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oreosmilkshakes · 2 years

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Anything For Love

Pairing: Morpheus/Dream of the Endless x reader

Fandom: The Sandman

Word Count: 2,462

Warning(s): 18+, Dark Morpheus, slight spoilers, slight sexual stuff, choking.

A/N: Psh obviously titles aren’t my strongest suit. Also, the very, very light smirk in the gif is *chef’s kiss*. (And I'm dry on ideas so feel free to gimme sum :DD). As always, enjoy reading!

Taglist: NIL

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The hand luggage landed with a light ��thud’, [Name] straightening her coat with pursed lips. The mansion was nothing like the others she has visited. It was bigger, antique and from the research she had done, it was old. The old doors creaked open, a woman stepped out with a warm smile.

“Hello, you must be [Name],” She extended her hand out and [Name] couldn't help but take in the warmth of the woman as she shook the elderly woman’s hand.

[Name] had a feeling she knew what to expect upon taking the first step into the mansion. Everything about it was old, from the furniture, to the wall and to the decorations. Her eyes observed as other housekeepers scurried around to complete their daily chores while security guards patrolled the hallways. “Odd..,” [Name] thought. The house was old, yes and she was sure it held treasures belonging to the Burgess family but guards patrolling the hallways? It was odd indeed. [Name] chose to brush the thought off but kept it close in the back of her mind as Edith acquainted her with the interior of the mansion, her room as well as her chores. There was no fixed uniform, thankfully, except she had to dress in black clothing to stand out from the other staff. That was fine by her and [Name] somehow couldn't wait to start work.

“That I am,”

“Good. I’m Edith and I am the head housekeeper here. Thank you for coming at such short notice. Master Burgess is currently unavailable at the moment so I will be tending to you. Come,”

After all, it paid very well indeed.

[Name]’s days in the mansion were interesting and as the months passed, she made friends with the other housekeepers. She shared rooms with Sarah, a more senior housekeeper compared to [Name] who helped her familiarise herself with the standard procedures with constant reminder that she should never wander aimlessly around the mansion without motive or else she would end up in the wrong places and end up in bigger troubles.

But [Name] can’t help it. History was her thing and there were rumours about his mansion. About a cult within its walls. She wasn’t afraid, of course. The rumour goes like this: There was a cult back in the 1900s that apparently tangled themselves with the Devil and somehow, they had managed to capture the Devil and kept him in the basement. [Name] had yet to find the entrance to the basement to see if it were all true but there were just too many activities going on in daytime, which was why she ended up exploring the mansion further during nightfall.

The hallways were really dark with the exception of the moonlight pouring through the windows. [Name] swallowed, clutching her notebook close as she peered around corners with quiet footsteps narrowly avoiding patrolling guards. She pressed herself between a wall and a closet as footsteps approached her position.

“Y’know, I don’t get why the fuck we gotta sit down there all day and watch him all day. We both bloody know that he hasn’t gone out for the past 100 years and he won’t ever,” A guard complained. [Name]’s eyes widened, forcing a gasp down and peered over to find one of the guard’s hands closing a hidden door by the main office.

Bingo

“Quit complaining. The only reason why I’m even staying is because the pay is good,” The second replied and the first sighed loudly.

“You know what? Fuck this. He isn’t getting out anytime soon and we need some drinks. Let’s get the fuck out of here,” And as much as the second guard wanted to protest, his friend was right. He really needed a drink.

[Name] waited until they were truly gone before making her way down the hall. She held her notebook tightly, pushing the door open quietly. The musty smell of the basement almost made her gag. Shaking her head, she stepped in, closing the door behind her as she made her way down the short flight of stars.

[Name] swallowed. She didn’t really know what to expect. Were the rumours true? If it was, how should she react? Would he have horns and a tail? Or..

“Snap out of it, [Name]!” She scolded herself, stopping just a few short steps away from the metal gates that led to the inner parts of the basement. She stopped because she had to recollect herself and her thoughts before continuing on…

Morpheus felt the air shift, lifting his head from his knees as he stared forward, cold, cold eyes glaring at the metal gates. There was someone here down with him. He tilted his head a little, anticipation growing bigger as he waited for the being to reveal themself. This one felt different. This one felt nothing like the Burgess boy or the guards. This one interested him.

Said this one took a deep breath and exhaled quietly.

“Okay, [Name]. Whatever it is down here, it’s probably nothing. It’s just rumours and the basement is full of old antiques, treasure and whatnot,” She reassured herself, eyes fluttering open.

Now or never.

[Name] descended the last few steps and turned towards the basement. The lights were dim but she was very sure that the sight before her was something she had least expected. She expected chains and the Devil but not this. The notebook slipped for her hand and the sound of impact made her jump. From afar, she saw the being’s head tilted further, eyes watching her every movement. [Name] inhaled deeply again, calming her racing heart as her hand reached down to collect her book off the dirty floor.

[Name] slowly approached the glass cage and as she did, she studied the man. It saddened her to see him in such a manner and with his humility thrown out the window. They could at least give him something to cover himself? Somehow, this annoyed the girl.

Morpheus watched the girl’s movements. She was someone new, this he realised. He wanted to stand but went against his decision, afraid his own…bareness would scare the girl away. He noted that even if her presence was new, he should not be swayed by it. For the past century, it has been very cruel for him. She could be the same as the others.

“Um..Hello,” [Name] greeted with a nervous smile. She glanced down, markings of gold surrounding the glass cage. Perhaps to keep him in? Or to keep others like him out? She didn’t know.

“I didn’t mean to scare you or anything. Oh, I hope I didn’t,” There was a flash of distress across her face momentarily before she realised that the man barely reacted to anything. Now, she was sure as hell that he was not the Devil.

“I didn’t think the rumours were true but then again, I didn’t know what to expect,” [Name] let out a nervous laughter, carefully stepping up to the glass cage. She leaned in closely, lips parted as she looked at him all over.

“C-Can you talk?” She asked.

No reaction. She guessed he could but just refused to do so.

“Um, okay,..uh..” She fumbled, opening her notebook. He was such a fine specimen to sketch.

“Is it okay if I sketched you? I’ll keep the..bad bits out. It’s an odd request, I know but I’m just so intrigued. Again, I’m sorry,” [Name] chuckled nervously, retrieving her pencil. Morpheus could only stare, confused with everything that’s happening in such a short moment.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be rude. I’m [Name]. I’m the new housekeeper here because..well, I need the money and frankly, there were so many stories about this place and..uh..it’s a pretty house on the exterior. I like to sketch everything and..yeah! That’s about it,” She bit her lip as she moved the pencil all over the paper.

Every stroke, every line, every detail led to a growth of sadness that resided in her heart.

Eventually, she stopped drawing and shut her book.

“I’m sorry,” [Name] said.

“Look, I don’t know why they kept you here or how long but I am going to let you out. Yes, I don’t know you, you don’t know me but nobody and I mean nobody, should be caged like an animal. I’ll get you out..I just have to figure out how first..Hang in there, okay?” She smiled warmly, pressing a hand to the cool glass.

Morpheus’s eyes flickered to the hand then back to her face. So many thoughts raced through his mind but nothing made sense and as he tried to make sense of them, he was forced to watch her leave.

Research was never easy and if anything, [Name] didn’t like research. Even if the research involved something she didn’t understand, she swore to herself that she was going to release the man. During her free time, she would visit the library in hopes of finding something about releasing the man in the basement. Then, during the night time, at every opportunity she could get, she visited the man. She didn’t care if he did not talk to her. She would try her best to keep him at ease while her research progressed on.

Each meeting would involve [Name] talking to him about herself and her life as well as her day, how good or how bad it was and Morpheus would just listen. His instincts were true and that she was harmless and innocent. She violated everything just to spend time with him at every chance she got and this made him feel something. Every time she visited him, he took the time to notice little details about her from head to toe. He knew so much about her from her stories and this fueled his primal urges deep within him. Something he didn’t know he even had. She was something he wanted all his life, something so different from the past lovers he had. Her dedication to him was enough to let Morpheus know that she was made for him. His blunt nails dug into the smooth glass, jaw tight as he stared at the two guards with deadly eyes. When he gets out, he was going to take [Name] away from everything.

This was a promise.

[Name] realised the more time she spent with the man, her heart felt for him and it aches each time their eyes meet through the thick glass cage. Work upstairs was beginning to get harder and harder because all she could think of was to see Morpheus again. Those nights where she was unable to visit him, she would flip through her notebook. There were many gorgeous sketches of him and it would bring a smile to her face. Sarah would question here on why she was always smiling and her answer was always simple and that was that her notebook held beauties only she could comprehend. Her visit to Morpheus was always the same..

Until one day, it wasn’t.

[Name] made sure the coast was clear first before sneaking down to the basement and the view before her had her horrified. The glass cage was broken and the man was no more. She brought a hand to her chest, eyes growing hot. What happened here? Did they kill him? Where has he gone? Too many questions raced [Name]’s mind. She was supposed to be the one to save him, to get him out but he was gone and she didn’t know what happened to him.

So, she did what she had to do. She packed her items on the very same night and ran back home, away from the mansion, away from everything that had happened for the man she had fallen for was no more.

It took weeks for [Name] to normalise back and months to forget about the events of the Burgess mansion. She had a new job at a cafe just a few blocks down the road and this job was quiet enough for the girl. She genuinely enjoyed it.

She packed up for the day and left for her home. As [Name] stepped in, immediately the air didn’t feel light. She furrowed her brows, turning on the lights as she brushed off the odd feeling.

Yet somehow, it felt familiar to her.

[Name] placed her bag on her bed, getting out of her dirty clothes for a much needed hot shower. The cool air pricked her skin, goosebumps appearing on her arms as she stood in front of the mirror for her nightly routine. Dark eyes continued watching her amongst the shadows, eyes trailing down her bare back and lower. His tongue wet his lips, a smirk curled on the corner of it.

[Name] stepped into the shower, the warm water was heavenly on her tired body. Her fingers laced between the locks of her hair, mind drifting as she listened to the sound of the water. Her mind reminisced back to the man in the glass cage. She missed him but she chose to firmly believe that he was not gone. Her heart still ached for him after all this time.

Her eyes fluttered close, enjoying the sensation of water falling on her skin.

Then, lean fingers ghosted over her neck before wrapping around it gently. She didn’t need to resist. She knew who it was.

Wet lips ghosted over her ear as the hand around her neck guided her to lean back. His chest was broad and strong and a low moan left [Name]’s lips as she rested against his chest.

“Ever since you came to me, I knew you were the right one for me. Your voice was like music to my ears, your beauty captivating and your determination to save me was..commendable indeed. All I thought about was to have you for my own and I was afraid that you might get caught by the guards..Yet here you are,” Morpheus purred, slowly tightening his grip on [Name]’s neck. Her eyes flew open, a hand shot up to grab his hand that held her neck. Air was slowly running out.

“I will have you and no one else will. Nothing can take you away from me ever again. I will make sure that you..,” Morpheus gripped [Name]’s neck even tighter now, her world began spinning as she desperately clawed at his hand.

“Will forever be bound to me,” Morpheus promised.

The spinning world eventually turned black. Morpheus held her in his arms, a smile curled on his full lips as he took her expression. Though unconscious, she still wore the smile Morpheus fell for.

