#reading like a zoo 2022

[afeelgoodblog]

The Best News of Last week

Hi, this is Erica. Let's start the week with some good news from around the world

📖 A new bill will provide millions of children in CA with free books thanks to Dolly Parton

A new bill signed into law will now provide millions of children in California with free books thanks to Dolly Parton.

The bill, SB 1183, was signed into law by Gov. Gavin Newsom and will provide funding for Parton’s “Imagination Library” program, providing free books to children from birth to 5 years old.

Aiming to encourage preschool children to develop an early love of reading and learning, the bill received bipartisan support in both houses.

🦁 Pride of lions airlifted from Ukraine to Colorado in “biggest-ever warzone rescue of lions”

A pride of lions that were living at the Bio Park Zoo in Odessa, a southern city in Ukraine that has been impacted by the Russian-Ukraine war, has been airlifted to the Wild Animal Sanctuary in Colorado, according to a news release.

“The big cats were urgently relocated when the war first broke by a convoy that journeyed over 600 miles across Ukraine and Moldova, arriving in Targu Mures, Romania, on May 24, 2022. The Targu Mures Zoo provided a temporary home for the animals for several months so that an emergency travel permit could be approved for the eleven lions to board an international rescue flight,” the release said.

🐶 Hundreds of Dogs Saved From Nevada Breeding Farm in Huge Police Operation

Authorities have seized around 300 dogs from a property in Nevada in what officials have described as a “large-scale” animal cruelty situation. Detectives from Nye County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO) obtained a search warrant for a property in Amargosa Valley following an investigation and visited the location on Tuesday.

There, officials arrested a couple — Oskana Higgins and Vasili Platunov — on felony animal abuse and neglect charges, the NCSO said.

✍️ This 33-year-old made more than 1,000 Wikipedia bios for unknown women scientists

Jessica Wade began writing Wikipedia biographies about women and minority scientists who never got their due — from employers, from other scientists, from the public. Wade has written more than 1,600 Wikipedia entries for long-ignored women scientists, and she has firm beliefs on ideas on how to support girls interested in the field.

She won awards and medals and was cited by Jimmy Wales, the founder of Wikipedia.

🐦 When you next hear cheerful twittering of birds, you should stop and listen: new study suggests that listening to birdsong reduces anxiety and paranoia

Birdsongs alleviate anxiety and paranoia in healthy participants.

Fun fact: Did you know that they play bird songs at Tokyo subway stations to stop people getting stressed out on their morning commute?

☄️ Nasa’s Dart spacecraft ‘changed path of asteroid’

Scientists have now confirmed the orbit of a 160m-wide (520ft) space rock known as Dimorphos was altered when the Dart probe struck it head on last month. Researchers came to the conclusion after making measurements using a range of space and Earth-based telescopes.

The mission was conceived to test a potential strategy to defend the Earth against threatening objects.

🤖 Tiny Robots Have Successfully Cleared Pneumonia From The Lungs of Mice

Scientists have been able to direct a swarm of microscopic swimming robots to clear out pneumonia microbes in the lungs of mice, raising hopes that a similar treatment could be developed to treat deadly bacterial pneumonia in humans. The technology is still at a proof-of-concept stage, but the early signs are very promising.

“Based on this mouse data, we see that the microrobots could potentially improve antibiotic penetration to kill bacterial pathogens and save more patients’ lives,” says Victor Nizet, a physician and professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Diego.

That’s it for this week. This newsletter will always be free. If you liked this post you can support me with a small kofi donation:

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Have a great week ahead.

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#best news of last week

[dreamescapeswriting]

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗕𝗼𝘆𝘀 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗝𝗶𝗻 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗴𝗲𝗿

⤜Copyright: © DreamEscapesWriting - september 2022

⤜MASTERLIST

You anxiously played with your fingers and Jin smiled, linking his hand with yours and giving it a small and encouraging squeeze to let you know everything was going to be okay. The two of you were finally going to take the time to meet the boys and it was safe to say that you were beyond nervous about all of it. You were far younger than Jin since there were seven years between you both and you weren't sure how accepting the boys were going to be about all of this. Even as you stood in the dorm's living room facing them all it didn’t make any of this nicer for you, what if they hated you? What if they didn’t think you were good enough? 

As if reading your mind, Jin gave you a kiss on the top of your head before introducing you. You weren’t a stranger to any of the boys by any means but this was introducing you as someone important in Jin’s life. Before you were just someone who worked in the HYBE building and now you were Jin’s girlfriend.

"Guys, this is Yn...She's my girlfriend." Jin said, giving your hand another squeeze and looked at each of the boys waiting for their reaction.

YOONGI:

Yoongi stared over at you both, his eyes dancing between your interlocked hands and your face as he could easily read how nervous you were about standing in front of them, 

"Yn, you want to come and sit down? He's got you standing up there like you're some attraction at a zoo." Yoongi teases, making space for you on the sofa between him and Hoseok and you swallow the lump in your throat, walking over to them and taking a seat trying to calm down your racing heart. 

"Don't worry about it too much, we love that you make him happy...Isn't that the main thing?" Yoongi questions, eyeing up all of the boys who seemed to be holding back their own thoughts. But Yoongi adored it, he loved the idea of Jin dating someone younger than him, after all, it was only seven years and there were plenty of other couples in the world that had a larger age difference between the two of them.

HOSEOK:

"I think it's great!" Hoseok cheered out happily, wrapping an arm around your shoulder as he let out a small and happy chuckle. The two of you had always been quite close at work and knowing that he now got to see you more often he was even happier about it. 

"You can help us all tease Jin more," Hoseok smirks, gently nudging your sides as you nod in agreement with him. 

"And you guys can help me plan surprise parties for him," You smirked as Jin groaned and shook his head at you all, slightly regretting his idea to introduce you to each of the members all at once. He should have done it one at a time and had rules for them to play by.

NAMJOON:

Namjoon was suspicious about the entire thing from the start of this relationship but he'd never voice the concerns in front of you he'd only ever told them to Jin.

"Joonie?" Jin asked coldly, noticing that Namjoon was being quiet about the whole thing while the other seemed to be welcoming you with open arms.

"You already know my concerns," Namjoon said plainly and it felt as though an arrow had been shot through your chest. Jin had told you Namjoon was apprehensive about the whole thing as he didn't want this to course problems for the rest of them. The one thing that worried Namjoon was a news agency spinning a story that Jin only liked to date younger women which just wasn't true in the slightest but as the leader, Namjoon was always trying to look out for his members.

"If that comes along we will handle it," Jin said as he smiled over at you, he didn't want you to think that the boys were accepting of you when they were. 

"I would never do something to hurt or turn people against him." You spoke out which made Namjoon smile over at you, it was never you that he had the issue with. 

"I know, I just worry about him," Namjoon smiles before doing his best to make you feel welcome.

JIMIN:

"I knew it!" Jimin screamed out suddenly making you jump a little before Jin laughed, Jimin then collected some money from Taehyung and Jungkook. 

"What did you guys bet on? That we were together?" You questioned as Jimin nodded, counting his money as he looked rather proud of himself. 

"I bet that the two of you were secretly dating," He told you happily before Jungkook and Taehyung told you that they had bet the two of you were nothing more than friends.

"How long have you guys been seeing each other?" Jimin asked, raising his eyebrow while the others yelled at you not to tell him since he also had a bet on that too. The whole thing made you smile as you thought the two of you had been pretty secretive about it at first.

TAEHYUNG:

Taehyung smiled at you after giving his money over to Jimin,

"I thought the two of you were just really close, I was actually jealous about how close the two of you were," He admitted before a blush began to play on his cheeks and he flushed a little.

"We can be close if you want though," You suggested before Jin protectively - and possessively - wrapped his arm around your waist and pulled you into him. 

"Not as close as us," He mumbled while looking at you and whining, he didn't want you to be as close with Taehyung as you and he were. 

"Of course not, baby," You cooed, kissing Jin's cheek making everyone smirk and beginning to tease Jin for being so whipped on you.

JUNGKOOK: 

Jungkook absolutely adored it, he got to have someone that was closer to his age and someone he could hang out with and someone he could have on his side to tease Jin whenever the time came for it. 

"Does that mean we can hang out more?" Jungkook asks as you look at him and slowly start to nod your head. 

"Sure,"

"Hey, no. Yn's my girlfriend, I'll be the one that gets to hang out with her." Jin said with a small pout playing on his lips but Jungkook just smirked as you shook your head. 

"No way, I get to hang out with Jungkook. He can be my next best friend."

Tagline: @millenniumspec @chiisaiblog @rjdy-367 @tinyoonsblog @sw33tnight @taestannie @cherrybubblesandvodka @army24--7 @acciocriativity @mitzwinchester @heyjiminnie @kimahnjung98 @halesandy @jin-from-the-block @aerastus @namjooningelsewhere @ratherbfangirling @psychosupernatural @afternoonteabiscuit @lyoongx @periandernyx @heeseunger24 @laylasbunbunny @royallyjjk​ @critssq​ 

#bts #bts x reader #bts reaction #bts reactions #seokjin x reader #yoongi x reader #hoseok x reader #namjoon x reader #jimin x reader #taehyung x reader #jungkook x reader #jungkook #jeon jungkook #kim taehyung #taehyung #jimin #park jimin #kim namjoon #namjoon #min yoongi #yoongi #suga #kim seokjin #seokjin #jin

[marmusket]

September 26 2022 (p.2) - The "Phantom Cats" Of Great Britain!

Deep in the forests of England and Scotland, Folklore and Urban Legend speak of Large, Puma-Like Cats that roam the countryside.

Generally believed to be escaped zoo animals or exotic pets, these "phantom cats" have actually been caught alive on multiple occasions. For example, in 1980, a live Puma was caught in Inverness-shire, Scotland.

In 1983, Eric Ley, a farmer from South Molton, England, claimed to have had lost as many as 100 sheep at the hands (paws? Teeth?) of a large cat over the span of three months. Royal snipers were sent out into the surrounding area to hunt down this big cat.

--

quick aside, please just read this excerpt from the wikipedia article

Despite extensive media coverage and both professional and amateur hunting for the creature, which in one unfortunate case saw a cryptozoologist have to be rescued after spending two nights stuck in his own trap...

That is infinitely hilarious to me and Idk why fsdkljdfs

--

No significant evidence has ever come from this case either proving or disproving the existence of this "Beast of Exmoor", as it's come to be called.

--

"[the cat was] as big as a middle-sized Spaniel dog..."

-William Cobbett, quoting the experience of a young boy he had met (1760s)

Alleged Puma sighting in England captured via Drone.

#cryptid #cryptozoo #cryptozoology #cryptozoolologist #big cats #puma #england #scotland #united kingdom #UK #great britain #the poor cryptozoologist #what kind of trap was it?? #how did he get stuck??

[chaifootsteps]

I'm torn.

I've been reading the callout post of you and it's leaving a bad taste in my psychi.

I don't care about the Beetlejuice stuff, but the other things…

Can you explain it, please? Your side of it.

The Max post I've deleted. I don't remember the context because this happened in 2022 -- I think someone was being harassed and there was some context -- but it's gone now. It was a little much even for me.

I still don't like the phrase "drawn CP." I think it creates alarm fatigue and detracts from the seriousness of the term "CP," and before you know it, you're exactly where we are now...someone's outed as being into child porn and my first thought is whether they're actually looking at child porn or aged up art of the Warner siblings in swimwear.

Basically, it's gotten to the point where I hate pro and anti discourse. I think it gets in the way of figuring out who the real rapists, zoos, and pedophiles are, and creates pockets in both sides where it's easier for them to hide.

#Anonymous #actual blog post

[imogenlefay]

So, I read this book... Daisy Jones & The Six

so, i've been thinking about doing a thing, and maybe someone finds it interesting, or maybe it's just for me to order my thoughts and i'll get bored to it before march, but we'll see. basically, for the last two years i've been keeping track of the books i read (or audiobooks i listen to) bc i felt like i'm not reading enough (except for fanfiction). and while i'm far behind people who actually read a lot, and woefully behind how much i used to read when i was a teen, i'm actually pretty happy with the progress. made it to 34 in 2022 and 40 in 2023, and hope to get more done this year. 2024 is starting off strong, just finished my first book of the year, and usually when i do that, i have thoughts. so what's the point of blogs if not to put that out there, so it stops haunting my head? or maybe even get someone else's thoughts on things? so i decided to blog about the books i read (unless i forget or don't feel like it), starting with general feelings and then going into spoilery feelings. so, yeah, this is what this is going to be. let's go.

Summary: a look back on fictional rockband The Six rising to fame, where they meet It Girl Daisy Jones, leading to the collab of a century, until the band breaks apart after one show in Chicago. Told completely in interview snippets.

General Feelings: say what you want, it's a fast read, and it's fun. the style of writing with everything being interview snippets, aka the band members' and friends' memories, works really well, especially the parts where one person remembers things, and the next person directly contradicting their memory. it's a quick way to give you everyone's point of view, and sowing the seeds of miscommunication and conflict. the story is easy to follow, and it's also easy to feel for most of the protagonists. the characters are likable enough, and their conflicts are mostly realistic. the final show in chicago and the general fall out unfortunately fall kind of flat for me. like... this is it? it's not much of a bang, tbh... which maybe sums up my feelings about the whole thing. it's a fun ride, but at the end, it's like "huh, guess that was it?" it is fun, but it's just not very deep, i guess. although the way they describe the songwriting process and the songs that result from it really was cool to read. another fun fact, i totally forgot there's a show until i googled the book cover. and since i was reading and caught myself wanting to check out the songs, only to remember they're not real... well, that might be enough motivation to check out the show. Recommendation: yes, i'm doing that before the actual feelings part cause i can't discuss those without spoilers. so, if anybody cares, rec first. Daisy Jones & the Six is a casual read. like, vacation book. for the beach, for train rides, for flights. it's fun to breeze through, but i doubt it'll really grip most people. so yeah, not a must read, but can be fun, light reading.

