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geothewriter · 3 months

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ATLA Live Action Thoughts

Well hello there! After letting the events and creative choices of the Live Action ATLA show absorb for about 24 hours after finishing the series, I think it's time to put my thoughts to the page.

Yes, that was a mouthful of a sentence. Sorry about that.

To start things off, I loved it! Did I love every single part? Not exactly, but the creative choices and how everything was weaved together? YES! It felt exactly like a fairly well-put-together fanfiction for me. It incorporated loved pieces of the show while warping them slightly to fit within the creator's vision.

Now, we all like lists right? I know I do, so let's do some listing.

The Good:

The CGI for the fights was pretty well awesome alongside the choreography for the scenes. While some fights lacked a bit of depth (Katara vs Pakku) and certainly could have had more oomph with more length, I can still appreciate them for what they are.

To add to that, the bending looked freaking awesome! The earthbending had a signature ..crunch to it, water flowed, fire was punchy (though had one small bit to be desired - I'll address this later) and air was flighty.

The CGI creatures were great IMO. Momo was a little gremlin, which fits him perfectly. He was still cute in spite of his gremlinosity. Appa - I absolutely loved him. I think he's as good as he could possibly look in the media. He's still a ten-ton flying monstrosity of a bison, and he's perfect. He's fluffy. He's Appa. OSTRITCH HORSES! They were awesome and looked like living dinosaurs - nuff said.

The acting and line delivery, while rougher in the early episodes flourished as each episode went onward and the kids got more comfortable/experienced. You could really tell they were giving it their all, and I applaud them! Awesome work on their part!

Storytelling - the combination of different episode topics together flowed rather well! I really enjoyed them putting together the things they did.

And now for a bit of a read more for spoilers.

The storytelling was rather well done, especially things like adding Omashu, Jet and the freedom fighters, and the Mechanist (as well as the cave of the two lovers) together. Overall, it played well, and I'd like to think it was a good approach NOTE: This is from someone who is actively adapting the series in my own fanfic, and I can see aspects of that approach in the adaptation. I love to see it!

Ozai playing his children against each other is probably one of my favorite aspects of the entire thing! He's a manipulator in this version, which if they were going to have him on-screen rather than the ominous shadow emperor, then I think this was probably the only choice. I loved it.

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The not good not bad:

Nudging the story in a darker direction was a choice. I know I just spoke at length about how I liked the creative choices and I'm not sure how I feel about this one. As someone who's throwing a lot of trauma at the characters in his fanfic, It can be a lot. To have that on screen is difficult since it can end up hiding characters' sense of being if not handled correctly.

Katara - in the animated show - always a go-getter, filled with righteous anger, not backing down, and strong-willed Katara - in the live-action show - fairly timid, but slowly growing over time into her strength of will. I wasn't a fan of the vision of Katara early in the season, but by the finale, it was starting to feel like her. (I still wish her fight with Pakku was better)

The family of Aang, Katara, and Sokka - I've seen quite a few posts talking about how they don't feel like a family in the live-action. In the animated show, after rewatching it recently, I feel like they didn't really grow toward a family unit until after the North Pole. They were good friends traveling together. Yes we had the line from the Southern Air Temple of 'We're your family now' but I don't think I truly felt it until season 2. Don't get me wrong, they were close, but I didn't get those true bonded feels until S2.

Iroh felt like Iroh half the time, and the other half, I'm not sure who he felt like, but it wasn't in a bad way? Like, we explored a different part of him. With his first interaction with Aang, we even saw him as the reluctant Fire Nation general. As he still was at that point. I can appreciate the change and don't mind it a ton.

Bumi. I think I've decided that Bumi was where Katara's righteous anger went. He doesn't immediately forgive Aang for disappearing, and then reappearing. Bumi has fought a war for a hundred years and has had to deal with ALL THAT for a hundred years. To say he'd be prickly is an understatement. Honestly? He has no reason to forgive Aang. I don't mind this change - though he could've toned down the dickishness IMO.

Katara's bending progression: In each episode of the show she improved both in skill and strength, when finally she fought Pakku, she used self-developed techniques. Those are the traits of a master bender. While we don't get to see her training with Pakku, or demonstrating that she truly has mastery over the element, we get shown that she has indeed grown immensely. A few extra training scenes would've gone a long way, especially with Aang.

Speaking of Aang. Aang had no water-bending training along the way north :( I would've liked to see that, but it's not a deal-breaker.

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The bad/meh- Let me preface this by saying I still love the show. There were a few moments that were lacking though (and one that was meh throughout):

The firebending, while amazing in almost EVERY SINGLE ASPECT, was lacking in one. FIREBLASTS AND FIREBALLS ARE SHOT FROM THE FIST, NOT GATHERED IN YOUR HAND LIKE CHI BLASTS. Sorry.

Katara. Where were your responses in some of those interactions? You sat there and listened (which in some cases is a good thing for someone expressing their emotions) but didn't respond when you could have/should have! I feel like we missed a bit of her character when we lost some of her in those. It's not enough to be a truly detracting piece of the show, but I should say that I wasn't a fan of that choice.

Roku was a bit...too unserious. He was the serious avatar in ATLA (in terms of brooding and wanting to help guide Aang.) He...got the Bumi jokes. That was an odd choice. I hope they revisit him in the future and he is able to redeem that aspect.

At the end, during the scene at the North where Aang gives himself over to the ocean spirit, I didn't really like the idea that the avatar was lost to the spirit. I also didn't like the "I need you" from Katara. Not from a shipping perspective, but from a character perspective. In the animated show, Katara spent a lot of effort showing that Aang is her hope for a better world. In the live-action, that wasn't there, so that line seemed out of place.

Hmm, four negative points. I'm sure there were more, but none are springing to mind at the moment, so perhaps I'll edit this later.

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Final thoughts.

I need to stress that the likeability of the show hinges heavily on how you approach it. If you approached the live-action hoping for a perfect retelling of the ATLA story, then you are going to be severely disappointed. If you instead approach it for what it is - an adaptation of the story, with nudges events in one way or another, and includes new approaches, then you'll love it. I went in expecting a fanfiction type of show, and I think I got more than expected. The kids gave this thing their all, and it shows! Everyone showed improvement through the episodes and by the end really fell into their roles.

I certainly hope the future has another (2) season(s) lined up because I'd love to see what twists and turns we're in for.

Oh yeah, and scarf. I liked the scarf scene. There is no shipping bait in Omashu.

#atla #geotheraider writes #avatar the last airbender #natla review #natla positive #natla spoilers #zuko #katara #aang #sokka

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bigalockwood · 2 months

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Hey hey Lia 💜,

I only just realised that you were doing the fanfic asks, so I am a little late, but I am wondering about 8,17, 18, 27, 29 and 37 ( I know these are a lot of numbers, so feel free to just answer the ones you want to)

Wishing you a so wenig stressig wie möglich weekend!

Sophia thanks for sending so many!! I love talking about writing 💜💜💜

8) Share a snippet from one of your favorite dialogue scenes you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

This took me ages to decide. I'm actually not even proud of it because I think it is necessarily particularly well written, but because it's a topic I have very strong feelings about and it felt so validating when I saw how many people resonated with it!

“No, you misunderstand, they didn’t out me. They just asked me about my sexuality and, you know, it was necessary. It’s the sort of thing they’d have to ask me for damage control.”

“Wille, I get that your life can be sort of strange at times and that it often follows different rules and all that, but that is, by definition, still what it means to be outed. I’m glad it didn’t feel like another violation of your privacy to you, but they still shouldn’t have done that,” Simon said, vehemently.

[...] “I’m sorry. I wished people stopped acting like they have any right to know our sexualities. [....]

17) Do you write your story from start to finish, or do you write the scenes out of order?

Depends on the story! Royally Whipped I'm mostly writing in order since I don't have much time to write the chapters, so I'll only write down ideas for future scenes. For my new WIP I've written parts of different chapters already. In the chapters themselves I jump around and hardly every write one in chronological order.

18) Do you use any tools, like worksheets or outlines?

No. I have a very, very rough outline, but it mostly only has specific scenes or emotional stages I want to write towards. I never keep to any outlines and overthrow them within minutes after making them, so I no longer bother with them lmao.

27) How do you feel about collaborations?

I did one ages ago, when I was still in school. It was a lot of fun and I'd definitely be open for it again, but it certainly takes up more time and you need someone you can trust in.

29) If you could write the sequel (or prequel) to any fic out there not written by yourself, which would you choose?

Honestly? The answer is none, just because I don't think I could do any of my favorite stories justice. Not because I think my writing is bad, but because I love them as much because of the special something they have thanks to the author who's written them. Wouldn't say no to a sequel or prequel written by them though asfdhsfdkja

37) Talk about your current wips.