He would do anything for [Name]

Anything

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acourtofsnakes · 2 years

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Dream A Little Dream Of Me - Morpheus x F!Reader

Summary: To others, the world of dreams is something only to be explored at night. To enjoy and wonder at but then to forget about when you wake up. But for you, it's quite literally an escape. The Dreaming is your home, your reality whereas the Waking world is that which feels false. When you're walking with your Lord of Dreams at your side, how could you possibly go back to normal life?

Warnings: None; some food and drink mentions, fluff, so much fluff, pining, declarations that I would personally pay to hear, Morpheus being head over heels for his Dream, some faint spoilers for the series?

Words: 5.3k+

A/N: So this was originally gonna be a oneshot... But now it might be a little mini series 😌

Permanent Taglist: @greeneyedblondie44 @mamacitapascal @mypedrom @undiscovered-misunderstood @kaylee-krystal @theshireisburning-so-mordoritis @queenofthefaceless @gallowsjoker @kirsteng42 @rosiefridayrogersunday @salome-c @amywritesthings @meganlpie @sgt-morgan @kodakoalabear

Masterlist | Sandman Masterlist

You know me.

We have met before, here, in this realm of wonder and light, imagination and extravagance.

In the place where no wish is too big, no thought too small. There is happiness here, but there is also darkness.

Scales, perfectly balanced, perfectly weighted for one side cannot live without the other.

Dreamers need the Dark just as the Sun needs the Moon.

Just as you need me and I, you.

You know me.

I have many names… I am the King of Dreams, and Nightmares.

I am Morpheus, Dream of the Endless.

And I am yours.

When people called you a dreamer, you don’t think they realised just how true that is.

Because you spent every minute of your waking life in a world of your own, mind whirring as it crafted endless worlds of imagination and escape.

It wasn’t that you struggled in the waking world, that you were in pain as such. It was just… You were bored. And you were lost.

Bored with seeing the greed and viciousness in strangers.

Bored of the rules of magic only being real on pages or on screens. Because you knew that just wasn’t true.

You knew it was out there because you’d seen it.

You’d seen it in the way the moon rose high in the night sky, setting slight tone the stars scattered across the inky black like diamonds on velvet.

In the way the little birds dipped and dunked their heads in the bird table in your small garden.

You’d seen it in the way your eyes hungrily devoured the words in your book and your mind painted it so vibrantly, so clearly that you only had to lower your lashes and you were there.

Quite literally.

As soon as the sun went down and you fell asleep, you no longer walked the pavements of London’s streets.

No, you walked the endless, drifting paths of the Dreaming, with its swirling sky and its grand, beautiful gates.

You dipped into the reflective waters and swam through the depths to breath-taking worlds where dragons flew through the sky, where magic dropped from the fingertips of heroes and villains alike.

In this space, you were the leader of a revolution, the queen of a fallen kingdom, the explorer of lost relics and the powerful sorcerer of another universe.

The pages of your books became real, the characters rose up around you and welcomed you into their worlds, ran through their paths of fate at your side, guided you through their adventures like best friends.

And you loved it.

It all felt so real, so solid and detailed that it couldn’t just be fantasy.

He couldn’t just be a dream.

Because you didn’t walk these paths alone.

You had a partner.

A guide.

A kindred soul that filled your head with his endless blue eyes, his rumpled inky black hair that looked as soft as a bird’s wings, but most especially his voice.

His voice was like… the darkest chocolate, rich and smooth, sprinkled with the faint rasp of sea salt just to give it an edge that felt like fingertips dancing down your spine.

It was hypnotic, like velvet, leading you through your dreamscapes and echoing in your ears long after you’d woken up.

For years now, you’d walked arm in arm through the Dreaming with the Lord himself.

Lord Morpheus. Dream of the Endless. King of Dreams and Nightmares alike.

“Hey, are you coming out with us tonight?” The sound of your friend’s voice filtered through the images of stormy-blue eyes, of gently lapping water and elegant castles reaching toward and endless canopy of stars.

You blinked yourself back to the present, focusing on the figure of Sam, your friend, standing before you at the counter. “Hm?” It took you a moment to process what he’d asked, and then you shook your head, “Oh, no, I can’t tonight I’m afraid, I’ve got way too much work to do and not enough time to do it in.” You laughed, turning to the counter behind you to put away the clean mugs.

Sam owned a coffee shop bakery, and you’d helped him build it up from the derelict space it had been, to the cosy, familiar place it was now. There was a certain dark academia vibe to it, with dark wood, lots of throws and cushions, a million and one books scattered around and a lot of tarot and dream inspired décor. It was a gorgeous place, and popular with the regular customers but it was never overcrowded. The place was Sam’s baby, and you were so proud of what he had achieved.

Your two other best friends worked here too, which equally made working here a breeze.

Sam raised an eyebrow at you, crossing his arms and leaning on the counter, “Your deadline isn’t for another month yet, surely you can spare a night off. You deserve it, you work so hard here and, on your course too.” You felt something small and plump donk you on the back of the head, “Come onnnnn.”

You peered over your shoulder, lifting your own brows in response to him, “Did you just throw a marshmallow at me again? You do realise you’re going to make Arc have a sugar addiction, don’t you?”

Arc, or rather Arcane, was a fluffy teddy bear of a black German Shepherd, who spent most days in the shop with you all, or at one of your homes. You all collectively owned him since you’d found him abandoned on the side of the road as a puppy after a night out three years ago.

After a trip to the vets, some minor treatment, and the assurance he didn’t belong to anyone, the four of you had adopted him and he rotated between homes throughout the week.

Spoiled baby.

Sam rolled his eyes, “He already has a sugar addiction and don’t change the subject.” He paused, his eyes softening, “You can’t spend all your life dreaming, babe.”

True to form, Arc came shooting from his bed, chasing the marshmallow across the floor before inhaling it.

You turned away, shooting a frown at the assortment of mugs in front of you. Sam knew about the drams you had, how vivid they were, how you woke up with a phantom feeling on your hands and that silken voice lingering in your ear.

He also knew how much you valued and cherished that escape… But what he didn’t know is that you believed it to be real.

He didn’t know that although you adored your life here, your friends and the coffee shop… You felt out of place. Like you had one foot somewhere else and everything was ever so slightly blurred. This reality felt like the world of dreams, and you sleeping life felt real.

You cleared your throat, shaking your head softly and moving to the till, “I’m not, Sammy, really. But I do have too much work to finish, I need to research for the final chapter of my assignment, and I have that meeting tomorrow I need to prepare for. I’m sorry, I really am.” You flashed him a smile, kissing his cheek as you brushed past, “Maybe next time.”

Arc followed after you, hunting for more treats and you laughed, handing the sweet boy another marshmallow.

Sam watched you go, a soft sigh in his throat but he loved you regardless of your head being somewhere else 98% of the time, “Yeah, okay.”

“Welcome back, my lady.” The familiar, even voice of the Dreaming’s librarian greeted you when you opened your eyes again that night. “You know, you don’t have to come through the gates every night. You could come to the palace instead if you preferred.”

Lucienne stood at the gates, her hands clasped in front of her and a soft smile playing about her lips as she waited for you.

A mirroring smile curled your own and you gave a little playful curtsey, “Good evening, Lucienne. It’s good to be back.” You cast an upward glance to the gates that never failed to take your breath away. You’d spent a solid two hours walking back and forth along them once, drinking in every single detail. “I know… But I love seeing them. And I like walking through the Dreaming and saying hello to everyone.”

Lucienne began to lead you back through, a near silent creak resounding behind you as the gates closed again, “Of course. They love to see you too, my lady. They always ask about you on the nights you aren’t here.” She chuckled a little, her eyes glimmering as she shot you a sideways glance, “Of course, they’re not the only ones.”

A delicate colour swept along your cheekbones at her words, the blood in your veins tingling and you feigned a look of complete innocence, “I have absolutely no idea what you mean, Lucienne. You must be mistaken.” The fact you were fighting a smile definitely didn’t help your pretend innocence.

The librarian laughed, bumping her shoulder into yours in a casual display of friendship you’d come to cherish, “Oh, come now. You know exactly who I mean.” She looked across the sweeping, endless landscape of the Dreaming, “I suppose the library doubling in size to contain your favourite fictional books, the gardens that now thrive with new flowers for every season, and the whole new astronomy tower on the palace, they are all just simply there, hm? Not that they appeared only when your visits became frequent? Or when you mentioned how much you loved the stars and wished you could see them more clearly?” She was on a roll now, “Or the fact I’ve seen him smile more since your first visit than I have the entire time I’ve known him?”

Well.

What could you say to that, exactly?

You looked across the Dreaming as you followed the path toward the palace, a warmth growing in your chest with every step closer to the place you were desperately wanting to call your home, “He’s an Endless, Lucienne. I’m a human. This is…” You shook your head, a little sigh catching in your throat, “This time together is a mere blink in his life.”

A noise of dissent rose from Lucienne, and she pulled you to a gentle stop, “My lady, I don’t think you realise what impact you’ve had here. On our Lord, too.” She looked over your face, a little frown forming on her own as her knowledgeable eyes read something you were hiding, “They said that you can’t live here again, didn’t they? That you need to live in the real world and stop dreaming so much.”

You gave her a faint smile, shrugging gently, “They’re only looking out for me. They think that all this…” You gestured to the landscape that people quite literally only dreamed of seeing, “It’s all in my head. They don’t believe it to be real. Just a fairy-tale.” A frown tugged at your face, and you looked away, the thought sneaking through your head despite how real this all felt, despite knowing in your heart this wasn’t a fantasy.

Lucienne lifted a hand to your shoulder, trying to catch your gaze, “Do you believe this to be real, my lady?” She tilted your chin up carefully, with her other hand, “Do you believe the creatures and the Dreams, the landscape, and the realm… me? Do you believe Lord Morpheus to be real?”

Her eyes were steady on you, brows slightly lifted as she watched you through her glasses, and you had the feeling she could read you far better than you could ever read yourself. You gave a little huff because she was right. “Yes, I do believe you all to be real. I know you are.”

She nodded once, taking her hand from your chin but keeping the other gently on your shoulder, “Then that is all that matters. As long as you believe, as long as you are happy here, it doesn’t matter what anyone else things.” She paused for a moment, “Though, I must say that we are very much real… but I suppose I would say that either way, wouldn’t I?”

You laughed softly, that heavy feeling in your chest lifting immediately, “I suppose you would, yes...’ You trailed off, looking across the impossibly surreal, gorgeous landscape, “I know you’re real, because I could never dream up anything like this. Ever. I couldn’t even write anything like this so…”

Lucienne hummed slightly, taking her hand from your shoulder, and beginning to lead you down the path, “I don’t know about that, my lady. I’ve read the tales of your dreams and life so far and... It’s extraordinary, the images and worlds you came up with. Even before you came here, there was always something special about you. The way your imagination worked. I always knew that one day -” She caught herself, stopping her sentence mid-flow like she’d spoken something she shouldn’t have.

Curiosity sung through you, her words prickling in your mind, “You always knew what?” You tilted your head, looking at her with that pressing interest burning in your eyes now, “You knew I’d come here?”