Spoilery feelings:

(consider yourself warned)

there are a few things that really didn't work for me.

i never really got into the whole daisy/billy thing. like, his instant antipathy, the weird rivalry, and then her oh so deep love for him, and at the end, him finally kinda sorta loving her but loving his wife more... maybe that's part of the format. both of them looking back at it from the future, where it's just not that present anymore. but it didn't ring that true.

my biggest problem was probably drug use and how it was handled. it just felt so trivial and meaningless. like sure, for both billy and daisy it's supposedly the central struggle, but it just fell so flat for me. i know part of that is that early december i read Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo, which (in germany) is a famous non-fiction account describing the fall into heavy drug use of an extremely young girl (starting at 12, i think), and it's the bleakest thing i've ever read, with the girl herself describing how she fell into heavier and heavier drugs, paid for by prostitution. so it's dark, and it's heavy, and compared to that the drug use in Daisy Jones feels almost offensive in how little weight it has. the comparison is super unfair, i know, i'm primed and biased, sure. but after that, the book may say a million times "oh yeah, that was a bad time for daisy", but it just doesn't ring true.

i'm not sure if the identity of the interviewer is supposed to come off as a twist? like, sure, i didn't see it coming, but it didn't really have an impact, either.

lacking impact is probably my final point. while the book, especially with the format of the interviews, is really good at painting the conflicts within the group, i didn't feel like these paid off in a significant manner. like, eddie's whole growing resentment never went anywhere except being a red herring. the show in chicaco wasn't that special in the end, was it? nothing happened at the show himself. just, the band broke at many different places at once, but they barely impacted each other. billy's struggle with addiction toppling over, daisy having a breakdown and camila helping her through it, pete getting married, the karen/graham thing exploding... like, you could see them coming, but the resolution all at once felt kinda random. like, it didn't feel like there's this big bang setting off all the dominos (yeah, mixing metaphors, i know), but more like "oh yeah, that's all happening now, i guess". sure, there isn't always a big bang, but i feel like they teased one, and then there was nothing. so i guess the end feels a bit anticlimactic, like it just fizzled out.

it was still fun to read, but more like meaningless fun, i guess. definitely preferred "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo", which was super fun. interesting writing style, but story is a bit shallow. okay, now i talked enough about a book i kinda sorta liked but wasn't super impressed by. anyone else thoughts about it? did you read it? did you watch the show? do you or did you have feelings about it? seriously would love to hear them!

#imogen reads #book discussions #and maybe i'm practicing reviewing stuff #daisy jones and the six #i'm having thoughts about this book

[authorforrosie]

Title: Nayeon blushes when you compliment her on her livestream.

Pairing: Nayeon. | You. [GxG]

Warnings: None.

Words: 431.

Time: 2022.

AU/Idol: Idol.

Nayeon sat on a couch in red surrounded by her members for her new album release called ‘I am Nayeon.‘

Her members giggled at how nervous she seemed to be. Especially when she saw your username appearing in the comments of her livestream. That she was doing on YouTube to introduce her solo album to everyone.

„Yah Nayeon read the comments of our cute unofficial member Y/N. Your adorable Jagi.“ Demanded Mina and Chaeyoung. The other members mocked the way you and Nayeon kissed each other.

Nayeon giggled nervously since your comments made her cheeks flushed in a deep red. Her members could almost compare her to a tomato.

„Nayeon your solo album is a masterpiece like you are.“ Read Nayeon shyly. Everyone `awed‘ as a reaction.

„Nayeon my Jagi you are the love of my entire life. I love you more than William Shakespeare loved literature.” Read Nayeon with more shyness in her voice. She moved her hands to hide her face. Because her cheeks flushed even more red.

„I can’t wait until I can officially be your wife. Because then I can take your last name.“ Read Nayeon with pride. She grinned at the thought of you having her last name in the future.

„I want a Jagi like you have someday.” Confessed Sana with pride in her voice.

Jihyo could only glance at her members as the lead. Two tears rolled down her cheeks when she realized that everyone is growing mature even more now. Sana noticed the tears and wiped them away with a few cute baby shark tissues.

„Y/N my Jagi thank you for your cute compliments. I can’t wait to be officially your wife someday too. Since you are the absolute love of my life.” Said Nayeon with sweetness in her voice. Her bunny grin showed her perfectly with teeths.

-

When Nayeon ended the livestream everyone prepared to go home. She couldn’t wait to be with you. You are her home. Everywhere with you is like a home for Nayeon.

She texted you a message about how she couldn’t wait to cuddle with you and attack your whole face with kisses.

Nayeon felt a zoo of butterflies in her stomach when she thought about officially marrying you in the future.

-

„Y/N IM I am finally home my future wife."Announcement Nayeon with happiness in her voice.

You walked downstairs with a pride expression on your face. You walked towards her without leaving space when you both had body contact. Her cheeks flushed red when you kissed her so passionately like never before.

#nayeon #nayeon imagines #nayeonscenarios #nayeon twice #nayeon x reader #nayeonxyou #im nayeon #twice #twice nayeon #twice imagines #twice scenarios #twice oneshot #twice fanfic #twice x reader #twice x you #twice x y/n #kpop #kpop idols #kpop imagines #kpop scenarios #kpop oneshots #kpop fanfictions #kpop x reader #kpop x you #kpop x y/n #no smut #female reader #fanfic recommendation #reading recommendations #authorforrosie

[angelkids]

A follow-up post describing my Omnitherian experience

Hi all. I'm glad you guys seem to like Omnitherian. Initially I thought that it would be kinda overlooked. But I am so glad people resonate with the term. It's nice knowing that you aren't alone!

Anyways. I thought I could follow up on the coining post by describing my personal journey that lead up to me identifying as all animals. Perhaps it will help others who might be questioning such an identity.

Honestly, I haven't been identifying as a therian for very long. I found the community in January of 2022 after I became aware of my feelings of being an animal. Ever since I've been learning the terminology, reading individuals' experiences and figuring out what I am.

At first, figuring out my theriotypes was a stressful experience. I would be constantly writing things down, scratching off ideas, really deeply analyzing the whole thing. I've went from jackrabbit, to horse, to wolf, to many other things. Nothing on its own felt quite right. It seemed as if every time I looked at a picture of an animal, I would think "That's me." Doesn't that seem a little intimidating?

Eventually I just gave up. I began focusing on my angel identity (which I may talk about some other time) as it was a bit more grounded. But I still felt such a strong connection to each animal I saw. I just decided to brush it off as my autism and nonhumanity making me more drawn to animals. But deep down I knew it ran deeper than that.

Eventually I revisited my connection to animals, and tried on the label of polymorph. It's a beautiful, broad label that could encompass many things. However, I realized that I am not a polymorph. I don't change forms, or cycle through different animals, or anything like that. I am multiple animals at once! No- I am every animal at the same time!

It was a sudden realization, but it's one that has stuck with me. That's it. I'm not just a jackrabbit, or a horse, or a wolf. I am all of those and more. I do feel stronger connections to those animals in particular, but I get the same feelings from looking at a bug on the window, a roadrunner crossing the highway, or a lamb sitting in a field. They are all me.

Is that not a special experience? Sometimes it can get a little overwhelming, though. Imagine going to the zoo and all you see is you. It's both very fun, but also quite nerve-wracking! My experience being Omnitherian is like being in a mirror house. Each mirror shows you in a different way. I guess that's a good way to put it. It definitely is an amazing thing to know and accept.

I guess that's all I feel like writing for now. Hopefully it was enlightening to read, if my wording on the coining post was odd. If you have any questions about my omnitherian experience, or my alterhuman experience in general, feel free to ask and I will answer to the best of my abilities! Thank you so much.

#omnitherian #therian #otherkin #alterhuman #nothuman #carrieposting

[anangelcalledinquisitor]

I posted 13,563 times in 2022

That's 5,076 more posts than 2021!

260 posts created (2%)

13,303 posts reblogged (98%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@zaidnovi

@ebonykain

@theluckythreeleafclover

@dgcakes

@ibijau

I tagged 2,597 of my posts in 2022

#the inquisitor speaks - 184 posts

#holding the world - 148 posts

#my writing - 106 posts

#moon/sun/reader - 92 posts

#raising starlings - 81 posts

#talking about my writing - 40 posts

#fnaf moon - 32 posts

#svsss - 31 posts

#fnaf security breach - 30 posts

#fnaf sb - 28 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#because some things i get flustered about writing and i don't know if you're ever like stop looking for ten minutes this part's embarrassin

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

I hate it when you’re trying to write something and you only have like... a passing knowledge of the thing you’re writing?  and your brain screeches to a halt and like...

DOES DJ MUSIC MAN HAVE A FUCKING VOICE???  I can’t watch any more video playthroughs because someone else controlling the camera tends to give me motionsickness...  Can anyone just answer this question for me?  I don’t want to play tonight (because I’ll be here all fucking night) and I want to finish this chapter so I can go to the zoo tomorrow without feeling guilty, and this scene won’t... leave... me... alone...

@twinanimatronics @dana-chan-the-control-brain @femme-enby (I don’t know who all might be able to answer this and/or might be awake, you can ignore my screaming into the void

91 notes - Posted July 8, 2022

#4

I read your fic today and I just ADORE IT.

So I made you some doodles...hope you like em!

This one is based off that "husky saying no" tiktok. Because I think the further along Y/N gets, the more his security protocols demand he guard her instead of the Pizzaplex.

Bonus doodle:

See the full post

114 notes - Posted June 23, 2022

#3

Me: I'm just going to finish Security Breach and see how it goes from here.

Me: oh i can explore a little better now with the mods! Let's get a good look all around the daycare, for science.

Me: OH NO THERE'S AN ELEVATOR IN THE DAYCARE! I made my YN take the stairs their whole pregnancy for no reason...

Me, sees the elevators are all out of order: .... That tracks.

124 notes - Posted July 17, 2022

#2

To my writer moots (and artist moots and all ND folks too), I'm just curious if I'm weird about this:

Does anyone else take screenshots of the nice things people have said about your stuff, to like read later, especially when dealing with feelings of imposter syndrome, self-doubt, and the feelings of "i should just delete all my stuff online, it's all terrible and no one actually likes it and no one has said anything because they're all too nice about it"?

(but then i reread comments and like??? That many people can't be wrong, right??? And these are just the ones on the final chapter, not including the ones on any of the other 25 chapters)

See the full post

124 notes - Posted July 26, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Precious Time (future scene for Holding the World, my indulgent FNAF Security Breach AU with a pregnant reader and super sweet boys). This picture is going to be in a future chapter, and a version of it is in the Bad Ending that i posted, though in that version, Sun cut moon out of the picture. I might do both, haven't decided yet. Sitting at work, i can sort of work on writing but some of it just has to wait until I get home.

(bald Moon bald Moon bald Moon bald -)

146 notes - Posted June 23, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review #Oh wow I post a lot

[sylvia-forest]

[CN] Shaw's Little Panda Attack Date

⚡ Warning: This post contains detailed spoiler's for date which hasn't been released in EN yet!⚡

This call comes first before the date, read that to understand the situation clearly!

[Released Date: 31 May 2022]

[This date was translated with the help of Google translate and by my friend!]

[Part 1]

Accompanied by the sound of cicadas, the giraffe crossed the treetops and chewed the leaves. Seeing that all was well within the palisade, I can't help but smile and the rabbit ears on my head flicker.

Immediately afterwards, it bit off a cluster of leaves and handed it over. The hot flush of its nose hit the tips of its ears, as if it was inviting me to enjoy a meal.

Don't tell me it really took me as a rabbit, right? I couldn't help but smile and wave my hand.

MC: Thank you for your kindness, but I already had breakfast~

After speaking, I looked around. Except for a few staff members, there were almost no tourists on the wide road.

It seems that the Internet was right. Recently, because everyone has become “animals”, the zoo has become deserted.

MC: . . . . . . I don't know how Shaw's exhibition consultation has been handled.

I took out my phone while muttering, and found that there were still a few missed calls I made to him on the interface.

MC: This guy…… he sends me his location early in the morning and then just disappears.

Guessing that it would be the same result if I hit it again, I opened the navigation angrily and walked towards the positioned icon.

A few days ago, I learned from Shaw that because of the influence of Evol alienation in Loveland City, his elective teacher suddenly had a new teaching inspiration for this semester. -

With the policy of “not limited to humanities and history”, they were asked to consult on exhibitions for the newly opened museum of the Loveland City Zoo.

Therefore, Shaw has been soaking in here for the past few days.

"You have arrived at your destination", the  navigation ended.

I came back to my senses and found that there was actually a coffee shop in front of me. The blackboard at the door said: “Exciting exclusive event: for a limited time, cute animals will appear from time to time~”

I pushed the door open suspiciously and entered, the smell of mint and soda suddenly hit my face, like a dense bubble, bringing a cool numbness.

I rubbed the tip of my nose, and found that everything I could see was empty.

MC: ?

Holding back the confusion, I continued to walk in, and finally saw Shaw quietly lying on the table in a corner.

He seems to be asleep.

The white window screens surged behind Shaw like waves, and from time to time they carried the sun to the two fluffy ears.

Although I saw his new appearance in the video two days ago, looking at the real fluffy ears and tail….

I walked forward lightly on my tiptoes, smelling a stronger scent of soda.

Thinking about the explanation on the news, I understood that this smell was emanating from him.

Unconsciously, the tail behind me shook on its own and I couldn't help holding my breath.

