU, College / University / Academia AU, Creatures & Monsters AU, Dragons AU, Dream Sex, Established Relationship, Fairy Tale AU, Fantasy AU, Fishbowl Rescue / Hob Gadling Saves Dream of the Endless, Friends to Lovers, Fuck Or Die, Getting Together, Historical AU, Hob Gadling is Hope of the Endless, Hob Gadling Owns the New Inn

Multi-Chapter - Part Three (NSFW) Contains: Hurt/Comfort, Medieval AU, Modern Setting / Human AU, Monsterfucking, Omegaverse, Past Relationship(s), Period Sex, Retired Dream of the Endless, Roommates, Sex Pollen, Soulmates AU, Temporary Amnesia, The New Inn is a Temple, Touch-Starved Dream of the Endless, Vampire AU, Victorian AU, Werewolf AU

Series - Part One (A–L) Features series written by: acadethicc | AceDragonType | Aetheltrythh | Anonymous | apocryphal | Ardin | Aria_Lerendeair | aWordyBody | Bacota | BeatnikFreak | behold_me (feat. The_KickIt_Domain) | BuckytheDucky | chaosheadspace | charinabook | CourfeyracFredMariusCratchit | cuubism | dancinbutterfly (feat. Moorishflower) | Darci | Delta_Pavonis | Dira Sudis (dsudis) | everythingisconnected | foxish_nonsense | frihetkanske | GalaxyDreamStories | hardly_an_escape | honeyteacakes | IcePhoenix96 | im_not_corrupted | Ismene_Jane | issylra | Konstadt | LeotheLionathefootofOrion

Series - Part Two (L–Z) Features series written by: Lightning_glass42 | LikeMmmCookies | lithenemesis | LLflorence dreamling (LLflorence) | Maelstrom22 | MDJensen | Mondaysundayssadurdays | monobuu | MonstrousRegiment | MoonlightMav | Moorishflower | Mywayornorway | NyriaMizell | often_adamanta | Purplesauris | Sam_Salami | SerenAur | starsniper | softestpunk | Stormysaslytherin | slythernim | Sylcian_SPH_Legacy | tharkuun | The_Shy_One | TheFanficMustFlow | Thesuspiciousflyingjellyfish | ThirtySixSaveFiles | Thranduilland | TimelessRiver | tinglingsensation | Torte | ObsessiveAgony | viiidispade | winterbucky (WinterLadyy) | Whoareyou0000 | zoomacroom

There will likely not be any more posts added to this, given the nature of how Tumblr posts work, but as I am still in the middle of my second run-though of the Dreamling ship tag's entire body of completed works, I will continue to update this Google Doc as I go (and whenever I comb through my Marked for Later tab and go through fics that are still there as well) that you may view at your leisure.

Note: this Google Doc is my personal fic rec list, and is not the be-all, end-all of Dreamling fics, despite how expansive it is. If there is a fic I have not added, it's very likely I did not read it because of a tag I'm not into (like Hurt No Comfort), or I read it and didn't bookmark it because I felt like I wasn't going to read it more than once. Or any other number of reasons, such as incomplete fics, which I rarely read these days unless it's a tag that I absolutely go feral for.

So don't DM me asking to add specific fics, please. Thanks. :)

I would like to explain that the Google Doc uses the tab function to separate the Oneshots, Multi-Chaptered Fics, and Series, and within each tab, they are further divided using the outline function.

The way I chose to organize the Oneshots and Multi-Chaptered fics was to start by thinking of this rec list as sort of like a menu at a restaurant by picking a main tag that I feel is the focus of the fic, and then further organize them by a sub-catagory tag (for example, I have Moorishflower's fic, Radio Silence, under the broad umbrella of 'Alternate Universe Oneshots' which is further organized under the sub-catagory, 'Post-Apocalyse AU'). Mostly I tried to follow this method by selecting two tags from the tag list of the fic, however not all fics I wanted to include HAD enough tags to use, or they had a bunch of hyper-specific, talk-commentary tags that I felt were not very compatible with the system I had worked out. So there are a few fics that I had to categorize or sub-catagorize simply based on vibes.

Hopefully, that explanation was sufficient, and I know that – given the current state of the fandom in regards to NG – some of these fics may one day become orphaned or be taken down. Unfortunately there is little I can do about that other than to encourage you to download any of the fics you enjoy so that you may continue to enjoy them if they disappear.

The purpose of this undertaking was more to challenge myself (and my patience) to see if I still had what it took to make a proper rec list and also to truly get a sense of Dreamling's major themes, tropes, and common tags so that I could list them out in the primer I still want to write for TWIFH.

That's... pretty much why this exists, though along the way, I was moved to finish this project for the sake of creating a snapshot of this particular ship's fandom at this particular moment in time. Whether or not it lasts remains to be seen, but I'm glad to have done it, and I hope that any fandom historians, as well as current and future fans of Dreamling appreciate my efforts.

I would also like to give a special shout-out to the @mr-sadman Discord, which also has a fic library of at least some of the listed fics for the occasions when AO3 goes down for whatever reason, as a good chunk of Dreamling authors and artists tend to congregate there and are all a bunch of lovely and wonderfully derranged people who have supported me in this endeavor.

So please, enjoy. Go forth and read fic.

All my love, TimeSorceror