The librarian shook her head, opening her mouth to perhaps throw you off the scent but then she didn’t need to. She was saved by something else.

Or rather, someone else.

The pair of you had reached the sprawling bridge that crossed the span of the clear, flowing river, held up by two great, stone hands.

And standing in the centre, hands in the pockets of his elegant coat, was Lord Morpheus.

He cut a striking figure as always, not just from the sleek black clothes, but from his mere presence and height. The world seemed to bend around him, every living thing holding their breath and keeping their eyes on him in anticipation of what he might create next, what wonderful figments would come from the hands buried in his deep pockets.

The raven-black locks of his hair ruffled gently in the breeze, dancing over his forehead in such a way that even here, still on the path, you ached to brush it back from his alabaster skin.

Lucienne looked between the pair of you, noting how neither of you looked away and she aimed a small bow toward Dream before disappearing off somewhere, a grin crossing her lips as she turned away.

In all the magnificent, impossible beauty of this realm, both Dream King and Dreamer had eyes only for each other.

For you, he represented every single thing you craved. Adventure, imagination, the possibility of not “What if?” but “Why not?” He was steady and secure; he was fiercely loyal and determined and he made you feel like… You were something more. He made you want to embrace every single aspect of yourself, whether people in the living world would judge you or not. He was irrevocably his own person and you wanted to have that same self-assured confidence, even in your faults.

For Morpheus… You were ethereal. You were something even he couldn’t have ever created, for you superseded whatever his mind could fathom into existence. You burned with a flame of life so bright that you dimmed those around you. It was as if one of the stars from the skies above him had fallen and settled within you. The way you saw magic in every corner of the world, both living and Dreaming, and were determined to not only see it but keep it there. You belonged somewhere where that imagination could grow, where your beguiling, incredible personality could thrive and fill those up around you.

Even your shadows, the threads of pain and past that you carried with you were beautiful. He wanted to learn them, with your permission, to see how they made you strong, even on your weakest days. He wanted everything. He wanted your love, your happiness, and your joy. He wanted your anger and your anguish. He wanted the Dreams in your head and the words from your lips.

Simply put, he was enraptured by you, in such a way that he didn’t believe he could feel again.

His imprisonment at the hands of mortals had shown him how cruel the world still was, just in different ways now. There was such greed and darkness in the world, a stain that was heavier than the Nightmares he created, and he believed that his faith would never be restored in those who once walked the planes of love and fascination.

And yet, you were starting to make him see different. If such wonder and light could reside in you, maybe all was not lost after all.

Dream smiled, that perpetual pouty expression melting into a soft smile that was yours, and yours alone, “Hello, my little Dream.” His voice slid over the words like silk, deep and slow, magnetic in its cadence and alluring in tone.

His voice, his presence, it all called to you until you walked forward, stopping before him and giving a playful little curtesy, dipping your head before lifting it to look up at him, “Hello, Mor.” Your own voice was soft, at peace as you gazed up at your Dream Lord.

Dream’s eyes carefully roamed your face and body, like they always did to check you were okay. They returned to your own eyes, lingering on them as if he could see into your soul and your heart.

Those endless cerulean eyes flickered, narrowing a little, “They told you to stop dreaming again, didn’t they?” His voice had deepened, turning harder round the edges, a lick of ancient, all-encompassing danger dancing along the edges as his expression darkened.

Funny how both him and Lucienne read it so clearly in your face. Were you that obvious? Or did they just know you that well?

You shrugged gently, giving him a smaller smile, “They’re just worried about me, Mor, that’s all.” You thought back to Lucienne’s words, “They don’t understand that I feel more at home and at peace here than I do in the waking world.” You reached out, gently tugging the lapel of his soft, flowing coat, “Don’t worry about it, I’m okay. I promise.”

One of his hands came up to circle your wrist gently, his long fingers warm on your skin as they kept your hand to his chest. The other lifted higher, the crook of his knuckle resting just beneath your chin, and he tilted your head up, “You feel at home here?” The softness was back to his voice, but this tone was different. You were learning what they meant, and this one was as if… As if he was hanging on your every word, that what you said next meant more to him than you could ever comprehend.

A shiver ran through your bones at his touch, a sense of belonging sinking into your blood, but at the same time his caress untethered you. It was like starlight; ethereal, powerful, glorious, and dangerous. Dangerous because you knew that you would do anything for this contact, for him, for Lucienne and for the Dreaming. His touch exploded on your skin like the skies above, and you were more than willing to fall headfirst into it and everything that came after.

You nodded faintly, not wanting to dislodge his touch and you breathed, “Yes.” With your eyes on his, your voice strengthened, desperate for him to believe it, “I do, Mor. I feel safe here. Loved. Like I can be whoever I want, dream whatever I want… No thought is too small or unimportant.” There was a brief hesitation before continued, “I don’t feel like I fit in amongst the waking world. It feels as though everything is a step ahead, like I’m trying to play catch up and I’m not quite there in body and mind. But here… with you…” You pressed your hand flat to his chest, feeling the steady beat of a heart that had pumped for eons, “This is home. I feel alive here, awake, like everything is crystal clear and mine to explore. I can breathe deeper here than I can back there.”

Dream noted how you didn’t call it home. How you called your mortal life “back there’ or ‘the waking world.” These two places were separate for you, one you cherished and one you felt lost in. You felt safe in this world, in his world. With him.

He cocked his head, brushing his thumb along your chin and jaw, relishing in the softness of your skin, the press of your hands into his chest that felt like they were pressing into his very bones and heart, cradling it as carefully as he was cradling you, because you were irrevocably precious to him. “You know you can be whoever you want to be here, my muse. You can be every aspect of yourself, and I will never shy away from you. Any part of you.” He looked between your eyes whilst his own blazed with a fierce intensity, a longing and something there you couldn’t quite work out. His words stole your breath away, coaxing it from your chest and replacing the space with a swirl of fluttering butterflies that promised great and beautiful things with each pulse of their wings.

You looked over his features again, leaning forward, with his hands still on your face and you pressed your forehead up against his gently, even though you had to stand on tiptoe. “Thank you, Mor… Thank you for looking at me and seeing everything.” You slid your arms from his chest to wind around his shoulders, even though the action sent soft shivers and fluttering’s of anticipation through your body… and his own.

Dream shuddered softly as though your touch awoke something in him, and his arms immediately came to wrap around your waist, holding you close to his body. You felt his nose press against the top of your head, felt him breathe you in and his arm tighten like he didn’t want to let you go.

He smelt incredible, like your favourite night-blooming jasmine and bergamot, like open night skies and stars, notes of rain and wind and something distinctly masculine, woodsy and comforting. His hand slipped up to cup the back of your head, his eyes closing as he breathed in your own scent again, felt your warmth and softness and the even beat of your heart. “This will always be your home, little dream. I promise you that.”

You stayed wrapped up in Dream’s embrace for… what could have been hours. Until you both eventually pulled back from each other, and he caressed your face once more before holding out his arm to you, and leading you toward the grand, majestic palace in which the dragons lifted their heads in greeting to, in their eyes, the Lady of the Dreaming.

If only you knew.

“How have things been? Are your siblings still causing you trouble?” You were sitting outside on the bank of soft grass at the edge of the lake surrounding Morpheus’ castle.

The Lord of Dreams was cross-legged next to you, his long cloak spread out behind him like a spill of ink. He looked over at you from the water, something softening in his eyes like always when his gaze was resting on his Dream, “Surprisingly not. Desire has instead taken to leaving me alone, which I admit concerns me more than if they were interfering.” His lips pulled into a thoughtful pout, “I’m sure I’ll find out the reason for their silence, soon enough.”

You chuckled a little, running a blade of grass through your fingers, “It’s always fascinated me how… human you are. You’re all the anthropomorphic personifications of such powerful emotions, you’ve been alive for millennia and yet you still have the typical siblings’ dynamics that mortals have.”

That pout melted into a little wry grin and he shrugged softly, “Even the Endless argue and bicker over who the better sibling is.” He gazed at you for a moment longer, then shook his head, hair ruffling in the breeze, “Enough about me. I want to hear about you.”

You cocked your head, raising a brow teasingly at him, “You already know everything there is to know about me, Mor.” It was true. You felt as though he knew you better than anyone did… Which you supposed was true. You’d told him things that no one in the mortal world knew about you, hopes and dreams that you’d never voice aloud.

Morpheus turned to face you properly, reaching out to take your hand in his own, sliding his long fingers through yours, “I want to hear it all again… Please. I want to hear about the dreams you had as a child, your favourite colour and the season you like best. I want to hear what food makes you feel alive and which genre of music makes your heart glow like the stars I see in your eyes.” He looked over your face, brushing his thumb against yours, “I want to hear every little thing that makes my Dream who she is.”

Your heart began to quicken at his words, that fluttering feeling humming in your blood and making it feel as though your chest was going to burst. He was looking at you like you were the only thing in this realm and all the others, the only spot of awe and beauty in a place where anything was possible.

There was a shift happening, something altering in the air as soon as you saw him on that bridge and something like anticipation caressed down your spine. You took a breath, feeling the tremor there and instead, you asked him, “Why?”

Dream blinked, as if surprised you could be wondering such a thing, “Why?” He held your hands to his chest, leaning forward over his crossed legs so he could be closer, “Because you are… extraordinary. You are unlike anyone I have ever met, both mortal and otherwise. You dream and imagine in such a way that even I cannot fathom, and it’s… incredible.” His eyes shone, lined with silver, and implored you to believe him, to see yourself how he saw you.

Your throat tightened at his words, you own eyes beginning to burn and grow glossy as you watched this man, this god, try to convince you that you were something he was inspired by, that he was in awe of you when he was responsible for the creation of such unbelievable things, “Mor…” You could manage no more than a whisper, for fear of your voice breaking.

He shook his head gently, lifting one of his hands to cup your jaw. His long fingers traced your jawline, carefully, as if you were the most precious thing he had ever set eyes on, before letting his fingers curl behind your ear. His thumb skated along your cheekbone, those cerulean eyes drifting down to your lips for a moment, “The thought of you being in the mortal realm, amongst those who try and suffocate your dreams… I can’t stand it. You belong in a place where you can be free, where you can be whoever you want.” He looked up at you through his dark lashes, his inky hair tumbling over his forehead, “You should be here.” He looked between your eyes, his throat bobbing on a swallow, “You should be here with me.”

And there it was.

The words that you had been longing to hear from the moment you stepped foot in this realm and walked side-by-side with Dream of the Endless. The words you couldn’t figure out how to ask on your own, finally spilling from his lips and wrapping you in their embrace.

A soft little laugh left your lips, breathy and light and you opened them to respond, to let all of your own feelings come free… But then a shudder ran down your body.

You felt simultaneously too heavy and too light at the same time, and you could no longer feel the soft ground beneath you, but instead the squishiness of a mattress.

“No...” Dream’s voice broke on that single syllable, the hope in his eyes dying and he pulled you closer, like holding you to his body would prevent you from slipping away. Even the thought of you being gone for another day was torture, especially after he had revealed the desperate desire to have you with him, a desire he’d had since he first laid eyes on you.