But the mint scent that diffused into the chest cavity continued to titillate and occupy it, causing the ears to shake from side to side.

I immediately covered it and glanced at Shaw. Seeing that he was not awake, I quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

MC: Phew...fortunately he's asleep, otherwise this person would definitely laugh at me.

After all, according to the official explanation, this time the alienation of Evol directly led to the fact that people could not refuse the scent of the person they like.

Thinking of this, I couldn't help but take another step towards Shaw, silently tracing his figure who was familiar and somewhat unfamiliar.

It seems that his ears are whiter than they were in the video, and his tail was also whiter. 

The line of sight dropped down, and a tuft of big furry tails swept around on the ground, making a rustling sound.

I can't help but want to touch it…!

I raised the corners of my lips and stretched out my hand to lean towards the soft red mass. Suddenly, it swung to the side and avoided me.

… the tail sure takes after its owner; ill-behaved even in sleep….

I became angry and continued to launch an "attack”.

At this moment, the tip of the fat tail suddenly raised into the air, wrapped around my waist, and pulled me towards the person in front of me.

Shaw opened his always rebellious eyebrows, and under his fluffy ears, he managed to mix just the right amount of cuteness and brashness together.

He didn't say a word, and his eyes climbed leisurely on me. Until it stopped on my head, the strength wrapped around the waist tightened a bit.

Shaw: What, haven't looked your fill? Thinking of getting handsy?

[Part 2]

His breath was so close that it tickled the tip of my nose.

As if discovering my fretting, Shaw's eyes lit up with a grin. Guessing that he would definitely not say anything nice, I straightened my back preemptively.

MC: Shaw, why did you call me here early in the morning?

MC: Are you still doing the exhibition hall consultation? Why are you sleeping here?

While throwing out a series of questions, I pushed his tail away, and didn't forget to pinch it.

Shaw didn't expose my little trick, letting the big tail fall on the ground.

Shaw: Calling you here, of course, is to let you work with me.

MC: …….?

Shaw: The owner of this cafe, who sponsored our band before, is a rock fan.

Shaw: Recently, the alienation of Evol has affected his business, and the museum is nearby, so he asked me to stand in for him for a few days.

MC: Affected his business?

As if thinking of something interesting, he curled the corners of his lips.

Shaw: Because of it - he “became” a walking hippopotamus with the smell of snail powder.

MC: Puff, no wonder. . . . …...but there have been strange smells everywhere in the recent period of time.

MC: Especially in crowded places, I feel that my sense of smell gets confused.

Shaw: That's alright, it's pretty clean here, so give your rabbit nose a rest.

The fluffy tail twirled absently, and he got down again.

I tilted my head and found that his usual wanton gaze was a little more lazy or listless at this time.

MC: Shaw, are you tired?

He closed his eyes, and his soft ears twitched a little.

Shaw: Well, so before you change your clothes, let me close my eyes and relax for a while.

MC: Clothing?

Shaw didn't open his eyes and pointed to the corner, where two similar outfits for men and women were hanging.

MC: I haven't promised to help and you've already made arrangements for me.

Shaw: [in a sleepy voice] You have already come.

Shaw: [in a sleepy voice] I can't be here alone.

It seemed that the sleepy worm was making trouble, and his voice became thick, and it actually sounded  “coquettish”.

I held back my laughter and didn't compromise right away.

MC: There must be some benefit, like paying me a little in advance?

As I spoke, I stretched out my hand and vigorously rubbed his ears.The fluffy ears instantly filled the palm of my hand.

Shaw surprisingly did not struggle, and even the other ear was softly attached to my hand.

MC: Could it be that the little panda's reaction is half a beat slower?

I muttered in a low voice, and the ears under my fingers finally shook impatiently.  

Shaw: [in a sleepy voice] Have you touched enough?

MC: Enough is enough!

As soon as I saw this, I rubbed them indiscriminately again, and contentedly lifted my outfit to the changing room.

It seemed that closing his eyes and refreshing his mind really really had an effect. When I came out after changing my clothes, Shaw had already changed his clothes and looked at me with his hand under his chin. 

Shaw: Not bad, this dress suits you well, and the stupidity on your body can be seen at a glance.

MC: . . . . …...We are both wearing the same style. If I look stupid, then you're no different.

He raised his eyebrows indifferently, and took out a pair of white headbands that perfectly matched my outfit from a wooden basket not far away.

Shaw: Here, let me dress you up and cover up some of your stupidity.

Before I could react, he had already strode over and raised his hand to cover me under his figure.

At the same time, the scent of mint all over his body poured straight into my nasal cavity, and my ears couldn't help but jump in joy.

Shaw: Hey, don't move your ears, how can I put it on for you?

MC: I….

He snorted lightly, but didn't stop, and continued to rub them, amplifying all my senses.

The mint smell "stimulates" finely, making my ears instinctively snuggle up to him.

Shaw: I said, can't you control your ears?

MC: [blushing]  I'm in control!!

I snatched the hair ornament from his hand in embarrassment, pressed one hand on the wiggly ear, and quickly put the headband on with the other.

But as soon as I breathed a sigh of relief, the person in front of me leaned over again.

MC: [blushing] You, what are you doing?

Seeing that I was a little wary, Shaw was amused, he picked up the rag on the table, shook it, and stuffed it into my hand.

Shaw: Don't be nervous, I won't tease you. Clear the table, it's time for business.

I half-squinted my eyes and looked at him warily.

MC: What about you? If you’re going to sleep again, I’m quitting.

Shaw: Am I such a person? I'll go buy the ingredients for dessert.

I was stunned and looked at the cafe that was still empty.

MC: Now that the zoo is so deserted, will there be any guests?

Shaw: Just wait and you'll find out.

He raised the corners of his lips mysteriously, picked up the skateboard leaning against the door, and walked out.

[Part 3]

The sun spreads silently from a corner, and the temperature that belongs to summer is also immersed in the air.

I couldn't help but take a breath and sucked Shaw's lingering scent into my nostrils.

It was as if there were countless bubbles covered with mint, expanding and bursting inside, leaving an icy cold numbness.

The tail swayed uncontrollably from side to side, I hummed a song, and quickened the movements of my hands.

I seem to like this feeling very much.

Suddenly, there was a screeching sound outside the window. I stuck my head out and saw Shaw, holding the paper bag, speeding towards the end.

Swish - He made a dolphin jump in response to the light, and his fluffy tail swayed freely behind him, like a burning red fire.

When he landed, he slightly bent his knees and dived at a faster speed.

In the blink of an eye, he stopped at the door of the cafe, kicked his toes, put the skateboard on the wall, and pushed open the door.

Shaw: Come and give me a hand -

Before he finished speaking, a black shadow jumped up.

Shaw: You….

I widened my eyes, and the other party turned out to be a chubby little red panda.

Although it was chubby, it was agile. It clambered up Shaw’s pants and hung from his arm.

Next, it reached out a paw and batted the paper bag until a few apples rolled out. 

Shaw wanted to stop it, but the paper bag in his hand tilted along the way, he quickly tightened his arms and watched the red panda take an apple away.

Shaw: What’s up with the ransacking, huh?

He raised his eyebrows slightly, but made his usual flamboyant radian look a little "lost" under his messy forehead.

But the "robber" was indifferent, and even intensified, continuing to use his claws and climb upwards to Shaw's shoulder.

The crisp sound filled the air, Shaw half-squinted his eyes, the fingertips of his left hand tried hard to hook the two paper bags, freeing up his right hand.

The next second, he grabbed the back of the little panda's neck, "threw" it out the door and quickly closed it, then walked straight towards me as if nothing had happened.

Immediately, the scent of mint, which was stronger than before, took over me with a cooling sensation.

Almost uncontrollably, I felt my tail wagging wildly. I immediately put my hands behind my back and covered it.

Shaw: What's wrong?

MC: Nothing!!

Saying that, my ears twitched wildly in a very uncooperative manner.

Shaw glanced at my ear and raised his eyebrows. The next second, he seemed to be deliberately leaning under the tip of my nose.

Shaw: It's so unruly...could it be because of the smell on me?

I immediately held my breath, covered my "disobedient" ears and looked straight into the eyes that were close at hand.

Everything was quiet, except for the scorching warmth that came from the tip of the nose from time to time, as if the bubbles wrapped in mint were slowly boiling

Suddenly, some laughing voices gently pierced them.

Shaw: Since you can't control them, let them sway.

Shaw: Don't hide them, I don't despise you. [Shaw is being so considerate here!]

Shaw pulled down my hand covering my ears, stuffed the paper bag into my arms, then turned to pick up the apple on the ground, the swaying red tail occupied all my sight.

Like the dangling ears on top of my head.

… what a hypocrite….

I sneered and as soon as I put the paper bag on the table, there was a rustle outside the door, and a dark figure appeared at the door.

Looking closely, three or two red pandas are standing at the door, followed by koalas and sloths…

In the next second, the red panda opened the door with its paws and led his friends to walk in.

So cute!!

MC: Shaw, are the animals in the zoo allowed to enter the cafe? !

Shaw: Of course not, isn't the wooden sign at the door written, it is a limited event during this special time.

He paused, took a step to the right, and made way for the sloth under his feet.

Shaw: Didn't you just say that the zoo has been deserted recently?

Shaw: So the boss asked the Evolver staff, who can communicate with animals, to do a favor and let them come and go at will.

MC: Do you want to use the cuteness and authenticity of animals to attract more tourists?

Shaw: Well, but they have to be paid.

Shaw pointed at the ingredients in the paper bag, and I suddenly opened my mouth.

MC: It turns out that these ingredients are to make desserts for them~

Just as Shaw was about to say something, he frowned suddenly, bent down and lifted the little red panda that had just climbed onto his calf from the ground.

Shaw: If you want to climb a tree then play outside, my legs are not trees. . .

Hearing his muttering, I laughed jokingly.

MC: Are you not the same kind, why do you still despise others?

Saying that, I squatted down and opened my arms, looking at the little red panda who was sitting on the ground.

MC: Come to this sister, I will not despise you~

As if it really understood what I was saying, it kicked its back and plunged into my arms.

Before I could get a good grasp on it, a hand grabbed it by the scruff of its neck and yanked it out. [HAHAHA I knew it! This brat would definitely get jealous of that red panda just like how he got jealous in his pet date (≧▽≦)]

Shaw: Who let you pass?

Shaw picked up the apple on the table and stuffed it into its arms. Sure enough, the little red panda stopped looking at me and started nibbling on it.

In the next second, the corners of his flamboyant lips were interrupted by a yawn, and the corners of his eyes also appeared sporadically.

Why is this guy so sleepy again…

[Trivia]: Red pandas love to eat and sleep the most. That's the reason why Shaw is so sleepy.

Before I could complain, Shaw took a breath and pulled me back to the table.

Shaw: Chef Rabbit, it's time to show your culinary skills.

MC: ?

Shaw: What are you standing there in a daze for? If you delay paying them any more, you’ll need to watch out; they’ll eat you if they get too hungry.

He deliberately lowered his voice, rendering the atmosphere of "horror".

I looked back at the group of herbivores and tugged the corners of my mouth speechlessly.

[Part 4]

Shaw stretched his waist, patted my shoulder, and hung his tail lazily.

Shaw: I'll leave it to you next.

Seeing that he was talking and walking towards the seat where he was lying down at the beginning, I hurriedly grabbed him.

MC: Give me a hand, you said it yourself that it’s hard to manage everything alone!

Shaw turned his head, the laziness in his expression had been replaced by teasing.

Shaw: Are there any benefits?

MC: It's already a benefit to come willingly to work for you early in the morning!

I lifted my chin and looked at him confidently.

Shaw clicked his tongue lightly, walked straight to the hanger, took off an apron and walked towards me.

Shaw: Turn around.

MC: [blushing]  Wh-what?

Shaw: Did you want me to lend a hand? Doesn’t this count?

I pouted the corners of my lips that were about to rise and turned around.

The familiar breath fell on the back of my neck, Shaw stretched out his hand and passed under my arms, wrapping two thin threads around his waist.

Immediately afterwards, his arm lightly rubbed my waist again and placed it behind me. The back of my waist tightened suddenly, and there was the sound of tying a knot.

Shaw: Don't move again.

MC: I didn't move......

Shaw: I know, just a reminder.

As I said that, my waist tightened a bit, and I couldn't help but draw in his breath again.

I immediately raised my eyes, and the rabbit ears shook again.

The person behind me seemed to have noticed too. A chuckle tickled the tips of my ears and I shivered.

MC: Why are you touching my ears!

Shaw: Can't I?

As he said that, the tip of his ear was lightly poked again.

MC: Then I get to do so too….

He pressed against my lower back, making me unable to turn around.

Shaw: I said don't move.

Shaw: Could it be that you are so active because you have become a rabbit now?

MC: Does this have anything to do with me being a rabbit or not…

MC: Just because you’re a red panda right now doesn’t mean you’re as cute as one!

Shaw: Are red pandas cute?

MC: Of course, red pandas are cute even when they are angry, like this—

Taking advantage of the shackles to loosen a little, I learned the way the red pandas fight, and raised my hands to attack Shaw.

He raised his eyebrows, casually encircled my waist, and leaned in slightly, pressing me against the counter.

The icy cold on my back was instantly melted by the nameless scorching heat, I held my breath and looked at Shaw who was a foot away.

Shaw: Is this cute?

He smiled and his fluffy tail swayed. [I seriously want to pat him!! Hngngng]

Shaw: Don’t try to imitate me next time. Biting people suits you better.

At this time, a sloth slowly crawled by, and I turned my head to meet its round eyes - in the dark pupils, two close-fitting figures were reflected.

Almost instantly, I pushed Shaw away with a blushing face.