I've briefly talked about my next projects here. But my BIG WIP's right now are Royally Whipped which is very close to being done (probably two more chapters) and then #Simon's revenge.

Some people have been asking for a social media chapter for RW, which is extremely flattering, and I love reading those, but don't even know how to begin putting one together. So, that might happen, if I ever get my shit together (or someone else volunteers to do it ahsjfdasj).

Simon's renevge is a AU where Wille isn't Prince (still rich tho) and meets Simon under... interesting circumstances. Simon is seeking revenge on someone else and poor Wille becomes emotional collateral damage. It'll be less fluffy than RW, though hopefully just as fun. It's very gremlin!simon (channelling all his dodgeball energy). I have a moodboard that I might post soon and maybe some snippets leading up to it's release, if anyone's interested.

#sillylittleflower #lias letters #talking shit for the hell of it

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krenenbaker · 1 year

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How the twst characters would respond to the question "What are your pronouns?"

These are merely headcanons of mine, of course, partially made in honour of pride month. For the most part, all responses use he/him, with a couple exceptions.

(Some of them may be a little out of character, but I tried. Feel free to give your own opinions, if you wish!)

Heartslabyul

Riddle

Hm? You must speak up when you ask someone a question.

Annunciate!

Mm, I see. He/him pronouns, if you please. And for you?

Ace

Ahaha, I'm a guy?

(So...?)

Uh, he? I thought you would know that, Prefect! Geez!

Deuce

Pronouns...? Like, "he"... right? Wait, I should ask for yours too.

Trey

Just plain he/him. Pretty normal, haha!

Cater

He/they for Cay-Cay! ;P

(this one was mostly just for the rhyme)

Savanaclaw

Leona

Tch. Interesting question, Herbivore. "He." Now, why don't you go bother someone else, hm?

Jack

My pronouns? Uhh, he/him. You?

Ruggie

Ehh... he/him. Shishishi! Why? What're yours?

Octavinelle

Azul

Ah, my pronouns. I use he/him, though it seems you knew already. Since you asked me, I suppose I should ask in return. That's only fair, is it not?

Jade

Here? I use he/him/his.

(Here?)

Yes. :) What about you?

Floyd

Good mood:

Ehh~? You can use "he" for me now, hehe. Now tell me yours, Shrimpy~

Bad mood:

I'm not in the mood for your stupid land questions right now, 'kay Shrimpy? Keep asking 'em, and you're gonna get squeezed. Understand?

(I like to think that on land, the Leeches use he/him pronouns, but in the Coral Sea they may not. Mostly due to the differing sexes - and, I assume, gender roles - of moray eels, and much marine life in general)

Scarabia

Kalim

Pronouns...? Wait... OH, pronouns!! :D I use he and him! What are your pronouns?

Jamil

Hm? He/him. What should I use for you?

Pomefiore

Vil

He, she, and they are all acceptable. What you've done to your hair, however... absolutely not. Have you remembered nothing that I've taught you?

(this choice was mostly based on Vil's pronoun use in the JP version)

Epel

'SCUSE ME?! WHY IN THE ABSOLU- uh, I mean, why are you asking? I use he/him. Masculine ones, you know?

Rook

Oh ho, what a wonderful question! The very fact you ask, and there is any number of responses you could receive, is très bien. The nature of language and its constant changes carry such beauty, do you not think, Trickster?

Ignihyde

Idia

wuh? you're asking ME? uhh... he, I guess? you normies always ask such weird questions. and totally out of the blue! I don't even have any dialogue options to choose from irl...

Ortho

I was assigned the pronouns he/him/his! Which set of pronouns would you like to be used in reference to you, Prefect-san?

Diasomnia

Malleus

Oh? You certainly are brave with your questions, Child of Man. I believe you are one of the first to inquire as to my personal pronouns. Perhaps you would like to tell me yours first?

Silver

My pronouns...? I'd prefer he/him. Which pronouns should I use for you?

Sebek

You're asking which pronouns I use? He/him, of course! What did you expect me to say, human?

Lilia

Keeheehee. How things have changed! Hmm... he/him, I believe. Do you use others?

Ramshackle

Grim

Eh? Like that grammar thing? Haha, you should already know, hench-human!

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imtrashraccoon · 2 months

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Can I request something based on something you reblogged to your side blog? The one about canon papyrus being the only one who doesn’t baby/belittle worry about sans?

Also, I think he’s the smartest of the main AU trio (swap, fell, and canon) because his sole passion being puzzles instead of Murder and Timelines. so including something like that?

Sorry, I’ve never requested a writing thing before but I love your work so much! ^_^

💬

Of course you can, Anon! I hope you like headcanons though because I had no idea how I'd write a crossover like this lol

For those wondering, this is the post in question.

I will preface this by mentioning that I have nicknames for each of these precious bois.

Undertale Sans: Classic

Undertale Papyrus: Vanilla

Underfell Sans: Red

Underfell Papyrus: Edge

Underswap Sans: Blue

Underswap Papyrus: Saffron

Also, I headcanon that Sans is the elder brother in these AU's although the actual age gap may vary. I usually go with about eight years difference because I like the idea of Sans raising Papyrus by himself after Gaster was scattered across time and space. One other thing I should mention is that the Underfell brothers have LV and so Red's HP is higher, but compared to the rest of the Underground, he might as well only have 1 HP.

Papyrus' Thoughts On Sans' Low HP

- While Classic is the weakest monster Vanilla knows, he also knows that his older brother worked extremely hard for years to raise them. They didn't have anyone else and until Vanilla had outgrown his stripes, he was reliant on his brother for everything. They had occasional disagreements of course as children normally do, but no matter what happened they still had each other.

- If Classic was able to do all that, he can handle himself well enough, now if only he could motivate himself enough to properly look after himself. To put it frankly, he respects his brother and loves him dearly.

- Vanilla certainly worries quite a bit about his brother. While Classic is well liked by almost everyone, everytime he gets into an encounter could be the last time. They actually used to spar quite a bit when Vanilla was learning how to use his magic but Classic always avoided every attack. They had to stop though when Vanilla got a little too competitive and Classic began having a hard time keeping up. That was just before Papyrus started trying to join the Royal Guard.

- Vanilla has taken over most of the household responsibilities now, mostly because Classic is struggling with some things, but also because he finds enjoyment in a job well done. While he doesn't really understand what his older brother is going through, Vanilla still loves him dearly and will do anything to try and support him. He's confident that he can help, afterall, he is the Great Papyrus! He is the best at encouraging and supporting his loved ones.

- While Red did his best to raise Edge on his own, they struggled to survive for several years and both had strong personalities which led to many, many fights. They are very much family as they both share the same stubborn nature and are hot-headed to a fault. Unfortunately, this led Edge to resent Red as he didn't think his older brother's rules made any sense. He was the Great and Terrible Papyrus after all! Anyone who would dare challenge him to a fight must have a death wish! It also didn't help that Red wasn't the nicest, but neither was Edge either.

- As soon as Edge was out of his stripes, he got a reality check real quick. Apparently, not everyone would leave him alone, now that he wasn't seen as a child, if he taunted or insulted them. This was when he found out how low Red's HP was. Even Edge had far higher HP and he'd barely been in any encounters so far.

- Cue Edge hatching a plan to both protect themselves (while he resents his brother, he doesn't wish him dead because he's the only one he's got) and elevate his status in monster society like he'd always dreamed. He trained day and night to get stronger and as soon as he could pass as the minimum age to apply, he joined the Royal Guard. As the years passed by, he only grew more ruthless and while Red tried to rein him in before he inevitably got himself killed, Edge was far stronger than he'd thought.

- Red had already been struggling to motivate himself to do basic tasks and so he gave up. He'd done everything he could but Edge had long stopped listening to him, so what point was there in trying? He still looked out for his younger brother of course as he'd made many connections over the years. He just had to endure the constant insults and belittling. It was better than being dead though...right?

- As far back as he remembers, Saffron always had Blue and they were pretty much alone. No matter what happened, Blue always kept a bright smile on his skull and assured Saffron that they would get through it together. Saffron soon noticed that despite his older brother's attempts to be popular and well liked, his continued attempts to befriend people only served to drive them away.

- He had a much easier time making friends and he came to be known as the chill, funny skeleton. Blue was almost uptight in comparison, which Saffron didn't understand. What was the point in getting all worked up and bothered if something didn't go to plan? Still, his brother is pretty magnificent, and he'll always cheer him on.

- Saffron sometimes feels like he's the oldest because he is seen as the more mature one. While deep down he doesn't mean to, it's easy to brush off his brother's ambitions for a more reasonable approach. He won't actually say it out loud, but he is often embarrassed by his brother's antics.

- He got used to pulling strings and calling in favours behind Blue's back, just so his brother could remain blissfully ignorant to what people really think of him. Saffron knows that despite how good of a fighter his brother is, with how low his HP is, he wouldn't last long in a real fight. So he often subtly steers him away from potentially dangerous situations so that he can continue being that beacon of joy and hope for those who need it, like himself for one.

