#wip: a plague of shadows

[noveldivergence]

Ottilie Khan

28 • United Coalition of Planets

Role in Story: Main protagonist; Ottilie is a human junior diplomat, unaffected by the plague and accomplished in her own right,  who is selected by the well-known Talomar diplomat Ka’lan Tern to accompany the team on a mission to the Nyari Imperium. She is expected to aid Ka’lan in brokering both peace and help to find a cure for the plague; however, she eventually begins to discover that not all is as it seems both with the Imperium and with what she knows about the Coalition and the Talomar.

Goal: Her initial goal is to help broker peace with the Nyari Imperium; this goal persists throughout the story, but is eventually superseded in focus by other goals. The next goal she faces is discovering and dealing with a sedition plot in the Imperium court, and her goal shifts to preventing another Nyari civil war, in order to persist in upholding her first goal. These goals are based in altruism, self preservation, and personal ambition simultaneously.

Physical Description: Ottilie is a cisgender woman of South Asian descent, who is shorter than the average human at this point in humanity’s development, standing at roughly 5 '4". She has darker skin, a prominent Roman nose, dark brown eyes, and black hair, which is long, but almost constantly tied up in a low hanging bun. She is thin and petite, with a flattish chest and few curves. She is not very muscular or athletic either. She has no distinctive scars or tattoos, and only stands out amongst humans for having pierced ears, which is rare and not particularly in fashion at this point in humanity’s development. Ottilie has a very practical fashion sense, and almost never wears makeup or styles her hair. She has a very clipped and precise way of speaking, with little room for misinterpretation but some room for offense to be taken from bluntness. Ottilie is trying to work on this though, particularly in studying the different ways cultures within and outside of the Coalition live their lives and formulate their ethics and morals.

Personality: Ottilie is defined by her hard work, persistence, and ambition. She is generally a decent person morally, letting her work speak for itself, but in past encounters (particularly at the Academy), she has not been above benefiting from the failures and missteps of others to help her succeed in her goals. Despite this, she isn’t one to intentionally sabotage anyone in order to reach what she wants. She is very stubborn in her beliefs and opinions, which she realizes is something she needs to negotiate within herself to succeed more in foreign diplomacy.  She often lacks empathy, can be selfish, is very opinionated, and has a prickly demeanor in casual encounters; these flaws make it difficult to make and keep friends. Ottilie doesn’t seem to mind this much. Gradually, and before the story takes place, Ottilie has been attempting to test and renegotiate her perceived boundaries, in order to strengthen her abilities as a diplomacy broker for the Coalition. While some admire this, and it has caught the attention of those in charge, her divisive personality has not earned her a great deal of friends from the Academy. It has earned her respect in the halls of the Coalition, though, which, at least outwardly, Ottilie seems to value more.

Occupation: Ottilie is a junior diplomat, earning her respect and experience in her field within the Coalition. She is not quite where she’d hoped in her career yet, despite being further along than most of her peers of similar age. While she has surpassed everyone’s expectations for her, Ottilie has yet to meet her own expectations for herself. This fuels her to go above and beyond.

Habits/Mannerisms: Ottilie has several nervous tics that are almost unnoticeable, namely flexing her hand, clenching her jaw, and blinking quickly when annoyed or perturbed. Occasionally, her hands will flutter unconsciously when she is flustered, but when she catches herself, her attempts to suppress it are almost more noticeable than when she just allows it to happen. She does not have any notable vices such as synthetic alcohol or drug use, nor any “bad” habits such as nail biting or hair chewing. Her mother and some of her friends view her love of traditional non-replicated foods as a bit odd, but harmless as far as “habits” go, and it isn’t looked down on as more than a quirk or curiosity.

Background: Ottilie came from a rather typical home for a human from the Coalition. She grew up not on Earth, but on a colonized M-class planet closer to Talome known as Caliban. Her father is an aquaponics engineer, and her mother is an agricultural genetic engineer. While both always had high expectations of Ottilie as their only child, they were very loving and supportive, never herding her towards one field of study or another. When Ottilie became fascinated with Talomar culture and cultural sociology/anthropology in general, they encouraged her to pursue that as a field of study; however, Ottilie soon found her desires went far beyond the scholarly. In her studies about Coalition history in interacting with new worlds, she kindled her own desire to do the same. Human diplomats were of course accepted to the Coalition programs for foreign relations, but few had yet to make names for themselves. Ambitious Ottilie determined she would be the first (or at least the first most notable). While she wasn’t as cutthroat as some of her classmates at the Academy, never choosing to purposefully undercut any of them, she also wasn’t particularly friendly with her classmates, causing her to miss some networking opportunities. However, her impressive work and research led to her catching the attention of several higher ups in the Coalition, who were specifically interested in her research into cultural immersion as diplomacy, as this method is non-standard amongst the majority of Coalition cultures. This is chalked up to her humanity and humans being more physically and mentally adaptable, but Ottilie’s ambition certainly stands out amongst her peers for her willingness to go beyond the standard expectations. When the plague begins, Ottilie is studying at a graduate school on Talome. She is front and center for the damage of the Talomar plague, feeling suddenly helpless to do anything to aid her friends, peers, and compatriots. When Ka’lan Tern, a Talomar diplomat of great note whom she admires, comes up with the idea to contact the Nyari Imperium, Ottilie is shortlisted and eventually selected for the mission to the Imperium. She is suddenly thrust into the spotlight of Coalition foreign affairs, with millions of lives on the line; part of her though can’t help but be excited about the thought of succeeding and all that might mean for her. A much bigger part is terrified of the weight of responsibility in her potential loss.

[noveldivergence]

I'm answering both questions in depth because I'm BORED AT WORK and the other department head isn't answering my emails nor is IT fixing my laptop so I have things to SAY.

On the topic of the death penalty in A Plague of Shadows:

The Coalition doesn't have the death penalty as they view it as barbaric. However, they are also a false utopia, so it can't be that simple. Functionally, most criminals are rehabilitated, but if they are rehabilitation resistant, then the Coalition governing bodies basically chemically lobotomize them. It's pretty horrifying, but also completely normalized within the narrative as the perceived "best option." There is significant evidence that has been concealed that this is a persistent form of psychological torture.

The Imperium does have the death penalty for very particular crimes. Those that cannot be rehabilitated (and they do also have a pretty extensive rehabilitation program!) are usually sent to prison, even in cases of murder. However, certain crimes are worthy of the death penalty which is closely tied to the official state religion. The death penalty is highly rare after the civil war, due to the nature of it and the desire to prove absolute certainty of guilt. It's pretty gruesome, due to traditions and ceremony, but also fairly quick.

On the topic of religion in A Plague of Shadows:

None of the religion in A Plague of Shadows is correct. The Coalition doesn't have an official religions, and most people in the Coalition look down on or are condescending towards it. The Imperium has an official religion, but actually does allow freedom of other religions with no obligation towards the official one. It's also common for people within the Imperium to practice multiple or parts of multiple religions. While most in the Imperium, especially the Nyari themselves, are religious, there religion is not "correct" in that it's not demonstrably true.