MC: Stop making things difficult for me, and give me a hand!

After taking out the animal-edible ingredients from the paper bag, we started to prepare the dessert.

While dealing with the fruits, I instructed Shaw to run to and fro the counter, helping me to get all kinds of things needed.

Gradually, only the afterimage of his big red tail remained in the corner of the light.

Shaw: Here you go, lemon and baking powder.

Shaw: If there’s anything else you need me to get, tell me all of them in one go.

I looked up from the pile of utensils and saw Shaw was holding baking powder in his arms, and a paper bag full of lemons hung on the big tail in front of me.

MC: Pff!  It seems that your tail is quite useful~

Shaw: ……Take it immediately. [A blushing red panda Shaw unlocked]

Seeing that Shaw's cheeks were strangely red, I took the paper bag with a smile and stuffed the creamer into his arms.

MC: I have nothing left to take, come and whip the cream for me~

Next, I turned on the faucet to fill the fruit pot. After washing all the fruits, while I was slightly relieved, I turned around to check Shaw's progress.

Looking at the whipped cream in the bowl, I couldn't help being startled and picked it up.

MC: So fast?

Shaw: Of course. I’m not as dumb as you.

MC: Don't get too complacent! Cream not only depends on the consistency, but also on the moderate sweetness. . . . . .

Before I finished speaking, the tip of my nose was dipped in a smear of soft cream.

Shaw: Then you can try it and see?

MC: You......!  Why put it on my nose?  !

Shaw chuckled, his fingertips moved, and the tip of my nose was covered with a smear of cream.

Shaw: Aren't you a rabbit?

Shaw: Isn't the sense of smell better than the sense of taste?

At the same time, the sweetness of the cream poured into the nostrils, like soft marshmallows, and melted to the bottom of my heart.

Everything seems to be just fine.

But I still pretended to be calm and wiped the cream on the tip of my nose, and continued to speak hard.

MC: ......It's ok, just add some lemon juice to make it taste better.

I picked up the lemon, and the moment I cut it, the full juice exploded from the tip of the knife and splashed directly on my face. I licked it subconsciously, frowning sour.

MC: Well….

Shaw: You really can make a "surprise" by cutting a lemon.

I raised my head, and sure enough, Shaw's lips were also covered with sparkling juice marks, but he calmly licked the corner of his lower lip.

MC: ……

MC: Shaw, don't you feel sour?

Shaw: It's okay, I don't feel anything.

Seeing that I was still frowning bitterly, he pursed the corners of his lips, and there was a rare trace of seriousness in his eyes.

Shaw: Maybe because rabbits are too picky eaters, they usually eat some carrots, green vegetables and so on, so it is estimated that they can't eat sour. [Awe he's making up an explanation to reassure the MC that it's quite normal for bunnies]

Shaw: But red pandas are different. They like to eat fruits, which are naturally more acid-resistant.

[Trivia]: So I did a little research and found that red pandas don't like sour things. What's more interesting is that they've a sweet tooth and love to eat leaves and bamboo! 

I looked at him dubiously, and couldn't help but licked the corner of my lower lip again, causing goose bumps all over my body.

Sour - ! Could it be that Evol alienation really affects the sense of taste?

While I was still in confusion, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a little red panda appear. It kept batting at half a lemon and rolling it around the counter.

Suddenly, it sticks out the tip of its tongue and licks the lemon juice -

I opened my eyes subconsciously, but saw it suddenly jump off the counter as if fleeing.

Shaw: Hahaha, what a stupid one.

Hearing the undisguised laughter in my ears, I suddenly understood. Just as I was about to settle the account, Shaw first bent his fingertips and flicked my forehead lightly.

Shaw: Stupid rabbit, why do you in believe everything to what I say?

Shaw: I just have a cold.

He said casually, but the tail behind him swayed mentally, spreading the cool mint all around.

I couldn't help but move the tip of my nose closer, but he pinched it with the pulp of my fingers.

Shaw: What are you smelling, bunny?

I glared at him, and my voice softened under his "clamping".

MC: …… That’s a rhetorical question. This is out of my control. You should be well aware of this too!

When Shaw let go of the tip of my nose, he flicked it.

Shaw: I think you really don't make inferences.

Shaw: I can't even taste the sour taste of lemon, how can I still smell it.

Looking at the bunny ears swaying silently above my head, and the tail of the red group also swaying in the air, I was stunned for a moment.

MC: You, you still have a stuffy nose?

Shaw: …..

He didn't seem to bother to pay attention to me, and his tail flicked from left to right.

MC: But your tail is just like my ears, it keeps wagging, I thought…

It's a reaction to smelling each other's scents.

I didn't say any more, and pursed my lips shyly.

Shaw: Tail?

Shaw was stunned and turned back to look at his tail. He suddenly half-squinted his eyes, and his tail stopped wagging.

But soon the fluffy red tail continued to swing at will.

Shaw: This tail is pretty interesting.

Shaw: Looks like what the heart is thinking can’t be concealed.

Hearing this, an answer faintly emerged in my heart. I suppressed my inexplicable thoughts and brushed his tail with the pulp of my finger. It trembled a little as if it were inattentive.

Shaw: Why are you so handsy today?

Shaw did not speak, the furry touch always swept the palm of his hand.

He lifted his chin, and his tail passed over my palm and held it high.

Shaw: You sure don't beat around the bush.

The afternoon sun climbed quietly, causing the mint-flavored soda to float invisible bubbles in the air.

Makes one want to be immersed in it forever.

Shaw leaned over with a low smile, and countless bubbles burst open in response to the sound.

Shaw: But I have no objection.

Shaw: If you say yes, that's all.

—

🐾 Call: here

🐾 Moments: here

[T/N]: Honestly this date was way more interesting and funny than their previous date. I love it when both of them can't hide their true feelings and keep getting exposed by their tails and ears HAHAHA. And most of all Shaw didn't make fun of her and was being considerate of her form, this was the most heart touching part for me!(ᗒᗩᗕ) And I still can't get over of Shaw being jealous of cute animals HAHAHA seriously he's showing his possessive side that no one can touch the MC except me so get lost HAHA.

Oh and a heads up I might not be around Shaw birthday date probably busy with assessments and assignments ಥ‿ಥ the cruel life of a student ಥ╭╮ಥ so I can't guarantee that I'll translate his b-day date or probably upload it quite late so please bear with me on this (╥﹏╥) That's all from me! Enjoy the date~

_

#WHOEVER WROTE THIS STORY PG GIVE THAT PERSON A RAISE!!!! #BUNNY MC AND RED PANDA SHAW ARE MY FAV COUPLE NOW! #YOU SHOULD DEFINITELY READ THIS DATE! #I'M SIMPING FOR THEM SO HARD #now i'm looking forward to his birthday date! #mlqc spoilers #mlqc translations #mlqc ling xiao #mlqc shaw #love and producer #mr love queen's choice #mlqc

[maeglinthebold]

image template from here

My 2023 AO3 Wrapped

Quick Stats

Works published: 57 (21 RNM; 18 OFMD)

Words written: 447,106, up about 50k from last year (!) but still nothing beats those 2020 numbers

Hits: 43,668 (updated today)

Bookmarks: 641 (also updated today), probably mostly from people waiting for me to finish a damn thing XD. Incidentally…

Unfinished works: 3 that updated this year, 17 total

Most popular by kudos: Do you know you'll never fly alone? My D&D:HAT fic contributing to Edgin/Xenk. A bigger hit than expected! 

Most hits: Sinking in your Eyes, Chasing Golden Nights: OFMD, PWP. It’s technically continued from 2022. 

Longest fic: Also Sinking in Your Eyes, but that’s a bit of a cheat because it’s co-written with @lizzy-leo

Shortest fic: Looks like we always end up in a rut (Man From UNCLE OT3)

Most comments: From Roswell with Love, which is a continuation from 2021 and cowritten with @haloud. Of course, I also posted like seven fics in the last week of the year so it’s hardly fair to them…

[Fun answers below the cut]

Gifts:

I received 4 gifts (Three Player Morning, from @tasyfa’s NYE Drabble last year, and this year as well: Heading for Midnight; for RNM Secret Santa I got The Neon North Star by @ajna-eye-cogitations; and finally, I got a few podfics of my fics: [Podfic] Everything About You by 1lostone and [Podfic] The Foundation of Youth by TipsyKitty.

I gave 19 gift fics, mostly in Maeglin's Hobbit Birthday Gift Fics 2023 and a Secret Santa gift for @angrycowboy

Collaborations:

@haloud and I still wrote a ton this year, in a few new fandoms even, but have been slow to actually post things! Still we updated From Roswell with Love; wrote a silly little porno for Malexa Sorry that I got caught; and wrote chemical composition for Liz Week. For RNM After Dark we gave some true rarepairs some love with Get your soldiers, tell 'em that the break is over, Something Borrowed, and of course contributed some Malexa In the Bleak Midwinter. And Malexa finally won the Roswell Halloween costume contest for RIP Roswell in Not A King. Okay, maybe we didn’t slow down, after all! 

@lizzy-leo and I ping-ponged back and forth between Blackbonnet (Bell the Cat, Whale of a Tale, Fly By Night, Sinking in your Eyes, Chasing Golden Nights,) and Vianton (The Now Show Me Your Fangs series, now 9 works strong!), with plenty of smut for both. Lizzy even submitted (a SFW section) of some of our fic for Vico Ortiz to read through their Patreon, which was a hoot to listen to. 

Events taken part in: @rnmbingo, @rnmafterdark, @februaryficletchallenge, @lizortechoweek, @riproswell, @rnm-secret-santa, as well as my own Hobbit Birthday Ficlets Challenge, and Vianton Week on Twitter.

Which artist’s songs did you pull from the most? I actually maintained a pretty good variety this year (a nonzero number of like, 80s ballads featured, LOL), but Lady Gaga wins just because we’ve been using lyrics from Show Me Your Teeth for the Vianton series lol. 

Pairing you wrote the most for this year? Ed/Stede (15) ousted Malexa this year (10) but apparently variety is the winner, as that’s less than half of my total fics. Multishipping for the win!

Favorite fics not already mentioned? I picked three:

I would do anything for love (but I won't do that) (Legolas/Gimli ficlet that was funny),

It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero (my mean Izzy-anti fic, which was also funny, and cathartic, before he died in canon and achieved that catharsis better lmao), and

Steve Bunnet (Blackbonnet at a petting zoo, also funny).

(questions from multiple lists, feel free to re use uncredited like I did lol)

#stuff i write #me #2023 #ao3 wrapped #fanfic #our flag means death #roswell new mexico

[banananutsmuthie]

I'm sure we'll be even more satisfied with the 'real-thing' immersion wise. 😜

I think it's just that when thinking about the androids, I don't think of cold metal robots but fleshy looking & feeling futuristic humanoids. The androids in the fic perform/move like real humans as well. So as far as the reader's concern, it's more or less the real thing. 

Some might say it's better than the real thing, almost no limitations relating to stamina, kinks, the android's sole purpose is to satisfy you so you're 99% guaranteed a good time. Doesn't matter if it's real or not when the sex is so good. Just like how a lot of readers are purely here for the sex.

I'm not sure what's the 'idol club' universe you envisioned looks like. To me so far, it's more or less the same as our world but with androids. It's not difficult to be immersed in the universe IMO. And it's just fun to play make-believe sometimes. How else would we get bunny breeding grounds and squirting idol fountains synching to 1812 overture cannons? Heck during the water show, they should be squirting while doing the windmill, and call that move 'Fire control'.

This makes me wonder... What if OC has sex with the android and the real idol at the same time? Perhaps you can change our minds that the androids aren't even close compared to the real thing.

Here's android Somi 2022 MAMA edition for reading a bunch of words I typed.

Oh look! The extremely rare golden edition. Why does it matter? You'll find out 😏

Totally not because it's an Andriod using alien technology, allowing Somi to temporarily transfer her consciousness to this android body to have sex with you. Does it count when you're having sex with the android body but with Somi's consciousness controlling it? Hmmmmmmm...

Thanks for the genuine reply to my question and the Somi pics, frisky :)

Anyway, without spoiling too much, I'll definitely be exploring the universe a lot more down the road. Idol Club will focus more on the world-building and twists (definitely no Somi aliens though, sorry), while Idol Zoo will be more about the smut, similar to what the first Idol Club was.

Who knows, maybe you'll see some crossovers with my other fics ;)

#asks #comment ask #frisky lore

[yan-senna]

At the Zoo (Severus Snape x former Slytherin student! reader)

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Friendship with the Potions Master ϟ Next one shot

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Introduction:

Severus and Y/N take their daughter Eileen to the zoo.

This is a request from @zennywrites. Thank you for your request!

Y/O/N means your owl’s name.

I hope you enjoy!

Published: 6/5/2022

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Author’s note:

Surprise one shot thanks to @zennywrites!🥳🐼

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Word count: 929

It's nine in the morning. The Snape family is eating pancakes in the dining room. The couple has a surprise for their five-year old daughter - they are going to the zoo today.

Eileen has begged her parents to take her there for a while. Now that Y/N is off from work, they decided that today would be a perfect day to go there.

Eileen is decorating her pancake with some syrup.

"Look, I made an owl!" she exclaims happily, looking proud of her artwork.

Y/O/N hoots, approving of the young girl's job. Severus looks at it, chuckling. Well, it definitely looks like a bird...

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#friendship with the potions master #severus snape #severus snape x reader #snape #snape x reader #pro snape #snape community #snape fandom #snapedom #snape fanfic #snape fanfiction #snape fic

[aworldforastage]

2022 Reading Log

Titles I read/listen to in 2022 (in order of completion). The list has to be broken into chunks due to character limits per text block on tumblr, so I added pictures (some audiodrama cover art) to create new blocks ...