As For Vanilla Being The Smartest...

- I'm not going to rank these characters on an intelligence scale because they're all smart. They just have different interests in my opinion.

- To be fair, Vanilla is passionate about a lot of things, like his friends, his future ambitions, and his various hobbies like cooking and planning battles with his action figures. It just so happens that creating puzzles and usually non-lethal traps is one of the things he is most passionate about.

- Thinking up brand new ideas for puzzles and then actually making them is certainly good exercise for his brain, even if he doesn't actually have one. Most monsters, and later humans as well, don't see that about him though. They see his naturally cheerful and sometimes oblivious demeanor as just that and only those close to Vanilla ever truely see him.

- Sure, Vanilla is a bit slower on the uptake in certain social situations but he isn't dumb at all, far from it! He's the type of guy that would figure out the solution to one of those trick puzzle gadgets surprisingly quickly and then immediately build his own that's much harder. He would get a kick out of a Rubik's cube but would end up trying to make different patterns with the coloured sections rather than simply keep solving it.

- Edge also has a lot of passion, unfortunately he is only publicly passionate about being a Royal Guard and fighting. Behind closed doors though, he has many interests, some of which even his brother isn't aware of. He is passionate about cooking and his future ambitions of course, but he's also secretly a bit of a nerd and he has a soft spot for animals. He'll do anything for his precious Doomfanger and he likes to collect human things like books and electronics.

- While Edge does make traps and puzzles, they lack the finesse of Vanilla's and are generally always lethal. Well that's not entirely true, but they'll definitely maime any unlucky person that gets caught and if they're still alive, Edge pretty much always finishes the job. He tries not to think about it much, but a part of him dislikes putting people out of their misery and he often feels relieved when he just finds monster dust.

- Edge definitely has a better combat sense than either Vanilla or Saffron though, but it's because of the rough world he grew up in and all the experience he has. Also, having high LV makes hurting people a lot easier, both physically and emotionally. The other two would probably still be able to give him a run for his money if they ever sparred, although Vanilla would last longer than Saffron just because he likes fighting more.

- Saffron is an interesting case, as he's technically a combination of Vanilla's appearance but with Classic's personality. He doesn't care for a lot of things anymore as he doesn't see the point. He has quite a few interests though that neither Vanilla or Edge share.

- Despite his overall lazy demeanor, Saffron could qualify as a genius if he applied himself. Growing up, he regularly devoured any and all books he could find, both from the Librarby and the dump. He was, and still is to an extent, interested in technical and scientific things, including theoretical physics. He's friends with Undyne of course, to the extent where she occasionally asks for his input with various projects. Saffron would probably have an easy time if he wanted to apply to be a Royal Scientist so he could be more involved, but he doesn't want to go through all the effort. He quite likes being the lazy, carefree brother.

- Otherwise, Saffron enjoys making people laugh, more often groan, with his humor and he's constantly thinking up puns for various situations. He's also musically gifted but doesn't play much, except to provide incidental humour. (Would he also play trombone or something else? I'm not sure...) Another thing Saffron is good at, is gathering information on people. He's very observant, he has to be though with his role as Judge, and the ease at which he can make friends comes in handy when doing so.

#anon ask #raccoons headcanons #undertale #underfell #underswap #classic sans #classic papyrus #underfell sans #underfell papyrus #underswap sans #underswap papyrus

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misc-obeyme · 1 month

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Hola

🐆

Regarding the conversation about the om og cast and their previous sexual/romantic relationships

While it's possible they have had their fair amount of fun before mc I really do believe that at some point they got bored of having any without any emotional depth to the relationship

Like they will try it few times and see there was no actual benefit from it beside the release that they could do themselves without going through the trouble of pretending to like someone

From my personal experience the deeper the relationship the better it feels during sex lol and if these guys love for million years on end after awhile it will get boring

Thats my flow of thought anyway

CC if you're interested I can write you the meaning of the names in the game in hebrew/aramic since it's one of my mother languages, let me know I'd be happy to do so :)

Have a great day and drink some water ❤️

NSFW MDNI (just for discussion of sex, nothing explicit)

I mostly think it's unlikely that they haven't done anything ever considering how old they all are. I very much think that if they're doing hookups or one night stands, it's an "as the opportunity arises" sorta thing. Like I don't think any of them are going out looking for such encounters. (Not even Asmo... I think he probably gets plenty of people coming onto him so if he's interested, he doesn't have to go find someone himself.)

In my opinion, the point of casual sex is that you don't have to pretend to like someone and all that. It's just an encounter where two people are horny and that's it. And I kinda suspect there are less repercussions for such a lifestyle for demons. So it seems likely to me that they would all have such moments come up, especially considering how famous they all are and everything.

But I think that deeper relationships are harder for them. It's certainly a different experience to have sex with someone you love, but most of those guys strike me as very protective of themselves and each other for various reasons. I think some of them have had serious relationships, but I just think they're few and far between.

I'm sure it gets boring after a while. And I suspect a lot of them have other interests that they'd rather focus their energy on. But I also think it probably ebbs and flows somewhat.

The thing is, it's hard to say since they're demons. They might not have the same kind of sexual drive that humans have in general. Maybe it's perfectly normal for demons to never have sex until they find their one and only. Maybe demons mate for life. Maybe they're the complete opposite and have crazy high libidos and need to have sex every other day or they explode. I mean, I'm just saying it can pretty much be whatever you want lol!

In the end, I think it's all up to individual interpretation! I mostly based mine on my own personal preferences. Though now I'm kinda thinking I should get more creative with it, I love the idea of exploding being a consequence lol.

And OH yes, I am in fact very interesting in name meanings! I love information like that, it's fascinating! So if you wish to share, please do!

Ah, anons are always telling me to drink water and I continue to be terrible at it, I swear I'll go drink some lol.

I hope you have a lovely day as well, 🐆 anon!

#I think all opinions on this are valid and correct #because there is zero canon about it #except for the implied situations with some of the characters getting sexy with mc #obey me #obey me nightbringer #🐆 anon #misc answers

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counterfeitphantoms · 4 months

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What's your interpretation of the Phantom Queen?

Evil? Satan? Any good? Why does she want Jamaa?

I'd look on the wikia, but I am not sure how accurate that is, and the lore of AJ is never in one place. Wish someone made a doc or just a really long thread to reference.

good call on the wiki, there's a lot of flat out incorrect/non-updated info on that 😭 (though @/Asteralium is working on a project to consolidate the lore all in one place!) . my thoughts under the cut because it is a LOT...

BUT if we're talking my interpretation of the canon queen, I believe she flat out IS just evil, flat out. Lesser Phantoms (Common types), on the other hand, likely aren't pure evil and have some form of agency over what they would like to do, and we've seen some even flat out go to Jamaas side with play-wilds phantoms (playable ones) and classics pet phantoms (which is stated they just want to be loved) Along that same vein I think kings generally are pretty evil, not sure of their capacity to really WANT anything else except for what the queen wants to some vague degree (though the king in the books is... odd, he seems VERY set on revenge and he seems to believe he should be the one rightfully ruling over Jamaa)

But back to the queen. hmm. I think her ultimate goal is just to consume more and more land/resources, for no particular reason other than to continue spreading and consuming. She doesn't have some tragic backstory or overarching reason for doing what she does; she just wants MORE, constantly, no matter the cost or harm it may cause. It falls in-line with phantoms pollution theme really well, I think! Since phantoms have recently been established as an evil force thats consistent across all dimensions (play wild and classic are canonically different worlds now, but the phantoms in both are the exact same phantoms that can just hop from world to world using portals); I think they ultimately just want to bring in more and more Jamaas' into their own world (the phantom dimension we see a lot of in playwild, and some in classic) just to assimilate them, thus adding onto their own world as a result!

The Phantom Dimension I think is… expansive, insanely so. It's a large sprawling network of corrupted lands that have become so twisted that nothing except phantoms can live inside of it (think: the phantom badlands in AJC, where phantoms pollute land for their own taking, making it inhospitable to literally anything else); I dont think the alphas (or animals, as a whole) can really begin to grasp what the ultimate endgoal of phantoms really IS. They certainly don't fully know about the Phantom Queen- maybe of her existence, but not her full reach/what her real gameplan even is; though, maybe AJCS greely does considering recently he's been becoming more and more aware of another world besides his own existing & all that! (on the other hand, play wilds alphas dont even KNOW that there's at least 4 kings, and still believe there's only one at the moment, so they absolutely aren't aware of the queen even a little)

Ultimately I think. PQ will never really be satisfied. there'll never be a point where shes just like. okay, pack it up guys we're done here. I think if she manages to assimilate classic or play wilds world, she'll just move onto another Jamaa, then another. She has little care for the destruction she's leaving behind, and absolutely barely even considers animals something worth acknowledging

#jamblr #aj #animal jam #im so sorry this is so longwinded i had 2 cut out a lot of random thoughts . nightmare

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whispering-about-loki · 3 months

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Hello 😊 I saw you reblog the a "get to know your writer" post and wondered if it was ok for me to ask a few questions? If so, I'd ask 1, 7, 16, 25 and 56?

