#spent far too long enjoying drawing this up and it still feels woefully inadequate

[landwriter]

Heya, I love your writing and taste in things.

I’ve finished (and loved) everything you’ve posted <3

Are there any sandman fics that have tickled your fancy lately?

Thank you so much!!! I sadly do not have time to read near as much Sandman fic as I'd like, but I have scoured both my memory and my bookmarks on AO3 (all twelve of them) and dug up some absolutely wonderful stories - hope at least one or two of these is new to you?!

I am probably a bit weird in this, but I don't bookmark fics I love (which is really nearly all I've read) insamuch as fics that have done something in particular that I think is so well-executed or clever or inspiring that I want to be able to study it like a creature in its own right. Usually these are stories that have the traits I admire most in fiction: economy of language, being very fucking funny, making me viscerally uncomfortable, or outright haunting me.

I loved reading all of them but your mileage may vary! Caveat lector like more than half of these are smut and/or violent so please check the tags against your own preferences. Several long-winded recs with excerpts and explanations under the cut:

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The Birthday of the Beast | @slythernim | Dream/Hob | T | 3.3K

Father Almighty, though I have long not been your servant, I remain your unmanageable son. Here on Earth, closer to Hell than to Heaven, as I celebrate perhaps the least holy of holy days, I must imagine myself like unto Lucifer more than as Michael, that he and I might together make of the darkness a place for humanity to grow. He blows out the candles. 

Hob turns 666. Extremely fun fic by Nym that features incredible characterization within a very short space, Catholicism, Lucifer, and of course, gets a very special birthday gift. But you shall have to read the fic to see what it is. Read everything of Nym's, actually.

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New Mistakes | Anonymous | Dream/Corinthian | M | 3.2K

Dream slid his thumb into the Corinthian’s mouth, the one he shared with most, the one with which he commonly spoke. “Well?” he asked. “Are you fed?” The voice that came from his left-eye mouth buzzed like locusts. My lord, we are. The voice that came from his right-eye mouth dripped like honey. My lord, we can always be fed more. Dream pulled back, looking at the Corinthian expectantly. The Corinthian swallowed, running his tongue along his teeth. There was a faint blush on his cheeks, and Dream was unaccountably flattered. “My lord,” he said. “I wish to be good.”

Have read almost no Corintheus but this fic hits on so much that I find distantly intriguing about the pairing. Perfect dialogue, gorgeous rhythm. Wonderfully visceral. Absolutely bonkers nuts for repetition in threes, as I'm sure you know, and I love how it was used here.

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Lucy Locket | Anonymous | Dream/Hob and Dream/Hob/Corinthian | E | 17K

Five chapters (now with a new threesome added in late April, much to my delighted surprise!) of just fantastic roleplay smut that in-between all the sex is by turns incredibly funny and tender. Alternating Dream and Hob POV. As somebody for whom sexual roleplay has been my literal bread and butter on a professional basis, it shouldn't be surprising I am so fond of this fic - but it catches me out every time! Like a blow from behind, and I am winded. It is ridiculously hot and distressingly perfect all-through, and I would absolutely marry the author about it (sorry author if you're reading this). No excerpt because I cannot choose and will simply suggest that if you're up for kink that you go read it all at once.

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Public | @softest-punk | Dream/Hob | E | 1.1K

"Oh, darling," Hob murmurs, fingering the edge of Dream's delicate lace knickers. Dream feels his smirk against his jaw, bites his lip at the brush of a kiss under his ear. "You forget how old I am. I learned to fuck with an audience."

Every day I get closer and closer to needing to write Dream and/or Hob with vulvas; this may have been the fic that sealed the deal for me, I think. Ridiculously hot, and enshrined in my head forever for the line above. I learned to fuck with an audience. God! How good. A masterclass in the slutty drabble that nevertheless retains peak Dream/Hob characterization (I would argue that sex is in fact one of the best narrative vehicles for characterization and exploration of interpersonal dynamics...this bias is probably why nearly all these recs are so horny.) One day I will learn how to write proper smut in media res like this and not preface it with gratuitous plot.

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worship like a dog | @thewalrus-said | Dream/Hob | E | 2.5K

“Is it so inconceivable that I might love you?” Dream murmured, running his manicured nail down Hob’s cheek. Hob tried to speak, swallowed, and tried again. “No one ever has before,” he said. “No one but God.”

Hob is a priest. Dream is a demon, except he's not. Dizzyingly hot for so many reasons, with a delightful canon dialogue echo. And again, must stress this: Hob is a priest. Hob is a priest. Hob is a priest, go read it.

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Safehouse | Anonymous | Hob/Corinthian | E | 5K

“I need a room. One without a door.”

The best execution of the sex pollen trope I've ever seen, with the worst men. Very, very good fic with a brilliant premise and unerring execution. World-building is done in such brief but vivid strokes - it feels like a 50K fic whenever I remember it, and I'm always surprised how short it actually is. Haunts me in the best of ways.