If there is an English title available, then the novel is also on Novelupdates.

(Mao'er audiodrama art for: Golden Stage, Qiang Jin Jiu, and Jun You Ji Fou)

1. 人渣反派自救系统 墨香铜臭 – The Scum Villain’s Self-Saving System

2. 天涯客 priest – Faraway Wanderers [#tyk]

3. 七爷 priest – Lord Seventh

4. 千秋 梦溪石 – Thousand Autumns 

5. ��金台 苍梧宾白 – Golden Stage [#黄金台]

6. 当年万里觅封侯 漫漫何其多 – Those Years In Quest Of Honour Mine

7. 将进酒 唐酒卿 – Qiang Jin Jiu [#qjj]

8. 成化十四年 梦溪石 – The Fourteenth Year of Chenghua

9. 张公案 大风刮过 – The Mystery of Zhang Gong

10. 君有疾否 如似我闻 (NU) – Jun You Ji Fou [#jyjf]

11. 我嗑了对家X我的CP PEPA – I Ship My Adversary X Me [#cpme]

12. 我开动物园那些年  拉棉花糖的兔子 – Those Years I Opened a Zoo [#我开动物园那些年]

13. 职业替身 水千丞 – Professional Body Double [#pbd]

14. 一醉经年 水千丞 – Years of Intoxication 

15. 谁主沉浮 尘印/千觞

16. 迪奥先生 绿野千鹤 – Mr. Dior [#mr. dior]

17. 娘娘腔 水千丞 – Sissy 

18. 针锋对决 水千丞 – Beloved Enemy

19. 彼得·潘与辛德瑞拉 徐徐图之 – Peter Pan and Cinderella [#ppcd]

20. 走入你的良夜 秦三见– Walk into Your Good Night

(Audiodrama cover for Those Years I Opened a Zoo , Silent Reading, Breaking through the Clouds)

21 . 死亡万花筒 西子绪 – Kaleidoscope of Death 

22. 默读 Priest – Silent Reading [#modu]

23. 留痕 金刚圈 

24. 情歌 控而已

25. 彼此彼此 秦三见 – In the Same Boat

26. 破云 淮上 – Breaking Through the Clouds [#po yun]

27. 破云2吞海 淮上 – Swallowing the Seas

28. 师弟还不杀我灭口 子鹿 – My Junior Still Hasn’t Killed Me

29. 诟病 池总渣 – Morbid Attachment [#诟病]

30. 提灯映桃花 淮上 – Lantern: Reflection of the Peach Blossoms [#tdyth]

31. 我只喜欢你的人设 稚楚 – I Only Like Your Made-up Persona (aka Rose and Renaissance) [#wzxhndrs]

32. 黎明之后 冰块儿 – After Dawn [#黎明之后]

33. 小行星 微风几许 – Asteroid [#小行星]

34. 你却爱着一个傻逼 水千丞 – In Love with an Idiot

35. 你的黑料比本人可爱 毛球球 – Your Scandals Are Way Cuter Than You [#你的黑料比本人可爱]

36. 凤凰图腾 淮上

37. 追尾 潭石 -- Rear-End Collision

38. 你的表情包比本人好看 毛球球 – Your Memes Are Better Looking Than You

39. 网恋翻车指南 酱子贝 – Guide on How to Fail at Online Dating [#网恋翻车指南]

40. 皇恩浩荡  白芥子 -- The Eternal Grace of the Emperor [#皇恩浩荡]

(Mao'er audiodrama art for: Rose and Renaissance, Guide on How to Fail at Online Dating, FOG)

41. 浮生梦  白芥子 [#浮生梦]

42. 温香艳玉 白芥子

43. 江山许你 白芥子 – Granting you Sovereignty of the Nation [#江山许你]

44. FOG【电竞】漫漫何其多 – FOG  [#fog电竞]

45. 我喜欢你男朋友很久了 酱子贝– I’ve Liked Your Boyfriend for a Long Time

46. 恶性依赖 金刚圈 -- Morbid Addiction [#exyl]

47. 债还 奶口卡

48. 七芒星 木瓜黄 -- You are my Wonderall

49. 天然渣 拉棉花糖的兔子 -- Natural Scum

50. 灰大叔与混血王子  水千丞 -- Grey Uncle and the Mixed-Blood Prince

51. 钟情 静水边 [#钟情]

52. 心眼 北南 [#心眼] -- The Eye of the Mind

53.（穿书）黑莲花攻略手册 白羽摘雕弓 -- The Guide to Capturing a Black Lotus (BG novel)

54. 孤有话说 楚寒衣青 [#gyhs]

55. 嫡子为难 石头与水 [#嫡子为难]

56. 陛下，你这样很容易失去我 一刀绣春

57. 朝秦暮楚  一刀绣春 -- Qin By Morning, Chu By Night

58. 他不爱我 池总渣

59. 专属深爱  冰块儿 [#专属深爱]

60. 一觉醒来听说我结婚了 木瓜黄 -- Woke Up and Heard I was Married [#yjxl]

(Cover art for 钟情, 心眼, 孤有话说)

61. 论以貌取人的下场 月下蝶影 -- The Consequences of Judging Others by Appearance

62. 你亲我一下 引路星 -- Give Me a Kiss

63. 大雾 颜凉雨 -- Dense Fog

64. 社交温度 卡比丘 -- Social Outcast

65. 陈伤 回南雀 -- Old Injury

66. 我行让我来[电竞] 酱子贝 -- I Can Do It [#icdi]

67. PUBG世纪网恋 酱子贝 -- PUBG Online Romance of the Century [#pubg世纪网恋]

(Cover art for: Woke Up and Heard I was Married, The Consequences of Judging Others by Appearance, I Can Do It)

#danmei reading log

[ohraicodoll]

Interwoven | Chapter 2

Chapters:  2/6 Fandom:  The Sandman (Comics & TV 2022) Rating:  Mature/Explicit Relationships:  Dream of the Endless | Morpheus/Original Female Character, Dream/Reader Characters:  Dream of the Endless | Morpheus, Original Female Character, Hob Gadling, Original Characters, Matthew the Raven, Lucienne, Calliope, Mervyn Pumpkinhead, Calliope, The Endless, Eve, Delirium, Death, Desire Warnings: 18+ Minors DNI, Explicit Sexual Content, Past Abuse, Abusive Relationships, Possessive Behavior, Domestic Abuse, Domestic Violence, Jealousy, Trauma Responses Tags: Character Development, Established Relationships, General complicated feelings, meeting the family, meeting the friends, talk about fantasies, domestic life, fluff, past Relationships, ANGST, OFC: Dahlia, Named Reader, 1st POV

Summary: She had very few people in her life and while he denied it, Dream had so many. People that cared for him, people that warned her. Or in other terms, Dream and Dahlia’s casual relationship is turning not so casual. Chapter Summary: Birthdays, Bars, and Blushes

4th in the Fragments Series | Read on AO3 Writing Masterlist Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 | Chapter 4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter 6 Previous in Series: Possession Next in Series: The Complications of Family (Author’s Note: Sorry for the delay in getting this posted here. Still working through some grief and just feeling generally depressed after my grandma’s passing. I’m trying to shake it off and cope and writing usually does that) Chapter 2: Anissa

Dream was right. I hated when he was right, but I do get anxiety when dealing with uncertain situations and right now I was anxious. Birthdays weren’t big on my list. Mom and Dad had died when I was almost seventeen and were the main celebrator. They would wake me up and give me a present throughout the day, letting me choose what I wanted for dinner and then Mom would always make me a cake to celebrate. Sometimes we’d go to the library and pick out new books, sometimes we’d go somewhere extra special like the zoo or a show. But when they died and I started living with my abusive older partner, that had all gone out the window. I spent the first few years hopeful and then quickly learned to get used to the taste of disappointment. After that, there was simply no point in even hoping. Thomas, my most recent ex, forgot and I wasn’t inclined to remind him so we never celebrated in the one year we were together. I didn’t have any more relatives or even friends after escaping the first relationship and years later, Anissa was my only friend and we had gotten close in recent years. And I had Morpheus now even if we were/were not dating. Even then, this was more support than I’ve had in years and I wasn’t sure what to expect. I didn’t want to expect anything at all. When you hope, you set yourself up for disappointment. I wish none of them had found out what the day was. There would be no anxiety over Morpheus meeting Nissa or taking him into public or trying to figure out how to answer my coworker’s questions. And poor Hob was pulled into the mix. At some point, Matthew had flown by to drop off a small package, cawing a quick “Happy Birthday” before rushing off like he was in a hurry. Morpheus had definitely told them what day it was which made me extra suspicious as I looked at the small black box the raven had left behind. It was fancier than anything I had in my small apartment which was a giveaway in itself that it was one, from the Dream King, and two, from the Dreaming itself. Wrapped in a delicate, perfect ribbon, the box fit in the palm of my hand and had no card. Chewing on my lip, I carefully unwrapped it to preserve the ribbon and opened it up to find a necklace with earrings more beautiful than anything I owned. It was simple but immaculate featuring an onyx teardrop stone encased in ornate metal swirls on a rose gold chain, the earrings matching the design but smaller and dainty. I could almost feel the essence of Morpheus in the item, a steady hum I had become so familiar with and able to distinguish easily now in everything he made. The kernel of hope curled to life and I had to force myself not to get choked up at the idea that I’d received a birthday present. It was gorgeous, so stunning it felt unreal, and I smiled at the sparkling black stones, staring at them throughout most of the day and unable to keep from touching them. I was positively giddy over it and almost hated it. The evening was coming soon and I distracted myself more with getting dressed. Anissa had suggested a different place than before, a nicer more cocktail style bar than our usual place. I was glad considering the whole ordeal with Morpheus scaring my now former coworker, Cameron, had sullied that bar. But a nicer place meant I had to dress up so I took my time doing my makeup and choosing a decent dress and coat. I figured if I wore a heavy enough jacket it would keep me warm on the walk there even in a dress. I’d just fully clasped the halter straps of my dark green gown when I felt the tingling sensation of power coating over my skin like a gentle breeze along the open back of my dress. My eyes darted to the doorway in the bathroom mirror precisely as Morpheus walked in like he owned the place, long black wool peacoat in place with a black plain shirt, jeans, and laced up boots underneath. His sharp blue eyes met mine as he leaned against the doorway, a small smile tilting up his lips. “Hello, little dreamer,” he whispered as he took in my form, the way the emerald fabric followed my curves and the large expanse of skin it left exposed.

I dropped my arms, smirking at him in return through the mirror and feeling some of my anxiety ease at his presence, “Hello, dreamlord.”

Turning, my long hair skimming along my shoulders to fall to my back, I stepped closer and leaned against the doorway next to him so I could stare up at his amused face, “Do I clean up decent enough?” Morpheus’ eyes darkened and he took his time to follow the line of my body, at the draped neck of my neckline, the silk of the fabric as it hugged my waist, and the fall of the skirt as it fell to my feet. I could feel the burn of his gaze the entire way and swallowed, my mouth going dry as he drank me in. This was the most dressed up I’d been since the masquerade ball dream I’d had months ago, when he had danced and touched and teased me relentlessly. It made me want to dress up more if only to see his reaction. His hand lifted, knuckles grazing my cheek and dragging down to my chin, neck, collarbones, to the dip of my necklines. My breath was coming out in shallow pants, bottom lip pulling between my teeth. I would never get used to his touch, his attention. It was like drawing the focus of the moon, overwhelming and enthralling. Morpheus leaned forward, forehead touching mine and breath ghosting along my lips, his voice a dark whisper full of promise, “You are breathtaking. You always are.” “Flatterer,” I joked though my heart was beating in my ears and all I could focus on was the heat of his skin and his breath mixing with mine. His lips grazed mine in the barest hint of a kiss as if he was restraining himself, but the simple touch was enough to undo me entirely. I pressed forward and kissed him, moaning as he let go and met me eagerly, arms wrapping around my waist and pulling me forward. His palms flattened along my exposed back and a gasp left my lips to be swallowed by him as his tongue explored my mouth. He held me tightly while kissing me deeply, causing liquid fire to spread and pool in me. My hands grasped the fabric of his shirt and fingers dug into the thin width of his waist. I wanted to touch the cool, hard skin of his stomach, feel his muscles as he moved against me. I wanted to call the whole thing tonight off.

It would be a far better night to stay in. Just say sorry and pull birthday rights so I could stay home and let the Endless completely drown me in his touch and not leave the bedroom. But even as my body screamed at me, reason began to slowly seep in as the need to tear his clothes off rose to dangerous levels. It was getting tiring having to leave the house when staying at home was so much better. I slowed, his soft black hair already between my fingers, and let out a low groan, “I don’t think we have time before Hob gets here.” The Nightmare King growled low while giving me another searing kiss, chasing me even as I attempted to lean back, “He can wait outside.” The man had zero patience for anything else in the universe when he wanted something and was being denied it, I was beginning to realize. So far, it mostly seemed to be when people or things got in the way of us having sex. But the words did their job of snapping me from the intensity of our lust as I laughed and put a hand on his chest to keep him from lifting me on the counter and having his way right then, “We have later, I promise. I’m not going to make him wait outside like a sad college roommate.” He sighed and recomposed himself, cupping my cheek in his hand with a look as if I had kicked his puppy, “Very well then.” Shaking my head, I smiled up at him, “Thank you for the present Matthew dropped off earlier. Can you help me put them on?”