Absolutely! Let's see....

1 . Do you prefer writing one-shots or multi-chaptered fics?

Honestly, multi-chapter! I actually find it really, really hard to write a one-shot. I mean, I can do it, and certainly have done it... but my plots usually tend to get away from me and branch out here, there, and everywhere! The only problem is, I also don't tend to finish those multi-chapter monsters...

7 . How do you choose which POV to write from?

It depends on what story I am trying to tell. If I want some details to go unknown to a character for mystery's sake, I will write in their POV; or I will write in the POV of the person who has the most emotional stake. When I am writing a ship fic, I often try to write from both POVs (alternating from chapter to chapter) to compare and contrast how they are coping or what they are thinking. The challenge there is to get the "voices" right, though.

16 . How many fic ideas are you nurturing right now? Share one of them?

Far, far too many to count! In way too many different fandoms! Of the stories I haven't posted a word on yet (as opposed to current WIPs that I have up at AO3), there's at least one Lokius AU, a couple Bagginshield angst pieces, three gen TMNT fics, and a couple of random ideas that I have yet to fix a fandom to.

25 . What fic do you wish you got more of a response on?

Oh, gosh. It's weird, but although I absolutely love getting comments, I don't often push for them because I don't want to seem... needy, I guess? Back in the late 90s and early naughties, it was actually a lot easier to get responses to fics. The fandoms were smaller and everyone knew everyone, so the stories would be passed between friends online... so now living in the age of kudos is actually a bit disorienting. Of course, the fics that don't get responses are usually about pretty obscure people or situations. Like Afterimage (a short Hobbit thing about Nori as a child), The Touch Of Rain (about Cobb Vanth), and When She Loved Me (an imagined backstory about a character that was only in the TMNT Adventures comics... and when I originally wrote and posted that one twenty-some years ago, it got a much better reception). I do notice that gen stories tend to get swept to the side in favor of ship-fics, though, which always seem to get some kind of response.

56 . What’s something about your writing that you pride yourself on?

Actually, what I mentioned up in #7 about finding the right voices. I think I do okay with getting into characters' heads and making them each sound individual. Again, like I said... it isn't always easy. I'm currently writing a chapter in a story... and in this chapter a character is in medical distress and we are seeing it from their POV. Problem is, two chapters ago there was a different character in medical distress whose POV I was writing from... and in both instances the characters are waking up from being treated. It's taking a bit of juggling to make sure the second one and the first one are different enough so people don't think, "hey... I've read this already!" It helps, I guess, that one of the characters is more skilled in medical concerns, so they are more calm about the whole thing while the other one was in full panic mode.

Anyway, thank you for this! It was fun!

#fanfic #writing #asks #answered #fanfic ask game

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glitterarygetsit · 4 months

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Let go of the version of yourself you are comparing yourself to

I think most people have at least one sliding doors moment: a poor financial decision, an encounter with the police, a career choice that didn't work out, an academic fuck-up, a relationship you should have left sooner. I certainly do. And you think: if only I'd made a different choice, that one time, my life would be so much better.

It's easy to blame yourself for doing the wrong thing or making the wrong choice, and I think most of us who feel that kind of guilt do eventually find a way of forgiving ourselves. We had good reasons for the choice we made at the time, even if they look foolish in hindsight. We can reason that things might have turned out the same, or worse, if we'd done what we now wish we had.

Even having forgiven myself and my youthful mistakes, though, I've only recently realised this: I have been living in the shadow of an imaginary version of myself for more than half my life. The version of me who didn't fuck up an important exam, who got the grades for her first-choice university, who therefore was able to get a better job and build on it, and is now working for the EU as some kind of fancy human rights lawyer. She's so much better than the real me, an underemployed freelance translator who has bumbled from admin job to admin job and is looking to change careers yet again.

But here's the thing: that perfect version of me is imaginary. I never think about lawyer me sitting in interminable meetings and not getting anything done! I never think of diplomat me losing her job because of Brexit! I never think about how that version of me doesn't have time for hobbies or deep friendships because her job takes up all her time and energy. She's fake! She's scamming me out of appreciating what I do have, and what I do love about my current life, and who I am.

Comparison is the thief of joy, and I have created an imaginary version of myself that I have been torturing my real self with for the past two decades.

So: if you have a sliding doors moment, and you think you've processed it, maybe take a moment to reflect on whether you are still comparing yourself to an impossible version of you or your life. Don't just forgive yourself. Put down that burden. That version of you would never have existed, even if you had done everything "right". Let yourself thrive as the person you are now.

#guess who spent an hour sobbing to her therapist about this recently #i wanted this to be a lot more concise but hey this is what you get #life advice #comparison #regret #guilt #glitterary #the version of me who became a diplomat is as real as the version of me who became an astronaut #i.e. not even slightly #and i'm not upset about not being the astronaut version of me so i need to let go of the diplomat version too #and work towards making the translator me who actually exists happier

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yumeka36 · 6 months

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I finally finished the final season of Attack on Titan.

I've been an anime-only enjoyer of the series ever since it started airing 10 years ago. It immediately blew me away with how much action, drama, and suspense every single episode had. Unfortunately, watching the episodes staggered across the years was not the best way to experience the series, especially as the story got more complicated and more characters and subplots were introduced. It wasn't long before I'd have to refresh my memory every time a new season or cour would air by consulting wikipedia episode summaries, lol. But even with that, it's the kind of series where something in one episode will be relevant many episodes later, and I know I missed out on a lot of those details due to watching the series with so many gaps over the years.

But regardless, I was able to follow it well enough and appreciate everything about it. AoT has some of the best drama, action, and world-building I've seen in any anime - every episode left me in suspense! Obviously the story evolved over the years, with the post-time skip episodes being very different from the season 1 episodes, but it still delivered in terms of entertainment quality.

As for the ending itself, I thought it was good. The idea of someone wanting to wipe out humanity to save the world isn't anything new, but it's a plot I like, especially when it's done in a unique way like AoT. I loved that the series didn't paint any of the characters' choices as being the "right" one - not Ymir's, the Jaergerists', Zeke's, the Scouts', and certainly not Eren's - but in the end we understand why they each felt their choice was right, and that's what makes them relatable and interesting. I also love how the series portrays the sheer desperation of people in a world ravaged by war. Even though I had trouble following it, the political world-building in AoT is stellar.

I'm also glad I got to fully understand why Eren did what he did. Admittedly, it was hard for me to sympathize with him after the cruel things he said to Mikasa. But now that it all makes sense, I'm glad he got to reconcile with everyone before he died. Compared to how he's portrayed in the beginning of the series as a typical hot-headed shonen hero wanting to get revenge for his mom, to everything we learn about him by the end of the series, is mind-blowing. What an awesome protagonist turned antagonist.

Though I do think Eren turned out to be an interesting character, Mikasa and Armin were my favorites. Even though Mikasa started out with her only notable quality being her attachment to Eren, her character development throughout the series really came through, especially after the time-skip where she had to make very difficult choices. But even before then, I could feel her love for Armin and her fellow comrades, so Eren wasn't the only thing she cared about. And in the end, she chose to not only kill the person she had dedicated her life to, but also sacrifice the happiness she could have had with him, in order to save everyone else. And Armin always seemed like the most "human" of the group, always showing care and concern for everyone and wanting to help out, regardless of how dire the circumstances around him were (but not a pushover either).

I wasn't expecting a total happy ending for a series with such raw emotions and intense violence, but was hoping it wouldn't be too terribly tragic either. So I felt the ending we got was a good, bittersweet, middle ground: Eren was able to fulfill his wish for his friends to live out their lives in relatively peaceful conditions, but war would always be inevitable. But gosh, the epilogue during the credits blew my mind the most! Seeing the characters visit Eren's grave up until they too passed on, then hundreds or even thousands of years later we see giant cities being built up, then torn down by wars, only for the world to seemingly be destroyed again...it just kept going! I also liked the open-ended final scene which hints that the titan cycle could repeat itself again someday.

Overall, despite the long gaps between seasons, I'm glad I stuck with AoT all these years. I'll bid it a somber farewell for now, but I hope to rewatch it again in the future without the long gaps between episodes. Like I said, I missed out on a lot of the build-up to what happens in the end simply due to not remembering things that happened in episodes I watched years ago. This is definitely a series deserving of a second viewing!

