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#i have been obsessed with the same character for 5 years will it ever end? will it ever stop? will he ever leave?
criticalamityz · 26 days
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happy (late) birthday shin
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milaisreading · 1 year
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Wedding nightmare
Pairing:
Itoshi Rin x Reader (hint of Itoshi Sae)
Warnings ⚠️: characters are aged up. Reader uses she/her, there is angst but read till the end, it doesn't end sad! Requests are open
⚽️Blue Lock belongs to: Muneyuki Kaneshiro and Yusuke Nomura⚽️
Rin for a long time didn't know what exactly his dream was. At first both him and Sae dreamed of becoming the World's number 1 and number 2 players. Slowly, after Sae left for Spain, that dream dissipated and the silly childhood promises turned into nothing. He wanted to crush his brother after he humiliated him at the playground, for stealing the childhood dreams they had and for... for just not being the big brother he knew and loved. Now, at the age of 24 Rin pretty much forgot all the resentment he held for Sae. He had accomplished a lot ever since he entered Blue Lock at the age of 16. From becoming one of the World's best strikers, to playing for a well-known French club, to winning the World Cup, Rin had it all. The fame never got much to his head and he pretty much stayed the same, stoic and somewhat sarcastic man he used to be in his teenage years. Well, he was like that towards the outside world, to his beloved girlfriend it was a whole other story. As much as Rin didn't want to admit that Blue Lock changed him as a person, it was the truth. He entered the project and boom fell hard for the manager. (L/n) (Y/n), Rin sighed dreamily as he remembered the day they met. Just after the 2nd selection started he met her in the hallway as she was helping one of the players. And boy was he whipped! From her looks to her caring personality, everything drew him in and he was determined to get to know her better. At first it was hard, with (Y/n) having a close bond with the players of Wing 5, to them also liking her and to his standoffish personality. But he somehow made it work, he somehow got her to agree to go out with him and here he was. After 3 years of dating, he was getting married. Rin chuckled a little as a blush made it on his face as he remembered the day he proposed to (Y/n). It was a intimate proposal, in the safety of their shared apartment on their anniversary day. He still remembered the happiness he felt when she said yes, hugging and kissing him. Rin was finally at peace. And today was finally the day Rin had waited for so long. The wedding ceremony itself was a pretty small one, only family members and a few close friends.
"Ahhh~ my baby is getting married! I never thought of seeing this day!" Rin smiled as his mother shed a few tears. His father fixed up his tie as Sae stood coldly to the side, glaring at Rin from time to time.
"I honestly didn't think that either of you would get married, with how obsessed with football you are. But it's finally happening!" His mom hugged Rin as his father tried to calm her down.
"Honey, you are being a little dramatic. Both Rin and Sae are pretty young. Who knows, maybe next thing we know Sae will surprise us with a girlfriend he kept hidden." The father teased as they looked at the said redhead.
"You are in a really foul mood today, Sae." His mom noted, wiping a few tears away.
"Yeah, cheer up or else you might scare (Y/n) away." Rin teased, satisfied that Sae never got and never will get the chance to know (Y/n) the same way he did. Sae let out a sigh and looked at the trio.
"I just didn't sleep enough. After all, it's not everyday Rinnie gets married." Sae said, faking a smile. Rin frowned at the nickname, he didn't like it when Sae used it.
"Besides, it's not everyday that a girl like (Y/n) is joining the family, am I right?" Sae asked again, directing the question to the youngest.
"Yeah, true." Rin gave a fake smile back as the parents stayed oblivious to their rivalry over the girl. There was a knock on the door and the maid of honor peeked into the room, nervously looking at Rin.
"Rin-san? Could you come with me?"
"What is it? Weren't you with (Y/n)?"
"I... it is about (Y/n), she has been crying for the past hour or so." She answered back. This caused Rin and Sae to look at her in panic while the parents gave her a worried look.
"What?! Why didn't you call me an hour ago?!" Rin yelled in worry as he walked towards the door.
"Rin, please calm down!" His mom tried to argue and Sae watched him storm out.
"I will go and take some fresh air. All this wedding stuff is ticking me off." Sae sighed and walked out, ignoring his father's calls.
Rin stormed towards the room (Y/n) was in, worry written all over his face.
"Ah! Rin-san, good that you are here! She doesn't want to talk with us." Her step-brother said as he and his wife were waiting in front of the door. Rin nodded his head and told them to go freshen up while he deals with it.
"(Y/n), baby what's wrong?" The teal-eyed man asked as he walked into the room, his heart breaking when he saw her crying. She looked up and flinched when she saw Rin.
"Rin... I am so sorry..." The woman cried out, getting up from her chair as Rin ran over to her.
"What are you apologizing for? Come here." The teal-eyed man said trying to hug her, but to his surprise she rejected the idea.
"No... Rin, I can't marry you. God I should have said something earlier..." Rin felt his knees shake at that, but spoke up.
"Haha... (Y/n), don't joke like that-"
"It's not a joke! I can't marry you... I love someone else, Rin."
The football player felt his heart shatter when she cried out those words.
'No no no... this can't be real. She loves me, she told me that last night.'
"(Y/n), you can't be for real. You told me last night that you loved me." The woman let out another sob and shook her head.
"No Rin, I lied. Truth is, I am in love with someone else, have been for 2 years and he knows it." (Y/n) admitted. Rin felt like he couldn't breath, this couldn't be real! They were supposed to get married, have a family and live a happy life! What was this?!
"And... and who? How did you fall for him?" Rin asked, although he wasn't really sure if he wanted to know her answer. After all, his world was falling apart because of him.
(Y/n) glanced at the person standing behind him and sighed, wiping her tears away.
"You remember the time you couldn't come to Madrid with me?" Rin thought for a moment, then his eyes widened in realization as to who the man was.
"Sae... You fell in love with him?!" Rin yelled in disbelief.
"Don't blame her, little brother. After all, it was you prioritizing your career over (Y/n)'s feelings." Sae spoke up as he walked past him and to where (Y/n) was, giving her tight hug.
"You... you bastard! How could you do this to me?! And let her go!" Rin yelled in anger.
"Rin, it's my fault, don't be mad at Sae. Back then, you just barely ever made time for me and just talked about football. You acted like I was am afterthought, Sae on the other hand... he really made time for me, made me feel special and we kind of hit it off." (Y/n) said, burying her face into Sae's chest.
"(Y/n)..." Rin muttered as he watched the two, realizing what she meant.
'Why can't I move? I want to punch Sae so bad! But my feet won't listen to me.'
"Sorry Rin, but it looks like you will forever be the 2nd best." Sae chuckled, kissing (Y/n)'s forehead.
'No way... not (Y/n)! He can take my fame and talent for all I care, but not her!'
"(Y/n)? Please don't, I will do better, but please don't go for Sae! Please!" Rin begged as tears started sliding down his cheeks.
"It's too late, Rin..." (Y/n) shook her head.
"No! It's not! Please (Y/n)!" The room started spinning and Rin felt like he was about to lose consciousness any time.
"Please!" Rin cried out and sat up on his bed, panting and sweating as he looked around.
"What was... where am I?" The teal-eyed boy thought as he frantically looked around the room.
'This is my room? Was that a dream?' Rin thought as he took his phone from the nightstand. Unlocking it, he quickly dialed a number and waited for an answer. After about a minute, a voice spoke up from the other side and Rin felt a few tear drops fall down his face.
"Hello, Rinnie? Are you alright?" (Y/n) asked, clearly startled from his call at 4 in the morning.
"(Y/n)?! Thank God... how long have we been dating?" He asked, trying to calm his racing heart down.
"What... like a year? Rin, why are you asking me that now?" (Y/n) asked in worry as Rin laid down again.
"No reason... say, did you make any plans for next week?"
"I thought I told you... but we made those plans for Spain, but I have to cancel them tomorrow, since you have to prepare for the championship." (Y/n) yawned.
"Why would you cancel? You told me you wanted to visit Spain, my championship has nothing to do with it." Rin raised an eyebrow.
"I am not going alone there. I want to spend time with you." Rin wanted to say it was stupid and to go without him, but then remembered the dream he had a stopped himself.
'This is my chance... the dream was like a warning.'
"You are not canceling anything! I am taking next week off and we are focusing all our energy on Spain and going wherever you planed." Rin said sternly.
"But the champion-"
"Screw that! We are going there next week and the championship is in like a month anyways. That can wait."
"O-ok..." Rin could clearly hear how startled she was, making him realize just how much he put his work before her. He will need a balance, he will make this work.
'I will be the only one to make you feel special. I promise.' Rin nodded to himself as they spoke on the phone for the next hour. Slowly Rin forgot about the nightmare and he became calmer, enjoying his conversation.
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absolutebl · 1 year
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In Strongberry We Trust
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I had a private ask about Strongberry recently so here’s some thoughts.
Strongberry is probably the most established KBL studio, they started in high production shorts/microfilms (as, indeed, did all of KBL) and still specialize in them. They also do some GL. They tend to have very good chemistry, work with professional actors (not idols), and will go high heat. They are now a division of Matchbox, and have been around and steadily producing content since 2017. The CEO is adorable. 
For YEARS Strongberry was the only studio reliably producing BL content out of Korea. And, sometimes the kisses were even good! For real... there was a time, not so long ago, when all we really got was KBL shorts and most of those from Strongberry. Dark days. Except for Strongberry shining one bright light of BL content. They are reliable, HEA, and high quality. 
Hence the fandom slogan...
#In Strongberry We Trust
They often pick odd (or underserved) premises but always execute beautifully. Their stuff is either on YouTube, Gaga, or pay to play on Vimeo, and they do move it around so my links might not always still be working. Vimeo earns them the most money. They are a small, struggling, queer-friendly studio, please support them and their content by not pirating or watching illegally. 
Here's my ranking of Strongberry's offerings.
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1. A First Love Story
2021 YouTube short in 2 microfilms 
Tropes: childhood friends to lovers, home setting, soft tone, grumpy/sunshine pairing
Strongberry are true masters of their craft and yet A First Love Story is still one of the best things they have ever produced. It’s the only microfilm every to make one of my year end top ten list. It’s two episodes of about 8 minutes each that manage to perfectly portray the sweetest friends-to-lovers confession ever. It’s joyful, and gentle with its characters, and a little hot. How on earth do they manage to leave us yearning for more yet completely satisfied at the same time? It’s like the perfect amuse-bouche, that one finger food at that one cocktail party that you will never forget. You are a ridiculous human if you haven’t spent 16 minutes with these two boys. Go watch it now. Or go watch it again. It’s time VERY well spent.
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2. Long Time No See
2017 Gaga KBL length series (total 1.5 hr, some places packaged as a movie)
Tropes: secret love, enemies to lovers, secret identity, assassins, catfishing, mafia, higher heat, grumpy/sunshine pairing 
One of Strongberry’s few longer pieces and I often wonder whether this is strictly BL. It’s about assassins on either side of a terf war who fall in love not knowing they are on opposite sides. Or do they? Good fight sequences, mature characters, high heat, very suspenseful, AND an HEA. If you like KinnPorsche you will LOVE this one.
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3. Some More
2018 Gaga microfilm
Tropes: friends to lovers, hyung romance, self acceptance, countryside setting, soft tone, age gap, country boy/city boy
One of my most favorite of Strongberry’s shorts, about a city boy on a bike tour who gets injured and rescued by a taciturn, but (as it turns out) very gay, farmer. Mentions of pride, adorable supportive cousin. SO CUTE with excellent chemistry and featuring tropes I can never get enough of. 
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3. Private Lessons
2019 Gaga microfilm
Tropes: student/teacher, jock/nerd, hyung romance, obsession, crush, university setting, May/December, age gap  
Given it is age gap and teacher/student (AKA P’ABL’s catnip) it should rate higher on my list, but the chemistry is slightly off. Stil I do love this one for the dynamic. Certainly worth watching especially if this is one of your fav yaoi tropes.
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4. Step For You
2018 Gaga microfilm
Tropes: friends to lovers, sports, university setting, crush, jock/nerd, soft tone
About a reporter from the student newspaper who has to interview an older dancer and falls in love with him. This may not have been my first Strongberry, but it’s the first one I remember watching. 
5. Please Tell Me So
2021 YouTube microfilm (AKA That's My Mr.Right!) 
Tropes: crush, obsession, cafe setting, sunshine/sunshine pairing 
Cute barista (played by Han Hyun Jun star of Love Class) has a crush on his customer, musters up the courage to ask him out. 
6. My Pistachio
2018 Gaga microfilm
Tropes: friends to lovers, crush, hero worship, hyung romance, university setting, play within a play, grumpy/sunshine 
7. As if You Whisper
2019 Gaga movie
Tropes: friends to lovers, self acceptance, music industry setting, grumpy/sunshine pairing
8. Confidential Coffee Break
2021 Vimeo microfilm
Tropes: mature romance, long term relationship, self acceptance, university setting, one act
It’s a monologue piece about two closeted older gay professors discussing changing times and the nature of acceptance (self and others) in modern day South Korean academic environment. 
9. Hold Me
2021 YouTube microfilm
Tropes: friends to lovers, self acceptance, high school setting
10. Sweet Curse 
2021 Gaga short
Tropes: horror, paranormal elements, ghost story, possession, obsession, gay friendship group, everyone wants that one boy, bad/good
This is a low-gore atmospheric horror, with some very high heat. I’m not saying it’s in the top 10 just because of that, but I am saying when Strongberry does high heat it v good and v gay. 
OTHERS
My Personal Trainer - 2019 short Gaga. It v silly and v gay. Influencer has crush on his personal trainer. 
Secret Roommate - 2020 short Gaga, Cohabit, self acceptance, home setting, family, coming out 
Fingers After - 2021 microfilm Vimeo. Cohabit, morning after, home setting, pining, sunshine/tsundere pairing. 
Secret Spectacles - 2017 microfilm Gaga. Very silly again, friends to lovers, paranormal elements, university crush.
Table Manner - 2018 microfilm Gaga. Cohabit, self acceptance, home setting, long term relationship 
The Summer Pasta Recipe - 2021 short YouTube, reunion, self acceptance, grumpy/sunshine.
There my be a few more I don’t know about, MDL doesn't seem to have a sort function for production company. 