What is the most recent huge/inciting event in your world's history?

WRITERS!!

Answer the given worldbuilding question, and then add a new question for the next person to answer!

Does the death penalty exist?

[justanerdy-gal]

"Do You Resent Me?" (Astarion x Tav)

-> pairing: Astarion x Tav -> content: fluff/angst -> summary: In which Tav wonders whether Astarion resents her for convincing him to choose to reject the Black Mass ritual and not Ascend. Full of angsty fluff.

-> notes: The finished version of the WIP I posted yesterday. Astarion & Tav draws all the angst and cheesy fluff out of me 🥹

——————

“Do you resent me?”

Astarion looks up, wearily, from the corner of the Elfsong Tavern room that they had been staying in for some time now.

“Darling….what would I have to resent you for…?”

You slowly walk over to his corner of the room, and sit beside him on the edge of the bed. You observe him as he turns his gaze over to the hands in his lap.

“It…just feels like…you may have made your choice because of…me.”

Astarion turns his head to look back at you, betraying nothing in those crimson eyes at the moment, but listening.

“If I wasn’t around….you would have been free to make the choice you always wanted,” you continued, your eyes glassing over as you ponder the thoughts that have been plaguing you since the moment Astarion made his choice in the Szarr palace.

“The freedom that you always craved… did I take that away from you?”

Astarion’s eyes widened as you made your declaration.

“You… think it wasn’t the right choice?”

“Not that,” you tried to clarify. “Maybe… maybe I don’t know what the right choice is. But what mattered is… your choice.”

“You trusted me. You trusted me with a choice that, in the end, goes back centuries…” your voice starts to shake. “A choice with consequences you must live with for…eternity.” You look up at him as tears finally threaten to pour from your eyes. “What right did I have, to ask you to sacrifice yourself to the shadows?”

Astarion stares at you as he ponders your statement. He looks away from you as he stares at the cracked, drying paint on the wall of the old room.

“I think about it every minute, every moment.” Astarion speaks slowly, softly. “I think about the colours of the city. The warmth of the rays at dawn, beckoning me towards the next day. I think about the sanguine hunger I have suffered for over 200 years, and how I could be free from that pain. Free from all limitations. And how that will never be now… once the parasite is destroyed.”

You look up at him in despair as your body threatens to let out a sob.

“And I think about… how it would never be enough.”

It was your turn for your eyes to widen. His gaze had softened as his fingers move to entwine in your own.

“I see the colours through your eyes, through the stories that you tell me of your adventures. I feel the warmth through your skin as you lay beside me every night.”

“And your blood can sate me better than any power can.” You giggle as he smirks, softly wiping the tears from your eyes.

“Before you, before this nautiloid fiasco … I had no reason to want anything else but freedom and power. I only lived to escape what I was. I had everything to gain. And nothing to lose. So ofcourse, this Ascension seemed like an obvious choice.”

“But everything changed,” Astarion said breathily. “From the moment you wormed your way into my heart…you became a complication that I never expected. Suddenly, I had everything to lose.”

“I would have stayed,” you say thickly.

“I know you would,” Astarion says sadly, “but would you have been happy?”

“I probably would have been happy…happier than I was, for sure.” Astarion stares distantly at the wall as he speaks. “But where would that happiness end? What would sate me, if my happiness was dependent on power? I would have to take more, control more, be more…it is surely the fate that befell Cazador, that befalls all with power…more power than they know what to do with.” Astarion winces as he utters his late master’s name. “The need for power, for control, can never be sated. It would never be enough. Nothing would ever be enough.”

“But you, with me, here? That is enough. You are enough. We are enough.”

You pause as you ponder his words for a moment.

“Am I?” you whisper weakly as you stare at your entwined hands.

You feel the chill of his hands as they move up to hold your face tightly, and tilts your head up to look at him. The intensity in his eyes at that moment was like nothing you’ve ever seen on him before.

“Listen to me,” he says firmly, staring fiercely into your eyes, as if he was speaking through to your soul. “There is nothing in the world that I wouldn’t sacrifice to remain here by your side. You are my eternity. My mad love. Besides,” Astarion smiles as he stares into your eyes. “I still think it was the right choice, regardless. If I could go back and do it all over again, I’d make the same choice. Every time.”

Astarion’s words cause the tears that you were holding back to creep up to the surface, as your body begins to wrack with heavy sobs, as you let out the doubt and fear that you have been holding since you both learned that the Ascension was a thing – since you have contemplated that potential decision every minute of every day, since the moment Astarion asked you to help him, and you convinced him to give away that power, to save those souls, to save himself. Astarion pulls your head to his chest and holds you tightly as you shake against him.

“My darling, why do you weep? Don’t sell yourself so short. No one else has a heart like you. You’re the only one,” Astarion whispers into your ear.

“I love you,” you declare into his shirt, tears still staining the soft, white material.

“I love you too,” Astarion says, leaning backward, pulling you down with him until he was laying on his back, with your head resting on his chest, hands softly caressing your hair. “I can’t imagine another way I would want to spend the rest of my days, my love. I’m not afraid – not anymore. And especially not of our future.”

And that is how you both fell asleep, with the two of you in eachother’s arms and your dreams of the future in eachother’s hearts.

——————

My AO3 and Twitter 🙂

MASTERLIST

[gothcsz]

📹 ── 𝙒𝙀𝙇𝘾𝙊𝙈𝙀 𝙏𝙊 𝙈𝙔 𝙇𝙄𝙏𝙏𝙇𝙀 𝘾𝙊𝙍𝙉𝙀𝙍 𝙊𝙁 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙄𝙉𝙏𝙀𝙍𝙉𝙀𝙏! hola cariños, it’s ya girl,  𝙠𝙖𝙩, and my hobbies include thirsting over javier peña and daydreaming. i also read and write too much smut, oops.

explicit content will be found on this blog. pls don’t interact unless you’re 18+.

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my ask is always open

english isn’t my first language. proud morenita mexicana over here!

i’m a flirt, okay, i call everyone a variety of pet names but if you’re uncomfortable with it please let me know 🖤

this is a sideblog. my main is @fridays13th and so is my discord

divider credit / graphic credit

📺 ──  asks.   writing tag.   drabbles.   me speaking into the void. pinterest. spotify. ao3. wips. fic recs. join my taglist. detailed masterlist under the cut.

i’m always taking prompts / suggestions / ideas. thanks to everyone who reads my stories, it really means a lot to me 🖤 remember to support your fave authors  🖤 what isn’t listed in the masterlist is in my general writing tag.