#attack on titan #aot #shingeki no kyojin

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ultimatewowdursgate · 4 days

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DWC May '24 - Day 7

Void

It had been a while since the last event Kaz had been to. As always he'd enjoyed the chance to relax, to let loose and see his friends. And as usual it had been a great time. But in the aftermath he was worrying about how he'd handled some of it in hindsight...

It had been a long time since he'd last seen his good friend Caythaes. So it had been a wonderful surprise when he ran in to them that night.

However even more surprising was the change that had happened in time between. Cay was now visibly effected by the void. And Kaz had no idea how to react to this.

He'd heard about some of the Blood Elves choosing to go down that path, willingly embracing it even. But he couldn't imagine Cay doing such a thing. No, it certainly didn't seem like them at all.

But... Kaz of course overthought it. He didn't want to risk offending or upsetting his friend who he cared so much about by saying the wrong thing, especially not knowing the circumstances.

And so Kaz had tried to play it cool. To act as though nothing at all had changed! He was so happy to see his friend for the first time in ages that he decided he should focus on that fact rather than worrying about this situation and it, presumably, having been the thing keeping his friend away.

But now… in the aftermath of the meeting, his mind kept being drawn back to how he'd handled it.

While Kaz doesn't have the void in him; his mind could be a dark place even without it. Full of worries, doubts and regrets. And so often turning against itself even despite his monk training.

As indeed was happening to him again right now.

He looked back on his attempt to not pressure or upset his friend by raising the issue. Only now he second guessed himself and feared it had made him look like he simply hadn't cared.

And the mere possibility set his stomach turning.

He had attempted at the time to make sure Cay would know he still cared about them and that fact would never change no matter what the void or anything else did to them.

But now with hindsight he feared that by not actually outright mentioning the change he'd only come across as diminishing or ignoring it and hadn't seemed either supportive or understanding as he hoped.

And once again he felt like a terrible person.

Kaz let out a huge sigh and struggled to push these thoughts aside.

"Right, I've got to do something about this!" he muttered to himself.

And so he sat at his desk, took out some paper and began to write.

Hey Cay!

Urgh, no! Too casual, you look like you're not taking this seriously.

Dearest Caythaes,

Too formal, you won't sound genuine or understanding like that.

...

After a great many false starts, much wasted paper and ink and even more overthinking Kaz finally settled on something he felt wasn't completely terrible and hoped his friend would know he cared and was their for them.

To my good friend Cay,

I hope this message finds you well. I just wanted to apologise for the other night. It was great to see you again after so long, I'd quite missed you lately you know. But I fear I must've came across terribly.

I didn't want to hurt or upset you by saying the wrong thing but I rather think I've messed up by not saying anything at all.

Obviously I don't know exactly what you've been through. And if you don't want to talk about it that's ok! But if ever you do want to talk about it, or anything else, I'd be only too glad to listen and if there is anything I can do, no matter how big or small, to help just name it and I'll do my level best for you.

In any case, I just wanted to let you know I'm here for you. And always and no matter what will be. I wish you the very best my dear friend.

And with that he signed the letter. Smiled as the worries began to fade and left to post the letter and hope for the best.

...

And the moment the letter went in the post he immediately started thinking of all the ways he could and should have done it differently.

Kaz clenched his teeth and winced as he stopped himself yelling something obscene.

@daily-writing-challenge @mekandawn

Thanks Gnome for the inspiration and for always being great to RP with! :)

#Kazuro Jadefist #Caythaes Mekandawn #Warcraft #DWC #my writing

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neuxue · 6 months

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hello, fellow liehuo enjoyer here, and I have been making forays into 无限流 lately — I have been sitting on the edge of the qqgk cliff kicking my feet idly for a while, would it be too presumptuous of me to ask you to push me over? (in less flowery language, would you recommend qqgk to a fellow liehuo and 无限流 reader?)

hey! always good to hear from another weapons enthusiast liehuo enjoyer.

And sure, I can certainly try to push you wuxia-style off the qqgk cliff; it's no leap into a fiery abyss of agony but it was a fun read. (as an aside, now that I think about it there is technically a cliff-jump in qqgk, for what that's worth).

Honestly I wouldn't usually think to compare the two, and I probably wouldn't put qqgk on an 'if you enjoyed lhjc, read this next' list because they sit in different spaces in my mind, but there's no reason you can't enjoy both; I certainly did!

The main thing I'd say first, just to set some tonal expectations, is that qqgk feels like a much lighter read, in terms of both prose and content, and it does not have anywhere near the knife levels of liehuo. (though let's be honest that's not actually saying much).

Whether that's a good, bad, or neutral thing is obviously a matter of taste, but I'm going to go out on a limb (like a little bird) here and assume that if you enjoyed liehuo you probably enjoy some heartrending agony angst or pain in a story. To which I will say, qqgk does in fact have some knives; not as many and not as agonising but well-executed and in a way that packs a kind of surprising punch, in part because you're not entirely expecting it (or at least I wasn't, after the first couple arcs). Similarly, there are some moments of genuine beauty and pathos in a way that feels not unlike those little flashes priest sometimes drops in the midst of an otherwise lighthearted scene, though again on a different scale.

Sort of relatedly, another thing I liked about qqgk is that while it starts off feeling like just a light fun read and like a lot of the details are throwaway decoration, I was again surprised by the degree to which the loose ends or 'throwaway' details or character traits that initially seem just there for the aesthetic get tied up or tied into the larger whole in a way that's more satisfying than I anticipated.

But now for the fun part, which was me going 'huh, now I kind of want to make a list of similarities between the two in an if-you-liked-this kind of way'. So! Some things you get in lhjc that you can expect to see in some way in qqgk:

two extremely competent protagonists initially using that competence largely for the purpose of antagonising each other as they are forced under protest but by circumstance to collaborate

blood... drinking? bloodplay? unclear. anyway, that.

Who Gets To Be A Person (to a lesser degree than liehuo, yes, and qqgk leans more into 'tool' than 'weapon' but it's definitely there)

ensemble cast shenanigans (again, qqgk takes a lighter tone here and I cannot in good faith promise you a Gu Yuexi analogue but once again there are some that turn out kind of surprisingly... more than you initially expect)

Wow That Sure Is A Healthy Mother-Son Relationship, Yikes

character(s) who hide their pain or past (or both) only to have it forcibly revealed by circumstances outside their control in the most visceral way possible

memory shenanigans (which are hit or miss for me, but I liked the way these were done in both cases)

characters fighting over who gets to self-sacrifice for whom, the realisation that your beloved has a death wish, etc.

undead interactions on a boat

character(s) whose approach to problem-solving is 'if you set it on fire enough it will cease to be a problem, or will at least become a different problem'

Anyway, I really was pleasantly surprised by qqgk because I didn't know what to expect and the first arcs felt like 'okay this is fun and entertaining but I'm not sure I'm completely on board' and then it went 'okay hang on let me just--' and went harder than I thought it would. I will admit there are aspects of the ending that I didn't love, but in a way that honestly doesn't impact my overall enjoyment of it, or my satisfaction with the closure of the story.

I don't know if I have done a very good job selling it or presenting a coherent image of it but that's what I've got, so if that sounds like a good time to you then I'd be curious to hear what you eventually think!

(I'd also be interested in any 无限流 that you would recommend to a fellow liehuo enjoyer, as it's a genre I'm enjoying but have also not read extensively in)

#asks #anon #recommendations #this is such an incoherent recommendation but I'm sticking with it #jump off the cliff the water's fine!

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thepaintedlady00 · 2 years

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Oneshot: Loving An Endless

This oneshot was requested by @layla2-49. Bestie your idea was just 🥺😘👌🥵 I hope you enjoy!

Length: 5,899 words/15 pages

TW: mentions of past attempts of assault/domestic violence, fluff, a bit of Protective!Dream, Constantine has no filter, Death is adorable, smut, breeding kink, Soft!Dream, loss of virginity Feral!Dream

Being Johanna Constantine's assistant had its perks. The pay was good, great if she'd had any run-ins with the royals. She was a kind boss and a good friend. And, on days like today she brought in very very attractive men. He was the most beautiful, ethereal man I'd ever seen. His messy black hair glistened in the dull life of the office, his tall and slim frame was dressed in all black, and his eyes were a deep watery blue that caught the light and reflected stars.

I was staring. I knew I was, but I couldn't bring myself to stop. His gorgeous eyes watched me with a hint of curiosity, and under his steady gaze my face burned. Johanna bumped my shoulder, shaking me from my locked position. "The place is looking good, y/n!"

I smiled and shrugged at the not even half finished cleaning job I'd gotten done. "It's getting there. You have a lot of stuff."

"Yeah," she sighed. "But it's all useful!"

"Certainly not all," the man said, his voice deep and rich like honey. Oh dear god, I thought returning my gaze to him as he looked around the room with disgust, or maybe annoyance. It should be criminal to sound that good.