NEW! 
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Choco Milk Shake 
2022 YouTube KBL length series (total 1.5 hr) 
Tropes: cohabit, F2L, paranormal elements, home setting, soft tones, sunshine/tsundere. 
Two pets, a cat and a dog, reincarnate as humans to visit their old owner. Stongberry gave us a full length BL on YouTube! It’s a BL miracle and an endless delight. It was wonderfully cute, unexpectedly hilarious but expectedly silly, a little too poignant, occasionally gut wrenching and with a somewhat expected weird (but happy-ish) ending. The actors playing the two pets must have had the best time. As, indeed, did I watching it. Jealous Milk made me cackle so hard it scared the actual cat on my lap. Choco was perfectly cast, and the chemistry was ultimately decent. In Strongberry I still trust. Thank you thank you, may we have another, sirs?
Two Other KBL shorts worth checking out:
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Just Friends? 
2009 Gaga short 
I consider this one of Korea’s first actual BLs. Boyfriends, one of whom is on military leave, trying to decide on coming out and their future together. Bonus for out gay director and queer activist. 
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Being Me 
2018 short Gaga 
A summer of love for two long term besties who have basically always been boyfriends, but when a girl tries to date one of them, they finally realize it. Beautifully filmed and a STELLAR ending kiss. 
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(source) 
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damagedintellect · 10 months
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Nakahara Chuuya x Reader
💌 Would this be considered a social suicide? : Chapter 1  💌  
Summary: You knew it was dangerous to take walks at night but hearing the water rushing under the bridge was calming to your nerves. You didn’t imagine you’d ever fall into the river and somehow wake up in your favorite anime. The isekai that I’m sure will come back to haunt me. It’s kept me up all night but I might as well get the brainrot out.
Notes: Reader is Isekai’d into BSD, Slow to start, Chuuya is endgame but there’s a fair bit of reader & Dazai moments too 
💌 Word count: 2,348 💌  Available Chapters [You are here] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7]
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You stood over the bridge looking out at the sunset. You would have to return home before it got too dark but the tranquil sound of the rushing water underneath you always calms your nerves after an episode. Things have been pretty rough lately but you’d live. As a writer you were your worst critic. You were almost done with your first big manuscript and you just needed to get past the final hurdle before you could start seeking out publishing companies. At the beginning your novel came easy but as the ending chapters were approaching you started to dread finishing it. The unknown future was a scary thought. Multiple what if’s flooding your mind. The fear that you would have wasted the better of a year and a half writing a story for no actual gain was one of them. It shouldn’t be considered wasted time because writing it helped you in many ways but the ever looming thought that you could have accomplished much more in the same amount of time is a burden that will never leave you alone. If only things could be as easy as the media you consumed. Your recent obsession with a certain anime series wasn’t helping either but it’s captivated your heart and it’s all you think about nowadays. Which is what spurred on the little tiff with your writing. All you’ve done recently is play the Bungo Stray Dogs mobile game trying to pull the rate up Chuuya unit to the point where you were actually no lifing it. While you agree that you might be going overboard just a little, you might actually have formed an addiction to playing marbles. You honestly preferred when you were analyzing and fantasizing about the contrast of the strong bonded characters. Not to mention how much you can see yourself in everyone. The amount of character study is comforting to you and one day you wish to write something that makes others feel the way you do when you read BSD. From your perspective this was just research but to the rest of the world haha whoops just your autism is showing. It’s a limiting belief you weren’t sure how to get rid of either. The need to constantly do and be productive with your time otherwise you fail at society when ultimately success is subjective.
Before you could turn around you were harshly grabbed by the arm. You were pushed against the railing as your assailant threatened you to stay quiet. A knife was brandished against your neck but almost foolishly the wrong side was being pressed against you. The man reeked of alcohol so maybe he wasn’t all there right now. Mustering as much rage and aggression you’ve been bottling up for years you think to yourself that this was now or never. If there was one thing you have been thinking about since childhood it was pulling off a Miss Congeniality. Shouldering him in the gut, stepping on his foot, elbow to the face, and finishing it off with a swift kick to the dick. Panic was starting to kick in. You didn’t think that would work but that doesn’t matter right now you should start running. As you were about to bolt he grabbed your leg and your dumbass clutched onto the railing trying to use your bodyweight to break free and it worked due to the thug letting you go but your momentum was already set in motion. You threw yourself over the railing crashing in the icy water below.
“Dazai I swear if this was one of your planed double suicides I’m going to kill you!” a voice rang out. You could still feel the sensations of floating your memory murky. 
“I assure you if it was, me and this lovely lady would already be dead but unfortunately Atsushi here ruined that miracle for me.”
You choked, you recognized those voices “D-Dazai?” When your vision came too you were in Atsushi’s lap as Kunikida was shaking his partner. This couldn’t be real. 
“Ah so sleeping beauty’s awake. Kunikida as a gentleman you should ask her if she’s alright and stop strangling me.” 
Reluctantly the blonde did as he was told and let go, kneeling in front of you “Are you alright my colleague said you were floating in the river?” his eyes were full of concern.
You looked dazed, glancing around to see the familiar riverbank that Atsushi starts at during the very beginning of Bungo Stray Dogs. You looked at your hands. You were still wearing the same clothes you put on this morning, admittedly they were much soggier than you remember but you had no memory of the day or how you ended up in the river. For some reason you knew who these people were and what seemingly happens to them in the future. The most notable thing was you were grossly aware of the fact that this universe belonged to your favorite manga that currently was on its 108th chapter? This had to be a dream. If you played along maybe you’d eventually wake up. You’ve had lucid dreams before, it wasn’t too far fetched but the ache in your heart didn’t want you to wake up. Finally you looked up at Kunikida who was patiently waiting for your answer but before you could give a response your stomach growled. How embarrassing, now you really wanted to die.
Dazai keeled over laughing “I guess introductions can wait till we get something to eat, how about that?” He offered you a hand over his partner's shoulder to help you up. You snapped out of your haze to grab his hand and say “I can’t remember much so I think that’s for the best.” 
What have you gotten yourself into?
At dinner Atsushi spent no time at all stuffing his face as Kunikida and Dazai bantered back and forth. Dialogue you remembered from when you watched the show originally. You forgot how furious Kunikida was over the whole ordeal and you felt bad knowing what Atsushi was going to say next. He really needed a hug.
“I came to Yokohama straight from the orphanage. I’ve had nothing to eat and nowhere to sleep since. I thought I’d starve to death.”
“You came from an orphanage?” Dazai questioned. He was sitting across from you casually and despite being hungry you noticed that he didn’t order anything to eat. You had ordered one out of solidarity. You’ve always wanted to try tea on rice but never bothered trying to find a place that makes it in your area. Atsushi was already on his twelfth bowl or so as he continued the conversation. 
“I was yes but they kicked me out.”
“Sounds like a real philanthropic organization.” Dazai turned his attention from Atsushi to you “How about you? Remember anything now?” He rested his head on the back of his hands.
You nodded “I think my name is (Y/N), (Y/N) (L/N). Still trying to work out where I came from and how I got in the river but it’s something to start.” Being vague was probably for the best right now. Although you would have to find some way into the Armed Detective Agency eventually. After that you could be a little more bold with your knowledge. Without an ability though, it would be by the skin of your teeth and your memory of the events to come. Not everyone in the agency had an ability or combative skills but they had plot armor, you sadly do not. Being caught up with the manga was great for knowing everything to come but you'd have to remember things you've read and watched months ago. There was no room for error as it stood currently. Your life literally depended on it. You wondered if you could pull it off. If you didn't you could always try the port mafia. It would be more risky and twice as dangerous but at least you could hopefully get a glimpse of a certain redhead before you died. Who knows, could be fun.
“Dazai we’re not a couple of do good-ers going around helping hard luck cases. We’ve got a job to do.” Kunikida nudged the other with his book leading Atsushi to question “That reminds me. You said that your current job involves the military. What kind of work do you do.”
“We’re private investigators” Dazai gave his signature smirk bringing his hand up to rest under his chin. What an absolute dork you loved this waste of bandages.
“Investigators?”
“But we handle more than lost pets and cheating spouses. Our office has uniquely gifted investigators, we’re the Armed Detective Agency.”
You sat upright with Atsushi. While he was having his little monologue you softly muttered “The Armed Detective Agency.” trailing off you made your eyes as wide as you could like you were seeing a vision before you shook your head staring back as Atsushi. “Tiger?” you stated in a hushed tone. Hopefully you were acting strange enough for Dazai to notice, it was the only way your plan was going to work out. You needed a reason to be kept around but not to upstage Atsushi's importance. Not like that could really happen since he is the tiger but still. You needed your bases covered without being too off the wall. The harsh bottom line was this was your only chance because you have no idea if your choices affect the story yet. On top of that you have no money, no friends and no shelter so they were your only option.
“You guys are looking for a tiger.” You stated it as a fact, regaining their attention after Dazai’s little health hanging prank.
Kunikida stopped strangling Dazai as the two exchanged looks. “We never said what the job was, it's not supposed to be a secret or anything but how’d you come to that conclusion?” He pushed up his glasses for emphasis.  
You tilted your head for effect. “I don’t know it was just a feeling I got when I looked at Atsushi kinda like a weird deja vu.” you played it off quizzically like you were also figuring things out as they progressed. 
Atsushi stared across the table “You’re looking for a tiger?” You could feel him tense.
“Yes, a ferocious man eater who's recently appeared in the city. Well not that we know for sure it's devoured anyone but it’s ransacked warehouses, eaten farm animals and caused general chaos. The authorities have received all kinds of scary reports about it” Dazai sighed, slipping back into his uninterested mood. In Atsushi’s panic he knocked over his chair and a couple of bowls as he tried to crawl away. You watched the scene play out as Kunikida pinned him to the floor and the interrogation started. You sat patiently as Atsushi was then asked if he was free to be bait.
“Forget it no way!”
You laughed at Atsushi’s outburst trying to lighten the mood. “I don’t know Atsushi. If it’s after you I feel like this is the perfect opportunity to get it off your back for good. What if I tagged along? Strength in numbers right?” He stood up and defended himself “That doesn’t make it better! I’m not doing this okay. I know what you’re thinking, you’re planning to use me as bait-”
“There’s a reward you know.”
From there Atsushi’s fate was sealed and you all made your way over to the warehouse. You waited around for hours, everyone keeping to themselves. This was something they didn’t show you in anime but you figured time would pass as normal anyhow. You were laying on one of the crates that was across from Atsushi. You had been staring up at the ceiling after staring at Dazai became boring. He was literally reading his book. You saw his eyes move across the page. You really weren't sure what else you expected. As soon as Atsushi opened his mouth you rolled your eyes.
 Finally, show time.
 It’s not like you’d actually be of any help, you just needed to make sure you didn’t die or get in the way. Hopefully the groundwork you set prior would be enough. If you were in Dazai's shoes and some girl you've never seen before who has amnesia but happens to know the details of your mission, it would be pretty strange. It's not as strong as Atsushi’s but fingers crossed it was enough. When Atsushi started to turn, you stretched and said “Guess that’s my cue to leave, I’ll let Kunikida and the others know.” Dazai only smirked and continued to monologue to Atsushi who would not remember the speech later. You casually strode out of the warehouse seeing the others already surrounding the building, hearing the ruckus inside. You didn’t speak, only waved them in as you made your way back to Dazai seeing that the dust had already settled and Atsushi was already on the ground. After everyone else got to take a jab at him the brunette finally spoke.
“I’ve already made my decision. We’re going to make them one of us.”
You sighed in relief when he gestured to you as well. You didn't want to be presumptuous and assume he meant "them" as in plural when that's not always the case. Regardless, your personal mission was accomplished. It was enough to be lumped in with Atsushi but you weren’t out of the woods yet. It was enough to get you through the night. If you didn’t wake up from this dream you’d still have the entrance exam to worry about. Then the matter of how much you give away about possibly having an ability and next being able to live the lie you’ve crafted. As a writer it shouldn’t be that hard to craft yourself a solid backstory but there was still no proof of your existence outside waking up at the riverside. You’d have to be careful but you were up for the challenge. After all, what have you got to lose?
Chapter 1 | Next Chapter =>
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childofwonder · 6 days
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I started rewatching Buffy and forgot how much I HATE Xander. With a passion, I believe he is just the embodiment of gross and creepy. An incel before incels were a thing.
I have seriously no idea how Buffy and Willow stay friends with him other than for the narrative. If he was less toxic I think he would actually work as the character Joss Whedon tried to write him as. I think that there’s a part of his younger self that SHOULD be immature but beyond that he shouldn’t be so fucking PREDATORY. His relationship to women in this show is uncomfortable and gross. He never evolves out of his womanizer persona. He has basically no substance and is only in the friend group because of his toxic relationship to women. He never brings any real value to his friendships yet reacts horribly when he is dismissed by them.
His obsession with Buffy is just uncomfortable and NEVER ENDS. He acts as if he is owed affection by her when they first meet. He is only friends with her because he wants to go out with her and has sexual fantasies of her. That is doubled after he finds out she’s the slayer. His relationship with Buffy isn’t the only example. His dismissive relationship with Willow has always annoyed me. He basically ignored her until she started dating Oz, suddenly unable to hold himself back and play with her feelings for him. He is well aware of her crush on him and using that as an advantage to CHEAT ON CORDELIA. WHO HE HAD HARASSED AND MAKE EXPLICIT COMMENTS TO BEFORE THEY GOT TOGETHER. He treats all three of them horribly. It seems he is only ever friends with them in the goal of having sex with them.
Don’t even get me started on his predatory relationship with Dawn and the end of his relationship with Anya. It’s the exact same problem he has with every other woman in his life (other than his mother) AND HE NEVER CHANGES IN SEVEN SEASONS. HE IS BASICALLY JUST A PROP AND A WASTE OF SPACE WITH PREDATORY TENDENCIES. He is literally just Joss Whedon’s self insert because there is no other use or value to Xander.
Now I have previously liked Xander. I don’t think he’s evil but that doesn’t change his disgusting behaviour and lack of respect towards women in his life. I really wish this aspect of Xander’s character was changed to bring value to the story or deepen his connection to women to something more than just sexual. I think there are ATTEMPTS to do so but to me they usually fail and the result is the same as season one Xander.