You clung to his arms, curling your fingers in the soft fabric of his coat as your peripheral vision began to blur, the structures of the Dreaming bleeding away like watercolour on a canvas. “Don’t let me go, Mor. Please. I don’t want to go back.” You shook your head, this time feeling even more painful than all the other nights, because your words were on your lips, you wanted to speak them, to hold him, to say yes…

But time was a cruel thief.

Morpheus kept his eyes steady on yours, even though those lines of silver were spilling down his cheeks now, “Come back to me, my Dream. Come back to me and stay.” He brushed his thumb over your cheek again, ducking his head to press his forehead to your own, but you couldn’t feel it, only the ghost of a touch. “Please…”

His final whispered word was the last thing you heard as oblivion rained down, and a second later your eyes opened to the familiar sight of your bedroom, his words ringing in your ears.

The sounds of the milk steamer, the whirring grind of the coffee beans and the soft music in the background were a symphony that lulled you into your usual state of dissociation. It had gotten worse. Your daydreams tiptoed along the gates of the Dreaming, begging for him, and more than once you’d caught yourself nodding off, like your subconscious was yearning to get back to its home.

You felt, rather than saw Sam’s somewhat concerned eyes on you multiple times throughout the day, watching you on autopilot as you imagined the cosy coffee shop was nestled in a world of imagination and endless, swirling sky.

Realistically, you knew you couldn’t sleep forever, that you’d have to actually live your real life but… With each day, each second it didn’t feel right. Everything in you cried out to be elsewhere, to be with him. Especially after that declaration the fell from his lips like stardust, surrounding you with everything you’d longed to hear the Lord of Dreams say, and it only served to spur your own emotions even more.

You wished with a fierce desire that you’d been able to tell Morpheus everything you felt. That you mirrored his admissions last night, and ask him… Ask him if you could indeed stay with him. In a realm where you could be yourself, with those you loved rather than having to hide the aspects of your personality from those who might judge you for it. Tell him that you felt more in place at his side than anywhere else here.

The tingling of the bell echoed in the back of your mind, barely making a dent in your thoughts as you cleaned the coffee machine from the previous customers drinks. Sam would probably pick the order up anyway since he was closest.

And yet, the next voice you heard wasn’t your best friends calling for you to get your head out of the clouds and make a latte.

It cut straight through the fog in your head, reaching for your heart and encasing it in a warm, star dusted touch. It ran against your skin like velvet, coaxing you to a place you belonged.

For a second, you thought you’d fallen asleep standing up, because when you finally lifted your head to the counter… There he was. Standing before you with the magnetic allure of imagination and dreaming desires, pulling the attention of the room like the king he was.

Ruffled raven-black hair, his long velvet coat hiding the night sky within, and a little smile, your smile playing about his plush lips. Morpheus.

“Hello, my little dream.”

#the sandman #the sandman x reader #morpheus #morpheus x reader #dream of the endless #dream of the endless x reader #female reader #tom sturridge #acourtofsnakes

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skaikruswan · 2 years

Note

did you watch the new episode of Sandman today? Can you write about y/n jealous of meeting Calliope

I don't know if it makes a difference, but y/n is human 🙃

The green-eyed monster

WC: 1k

Relationship: Morpheus x reader

Notes: As requested, jealousy, established relationship, slight spoilers for 1x11.

Dear anon, thanks for your request :D I hope I understood it correctly.

Standing in your room inside the palace, you watch through the window as you wait for Morpheus to return. You love the Dreaming. You adore the vast expanses filled with wonder, a refuge for every dreaming soul.

With Morpheus by your side, you’ve started exploring and every night has become a miraculous adventure. You’ve spent a long time wrapping your head around the fact that the man you once considered to be nothing more than a figment of your imagination is the ruler of this realm. What’s even more incredible is that you have his attention and affection. It’s literally a dream come true.

You tap your foot against the marble floor, every past minute feeling like an hour. What are you supposed to do as the man you love is rescuing his ex-wife? After Morpheus had received her message, he had immediately departed.

“Calliope needs my aid. I shall return as soon as I can.”

Morpheus has left, and it almost feels as if he has left you. You would never presume to demand his attention, yet it irks you how quickly he responded to her call. Never has the Dreaming felt lonelier and more like a prison, and you almost wish that you could wake up and find comfort in reality.

Would he even care if you’re gone? The thought bites at you like a serpent and you feel as if the poison spreads, turning you more bitter by the second.

You let out a groan and make your way to the library. The many bookshelves filled with volumes of every story as well as chronicles of past lives always ground you. Maybe Lucienne has time for a chat.

The scent of leather and paper puts your mind at ease, and you saunter through the library, your fingertips brushing against the polished wood of the shelves.

“Lucienne, I hope I don’t interrupt. Can I help you?” you say to the librarian. Lucienne, always looking prim in her suit, gives you a polite smile after storing away a particular ancient-looking tome.

“It’s kind of you to offer, but everything is under control,” she replies, adjusting her glasses. Your shoulders slouch as you starting to feel restless.

“What is Calliope like?” The question has left your lips before you can stop. You know that no good can come from learning more about her, but your curiosity is relentless.

“Calliope is the youngest of the nine sisters, also known as the muses. She has been imprisoned by a mortal,” Lucienne explains, before clicking her tongue. Is she withholding information, so you don’t feel bad? Well, the damage is done anyway. Your knowledge about Greek mythology tells you that a muse is a goddess of inspiration. Didn’t one of them inspire Homer?

Calliope has been imprisoned by humans, just like Morpheus. Chances are that they are catching up, sharing experiences, and remembering adventures long past.

You feel your heart fall into your stomach. How can you compete against a goddess who suffered through the same horror than Morpheus?

“Calliope? Man, her beauty and grace were enough to inspire humans and even dreams. I remember the time when she walked through the realm. The sweetest melodies would fill the halls and the boss even managed to crack two smiles a day!” Merv reminisces, looking as thoughtful as a carved pumpkin can, and you bite the inside of your jaw.

A beautiful and graceful goddess is a much better match for the God of dreams than you are, your insecurity cackles. You give Lucienne and Merv a small wave before you rush towards the entrance of the palace, trying to keep your emotions off your face.

Maybe a stroll through Fiddler’s Green will calm you down? The grass tickling your skin, the scent of flowers and the soft murmur of the leaves in the wind will keep at least keep your body occupied.

Morpheus surely took her here too. Maybe she made the flowers sing and had animals dance around them.

You sit cross-legged in your favorite meadow, tearing out the grass, wishing your mind would just shut up. While you knew about jealousy, you’ve never experienced it like that. Green-eyed monster indeed.

Why did she have to ask for help now? Why couldn’t she wait a little longer? She should no longer have any claim over Morpheus, right?

In the end, you choose to return to the confines of your own dream, comfortable in a beach chair on the beach and listening to the lullaby of the waves. It’s probably better this way. You wish you could say that you were a better person, and you feel awful about it, but you don’t think that you could smile at Calliope without turning green.

Morpheus announces himself by clearing his throat, and you do your best to control your emotions. You will be kind, understanding and the opposite of jealous.

“Morpheus,” you say and stand up, smiling at him. No matter how often you see him, you will always be struck by his otherworldly beauty, his dark clothing and hair making his pale skin shine like marble. The sharp angles of his face probably inspired artists through the ages.

“My love.” Hearing him utter these words in his deep baritone will never grow old. You wish you could record it.

“Did you help Calliope?” you ask, keeping your voice polite as you await his answer, digging your toes into the sand.

“Yes, she’s free now.” Morpheus gives an inscrutable look at the sea, and you try not to panic. Free to make a move on her ex-husband?

“Free to return here?”

“One day, perhaps, but not now.” You are a terrible person but after his answer, you feel your shoulders drop as the tension leaves you.

“My love, were you jealous?” Morpheus gives you an inquiring look, his arms crossed, but his lips are almost quirking up. You curse your luck and let out a long sigh.

“How could I not? Calliope is after all a beautiful goddess, and well, I am me, a simple human, and …” You can’t continue your rant, for Morpheus steals your breath by pressing his lips against yours, and you melt at his gentle touch.

“You hold my heart, not her,” Morpheus says, his hands cupping your face, and you feel relief and affection flow through you.

“Just like you hold mine.”

#the sandman #the sandman spoilers #morpheus x reader #dream x reader #sandman x reader #my writing #my sandman fics

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inkymagpie · 2 years

Text

The Star in the Field Pt.1

Morpheus X Fallen Star!Reader

Chapter Rating: General

Overall Rating: Explicit

Word Count: 2.3k

Warnings: Slight Angst, minimal descriptions of y/n, reader uses they/them/she/her pronouns.

Chapter Synopsis: He had seen them, only for a moment, standing lonely in the barren fields of his still rebuilding kingdom. The flora that had just started to regrow, sprouting up through the dust of his ruin curving to meet the soft glow of their skin. And when they spotted him, observing from afar they seemed surprised. He had met all the Stars that visited his realm at one time or another, seeing as how some had been around since not longer after the creation of this universe. Their stare of unfamiliarity was returned, for he had never met, nor sensed them once in all his years.

Note: This will have some comic spoilers and it is mixed with some of Stardust lore as well, and will have some tweaks of my own to both Sandman lore and Stardust lore.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4

It was a presence he had felt before, recognizable but not in the sense it held personal familiarity nor common place. No… this was an ancient omnipresence.

This was not of his creation, nor was it of this world, neither was it a deity worshiped by the mortals he served in sleep. This was a long forgotten nostalgia one that he had chaperoned over a millennia ago, before most of their dreaming became something viewed as tiresome and stale. But this was not the same heavenly dreamers that had once stepped through his realm and now seldom did. This was sharp, keen and born a new… a new being in his realm, a creature of the very heavens. A Star.

He had seen them, only for a moment, standing lonely in the barren fields of his still rebuilding kingdom. The flora that had just started to regrow, sprouting up through the dust of his ruin, curving to meet the soft glow of their skin. And when they spotted him observing from afar they seemed surprised. He had met all the Stars that visited his realm at one time or another, seeing as how some had been around since not longer after the creation of this universe. Their stare of unfamiliarity was returned, for he had never met, nor sensed them once in all his years.

They were gone before he had time to consider anything more than their surprised gaze.

He stood for a while, contemplating what this could mean before stalking off to the library, a whirlwind of questions that perhaps Lucienne would be able to help him figure out.

He wondered if they had always been here, on the tailcoats of the dream threads, maybe he had simply overlooked them? But a Star gracing his realm after so many had grown tired of dreaming for an aeon was something he would have taken notice of. Lucienne would have certainly written their presence down had they visited his kingdom and she certainly would have a book on the catalogs of their lives inside and outside of the Dreaming.

The Librarian had briefly questioned if he was perhaps mistaken, as she had seen no Star dream records, at least none updated since the late 1800s. And of all the dreamers to re-enter the dreaming after his absence, none were beings of heavenly light.

“They stood before me; shining like all Stars do.” He pulls another book down from the overburdened shelf; behind him Lucienne sighs and cocks her head.

“Sir if I might; the last Star to enter the dreaming was over one hundred years ago. Are you sure you saw a Star?” She reiterates cautiously.

