honestly not sure yet what this page will be about(i do know i just don't want to admit to myself it'll be a random stream of consciousness Ć la James Joyce) but i thought I'd make a kind of introductory post about myself at least so here goes.(fandoms are listed at the bottom cuz at the heart of it tumblr is a place for obsessed freaks like myself). also I'm new to tumblr so its ways and etiquette are still unknown to me. but i will learn promise. anyway.
Name's Dorian, I'm omnisexual aroace(went down the traditional pipeline surprise surprise) and go by she/her tho atm whole gender identity is kind of a mystery to me so that could change. edit: trying they/them rn to see how it feels
When one's obsessed with cinema, which is the case with moi, one can hardly avoid falling down the rabbit hole that are the fandoms. I'm currently fixated on the Sandman and watching Star Trek TNG(have watched AOS movies and TOS) and would love to find some humans I can discuss it with cuz my irl friends(tho I love them with all my heart) just don't go temporary insane over fandoms the way I do.
I get random moments of revelation about other fandoms as well, so here's a list:
ATLA
Star Trek
Good Omens
MCU(pls no spoilers post GOTG3 I'm kinda runnin a bit late but I'll catch up I promise)
Sherlock
Heartstopper
MLB
Sandman
TOH
Lucifer
Megamind
Umbrella Academy
BBC Merlin
Hannibal
Stranger things
Witcher
TVD(was my first real fandom so it still persists even tho I'm not really into it much anymore)
myb some more that I forgot
I'll prolly be adding stuff here as I figure out what I wanna talk about, but one of the things I'm working on is getting rid of perfectionism so this is it for now. I tried to keep it brief but that obviously hadn't worked out lmao. Could be worse(much, much worse)
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Came out may be a strong word but in my WIP El finds out first and Jonathan follows like 5 min later cuz Mike can't catch a breakš„²(I thought it was Jonathan at first cuz I forgot about El oops)
Very important question for all you fanfic readers and writers. If you're writing/reading a series with multiple works, and there's a slow burn becoming canon in part 2 for example that you lay the foundation for in part 1, but it wasn't really explicitly romantic yet/the couple didn't get together(but myb already had feelings for each other) etc., should you tag it in the first work too?
Should you tag it in the first fic too?
Yes
No
Depends(comment on what)
Voting ended onMar 7
I like to be precise with my tags and would say no, but at the same time the series does contain the ship(and we don't have series tags unfortunately), and the reader will get there eventually. Or someone who doesn't ship this pairing could decide to read the series since it's not tagged, and then it may catch them off guard. Idk.
Very important question for all you fanfic readers and writers. If you're writing/reading a series with multiple works, and there's a slow burn becoming canon in part 2 for example that you lay the foundation for in part 1, but it wasn't really explicitly romantic yet/the couple didn't get together(but myb already had feelings for each other) etc., should you tag it in the first work too?
Should you tag it in the first fic too?
Yes
No
Depends(comment on what)
Voting ended onMar 7
I like to be precise with my tags and would say no, but at the same time the series does contain the ship(and we don't have series tags unfortunately), and the reader will get there eventually. Or someone who doesn't ship this pairing could decide to read the series since it's not tagged, and then it may catch them off guard. Idk.
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How should we tag QPR(queerplatonic relationships) on AO3?
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Ć
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Voting ended onJan 20
PLS REBLOG SO PEOPLE ACTUALLY SEE THIS š (even if you don't vote)
For those who don't know what a QPR is: It's everything outside of social norms, a relationship that is neither strictly platonic nor romantic. A lot of time you'll see it described as platonic partnership, a kind of platonic commitment and devotion that is supposedly not present in normal friendship(by this definition, a lot of the biggest ships would fall into this category if we look strictly at how they're depicted in canonāthink spirk, johnlock, merthur, stucky, etc.), but it can look like anything: two best friends living together, or raising a kid together, friendship with a lot of physical affection, platonic kissing, a friends with benefits type of thing, anything goes. While anyone can be in a QPR, they are commonly associated with people on the asexual and/or aromantic spectrum.
How should we tag QPR(queerplatonic relationships) on AO3?