This is an ever evolving opinion I have of Xander, one I have been sitting with for like 5+ years. With my current rewatch I’m gonna keep it in mind and expand on my thinking as I go through the seasons.
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theelectronicstranger · 6 months
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Loki Season 2 Episode 5 “Science/Fiction” Thoughts and Theories
            If you have not seen this episode of Loki, then please look away right now. I really like this episode and you should get a chance to watch it.
            I really liked this episode of Loki, or as I call it “Tom Hiddleston’s audition to be the The Doctor from Doctor Who”. The way he recruits Mobius in this episode literally reminded me of how the Ninth Doctor recruited Rose Tyler in first series. It is so nice to see what everybody’s life was like outside of the TVA. I like how different everyone was. Although, I would say OB being a science fiction writer who is also a physicist isn’t really that different from who he was in the TVA. It was really sad when he came out of the time portal to reveal to everyone that it’s been 19 months and his wife had left him and he lost his job. Loki literally just ruined this man’s life. It’s nice to see Hunter B-15 as a pediatrician; it’s not that different from her caring self in the TVA but when we first saw her in the show, this was not what I would imagine her real life was. Casey shocked me the most since he was a criminal in his timeline; the Casey we know in the TVA is completely opposite to his real-life counterpart. I love that Mobius was a salesman who sells jet skis. That would explain why he has this obsession with them. Although, that begs the question of: do the TVA members know some bits of their lives? Because Mobius has this obsession with Jet skis, the same way he kind of does with his real-life counterpart.
            I loved Loki and Sylvie’s conversation in the bar. I think it gets to the point of who Loki is and what he’s been wanting since we met him in Thor. He just wants to be with his friends. Loki, as a character, has always wanted to find a place where he belonged and a place where people would accept him. In the first Thor, we see Loki betray Asgard because he finds out he’s a frost giant. He feels othered by this revelation and he feels betrayed by the people he thought was his people. We even see that in the end of Thor: Ragnarok, where he helps the Asgardians escape Asgard. Sure, he’s doing it to help them but some part of him also just wants to be the hero that gets all this adoration and glory. We also see it in last season’s episode 5 “Journey Into Mystery”, when Loki is talking to the older Loki, who survives the attack of Thanos during Infinity War, the older Loki talks about how he was captured by the TVA because he wanted to come find his brother to see if Thor missed him or if anybody else did. Loki is this kind of sad character that inside this conqueror, malice, and superiority exterior, just wants to find a place to belong. He found that in the TVA. He found a place where he knew for a fact that he’s just this small being in this vast multiverse and there are things he can’t conquer, so he’s finally able to go back to what he truly wants, which is a place to belong and some friends to go along with it.
THEORY:
            You know when this season first started, I didn’t even think they would go to the Loki is the God of Stories route but after this episode, it seems more likely that that is what they’re going to do with him. If I remember correctly, just a few years ago, Loki was reborn as the God of Stories, which made him a being of immense power. Not only does he know that he’s in a comic (I’m pretty sure it was in that God of Stories run that he found out) but he can also warp/ change what ever reality he is on; he can make every story he tells into reality. Now, I don’t know how much of that the MCU is going to adapt or to put on Loki but if he does become the God of Stories then he literally can change the marvel landscape immediately. You know how there are rumors that Marvel has plans to change Jonathan Majors as Kang and to maybe bring the old Avengers back? Well, this is one way they can do it if they want.
            I’m not saying that Loki will definitely be the God of Stories by the end of this season. Although, him having to figure out whether time slipping’s rules are a matter of Science or Fiction, then ultimately figuring out that it’s a matter of fiction kind of points directly to this God of Stories route. Although, I think his powers would be nerfed a bit where he can only change reality by time slipping to the past and changing the reality through that point. That’s why in the first episode of this season, OB can remember his interaction with Loki perfectly because his new time slipping powers made it so that OB wouldn’t forget.
            What did you guys think of this episode? Was there something that I forgot or maybe got wrong? I’d love to know. I haven’t read that God of Stories Loki in a while, so I might be getting something wrong with that, so feel free to add more if you want. If I remember correctly as well, Loki ends up telling Deadpool that he’s in a comic at some point, but I’m not sure when that happened. Anyways, have a good day/night and thanks for reading.
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prettyboybuckley · 21 hours
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20 Questions for Fic Writers
tagged by @saybiwithme @bi-buckrights @zainclaw
How many works do you have on ao3?
160
What's your total ao3 word count?
1,070,239
What fandoms do you write for?
I've mostly written for 9-1-1, though I started off with Shameless (6 fics) and I have written some for Teen Wolf (5 fics). There's one 9-1-1 crossover with Schitt's Creek.
Top five fics by kudos:
parents always yelling (telling us to get our acts together)
i just want something to hold on to (and a little of that human touch)
I will come to you (even in my sleep)
open up again (i believe in second chances)
exes and the oh's
Do you respond to comments?
Always, even if it takes me months. I actually just caught up again (there's still a bunch to go, but right now the oldest is 17 days ago instead of 250 days...). It's just a rule I have for myself, and even with the backlog I've kept it up so far, so I'm not going to stop doing it now.
What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?
I'm not a big fan of angsty endings, I generally try to at least make it a hopeful ending or, in the case of the college au, use an epilogue to fix things.
But I guess sunny skies & summer highs qualifies as an angsty ending simply because of the cliffhanger (and yes, there is still going to be a continuation, I'm working on it 🙈).
What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?
Choosing one out of 160 is really hard, but I think tell me, will you stay or will you run away is definitely one that deserves a mention here, because it already has a happy ending and then the epilogue just makes it even better 🥰
Do you get hate on fics?
Not commented on the fic itself, no. I've had some people talk shit about my fics on twitter, though, and not even vaguely but calling me by (user)name.
Do you write smut?
Is grass green? Yeah, I write smut 🤭 Thanks to two times kinktober, I have 95 explicit fics, by far the most used rating for my fics.
Craziest crossover:
let's have some fun tonight is my 9-1-1/Schitt's Creek crossover fic for 9-1-1 Rarepair Week, and my only crossover fic
Have you ever had a fic stolen?
My head over feet Buddie valentine's two-parter got posted as one chapter in Wattpad work with over 30 fics once. Filed a DMCA and Wattpad took it down within two hours.
Have you ever had a fic translated?
Two of my fics have been translated into Russian afaik, one on ao3 and one on Ficbook
Have you ever cowritten a fic before?
Nope. It may be a nice challenge for the future? Not sure who I'd do it with.
All time favourite ship?
Gotta go for Buddie on that one, lol. Especially if you look at my writing history. But I often tend to hyperfixate on one ship at a time (current reading obsession is McDanno)
What's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?
Buck's POV of if love is art then you might be my masterpiece. I really want to, but at this point it's been two years since the original so I don't know if it'd be worth it either. (I know not everyone was happy about how I ended it, but I doubt any of them are still waiting for more). Writing a different POV of the same fic takes an amount of planning that my brain just really struggles with. And I could pick up where the last chapter (before the epilogue) picks up, but I think that way there would be some crucial information about Buck missing.
What are your writing strengths?
I've been told quite a lot of times that I am good at keeping characters, well, in character, even when putting them in partial or complete AU's. Of course, what is in character or not is subjective, but I do always challenge myself to work as much of the canon backstory and personality into who they are in the AU as possible.
And I like to think I'm pretty good at writing smut.
What are your writing weaknesses?
I'm terrible at pacing, which multiple of my long fics prove. It'll be drawn out first and then suddenly rushing. And being ESL I do struggle with things like sentence structure and grammar pretty regularly still.
Thoughts on dialogue in another language?
As long as there is some kind of translation provided somewhere I like it, but I'm not so quick to use it myself. Not beyond a few Spanish words here and there (generally pet names between Eddie and his family we've seen on the show or the occasional curse word when I feel it fits better than an English one, but I usually need to employ help from Spanish-speaking friends for those).
First fandom you wrote in?
Shameless! I binged that right before I started 9-1-1 and combined with the creative writing minor I was doing, it was actually what got me back into writing in general and what made me write my first ever fic.
Favorite fic you've written?
My in your arms i feel safe-series (which I always lovingly refer to as the ace kink fic) is definitely one of my favorites simply because of how personal it is to me and for the reason behind me writing it in the first place.
Other strong contenders are i would've loved you forever (it's never enough but i wanted it to be) and i'm begging you, come home to me (Teen Wolf, Thiam)
tagging @monsterrae1 @rogerzsteven @loserdiaz @watchyourbuck
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beauspot · 1 year
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thoughts after i saw black panther wakanda forever again.
firstly queen ramonda’s muscles in this movie were crazy 😭 i don’t even think i noticed it the first time. all of the women in the dora looked strong as hell and beautiful i’m obsessed. since we’ve introduced ironheart and we’re supposed to be getting a tv show(?) i hope happy and her get involved and it would be hilarious if she becomes friends with peter and mj but mj has no idea who peter is but riri does(and she’s the only one who does).
the fight scenes in this movie are so good, like some of the best in the mcu, there’s less cuts and the use of slowmo especially in scenes with the water makes them so gorgeous.
the black and gold in shuri’s black panther suit represents her brother and tradition and the vengeance of her cousin n’jadaka.
why does m’baku challenge for the thrown? with him in this movie it feels off for him to do it for selfish reasons maybe shuri asked him too.
i know the romance plot was scrapped because of test audiences but to me(this is MY OPINION 😒) the romance would have made their ultimate rift so much weightier. what if they had at the end of her tour simply had namor tell her they were more alike than anyone else he had ever encountered and asked for her hand BEFORE asking her to burn the world or if he asked for her hand in order for the scientist to be returned and she said yes. to then be drawn out of the water and have his people killed so he turns around and kills her mother and the final fight hits so much harder.
shuri not only doesn’t kill him because of his people but because some part of her does love him. this is not me negating the relationship they already have, it’s beautiful whether they ever are romantically involved or not i just think it would enhance the story.
also it’s been bothering me but shuri is not 19 and i keep seeing people say she is. she was 19 before the blip friends 😭 in universe it’s been 6 years since the first black panther.
another thing that bothers me is people fully missing the point of the talokanil as antagonists. yes they are the villains of the movie but they are not. VILLAINS. their goal is the same as the wakandans. to protect their home. over the years this goal has been warped by grief and anger and it’s completely understandable. people who look like them have been enslaved and beaten and killed and the surface countries have made it very clear they desire vibranium to control the world. not to help it. hate him if you want but namor is right. the world will turn on wakanda and the only ally they have is talokan.
The core of this movie and honestly black panther as a series is the way black people and other poc are so focused on hating one another, a hatred that was taught to divide us when killmonger, and t’challa, and namor, and shuri, are not enemies. they are victims namor and killmonger understood that better than t’challa and shuri because they’d seen first hand how the world treats people who look like them. Now obviously they could have gone about it another way, a better way but don’t misconstrue that to mean killmonger OR namor were wrong, they weren’t.
i’m very excited about phase 5 moving forward and i can’t wait to see these characters again even though I know it’ll be awhile. shuri will probably be in the next avengers and i have no idea when namor will be back. i hope we get this movie on streaming soon so i can analyze it more closely
OH LAST THING. i see what y’all were talking about with okoye and attuma and i totally agree lol
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pixelatedraindrops · 4 months
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Happy New Year Everyone💜
(Rambling below)
Tbh: This year has been one word for me. Awful. Too much happened and I’d rather not talk too much about it... x-x
My first half of the year was just dreadful. But the second half of it (around July/August) was a lot better. And I have RainCode to thank for that. After losing a close friend, I was in a pretty depressive funk for quite some time. And what I usually do in these times is escape into my current passions and interests and go wild on it.
And boy did I ever. I had just finished RainCode and was officially obsessed. And I wanted to contribute to it. So at first I made some sprite edits, and a Pokémon crossover. Then as I do for every fandom I have a fixation on, I decided to write my very first sickfic of it. And it received so well that felt a bit more secure in indulging in my hidden guilty pleasure some more.
I made more sprite edits involving Yuma and the more I indulged the more obsessive I became. Soon I was making analysis' on his character and making all sorts of whump headcanons for him. Then I realized I became like most sick whump users on tumblr, and I finally had a fandom and whumpee I could call my own... and the feeling I felt was indescribable. I was so happy. Blissful. (Though it did kinda rot my brain from the inside out. But in a good way? If it makes you happy it's healthy....right? XD)
After some time I interacted a little bit with more of the RC community and honestly?? Its such a fresh new and fun community. And there's a lot more adults in it. My last fixation (demon slayer) had too many minors in it so I felt like I didn't belong or have any right to be in the community at all. But with this one?? I feel right at home. I eventually became known here for making sick related content of the series, even dubbing myself the CEO of a tag I made up myself. Whumpcode.
RainCode even inspired me to start drawing again. Something I sadly gave up on for years. And Its helped me find a style for myself and draw things that make me happy c: (aka sick/fever whump lol)
I found a few very nice people to talk to. (mostly because I'm shy and don't talk too much w others online) And I'm surprised my work even inspired some of the community to make some sick art/fics of their own for raincode. It made me feel such indescribable pride. In a sense I am like the other whump users on tumbr, but at the same time I'm not. (mainly because its not a kink to me) I'm more a member of the raincode community than the whump community. And I'm perfectly fine with that.
I first joined tumblr back in 2014 and after some time, took a 5 year hiatus from it. But upon coming back, I'm so happy to have finally found a fandom I truly feel like I'm a part of. And thank you to everyone that supports and enjoys my work. It makes me so happy that there are those that agree with me and don't see me as a freak despite my odd fixation. But focusing on this has made the second half of my year better. So much better...
So thank you, both RainCode and RainCode tumblr. For making me feel like a part of something. And for making my year end on a positive note c:
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have a tiny yuma <3
(part of my big collab wip :3 Coming soon! )
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catofadifferentcolor · 6 months
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Terrible Fic Idea #70: Game of Thrones, but make it time travel
I have a terrible weakness for time travel stories - especially when it leads to massive sprawling changes from the moment of divergence. So I thought to myself: which character would be able to most change Westeros through the simple act of time travel?