Johanna glared at him before catching the expression on my face. Shit. She smiled. "Oh! Where are my manners? Y/n this is the Sandman, sandman this is y/n!"

"Y/n," the man said, his eyes taking in my form. "It's a pleasure to meet you. Though I wish it'd been under better circumstances."

"Why's that?" I asked, fighting against the urge to physically fall when he'd said my name.

He sighed, looking through a box on the table. "I'm here in search of my stolen tools. I'm afraid it's quite dire, and your… Employer, is far more difficult than she should be."

Johanna mocked him with her hands. "Yada yada Sandman, beggars can't be choosers."

"Thieves should-"

She pointed a finger at him. "I bought that sand legally!"

He released a short sharp breath. "As you can see it's a complicated situation."

I nodded. "It seems so. I'm sorry your tools were stolen, Sandman. I'm more sorry you're stuck with Johanna, she's a lot."

"Hey!" Johanna gasped. "I could cut your pay!"

"You won't though," I replied, moving some boxes to help. I smiled up at the sandman. "So, what are we looking for?"

***

Dream couldn't put his finger on what made this woman different. Was it the beautiful gleam in her eyes? The softness of her smile? Or was it her willingness to jump into offering him, a stranger, her help? Whatever it was, he enjoyed it. He enjoyed her. Y/n, he thought again, unable to keep himself from repeating it to himself as he watched her move through the office looking through boxes alongside Constantine.

She was far more helpful, and far less destructive. As Constantine tossed yet another antique over her shoulder y/n sighed. "Would you stop breaking things?"

"It's not broken," Constantine assured. "Even if it is, I own it, so I can break it if I want."

Y/n rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say, Jo."

Eventually Constantines memory was at last jogged by a photo of an ex lover and the location of his sand was revealed. Y/n offered to accompany them but the Constantine woman refused. He stood in the office with y/n as Constantine got ready to depart. She smiled at him, a smile that brought him a feeling of peace. "Well, I hope you find the rest of your things."

"Thank you, Y/n," he said softly.

"You're welcome, Sandman."

"Dream."

"I'm sorry?" She asked gently, her eyes glistening in the light.

"My name, one of them, is Dream."

A slight blush rose to her face. "Dream. It's a lovely name."

He bowed his head slightly. "Goodnight, y/n. Perhaps fate will bring our paths together again."

"One can hope," she said without thinking. He smiled at the way she scrambled trying to explain her meaning.

Lifting her hand to his lips he kissed it before silently leaving the crowded apartment and refocusing his mind on reclaiming his tools and saving The Dreaming from ruin. As the days turned into weeks, Dream still thought of the girl, still quietly saying her name to himself when no one would hear.

***

Months had passed since Johannas job for Dream and as embarrassing as it was, I felt disappointed. Part of me thought he'd show up again, if not first me then to give Johanna another job or something. But, he never did. I told myself it was for the best, he was a god, a god that surely had more important things to do than indulge me in conversation. I doubted the sandman even remembered me.

Johanna kept me busy, after I'd finally gotten her office clean and organized she'd started sending me research to comb through for her while she moved between work locations. It was tedious and could be difficult to find certain legends or creatures, but as always she paid me well and was a good friend. I stood at my desk, glaring down at the sprawled out documents of her next job, looking for something to help narrow down the possibilities of what she'd be up against once she arrived.

I rubbed my dry, tired eyes and sighed, answering my phone just as her ringtone sounded. "Johanna, remind me to strangle you when you get back."

"It's going well I see," she teased me. "Well I'm sending someone over to help out. He's got a bit more knowledge on this kind of thing, so he should make it pretty easy."

"You need to stop sending strangers to my house," I complained. "It's turning into a potential occupational hazard."

Johanna laughed. "I'd never send anyone to you that would hurt you, y/n. What kind of boss do you take me for?"

I smiled. "The bitchy kind."

"Ouch, that's a bit harsh!"

"How's Amsterdam?" I asked, leaning back against the desk and taking a sip of my tea.

"It's fine," she said rather dismissively. "Can't wait to be done with this job though. Already far more complicated than I wanted."

"You'll figure it out in no time Jo." I assured her.

She sighed. "Yeah, well have fun with your sandman."

My body froze, brows furrowing as I mulled over her words. "What do you mean?"

"The guy I'm sending to help you, it's him." She stated with a knowing tone. "I saw you checking him out, so have fun. Use protection."

"Johanna you know I don't-" My words were cut off by the sound of my doorbell. Shit.

"Relax, he's just there to help with your research. Now, I gotta run, call you soon."

The line went dead and I scoffed at her abrasiveness. Bitch. I straightened out my shirt and quickly fixed my messed up hair before opening the door to the tall figure clothed in black. His starry eyes rolled down my body as he tilted his head slightly. "Y/n."

"Dream," I said quietly. God he was more beautiful than I remembered. Stepping to the side and gesturing inward I blushed. "Please come in!"

He moved slowly through the small space of my townhouse, looking at everything that hung on the walls and regarding my bookshelf with interest. "You have a lovely home. Far more comfortable than your employers."

I laughed nervously. "Thanks, I don't do my best work when things are unorganized so I like to keep my space clean."

"A sentiment I share," he replied with a tiny smile. "Constantine said you were researching an ancient creature she believes is causing trouble."

"Yeah," I turned and gathered up the papers from my desk. "This is all I've been able to find. Everything else is either in a dead language or just illegible. Probably why she enlisted you to help."

Dream simply nodded as he took the papers from me, cold fingers gliding smoothly over the tips of my own and sending a chill through me. This is just pathetic, I scolded myself. He's so far out of your league! Look at him! He probably has hundreds of beautiful goddess lovers. I pulled myself out of the slew of pitiful thoughts and jumped back into researching. Dream had taken a seat in one of my chairs and leafed through the papers and books I'd pulled out while I focused on online research.

I found myself looking up from my laptop and watching him often. The way he sat so casually, yet refined and the look of concentration on his angular face… It was cute and distracting. He was distracting. His eyes looked up from the book, an amused glint passing through them. "Anything new?"

"No," I answered quickly, looking back down at my screen. "Nothing new."

Dream hummed thoughtfully and closed his book, moving toward my shelves and looking. "Perhaps we're looking in the wrong place."

I watched him curiously and listened intently as he spoke. He had such a fast knowledge, one that no book or letter could possibly hold. It was fascinating. His hunch had proved correct and after telling Johanna of the new development we sat in my home and talked for hours. Dream asked me about my life. He asked and actually listened, actually cared. It was something I hadn't experienced in years and it felt nice. In turn he openly answered every question I could ask him, his openness was unexpected and refreshing.

With a loud yawn I smiled at Dream. "You're a very interesting person, Dream of the Endless."

"As are you, y/n." He nodded his head towards my bedroom. "It's late, you should retire for the night."

"Probably," I agreed, twisting my fingers together nervously as I asked, "Will I see you again?"

"Do you wish to?"

"Of course I do!" I said, far too enthusiastically. "I mean… Yes, I would very much wish to see you again."

Dream smiled. "Then you will. Goodnight, y/n."

It felt like a dismissal, a non answer, but I forced myself to ignore it. "Goodnight, Dream."

I settled into bed not long after he'd left, pulling the warm covers up around me and at last being able to close my eyes and relax into my bed. My dreams were not creative, but not boring either. I usually thought of relaxing locations, rolling hills or quiet streams, tonight it was a crystal clear lake that mirrored the starry night sky inside it. As I sat among the flowers and blades of grass, listening to the calm and sketching in my notebook - a hobby I rarely got time to practice in the real world - I felt a familiar sensation roll over me as a tall figure in black walked towards me with a smile.

"Dream," I whispered, looking up at him in awe. "How…"

"You are asleep," he answered. "And so you have entered into my realm."

Of course, this was his whole thing. I smiled brightly, fixing my hair. "When I asked if I'd see you again… I wasn't expecting it to be so soon."

He looked around, eyes shining impossibly brighter. "You've a beautiful imagination."

My cheeks burned. "Oh this is nothing. I'm sure you see far more creative things."

"It's the simplicity of it that makes it beautiful. Most people seek out the feeling of comfort and home in their dreams. Yours reflects the beauty of your mind perfectly." He looked back down at me, holding his hand out. "Would you like to see my home?"

I jumped up, gently taking hold of his hand. "Of course! The way you described it was magnificent."

Dream nodded with a light chuckle. "I hope it lives up to your expectations."

"It will," I assured him. "I doubt you're capable of creating anything that wouldn't."

That was the first time I'd visited The Dreaming and it was just as beautiful as he described, as I could have ever imagined. Since that night Dream always came to me in my dreams. We'd walk and talk and grew close. He was my friend, one I'd fallen further and further in love with each passing night. I didn't care if he never felt the same, simply being around him was enough for me. Johanna, however, was constantly pulling every string she could to try and force me to tell him of my feelings.