“I know the last Star that entered this realm Lucienne, she has ascended back to the heavens with her husband some time ago or so it would seem.” He replies, placing the book back and pulling another from a lower shelf. “I do not know this one. I have never sensed their presence, inside of the Dreaming or out.”

“Maybe you just didn’t recognize them? You have been gone awhile.” Matthew quips, ruffling his feathers as he suppressed a caw.

“No, and they did not know me, they seemed surprised… perhaps even startled by my observation?”

“Well you’re not exactly the warmest welcoming committee.” Matthew hops to a stack of books a bit further away after a pointed look from Lucienne. “Who knows, maybe you don’t know them? I’m sure new people come into the Dreaming all the time?” He adds.

“Not Stars. I’m not even sure that is possible?” Lucienne comments, moving to take one of the books beneath the raven’s new perch. “ The Stars have been around for… well since nearly the beginning, at least the older, more ancient ones.”

“Then maybe it’s a new one.” Matthew states simply.

A quiet pause falls over the library for a moment; Matthew beginning to feel uncomfortable in the growing silence, lets out a caw that was meant to be a clearing of the throat.

“I mean would it really be that weird?” He adds, shuffling closer to Morpheus, who has yet to say a word in sometime, back still turned and hand poised over the worn pages of the book he held. “Would it boss?”

A new Star

You wake with a gasp, blinking rapidly in the darkness of your room; slowly your breathing mellows and your eyes adjust to the blanketing dark. A pale cast of light runs across the far wall, the sound of wheels splashing through a puddle on the street below; it must have rained while you slept.

Turning over on your side you gaze at the neon light of the alarm clock on your nightstand…4am…a heaviness settles in your heart.

Carefully you rise up from your bed pulling back the sheets and testing the floor below you. You were already a guest here taking up space, (no matter how much it was insisted that you were an honored guest) you didn’t want to make too much noise prancing around in the wee hours of the morning while most slept.

On the balls of your feet you creep to the bay window that faced the street, settling down on the pillows that bracketed the inlaid seat. You squint looking out at the street below. You never close the blinds, even though one of the street lamps sat glowing on the corner of the building every night, you couldn’t bring yourself to shut yourself off, not yet.

The light pollution here was heavy, but in these early hours you could make out some of the twinkling beings in the night sky… you wonder if perhaps any of them were ones you knew.

Sighing you tuck your knees to your chest, wrapping your arms around your legs and resting your temple against your knees, continuing to watch, continuing to think.

It wasn’t fair, you had decided (it was a decision you had made rather early on in your…unexpected adventure.) You had barely gotten any time to shine within the night sky before you had fallen; a mere seventy years in the heavens. Others had gotten millennia, some aeons; most of your brothers and sisters were still there, glimmering brightly amongst the cosmos. But no, you had been plucked from the sky before you even got to really experience what it really meant to be a Star.

You grumble softly to yourself, playing with a lock of your hair, observing it as you settle in your self pity. You can still see the fine spun magic glittering writhing the strands; you know you should stop being bitter, Earth and humans weren’t all that bad, quite fascinating in fact.

For seventy years you had looked down upon humans, delighting in their habits and odd quirks, the way they lived so freely. They lived for so short a time and yet they lived with such abandon, you admired that about them, their need to experience, to explore. It really wasn’t so awful to now be amongst them and witness them daily, no longer an observer from afar. Most were kind, at least the ones that you had met.

You smile softly to yourself; they made such wonderful things too from food to inventions; their minds seemingly never ceasing with imagination. If they could dream it up they could…

You pause in your hair twirling and thoughts…dreams… Even since your birth in the heavens, you had dreamless sleeps; Stars didn’t need to sleep but it was a novelty, a delightfully new thing at first. You had heard when you first came to creation that if you wished it you could enter the Dreaming, the realm of the Dream King, an Endless. However, no matter how many days you rested your head and wished to be swept away, the dreams never came…

You had asked some of the older Stars, maybe you were doing it wrong? They had shook their heads and told you that no, the dreaming had gone silent, however it was something that grows a bit dull after a few thousand years anyway and to not be too concerned.

From the stories they had told you didn’t feel that any of it could ever grow old, ever the curious mind and creative heart. So every night for over sixty years you tried to dream, but every time there was nothing... a void as black as the deepest, most barren parts of space. You had stopped trying after a time, coming to the conclusion that perhaps you were not meant to see the Dreaming; and after a while you had stopped sleeping all together, after all why sleep with a hope of something that obviously was no longer there. To you, sleep meant the possibility of dreaming and if that wasn’t there…

When you had fallen you spent the first few months on Earth not sleeping, but you had come to the conclusion that if you were to live a more human life that you should at least follow some of their patterns. That and, well the nights got pretty dull when no one was around to speak with and the shops and cafes weren’t open.

At first it was certainly strange, sleeping at night when you had always slept during the day when you were a heavenly being. So you had started to follow the pattern of your gracious housemate when it came to sleep, or at least adhere somewhat to his patterns to get used to it. It had taken some time a few weeks but you finally got it down for the most part. And of course when you started sleeping again you had secretly hoped that maybe, just in maybe the Dreaming would open up to you.

However the Dream Lord’s realm had remained elusive… that was until tonight. Tonight you had traveled, left this realm and gone somewhere you had only heard of…

It was strange, it had felt so real you had almost thought that you were awake, perhaps having somehow slept walked out into a barren farmer’s field. But as you had gazed upon the foreign landscape you could see, a looming castle seemingly ravaged by time in the distance. And as you gazed heavenward you saw a brilliance of night sky you had never seen before.

You were in the Dreaming.

You turned feeling the dust and sand beneath your feet and felt the cool air of the night upon your cheeks. Your eyes caught something, or rather… someone… a man stood, stone still gazing at you from across the field. You startled, for the place that you had found yourself in was completely empty save for him and yourself; his gaze nearly consuming you, the weight of it enough to jar you from from your first ever dream.

You frown, and start to twirl your hair again, thinking back to the man in the field. It was as if he held the cosmos in his eyes, deep and expansive, all knowing and never ceasing. But the thing that weighed heavily in your mind was the sadness that seemed to fill those endless eyes, and you once again felt the heaviness in your heart.

Humans had said that eyes are the window to the soul, and you wonder…why his soul sang such melancholy...

You hear the chirping of birds outside your window, your brows furrowing as you look back out to the horizon and find the golden tendrils of the sun beginning to creep along the rooftops.

Perhaps your schedule still needed some work, you blink over to the alarm clock that now reads just before 6am. Down the hall you hear your housemate begin to shuffle about his morning routine and decide that you might as well get up; tomorrow night you decide that you would finally get the human schedule down.

You dress slowly waiting to hear the water shut off in the bathroom and your housemate make his way down the stairs before going about your morning. You decide to take just a little longer in the shower just to enjoy the very human routine. Stars usually bathed in pools of moonlight; and while showering in a porcelain box might seem mundane it was once again a new habit and you greatly enjoy drawing little doodles in the mist that fogged up the glass.

Finally stepping out of the warmth of the shower you finish up your morning freshen and redress.

As you make your way downstairs you can hear the usual puttering in the kitchen, the sound of the kettle going off and the scrape of a worn pan against the stove top.

Rounding the corner you catch your gracious housemate pouring a steaming cup of coffee into a mug and then a second. He turns his head as you come in and smiles brightly.

“Ah good morning Y/N! Starting to sleep in a bit I see!” He picks up one of the steaming mugs and holds it out to you.

“Good morning Hob.” You smile back and take the cup from him. “I’m not sure about the sleeping in part.” You chuckle and take a cautious sip, quickly deciding as you have every morning, that yes it is still too hot.

Hob seems to understand and smiles softly as he takes a seat at the small kitchen table, you follow suit.

“We’ll I’m sure that you’ll be sleeping in till noon in no time and then you learn the joys of lunch for breakfast.” He laughs and you can’t help but laugh as well. “How did you sleep? Is it getting easier?” He asks after a moment, gazing at you over his mug as he takes a sip.

You stare down at the umber liquid in your cup.

“I did, and it is…” you pause and he looks at you expectantly. “Hob…” he cocks his head and waits. “I believe…I had a dream last night.”

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zyrafowe-sny · 17 days

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So there were a handful of lines that bothered me in Dead Boy Detectives, but all in all it was a fun watch and I liked the Sandman cameos.

Slight vague spoilers under the cut for the lines that bugged me:

I'm paraphrasing, but the whole "bad people don't worry that they're bad" thing is...oversimplifying greatly.

Also, while I'm glad there wasn't instant reciprocation... "More than a friend way"?? I get what they are getting at, but anything that reeks of quantifying or ranking love bugs me. I would have preferred something like "Not only in a friend way."

Again, nothing horrendous, just a couple pet peeves that I've encountered in other media too.

#dead boy detectives #dead boy detective agency

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thewisecheerio · 2 years

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The Sandman: The Visit to Hell

Spoilers for Episode 4 of The Sandman

The level of evil shown by Lucifer in episode 4 of The Sandman is art. Every line of dialogue was written with intention. While Lucifer seems sweet and pleasant on the surface, not a single move during the entire visit is anything but a malicious unpleasantry designed to make Dream as uncomfortable as possible. And it begins before they even start talking to each other.

On the way to their castle, Lucifer forces Dream to confront one of his oldest sins and oldest points of trauma. This is their *welcoming* gesture, their opening salvo:

Lucifer greets Dream by naming a few of Dream's siblings by name and then trailing off with, "...and...the others?" as if they simply cannot remember the rest of the names because they're of little consequence. Dream acknowledges this slight with a caustic smile, hinting at how mean this really was.

In the first few minutes of the episode, Matthew asks Dream why they aren't following the damned into Hell. Dream explains, "A monarch may not enter another monarch's realm uninvited. There are rules, protocols which must be followed." Later in their conversation, Lucifer throws these *exact* words in the *same* phrasing back at Dream when Dream demands his helm back, claiming that retrieving the helm is not so simple due to "rules, protocols which must be followed". Dream, acknowledging the jab, shakes his head at the nastiness of such a tactic.

Lucifer throws Dream's imprisonment in his face, suggesting that it's because Dream made a mistake and therefore his own fault ("We expected better of you, sweet Morpheus"):

The Lightbringer uses the entire hoard of Hell to intimidate the Dream Lord:

Just in the moment Dream is about to walk away, Lucifer draws him back in by making a jab at Dream's weakness for lack of tools, knowing it will poke just enough at Dream's pride (arguably his greatest sin) to keep him playing.

Lucifer pretends to apologize for having to face Dream in battle, "Apologies, Dream, but the Laws of Hell demand that I become [Choronzon's] champion. But if you would not fight me..." Said with a vicious sneer that borders on a snarl, this is just another thinly-veiled opportunity to threaten Dream before they even come to blows.

Between all of these, there's not a single line Lucifer utters that's not designed to be nasty, petty, biting, or an outright threat. 12/10, A+ for rudeness.

#the sandman #sandman #the sandman spoilers #dream of the endless #lucifer morningstar

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thebigsl33p · 1 year

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The Wake

This is...exactly what you’re expecting it to be. Funeral angst and acceptance, general Sandman stuff. Recently I’ve realised I’ve been narrating bits of my own life which is strange to say the least but I’ll blame it on the amount of writing I do in third person. Anyways... warning for Sandman spoilers. Very slight Daniel Hall X Reader.