⚠️ all of my reader inserts are able bodied, afab, with curvy mid-sized builds! ⚠️ all fics include smut! ⚠️ i primarily write for javier peña! ⚠️

🎞️ ── thoroughfare. javier peña x original female character [ ongoing ]

religious horror!au. crime thriller!au.   after being reassigned from colombia to a small town in rural texas, former DEA agent javier peña takes on the role of deputy sheriff to tackle a series of mysterious murders plaguing the community. as rumors swirl about a sacrilegious group lurking in the shadows, tension mounts among the townsfolk. amidst the chaos, javier finds himself drawn to paloma, the sheriff’s daughter, who captivates him not only with her beauty but also with her enchanting performances at a local bar. as javier delves deeper into the investigation, he becomes increasingly entangled in the complexities of the case and his relationship with her. inspired by ethel cain’s album ‘preacher’s daughter,’ javier navigates a web of deceit and intrigue, uncovering shocking truths about the town and its inhabitants. ── longfic.

masterlist

ao3

🎞️ ── fantasize. javier peña x f!reader [ ongoing ]

set during s3 of narcos. arriving in colombia for work, you didn’t expect to find the man of your dreams there, and you definitely didn’t expect to prowl after him like some horny vigilante. ── mini series.

masterlist

ao3

🎞️ ── unscripted desire. pornstar!javier peña x f!reader [ ongoing ]

you’re a camerawoman that shoots pornos. javier peña is the pornstar you can’t stand. so why is it that you’re always so affected by him? ── series.

masterlist

ao3

🎞️ ── neighbors. javier peña x f!reader [ ongoing ]

set during s1 - s2 of narcos. what it's like living next door to javier peña. ── collection of random inbox prompts, one shots, and drabbles.

masterlist

🎞️ ── untitled. onlyfans creator!javier peña x f!reader [ ongoing ]

your best friend sends you a link to a very interesting onlyfans page that quite literally turns your world upside down. ── short ‘n sweet two parter.

part one

part two

🎞️ ── worst behavior. secret service!javier peña x f!reader [ complete ]

tired of living in the confines of being the president's daughter— you sneak out, only to be caught by the head of your security, javier peña. ── one shot.

read here

🎞️ ── purgatory. javier peña x f!reader x f!oc [ complete ]

a threesome between you, your bestie and javier peña. ── one shot.

read here

🎞️ ── 𝐈𝐈𝐈. marcus acacius x f!reader x lucius verus aurelius [ complete ]

modern au. lucius aurelius, the stepson of wealthy and renowned architect marcus acacius, falls in love with you, marcus's personal assistant. however, you're already in the midst of a tangled affair with his stepfather. ── one shot.

read here

ao3

🎞️ ── dusk. chief park ranger!joel miller x f!reader [ complete ]

you become a park ranger at a national park in california after breaking up with your ex. you meet joel miller, the chief ranger there, and find yourself absolutely smitten over him. ── one shot.

read here

[kiestrokes]

Day 4: Stardust | NSFW

▸ Idol: Xu Minghao of SVT ▸ Rating: NSFW. Mature (18+) Minors DNI. ▸ Genre: active WIP, smut, monster fucking, dubcon. ▸ Vibe: Hao is the sleep paralysis demon that has been sexually edging you for months. Until one night you decided to edge him back. ▸ Warnings: language, demons, sleep paralysis.

Sexually Explicit Content: MONSTER FUCKING, DUBCON, DNI IF THESE THEMES ICK YOU OUT - IT IS FICTION - KINKSHAMING WILL BE BLOCKED/DELETED - intercourse (penis in vagina), raw sex, demon semen that has special effects, multiple orgasms for both, cum eating mentioned, mostly missionary, some cowgirl, kissing, marking, biting, clit stim, nipple stim.

🗝️ Note: Has not beta-ed by me or anyone else. Ok so listen…I toyed with the idea ever even posting this WIP. But then Hao goes and drops this single. I am bumping Jeonghan and Chanyeol to days 5 & 6 (you will get both at the same time). Minghao is taking day 4. I wrote this over the summer after being plagued with thoughts, that stemmed from an ask about SVT as Sex Workers. Good luck? Be nice.

Disclaimers: This is a work of fiction; I do not own any of the idols depicted below.

「 25 Hours: Hard, Soft and WIP-mas Masterlist 」

Xu Minghao is the sleep paralysis demon that has been edging you for months. He enchants your hands so you cannot get yourself off. Having to seek out men to do the job. As Minghao watches from the shadows.

None of them satisfy you.

He gives you just a little bit more during each of his visits. So close, left with frustratingly damp panties each time.

Until one night you say fuck the panties and go to bed nude.

Catching the demon off guard, his restraint shredding like nylon tights without your usual physical barriers to stop him.

He noses at your slit, a full glide, bumping of his nose against your clit. You moan groggily in your sleep, and he hisses in response.

Pinning your legs to the bed and licking you open. Your hips rock into his steady lapping until you start to come. You try to close your legs, but he won’t let you. His muffled groans as he eats away, pushing you into something far beyond overstimulation. You’re crying his name, body shaking.

Minghao finally relents and sits up to remove his pants. Stroking through your folds until he’s well lubricated.

“Wait-ah” you moan at the feeling of him bursting in.

You don’t see stars, you see swirls of dark purple and pink, a whole galaxy.

“Sorry little human my precum is a little…seductive.”

You come back into yourself to him hovering over you, hips plush against yours as he waits. Suddenly the patient demon you're used to haunting the corner of your bedroom.

“If you cum inside me, will I die?”

He laughs, “no you'll just have a really deep sleep.”

“Ok, that sounds nice.”

You nod and he smirks, “as if you had an option in this.”

Minghao flexes out and you gasp, “so tight.”

He snaps his hips, and you bow against the bed slightly in response. His long fingers grip your hips setting to work. Stroking your insides until you’re trembling on his cock, arousal coating his length with a creamy ring.

“Been that long huh?”

He chuckles at your intimate display, tugging your hips down a little harder enticing you become more vocal.

“Come on little human, come on my cock, milk me a little, let me fuck you sleepy.”

Your body tightens and so do your legs around his hips, “ahhh but wait-wait.”

You want a kiss but you’re coming around him and he’s moaning and picking up the pace as he releases just a little into you. His hips slowing as your body limps and falls into a light sleep.

“That’s it,” he fucks into you lightly as you doze.

Painted hands stroking your breasts and nipples before he lifts you up to sit in his lap. Cock buried deep inside so that he can have access to nuzzle your chest. Lips and teeth and tongue, kissing and sucking each breast and nipple.

Your skin silky under his turning him on so much so that he releases the love bite he had been sucking on your neck to choke out a surprised moan, leaking another release into you accidentally.

He pulls out to lay his dick against your clit, nestled in the valley of your netherlips. Hips rubbing listlessly as he explores your body. Until his palms clench handfuls of your ass to rut against you.

You cry out softly in your sleep at the clit stimulation and he ruts back inside. Fucking into you roughly as he lays you back down

“Mmm kiss” you whine.