+
~
*
-
Ć
:
\
^
Voting ended onJan 20
PLS REBLOG SO PEOPLE ACTUALLY SEE THIS š (even if you don't vote)
For those who don't know what a QPR is: It's everything outside of social norms, a relationship that is neither strictly platonic nor romantic. A lot of time you'll see it described as platonic partnership, a kind of platonic commitment and devotion that is supposedly not present in normal friendship(by this definition, a lot of the biggest ships would fall into this category if we look strictly at how they're depicted in canonāthink spirk, johnlock, merthur, stucky, etc.), but it can look like anything: two best friends living together, or raising a kid together, friendship with a lot of physical affection, platonic kissing, a friends with benefits type of thing, anything goes. While anyone can be in a QPR, they are commonly associated with people on the asexual and/or aromantic spectrum.
How should we tag QPR(queerplatonic relationships) on AO3?
+
~
*
-
Ć
:
\
^
Voting ended onJan 20
PLS REBLOG SO PEOPLE ACTUALLY SEE THIS š (even if you don't vote)
For those who don't know what a QPR is: It's everything outside of social norms, a relationship that is neither strictly platonic nor romantic. A lot of time you'll see it described as platonic partnership, a kind of platonic commitment and devotion that is supposedly not present in normal friendship(by this definition, a lot of the biggest ships would fall into this category if we look strictly at how they're depicted in canonāthink spirk, johnlock, merthur, stucky, etc.), but it can look like anything: two best friends living together, or raising a kid together, friendship with a lot of physical affection, platonic kissing, a friends with benefits type of thing, anything goes. While anyone can be in a QPR, they are commonly associated with people on the asexual and/or aromantic spectrum.
How should we tag QPR(queerplatonic relationships) on AO3?
+
~
*
-
Ć
:
\
^
Voting ended onJan 20
PLS REBLOG SO PEOPLE ACTUALLY SEE THIS š (even if you don't vote)
For those who don't know what a QPR is: It's everything outside of social norms, a relationship that is neither strictly platonic nor romantic. A lot of time you'll see it described as platonic partnership, a kind of platonic commitment and devotion that is supposedly not present in normal friendship(by this definition, a lot of the biggest ships would fall into this category if we look strictly at how they're depicted in canonāthink spirk, johnlock, merthur, stucky, etc.), but it can look like anything: two best friends living together, or raising a kid together, friendship with a lot of physical affection, platonic kissing, a friends with benefits type of thing, anything goes. While anyone can be in a QPR, they are commonly associated with people on the asexual and/or aromantic spectrum.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
ā Live Streamingā Interactive Chatā Private Showsā HD Qualityā Free Actions
Free to watch ā¢ No registration required ā¢ HD streaming
How should we tag QPR(queerplatonic relationships) on AO3?
+
~
*
-
Ć
:
\
^
Voting ended onJan 20
PLS REBLOG SO PEOPLE ACTUALLY SEE THIS š (even if you don't vote)
For those who don't know what a QPR is: It's everything outside of social norms, a relationship that is neither strictly platonic nor romantic. A lot of time you'll see it described as platonic partnership, a kind of platonic commitment and devotion that is supposedly not present in normal friendship(by this definition, a lot of the biggest ships would fall into this category if we look strictly at how they're depicted in canonāthink spirk, johnlock, merthur, stucky, etc.), but it can look like anything: two best friends living together, or raising a kid together, friendship with a lot of physical affection, platonic kissing, a friends with benefits type of thing, anything goes. While anyone can be in a QPR, they are commonly associated with people on the asexual and/or aromantic spectrum.
Hey, people in the US! Did you know that the Department of Homeland Security is trying to implement mandatory biometrics and fingerprinting for all foreign travelers entering and exiting the US?
And that thereās a public comment period OPEN RIGHT NOW? It only has 18 comments. Letās get this circulating!! Public comment period ends on 11/26/25. If enacted, it would go into effect 12/26/25.
I hope I donāt need to explain why this is a problem, especially in our current administration. But a few key reasons why this is a very bad idea and sets a very bad precedent:
- privacy and security. HIPPA and other privacy laws exist to protect the unnecessary collection of data so that itās less likely to be leaked. Is this data going to be stored securely? Who will have access to it? For what purpose? What safeguards will be in place to protect the proper use of this data? Surely there could be no reason to collect personally identifiable information about āforeignersā and āaliensā. Surely this wouldnāt be used for mass deportation efforts.