She rolled her eyes from the couch as I said goodbye to Dream and Matthew. They'd taken to visiting me in the Waking World when they had a free moment. The second they'd gone, Johanna was on her rant. "You're seriously never going to tell him?"

"There's nothing to tell Jo."

"Bullshit!" She laughed. "You're head over heels for him! You have been from the start!"

I signed. "And? He's my friend. I don't want to ruin that. Besides, he probably has goddesses or something that he'd prefer."

Johanna scoffed. "God are you really that blind?"

"What?"

"He's smitten with you." She smiled widely. "Do you think he just pops by every friends house every day?"

A nervous ache filled my chest. "He doesn't…"

"Y/n."

"It doesn't matter. The second I tell him I want to wait until marriage for…" I sighed. "It's just not in the stars, Jo."

She looked disappointed. "How do you know if you refuse to try? Not everyone's gonna be like the last, y/n."

***

Dream had poured himself into winning the heart of y/n. He'd grown more and more enchanted with her as the days passed, so much so that he could scarcely be apart from her. His thoughts ran rampant with thoughts of her, filthy ones but more so the soft need to know what it would be like to wake to her each morning or to hear her laughing while he did his work. Dream wanted to spend every minute beside her.

Night had been their main meeting time, but as he waited on the bridge she was nowhere in sight. Finding her was easy, but the sight that he appeared in the middle of was one that made his anger twist and twine around him. Y/n was sitting on the edge of her bed, her arms curled around herself, holding tattered and torn bits of her top to her. The man responsible pounded on the door, shouting threats and destroying her living room. He quietly waved his hand, willing the pounding and shouting to stop and fixing her clothes before he took a seat beside her, watching the room fade away to a meadow of flowers and quiet.

He sat by her side as the fear of the nightmare faded from her and she slowly relaxed. Her hand settled over his and squeezed. "Thank you."

"I'm sorry you had to relive that. My nightmares should have known better."

She shook her head. "They're just doing their job."

"Perhaps," he agreed, meeting her eyes. "But it will not happen again."

Y/n smiled, leaning her head onto his shoulder. "Thank you."

Though his body hummed at the feeling of her pressed against him, his anger was not satisfied. "Who was he?"

"An ex boyfriend."

"What happened between you?"

She sighed. "I told him I wanted to wait until marriage to be intimate."

His anger grew. How could anyone react to such an innocent thing with such cruelty and violence? "I would have his name."

"Why?" Her head lifted from his shoulder and he looked down at her gently, even through his anger.

"He hurt you… He tried to defile you. Such evil actions require punishment."

Y/n looked down, a sad nervous look filling her face. "What would you do to him?"

Dream was creative and he could no doubt think of something painful enough. "Whatever you asked me to."

"And if I asked you to let him live?"

He ground his teeth together. "Then I would. For you."

She smiled, a few tears still staining her cheeks. "Thank you."

He wiped the wetness from her face. "Stop thanking me for such small acts of affection."

"Affection?" She asked with wide eyes. "Does that mean you…"

"I love you," he answered as soon as her voice trailed off.

"Even though I…" She sighed again. "Even though I don't want to sleep with you?"

His head tilted slightly. "Do you think me so petty?"

"No!"

Dream held her tight. "If you wish to wait for marriage for such physical intimacy then it is marriage I shall offer you. Until then, there are other ways to be intimate with those you love."

Joyful tears filled her eyes. "You're magnificent, Dream of the Endless."

"Morpheus." He pushed her hair away from her face. "I want you to call me by my true name."

"Morpheus," she repeated softly. The sound of her voice speaking his name made every inch of him tingle. "Would you…" She tried to look down again, but he held her face and her eyes. "Will you kiss me?"

Dream nodded. "Always."

The second their lips met he felt whole. He'd kissed many before, but it was her lips that set his heart ablaze, her soft sounds that filled him with peace. Y/n was made for him and he'd not rest until she felt every ounce of the love she deserved. He'd not rest until she was his queen and wife.

***

Ever since the night I'd dreamt of my ex, of the horror he put me through, I'd not had another nightmare. And since then, Morpheus, Dream of the Endless, had become my boyfriend. Boyfriend. I giggled at the word. It felt so simple, far too tame for the level of devoted love he'd given to me. Every moment I spent with him was full of freedom and happiness. I'd never felt so light and unburdened. He'd introduced me to his sister, Death, and had looked so happy when we got along instantly.

Death had visited me often since, taking me to lunch and talking to me about anything and everything. She was fun and lighthearted, a good compliment to Dreams' usually laid back attitude and occasional pout. She'd asked me if I wanted Dream, truly wanted him and when I told her I did her joyful demeanor only grew. Since then Dream seemed to be busier and slightly stressed.

I looked over at Death as she smiled at a group of kids beside me. "Is there something wrong with Dream?"

"No," she answered "He's in surprisingly high spirits."

"Then why is he so stressed out whenever he sees me?"

"It's probably the nerves. Asking such a big question is always a little scary."

I turned to her fully, mouth hanging open. "What question?"

Her eyes grew wide and she slapped her hand onto her face. "Don't talk about the proposal! He said don't! Oh what a terrible time to mishear someone."

"Proposal?!" I shrieked. "He's proposing?"

She smiled and shrugged. "Surprise?"

My heart pounded in my ears as the news sunk in. He and I had spoken of marriage often, and we'd been dating - courting as Dream liked to call it - for almost a year now. It wasn't rushed, but it certainly wasn't the longest wait. I was nervous, but not in the way I was used to. This was an excited kind of nervous, the kind that made my stomach fill with butterflies and my skin tingle. "He's proposing."

Death smiled, rubbing my arm fondly. "You're going to be my sister soon."

"What makes you so sure I'm going to say yes?" I joked.

"Because you love him."

"When's he going to do it?"

She stood quickly. "Nope! I'm not spoiling any more of the surprise!"

That night Morpheus and I walked the whole of The Dreaming and I listened to him pour his soul out to me. Everything he thought and felt was laid bare before my feet and I was left in awe at the depth of his passion not just for me but for all his creations and even humanity. He loved so deeply and so fiercely that nothing could come between him and that love. Not time or distance, not anger or sorrow. When he got down on one knee, his sparkling night sky eyes looking up at me, and asked me to marry him I didn’t hesitate to tell him yes. I wanted him forever, wanted to live beside him, share his bed and build a life together, a family.

***

Wedding planning was rather easy when your fiance can create anything you could think or dream of with a wave of his hand. And so here we were on the day of the wedding, Death standing beside me fussing over my dress, Delirium - Dreams younger sister - crying in front of me one moment and then insisting that we needed more flowers the next. I would have normally felt nervous, but instead I just felt ready. My dress was one that Dream had designed, a long ball gown that glistened and sparkled everytime I moved, looking like it’d been made of pure silver and starlight. My hair had been done elegantly with a modest crown gleaming on my head and earrings swaying softly as I moved.

“You look beautiful,” Death said with a beaming smile.

I smoothed a hand down the fabric of my dress. “So, after today I’ll be immortal?”

She nodded. “I’ll give you my gift when the two of you seal the marriage with that kiss.”

“The kiss of immortality,” I joked. “It sounds far better than the alternative.”

Death rolled her eyes and squeezed my hands. “It’s time. Are you ready?”

I only nodded, the raw emotion of what was happening filling my throat. Fiddlers Green was filled with people, guests from the waking world and other realms beyond The Dreaming. A path of petals lead down the aisle and to the archway of blooming flowers, butterflies and twinkling lights. Morpheus stood beneath it, no longer in his usual attire but instead wearing a form fitting black suit that seemed to be made of the night sky itself. He smiled as our eyes met and Death squeezed my hand with a quiet whisper of, “We really did try with his hair.”, as she walked me down the aisle to his side.

“My love,” he said softly, holding his hand out to me and pressing a soft kiss to it. “You look beautiful.”

“You look amazing,” I returned the compliment, drinking in his form with delight. “You always do.”

The ceremony was short, Destiny spoke quietly but with an authority that made each word feel purposeful and infinite, and as he smiled to each of us at the end I felt my heartbeat quicken and my smile grow wider and wider. “You may now kiss the bride.”

Morpheus looked at Death first, who nodded with joyful tears running down her cheeks. Our lips pressed together, as they had so often before, but this time I could feel something different. Whether it was the pleasant sensation of Death's gift filling my lungs with immortal life or the simple fact that Dream of the Endless was now my husband I didn’t know. I was just happy, so happy to finally have him forever.