Minghao rasps a laugh, clutching your jaw and to kiss your pouting lips before licking inside with a growl. You groan groggily and wrap your limbs around him.

He huffs, hips falling back into a steady rhythm with yours. Deeper this time in your embraced state. Gasping into your mouth between your needy kisses as he thrusts. Eating your moans.

“Could stay here all night, just fucking you like this.”

“Please,” you sigh.

The demon swirls his toned hips and your head presses back into the pillow climax building again. He watches you pumping you through it as you gush around him. Sweat slicking your bodies. His tongue flicks out to lap at your clavicle. Panting into your neck. Other hand tucked behind you on the small of your back.

“Another?”

“Yes,” he groans and sits back on his calves' lips parted fingers biting into your hips “so messy.”

- at one point he finishes but wants to eat you out and accidentally causes himself to fall asleep -

You wake up to him still in your bed and climb on top. He’s surprised that you’re not freaked out and lets you ride him.

“I’m not going to cum, you can fuck me as much as you want.”

You whine, “I want you to cum again.”

Minghao lets out a wispy laugh and cups your face.

“I’ll pull out?”

You nod eagerly. His head kicks back and he lets go as you ride him. Eyebrows furrowing as he watches you through slit eyes. Squeezing your thighs and ass appreciatively as you bounce on his cock. Your climax reaches you frustratingly quick, body falling out of rhythm. Minghao fucks up into you when you can’t continue on top, your muscles tightening on themselves, trying to fold you up. He flips you over, thrusting hard from above.

You’re mesmerized. His hair shimmers a rainbow colors in the morning light leaking through your curtains. You let out a choked moan as you orgasm hits you at the sight of him.

“Fuck, look at you," the demon gasps.

His hips stuttering and stills himself; muscles flexing before continuing.

“Not yet,” he hisses to himself.

Minghao slows his stroke, focusing on burying himself inside you. Stretching your sensitive core in a way that has you clutching the sheets to ground yourself.

“I want to consume you.”

You cry out, “you are, all I see is you, all I feel.”

© COPYRIGHT 2021 - 2024 by kiestrokes  All rights reserved. No portion of this work may be reproduced without written permission from the author. This includes translations.

[turnwheelofthetwelve-if]

Back when the world was whole, it was presided over by the Celestial Twelve. Each held a Relic that bestowed abilities onto it's chosen Warden and provided life and magic through the land and for a while, there was peace. But greed and jealousy corrupted the people and wars broke out over the Relics. Then the Great Fracturing occurred, ripping the world into twelve shards, extinguishing the powers of the Twelve from the world completely, and the Relics were lost to time. Without the powers of the Twelve, the world was plunged into a centuries long Dark Age, suffering from famines, plagues, and wars. Until 500 years after the Fracturing, when all across the world, new Wardens began emerging from the shadows. But without their Relics, their abilities were useless. Enter the Guardians, people born with a connection to the Wardens who were tasked with protecting them as they searched the world for their Relics. For centuries, Wardens and Guardians worked in tandem to search for the Relics, but as they kept returning unsuccessful and the disasters got worse, tensions rose and bubbled over and the powers of the Twelve were once again lost. Now, 1000 years after the Fracturing, Wardens and their Guardians have started to appear again just in time as worse disasters have started to ravage the world. But with the world rife with danger and in such disarray, truly restoring the Twelve seems more like an impossible goal than reality.

The Turnwheel of the Twelve Saga is a WIP collection of 13 interactive CYOA stories all taking place in the fictional world of Astelle, a world that was once lush with life and magic, now relegated to dry empty deserts and dense industrial pollution. Each of the books follow different characters on their journeys to recover the respective Relic.

Note: Because this is still a WIP, some names of characters or places may change during development. Also, this blog serves mostly as a hub to reach all of the other planned books, so there won't be much original content added here and just reblogs.

Genre: Adventure, Romance, Fantasy Post-Apocalyptic

Rating: 18+

Tracked Tag: #turnwheel of the twelve

Current Book: Chalice of the Scales

Status: Writing Book 1

Current Book Demo || FAQ || Ask Guidelines || Tag Navigation || World Lore || Dev's Main Blog ||

Book 1: Chalice of the Scales ( @chaliceofthescales-if )

Book 2: Ballad of the Maiden ( @balladofthemaiden-if )

Book 3: Sword of the Lion ( @swordofthelion-if )

Book 4: Tome of the Moon ( @tomeofthemoon-if )

Book 5: Fruit of the Twins ( @fruitofthetwins-if )

Book 6: Ring of the Heavens ( @ringoftheheavens-if )

Book 7: Horn of the Ram ( @hornoftheram-if )

Book 8: Mirror of the Sea ( @mirrorofthesea-if )

Book 9: Vessel of the Waterbearer ( @vesselofthewaterbearer-if )

Book 10: Sickle of the Harvest ( @sickleoftheharvest-if )

Book 11: Key of the Archer ( @keyofthearcher-if )

Book 12: Crown of the Dark ( @crownofthedark-if )

Book 13: Return of the Twelve ( @returnofthetwelve-if )

[theboarsbride]

WIP Re-Intro - GHOSTS PLAGUE THESE HALLS

Title: Ghosts Plague These Halls

Comp: CRIMSON PEAK x Cocteau's LA BELLE ET LA BÊTE

Whitechapel, London 1894.

Sophie Wickes and her family struggle to survive in the underbelly that is London's East End. Melancholia eats away at her ailing father, her work as a flower seller brings no income, and her efforts to sell her hair in an act of desperation prove to be fruitless. After a series of strange encounters in London's streets, and the gift of a mysterious white rose from her pickpocket nephew, she is called upon by the reclusive Lord Edgar Cushing to tend to the gardens of his countryside estate of Rosenthorne Hall. Faced with destitution in a workhouse and the threat of her young nephew being sent to find industrial work, Sophie agrees to play the facade of gardener.

However, the estate, its gardens, and their master is nothing like what Sophie expected.

The house? Rotting, dilapidated, hideous.

The staff? Unfeeling, cold, strange.

The gardens? A graveyard of floral corpses guarded by an army of statues.

The master? A voice from the shadows that refuses to show himself.

With her heart tested by the thorns of anger and fear, Sophie tries to make herself of use in Rosenthorne Hall; something resembling friendship begins to blossom between her and her mysterious employer; she finally has a chance to rescue her family from the East End's grime, and perhaps allow old scars to, at last, heal. But with a lord who speaks kind words from the house's darkened corners whilst pleading to remain unseen, an unfriendly coachman, and the sudden emergence of eerie butterflies, loneliness becomes maddening.

The delirium only threatens to worsen once she starts to receive nightly visitations from a crooked-jawed ghost and moths that whisper of a bloody past, and a plea to rid Rosenthorne Hall of the misery, grief, and love that continue to plague its halls.