He kissed my forehead softly and nodded, “Of course. I trust they were to your liking?” I nodded in reply and held his hand, leading him back to the living room where the small box resting on the coffee table held the necklace and earrings. He took the dainty chain out and moved my hair aside, the small onyx pendant resting above the top of my cleavage. With a gentle kiss to the back of my neck, the jewelry was secured and in place. The earrings followed next until all pieces were in place. It was definitely the most beautiful thing I’d ever owned and I couldn’t help touching it, feeling the small current of his power hidden inside. It made me wonder if everyone could feel it, that slight hum of something otherworldly that surrounded him and everything he created. It was almost impossible to ignore and something I had to get used to, now signifying anytime he was near me. “You will always be connected to me through this, if you should ever have need of me while separated,” Morpheus whispered into my skin, hands settling on my waist. “This isn’t like a tracking beacon or anything, is it?” I teased, but also half serious.

He frowned and I started to consider if I wasn’t actually correct, “Anything connected to the Dreaming, I can locate but the intention is more to be a way to communicate an emergency should you have one.” So yes and no. I let the answer slide though, knowing how paranoid he was about my safety, especially since Thomas had showed up and pushed his way into my apartment. Being human didn’t help his nerves about me and sometimes he acted as if I could shatter at the smallest accident.

“Well either way, it’s beautiful,” I hummed. We stood there embraced for a while and caught up, him telling me about the latest delegation to come and visit the Dreaming. Now that the realm was getting back in order finally after the past couple years of Morpheus’ return, other gods and delegations from other worlds and realms were visiting to get reacquainted. Half the time the names he told me went over my head, having no clue who he was talking about, but it was interesting to hear either way and I liked hearing him discuss his work. He took it very seriously, put it above all else, and so sharing it showed a little bit of the pride he took with it. Lucienne was taking a more active role beyond librarian and now acting more appropriately as a right hand to the Dream King, organizing his “calendar” so to speak and being a mediary when he wasn’t present. She had held the Dreaming together while he was gone and I was happy to see her having something that challenged her beyond the library. It especially helped when he wanted to visit me as she kept the place running and freed up his time to come to the Waking world.

A sharp knock interrupted us and Morpheus laid a quick kiss on my shoulder before I could fully process the interruption, moving to the door himself. Acting as if it was totally normal to open the door to my apartment, he unlocked and answered it, greeting Hob on the other side standing in the hallway. The history professor blinked, obviously caught off guard, and grinned at both of us, stepping inside, “Wasn’t quite expecting you to answer, but you always have been full of surprises.”

Morpheus didn’t say anything, only raised a brow and shut the door behind the man. I couldn’t blame him, if Dream had answered the door anywhere I was going I would have been stunned. It was weird, seeing both well dressed immortal men in my mediocre little apartment, but life had been a whole lot weirder since meeting the dreamlord and I was trying to learn to take it all in stride. After all, I was now friends with a talking bird, pumpkin headed janitor, dream librarian, and now an immortal man.

The man in question pivoted to face me and the grin grew even wider, brightening his face, “And happy birthday to you, fair lady!” He produced a sunflower from behind his back and made an overdone flourish of bowing, presenting it to me in an outstretched fist.

I smiled and laughed, slightly blushing and not used to having the attention all on me, taking the flower from him, “Thank you, Hob. I appreciate the gesture.” The man was dressed in tan slacks and a loose white button up long sleeved shirt, a brown vest over it and shiny leather shoes. He was very handsome in a more grounded way than the dreamlord was, more of a rugged good looks type of man with his stubble and earthy tones and longer hair. His charm amplified it all, half smile constantly twisting his lips and lighting up the room. It was no surprise that if anyone was going to become friends with Dream of the Endless, it would be the one man I couldn’t see anyone hating really.

I went to put the sunflower into some water, hearing from the kitchen as Hob teased Morpheus about essentially wearing the same thing constantly and him arguing that his appearance changed depending on perception so it was pointless to change outfits. It felt…nice, having the two friends in my home, as if the place had warmed up and they were just a normal group of friends. If you ignored that they were anything but. I came back to find Morpheus slightly more annoyed but in a longer, nicer coat with dark black floral embroidery along the edges and a black button up shirt underneath, the collar held together with a golden pin. It was subtly different but was nicer. I tried not to grin, knowing it would just annoy him more if I pointed out the outfit change and the fact that Hob had gotten to him. “Alright, you both ready to go?” I asked innocently. Those blue eyes of his swirled, lips pressed into a thin line, and the dreamlord only nodded while his friend winked. The air outside wasn’t too bad even with the sun fully set and the stars blazing outside. Anissa had at least considered my hatred of driving and made sure to pick a close enough place that I could walk without needing to hail a cab or drive myself. My own coat was cinched at the waist around me to protect me from the cold and Dream had taken my hand into his while Hob had jokingly offered his elbow, the three of us walking side by side down the mostly empty sidewalk.

For a second, I wondered if the Endless would be upset at how much Hob seemed to be flirty with me, knowing that much less had set him off before. But he either didn’t notice, which I doubted, or didn’t care. Maybe since it was someone he knew and trusted, it didn’t phase him or he simply knew that was how Hob was..

I hadn’t fully warned Anissa that I was bringing Dream, merely sending her a quick text saying I had invited some friends. She’d sent an eye emoji back but I didn’t respond, figuring the less information I gave the less likely I would be fielding questions and getting more nervous before the night came. I knew her well enough to think she wouldn’t start a full argument but I also knew she was hot headed sometimes and thought she knew best….same with the Dream King. They were both stubborn. He wasn’t human, didn’t have to deal directly with them often, and so I wasn’t sure how he’d react to her making digs at him. He didn’t seem to like her all that well either. The anxiety was coming back and I let the sound of the street and the intermittent chatting of the two friends on either side take over as my thoughts drowned me. This felt too big. Introducing the guy you’ve been kinda-sorta seeing for the past handful of months to your friend felt too big. Yes, he had taken the first step in this, had planned for me to meet Hob but I could reason that he was simply introducing the only two humans in his life. Anissa didn’t know about the Dreaming or Dream Walking or anything considered supernatural. What if this was a mistake? What if he realized how mundane and dumb and boring my life was and he lost interest? What if Morpheus denied any feelings or intentions towards me and then I’d feel embarrassed and stupid and- The hand in mine gave me a small squeeze and I broke out of my unblinking stare to look up at him, the knowing look in his eyes catching me. He was looking at me with an inquisitive look, a brow twitching up as if to ask if I was okay while also reassuring me that he was here with me. My breathing had started to come in quick, panicked pants without me noticing and I worked to calm down and take deep breaths. I was spiraling. It was his idea to come and meet her, I repeated to myself. And before I knew it, the bar was in front of us, nicer than any place I was used to frequenting which didn’t help my nerves at all. I was a simple type of girl. I didn’t care about anything fancy or appearances or high end things. It made me feel like a kid, trying desperately not to ruin anything expensive after being allowed to sit with the adults. Hob opened the door and Dream led me in, holding my hand securely in an effort to sooth the apprehension he could feel coursing through me. His thumb ran over the back of my hand, the chilled skin sending tingles as I felt a little more grounded. The lights were dim inside, a jazz band in the corner playing live with a few people dancing in front while a good remainder of the place was filled with circular tables couples and groups sat at, dressed up and drinking over candlelight. The place wasn’t too crowded for the evening and in the back corner I could see Anissa’s long red hair, pulled up into a high ponytail and a figure hugging white dress on. Her eyes met mine and then swiveled to the two guys at my back, eyebrows noticeably rising even at a distance. I swallowed a groan and pulled Morpheus behind me with a tight grip, headed to her direction while silently praying for a drama free night. I hated my birthday.

Reaching the table, I shot her a quick thin smile and let the dreamlord take off my coat to avoid meeting Anissa’s eyes, my own gaze latching onto the two shots of liquor already on the table. I grabbed one and didn’t even ask, feeling all their eyes on me as I shot it back and felt the sharp burn of what was very likely tequila. “Okay, yeah, that’s for you,” Nissa commented dryly with wide eyes, brows high into her browline, “I’m sorry, do you need more?”

Clearing my throat as the warm liquid lit my insides on fire, I shook my head and took a seat on the stool next to her, “No, I’m good. Hi.” “Hi, happy birthday” she incredulously, eyes flicking to the two men taking seats next to me, “Hi?” I eyed the second shot briefly, feeling anxiety tightening my throat as I tried to introduce everyone over the sound of the music, “Uh, yeah, this is Anissa, my friend and coworker. Nissa, this is Hob…and Morpheus.” No explanation, only their names because I couldn’t explain them.

I waited for her to take in the way the latter male sat close to me, hand on my waist as he watched me carefully and seemed to not be caring that he was being introduced as he was more worried about my wellbeing. She was smart, she’d connect the dots to who he was even though I had never mentioned his name before. Because if I had ever called him Dream or Morpheus in front of her, she definitely would have commented on the oddity of it. Hob, the godsend that he was, took the reins and held out a hand, smiling wide and easily, “Hello! So you work with Dahlia at the book publishers?” Anissa continued to stare, taking in Dream’s appearance and stoic demeanor, the protective way he hovered before turning to the other man, “Yeah, we’ve been in the same department for the past few years. How do you all know each other?” “Uh, Hob here is a history professor and friends with Morpheus,” I tried to nonchalantly explain, “And Morpheus-” “Dahlia and I are involved,” the Dream King cut in, eyes cool and face almost icy. The fingers at my waist clenched almost possessively and I wanted the alcohol to kick in much faster. Her dark brown eyes met mine then went back to him, taking in his demeanor and appearance as it all clicked together, “Ooh, so you’re the fun.” I wanted to die. “Pardon?” he shot back and I could see Hob out the corner of my eye rub his temple. “I mean I’ve heard…not a whole lot about you, actually, but glad to see you have a name and are willing to come in public with her,” Anissa replied with a smile that was too sharp to be genuine. Out of context, the statement would have sounded relatively normal and not at all loaded, but I knew the underlying accusation. “Fun is good but I think you deserve someone that will make you feel comfortable, love you, accept you as you are! I know you’ve had some issues in the past-” “That’s an understatement,” I muttered. “-But! I know you deserve someone that will see it and accept it and be considerate to what you need. You’re having fun for now but maybe when the fun starts to make you sad, it’s time to call it,” Anissa finished.

She’d taken me out when Dream and I had been fighting and I’d felt small and insecure and miserable. She understood that this was something I was having a hard time putting to words, trying to put what we were into clean boxes and failing. Unfortunately, while she cared, she wanted something else for me, not believing that this would end well. And so…she’d tried to set me up with Cameron…which had ended well.

“I am more than willing to be seen in public with Dahlia,” Morpheus answered back curtly, “Especially on her birthday, lest you try to pair her with another male coworker of hers.” Dear fucking god. I grabbed the second shot from the table and threw it back, letting the burn of it drown the absolute absurdity that was happening right now. Five minutes. It had only taken five minutes for the whole thing to go to absolute shit because of course. Everyone around me had the biggest heads and egos. “Can we not?” I asked, placing both hands on the table to try and cut in between them, “Maybe everyone…chill?” Anissa pressed her lips tightly together, locked in a glaring match with the Endless at my side, “Of course, Dahl. It’s your birthday, I wouldn’t want to be inconsiderate.” “Are you implying that I would?” I wanted to shove my head into my arms and disappear. Someone tugged on my arm and I turned to find Hob now behind me, gently pulling me from the table and out of Morpheus’ grasp, “How about we go to the bar and get you a big birthday drink, darling?” I stared at him with wide eyes and a look that definitely asked if he was crazy, shaking my head fervently, but he managed to pull me away. Both parties left at the table went to protest but stopped as Hob let out a quick, “We’ll be right back!” and dragged me away. “Are you out of your mind leaving them alone together?” I hissed at him, hand swallowed by his large one as he tugged me a short way away to the bar. “Listen, sometimes you have to just let people duke it out,” the immortal argued back, saddling up to the bar top, “They’ll get it out of their system and either come to an agreement or hate each other but neither are your fault and you don’t need to bare witness to it.” “That’s my friend and my…person…” the words stopped and I let myself drift off, trying to glance back at the table and two we were discussing. I could see the stiffness in Dream’s posture and the way Anissa’s lips twisted as she spoke. My mind was already conjuring the worst case scenario. Hob stared at my profile, absentmindedly waving down the bartender, “I’ve been meaning to ask about that. You and my old friend. How did that happen?” My eyes were still on the two arguing until my companion gently turned my face to look at him with a finger under my chin. I almost jumped at the contact, not expecting it and blinking large eyes owlishly at him, “You’re asking how me and Dream met?” He smirked and tapped my nose with the finger that turned my head, “Eyes here, love. Let them hash it out, no point in watching. And yes, I’m asking how you met.” The bartender came by and he ordered a whiskey while I got a cranberry vodka sour, the leftover tequila coating my throat reminding me why I hated the liquor. “I would have thought he’d tell you,” I answered and resisted trying to look at the person in question. Hob let out a bark of a laugh, one side of his lips twisting in deep amusement, “Might I remind you, he didn’t even tell me who he was until yesterday when you did. Sharing isn’t exactly a skill of his especially when it’s about himself.” He paused and a considerate look seemed to light up his warm eyes, “I think that’s why I like you. For years he’s been this big secret, this mysterious figure I couldn’t discuss with anyone. Him and the whole not dying thing. But now there’s you and it feels…relieving to have someone to talk to and share the experience with.” I smiled at that, pondering over the words. He was right. Dream of the Endless had only been in my life for a blink of an eye compared to Hob but it felt restricting sometimes that I couldn’t really discuss him. You can’t exactly go around and tell people you were seeing the anthropomorphic personification of dreams and nightmares without ending up with a wellness check. So it was nice to have someone who knew him in a human way and felt the frustration.