The answer came easily. Or: What if Ned Stark time traveled from after his death to the middle of Robert's Rebellion?
Just imagine it:
Ned Stark dies in the OT as per canon. He watches the events of canon unfold fold from the afterlife and has a crisis of faith.
For here is a man who has been nothing but an honorable, faithful, just lord. He served his realm in the best manner he could, was a dutiful husband and loving father, and put the good of others above personal advancement or that of his family. He even stained his honor to raise his sister's son as his own and give the boy the best protection he could - and yet.
And yet the gods allowed his son, wife, gooddaughter, and unborn grandchild to be murdered at a wedding. They allowed his oldest daughter to be used and abused by those that should have protected her. They let that thing take over his second son's body-
So when Ned finds a means to return from the afterlife or is allowed the chance tor return and fix things, the Ned who arrives on the morning of the Sack is a very different man than the one who went to bed the night before. Though they are the same at heart, Ned no longer believes or trusts everyone around him to be good, honorable, or want the best for Westeros.
In the New Timeline, Ned tries to prevent the deaths of Elia and her children - he's too late to save Aegon and Rhaenys, kills Gregor Clegane as he tries to force the princess, and though Elia is alive when he finds her, she dies of her wounds soon after - and gets Jamie to give up the Wildfire Plot after murdering the Mad King.
The fight he has with Robert for refusing to condemn the royal family's deaths is even worse than the OT and threatens to bring down the Red Keep.
Afterwards, he races to Lyanna's side... but though he arrives a week earlier than canon, he's still forced to fight his way through her protectors and she still dies in childbed. He does have enough time with her to get her side of the story - that she loved Rhaegar until he went to war to keep her, and has been a prisoner in the tower ever since she said she wanted to go home - and say his goodbyes.
He returns to Winterfell a little more mindful of his wife's feelings - Ned still passes Jon off as his son, but makes it clear that he has no intention of shaming her again, while also making it clear that the North would shame him if he sent Jon to be raised elsewhere - and sets about strengthening the North.
The next few years should be a montage of Ned making alliances and enriching his kingdom: 1) He talks Benjen out of joining the Night's Watch, sends him to survey all the empty keeps in the North, and grants him Queenscrown once the coffers have had a chance to refill after the war; 2) He gets White Harbor and Bear Island to start trading lumber and peat up and down their respective coasts and across the Narrow Sea, which enriches the North; 3) When Catelyn announces her second pregnancy, he starts work on restoring Moat Cailin, claiming that their second son will need a seat someday; 4) He finds some excuse, if not to get rid of the Boltons, than at least keep such an eye on them its next to impossible for them to continue as they have; and 5) Making tentative moves to court the other Great Houses. Doran Martell, grateful he at least tried to save his sister, arranges a betrothal between Arya and Trystane? Sansa gets a fostering in Highgarden? Bran is sent to foster at Storm's End?
Regardless, the North should be in a better position when Robert rides north after Jon Arryn's death - by natural causes this time, Ned having shared with his foster father stories Catelyn told him about Littlefinger's obsession with the Tully girls.
Meanwhile, Ned also tries to do a better job with Jon this time around - make it more clear that he is loved and valued, and that a good post or even a holdfast will be granted to him if he earns it. Ned does not want to place him on the Iron Throne, but it becomes increasingly clear as time goes on that war of some kind will inevitably follow Robert's death and so it's best all his children be prepared.
(Sansa and even Catelyn are taught how to use a knife to protect themselves, Ned honestly claiming he wants what happened to his sister never to happen to another woman in their family.)
King Robert rides north, gets a stiff, "No," for both his propositions - and might actually have come to blows if Ned hadn't arranged for Jamie and Cersei to be discovered in flagrante delicto in the First Keep. Robert rides back south sans a wife and heirs, short one Hand and Kingsguard. Cersei is beheaded, Jamie and Joffrey are sent to take the Black, and Myrcella and Tommen are left to be fostered at Winterfell until they're old enough to have other arrangements made.
Tywin is naturally unhappy about this turn of events and rises up in rebellion. The Iron Islands use this as an excuse to start reaving again, while the Reach withholds their support unless Robert promises to marry Margery - and Dorne merely withholds support.
Almost three years into the conflict, news arrives during the wedding of Robb Stark and Alys Karstark that King Robert died in battle without any heirs. His brothers have gone to war over which of them should succeed Robert to the Iron Throne. Tywin continues to claim that his grandson Tommen, safe in Winterfell, is the rightful heir. Baelon Greyjoy has declared himself King of the Iron Islands... and there are rumors of Daenerys Stormborn gathering forces in Essos for an invasion.
Into this Ned - having realized it was the best choice he could make for the safety and security of his family and the North - declares that Jon is really the trueborn son of his sister Lyanna and her husband Rhaegar Targaryen... and as such has rightfully been Jaehaerys III since birth.
The war which follows is swifter and less devastating than the OT War of Five Kings, but is still war. By largely staying out of the fight between Tywin and Robert, the North has a large army of fresh soldiers and, by marriage, the support of the Vale and the Riverlands. Stannis has Renly assassinated via shadow, but few chose to follow a follower of the Red God. The Stormlands end up throwing their lot in with Jon, as do Dorne and the Reach once they see which way the wind is blowing.
In a situation that should very much echo the situation in the British Isles in 1066, Jon's forces should be in the southeast of Westeros preparing for Dany's invasion when word comes of Tywin leading his forces north to capture Winterfell. Royalist forces should race across the countryside, win a magnificent victory at the Twins, and still be celebrating their success when news arrives of Essosi troops landing in the Crownlands. Jaehaerys' exhausted forces race back across the country... and manage to win the first engagement by the skin of their teeth.
When Dany brings her dragons to bear in the next battle, Rhaegal defects to the other side - and rather than pursue another Dance of Dragons, aunt and nephew come to an arrangement.
A Great Council is called. Jon is elected Lord of the Seven Kingdoms by overwhelming numbers. Sansa is his queen. Dany is named Lady of the Rock after most the remaining Lannisters are exiled or take the Black.
Bonuses include: 1) OT trauma for Ned, who never quite moves past what happened to his family then; 2) Dark horse romance between Jon and Sansa, fueled at first by the comment that Ned would like his daughters to marry good men - like Robb or Jon - and Catelyn encouraging it once she learns Jon is really her husband's nephew; and 3) No one ever learning Ned traveled through time.
And that is legit all the space I have. As always, feel free to adopt, just link back if you do anything with it.
More Terrible Fic Ideas
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gralunaisland · 10 months
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I wish Juvia never existed, she's so creepy , ever since I saw her as a child I couldn't help but hate her especially in the scenes with Gray though with the continuation of the series I started to become indifferent towards her except during the scenes where she harassed Gray and even cried a little bit at her death but I have been away from the fandom for 5 years because I couldn't like ft anymore, I was really nostalgic though and heavily missing ft so I wanted to start it from the beginning but I don't know if I can anymore . I came to know that Gray has lost all personality in 100 years quest and becomes mushy for Juvia just at the mention of her name. I can't watch or read a series only to know that a character I loved has gone through "utter character assassination" . What's more insufferable is that during the ending of ft when I read it 5 years ago I myself couldn't see Gray with anyone but Juvia no matter how much I hated this pairing , Mashima forced this pairing so much that now I feel like I have no choice but to ship them, but this much of annihilation of Gray , I just can't take it anymore.
When Mashima already killed Juvia , there was no need to revive her , her death was heartwrenching for the kid me during that time even though I never liked her but his revival of all the dead characters ruined the series for me. Natsu and Gray's fight was also utterly ridiculous. And there were a whole lot of reasons.
Atleast Gray would have been single and hadn't gotten his brain been made into a mush or would have ended up with another character and honestly Gray can be shipped with so many characters whether male or female in the series, his dynamics were so interesting with so many characters but ,no, Mashima had to force him with Juvia out of all the characters.
If Juvia was an ugly character or a male character nobody would have shipped her with Gray , just because she's attractive she is shipped with him even though she is literally a stalker who sexually harasses him physically and mentally all the time. She treats him as an object of her perverted desires rather than a human being. She's obsessed with him and not in love with him. If she loved him even a little or even cared she wouldn't have crossed his boundaries all the time and neither would she have been so jealous of other characters having healthy interactions with him. I honestly think that if she never existed atleast Gray's life would have been a lot happier. Atleast after suffering so much , Gray deserved to be happy instead of being with his creepy stalker.
Ft is only successful because of fanservice now atleast in the beginning the series was actually good, the series has given me so many great memories only for them to get muddied because of the direction this series took.
Your blog is a breath of fresh air , really good work!!
Miscellaneous Thoughts on gr///via
First of all, thank you so much for your patience! I'm sorry it's taken so long to get to your ask!
And secondly, I love how much effort you put into your ask! Honestly, my thoughts aren't even needed here; you really hit so many good points about gr///via. And thank you for sharing your experiences with FT with me. I agree with practically everything you said!
Despite this, as always, I'll run my mouth down below.
I was the same as you, Anon, where I hated her immediately when she met Gray when I was a kid first watching FT. I'm glad you could also tell how awful her character so soon as well. I personally never became indifferent to her and dreaded seeing her whenever she was onscreen, since even the super rare parts of the anime where she supposedly isn't thinking about Gray are still tainted by her mean-spiritedness and disingenuousness.
I also never fully read or watched juvia's death because I dropped the very end of the series thanks to gr///via and it just not being very good or intriguing, so I can't say I've cried at her death, but I think that shows how compassionate you are if you felt sad for such a disgusting individual! I've seen panels and I've heard what happened, and it is absolutely awful. The whole fight is shoehorned in just to ship gr///via and guilt-trip Gray into taking juvia's completely insane and gross advances seriously for once, when literally any of his other guildmates would have killed themselves for him too and have tried to before, and he'd never fall in love with them, but nooo gr///via must be forced down our throats to appease the fans and fulfill Mashima's weird fantasy.
As for nostalgia, I totally get you, because after a while I always find myself drifting back to rewatch it eventually. I used to watch every scene with her in it, but on my last watch-through, I basically skipped most of her scenes. That's how I survived it, Anon, so maybe you could try the same! Though, I feel like for my next watch-through, I'll sort of have to watch her scenes and make something like a mega masterlist of how she sucks every time she's on screen lol. That sounds so painful but perhaps that's a necessary project for my blog.
I so agree with you, Anon, that I can't bear to see Gray's character assassination in 100yq, which is why a very kind Anon created a masterlist of every gr///via moment so I could read it and avoid gr///via entirely. I'll link it right here for you if you ever desire to take a gander at the admittedly apparently terrible 100yq except for Lucy's new empowerment.
I agree that juvia should've stayed dead as well. Besides me just hating her and wanting her to be gone from Gray forever, her death (and the other characters who died for that matter) really should've never been revived because it just cheapens the sacrifice they made from a story standpoint. For juvia at least, it's like "oh well i didn't lose anything in the end but now i seem like a good person! Woopdidoo". Plus, it just makes none of their deaths have any real impact. It was just for shock factor, and we all know that Mashima really doesn't like to make lasting changes. He did the same thing all the way back in the Edolas arc when he made it so that Lisanna never died, which was a terrible decision. @perfectlyimperfectcharacterfan actually gave a much better suggestion, where Lisanna actually died and the Lisanna in Edolas was in fact Edolas Lisanna, and then Natsu would get to talk with her and learn to let her go and heal. Honestly gives me goosebumps just to think about it; it's so much more mature and moving than pulling a psych on everyone.
Gray being single would've been so much better than this gr///via garbage, Anon, you're so right! Even as an avid GraLu shipper myself, I would be perfectly fine with shipping them without it being canon (as I am now), but nooo, now I have to do my best to blot such an ugly, toxic ship out of my mind.
I really have nothing to say about your 4th paragraph because I hold those opinions completely. I call out the double standard of how people treat juvia's behavior all the time, and she definitely has "pretty privilege", though personally I do not find her pretty. Gray is an object for her to obtain indeed, and I concur, he would've been infinitely happier without juvia.
And yeah, I agree that unfortunately Fairy Tail has fallen off in terms of quality hard, with the criminal pushing of gr///via going off the rails in 100yq and the lack of good story telling in general. Even the end of the main story was unravelling. Sometimes, Mashima, it's better to end and preserve your legacy. Right now, you're beating a dead horse.
Thank you so much for your kind words! So sorry I took so long to get to your ask: it was a delight to read and so very insightful!
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skyfall8600 · 2 years
Text
Sucked In. Chap 1: In Loving Colour
A/N: Welcome to my first ever Eddie Munson Fanfic! This is going to be a long series, and I apologise if I get any details wrong.
I love seeing your reactions so please comment and Reblog!
Warnings: Swearing
Pairings: Eddie x y/n. 
Summary: What happens if you get sucked into the world of Stranger Things, and come face to face with the big brown eyed metal-head you couldn’t get enough of. 
Series Masterlist
Eddie Munson Masterlist <3
[0.9k Words]
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It has been a year since Season 4 of Stranger Things had graced your TV screen. After ugly crying over that devastating death of Eddie Munson in the last episode, you found yourself even more fascinated and captivated with that world and him. 
For Halloween 2022, you rocked your Hellfire shirt and joined your friends as makeshift versions of the Stranger Things gang. Your friends did nothing to stop your obsession, giving you small bracelets and pins for your birthday. 
“What’s your take on this one?” your friend said, showing you her phone screen with the latest theory on how season 5 might continue. 
“Vampire Eddie?” you laughed and blushed slightly, “I’d let him have me.” 
“Y/n!” they squealed, nudging your shoulder slightly. “It’s rather cool though, can you imagine? He’d be the second blood sucking Edward you’ve ever loved!” 
It was natural for them to make fun of your first movie crush, you had been so young when Twilight came out, but it seems as though some things never change. 
“Yeah... yeah.. laugh all you want.” You muttered, your eyes darting back to the inked pages of your book. “I have no shame in loving fictional men, they’re better than the real thing.” 
You remembered your attempts at normal teenage romances, most of the boys you dated often turning out to be disgusting pigs or unbearable to be around. It almost made it even more heartbreaking to know that you’d most likely never meet anyone with the same charm, passion and respect as the fictional men in your heart. 