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As well - these fics are well-known and well-loved - but some stories that are utterly wonderful and contain lines that haunt me weeks, sometimes months later - stories that rearranged my soul, lurched me closer towards writing for Sandman, and warrant mention even though I am SURE you have read them, include:

@moorishflower's iconic and beautiful Odyssey fic, maybe sprout wings was the first fic I commented on with my AO3 account, and among the best fics I've ever read in any fandom; slightly deeper cuts from Heather's oeuvre (if, for some reason you are not reading everything already) that I am obsessed with and have reread multiple times: vowel shift, most vain devices, an act of faith. Genius stuff and unbelievably gorgeous language. Just go read it all, honestly

@softest-punk's Shelter is one of the first Sandman fics I ever read, and is beyond lovely; if you have not read their entire deep and profoundly lovely back catalogue, I recommend Catching Up (quintessential Cecil deep tissue emotional massage), Delayed (or: my favourite kink and favourite Endless); Ferrous (vampires! bad men! ahh! ooh!); and I would of course be remiss and ungrateful to not mention self-abandon, and the confounding effects thereof, a 10K fic that perfectly answered my general question of how the three lads would actually get together once the Corinthian and Hob had started fucking (as narrative foils that deserve such treats)

@xx-vergil-xx's Hounds is an ongoing epic that has singlehandedly caused me more emotions than humanity has language for; it is ambitious in scope and sticks every landing. The world is alive and lovingly-detailed. The language is a poem. It is so smart, so beautiful, and so well-researched and built. It is a TEMPLE unto itself, and appropriately worthy of worship

I will also suggest you read absolutely everything by @that-banhus because she literally cannot miss and writes the loveliest, cleverest worlds. All of it.

#asks #gloam's sandman rec list #this is basically my fic rec masterpost lol #unfortunately i flatter myself about my good taste and cannot stop going on about what i love and why once given the barest excuse to start #the sandman #dreamling #corintheus #hobrintheus #COB #fic recs #it's not that i exclusively read fic ppl feel the desire to publish on anon #it's that what people publish on anon FUCKING SLAPS #spent far too long enjoying drawing this up and it still feels woefully inadequate #but it's a start #into either remarkable sandman fic or my id really

[xylianna]

In which Prompto gets sick, and Ignis gets kissed

AO3: http://archiveofourown.org/works/12937311

Gladnis Week Day 3: Gladio & Ignis get tricked by Prompto and Noct into going on a date 

Ignis Scientia caught his reflection in the glass of the doors as he entered the restaurant and almost smirked. He managed to halt the expression when it most resembled a polite smile. He saw his hair had come through the walk perfectly in place. The cool air of the night had tinged his cheeks and nose-tip pink. He was grateful for the black wool coat which served to both keep him warm and protect his immaculate three piece suit from the elements.

He looked good, he knew it, and he was in far too good a mood to deny the subtle boost being reminded of the fact gave his ego.

Noct had been surprisingly cooperative that day throughout their lessons, paid remarkable attention during the Council meeting, and had set to his homework with alacrity when they arrived at his apartment. Ignis didn’t have to wonder what prompted the uncharacteristic behavior for long, however.

“Please, Specs?” the Prince had wheedled, giving his advisor a pleading look, his blue eyes luminous with hope. “Can we just go do pizza tonight? At the place with the arcade? I mean, it’s Friday, and we can invite Gladio, so we’ll have security, and… please?” Noctis babbled in a torrent.

Most unusual. But, the Prince was under a lot of pressure… and surely it would do him good to blow off steam with his friend.

“Let me see if Gladiolus is available,” Ignis had said, pulling out his phone. A quick exchange of texts proved that the Shield was amenable to Noct’s notion.

So now Ignis found himself at a loud pizza parlor, raucous noise and riotous lights flooding out from the arcade room. His good spirits couldn’t be dampened by all the clamor, no. It was far too good of a day. He hoped (probably in vain) that things would continue along this path for a while, that Noct stayed so focused and dedicated, and…

Well. Perhaps best not to get his hopes up too high.

Spotting Gladio, he waved to get the man’s attention. “Good evening, Gladiolus.”

“Hey, Iggy,” said Gladio with an easy grin. “Where’s Princess?”

Ignis sighed. “He insisted on picking up Prompto. I would think the driver should be dropping them both off any time now.”

“Cool.” Gladio glanced around, maintaining a constant awareness of his environment and assessing all potential threats. It wouldn’t do to let his guard down, even at the local pizza joint. “I already grabbed a table, if you want to go sit. I’ll go wait for ‘em by the door.”

Ignis nodded, and seated himself at the indicated table. Never one to spend a moment idle when he could work on his never ending to-do list, he pulled out his phone and began checking his email. A text came through after a few minutes, however, that had his eyebrows raising well above the upper edge of his glasses.