The Kingdom now lies in the hands of the Queen, and it will remain so until the ceremony is complete, the wake and the funeral. And then it can be passed over to the new Dream of The Endless, not Morpheus, no, but Daniel feels all he felt and remembers all he lived through. After the procedures it is up to The Queen of The Dreaming what she wishes to do. Whether she wants to be put to rest by her husband, continue as a monarch of The Dreaming or be freed from the reigns of royal duty, she isn’t sure. Y/N has yet to make her choice.

At the moment she stands at the gates of The Dreaming, dressed in black and lace, thinking of the last time she saw her husband. She had known his choice to die from the very beginning, it was something he had been mulling over for a while - should the opportunity present itself - and when The Furies came and reigned terror across The Dreaming the Queen could simply nod and smile, kiss her lover, as she knew what must come next. The end.

She had yet to meet the new Dream of The Endless, an internal storm raging on inside her. Should she love him as she had loved her husband? - No it wouldn’t be right. She had to no right to be angry at him, it wasn’t his choice. Morpheus had made his decisions and that was that. That was that.

The Queen of The Dreaming was interrupted from her thoughts by the arrival of Five figures, all of which she recognised: Death, Destiny, Despair, Desire and Delirium. She greeted them gracefully, expecting formality and poise. But then Death pulled her into a hug, Desire crossed their arms and Despair’s eyebrows scrunched together, Delirium pouted like a child on the edge of tears and Destiny flipped through his book, as the Queen of The Dreaming clutched her sister in law and the two women began to cry.

Y/N watched as The Endless built the wall, taller than any creature or citizen, she watched as they picked up bricks and placed them, her neck bent to the sky, her hands folded gracefully and Matthew, perched on her shoulder.

He ruffled at his feathers for a minute before speaking, “Have you made your choice?”

“No, not yet. And you, dear bird?” She raised a hand to gently stroke his feathers, run a finger down his beak. The raven simply shuffled about and huffed before responding, “No.”

“The Guests will arrive soon.” “All those Dreamers...” The raven sighed, “That many people in The Dreaming must have quite the toll on you, no?”

She nodded gently, “True, Matthew. But it was the burden Morpheus had to bare and as his wife, I must too.” She stated and that was the end of the conversation as the two of them watched The Endless build the wall the doors of The Dreaming began to open.

But the Raven managed to slip a few last words in, “You’re allowed to be sad y’know. Everyone’s sad...but you deserve it more than most.” And then he was gone.

By the time The Endless were done all the guests had arrived, and those killed by The Kindly Ones were resurrected through, if she had to guess, Daniel. He wasn’t Daniel, she knew that, but it felt wrong to call him anything else because Dream of The Endless was a title reserved for Morpheus, her Morpheus.

Once everyone had arrived and offered their condolences to the wife and family, it was time. People shared stories of The Dream Kind and the chatter of the crowd seemed to go on and on with stories and wine and laughter. A joyous occasion for most, to celebrate the existence of someone who inspired many.

But the noise silenced when the great gates, built by the endless, swung open, and on the other side stood the only five Endless in attendance. The Queen stepped forwards first, taking each Endless by the hand, sharing solemn looks with steely eyes before they all turned and walked forward, leading her kingdom and people into a new reign.

The area that had been crafted was beautiful, a place for eulogies to be spoken and stories to be shared. The onlookers watched as an avatar of desire spread a cloth over a slab of marble and slowly, Morpheus appeared under the sheet, his silhouette as sharp as ever. The sight took Y/N’s breath away and her fingers itched to tear the sheet back and see what was under there. But she composed herself and listened to the words of her husband’s siblings, all of them with their own opinion of Morpheus. The only one who didn’t speak was Death, and when they were all done it was her turn.

She cleared her throat, “People of The Dreaming, I stand here before you today, not just as a Queen but as a sister, a lover, a wife who has lost her husband. Dream - Morpheus - meant more to me than I could comprehend and now that he is gone, his absence feels like the loss of my heart.” She steadied herself, “My husband was a loyal king who learnt much in his time and still had much to learn. The only thing that can come next are better days than this one.” She nods, a sad smile and tears in her eyes, “He loved us all in his own unique way, and he has made many sacrifices for The Dreaming. So, the most we can do is respect his decision and let him go peacefully into the night.” She finishes her speech and steps gracefully of the podium. And as someone takes her place, Lucienne, she knows this is a pain she will carry with her forever.

Y/N sits in the library, Lucienne across from her, a glass of wine in both their hands. For the first time today the two women are allowed to relax, and they sit and sip their alcohol while reminiscing. They know things will change in The Dreaming, and they make a point to savour the way things were before everything becomes different.

But the two know it is small conversation, a distraction from the nerves that eat Y/N whole. Because at the moment, Daniel Hall is meeting his new siblings, and then he will meet the person who was once his wife and then the kingdom will be his. There’s something sad in the idea of the handover - Morpheus and her had planned forever, until the universe ended and Death kissed them both goodnight - but he had let her take him earlier than they had agreed on, and it had lefr her in a compromised position.

She sighed, swilling her wine around her glass before leaning her head on her palm, “I don’t know what to do Lucienne...”

Lucienne pushed her glasses up her nose and sighed, “You must do what a King would do.” She told her, “You must do what your heart tells you to. If your heart says “stay” then stay. If it says that your time as a ruler of The Dreaming is done then so be it - and we shall say goodbye to you too.”

Tears sit in the Queen’s eyes, “I don’t want to go Luc. I’m not ready to go. I love this kingdom so much, my friends - family - but I know it won’t be the same without him.”

Lucienne’s eyebrows furrow and then she is also crying, standing from her chair and approaching Y/N. She gets down on her knees and takes her hand, “Perhaps it is time for me to go too... I am a relic of the past. We don’t have to die, but just know, my Lady, that where you go I will go too. This I swear.”

Y/N nods, “And I to you, Lucienne.” She says, and then she is pulling the librarian up and into a hug, tight and loving. And it’s just the comfort that both of them need right now as they cry into each others shoulders and savour the embrace of true, unsullied friendship.

That is until there is the clearing of a throat and the squawking of a raven.

Y/N quickly pulls away and both women face their new ruler, Daniel Hall. He looks so much different than Morpheus did. Whereas the previous Dream Lord had taken to wearing blacks and had sharp features, Daniel was covered from head to toe in white, and his face was soft... even friendly.

“My Lord.” Both ladies echo and bow to him. Lucienne splits off from the two of them with a quick, “I shall give you two a moment.” And then she has slipped through the doors of The Dreaming’s Library, leaving the Old Queen and The New King alone.

The moment is tense and awkward, two sets of hunched shoulders and stiff hands, flickering eyes and nervous glances. And then Daniel Hall speaks.

“He loved you too much.” He says, the ghost of a fond smile on his lips, “I can feel all he felt for you burning away inside me, like a forest fire but so much stronger, so much brighter. What he felt for you could never be put into words. He tried, you know, he tried so many times.” She knows the words he is saying are cruel comforts and validations but it melts away the awkwardness and she smiles lightly.

And deep down she knows that this is the end. Visions flash behind her eyelids of Lucienne and her in a small cottage by the seaside, the picture-perfect life where they spend the rest of eternity, as planned. They bake and craft and volunteer and read books and eventually open up a little cafe off the side of their house. She can smell the lightning as he speaks, the burning and extinction of a thousand stars, birth and death all at the same time.

And Y/N, Queen of The Dreaming, looks at Daniel Hall, and in a single blink, a single breath, hands over the The Dreaming. He tells her she is welcome to come whenever she wishes, and she will always remain as The Queen, in title and honour. But she’s not sure she’ll ever take him up on his offer.

She knows what waits for her at the end of her life - how her bones will melt into stardust and Death will pick up the sand in the palm of her hand and gently blow, until she has found a place in the night sky, right next to her husband. And then, her story will be over.

I’m not sure I like this... but the idea is sweet.

#morpheus X reader #dream of the endless X reader #king of dreams x reader #dream X reader #lord morpheus X reader #morpheus angst #uhh #the sandman X reader #daniel hall #platonic!Lucienne X reader

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p-s-yokubo · 11 months

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Okay so I just finished dreamzzz season 1 and I have thoughts. Slight spoilers btw but I'm not gonna mention anything specific.

So dreamzzz. Is it good? No not really. It's too fast paced, there's way too many ideas happening at the same time, there's barely any time for the characters to breathe and develop, things just happen and then they're onto the next thing real quick, they like to make things seem important then have them done in a very underwhelming way, and (most of) the characters just aren't up to snuff I'm sorry

The plot is kinda....nothing??? Idk how to describe it. The show doesn't really have a flavor. There are slight hints of something good in there but it's mostly just bland and underdeveloped. It's like things just happen without much impact or thought

The characters (again for the most part not all of them) are also very bland but with tiny hints of something there but those hints are just left to rot somewhere and never be discussed again. I can see how these characters could be deep and compelling but they just aren't like that. And that's not to say that every character has to be deep and complex but I'd personally appreciate at least a bit of depth. A bit of consistent depth I mean like I said there's hints of depth that are never talked about again.

The visuals are fine. They look kinda cheap most of the time but not in an awful way- I don't have much to say on them.

Okay that was me tearing into the show.... so why did I watch it? Well I like three of the guys in it so yeah that explains it. I see a silly guy I smile. My personal silly guys are sandman, masked hero, and night hunter and I love them so much they are great. They are the positives of this show

In conclusion I do not think this show is that good. But if you like it then good for you and that's /gen. Don't let my opinion get in the way of your fun

#lego dreamzzz #honestly you can just ignore all my opinions I'm the person who likes nexo knights

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multifandom-fanfic-writer · 2 years

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the confrontation between Lucifer and Dream was so AMAZING god the way the fight turned out and the last line before Dream went i CANNOT

#slight spoilers #the sandman #multi watches the sandman

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lucienne-thee-librarian · 1 year

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Best and Worst sandman spinoffs 👀

Ooh okay, thanks!! Now I kind of feel awkward because in compiling this list I realize I might have to walk back what I said in that tag a little. I mean I did mention "obvious stuff like Overture and the Death comics" but putting all the stuff I think is good out there it really makes me realize how many good Sandman spinoffs and side issues there are. So...sorry if the Worst list is a lot shorter than the best *shrug*. I kinda wrote those tags without thinking too hard, and still bitter off reading the one thing that topped my Worst section. But if you just want whatever my opinions are anyway, then I figured why not?

So, in this list, I'm counting anything that isn't the original Sandman series that ended with the Wake as spinoff. That includes things written by the original author. This obviously contains spoilers for everything I'm gonna mention.

Best:

Sandman Overture (slight spoilers incoming): Obsessed with absolutely everything about this book. The story: immaculate and ties up a lot of loose ends about how our sad wet cat of an anthropomorphic personification got weakened enough to be imprisoned in the first place. Desire and Dream have to work together to literally save the cosmos and the group project goes off so well it makes their constant rivalry feel all the more tragic, because it shows what a massive cosmic goddamn waste it all was. What was it all for? What could they accomplish together if these characters were different enough to be capable of putting their pride and grudges aside more than once in a blue moon? What could their world look like? We find out the origin of Dream's Hope, a thing we thought we understood but this gives that moment a whole new meaning. And the art - good lord, sometimes I just like to stare at a panel, because every artist who worked on this comic apparently snapped and it is glorious.