At the ripe of age of 19, you were the last one in your group to never had a proper boyfriend, to never have that desire or passion of needing to be close to someone. You were constantly wrapped up in all your fantasy shows, books and imaginations. 
“Oh fuck, its 1am! I’ve gotta head off, see you next weekend yeah?” they said, grabbing their things and heading out of the room slowly. 
“I can’t do next weekend, got a job interview at that book store.” You replied, your face falling a bit. Ever since school ended, it has been getting harder and harder to see each other and stay as close as you used to. 
“Are you serious?! This is the fourth time you’ve had to cancel on me lately.” 
“I know, I know! It’s just so hard to find times, between college classes starting soon and trying to get some work-”
“Save it. I’ll see if Rebecca would wanna come instead.” they huffed, avoiding your eye. “I’ll see you around, text me whenever you’re free.” 
You said your goodbyes and were left alone in the silence of your small apartment. You looked fondly at the few pictures frames scattered on your bookshelf, missing the days of having a tight nit group. From 6 of you, it’s slowly died down to just the two of you. 
You sat quietly on your bed, trying to not let your emotions get the best of you. You turned on the TV and let the bright lights flicker around the room. You let Netflix play on random, continuing the end of Season 3 of Stranger Things. You knew that you would fall asleep, but hearing the voices of the characters gave you a small sense of comfort. 
The night air was unnaturally cold as you slept, causing you to shiver and pull the blanket above you as you stayed cocooned on the couch. Your whole body started to sweat, the air almost thick and slicing down your throat. 
You shifted slightly, feeling suddenly uncomfortable with the couch underneath you feeling almost as hard as stone. You opened your eyes and instantly panicked, your room gone and replaced with rocks, leafs and trees. 
“Did I fucking sleep walk?” you mutter to yourself. Your eyes trying to see between the trees, the soft glow of the sunrise giving you more colour to your surroundings. 
You followed the path, hearing slightly more commotion and cars speeding past. A small milk bar was near by and you walked in instantly, everything was oddly familiar but outdated. 
“May I help you miss?” the shopkeeper asked, he looked you up and down with a raised brow. You had fallen asleep in your clothes from the day before, not really understanding why that made him eye you down. Him on the other hand, had the highest, thickest and curliest set of hair that radiated the smell of hairspray from a mile away. 
“Um, am I able to use your bathroom?” you asked. He nodded his head to the right, giving you the approval. Walking slightly you noticed the so called store phone. “Oh no way, is this some sort of joke?” you laughed.
The man just stared at you, “What’d you mean sweetheart?” 
“It’s a fucking dial up phone! Oh my god, its still ringing! That’s sick as.” 
“I wasn’t aware there were any other types of phones, darlin’.” 
Your eyes widened, suddenly taking in all of your surroundings. Your chest became heavy, “Do you.... do you have today’s paper?” you whisper on a whim. 
“Here you are.” The thick news paper slapped down in front of you on the counter. “21st February, 1986″.
1986
1986
1986..... Hawkins Daily News.
“I’m sorry, WHAT!” You screamed. 
___________________________________________________________________________
And that wraps up the first chapter! This is a little side project for me, so not sure how often I will be able to post more BUT there is definitely more planned. Sorry no Eddie yet! 
TAGLIST:  @preciousbabypeter
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dotieeee · 1 year
Text
The Dream That Got Away
Chapter 9
Pairing: Dark!Morpheus x You (no Y/N!)
This is a multi-chapter fic — Weekly updates (either Saturday or Sunday) because I found a rhythm of sorts lol
(The entire fic has been outlined, so I will see this to the end, you have my word)
**********************************************************
Link to the Masterlist
Overall Warnings!! Take heed:
Morpheus is DARK – in canon, he changes for the better (or at least, tries to – but we don’t do canon lol, so he goes even more batshit crazy) cue obsession, manipulation, possessiveness, powerplay
18+ ONLY – explicit scenes will be present, some explicit language
DUB-CON and NON-CON scenes
Character death (sort of)
Creator vs Creation drama
And other dark stuff that may be added in the future
This chapter’s warnings:
non-consensual kissing and touching
touch-starved Morpheus should be a warning of its own
mentions of gore
mentions of drug abuse
You have been warned!! Proceed with caution!!!
Link to the previous chapter
Chapter 9: Courtships with Deadlines
5 Days Until Deadline
You drape a thick, velvet blanket over your shoulders before you go out to the balcony and watch the night give birth to one of the most beautiful sunrises any creature could ever see in their lifetime.
But something has changed: not the beauty of the sunset, but the way you feel about it. You had for so many times looked at it with wonder in your eyes. Now, all it reminds you of is another day in the Kingdom with him: the all-powerful being who had woven your strings of fate and tied it with himself, not caring whether he suffocated you in the process. After he left the room, you never got a wink of sleep; you never even dared close your eyes, fearing he might suddenly pop into your room and force you once more into a vulnerable position. Not wanting to remember your master’s visit last night, you rub your face with your hands to force these thoughts away, suddenly wanting a cup or two of steaming hot coffee with loads of milk dumped in them.
Your mind wanders to the Sleep Doctor you had left in his dreams after a quick, impulsive kiss. Despite liking to take a lot of naps, he actually is an early riser, as you had discovered in your short time in the Waking with him. By now, he should be having the same milky cup of coffee, scrolling through the daily science bulletin on his iPad and muttering to himself as he read the articles, while his favorite cinnamon buns you had popped in the oven happily baked away.
You don’t want to admit it, but you sorely miss Ollie and his cheerful demeanor.
The sun has fully risen in the realm when Morwyn knocks on your door, bringing you a tray of breakfast consisting of your favorite pastries and coffee, prepared just the way you like it. You’re not particularly hungry, but after spotting a cinnamon roll, you contentedly dig in, wondering if Ollie had the same. You share the rest of the generous fare with her and use the opportunity to catch up with her after all these years. When the meal is over, she draws you a bath, then excuses herself, mumbling about preparing your outfit to “his liking.” You ignore the last thing she said, focusing instead on the sea of bubbles that relaxed every tense muscle in your body, savoring every time you have without the Dream Lord hounding your time and attention. Once you’ve dried yourself, you step out of the bathroom in a silken robe, thinking of donning your usual dress. To your surprise and consternation, you find Morwyn in the middle of admiring a blood-red, long-sleeved gown of the finest silk satin, decorated with tiny chunks of ruby around the waist. It’s a dress worthy of a princess.
Except you’re no princess.
“Morwyn, please tell me I’m not wearing that,” You say as you walk to the closet and yank the doors open, expecting to find the clothes you had seen the other day and hoping you get to choose the simplest garb you could find – the closet is empty.
Great. You can’t even choose your own clothes, now.
Unconsciously, you take a leaf after Ollie’s book and rub the back of your head.
“M’lady,” Morwyn calls, her voice slightly trembling, “The Dream King had instructed me to empty your closet and give you this,” she says holding the luxurious dress out. “He says he’d like to see you in it when you meet him later.”
Releasing a defeated sigh, you nod quietly at her and put it on, letting her fasten the ribbon at the back in front of the mirror. The dress feels stifling, and not just because it hugged every curve on your body.
Morwyn gives you a wide, encouraging smile, complimenting, “You look beautiful, m’lady.”
You look just as he intended, you tell yourself. You try to return the smile, hoping it didn’t come out as a constipated grimace.
“Thank you, Morwyn. Has Matthew come around, yet?” The Dream Lord’s words last night were anything but comforting, but he mentioned having his raven come to tell you when it’s time. But for what, exactly?
“Not yet, m’lady. Are you…okay? You look a little pale,” says Morwyn worriedly with her hand on her chin. “If you’d like, I can apply some rouge on your cheeks, doll you up even more?” she innocently suggests, muttering something about “a date” and “looking pretty for the King.”
You shake your head adamantly at the suggestion. No, you don’t want that spurring him on. Wanting to be alone, you say your ‘thank you’ to her and bid her farewell before proceeding to the uppermost part of the palace where your master had said he’ll meet you, hoping for at least a few moments of peace by yourself watching the view from up above.
Thankfully, the balcony is void of the Endless the moment you arrive, giving you time alone to admire the Dreaming Realm in a panoramic view you have never seen before. Your eyes can spot endless, unfamiliar territory and islands you’ve never been in from miles and miles away. Down below you could see the town square, busy as ever, with its tiny residents going about their morning tasks; everything in the Dreaming, right before your eyes – and all you could think of is Ollie.
Due to the events that followed your return, you had not had the opportunity to visit him in his dreams since you left. Your Dream Lord had just complicated things further by forbidding you to step out of his kingdom, making it even more difficult to sneak out and check Ollie's progress. How is he doing, you wonder? Is he sleeping too much due to his eagerness to find you a safe sanctuary away from your master? While you selfishly want him to continue doing so until he finds a solution, you don't want to keep him away from the Waking and living his own life - after all, he has his own dreams to fulfill, and you wouldn’t want to inconvenience him any further.
You need to help him find a way to free you so he can get his own life back, and you need to move faster.
With that in mind, you make a mental promise to visit his dreams as soon as the Dream King has gone away to attend to his duties.
A loud caw, followed by a shout of 'Lady Mera,' interrupts you from your musings. Matthew, the new raven, lands on the balcony railing, flapping his wings before tucking them in.
"I wish you'd stop calling me that," you chide him with a pout.
"I can't, you know how the boss is. He's a stickler to his rules," Matthew replies with a tilt of his head.
"Maybe you can drop the fancy title when he's not around, at least?" you suggest with an innocent smile, patting his head several times.
Leaning into your petting, he acquiesces, "Oh, alright. I never thought I'd enjoy being pet as a bird, you know. Why are you early, by the way? I was supposed to come get you as soon as he says so. Eager for the date, much?"
"This isn't a date," you're quick to correct him with a flat tone.
"Uh, it kind of is? I told him yesterday he needed to spend more time with you so he doesn't uh, intimidate you."
Might be too late for that, you note inwardly.
"You shouldn't have," you find yourself commenting with some truth behind your jesting tone, which earns a nervous chuckle from the raven.
"No, but, seriously though, aren't you and the boss, uh...a thing? You see, I've been meaning to ask, but he's mum about, you know,” he starts, obvious in his tone he’s hesitant to approach the matter. “Except he did tell me you’re his consort. Are you and him –”
“No,” you sharply reply, not liking his line of questioning. “Not yet, anyway,” you mumble.
“Ah, so that’s what the date is for, then,” he says, nodding to himself. “Can I ask you something else?”
“Yeah, sure. It wouldn’t hurt.”
“Do you… like it? Him, I mean?”
You bite your lip, not expecting Matthew’s question – for him, it was a telling gesture. “I’m sorry I made you uncomfortable. How come you don’t tell him?”
Chuckling humourlessly at his question, you answer, “We’re talking about your boss, here, Matthew. To him, any dissent warrants either an unmaking, a banishment, or a lifetime of nightmares: you take your pick.”
“Tell me about it! Did you know, he had an ex that he sent to – uh-oh .”
‘What is it?” you ask, recognizing the slight alarm in his tone.
“He’s calling for me, I think. I have to go. See you, my La – I mean, Mera!”
Before you could say your farewell, Matthew goes flying off into the horizon and dips below into one of the palace rooms and out of your line of sight. Just as he disappears, your hairs stand on end and a cold feeling washes over you like icy water being dumped over your head.
He’s here, the Voice warns.
From behind you, arms snake up and wrap around your waist, pulling you closer until your back hits a taut chest. Your entire body goes rigid and your breathing turns shallow as you feel a warm breath tickle your earlobe, followed by a whisper:
“You’re early, my dream.”
“I just wanted to admire the view –” your sentence is cut off with your breath hitching; your Dream Lord just dragged his nose down the side of your neck before planting a heated, wet kiss at the base – his lips linger, then suckles on the skin, holding you tighter to himself to keep you from struggling. From your ruby-bedazzled waist, he drags his left hand slowly upwards across your chest, grasping your throat gently and angling your head so his mouth could get better access to the base of your throat, intent on leaving small, angry welts. You close your eyes with a whimper to endure this, repeating Ollie’s name over and over in your head.
“And yet these views are no match to what you offer me in this dress. You are a sight to behold.”
The low rumble of his voice makes you close your eyes tighter, biting your lip to prevent yourself from making any more noise that could excite him further. He seems undeterred by your silence – he spins you around, and, pushing you against the balcony railing, he captures your mouth with his in a fiery lip lock. His hand nestles on the small of your back, while the other grips the back of your neck as his insistent tongue pries your lips apart and tastes your hot cavern. You had tried your best to hold it all in, but treacherous tears escape the corner of your eyes. Your master seems to feel this, for he surprisingly lightens the kiss, his lips stilling over your swollen ones. You turn your head away to will the tears away, afraid that he might see this as another sign of your defiance.
Instead, he plants a gentle kiss on your temple, before saying softly,  “I admit my past courtship of you was hurried and rough. I worry that I may have pushed you further away in my haste. I should like to court you once more. This time, I will endeavor to be more patient and earn your affections.”
He kisses your exposed cheek. Sniffling, you open your eyes, but your head remains turned away from his, refusing to meet his gaze. You feel him pull his head away in your silence.
“Will you not look me in the eyes, little dream? Do you fear me?”  he asks with a slight edge to his voice, rubbing his thumb back and forth on the skin beneath your ear in an attempt to comfort you.
Is that remorse you detect? It couldn’t be, you remark, but you couldn’t help but meet his blue eyes to try to gauge what he’s truly feeling. Not wanting to give him a reason to further punish you, you say, “My apologies, my Lord, I am just coming to terms still, with…with what you’re asking of me.”
Yet, his darkened gaze tells you that what you just said to try and placate him was a huge mistake.
“What I’m ‘asking?’”  he narrows his eyes on you, his voice laced with impatience. “ I’m afraid I’m not ‘asking’ this of you, my Mera. This is the function to which I, your King, have assigned you. This courtship is for your sake alone, that you may grow accustomed to it. We will be united. I will give you five days, after which, we will consummate our bond.”