 Noctis: Hey Specs, Prompto’s not feeling well, we’re just gonna stay at my place and play King’s Knight. Sorry for the short notice. You should still get some food though. Say hi to Gladio for us.

With an irritated sigh, Ignis sent off a succinct reply, expressing his hopes that Noct’s friend felt better soon, and a reminder to the Prince that they would meet the next morning to review the day’s agenda over breakfast. He looked to see if he could catch sight of Gladio from there, but the place was too crowded. Since he still had his phone out, he shot a quick message to the Shield, advising him as to the change of plans.

A couple minutes later, Gladio approached the table balancing a heaping platter of pizza, a bowl of salad, and some serving plates, forks, and napkins. After dumping it all unceremoniously on the table, he dropped into the seat across from Ignis. “So, you get the night off babysitting,” he grinned as he loaded his plate with a couple large slices of pepperoni pizza. “Whatcha gonna do with all the free time?”

Ignis sighed, and served himself up a bowl of salad, choosing to let the pizza cool off a bit before digging in. Not everyone could have the apparently heat-resistant mouth of Gladiolus Amicitia.

The Royal Strategist felt himself flush, and quickly shifted his line of sight from the uncomfortably tantalizing view of Gladio’s face - and that mouth - down to his bowl of salad.

He belated realized the other man had asked him a question. Cheeks dusted with a light blush at the oversight, he replied, “Prepare for tomorrow, I imagine.” He adjusted his glasses and adopted a put-upon expression. “You can’t imagine how far behind this dinner will set me. It’s almost a relief poor Prompto wasn’t feeling up to the outing. Now I’ll get home sooner, and can get a head start on tomorrow morning’s work.”

Gladio snorted indelicately. “Oh yeah, I bet Prom's reeeaaal sick, Iggy.”

Ignis blinked. “Noctis said as much in his text message, yes.”

The Shield shook his head slowly, an expression of incredulous disbelief painted across his sun-bronzed features. “Dude.”

“What?”

“Dude!”

“What?!”

Gladio laughed, the sound filled with enough infectious good-humor that Ignis almost found himself joining in, even without knowing what prompted it.

Almost.

“Are you going to explain yourself?” Ignis asked, voice a bit testy, sitting up more precisely and folding his hands on the table in front of him, food forgotten for now.

Gladio’s expression shifted into a warm, but rueful, smile. “Dude,” he repeated one last time, for posterity’s sake. “They’re setting us up.”

Ignis frowned, lines marring the porcelain skin of his brow. “For what?”

His compatriot’s response was to just stare at him.

“What now?” Ignis asked, feeling his cheeks heat again.

“Iggy,” Gladio started to speak slowly, enunciating very clearly, his amber eyes earnest. “Setting us up. With each other.” He gestured around at the restaurant, the food on the table. “They sent us on a date.”

Now Ignis found himself rendered speechless. He removed his glasses and began to clean the lenses, a gesture which usually calmed him and gave him a moment to sort out his thoughts. But, all to soon, the glasses were pristine, and his brain was still spinning in a bewildered tumble.

He had certainly noticed how attractive Gladio was. Who wouldn’t? The man was practically a work of art. And as they’d grown closer, their orbits around the Prince inexorably drawing them together, he had discovered hidden depths in the Amicitia heir. While much of his time was obviously devoted to developing and perfecting his fighting skills, the Shield was also a voracious reader, enjoyed touring art galleries, and spent as much time as he could with his little sister, Iris.

Gladio was, in a word, amazing.

So, obviously, Ignis had never truly considered trying to pursue anything with the man beyond the friendship that had spawned from their professional rapport, because what could a man like Gladiolus Amicitia, with his pick almost every single woman and man in Insomnia, want with him?

Ignis was highly aware of his skills. He didn’t consider that being overly prideful, he considered it being honest. He had trained for years to get to this point, after all. He was used to the feeling that came from walking into nearly any room and immediately knowing you’re the smartest person within.

It was a lonely feeling.

He was also painfully aware of his many shortcomings.  He was a workaholic, he had a woefully inadequate set of social skills outside of formal occasions (as tonight was demonstrating in lurid detail), and his few hobbies were strictly solitary activities.  Ignis couldn't even remember the last time he'd gone out on a date.

“Iggy,” Gladio spoke up again, cutting off his ruminations. “Dude, say something.”

Ignis looked up and met Gladio’s eyes, wearing a carefully sculpted, emotionless, professionally polite mask. “That seems quite silly, Gladiolus. Perhaps this is a youthful prank on their part. Noct knows that I hardly consider this food,” he said, gesturing at his as of yet untouched pizza. “Or perhaps Prompto is truly ill, and you’re jumping to conclusions."

“Iggy.”

“What?” If Ignis’s voice was a bit strained, he would chalk it up to the noise of the place giving him a headache.

Gladio sighed, shook his head, leaned forward, and kissed him.

Ignis was almost too startled to kiss him back.

Almost.

#gladnis #gladnisweek