-----

Rough updated synopsis (i'm terrible at writing them hhhhsbhbshsbhbs sorry if it be sloppy-) and WIP intro for GHOSTS PLAGUE THESE HALLS! My Victorian gothic horror-romance ghost story baby... with yet another pathetic wet-cat-of-a-man love interest.🥰

[sorceresssundries]

Young Lae'zel WIP

Thank you for voting in my WIP poll!!!

There were two winners, a lot of you wanted to read some of my Young Lae'zel story - so here are some lines i've been working on over the last few days!

I started this ages ago, and will hopefully publish it by the end of the week. There's also some exciting art to go with it!

Later that night, she sat alone in the Great Library of K’liir. Her ten short years were but a single, unpolished stone against the tower of ancient knowledge surrounding her. She was small, a solitary figure in the vastness, the low orange candlelight throwing shadows that loomed large behind her. In her small hands, still caked with the blood of her kin, she gripped a Githyanki Disc - her gold eyes danced over it, reading the story of her people as though it were a fairytale. To a frail and fanciful human, it might have seemed just that: knights riding dragons, the slaying of monstrous horrors. But, this was her history, and her future. She would be a hero to sail the astral sea and bring glory to her kin. She would drag a mind flayer’s severed head through the halls of her people and mount a dragon whose fiery breath would set the stars alight.

She would not just be a part of history; she would make it.

She read the final passage for the third time. 

There is no other race as proud, as fierce, or as deserving of the stars as the Githyanki. We are the survivors of enslavement, the conquerors of our oppressors, and the raiders of countless worlds. We, who have risen from the chains of the Illithids, stand as the eternal guardians of the Astral Plane.

Without our vigilant guardianship, the Illithid parasites would spread like a blight across the cosmos, an uncontrollable plague that devours life and enslaves our people. These soulless creatures would have turned the stars themselves into a wasteland. It is by our hand, our unwavering resolve, that such a fate has been averted. While other races allow their emotions to cloud their judgement, we possess the strength to cast aside such weaknesses and do what must be done. A Githyanki does not falter.

Our brutality is not born of cruelty for its own sake, but of necessity. We do not shy away from the hard choices, the difficult actions that must be taken to preserve the balance of power. It is our destiny to bring order to the chaos that lesser beings have allowed to fester. 

We are the blade that cuts through decay, the fire that purges weakness, the storm that reshapes worlds.

Vlaakith gha'g shkath zai.

[pocket-vvardvark]

TY for tagging me @skyrim-forever, @theoneandonlysemla, @yansurnummu !! <33

Sorry, it feels like it's been a few weeks since ya'll tagged me! I've got a few WIP headcanon things to share about my favorite gal, Alethia <3 I’m especially interested in her life before the planemeld. A lot of things I glossed over, but would like to give life to.

I'd like to tag: @fangsandsoftgrass, @aviel-the-trans-bucket, @scholarlyhermit and @madamefluffnstuff if you guys got any headcanons or WIPS floating around in your mind! no pressure <333

Lillandril

Alethia’s sickness prevents her from doing much with her family. Desperate for a cure, Alethia’s mother dedicates all her time to research. They don’t get to spend a lot of time together, so auntie Shana takes up the mantle as pseudo-mother. She teaches Alethia about magic, and fills her mind with stories about Summerset. Alethia becomes fascinated by both the flora and fauna, and eventually sneaks out when everyone is asleep. Wandering in a fevered haze, she is drawn to Ebon Stadmont’s beauty. Getting lost in the forest, she huddles against the brush, only to find a curious Indrik sniffing about. Desperately wanting to pet the animal, Alethia struggles to remain awake, but the sheer amount of stress on her body forces her to collapse. Her father, Meriano, visits when he can, and does try to spend as much time teaching her valuable information/skills to survive. Her sisters also spend a good amount of time with her, too.

The illness

I really like the idea that Alethia was born ‘blessed’ by Mara with an affinity for restoration, and inherently has large pools of magicka. But, because her constitution is so weak, she can hardly use any of it. Frequently, she’s left bedridden from bouts of vertigo, fatigue, and among other dire symptoms–hemoptysis. Finally, at age five, her mother is successful in her attempts to create medicine. Crushed up magicka resisting ingredients into a viscous liquid, Alethia takes it four times daily. The fevers subside, and she musters up enough energy to run! During the next two years, her family helps her strengthen her body. This is also the time she is plagued with non-stop dreams from Mara of an older version of herself clad in knight armor. 

Western Skyrim

Auntie Shana catches Alethia sneaking off her last time to Ebon Stadmont. Sensing danger, she shadows her until proven right when a werewolf strikes. They fight, and auntie shana sustains a few scratches. The tension between auntie shana, Ylva, Meriano, the kids, versus their parents/grandparents, they all leave. Meriano dorms in the mages guild, auntie shana and Ylva prepare for solitude. As sad as it is, the kids hardly see their father after that. (Until the summerset chapter >:3)

Benevolence of Mara

Maran knights are searching for someone who matches Alethia’s description. They are led to the temple of Mara in solitude where they finally find her. Their leader begs for Alethia to come back with them. With promises they will take good care of her, Ylva allows it only if it is what her daughter truly desires. Alethia complies, and she tearfully bids her family goodbye. At this time, she’s only twenty years old. A few months into her training, the beginning of the planemeld occurs after she naively attempts to help the ‘benefactor.’ 

[ghuleh-recs]

It was our beloved Bee's (@da-rulah) birthday yesterday! To celebrate I've made us all a mixtape of some of her greatest hits... which ended up being almost everything she's written. Whoops. The only reason I left anything out was to save some for next year! Bee is such a kind, lovely, generous, TALENTED soul and I'm so very lucky to have befriended her. So go forth and read some top tier papa (and Mary!) smut. Leave Bee some comments while you're at it—as a lil' bday gift. ♡

recs under the cut.

Rituale Septem - Terzo (and everyone else) x Reader - 74k

Your faith is shaking; 16 years at the Ministry, and what did you have to show for it? You'd never even heard the Dark One's voice like your Siblings… But what could you do? Well, you could ask the advice of the one person chosen to guide his flock through adversity; Papa Emeritus III. And he has an idea that might work…

Rubenesque - Secondo x Plus Size!Reader - 7.8k

Retirement had its perks. For Secondo, one of those was being able to spend much more time on the things he enjoyed. And there were only two things he truly enjoyed these days; art, and you. Although if you asked him, he’d insist that they were one and the same. So how would he react when he learns that your peers are mocking your sinfully gorgeous body, and you're struggling to love yourself?