His final sentence sparks terror in the pit of your stomach. He’s giving you a deadline. Stifling the urge to retch, you swallow thickly before you try to beg, “Sir, I –”
“Enough. I will not have my will questioned,”  he interrupts you as he tightens his grip on the back of your neck.  “You will be here, in the palace, at all times. You will await my call and come to me when I summon you. I do not mean to be harsh, my dream, but time is of the essence – I was cruelly robbed of mine with you, after all. I shall amend that once I have dealt with the damage left by the Vortex. Is that understood?”
“My Lord, please –”
“Is. That. Understood?”  he repeats his question through gritted teeth, clearly unwilling to listen to any more of your pleas.
You look into his hardened, now-silver eyes, attempting to look for any trace of empathy at the situation he’s forcing you into. There isn’t any.  Wanting to end your argument so you could be relieved from his presence, you respond with a whisper, “Yes, my Lord.”
Your creator releases a hum of satisfaction as he places a lingering kiss on your cheek, before praising,  “That’s a good dream.”
You feel immense relief the moment he lets you go and steps away. You expect him to vanish with a swirl of his sand, but he lingers, standing a few feet before you with his hands behind his back.
“I will call you for tea tomorrow afternoon.”
You could only nod quietly. He takes a small amount of sand from his pouch, presumably to leave, but a sudden question crosses your mind inspired by his previous words. “My Lord, the Vortex…is she…?” you blurt out, slightly hesitating.
“Dead? Yes.”
You bow your head, not knowing how to process the fact. Rose Walker seemed so young and she had so many dreams she wanted to fulfill that you felt them, despite your fleeting interaction with her. You feel your heart clench at the thought of her life being cut short.
“Do not grieve of Unity Kincaid, my dream. Hers is a noble yet necessary sacrifice for the sake of the Dreaming, and of her great-granddaughter, Rose.”
“Unity?” you ask, confused. Wasn’t Rose the Vortex? “Rose is alive?”
Shut up, shut up, NOW, comes the Voice’s sudden warning.
“Yes, she is. You know of her?”  He asks, stepping forward, suspicion marring his dark features.
You shake your head, realizing your error; if he finds out you had met with her, he’ll discover your little tryst in the Waking, and if he does, he’ll surely uncover the connection which led to it. That was a stupid, stupid thing to say, you inwardly scold yourself.
“I heard from Lucienne, sir,” you say, mentally crossing your fingers that he doesn’t press any further.
Putting on a blank expression, the Dream King purses his lips, as he releases the sand in his palm.
“I will call for you tomorrow. Do not be late.”
As soon as his form is engulfed in his sand and he vanishes, you make a wild run for the Library. Hidden in one, or two, of those books, are incriminating passages that detail your meeting, and subsequent stay with Ollie, and once the Dream King sees those pages, you could definitely say goodbye to your plans of staying in Ollie’s dreams for good. If he even so much as gets a whiff of your affections of anyone else besides him, there’s no telling what he won’t do to you, and more importantly, to Ollie.
You push the heavy doors to the library quietly to avoid drawing attention to yourself. As noiselessly as you can, you dash through the shelves, skimming through the books in a mad rush. To your alarm, there was no ‘Oliver Chapman,’ not in the ‘O’ or even in the ‘C’ wings. Cursing mentally, you wonder: has Lucienne read them? Worse, has your Dream Lord gotten ahold of them? Are they hiding it from you, knowing you’d try to tamper with them? Letting out a huff of frustration, you sit on the floor, wondering where else they may have kept Ollie’s books of dreams.
The office, whispers the Voice.
Of course. The Dream Lord has an office in the Library, separate from the rest of the space. Not that he needed it, of course; he just usually asks for books to be brought to his throne room where he normally reads them. But why would the books be kept there?
You try to strain your ears for any signs of Lucienne; thankfully, it looks as if she’s out on an errand, so you sprint in the direction of the Dream Lord’s office.
Located at the farthest end of the Library, you’re panting heavily by the time you get there. You push your ear against the doorframe to listen for any sign of life inside. When you hear nothing, you turn the doorknob and push.
Locked.
“Fuck,” you mutter under your breath. There is only one person – or being, for that matter – that has the key, save for the Dream Lord and his Royal Librarian.
You run out of the Library in search of the said being. You find him tending to your favorite garden in the palace grounds, his hands deep in the dirt, planting more of those accursed red flowers – Mervyn the Pumpkinhead.
The keys, attached to his toolbelt, lie discarded beside him, along with his other gardening tools. You know full well you couldn’t just walk up to him and ask for a key to the boss’s office in the library – or is it that easy?
You don’t really have the luxury of planning an elaborate heist for his set of keys, so it’s now or never. Steeling your resolve, you walk up to where Merv is, opting for a much simpler plan.
“Hello, Merv!” you call as you approach.
He stops digging into the flowerbed and turns to you, giving a mock salute. “Hello, kid! What can I help ya with?”
“I’m looking for Morwyn. Have you seen her?” you ask, hoping to put up a convincing act.
He scratches his pumpkin head and replies, “No, I haven’t. Whatcha need her for?”
“I kind of locked myself out of my room, and I need to get something from there,” you say sheepishly, rubbing the back of your head to make it look believable.
“Uh, I have the key in there somewhere, but I’m in the middle o’ something, see? Why don’t you take ‘em keys instead? It’s the gold one with the tiny ruby at the bow.”
Bingo.
“Really, are you sure?”
“Yeah, yeah,” he waves you off, continuing his digging on the flowerbed.
 You grab the keys and take off as Merv calls out from behind you, “Give ‘em back, ya hear?”
“Sure thing!”
It takes you a few good minutes to find the key that fit the doorknob. Once you do, you wildly look around you to make sure you weren’t being watched, before you turn the knob and push the door open.
No one has been in the office for quite some time if the dust on the desk in the middle is anything to go about. The room is larger than you expected, and the natural light streaming through the stained glass windows illuminates the numerous towering shelves of books untouched for many years. Wanting to waste no time, you skim through the many bookshelves. They’re thankfully arranged in alphabetical order, so you find an entire shelf dedicated to the name ‘Chapman’ in no time, with Ollie’s name placed at the farthest end.
Curiously, you pick up the book a few places before Ollie’s name first, and with it, you make a startling discovery: the books of dreams on the shelf not only belonged to random ‘Chapmans,’ but to the males in Ollie’s entire lineage. You just picked the book of dreams belonging to Ollie’s great-great-grandfather.
But, why? Why is Ollie’s book of dreams, as well as his male ancestors’, singled out among the infinite number of dreamers?
“Have I told you before that the Chapmans were cursed? Well, the males, at least,”  Ollie’s words from almost a year ago echo in your head.
This isn’t the time to unearth Ollie’s family mystery, though, so you make a mental note to do more research in the future and set those thoughts aside. You carefully leaf through the pages to find the section where you made your appearance – your meeting with him, spanning a year, detailed in twenty-full pages. Setting the book on the floor, you get to work.
Hardbound books were tricky to manipulate, with the pages stitched to a section of the book’s spine, so you use your fingers to remove the stitching of the last twenty pages with care – simply tearing the pages away would leave a sign of the book being tampered with. Once you’re sure there were no traces of your crime, you put the book back in place, and scramble out of the office, locking it behind you. You hand the keys back to Mervyn (“What took you so long, kid? Couldn’t be hard to spot a key with a damn ruby, innit?”) and rush to your room. Barricading yourself inside the bathroom, you set the pages alight with a matchbox you stole from the kitchens before washing the ash away with water.
Look how you’ve turned into a cold-blooded criminal mastermind, you inwardly deadpan.
***
4 Days Until Deadline
Afternoon tea with your Dream Lord isn’t as bad of an experience as you thought it would be.
Matthew had fetched you from your room, and you had followed him to the same balcony you had met him with the morning before. You found your master, already sitting beside a table full of your favorite sweets, drinking tea from his cup. He had stood up to greet you, taking your hand in his and kissing it, before leading you to sit across from him. You both sit in somewhat companionable silence while you munch on a cinnamon bun, with him just sipping his tea and watching you with blue, ever-observant eyes.
Until…
“May I ask a question, my Lord?” you shyly break the stillness, setting down the pastry you’re nibbling back on your plate.
You watch a corner of his mouth turn upwards as he sets his cup on a saucer. “Ask away, my dream.”
“I was wondering,” you say slowly, choosing your words carefully. “If you would allow me to continue forming dreams along with my new…role?”
Just then, you could feel the atmosphere change to one of palpable tension, the small grin vanishing from his face.
Tentatively, you add, “Please?”
“I think not. Your duty is to me, alone,” he declares flatly, his cold stare making you squirm in your seat.
You bite your lip and break eye contact with him.
“It’s what I’ve been doing all my life, your majesty,” you whisper dejectedly.
“And that will change in four days’ time.”
“Will you take away my ability to form dreams, too?”
The Dream King seems to contemplate this. The pause is long, before he responds, his tone slightly softening, “I could never bring myself to take that ability away, my little dream. It is part of who you are. I intend for you to keep it.”
But what good is keeping it if he forbids its use, you ask yourself. Still, you give him a subtle nod and a small ‘thank you’ to end the topic. You leave the cinnamon bun untouched, suddenly not feeling very hungry anymore.
The quiet that follows your conversation becomes heavier, so you’re thankful to Matthew for interrupting, quietly delivering news that you couldn’t quite hear. When your King gets to his feet, you swiftly follow his example out of politeness.
“I’m afraid I must cut our date short, my dream. I have matters to attend to.”
You bow your head in response but he takes your chin in his hands and promptly gives you a single, prolonged kiss on the mouth. You close your eyes until he lets go of you, and bids you to ‘stay here.’
Noticing fine grains of sand in the air, you realize he has transported you to your chambers – you turn to him with a protest bubbling in your throat, but you find that he’s gone, and to your irritation, the door locked from the outside.
***
3 Days Until Deadline
Clear as day, Dream of the Endless recalls his first visit to the first Chapman who had crossed his path many centuries ago.
He had not paid him, or any of the other Chapmans, much attention since he had placed a curse on the males of his lineage (except for that one occasion), a curse that felt righteous and just after a slight he had committed against him and his Realm.
Now, as he faces the dream of his only living descendant, he finds himself wanting very much to place another, more potent curse on Oliver Chapman, the mortal whose embrace now cradles the dream he so deeply cherished and ardently pursued.
Or Oliver’s dream-version of you, more accurately.
Morpheus knows this, but he couldn’t help the bitter jealousy burning in his heart as he watches the mortal lavish the lips of your dream-version with his own. He has not felt the urge to smite anyone for dreaming of his creations so lasciviously in a long time – this is an image of you he’s disrespecting, and he refuses to sit idly while this human corrupts you.
An image of you, he corrects.
With a lazy flick of his fingers, the dream-version of you taking Oliver’s shirt off melts before the human’s eyes. He ensures it’s the most gruesome sight this errant dreamer has ever seen: the dream-Mera’s skin peels off starting from her head down to her feet, followed by her flesh boiling and steaming away in an amalgamation of blood and gore, and with a final flair, he makes her bones disintegrate into dust. Oliver’s screams of horror permeate the dream-space – he couldn’t deny the screams gave him utmost satisfaction.
Dream watches curiously as Oliver attempts vainly to regain lucidity by counting his fingers aloud. It’s a trick that could’ve worked, but curiously, the dream remains volatile in his favor.
Morpheus decides to twist the knife, taunting him,  “You’ve lost control, lucid dreamer.”
The mortal snaps his head in the Endless’ direction, looking confused, possibly wondering why he couldn’t take over the dream. Medication, perhaps? But Morpheus has not the slightest interest in why a lucid dreamer has lost their ability. He is, however, greatly invested in finding out how such a mortal might develop a certain fascination with you.
“Tell me: what is my dream doing in yours?”
“Who the fuck are you?” Oliver replies, growing more confused. “And who the fuck are you talking about?”
In his fury, Dream could feel himself transforming into a nightmarish image he rarely ever shows his dreamers. No one has ever woken up seeing this form of his with their sanity intact, so he tries to rein in this metamorphosis.
“The dream you were defiling,” he spits out, his bellowing voice echoing the dream-space, “Belongs to me. Explain yourself, Oliver Chapman. My patience is waning.”
Oliver rubs his head in frustration. “I don’t know…I don’t remember.” He looks at both his hands, now coated in blood that isn’t his. “Fuck, there’s so much blood… where is she? She’s injured, I need to help her. I just wanna help her, man. I have to find her…”
Dream narrows his eyes at the mumbling man before him, somewhat disappointed that he could no longer extract reliable information from him in such a state. Recognizing that his fun is over, he transports himself with a pinch of his sand back to his Kingdom. He thinks it’s best that he confront the only other being in existence who had the answers he seeks.
***
When Matthew came flying into the balcony of your room, delivering the message that your King has summoned you to the library, your heart leaped to your chest at the suddenness; your little tea date, as the bird has taken to calling it, hadn’t been due until a few hours after midday. You hastened to dress out of your pajamas and rushed to the said meeting place, your heart beating so fast you could hardly breathe. Had he found out, you wondered?
You find your Dream Lord pacing restlessly to and fro near your favourite reading spot. He stills, looking at you with hardened eyes and clenched jaw, seemingly trying to control the fury you could feel emanating from him. It’s a look that was almost enough to curdle your blood.
He doesn’t even wait for you to get close – immediately he’s upon you, cornering you to one of the bookshelves, making you yelp instinctively. He grabs hold of your wrists and pins them above your head as his body covers your own.
“You will tell me everything, my dream, and I might be inclined to spare Oliver Chapman: why is he dreaming of you?”  He growls, his face, inches from yours, contorted in pure rage.
Fighting inwardly to maintain your composure, you respond with another half-truth. “I was injured, my Lord, from a battle I enacted in a dream. I got in his dreams somehow, and he helped me, he nursed me back to health. I stayed there for a while so I could recuperate.”
“Is this the truth, my Mera, or are you keeping anything else from me?”
You wince at the way his grip closes on your wrist further, cutting off the circulation.
“Please, my Lord, you can check for yourself,” you dare meet his eye with your own fearful ones, trying to drive your point.  “The dreamer’s name is Belladonna San Mateo – I reenacted a medieval battle for her. It’s the truth, sir, please…”
He pulls his head away as one of his hands releases your wrist and grasps your chin, so you had nowhere else to look but those silvery swirls of galaxies in his cruel eyes. After a few agonizing moments he dips his head, giving you a warning:
“If I find you in the embrace of any other, mortal or otherwise, I shall personally see to their torment in their waking, their dreaming, and their afterlife.”