Death: The Time of Your Life. I mean: this is a story written by the series original author and it shows. It has two dysfunctional lesbians at the center whose love for each other and their son still manages to be powerful enough to be the core of the story and catch the attention of an Endless. Also: Death is here and wonderful as always. And it's beautifully written and I'm never going to stop being weak over it. It means so much to me.

Endless Nights: again, written by the same author as Sandman and the illustrations in almost every section are either gorgeous or fucking haunting: and each one is a story where the other Endless get to shine. How can I not stan.

Death, the High Cost of Living: It features Death really heavily so right there...yeah. And the male protagonist, while he seems annoyingly broody at times, feels like a really realistically written teenager who's gone through some serious stuff in his life. I just love this story, it's short but wonderful.

Dream Hunters: this feels like a simple fairytale at first where Dream barely features at the end, but it sucks you in and the art style is unique and very well done. This book to me is proof that a story doesn't even need to be cosmic in scope to be a compelling tale that even still feels like one small story in that same world. It's not like, my favorite but I stand by what I said that it is a solid story with lovely art to bring it to life.

Worst:

Simon Spurrier's run of the Dreaming. If this is a favorite of yours, please just skip the bulleted sections lol, I'm sorry.

Honestly it's not all bad, some people hate it a LOT more than I do, but it just frustrates me so much. Because to me, it could easily have been salvaged, with heavy editing or some things being better fleshed out. In the end, it just SCREAMS wasted potential to me. It started off being decently written, and there were some not-terrible ideas in theory such as Dora's backstory, or the greatest threat to the realm of human dreams being an AI made up by someone who wants more control over the world and thinks he could run it better. In theory I even like the idea that Daniel makes some poor life choices and it causes consequences for his realm as he has to learn the responsibility of a ruler.

I like those elements in theory...but in execution?? God. It all felt SO half baked and several people (Lucien and Mervyn) got pulled pretty far out of character. And in the end, Daniel and Dora both left me utterly cold. I honestly feel like the writer couldn't make up his mind what he wants Daniel to be as a character, and Dora just...ehh. She was clearly meant to be sympathetic and there were moments I WANTED to sympathize: but idk, I just couldn't connect with her. She kind of had the vibe, to me, of someone's first OC they wrote when they were 13 who's bitchy in a kind of cringey #Girlboss way, but it's supposed to be charming solely because she has a tragic backstory.

Then you take the fact that the Walker clan gets brought back - and yet with no real resolution, no more than the Wake left?? This could've made the frankly baffling plot Rose got in Kindly Ones be the start of something more, maybe Desire's actions could have been given some purpose or explanation. But...nope.

Miranda Walker is half Endless yet she manages to die of cancer - even if she was half human, I find it a little difficult to believe that she would be able to die the exact same way a normal human would given what we know of Orpheus' fate in the original series. She's in pain but it doesn't feel like there's any real struggle in the end. But that's a pretty minor nitpick...my real beef is, she gets next to no lines and nothing to do, she contributes nothing to the plot. We learn little to nothing of her relationships with Rose and Jed, or Ivy. This woman is the child of Desire and I have ALWAYS thought she deserved to be more fleshed out. But we get even less than Neil Gaiman ever gave us, her character is quietly poofed out of things without so much as a whimper, and we never learn anything more about who she was. Jed fares little better, I don't think he even appeared.

Rose does get more to do, thank God. But in the end she gets no resolution, even a tragic one, no answers, she isn't allowed to grow. She even gets to interact with her grandfather but the possibilities for serious drama and tragedy dealing with the fallout of that are all swept to the side in favor of plot drama from characters like Dora Daniel and Ivy, who...existed, I guess.

If you're wondering why I'm not talking about Waking Hours, Kiernan's Dreaming or the Season of Mists manga at all, its simple: I haven't actually read any of them all the way through. I've only seen some panels of the manga in passing online and the descriptions of the premises. I REALLY want to see if I can get my hands on copies or find them online and read them for myself. I've heard that the Season of Mists manga and Kiernan's Dreaming are kind of cracked out and weird, but that only feeds my curiosity tbh. I've also heard Waking Hours is good.

Sorry this list was so incomplete, but thanks!! I appreciate the chance to ramble lol

#sandman #sandman overture #death: the time of your life #endless nights #dream hunters #despairoftheendless

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titlemewickedwonderland · 2 years

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Mr. Sandman (Chapter 11)

Summary: Felicity Burgess, the adopted daughter of Alex Burgess and Paul McGuire lived a sheltered life from the dark secret that lay beneath her feet. But what happens when that secret is now her's to keep? Will her love for her family keep her from doing the right thing or will Mr. Sandman bring her a dream worth sacrificing everything?

Chapter Triggers: Slight Angst, spoilers for episode 4 for those who haven't seen it; most dialogue is taken from the script!

“Hope lies in dreams, in imagination, and in the courage of those who dare to make dreams into reality.” – Jonas Salk

Click here for chapter 10

Wonderland's Workshop

"Hello Dream." Felicity could hear the soft voice from across the room as she stumbled after Morpheus; lagging behind a bit as she took in all the sights of the tower's architecture.

"Greetings to you Lucifer Morningstar." The redhead saw Morpheus standing at the top of the few steps with his hands clasped elegantly in front of him as he addressed a figure as it slowly walked from across the room.

"And to you Mazikeen of the Lilim." his head tilted slightly to the side as he met the gaze of another that lurked in the shadows.

At first, Felicity thought the woman was beautiful; was beautiful once upon a time, but as she fully turned to address the dream king the redhead forced down her gasp of horror at the other half of the woman's face which looked like it had been melted like candle wax

"Greetings, Dreamlord" the demon replied back

Felicity who has yet to be noticed exchanged nervous looks with Matthew and chose to stay just around the corner since she had yet to be discovered; she was eager to stay out of the spotlight. Having listened to Matthew and Morpheus speak of Lucifer Morningstar and the realm of Hell made her rather nervous to be here; especially after her initial bodily reaction to the energy here. The very memory of earlier made her tighten her hold on the necklace hanging around her throat to ground herself.

"You look well, Dream. Are you well?" the soft regal tone of Lucifer Morningstar spoke up giving off a sense of safety just with the sound of their voice.

"And you family. Destiny, Death, Despair...and the others?" there was a little bit of an amused lilt in the voice as Felicity finally dared to peek around the corner to see the tall imposing but utterly beautiful figure.

Lucifer Morningstar was indeed as beautiful as Morpheus has described on the way here. Skin that seemed to glow, rosy lips, short curls of pale blonde as if the first rays of morning graced the once holy locks and bright blue eyes; although, Felicity would always stubbornly admit Morpheus's eyes were far prettier than Lucifers. Their figure was tall wearing long sweeping robes of white silk making them look angelic if it weren't for the draconic leathery black wings that jutted on either side of their shoulders as a testimony of how the once most beloved angel of God had fallen from grace.

"I presume the Ruler of Hell knows this is no social call." Morpheus's voice spoke up making Felicity turn her attention to him; cautiously watching from afar as he spoke with the ruler of hell.

"Have you come to join forces then?" there was a sense of enjoyment coming from the other as if banter was something amusing to them.

"To ally your realm to ours? To acknowledge the sovereignty of Hell?"

"You know my feeling on that, Lightbringer." The reply came with a bit of spite barely hidden beneath the polite exterior of Morpheus's tone. He did not want to upset the ruler of hell but at the same time, he was not going to be swayed.

"Feelings change." came the reply

Felicity was so inclined to listen in that she didn't notice when Matthew chose to take to the air to join Morpheus on the landing before he was already flying away and Felicity cursed under her breath

"Matthew!" she hissed reaching to snatch him from the air but he was already out of reach

The commotion drew the attention of those who were speaking and Lucifer Morningstar turned to look over Morpheus's shoulder with a look that barely contained a sense of anger in the way their mouth twitched as they spoke.

"Dream, do you have a guest with you?"

Morpheus closed his eyes a moment. Damn that girl. He'd warned her to stay silent and out of the way for this very reason. Turning in his spot he held his hand out towards Felicity not pleased by the look in his eyes as the girl gazed across at him with a sheepish look as she cautiously stepped into view and sidled up to him.

As soon as she came into view the air seemed to change as blue met green from across the room. "Oh," Lucifer murmured almost in awe as the monarch gazed at the young girl

"You look just like your mother." the ruler of hell stepped closer to the pair.

Their figure was so tall and imposing in their own right that Morpheus's hand grabbed Felicity's wrist tightly; whether to ground himself or to comfort the girl in some way. He could not do much as the blonde figure gazed down at the frightened girl. One hand rose and reached as if to touch Felicity's face but the teen pulled her head away looking up at the ruler of hell.

"There had been rumors over the centuries that Seraphina had a child with a mortal man." the Lightbringer spoke softly as their blue eyes took in Felicity's features.

"A special child born out from an angel and a mortal is one of the greatest sins. Did you know that? It's a phenomenon that rarely happens as the child does not often survive." they continued

"What are you talking about?" Felicity whispered

"That is enough, Lightbringer. We have some business to conduct." Morpheus's voice tried to bring the attention back to himself but the devil simply smiled that leisurely smile as they stepped back.

"You have not told them, Dream? That is unlike you. I do hope you know the consequences of keeping such power in your realm."

Felicity looked up at Dream with a look that held fear and confusion; what was the ruler of hell talking about? He hadn't told her anything more after they'd arrived at the kingdom gates of the hell fortress. Only that he had met her birth father who as far as she had known was not in the picture upon her birth. Now, the ruler of hell themselves; Lucifer Morningstar is sprouting some shit about a child of an angel?

"No." Felicity took a step away from her companion "I want to know what that means." she stated much to Morpheus's dismay as he turned to look at her to convey a sort of message that clearly stated this was not the time or a good idea.

Of course, it wasn't a good idea. It's never a good idea to trust the devil. But if your friend will not tell you the truth maybe the demon will? Sometimes demons don't need to lie to fuck your life over and this is exactly where Felicity was standing at that moment. Turning herself towards the blonde being she swallowed thickly and reached up a hand to grasp the necklace around her throat.

"What do you know?" she asked searching the impassive face in front of her.

"Felicity...come on kid let Morpheus-" Matthew hopped towards her but she held out a hand hushing him; never once breaking eye contact.

The pale blues of the fallen angel fell to the hand clutching the ring around the pale throat of the mortal girl before giving a plaintive smile "You see, child. Your dear Morpheus has not been truthful to you about who you are it seems." the croon made the dream lord shift uncomfortably in his spot and eyes search Felicity in hopes to convince her to stop this exploit.

"I reckon the devil won't be honest with me either but at least you're willing to talk." Felicity quipped back with a wary look. "So tell me. What did you mean by I look like my mother?"

A slow smile graced the ruler of hell's face as the being turned away with a flurry of robes to idly walk around a pit of fire in the center of the room.