A Personal Ritual - Copia x Reader - 2.1k

"With an expert flick of his wrist, it unfolded, a glinting silver blade unsheathing itself from the brilliant red of the marbled handle. When he leaned forward, he stretched his neck with a lean to one side, lining the blade up against his skin and in one quick, clean motion he’d swiped a stripe up to the sharp edge of his jawline. The blade was wiped off on a cloth draped over the sink, then brought to do the same thing again next to the already created strip of clean, smooth skin.   You'd never seen him do this before, but you were enraptured – privileged, even… It was you and you alone that had the honour bestowed upon them to watch the man you loved in his most humble and domestic of moments, to see the parts of him that nobody else in the world got to see just because they were usually saved for him, and him alone. While you’d spent many an intimate night in his bed, sharing your bodies and souls in every way a lover can, these were the moments that felt truly intimate."

The Mayor's Daughter - Mary Goore x Reader - 72k (WIP)

Mary knew the entire town hated him; the metalhead with the freaky make up and fake blood dripping down his face. He was the local menace, the town vandal, the cliché trouble maker. He played up to that image, enjoyed the havoc and the chaos, revelled in it. He loved pissing people off. And so, what better revenge to get on his beloved town, than to fuck around with the Mayor's daughter…

In Cold Blood - Terzo x Reader - 19.4k

Solitude had always appealed. Perhaps that’s why you took on this project… The thought of transforming a dilapidated old Victorian farmhouse into a sanctuary of your own, to live in peace and the romanticisms of a gothic home you fell in love with. After the structural integrity of the house is replenished, you fill your days with DIY and decorating, bringing to life a house that had been frozen in time and left to rot for decades. You could enjoy the solitude of the land already, a few miles outside of a town plagued by disappearances and a fear of the dark. But you couldn’t escape the news of more missing people, nor the strange occurrences happening around your new home. Were you imagining things? Or was there indeed a shadow haunting your sanctuary?

Confessional - Cardinal Copia x Reader - 22k

As a sister of sin, it was your duty to confess at least once a month, to have your sins praised by a higher up member of the clergy. But you only ever chose Thursday nights, when you knew he was on duty. And tonight, you were working up the courage to confess your darkest sin - the dreams you had been having…

Learn the Ropes - Secondo x Reader - 2.4k

Secondo likes to be in charge. He likes to be in control. But you'd always wondered what he might do if one day, you decided to flip the script, and take charge for him…

Copia gets Bullied - Copia x Reader - 2.2k

"I know this trope for Cardinal Copia is over done but I would love, love your take on it. I would like a sister of sin who Copia have had a crush on, come and comfort him after witnessing him getting bullied and embarrassed. But the poor Cardinal is an emotional crying wreck that the sister decide the only way to comfort him is by being sexual with him for the first time🙈"

𖤐 you know the drill--bookmark, read, and leave kudos/comments!

Did I forget your favorite? You've got a standing invitation from me to add your own rec and reblog ♡

[loveisonlyforthebrave8]

i was gonna ask for some fic recs for hyunchan fanfics :'(. but ao3 is down.

AO3 IS BACK, BABY! And boy do I have some fic rec's for you:

Starting off with my absolute FAVE (it's currently a 91k word WIP, the author is SO GOOD and I'm having so much fun with this fic- but just bare in mind its *very dark.* Please please please read the tags.

But if the tags don't scare you, then you're in for a real treat.

Nothing But An Echo by sshhad0w (WIP)

“Getting rusty, hyung.” Hyunjin smirked as he flicked the knife between his fingers, tilting his head with a pout. He couldn’t snap the switchblade back to its open position before Chan had his hand around his neck. Hyunjin’s head slammed into the door and Chan’s fingers tightened as he stepped into the space, his chest rising and falling with calculated calm. Hyunjin just laughed, rolling his shoulders against the restraint. Finally. OR: SKZ are mercs-for-hire and Hyunjin loves the fact he dances so intimately with death for his day job.

we hide the fact that we want to touch by totoroism

Hwang Hyunjin was unshakable. He knew that some friendships were meant to stay as friendships, no matter how badly one party wanted to grab the other and kiss him and confess his love of several years. He was fine. He'd come to terms with it a long time ago that him and Bang Chan were never going to be the couple he wanted them to be, and he was fine. Until he wasn't. - OR: The one where Hyunjin has been pining over Chan This Entire Time, but maybe it's not as hopeless as he's thought. (This is one of my absolute faves)

a song of salt and goldwater (the series) by pacw0man

Hyunjin, the son of a noble, escapes from his home in order to fulfill his dream and promise to his late mother: to draw a map of all the seas. In his haste, however, he lands on the Levanter, the ship for the famous pirate crew the Strays, whose captain, Chan Bang "Silver Eye" he undeniably feels an attraction to, and who deeply intrigues him. (I fucking *adore* this pirates!au, holy shit.)

invisible by endlesswaltz8

Chan has been on alpha hormonal suppressants since he was twelve. None of the members had ever caught so much as a whiff of his alpha scent until a global medication shortage occurs. Hyunjin's reaction isn't quite what he had expected. (This omegaverse!hyunchan slaps.)

bluebird, bluebird by straycty

Hyunjin is a courier from Meridia, the wealthiest city in the RES. His mission is simple: deliver classified documents to the Medical Institute of Concord, then return for new orders. Shit doesn't exactly go as planned. (fucking loved this fic)

i can't cast shadows like you by sshhad0w (same author as the top fic)

Hyunjin tapped his ash onto the patio and tilted his head as he squinted. “Do I know you?” “Not yet,” Chan said, and this time his smile dropped on one side into a smirk. “Are you hitting on me?” Chan let out a huge laugh, the type that made his eyes crinkle in on themselves and almost split his face in two with how wide his grin was, and he threw his head back so that the chains around his neck moved and rippled across his throat. Hyunjin squinted even harder. “Not yet,” he repeated. OR: Hyunjin is an artist fuelled by self-hatred who can't pick up on social cues, and Chan is obsessed with his voice. (this fic is sooooo fucking good)

I Want You To, I Want you Too by sevenbyseven

But of all the scenarios that had plagued him for hours, nothing prepared him for the words that come out of Hyujin's mouth. Chan slowly swivels around in his chair to blink at him. The sleep deprivation must be getting to him; he couldn't have possibly heard right. "What?" Hyunjin licks his lips and repeats, "I want you to choke me."

with mercy you cradle my throat by littleredchain

It’s not the first time Hyunjin has gotten a bit of an erection while being choked. It’s not even the first time it’s happened while being choked by Channi-hyung specifically. It is the first time that the other boy has gotten a bit of one as well. OR The author's obligatory Red Lights fic

red looks like love on you by raethye

Hyunjin’s sexual appetites wax and wane with the lunar cycle, and Chan knows—these days around the full moon? Hyunjin is practically in heat, desperate for dick. According to him, he always wants sex. It’s simply his nature. But on these days, Hyunjin needs it.

make me feel your love by frostednapkin

Hyunjin has been holding a candle for Chan since Red Lights. And then, they start writing Taste.