“Yeah, I feel the same,” I replied absentmindedly. He tapped me on the nose again and I jerked, giving him a small glare, “Now, back to how you two met.” “It’s complicated,” I sighed, “I feel like everything about us is complicated. There’s never a straight answer.” “So I take it you didn’t meet out in a bar or out in the streets?” he joked and thanked the bartender as our drinks were placed in front of us, “I mean, technically he picked me up in a pub.” I could feel the anxiety of wondering what was happening behind us and tried desperately to stay focused on the cold drink in my hands, the way the condensation slid over my skin and dripped onto the counter, “No. You do know about him being captured, right?” The other man nodded while taking a drink of his whiskey, “Well, I am apparently something called a Dream Walker. I am completely lucid when I dream and can actually go into other people’s. I didn’t even know it was something I could really do until a couple of years ago when he was freed.” I told him about how it was apparently something that was in my family, though with Morpheus’ capture the only person that had done it before was my grandmother when she was a child. Both her and my mother were dead by the time I could Dream Walk on my own, having believed it was a crazy story my grandma told, but luckily she had warned me not to interfere with other’s dreams as if it were a children’s bedtime story. And I’d followed that rule for two years…until I’d gotten drunk and destroyed my ex’s dream after finding him in bed with my neighbor.

The King of Dreams usually tampered down on any Dream Walker’s abilities when they first manifested, had never let one grow into their full power out of worry it may damage the realm, but it was too late to do that with me. And so he let me be, after very angrily arguing with me. “I thought he was going to kill me,” the words sounded a little ridiculous now, seeing how it ended up being the opposite, and Hob’s answering grin told me he thought the same.

“You did? Nah, I think he likes to be argued with sometimes. Keeps him humble…or somewhat humble,” he laughed. I laughed and drank the sour alcoholic drink, my body feeling warmer and loose as the two shots previously started to sink in a bit more, “Well, I know that now. Back then he was terrifying. He sent a nightmare after me.” Hob choked and coughed, eyes wide and red as he blinked at me. I only chuckled and grinned, “Yeah, this big tentacle monster thing. And then the next day he met me in the Waking world at that café after I ran from him and I thought he was going to murder me in front of everyone. But instead he said it wasn’t my fault I was how I was and let me be…but then he started asking questions and we started talking and I think he was flirting with me. I don’t know, there was just a shift and slowly it built up into whatever this is.”

Seeing both our drinks were empty, he waved the bartender down while I cautioned a look back at the table. The annoyance was gone from Anissa’s face, almost sad and blank, and I could see that Morpheus was talking, but I couldn’t figure out the tone of the conversation. But his posture wasn’t as rigid and neither of them were dead so that was a plus. It was killing me that I didn’t know what was being said, what was happening but Hob nudged me with another drink and I turned back to face him. “I think sometimes that his time away changed him more than he’s willing to admit,” his fingers tapped on the countertop, eyes reminiscent, “Don’t ever mention this to him because he will deny and probably flip over a table, but I feel like he’s desperate to build connections. Over a hundred years in isolation did a number and now it’s like he doesn’t want to be alone entirely.” “Touch starved,” I blurted, staring at his fingers as they tapped and tapped their own rhythm, “He’s definitely touch starved.”

He nodded, almost a little sadly, “I’ve seen him more in the two years since he’s been back than the six hundred plus that I’ve known him. Honestly it wasn’t entirely a surprise that he popped up and was suddenly dating someone-” “Oh we’re not dating,” I cut him off with a wave of my hand, “I mean, this is…casual, I guess.” Hob furrowed his brows, mouth quirked in a way that screamed bullshit, “Oh yeah, because my old friend definitely brings every person he sees casually to meet me. Darling, I don’t mean to call you delusional, but…” He gave me a pointed look and I winced, “You mean something to him and it’s definitely not casual. I’ve never met anyone in his personal life, but he wanted me to meet you.” I sighed, chewing on my bottom lip and staring at the glass in my hands, “It’s hard to put into words. What we are…we’ve never really talked about it in certain terms. He says he’s mine and I’m his, but I always figured that was like the overly romantic way of saying we were exclusive. I don’t know what we are, really, and I’m afraid to bring it up.” Hand reaching up and rubbing my back, the warmth of his hand soothing on the expanse of my exposed skin, he chuckled a bit, “In 1889, I told him that I thought he kept meeting me because we were friends and he was lonely and he was so furious that he walked out. It doesn’t surprise me in the least that he hasn’t bothered to clear things up. I doubt he even fully knows, but he is very attached to you.” Blinking up at him under his lashes, I stared at his profile in the dim light and found he wasn’t looking at me but back at the table where Morpheus was talking with Anissa. There was a slight smile on his lips, a fondness when he talked about his friend and perhaps something more. His own kind of attraction to the dreamlord. Hob was old, charming, and a relentless flirt. I couldn’t help but think of all the relationships and lovers he had probably taken in the past, all the things he might have tried. And when faced with Morpheus, who had his own pull… I couldn’t help but take in the angle of his jaw and the strong line of his nose. He was handsome in an entirely different way from Dream, a more masculine way, stubble coating his jaw adding a ruggedness to him. With alcohol starting to seep in, the hand rubbing at my back shot tingles through me. Before I could properly think about the question or my line of thinking, I blurted out, “Have you and he ever…?” Brown eyes turned to meet mine, that affection still dancing in the dark irises. I took in the natural tilt of his lips, the humor and lightness that seemed a permanent fixture to him. He didn’t answer, only met my gaze and gave me a small flirtatious smile before dropping his hand from my back, “Come on, looks like those two have finally settled and we should probably save him.” With a wink, he grabbed my hand and intertwined our fingers and I realized the alcohol had seeped in a lot more than I thought as he kept me from stumbling on my dress back to the table. My mind was having a hard time focusing, distracted by what was happening, and all I could picture were those same tanned hands on pale skin and his fingers in ink black messy hair. My skin felt too hot and tight. Suddenly lifting my hand and giving me a small twirl I wasn’t expecting, Hob deposited me in a less than graceful stumble into Morpheus’ arms who wrapped them firmly around my waist and settled me half on his knee at the table. I comforted instantly at the feel of him and the smooth texture of his coat against my bare back, my body feeling warm and toasty. “Are you two done fighting?” I asked and was startled at the slightest way my words felt in slow motion. I could feel Dream stiffen and turn to his friend with a glare who shrugged with a laugh. Anissa looked resigned, taking me in next to him, “We weren’t fighting, just having a disagreement and yes, we are…. Though what kind of pretentious name is Morpheus anyways?” “Nissa!” I reprimanded sharply. She raised her hand in surrender, “Okay, okay, I’m done!”

“Did you get her inebriated?” the man in question asked while his fingers gripped the soft skin of my hip through the fabric. I mumbled my dissent at being called drunk while Hob pointed a finger at me, “Technically she did that to herself when she started the night by downing two shots and she’s fine! It’s her birthday, let her loosen up if she has to deal with both of you tonight.” My coworker scoffed and looked at him, “Excuse me, I don’t even know you.” Hob grinned, “I don’t have to know you. I could tell from how she almost had a damn panic attack getting here she was worried about both of you. That tells me all I need.” I gave him points on being observant but was mostly feeling disgruntled that I was being discussed by everyone while literally sitting between them all, “I’m right here, you know.” “Yes and you look lovely,” he winked. I rolled my eyes and settled into Dream’s arms, partially pleased that he was still holding me even though we were in public and he never seemed like a publicly affectionate being. But he held me to him while the other two bantered, Hob driving the conversation to them to give us a break. Anissa had found a worthy partner to verbally duel with and the other man definitely was taking joy in trying to charm her. Turning my head into him, I asked my partner quietly, “You alright?” The Dream King hummed in acquiescence, tracing lazy circles in my dress, “We had a discussion and came to an understanding. Apologies, I did not wish to worry you about our meeting or cause you distress. Are you well?” I nodded, wondering what kind of an “understanding” they came to and what was even discussed, “Yeah, me and Hob just talked and drank a bit.” My mind flashed to the images I had unintentionally visualized earlier as well as those hands on my back as well and I flushed, diverting my attention to the rest of the bar. I could feel Dream’s eyes on me, knew he was taking in the blush on my cheeks and hoped he chalked it up to the alcohol I had drank in quick succession that was now hitting me all at once. I was slightly tipsy and apparently horny. I needed to get myself together and stop fantasizing about them. Yes, they were two ungodly attractive men. But they were friends and I’m sure Morpheus wouldn’t appreciate me imagining another man, no matter how close they were. “… I do not share.” He had told me that forever ago, had warned me about how possessive he could be. And even if he had loosened up on it, directed it to be a less toxic form of possessiveness, I doubted he had changed that drastically.

Hob proved to, in fact, be a very good mediary. He kept the conversation going with talking about books and history and of all things, the early stages of the printing industry. To Morpheus’ annoyance, he called more drinks over with the excuse that it was my birthday and if I wanted to get hammered then I could. When Anissa would ask basic questions we couldn’t answer like what did Morpheus do for a living or how we met or how long the two men had been friends, the professor easily diverted the conversation or gave an obtuse answer. I’m sure she was noticing how the conversation kept getting steered away, how little information Dream gave or even seemed to talk now that their own argument was over, but she didn’t push it and I was grateful.

Nissa apologized for how she acted, if only after a couple more drinks, saying she only wanted me to be happy after everything with my exes and I waved her off. It didn’t stop her from making small passive aggressive comments towards Morpheus but he seemed less reactionary now and more able to ignore her. I understood it all. Both of them argued out of care for me, and also ego, but I’d rather it be shoved away and not talked about anymore. I was still uncomfortable with anger and fighting in general and it being about me made it more uncomfortable. I wasn’t used to people caring enough to argue. As the band switched up to a livelier tune, Hob managed to persuade Anissa to dance, carting her off and leaving me alone with the Endless. His tolerance was high, hers was low, and it wasn’t hard to keep her distracted so we could have alone time. My head felt slightly fuzzy and I’d switched to drinking water simply because I would still have to walk home and didn’t want a hangover in the morning, but overall I felt relaxed. Dream’s lips pressed to the dip in my shoulder and the simple touch sent a wave of electricity shooting through my already heated skin, “How are you feeling, little dreamer?” “I think Hob’s trying to get everyone drunk,” I chuckled, leaning into him and the feel of his kiss, “But I’m good. We should probably head back soon though before it gets too cold.” I’d taken up residence between his thighs, his long legs still stretched out on the ground even though he was sitting on a stool, standing but fully wrapped in his hold. His fingers drifted up and down my sides, taking satisfaction in the way I shivered at the small act. I could tell he was all for leaving, probably had been from the start. Coming out tonight was less a want and more of a need to be present, to be involved in my life and I wouldn’t be surprised if it was half to stake a claim on me. He knew Anissa had tried to set me up and wasn’t pleased, probably wanting her to know I was off limits for future matchmaking.

But he didn’t like being amongst people or playing human, I knew that much, and I’m sure he found it all very droll. His fingers went to my bare back again, tracing the skin and dip along my spine. I let my head fall back to rest on his shoulder, closing my eyes and relaxing under the haze of alcohol and the delicious feeling of him touching me. His breath brushed along the shell of my ear and I shivered as he whispered, “You were blushing rather hard earlier. What was on your mind?” I froze, my mind taking a second to process the words. So he had noticed that. Of course he had, he notices everything but I didn’t think he’d ask directly. “Uh nothing,” I answered innocently. His nail gently scraped my skin and I had to hold in a moan at how it felt, pulling my lower lip between my teeth, “You are a poor liar, little dreamer. I have seen all of you bared beneath me, seen what makes you blush so. What are you afraid to tell me?” My breath hitched and I opened my eyes, blinking at the dim lights hanging from the ceiling and feeling the thrum of music all around us. Even in a crowded room and our friends nearby, I felt like we were alone in our own bubble, the sound muffled except here with his voice so close. I turned my head, catching the dark swirl of his irises with my own and seeing the stars hidden beneath. The air left my lungs in a shallow rise and fall, heat pooling in my center as the darkness of his gaze seemed to strip me down and leave me exposed, “It was just…alcohol and my brain being overactive.” His black brow rose, hands moving lower down my body. I was keenly aware that we were mostly hidden in the corner of the room behind the table, the bar dark and most of the lights focused on the band and the dance floor. It was almost like we were wrapped in shadows and I wondered if Morpheus did something to hide us even more. “That is not a proper answer,” his voice was low and half a growl of admonishment, eyes tracing the length of my neck as I stayed fully pressed back against him, following the scoop of the fabric covering my neck and the fact I definitely hadn’t worn a bra with this dress. Dream’s lips touched my temple and he muttered, “What did that overactive mind of yours show you?” I gulped and felt his fingers on my thigh, slowly pulling the long fabric of my skirt up and up my legs, “I don’t want you to be mad.” He paused and pulled back a little to more fully see my face, “And why would I be angry with you?” My eyes instinctively flickered over to where Hob and Anissa were dancing, my friend cackling as the immortal swung her around and spun her on the dance floor. His movements were easy and fluid, practiced, while she flailed around trying to keep up but obviously having fun.