- the public comment is aimed at āthe specific collection process as well as costs and benefitsā for the process. So in your comment, the most effective arguments will center around how this system is infeasible to implement, cost prohibitive, and has no benefit. Focus on how the collection process will cost a lot of money, infringe on rights to privacy, etc.
Others please feel free to add ideas or template messages!!
Im gonna be so real can yall actually talk about ways we can support trans women in the UK instead of giving all the attention to fucking JKR. I already know that Harry Poter sucks, I wanna know how to actually HELP people. Something something you have to love the oppressed more than you hate the oppressor
@an-obsessed-cactus posted a poll in our Sandman community, and we thought it would be interesting to see how the figures compare to fandom on main (Iām reposting with their permission). It would be awesome if you could reblog so we can get a representative sample.
Have you read the comics and/or watched the show?
I both watched the show and read the comics
I watched the show but didn't read the comics
I didn't watch the show but read the comics
I watched the show and am reading the comics
I am watching the show and read the comics
I didn't watch the show and am currently reading the comics
I am currently watching the show and didn't read the comics
I started both and am in the process of reading/watching them
I didn't watch the show and started but didn't finish the comics
I started but didn't finish the show and didn't read the comics
I started both and didn't finish them
Voting ended onSep 6, 2025
If none of the options apply, pick the one thatās closest. There is no āneitherā because weāre only looking at people whoād consider themselves part of the fandom.
Here's my two cents about the episode we're doing for this week's rewatch in our sandman community. Imma cover the differences between comics and the episode, dynamics between siblings, visuals, and Dream's narration.
Comics - Episode Differences
I watched the show first and then started reading the comics, so my perspective might be a bit different, but, maybe surprisingly, I would have preferred if they stuck more to the comics for the majority of things, even if the differences were minor. I feel like the changes they made mostly took away from the story/characterization.
Foreshadowing
They removed several bits of foreshadowing, and I donāt really see why.
I think his goodbye from Death would have been a really nice parallel with the last episode, and it would have been so simple to include. The second one, said while addressing all his subjects when he is telling them about his departure for Hell, could have easily been incorporated as well, just with Lucienne & Co. Again, it would subtly hint at the arc in vol. 2, and his saying my re-assumption of the role would also be significant to drive home the whole āEverything changes, nothing is truly lostā point. Itās still him, just another aspect.
The only one for which I can sorta understand why it wasnāt included is the last one, because they would have to introduce the concept of Between places/Nowhere, and it would take additional time and budget. But it would nicely imply him being suicidal earlier in the season, though it doesnāt feel like this was an angle the show creators wanted to push. I'm not saying it wasn't still there, but in a season of tell donāt show, where they hit you over the head with a brick for every emotion they want you to notice, it felt like this wasnāt them being subtle, but rather pushing it as far to the back as they could while still keeping it. Here I donāt mean him going on a āsuicide missionā after he kills Orpheus, as Johanna puts it, because that was a textbook example of tell, but him simply wanting to die because he has been alive for so long and wants to be free of his responsibilities.
Other Changes
Now that Iāve read issue #21, I really wish they had included the narration about Destinyās garden. Itās not strictly necessary for the plot, and thatās probably why they cut it, but itās so thematically important and it really touched me.
I would have loved to see Dream and Death have their talk on the balcony overlooking the garden like in the comics. Not just from the aesthetic perspective but from a symbolic one as well. Destinyās garden in a beautiful metaphor for choices and it would be a nice way to show how the decision to free Nada will have further impact on Dreamās life.
I also understand why Dream addressing all his subjects was cut. First of all, it would again be a budget issue, and second, they probably wanted to create a more intimate setting for saying goodbye. But I think it would have slowed down the pace a bit, which I would have liked, because it feels like Dream is running around like a headless chicken(as Lucienne says, āAnd apparently no time to prepareā).
What I liked was that Dreamās reactions at the family meeting were a bit more restrained. Maybe itās because I watched the show first, but I canāt imagine him slamming his fist on the table or loudly exclaiming āWHAT?ā when Death tells him Desire was right and then pointing a finger at her dramatically, saying āYou too? Even you turn on me, my sister?āš. I found it funny in the comics, but on screen, it wouldnāt have worked for me.