"If it is a story you'd like to hear. Then perhaps Mazikeen would be willing to share. After all, she is an amazing story weaver." the Morningstar stated before turning to look at her companion who slowly emerged from the shadows.

"D-don't hurt her! Please..err your majesty." Matthew piped up as he watched the demon walk over to the redhead and hold a hand out politely to escort her from the room.

"She will not be harmed little raven. Now, Morpheus. What have you come to my realm for?" Lucifer turned to fully face the dream king who watched with tension as the half-faced demon escorted his companion from the room

"My helm of state has been taken from me and I would like it back. Now."

The voices ebbed away the farther Felicity was led down darkened hallway after darkened hallway. She could hear ominous sounds; akin to something like howling but her gut told her it was not altogether the wind's doing. Hell was oddly cold here despite it being a place of eternal damnation. People had often theorized that hell was supposed to be hot due to Hell Fire. But others said it would be cold despite the fire burning within which is where the phrase 'When hell freezes over' came from. It didn't matter to the redhead. Whether Hell was hotter than a volcano or colder than Antarctica she knew one thing; she was not meant to be here. Not because she was not dead but also because apparently, she was on the whole other side of the spectrum than those who resided here.

The demon paused in front of a door and produced a large key; from which Felicity did not know. But upon opening the door the girl was surprised to see that inside was not a dungeon but an actual room. A study of sorts. There were couches made of leather, and tables of the darkest ebony that almost looked like black glass. Shelves upon shelves lined the walls and between each heavy wooden casing was a torch lit with a flame and across the room was an open balcony in which pale curtains hung transparent; shifting with the breeze that ghosted into the room.

"Wow...I uh...didn't know Hell has a study." Felicity muttered more to herself than to the demon.

Still standing just within the threshold of this room the teen watched as the demon named Mazikeen walked to one of those large bookshelves and plucked a large tome from among the collection; her lips pursing as she blew a thick layer of dust off the cover.

She turned slowly to look at the girl who stood looking around the room before the demon began to slowly walk towards the couches; taking a perch on the armrest as she opened the volume in her hands.

"Did you know the story of the first fallen angel?" Mazikeen's voice broke the silence gaining the girl's attention.

"Vaguely. I'm not a very religious person...Morpheus told me a little about your erm...your ruler." Felicity shuffled further into the room cautiously as if the demon would try and hurt her.

Mazikeen merely looked down at the book in her lap. "Lucifer Morningstar was one known as the angel Samael. The most beloved, smart, beautiful, and most importantly most powerful of all angels. It is said that they were the first angel God had ever created and thus special to him. Your mortal religion claims that the angel Samael loved God so much but grew jealous because God created humanity. Seeing them as something flawed and imperfect Samael did not see why God loved his creations so much; he loved men more than he loved his angels." the voice of the demon was oddly soft-spoken but alluring as she spoke.

Felicity slowly sank onto the couch a few feet away. Staring at the firepit across the room as she listened to the alluring voice that drew her in. She could have sworn she saw the orange flames that licked the air begin to take form and shapeshift into tangible visions as she listened to Mazikeen.

"That is what humanity was taught at least. You see, before humanity was created there were other angels. Some, you may know from the Bible. Most others did not make it to your religion. One of those was an angel named Seraphina. Her name comes from the Hebrew language which translates into 'burning ones'. She was a beautiful angel who was known for her intense passion and zealous love. She was one of the highest ranks of angels God had at his disposal; second to Samael, of course."

"There was a tale old as time itself that Samael and Seraphina had a rivalry. While Samael did not understand why God loved humanity so much more than his angels who were above such creations as mortal beings Seraphina broke all rules to love humanity more or almost as much as God himself. They were always butting heads; as siblings often do. Torn and betrayed by Seraphina the angel Samael went against God, the almighty maker created this place specifically for Samael to rule since his angel was so keen to take what was not theirs and mold others to their will but Samael was not alone for Seraphina who in all sense, betrayed her sibling by making known of the ambition burning inside of God's most beloved high angel to the creator himself was confronted by Samael."

Felicity squinted to stare into the fire some more. Her voice was soft and purposeful as if the words slowly registering in her mind spoke. "The battle of whims and wordplay. And she lost; cast down by the angel Samael to walk the earth Seraphina loved so dearly and wings stripped away to never be able to return to heaven again."

The demon's mouth curled up slightly into a smile. "It seems your memory block is weakening," she commented. "And soon, you will know the full story."

Felicity snapped out of whatever trance she had been in and looked with startled eyes at the demon with a slightly panicked look. "Mazikeen...what does Lucifer know of my mother's whereabouts? Was there any sort of record kept about her?"

"Oh yes, my sovereign kept a close watch on your mother. But I am afraid you will not like the answer to your question." the grin on the woman's face curled into something a little more vicious.

"And this?" Felicity lifted the necklace in the air. "What if this?"

Mazikeen licked her lips and leaned closer to look; there was something almost feral and predatory about her gaze as it locked on the jewel. "That is a ring made by your mother's holy grace; given to your mortal father to protect you and hold your powers inside. If broken..." those dark eyes met Felicity's green

"You will no longer be Felicity Burgess." the woman tilted her head. "But the Nephelim Ariel."

She swallowed and tucked the ring back into her shirt and drew away from the hungry look the demon was giving her. A pause between them before the other cocked her head towards the study door and grinned.

"It seems it's starting. Shall we join to watch little angel?"

Felicity rose along with her. "Watch what?" she demanded feeling a wrench thrown into her gut at the ominous words.

She was led with quick steps back to the tower. She could see the Morningstar standing tall and proud wearing a long black leather gown; the look akin to one going into battle. Her eyes met Matthew's as the raven swooped from his perch in the ceiling to land on her shoulder.

"Damn kid you had me worried," he muttered softly

Felicity reached up to gently stroke along his back feathers as she watched Mazikeen leave her side to stand behind her master in the shadows. Next, her eyes turned to the last two people in the room. Morpheus who too was changed into a leather armored suit standing tall and proud in front of the ruler of hell and off to the side was a green-skinned demon with sickly-looking features and spikes coming from his mostly shaven head; he was holding an odd-looking helmet mask that looked like a combination of an old steampunk mask and an elephant trunk made from bones of a spine. That must be Morpheus's helm he was here to retrieve.

"What's going on Matthew?" Felicity whispered.

"The boss ushered a challenge to win his helmet back. He's up against Lucifer while representing himself to battle."

The girl bit her lip itching to call out to the dream lord but she didn't. Instead, her mouth went dry as she stood across the room watching with trepidation.

"As the challenged, I set the meter and take the first move," Lucifer said softly as they gazed across at Morpheus who stared at the ruler of hell without moving; his face giving nothing away to what he was feeling.

"Very well, make the first move," he replied.

Felicity watched almost enrapt as the blonde fallen angel lifted their chin with eyes burning into her friend's across the few steps

"I am... a dire wolf. Prey stalking, lethal prowler."

Morpheus did not react and instead issued his move. "I am a hunter. Horse mounted, wolf stabbing."

At his words, the Morningstar gasped in pain and clutched their abdomen as they staggered a step where they stood. Palm opening to see blood pooling in their hand and an arrow pierced hole in their chest.

With barely hidden anger and pain, the ruler ushered their next move. "I am a serpent. Horse biting, poisoned tooth."

She could see Morpheus's veins tint in black and green as poison entered his body and he twisted slightly in pain trying to bear it. Felicity wanted to say something; anything. To utter his name and tell him she was here but instead, she dug her nails into her palms; her gaze shifting across the room to meet a tense Mazikeen's,

"I am a bird of prey. Snake devouring, talons ripping." A three-claw slash to the fallen angel's cheek caused them to touch the contusions. Eyes glaring up at the dream lord

"I am a butcher bacterium. Warm life-destroying."

Felicity did gasp this time, a hand flying to her mouth as Morpheus fell to his knees in pain. His head lifted slightly to gaze at the Ruler of Hell; showing the skin of his face was decaying slowly.

"I am a world. Space floating, life nurturing." his skin slowly healed itself back to normal

Things were starting to ramp up as the battling pair became more serious and angrier with each move. With a voice filled with rage, the angel spoke strongly with wings extending on either side. "I am a nova. All exploding, planet cremating!"

Felicity shut her eyes as she saw Morpheus's body thrown to his back and his skin beginning to burn as if stuck in a fire. The smell of burning flesh was horrifying as it drifted in the slight breeze in her direction and she turned her head; Matthew's feathers tickling her face as he ruffled them partly in an attempt to ease her and to comfort his racing panic as he watched for the both of them

Morpheus gasped for breath as he struggled to get his strength beneath him to push himself back to his feet. "I am a universe, all things encompassing, all life embracing." was his breathed reply.

With a gleam of triumph in Lucifer's eyes, the ruler of Hell gave their last move. "I am anti-life, the beast of judgment. The dark at the end of everything."

She couldn't hold back the sound that tore from her throat as she witnessed Morpheus collapse to the ground; drained and pale. Looking as if she dared to touch him his skin would be like ice. He looked dead or damn near to it and the very idea of such a thing made Felicity lurch forward. But the battle was not yet over; the competition was still on unless Morpheus claims defeat. But she wouldn't just stand there in silence anymore.

She didn't get far though; she wouldn't get the chance to comfort her friend as a pale green arm snatched her mid-step before she could ever get near the fallen dream king and hauled her off her feet. She screamed and kicked in desperate frustration. Her head flinging back to meet Lucifer's; silently pleading for mercy she knew the ruler of hell would not give.

"What would you be then, Dream Lord?" the fallen angel asked in soft condescension as they stood looming over the raven-haired man weak on the floor.

Morpheus tried. Truly he did. His head weakly moved an inch as his eyes raised toward Choronzon as the green demon who had possession of his helm now held something of greater value in his demonic grasp. He saw her tears, the desperation as she watched him. Her lips moved as she begged under her breath; her words barely reaching his ears with their soft pleadings.

"Get up. You have to..." she was saying. "Morpheus...please!"

"I....I..." he struggled to rise again but couldn't

Matthew landed quickly on the cold stone of the floor defensively between the pair.

"Boss." Matthew spoke up softly "Hey! Boss." he spoke up a little louder attempting to keep the dream lord awake.

"Still with us Dream?" Lucifer's voice crooned as the ruler stepped closer.

"He is! And it's his move!" Matthew stated defensively before clarifying with a bit more respect out of fear "Your majesty."

"There are no more moves." Lucifer stated seriously "What can survive the anti-life?" they questioned leaning down slightly

Matthew gave the ruler a nasty side-eye before turning his attention to the dream lord. "Hey, boss. Listen to me. You know what can survive the anti-life? You. Dreams don't fucking die as long as you believe in them." Morpheus stared across the room weakly at the pinpoint of auburn hair in the otherwise darkened room of doom; trying to focus on something, anything to keep himself awake as he listened to Matthew's words.

"And I believe Dream of the Endless would never leave his raven and his girl here alone. In hell with Lucifer."

The silence was thick with only the man's rattling breaths in the otherwise doom-filled room. Pale lips; cracked and parched parted slightly and his voice barely a whisper spoke up into the stillness. Filling the room with a sense of light as he slowly began to rise to his feet.

"I...am...hope."

Click here for chapter 12

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