When he lets you go, you couldn’t help but let out a gasp of relief, clutching your chest to calm your rapid heartbeat.
“There are matters I must attend to. As such, I must regrettably cancel our meeting for this afternoon,” he says, his face once again the stony mask that spelled no room for negotiation.  “Stay in your chambers. You are dismissed.”
You turn on your heels and dash away from Library, glad to give the place a wide berth. He had met with Ollie, visited him in his dreams, and didn’t like what he saw. You don’t like the sound of your creator potentially bringing harm to your doctor, so a visit may be long overdue, and it has to be soon.
***
2 Days Until Deadline
As discreetly as you can, you take a plunge into the sea of dreams and navigate your way into your doctor’s dreams, praying to the Fates that he’s asleep at the very moment.
Once you land in the space, Ollie greets you with a tight embrace, one which you return with as much enthusiasm. You had missed him terribly and had been worried out of your wits upon learning of his meeting with your Dream King, so when you let go, you make a fuss over him, checking him and his form for any sign of injury.
“Hey, I know you find me irresistible, but I didn’t know you were bold enough to cop a feel,” he jokes, earning him a half-hearted shove and a slap on the bicep from you.
“This is no laughing matter, you idiot!” you chide him with your arms crossed, relieved on the inside that he was unharmed.
In response, he grins coyly from ear to ear. “You were worried about me. I kinda like that,”
Pouting, you say, “Yes, I was bloody worried. I’m sorry I couldn't visit sooner.”
Ollie turns away from you, scratching the back of his head. “No, it’s quite alright,” he mumbles. “I'm sorry, too. I couldn't do much work on the runes the last few days, Mera. I've been, uh... shit, I... don't know how to say this…”
“What’s wrong?” you get right in front of him to press him, worried at his guilty tone.
With the most apologetic expression you’ve seen in him since the dreamcatcher incident, he replies, “It's the sleeping pills. I've been on them and I think they might've hampered my hypnagogia.”
His revelation makes you drop your jaw in surprise. “Wha-fuck, why are you taking them? And how come you've never told me about this?” You grab hold of his arms to demand answers.
With a placating look, he responds, “I swear, I've been taking them sparingly, but I've been needing a lot of sleep because of... you know. But it's okay now, honest! I didn't take them today, and I'm in full control.”
You place your palms on his cheeks, putting on a serious expression. “You have to get off those. I'm being serious, Ollie.”
“I am! I’ll keep it that way, I promise.”
Not letting go of him yet, you look into those gentle, green eyes, trying to detect signs that he may be hiding something.  But this is Ollie, too, you think to yourself. You know him to be bad at keeping secrets. Satisfied with what you saw in his eyes, you let him go, offering a soft apology: “This is my fault. I'm sorry I pushed you into this.”
“No! Hey, no, Mera, you didn’t,” he corrects you with a firm tone. “I've been prescribed these since I was little. You know, the Chapman curse and all that. Oh, and I’ve finally figured out a fitting name for the invention.”
“Oh? What is it?”
“I’ll call it MiraSleep. It’s a sort of, play with your name and the word ‘miracle.’ That’s what you are to me, you know. Everything I do now, I do for you.”
Not knowing what to say to his heartfelt admission, you stare into those forest-green eyes of his, a look of agreement passing between you two. Finally, you flash him a grateful smile, which he returns with his own sheepish grin.
“So, Ollie,” you start with a slightly more cheerful tone, fighting back a blush creeping on your cheeks without much success. “Mind telling me what it was you dreamed about that involved me?”
He breaks into fits of nervous laughter while rubbing the back of his hair. You already know you don’t like what he’s about to say.
“You’ll never believe it if I told you.”
***
You walk back into the palace grounds with high spirits after you visit Ollie’s dreams. He had immensely cheered you up despite his retelling of a rather salacious dream he had engaged with a dream-version you at that moment he lost his lucidity – the dream with which the Dream Lord had walked in on and had taken absolute offense to. He had assured you that the momentary lapse in his dreaming abilities would never happen again, and with that, you’re confident that by your next visit, you could finally stay in there with him without having to worry about being chased after by a certain Endless.
It's this thought that helps you endure your master’s company and his not-so-subtle touches during your morning ‘date’: as soon as the sun had risen in the Realm, he had summoned you through Matthew to accompany him in a morning walk around his Kingdom.
He smugly parades you around the busy town square with your fingers intertwined in his; on occasion, wrapping an arm around your waist as he rubs circles over your clothed skin; at times, even kissing your hand while not breaking heated eye-contact; all these gestures of his affections for the entire Dreaming to see. To the townsfolk, he introduces you as his princess-consort, much to the Dreaming residents’ delight – they had not had a princess-consort to dote on for eons, and so they lavish the both of you with promises of gifts that they are to send to the palace to congratulate their King and to his ‘pretty little dream-bride.’
Just grin and bear with it, as the Voice comments.
Touching as it was, the Dreamfolk’s welcome of you as Dream of the Endless’ new princess-consort breaks your heart even more, knowing that you’ll eventually disappoint them by running away as soon as you have the chance to. Breaking your previously-cheerful outlook further, you walk past the sea of dreams with the thought of never coming back to form the dreams of the mortals forever once you’re free with Ollie.
Before you left his dream at dawn, Ollie had asked you whether you were actually ready to leave your job for good. He knows there was nothing else you loved more than forming dreams for humans and inspiring them. You had never given it much thought before, but your brief stay with him had also made you realize one thing: while you were planning to abandon the role you had loved with all your heart, he had a device that would do the same for millions of other dreamers. While not under your name, the device Ollie had invented would be his and your legacy, and perhaps you could make peace with that. This comment of yours earns you a proud smile from Ollie that rivaled the brightness of the sun – it’s a smile you’re sure you’ve burned into your memory.
***
1 Day Until Deadline
When you wake, you’re greeted with a massive headache – it’s an ominous warning of your days closing in on you. Only one more day until your King’s imposed deadline, and you could only hope Ollie makes a breakthrough with the runes by tomorrow, or all will be lost.
After you had been dressed up by Morwyn, who as usual, gushed over the gown your Dream Lord has selected for you to wear for the day, Matthew delivers the news of your morning activities. According to him, they will consist of morning tea and brunch with his boss in your favourite spot in the Royal Library. When you arrive in the garb he had chosen for you to wear for the day, he gives your red-satin-clad figure an appreciative look before he greets you with a soft kiss on your lips and leads you by the hand to the leather couch you had fallen asleep in so many times.
You engage in light, minimal conversation during tea. You find yourself almost enjoying your time together, discussing your past dreamers with a sense of nostalgia.
That is until an attendant brings a trolley full of books to his side and you inspect the names printed on the books: each containing the name of every dreamer you had visited in his absence.
Perhaps your face had paled when you noticed the books, for he flashes you a small smirk, before assuring you,  “It is only procedure, my little Dream. Lucienne told me that you had insisted on finding me in the dreams of mortals even after it proved fatally dangerous for you. I should like to read of your unwavering loyalty with my own eyes.”
His words only made you fidget in your seat, abandoning the cinnamon swirl you had started to dig into a few moments ago.
Your discomfort does not seem to escape his watchful eyes.  “Unless, you had something to hide from me, my Mera?”
From the rim of your teacup, you smile wanly, sipping your tea before quietly shaking your head. Inside, however, your heart is practically threatening to escape your ribcage, sending bile to your throat and souring your tastebuds.
“I imagine this will occupy the rest of my day. Stay and read with me.”
Having no choice but to comply, you excuse yourself to pick out a book, choosing one you had read from cover to cover so many times in Ollie’s study.
Choosing a book was the easy part; concentrating on the pages proves a lot more of a challenge, especially when you have your master inspecting your work right in front of you. His occasional praise of your handicraft almost always makes you jump on your seat, thinking that anytime, now, he could be going through Ollie’s book of dreams, potentially exposing you. It takes all your energy to remain composed before him lest he notices your odd behaviour and decides to investigate the source of your restlessness further. The day goes on agonizingly slow, but thankfully, he only goes through the first half of the pile on the trolley.
With a loud pouf, he closes the final book shut and places them on top of the growing pile on the coffee table. Getting up to his feet, you copy his movement, inwardly glad for a dismissal and looking forward to your time alone, stewing in your own worries. You brace yourself as he steps closer and takes your chin in his thumb and forefinger before dipping his head downwards to plant an openmouthed kiss on your lips, one that you now know you’re obliged to kiss back. You expect the kiss to be brief, but he apparently has other ideas: he wraps his arms around your body and maneuvers you. You both end up on the couch, with you straddling his lap. As if predicting your actions, one hand grips the back of your neck and the other holds your hip in place, preventing you from getting away.
He drags his lips away from yours to the groove of your neck while his hand pulls the sleeve of your gown downwards to expose more of the flesh he had longed to mark for a long time. You let out a whimper in protest, before softly pleading, “My Lord, please, we’re in the library…”
Against your skin, you feel him chuckle deeply.  “Would my little dream prefer the privacy of her chambers, then?”
He does not wait for your response. Instead, he continues licking and sucking on the exposed skin below your clavicle, dangerously close to your right breast. You let out a startled gasp as you feel his hand go under your gown and start stroking your inner thigh. Your body seems to betray you at that moment: you start feeling heat pooling in your belly, indicating your arousal, no matter how unwilling.
From a short distance, a door in the library creaks open, and a pair of footfalls you recognize start making their way to Lucienne’s desk.
You feel your King let out a growl of displeasure at the disturbance; a second time his librarian has interrupted you – a second time you owe Lucienne one for deterring him from any further actions.
Against your ear, he then whispers,  “Tomorrow could not come any faster, little dream. It will be a union you will remember for eternity.”
With unexpected gentleness, he spins you around and sets you down on the couch beside him, and without a word, walks away as if nothing happened.
You clutch your heart and adjust the sleeves of your dress, willing the tears threatening to spill to go away. Tomorrow, you’ll be gone for good, and well away from him – it’s a small reprieve that allows you to clear your head and quickly lock yourself inside your chambers, holding Ollie’s dreamcatcher like a lifeline.
***
0 Days Until Deadline
My little dream,
Proceed to Fiddler’s Green
…Reads the note that Morwyn delivers to you along with your morning coffee. You hope this visit wouldn’t last long; after this, you had every intention of going back to Ollie’s dream. It’s the day of the deadline your King has given after all, and you’d have no other opportunity to escape if you let this day pass.
Don’t go, the Voice warns in your head; but what choice have you, other than comply? After all, it could just be one of the last commands you’d ever obey from him. Not wanting time wasted, you refuse breakfast and begin the long tread to the heart of the Dreaming, and into Gilbert’s sanctuary.
You had been so close to meeting each other in the Waking, during your stay in Hal’s Bed and Breakfast. It’s perhaps pure luck that your paths did not cross, for you’re not sure how Gilbert would’ve reacted, or what he would’ve revealed to the Dream King once he went back.
After your walk for what seemed like hours, the grassy patch of land full of lush, blooming bushes and thick, tall trees greets you with what feels like an urgent breeze, almost making you stumble.
In your head comes Gilbert’s grave tone: “Mera, what are you still doing here?”
Feigning hurt at his words, you reply, “Hello, Gilbert. Am I no longer welcome in your lands?”
“Why, but of course you are, my dear,”  he amends. “But, given how dire your situation is, I hardly think this is the best time for a leisurely visit.”
“What do you mean, ‘my situation?’” you ask, your brows furrowing in confusion.
His breeze blows more insistently against you, making your dress billow along. “The Dream Lord has come to me about two days ago asking about you and a man called Oliver Chapman.”
Shit.
Every part of your body stills at the news, your heart sinking to your stomach.
“Now, if your relationship is anything as close as he had implied, this mortal is in danger, as are you. He has instructed me just this very morning to keep you here for as long as I could while he deals with this Chapman fellow, but I could not bring myself to keep you in the dark, especially as it sounded like you care much about him.”
Fiddler’s Green was just a diversion, the Voice concludes.
“You must go, Mera,” Gilbert says with another strong gust of wind as if trying to get you running.
Turning back to him one last time, you start, “Thank you, Gilbert –”
“Go!”
You need not be told further. With all the strength you could muster, you run as fast as your legs could carry you, not caring who or what you bumped into or if you tripped. With breakneck speed, you make your way to the sea of dreams, and will yourself to land in the dream of the man you love, your only remaining refuge, hoping against hope you weren’t too late to save him.
Ollie, startled by your sudden appearance, runs to your side at once. You gasp greedily for air, clutching a stitch on your side from all the effort.
“Mera, fuck... are you okay? What’s all this rush?” he asks, holding you by the shoulders to support you.
Tears of relief gather in your eyes as you take his unharmed form. You’re not late; you still had time.
Letting the tears cascade down your cheeks, you break the news to him:
“He’s coming. He’s coming for us.”
Author notes on the Chapter:
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Link to the next chapter
Oh my god this went out of hand!! I'm sure I had mentioned on a tumblr comment that Ollie would only be around for around two chapters, but sorry, things and plot points seemed to have a mind of their own lol. Dream seems to have found them out!! How will their confrontation go?! Aghhhkk
As usual, thank you for sticking with me in this!! Love lots!!!
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Author's notes in general:
Thank you, THANK YOU for reading!!
Please engage, comment and reblog!! I love feedback from you guys :) This is my first ever fic, so kindness is truly appreciated!
Thank you to my queen @queenshelby@endlessdreamqueen3 for encouraging me to pen this, as well as to my fellow Dark!Morpheus writers whose work I have thoroughly enjoyed and keep rereading :)
Post date: 12/19/22
Edit date: 12/19/22
Taglist: Just lemme know please if you want to be added, too!