tear the petals off of you by hynchns

“Am I?” Hyunjin’s voice cuts through the darkness, something much more fragile than the teasing tone he had before. “What?” Chan feels him leave his space just enough to prop himself up on one hand, staring right down at him. He can’t make out much in the darkness besides Hyunjin’s silhouette and the faint lines of his face; even that much he finds stunning. “Am I yours?” (i think about this ficlet a lot.)

drip feed by sentimental_halos

Hyunjin. Bang Chan. Figuring out each other, themselves, and everything else along the way. (this fic is a WIP, but i'm fucking obsessed with it)

run the table by orphan acount

Contrary to Chan’s belief, his thing for Hyunjin doesn’t go unnoticed. Non-famous AU.

until the moon falls asleep by inkin_brushes

“Everything okay?” Changbin asked, voice rough with sleep but still concerned, rather than angry. “Uhm, I— yeah? I uh.” Chan licked his lips, nervous and feeling silly, stupid. “There’s a vampire in my closet.” There were a few beats of silence, on the other end of the line, nothing but the faint staticky crackle of the connection. “There’s a what in your where?” Changbin finally asked. vampire/werewolf au.

a night at your belonging by mecala

Hyunjin should be used to it at this point. It’s been almost a week of looking through his window and finding the guy there, in his apartment, naked. Always naked. Okay, not always, but enough times that Hyunjin should be used to it already. He isn’t. And he knows he shouldn’t be looking, but he doesn’t even feel guilty about any of it. It’s just such a nice distraction to fantasize about the hot guy during work, then look at him–just for a bit–when he’s home.

the creation of bang chan by seathehorizon

Hyunjin is an art student who is holding an exhibition of dick paintings dedicated to his hook-ups, but as he's preparing for it, there's one painting that just doesn't look right. So, for the first time, he asks a hook-up out for a second time so he can fix it - and doesn't exactly regret it in the end.

focus on me by stray_lilly

Chan is Minho's regular client. But when Minho isn't there, Hyunjin takes full advantage of the situation and sets out to replace him. stripper!au

addicted to your touch by goopeculiar

As flattered as Chan is to be propositioned like this, there are just two major problems: one, having sex with Hyunjin in front of a live audience seems kind of daunting. Two, having sex with Hyunjin at all seems kind of daunting on account of the planet-sized fucking crush Chan has on him.

[noveldivergence]

Ocean and Sea for the ask game!!

Oh boy, I'm excited about Ocean. The oceans in Nyari are freshwater but go far deeper down than even the Mariana Trench on earth! There are enormous creatures the further down you go, and collectively, a good deal of the Imperium just smiles about it and goes "huh, neat, just gonna ignore that!"

This is not that the Nyari aren't scientifically curious, or that their relgion has anything forbidding it--the level of danger is just so much and the level of terror is just so great of some of these creatures that the Nyari--who have faced war, all sorts of collapse, and various Horrors--are still like "we're fine! we simply do not need to know!"

There's a sort of fringe belief amongst some of the faithful that the deeper you go the more likely you are to wake their planet's god, which would be Quite Bad for Everyone.

For Sea, the Imperium actually does fear many more things than what lives in the depths of the oceans. Primarily, they fear a return to war. They only exited a very bloody civil war recently, and their history has generally been filled with wars. While some glorify this, the majority realize it's time to change the nature of the game in order to thrive outside their corner of their galaxy.

[grxmoire]

enkiramus WIP under the cut as promised o7

There are some kinds of pain in this world that exist outside of description, that go beyond the capability of understanding and reason. They transform past agony until everything dissolves into a blank, all encompassing knowledge that it hurts. Enki is in pain, Enki hurts. Blood loss and shock are making the edges of his consciousness falter. He is aware that the pain is unbearable. A sense of relief floods him anyway. He is alive, and the pain is a blanket over all his other senses. He cannot feel the gnawing of hunger-- nor the dark that always plagues him in this place. He will miss the arm, but it’s a small price to pay for still being alive, still clinging to the damp existence his life has turned into. 

But it hasn’t ever been different from this— his life before the dungeon and his life in the dungeon are, fundamentally, the same. Always in the dark, clawing for the light, for knowledge. This is where he thrives. He can handle the pain, even if this brand of it is new to him. He can handle anything if it means finding the answers he is looking for. 

Heavy breaths disturb the air, thick, and still and suffocating-- he cannot tell if the shadows are moving because there is something in their inky depths, or if the oppressive darkness is playing tricks on him. If he were put into a position where he needs to defend himself, he would die. Patience is forced to override fear, to gather more knowledge before a conclusion is made. Strands of white gold peek from the gloom-- a parody of his own craggy, dirty, blonde, and he knows who lurks just beyond the light.

“Come out of the dark or slink back into it-- linger no longer, Nosramus.” There is blood rushing in his ears, soaking into his clothes and through the makeshift bandage and tourniquet desperately trying to keep a torrent at bay while the stump that used to be his arm heals. He thinks the alchemist says something, mutters words that do not reach him until he gets closer, and Enki can see his face.

Often, Enki had been called sickly, pale and rail thin and a step away from death… But Nosramus is pale like the moon-- stark bruises from too little sleep tug at his eyes, but they do nothing to shatter the ethereal beauty he carries. Nosramus is willowy and graceful, soft and beautiful is every place that Enki is sharp and cold. There might be a pang of jealousy— or something else that Enki refuses to name— were he to care about that sort of thing. 

“I didn’t want to startle you.” The alchemist kneels beside him, eyes lingering on the lost limb for a long, long moment. There is an emotion that passes over his face, that Enki cannot place. Something between guilt and curiosity, a sickening kind of enrapture. “It is a horrible thing… to lose a limb.”

[justanerdy-gal]

~ “Do you resent me?” ~

In my Baldurs Gate 3 Astarion fanfic writing phase. Here’s a little WIP - I’ve always wondered about what would happen if Tav and Astarion had a conversation about whether Astarion resented Tav for the decision to not go through with Ascension. 🥺

“Do you resent me?”

Astarion looks up, wearily, from the corner of the Elfsong Tavern room that they had been staying in for some time now.

“Darling….what would I have to resent you for…?”

You slowly walk over to his corner of the room, and sit beside him on the edge of the bed. You observe him as he turns his gaze over to the hands in his lap.

“It…just feels like…you may have made your choice because of…me.”

Astarion turns his head to look back at you, betraying nothing in those crimson eyes at the moment, but listening.

“If I wasn’t around….you would have been free to make the choice you always wanted,” you continued, your eyes glassing over as you ponder the thoughts that have been plaguing you since the moment Astarion made his choice in the Szarr palace.

“The freedom that you always craved… did I take that away from you?”

Astarion’s eyes widened as you made your declaration.

“You… think it wasn’t the right choice?”

“Not that,” you tried to clarify. “Maybe… maybe I don’t know what the right choice is. But what mattered is… your choice.”