The party was modest and regal. Far more people bowed to me than I’d ever thought was possible, but Dream assured me it was something I’d get used to. He and I mingled with the guests for a while before everyone returned to their own realms and homes and night fell over The Dreaming. Morpheus and I walked through Fiddlers Green for a moment before retiring to his room, the only place in the palace that’d I’d only been a handful of times before now. I was nervous, and Morpheus could tell.

He kissed my shoulder gently. “We don’t have to do anything you’re not comfortable with, y/n.”

I smiled. How could one person be so good and understanding? “I want to. I want to be with you.”

“You’re amazing,” he said softly. “I swear you’ll not regret sharing this piece of yourself with me, my love, my wife.”

“I could never regret you,” I said, turning to face him.

He kissed me with the passion I fell in love with. Everything he was he poured into the movements of our lips as his gentle hands unwound my hair from its accessories and slid down my skin as he untied the laces of my dress. His lips pulled away from mine, moving down my jaw and sucking at my throat, biting gently at my pulsepoint. My unexpected moan filled the room and I could feel Dream smile against my skin as he continued his movements. “You make such lovely sounds.”

His voice was low and dark, holding the love and adoration he bore me but lacing both with a hunger I’d never experienced before. My slightly shaking hands pushed the suit jacket from his shoulders and ran down his chest, tugging the buttons apart slowly. He’d pulled back from me to watch the movement of my fingers with dark eyes. I blushed harder the closer I got to his pelvis. “Is this okay?”

Morpheus tilted his head slightly and brushed his nose against mine. “I could watch you undress me for eternity.”

The second his shirt was off my hands ran up his chiseled chest, tracing the line of lean muscles that he had until I wound my arms around his shoulders, pulling myself up flush against him. “I love you.”

“As I love you.” His hands moved, slowly sliding the sleeves of my dress down until the whole gown began to slip off me. With burning in his eyes he looked at me and asked, “May I see you?”

Swallowing the thick nervous lump I nodded. “Yes.”

The dress hit the floor, leaving me bare before him and it took every ounce of control and confidence I had not to cover my chest immediately. Morpheus’ dark gaze lazily slid down my body, his cold hands moving carefully to run along the smooth skin of my arms as he pulled me back into his chest. He lifted my burning face to his and smiled. “You are a goddess, in spirit and in flesh.”

I kissed him harder than I’d meant to. Our teeth clacked together as he met my enthusiasm with the same energy, his hands gently twisting into my hair and his tongue exploring my mouth, pulling the breath from my lungs and replacing it with a hot ball of burning need. I needed to be closer to him, needed to feel every inch of his skin on my own. I needed him. “Morpheus,” I whispered against his lips. “I need you.”

“You have me,” he replied gently urging me backward into the bed. “All of me, forever.”

As soon as my back hit the silk of his sheets a shiver ran down my spine. I’d expected him to climb on top of me, but he didn’t. Instead I lifted myself up onto my elbows and watched him as he knelt before me, gently pulling my legs apart. His sparkling eyes met mine and he smiled. “What are you doing?”

“I am finally worshiping you,” he said plainly as he lowered his face to my burning pussy and pressed a kiss to the mound. I gasp tore through my throat as I gripped his hair tightly.

“Morpheus!” I cried out as his tongue licked at me, finding my swollen and throbbing clit with ease and focusing on it. Each circle his tongue drew against me pulled a new noise from my chest and filled my gut with a tightening coil. “Oh god, Morpheus!” A slight pinch of tightness had my fingers tightening even more in his dark mane as he gently eased one finger into me. My legs shook as the new, slightly uncomfortable, feeling overshadowed everything else.

His mouth pulled away from my clit and his eyes looked up at me. “Easy now, my love. Just focus on the pleasure of my mouth.”

Dream’s finger moved slowly in easy movements as his tongue worked my clit again. Soon the uncomfortable sensation of his long finger faded into even more pleasure, so much so that when he added another finger I felt the coil tighten and tighten within me. I pulled his hair gently, desperate to bring his face, his mouth closer to where I needed him. “More, please, Morpheus more!”

I felt a smile and a soft, nearly inaudible whisper against me as he spoke, “That’s it, let go my love.”

The pace he set was both gentle but fast, tongue swirling and fingers pumping in the perfect synchronization to pull the coil tight enough that it snapped. White filled my vision and I moaned loudly, wantonly, as I came against his lips and fingers. He continued his movements, easing me down from the high of my orgasm before pressing his lips to my leg, moving up higher and higher, kissing and sucking across the plain of my stomach before he wrapped his lips around one of my nipples. The movements of him worked me right back up, the coil once laxed now tightened again. “Morpheus!” I whined.

“I know,” he said, moving to my other nipple and giving it the same affection before nipping at my throat. “If at any moment you change your mind, tell me.”

I pulled him up and stroked my hand down his face. “I need you.”

As his thin frame settled between my thighs his eyes bore down into mine, soft and full of comfort even through the endlessness of his lust. He lined himself up with my entrance and slowly began to push in. One of his hands pressed into my hip, steading himself and me as he moved, the other cupped the back of my head, giving him the best access to tangle his tongue with mine, swallowing the noises I made. The more he pushed into me, the more noticeable the slight sting was. It wasn’t painful, not really, but the sensation of it was so new that it caused tears to fill my eyes. Morpheus paused a few times, kissing away my tears before moving again until his long, thick length was seated fully inside me.

He was perfectly still against me, breathing heavily down into my neck as I adjusted to him. My cunt squeezed him eagerly as the stinging began to fade, replaced by the pleasurable sensation of him. My chest was heaving as I wiggled my hips against him, the movement sending even more pleasure coursing through me. “Dream, move please.”

Keeping his movements slow and gentle he complied, setting a steady pace as my legs wound around his waist. God it felt so good. His breathy, quiet moans against me filled my head with pure bliss as I slowly began to rock against him, the pace quickening. “Y/n.”

My head fell back onto the mattress as Morpheus moved his other hand to my hips, holding me tightly. It was all too much, the tightening of the coil in my gut, the way he moaned my name, the feeling of him pushing into me. There was so much love filling the space between us, and I couldn't help the words that tumbled from my mouth. "I love you," I gasped, my eyes closing tightly. "I can't wait to have your children, to start our family."

Everything stilled for a moment and Morpheus touched my face, coaching my eyes open. "Do you mean that?"

"Of course," I breathed. "There's nothing I want more."

His chest heaved and his grip on my hip tightened. He dropped his head to my throat. "Fuck. I wanted to be gentle with you, but… God you don't know what you do to me."

His teeth locked around my neck, sucking a deep hickey into the skin. I moaned even louder than before, hands grabbing at him as he continued to do it again and again. "Please, Morpheus!"

"What do you want?" He asked roughly.

"Fuck me," I murrmered, nails hitting into his arms. "Come inside me, put a baby in me."

Without warning he lifted a leg over his shoulder and began truly fucking into me, his hands squeezing and groping me as he lost himself to my words. I writhed and moaned beneath him, my hands holding onto him for dear life as he pulled another orgasm from me, not stilling or slowing at all as he chased his own, bringing me right back into the throws of another. His hand slid up my stomach. "You're going to look so beautiful pregnant."

Oh god! I whined internally, all my capabilities to speak long gone as his hips began to stutter and he held me tightly against him, pushing his hot come deep inside me before collapsing on top of me.

As we lay tangled together, my fingers running through his hair and kissing lips pressing against my skin, I couldn't help but feel happy. This was all I'd ever wanted, all I ever could have hoped for. His head lifted and his beautiful starry eyes met mine. Forever was going to be a very happy place.

***

Dream walked the paths of Fiddlers Green, following the sounds of laughter to the small pond where his beautiful wife sat in the tall grass, soaking up the sunshine and the little girl with messy raven hair chased the butterflies with gleeful laughter. He moved to his wife's side, looking down at her with a smile. "There you two are."

She held her hand out, a silent request for his help in standing, one he answered instantly. Once she was on her feet she moved to press a kiss to his lips, falling short by a few inches. She sighed and looked up at him with a pout. The roundness of her belly made reaching up to kiss him difficult, but it made Dreams heart soar as hell lowered himself to kiss her. "Hello, my darling."

"Hello, my love," he answered, rubbing a soothing hand over her stomach, feeling the strong kicks of his child beneath his palm. "And hello to you little prince."

"He's growing restless," y/n warned fondly. "Not enough space for his tall little body."

"Soon he'll have all the space he needs," Dream assured her with a wide smile.

"Daddy!" His daughter leapt up in between them and into his arms, holding him tightly in her grasp. "Come see the butterflies! They're super quick so you gotta go slow and slow and slow until you get close enough to jump!"

He chuckled, allowing the tiny girl to drag him toward the insects. As she watched them he watched her, his heart full for the first time in eons. Forever was no longer cold and lonely, but bright and hopeful. He kissed his daughter's head and smiled at his beautiful y/n. Forever was a happy place indeed.

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