Tagging the following:
@wt-fxck
@sandman-33
@reallystressedhoneybee
@akiraquote
@safe-teycar
@ponyboys-sunsets
@izziclee
@spygrrl99
@intothesoul
@thecrazytealady
@tastyinspection8860
@kittenssss-blog
@trinittyy
@mxacegrey
@sarahbullet235
@blu3what
@justporple
@emy635
@ggxsan
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This is gonna' be a girthy one guys. First: I left tumblr in 2019, I couldn't stand it. When I tell you I had an awful experience using this app for 9 years for roleplay, I really fucking mean it. It was fantastic from when I was younger, I started using it around 2012 or so and it was when things were enjoyable. I saw the CREATIVITY that a community could create when it was something like [REDACTED.] Somewhere along the lines, it all died? Like, it was so s sad to see such a fun concept die along the way, I still don't know why.
Somewhere around when I turned 18, I was noticing people were horrible on here. I had friends that would tell me they screenshot dms, discord, and anything that could be a recipt "just in case" I was like "Just in case what motherfucker? Huh?" And then I got hit face first with callouts on my dash, people leaking dms, private conversations, ex friends posting their "testimonials" -- keep in mind, this was not me or in relation to me, and some of these were very much valid and warning of REAL LIFE dangers to others, while others were about shipping incest. I don't care if you think it's gross, that isn't the point. The point was never that callouts let people know X user writes X and to avoid / block, it's that every single time this happened, someone would add a completely irelevant factoid about X user like " they did this to me 2 years ago and I did not like it!" Okay? Alright? A lot of this could have been discussed in dms or just not posted to get 200 notes and somehow end up calling X an abuser. I've seen this so many times, it's not some isolated incident.
For some reason, friends could not part ways without having a mt. of dirt on the other and dumping it all out when the time calls for it. It was like everyone wanted their 5 minutes of fame. It was made infinitely worse when this site became extremely self-sanatized where if you wrote anything that was "probalmatic" or "toxic" you were REQUIRED to be a victim of that same event. Imagine, for three minutes, a self-rightous 17 year old has the gall to ask you if you've been SA'd before because they found you rping this with your rp partner. Even if you think this is gross, there is literally MOUNTAINS of evidence that shows healthy exploration of these thoughts, kinks, and experiences in an enviorment you control is cathartic. Weather or not YOU, the uneducated individual without the psych degree, start yelling "SEEK HELP" as if this was not already a proven method of controlling and facing trauma. Let me tell you: you're not. It's fiction. It is writing. It is fake, a real life occurence, but it is still fake. I have seen people sexualize their fantasy-murderers on the same level as anyone who wanted to write SA porn. Again, this isn't about if you find it acceptable or not, it's about NOT BEING your place to dictate how, when, or who can write it on any grounds, especially demanding to know someone's HISTORY of assault, like imagine being so utterly brain dead that you think you, a stranger, deserve to know anything like this LMAO? it was incredibly common! It was crazy!
Shit, Im getting to the bottom of the box lMAO. Okay.. but yeah, I left tumblr for 4 years to try different sites. I've been on Aniroleplay, and let me tell you. The sanatization the anti crowd wants leads to that. A christian-promoted rp site where if your character is shirtless or has big boobs you get banned because it's "indecent" or "obscene." Twitter has the same amount of problems since most of the minors and obsessive repressed losers left for it. Actually worse than tumblr, it is now peak 2017s tumblr.
I've been on other rp sites where i've had some of the best rp, rich roleplays, GREAT partners, and fun little oc creation experience I ever had. Everyone listed their interests, if you didn't like, you didn't BRING IT UP. You continued like adults, and if not, you block. Boom. The site literally ip bans you if you harass someone. That's what tumblr needed, but instead, all we got was people using statcounter in the midst of 2017-2020 to show who was "stalking" or who left the page open by accident, or something. I was so anxious id have my ip leaked, even if it wasn't a precise location, the idea of someone finding my name and ruining my life was horrifying. I've seen it happen, I've seen people lose jobs from it, I've seen what someone awful with INTENT can do.
Leaving was the best thing ever. I came back only recently because I wanted to try and find a few partners and imagine my fucking shock when I see " NO drama, NO callouts that aren't SPECIFICALLY in reference to A REAL INDIVIDUAL who poses a danger to others " it was insane. It wasn't an isolated incident, but every profile I follow has this, it's all around blogs I wouldnt even think of following, but when I check, I see it there. It's like they all got exhausted with the constant "THIS PERSON WRITES X AND X" like alright? BLOCK THEM, you clown.
This was really just something I've been thinking about. Sorry if this is too long, but thanks for being active for so long guys.
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spacenintendogs · 1 month
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5, 6, 1 for the ask game? If it’s not too much trouble ^^
1. Which part of the series was your introduction to HTTYD? How old were you when you first became a fan?
i rmr it pretty well. i was abt 11 years old & my mom found the first movie on comcast on demand & wanted to find a movie for us we (my siblings & i) hadn't seen so she chose it. i rmr the year prior with all the commercials on tv & stuff & was like hey!! i rmr wanting to see this! cool!! and i rlly liked the movie!!!!! my full obsession, however, didn't start until abt a year later when she brought home this pack of the first 6 books (that's all that was available at the time!) & reading through them i rewatched the movie & we had it on dvd by that point and that was it. the rest is history
5. What type of dragon do you think best matches your personality?
oh gosh. the impulse to say my fave but whispering deaths don't rlly "match" me personality wise. tbh a gronckle, me thinks. with a personality like meatlug or shattermaster. :') they're such goofy goobers but they're also rlly sweet & i am so soft for that LOL. they remind me of the dog i grew up with with how snorty they are & the way they wag their tails :'))
6. What are your favourite ships in the fandom and why?
haaaa.
snotstrid... IDK their chemistry is just??? i love how they constantly bicker & snotlout is just a piece of shit & it causes astrid to retaliate & treat him like that even when he's not actively being a piece of shit which pisses him off & yet they always somehow end up by each other or saving each other much to astrid's chagrin half the time & then snotlout's confusion UGH ESP SNOTLOUT'S ANGELS the nose flick & then astrid admitting she doesn't hate him & his FACE HIS FUCKING FACE he's so got a genuine crush on her but doesn't know how to Behave & i love them getting together & then breaking up & for astrid it's smth she looks back on fondly but never wants to go back to while snotlout is stuck adding her to his list of ppl being the one that got away & yearning..... they're also so funny together & i feel like if they're ever on the same page they're so powerful & it's scary LOL
fishlout used to be my fave & i still love it. rtte spent more time building their relationship to each other than either of them with ruffnut & we all saw the potential of what could have been :') it can easily fall into the jock x nerd thing but it's more than that to me bc while fishlegs is anxious he doesn't take snotlout's shit lying on his back (esp after gem of a different color) & by rtte fishlegs is rolling his eyes & quipping back & it's just forever this contest of who comes out on top & then u have thw whole thor bonecrusher thing & it can so easily be an exploration in snotlout's bisexuality (and fishlegs'!) esp after return of thor bonecrusher when snotlout is just SO happy fishlegs is back to the point where he gives him a hug (and was like :D woah when fishlegs bodied a dude to protect him) & they def had a brief stint after that. they don't talk abt it. it's only between them... snotlout yearns so badly...
i'm realizing my fave ship is anything that'll make snotlout yearn & wish he could have someone as all of his friends find their ppl or are comfortable with themselves enough to not need a romantic partner LMAO
i like a lot more ships than i talk abt tbh!! i just like taking characters like they're my dolls and making them kiss lol. heathstrid, ruffther, hiccstrid, heathlegs, rufflout, rufflegs, tufflegs, eretlout, etc!! i like the art & fics ppl make abt tufflout but it's just not my thing (if that makes sense!!) i also like lot of the poly ships, too! literally i just thrive off making this group of teens who probably spend too much time together but don't rlly have anyone else to spend time with have relationship drama LOL
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judgeanon · 9 months
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Plastic Skies of Betrayal - Model 12: F-5E Tiger II “Area 88″
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So this model is a little special. I know I said the same thing about the last one, but while the Raptor build came with a heavy dose of anxiety and frustrations, the next build turned out to be a nice planetary alignment of materials and people all coming together in an incredibly rewarding project. Just like the Raptor, however, talking about it involves talking about other things first. In this case, a late 70s manga that set up camp in my brain months ago and refuses to leave. 
Have you ever heard of AREA 88? If not, you’re about to.
So there’s this plane called the Northrop F-5 Tiger II, which I’d actually never heard about until I played Ace Combat 5: The Unsung War. That game famously starts you off in an F-5 and locks you there for the first four or five missions, so I became pretty well-acquainted with this tiny little fighter. Some people might recognize its shape from the original TOP GUN, where it was painted black and used as a stand-in for Russian MiG planes, but on the other side of the Pacific, a lot of people know it best as one of the signature planes of one Shin Kazama.
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Shin is the protagonist of AREA 88, a manga by Kaoru Shintani that started all the way in 1979 and ended in 1986, the same year TOP GUN came out. I first heard about it while looking at some model kits, and since I was (and in a lot of ways still am) elbows deep in fighter jets at that time, I started to dig a bit deeper. Three OVAs and half a manga series later, I was absolutely hooked. The air combat is fantastic and the manga pulls a bunch of incredible visual tricks to render it, but it’s the intense melodrama of the characters that really kept me in. It’s a tremendously engaging, compelling and interesting series from every angle. And funny enough, I’d actually seen it once, over a decade ago. Just not as a manga or as an anime.
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As it turns out, AREA 88 had a videogame for the SNES that had been brought to the West as “UN SQUADRON”, and I had actually played it back when my computer was so underpowered that all I could play were emulated retro games. Running into the game’s source material again in the midst of a wild craze triggered by another videogame was a strange but fun little return, and along with my growing obsession with said source material, cemented my decision to make my next model AREA 88-themed. And the universe seemed more than happy to provide.
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My current favorite hobby shop turned out to have a 1/72 Tiger II model for a very nice price, made by the same company that made the F-16 model I’d built some months ago. To make things even better, it was also the exact same kit I’d already seen a much better hobbyist than me turn into Shin’s plane and upload tons of great reference pics online. All I really needed would be the decals, so I asked the shop’s owner if he could get me in touch with someone who prints customs decals. He obliged, although in the end that wouldn’t be necessary.
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The build itself was pretty sweet, although not without its hiccups. There was no family drama to distract me this time nor lingering feelings of guilt. Even money was no longer an object. Feeling more relaxed than usual, I took my time with it, and challenged myself to add a few extra touches. For example, taking the thinnest brush I have, dipping it in red paint and giving the stick a little button,
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The other thing I also tried out was, for the first time, primer. Yes, I’m a dummy. Yes, I’m not sure how I got this far without it. But I’d never actually needed primer before until disaster struck and some patches of paint began to fall out of my Raptor model kit. I’m still not sure what caused it exactly, but priming models from now on seemed like the smartest solution. As we say down here, better to prevent than mend.
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That said, I don’t think I fully understand this whole priming thing yet. Without an airbrush or a spray can, I just used a brush to coat the kit with it, right off the bottle. I’m not sure if this is a good way to use it but at least it smelled really good. And not in a thick chemical kind of way, just genuinely sweet smell. But anyway...
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Painting had to be paused for a moment after I let a friend borrow my white paint, so for a week or so only the Tiger’s tail saw any paint, but once I had everything back things moved pretty quickly. I was a bit worried about the blue part since masking tape and me don’t see eye to eye. Still, it worked out alright, and any imperfections were quickly corrected with a bit more paint. Which is something I really appreciate in model-making: if you mess up, you can usually paint over it. Usually.
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Like with the stick, I took the time to paint a few other little details like the position lights. Decals and weathering also worked out pretty well, thanks to HobbyBoss’ decals being really good and the plane itself being really small compared to the last couple ones I’d made.
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The other thing I felt quite proud of was my paintjob on the transparent parts. I’d been scared of canopies for so long that a bunch of my first models are still purely transparent there, but thanks to a couple of really comfortable brushes and some experience, I’m feeling far more confident about it nowadays. Plus, I’d fallen in love with this shade of blue, so adding more to the plane was its own reward. And speaking of canopies, another little touch I’ve been adding to the planes since the Raptor is to give the whole thing a coat of matte varnish, but then use gloss for the canopy, giving it a nice shiny finish. Although that led to a moment of anxiety when a drop of varnish went inside the canopy and stayed there, giving it a very ugly thick white curve that I feared was permanent. In the end I went to sleep and woke up to the varnish having completely dried out and disappeared, so that’s a good life lesson: sometimes you just need to sleep things off.
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So with that and a combination of black and gray panel liner, the Tiger was done! ... or was it? After all, this wasn’t just any Tiger, this is supposed to be Shin Kazama’s Tiger. It was still missing a couple of very important touches. But for the time being I was pretty damn satisfied with the model, top to bottom.
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A couple of weeks passed and I never really got around to contacting the guy I’d been recommended, but then I ran into something interesting: a local hobbyist in our local version of eBay was offering custom display bases for model kits at a pretty affordable price. I’d been thinking about getting or even making a humble display base for pictures and stuff, but when I noticed that he was offering custom touches, an idea came to my mind. And that idea lead to a frankly pretty amazing moment of pure human connection.
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So after I got paid, I reached out to the guy and asked about getting a 1/72 base made with some extra touches. First, he asked for a picture of the model I wanted to go on the base, so he could take some measurements. Feeling pretty proud of my work so far, I sent him a picture...
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... and I swear, the very first thing he said was, and I quote:
“Oh, is that Shin Kazama’s F-5 from Area 88?”
To which my answer was “Ok, that simplifies matters.”
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On top of immediately understanding the assignment, new friend even offered to throw in a little extra: a Shin Kazama scale figurine, free of charge. I said yes, of course, ‘cause momma didn’t raise the kind of fool that says no to free stuff, and also asked if he knew anyone who could help me with the decals. As it turned out, he did know a guy. And the combined efforts of three different people living nearly 400 miles away from each other all came together to make something that makes me incredibly happy.
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Like everything else I’ve made so far, it’s not perfect. The tail decal couldn’t be easily printed in transparent paper, so it was printed on blue paper that’s ever so slightly a different shade than the one on the plane. But the results are still more than good enough for me.
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In the end, this kit turned out to be a very welcome de-stresser. The difficult parts turned out to be a lot less difficult than it seemed, and the base and decals story is something I know I’ll always talk about with a smile on my face. In a hobby that’s usually pretty solitary, that little bit of long-distance camaraderie went a long way. And left me a very nice base for all future projects.
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