“You trusted me. You trusted me with a choice that, in the end, goes back centuries…” your voice starts to shake. “A choice with consequences you must live with for…eternity.” You look up at him as tears finally threaten to pour from your eyes. “What right did I have, to ask you to sacrifice yourself to the shadows?”

[aralezinspace]

Send Me to Sleep

Requested by anonymous: fluff with insomniac reader and the prompt "why are you still up?"

A/N: Here have some tooth rotting fluff, I am not responsible for your dental bills xD fun fact, the thing Dream does to help reader sleep is the same thing I do to get my tiny humans to go to sleep, made this slightly bittersweet to write b/c after next Friday I won't be working with tiny kids anymore i'll be working with college age kids ANYWAY hope you enjoy!! 💖💖

~~Requests are open!~~ ~~Current WIPs~~

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

It was almost as if the ticking of your antique alarm clock was mocking you, loudly reminding you of every passing second you spent awake when you should be dead to the world.

Your insomnia was nothing new, it had plagued you since college. It was conditional on your stress levels, which was somewhat ironic: the more stressed you were, the less you slept. The less you slept, the more stressed you became.

Since figuring out that pattern your senior year, you had done everything you could to keep your daily life stress free enough for you to sleep, and it had been working out for the most part, aside from busy times of the year when work, family, and friends all collided in a few hectic weeks. Times of the year like Christmas, the height of summer, and for some reason, the entire month of April.  

This week was not supposed to be one of them.

You stuffed your face into your pillow to muffle your frustrated scream. It was now going on 3:30am, and you had to be up and getting in the shower at 6. You sat up with a heavy sigh and ran your fingers through your hair. Sleep was obviously not coming tonight, so you decided to get some chores done around your apartment.

Under the hot spray of the shower two and a half hours later, you groaned as you felt the heaviness behind your eyes that indicated your body was ready for sleep. Of course it had to happen when you were getting ready for yet another busy day at work… which would probably stress you out to the point where you wouldn’t be able to sleep, or your body would just shut down out of sheer desperation.

“Ugh, Dream’s gonna kill me,” you grumbled into your towel. “Well it’s not like there’s anything I can do about it.”

If anyone else had been this invested in your sleep schedule, it would have been extremely weird. But the fact that it was your partner, the ruler of the Dreaming and Nightmare realms. Sleeping was kind of his thing, and once again the irony was not lost on you: a conditional insomniac, in love with the literal sandman.

~~

Your day was just one thing after another, mostly phone calls. More than the usual volume at work, then a call from your dad, then another one from your aunt for some reason, then one from your brother that you sent straight to voicemail just to have a break. Future you thanked past you for that, turns out he just wanted to once again complain about his boyfriend.

When you got home, your mind was fuzzy with exhaustion, and your body jittered and shook from the after effects of the four cups of coffee required just to get through it all. You felt like crap, and probably looked like crap too.

You shambled through changing into your pajamas and making dinner, barely tasting the food as you chewed. You barely registered what episode you were on, thankfully it was a show you had seen before. Your “bedtime” wasn’t for another two hours; you were ready to drop, but fucking up your sleep schedule even more was a recipe for disaster.

You dragged your hands down your face and groused, “Ugh fuck me.”

“With pleasure.”

The rumbling chortle came from the shadows by your front door, making you spring to your feet. The rush of adrenaline rendered you wide awake, at least long enough to process who was currently standing in your apartment.

A smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth as Dream of the Endless strode into the light of your living room, hands in the pockets of his signature coat. It slowly dropped from his face as he took in more of your appearance: the blue, almost black bags under your eyes, the pallor of your skin, the slump of your body as if the immense burden of his responsibilities rested on your shoulders.

“My love,” he pressed, almost like a parent trying to get the truth of some mischief out of a child, “It has been some days since I have felt you in the Dreaming for longer than a few moments. Have you not been sleeping again?”

The way your entire body sagged in defeat was all the answer he needed.

He stepped closer to you, gently resting his hands on your shoulders. “Darling, when was the last time you had a good night’s rest?” You shrugged, your brain struggling to come up with an answer that you were allowed to give. Once again, your body language gave him the answer.

“Then why are you still up?” He didn’t sound angry, only deeply concerned. “Why did you not call for me?”

You swallowed hard before mumbling, “I didn’t want to bother you.” A heavy sigh pushed itself out of Dream’s chest and his hands moved to hold your face in his hands, taking the weight of your head off your shoulders. “Beloved, you are never a bother to me. “I would not be a worthy monarch of the Dreaming if I could not even ease my own partner to rest.”

You couldn’t help your chuckle; it was the closest you had ever heard Morpheus come to humility. Your smile brought a tiny mirror of the gesture to Dream’s face as he rubbed his thumb over your cheekbone, trying not to focus on the deep shadows beneath your eyes. He pressed a gentle kiss to your forehead, letting his lips lingered as he inhaled deeply through his nose, taking in your essence. It stuck in his nose, tainted by your exhaustion. He breathed his words into your skin, “Let’s get you into bed.”

Swift like quicksilver, he scooped you into his arms, drawing a startled squeak out of you, closely followed by a bashful giggle. Dream carried you to your bedroom, staring lovingly at you the entire time. Your bed was still unmade from this morning, and he gently deposited you in it before pulling the blankets over you.

You snuggled into the covers, drawing them up to your chin. You smiled at Dream as he sat next to you on top of the covers. Cool fingers brushed your hair out of your face. You murmured, “Gonna use your sand to send me off?”

Dream chuckled, soft and low and slightly smug. “No, I will not need it to get you to sleep. I need only do this.” His forefinger settled between your eyebrows (some would say over your third eye) and gently rubbed the skin there. You hummed softly, wiggling deeper into the comfort of your bed. Dream’s eyes practically glowed in the darkness of your room, distant, even though he was sitting right beside you.

You were more than bone tired, and sank easily into his soothing touch. Your eyes flickered and fluttered for a moment before finally falling shut. Dream’s touch on your forehead was the only thing that existed in the blackness behind your eyelids, safe and comforting. You could practically feel the stress leaking out of you and into the mattress.

In your last moment of lucidity before you drifted off, you heard Dream murmur, “Sleep well, beloved. I will see you soon.”

[jtl-fics]

Happy WIP Wednesday! May u request some math nerd? 🧮

7/10/24 WIP Wednesday (Closed) | Math Nerd AU

Things return to something resembling normal after those questions. Neil no longer shadows him like he did in the time right before Thanksgiving Break but Neil also doesn’t avoid him like the plague like he did in the time right after Thanksgiving Break. Neil doesn’t wear his contacts anymore seemingly the only reason he had worn them before had been to stop Andrew from recognizing him.

Andrew still has no idea how in the world he hadn’t recognized Neil before. Has no idea how that flash of blue after he’d taken out his contacts could rock his entire world.

But it had and now Andrew needs to continue to make sense of the new world he’s living in.