Morpheus followed my gaze and I could almost see him connect the dots as I whispered, “He’s a flirt and I had wondered if you and he…then I thought of you and me as well…” His voice was rough and deep, eyes locked on watching his friend and mine dancing as he commented darkly, “The three of us…” I swallowed and broke from looking, staring down at the table and watched the water slide down the outside of my glass. “I’m drunk and it’s dumb and it was a passing thought. It’s not anything. I’m apparently a horny drunk which is interesting,” I rambled and chuckled anxiously, my words all running together as I tried to move on from what I’d admitted and force my brain to make any sort of sense. Two shots and almost four drinks were not helping, “Like I said, my mind is overactive and should be ignored.” But he was still fixated, not looking at me, “You were afraid I would be angry.” It wasn’t a question, a flat statement as his hands stayed paused on my thighs. I wanted to groan and sink down under the table as I worried I’d ruined the peace everyone had managed to reach after the rough beginning. I shouldn’t have drank, didn’t usually and my tolerance was low and apparently made me run my mouth and do stupid things. Afterall, drinking is what had led me to destroy Thomas’ dream which then caught Morpheus’ attention. I was chewing my lip raw, nerves pushing through the alcohol as I wasn’t sure what the expression on his face was exactly, “You said you don’t share. And after last time…I thought you’d be angry at him or me or both…” Last time when Cameron had only flirted with me and Dream had terrified him enough that the man didn’t go near me and quit his job. When the mere idea of someone being interested had sent him into a jealous tantrum. Morpheus finally turned and looked down at me, straightening us both enough that he could fully see my face. One hand left my hip and went to cup my cheek, raising my face to meet his and gently moving a piece of hair behind my ear, “That was a different situation and I promised I would not be so quick to anger. But is this… scenario you imagined…something you wish for? Truly?” My heart was beating so loudly it drowned out the jazz music that was playing and all I could see was the blue of his eyes and feel the fast thrumming of nerves. I considered his words. I’d never really fantasized before, hadn’t considered my sex life in general before Morpheus came around. Sex hadn’t been something I craved, simply a way to please whatever partner I was with. Mind you, none of my previous partners were all that good at sex and there was a level of trauma attached to the act after my first abusive boyfriend but sex was decent enough and I got use to it. Now possibilities had opened up, I had a healthy and very active sex life, and I wasn’t sure, was almost scared to look beyond what was considered normal or vanilla. But the dreamlord was already more than I could have ever expected, more gorgeous and skilled than I thought possible. He was always attentive to my wants and boundaries. And Hob was handsome and attractive, physically and personality wise. What would it be like to be with both of them, to have both their attention on me and even each other? What kind of life did I have that the scenario was even a possibility? Two immortals with a mere plain mortal? But god did the image interest me, leave me pulsing with want and excitement. It was something I hadn’t ever considered but now…now maybe… Dream traced a thumb over my chewed lip and my breath hitched, eyes wide and unblinking as against his dark, curious gaze before I let out the subtlest of nods. It was small and almost imperceptible but I knew he’d caught it. He leaned in and pressed his forehead to mine, hand moving from my cheek to entwine with my long hair at the base of my neck as he asked softly, “Why him?” My voice was shaky, stuttering as I gripped the wrist of the hand in my hair, wanting to keep him close to me, “Because you trust him so I trust him. Because he cares for you.” And I’d do anything as long as Dream was involved. His skin was so hot against mine and I could feel the muscles in his arms, the humming of his power surrounding me and answering back in the small necklace and earrings hanging from me, “Perhaps… when you are of clear mind and sober …that is something we can…discuss further about making happen. When you are ready, of course.” Not a no. Most certainly interested. I nodded against him slowly, his breath mingling with mine at the proximity, unable to form words and process that not only was he not mad but potentially willing for that scenario. And as much as I wanted to say yes and let’s talk about it now and make it happen, I respected that he wanted me to sit on it a bit and not rush into something I may not be prepared for. The idea was exciting but the reality was harder to swallow. Pulling me in, he laid the barest kiss against my lips and I could feel the raw need he was holding back, the hunger he was keeping carefully tucked away. I sighed, simultaneously tight with my own lust and incredibly relieved that this hadn’t turned into a complete disaster. And that maybe I wasn’t the only one turned on by the idea. But before I could deepen the kiss he pulled back, leaving me to chase him eagerly, and laid a softer kiss to my hair. His arms were back around my waist, tucking me into him as our friends returned panting and out of breath with wide smiles. Neither of them seemed to guess that anything was off or even hinted that they knew what we were discussing, but I could feel Dream’s desire in the slight hardness against my back. He was done with being in public and wanted to go home to other things and honestly I couldn’t argue with that. I just wanted to be sure I wasn’t being rude even if it was my birthday and I could feel exactly how excited he was. Unfortunately for both of us, Anissa proceeded to pull me into a dance, claiming I had gotten time with both men and it was her turn. I could feel Dream’s annoyance in his scowl and the way he watched her drag me away from him, but I could only smile as she began to swing me around. We were both pretty sauced and neither of us knew how to really dance to the music that was playing, but I laughed as we basically swayed and spun each other. Nissa smiled and hugged me as we moved back and forth in some attempt at dancing, “Happy birthday, Dahl. Sorry it started off a little rough, but I’ll say your guy isn’t so bad. Has a dumb name, but not bad.” My guy. I smiled back, feeling strangely choked up at her approval, and laughed a bit, “Thank you for looking out for me and trying.” She laughed and sent me into another spin, “I want you to be happy, that’s all. You’re a good person, Dahlia. You deserve it.” I could only nod, hearing her words and not knowing quite what to say. So I said nothing and hugged her, both of us fake dancing through the rest of the song. For what it was, even with all the anxiety and bickering, it had been a good birthday. Morpheus had made the effort to spend the evening with me in the Waking world. A weight felt like it was lifted off my shoulder now that Anissa, the only person I was close with, had met him. Plus I had gained a friend with a similar experience through Hob. Not bad at all. Hob took care of the tab while we danced and luckily, everyone seemed to be in agreement that it was a good time to head out. Anissa downed the remainder of her drink, claiming she didn’t want good alcohol to go to waste, and Morpheus helped me into my coat as we walked out. I had been right and it was much colder now, the air stinging my nose a bit as it held a slight bite. The tipsy haze had cleared up a little bit, my words coming out a little stronger, but the alcohol was still very heavily in my system and warmed me however it could. “Are you sure you can get home on your own?” Hob asked my friend, who was ever so slightly swaying while standing straight. I met his eyes and shook my head, not knowing if she had walked or driven to the bar. Either way, I wasn’t sure she should be left to go off alone and as I went to open my mouth, the immortal shrugged, “I’ll make sure she gets to her place. Last thing we need is someone trying to make a move on you.” “I’m fine, it’s not even very far,” Anissa rolled her eyes but seemed to be tilting to the side as if we were still swinging and dancing. “Mmmhmm,” he hummed skeptically, “Either way, it’ll make everyone feel better.” “Just let him, Nissa, it’ll be better than arguing,” I shot before she could let out a retort. Huffing, she relented and he grinned while offering an arm to her, “Get back safe, you two! And happy birthday again, darling!” I smiled and waved, watching them walk off down the street and trusting that he would actually get her home in one piece. Sighing, I turned and found Morpheus staring at me, the stars more pronounced in his eyes, “What?” He only smiled softly and held out a hand, long fingers so pale in the darkness of the night, “Come.” Staring at him suspiciously, I took his hand and intertwined our fingers, him tugging me not down the street but around the corner to the dark opening of an alley. My suspicion grew as I looked around, brow furrowed. “Uh, are we about to have sex in the alley cause I have to say, it’s a little too cold for that,” I commented dryly, looking at the black abyss that encompassed the small space. If I didn’t know and trust him, I would assume I was in the beginning of a true crime podcast episode. He frowned and shook his head, “That is not an idea I wish to cross off your list, unfortunately.” We stopped at the opening, not that far in but far enough that we weren’t easily noticed even if you were walking past. His eyes seemed to reflect in the darkness like a cat and it was almost as if we were back in the Dreaming, the irises so dark they seemed black and the reflection sparkling like twin stars. Morpheus continued to hold my hand and pulled me closer to him, trying to keep me warm with his body heat, “Do you wish to go to the Dreaming?” My brain, alcohol-laden and tired, stuttered and tried to comprehend what he was asking, “Um, yes though I’m confused. I thought I’d already been going to the Dreaming? Didn’t really know there was a choice since I have to sleep unless you’re implying not sleeping at all, which I may be down for?” He shook his head, half a sigh and half a chuckle leaving him, “You misunderstand. When you sleep, you are simply visiting the Dreaming but your physical body stays here. You are there but also not. I am asking if you would like to go in your entirety. Physically, go to the Dreaming with me.” “I…didn’t know I could physically go there,” I mumbled. “Of course you can. The Dreaming is as whole and solid as the world you are standing in now,” Dream reached a hand out and dragged its knuckles along the edge of my chin, “The residents have a purpose but they live there the same as you live here. Living beings simply are able to visit areas in their sleep but unlike you, they never remember upon waking.” He wanted me to come to the Dreaming. No time limit, no wondering when my body would wake up and force me to leave. I could actually go there and be there with him. I’d always had a hard time wrapping my head around the concept of the Dreaming but the way he described it made a bit more sense. It was just another world that we were allowed to briefly visit. He was asking me to be there in all ways. “Yes,” I met his gaze in the low light, the words rushed and eager and excited, “Yeah, I want to go.” His smile, the one he showed so rarely, lit up and my heart sped up at the sight, “Good. I can take us there now.” “I don’t have to bring anything?” my words were a jumble, nerves surfacing now that I had accepted. He knew I took a few extra days off from work, if only so I could laze around at home, but I didn’t know if that was something he ever even considered because why would he? He didn’t have to pay bills. “You will have everything you need there and I will bring you back when you wish,” he stepped closer, bringing my head up to look at him. Only a couple inches more and I would be able to reach his mouth, pull it against mine finally and kiss him fully and deeply. I only nodded though, entranced by his gaze and what almost seemed like his own excitement there. His hand went to his waist and to the small pouch of sand he always kept on his belt. It had to be some form of magic that hid it. When I would be held to him, I never felt it on him even though it was hard to miss. Holding me close, he whispered while taking a handful of grains out, “I should warn you, Lucienne may have discovered what day it is and was planning on having the kitchen staff make you something.” While I wanted to groan at more birthday celebrations, connecting it to Matthew’s quick visit and hasty retreat, it was heartwarming that even those in the Dreaming wanted to try and help me celebrate a bit. But at the same time, “So we should probably go straight to your quarters first then?” And as the sand swirled around our feet and all around us, his devious smile sent a shiver down my spine with a delicious promise of what was to come.

#Dream x OFC #Dream x fem!reader #Dream x reader #morpheus x ofc x hob gadling #Morpheus x fem!reader #Morpheus x reader #Dream of the Endless x OFC #Dream of the Endless x Reader #Dream of the Endless x fem!Reader #The Sandman fic #The Sandman fanfiction #The Sandman fanfic #Sandman fic #Sandman fanfiction #Sandman fanfic #Dream of the Endless #Sandman #The Sandman #Series: Fragments #Fic: Interwoven #OFC: Dahlia

[millimononym]

made a pinned post cuz why not

Milli / Oli / Oliver / Olivia

any pronouns! (He/Him, It/Its, They/Them, She/Her and neopronouns are fine too if you feel like it)

I speak SRP/ENG

Here's my tag guide

Warnings are tagged as both "cw SOMETHING" and "tw SOMETHING" with the EXCEPTION of unreality, which is just tagged as that. if i haven't tagged a warning properly feel free to tell me and i will try to fix it

Media I like:

-Brawl Stars

-Bully scholarship edition/ Canis Canem Edit

-Galactik football

-Batman the animated series

-The Batman 2022

-Legion of Super Heroes 2006

-One Piece (caught up to manga btw)

-Homestuck (on act 6 btw)

-Danganronpa 1 and 2 (don't like v3)

-Ginga Nagareboshi Gin and GDW

I am also currently watching/rewatching/reading:

-MAR (Marchen Awakens Romance)

-Adventure time (on like s5)

-Batman the Audio adventures (finished s1)

-JL cartoon

-LOSH comics, in chronological order (im not even through the classic comics)

-Yu-Gi-Oh, very slowly

-Watership down

Some other things about me:

-i like to draw. Dunno if I'm any good at it but i try

-i am interested in translation!!! I like translating things from English to serbian and vice versa but it takes an ungodly amount of time unfortunately

-gonna try and learn how to code so i can make my own neocities site

-gonna also try to finish Homestuck but hgghhh time consuming comic is time consuming

-love lego sets but don't have too many cuz expensive...

-my fave batman villain is the riddler

DNI "MAPS"(aka pedos),zoos, TERFs, truscum/transmeds or any supporters of any of the former i am going to kill you. Proshippers will also usually get blocked on sight. Please block me first so i never have to interact with you ok thanks bye

I don't really care what fandoms you're a part of as long as you're a normal person

#milli's monologuing

[there-is-just-me-myself-and-i]

6, 10, 18, 30 (hot tea attached to the ask, sip carefully!)

Hi anon 🤗🖤, first of all thank you so much for sending me this ask! And for the tea of aswell!!! 🖤 *Sending you this pretty 🌻in return

6. What are you craving?

At the moment just a few days without worries or stress about life

10. Books on your reading list?

I am in the process of reading the Witcher series atm, and I also want to start the Bridgerton series aswell when I actually have time for reading again.

18. What are some of the meanings of your name? (Or url if you don't want to say.)

Okay so let me look up the meanings of the name Lena...I found "light", "sunlight", "pretty girl", "generous and kind" and "she that allures". I only see one of those meanings kind of for myself i have to say 😅.

Also my parents didn't think about those meanings when they thought about my name, they actually saw a Gorilla at the zoo called Lena, when my mother was pregnant with me. And liked the name I guess 😅. My mother recently told me that my name would have been Mareike if my cousin wouldn't have gotten the name before.

The meaning of my username...is just how I feel/felt most of the time. Like there is only me, myself and I, alone in a way.

30. What is your favourite way to create?

Uff that is hard. I actually do love writing fanfiction, because I love creating storys in my head. But the last time I actually wrote was last december (2022). I plan on hopefully getting back into that this year. Other than that I love doing picture edits, and even a bit of drawing, but I am not really good at that. 😅

#ask answered #again thank you so much anon!