Like that's Drama Queen behaviour right there:
Dream: But she defied me.
Death: So you sentenced her to Hell.
Dream: ...yes.
It was interesting to see the difference in Deathās reaction when Dream announces heās going to Hell. While in the show, she tries to dissuade him from going, in the comics she simply accepts it, but has a stronger reaction once heās goneāshe sheds a tear. I donāt actually know what to make of it yet and will reflect on it further, but I think itās a combination of them humanising Death more in the show(at times), and comic!Death being more aware of his destructive tendencies. Though I have to say, which one of themāthe comics or the show versionāfeels more human varies I feel. But Iāll leave that for the Death discussion later this week.
Show!'s and comic!Lyta's situation at this point is pretty different. While in the show, Lyta was given actual information as to what was going on by both Dream and Rose, in the comics, no one told her anything, and she was left alone to deal with the aftermath, with no support & additional explanations that show!Lyta got from Rose. When Dream comes to visit Daniel, she doesn't even know who he is. And I don't know precisely how their paths diverge later on(I haven't read all the comics yet, but I do know Lyta properly loses it), so this'll be interesting to see.
Dynamics Between Siblings
Uffff many thoughts, but Iāll keep it short.
Delirium looks like she hasnāt integrated into the family in a way that others, no matter how reclusive(Dream) or antagonistic(Desire) they are, donāt. Everyone looks kind of uncomfortable with her presence and even Death, who in the comics puts a casual hand on her shoulders with a āHi, sis. How are you doing?ā is reserved and her smile is strained.
If you go looking for any glimpse of a bond Destiny has with any of them, funnily enough, my answer would be Delirium. This is probably the most emotion we see on him(that and when he begs Dream not to ask him where to find Destruction. And okay I guess when he tells Death she should change her clothes and when the Fates visit him, but my point still stands).
Despair and Destruction. They make me curious because we know absolutely nothing about how they were with each other, but at the meeting, Despair is, besides Delirium, the one who misses him the most(see: āI was hoping heād called.' āI miss him,ā a line that was originally given to Death in the comics, āAfter all, thereās only six of us now.ā āBut he would have made a joke about it or something.ā And when Del asks if they ever wonder where he is, if heās alright, and she immediately says āAll the time.ā). Even in season one, when Desire says they have news, she immediately asks if itās about the Prodigal. Just. :((
I wonder what the dynamic was between Dream and Destruction, because those two were passing the roles of older and younger sibling between them like a couple of hot potatoes. I wanna know what the actual age difference there is, because I think both are each otherās closest in age, and Iād think that create a sense of closeness. And the only hug Dream ever gets in the show is from him. And Destruction spoke to him, not anyone else, about his difficulties with his function.
While we get a lot of Dream-Desire(at least compared to most others, they still donāt have much screen time together), I know they were once each otherās favorite, and I so want to know what that was like. It would have been nice to get some throwaway line in the show about that, even if it wasnāt expanded upon, but Iām afraid it wouldnāt come up naturally in dialogue and weād just end up with more exposition.
Iāll end with Desire and Delirium, because while Desire constantly picks on Delirium, they also seemed genuinely concerned at the end of episode 4 when Delirium closed her realm(and when they say, āYou knew how fragile she was,ā? Uugh.) and they were the first Delirium went to about looking for Destruction. But at the same time, it also felt like they pushed Delirium to her breaking point only so they could blame Dream? I donāt know. But these two are complicated.
Honestly I could go on, but I gotta stop at one point.
Visuals
Iām just going to make a bullet point list, otherwise this post will never end.
Transition from the remaking of the castle to it being inside the sphere. Awesome. Also the following reference to comic panel nicely done.
Deliriumās walk in. From the tension the colors melting creates to when the boot hits the ground and the special effect there(I donāt know what itās called, but it fits perfectly). The unsettling music just completes the whole thing.
Dreamās eyes in the Nada flashback. Yes Iām a sucker for them so what.
When Nada finds Dream in the not-really-throne-room. Reminded me of Wakanda afterlife instantly. Love the whole set, the purple-orange combination of the fire and the night sky, how Dream is silhouetted and you canāt really see his face when he speaks, the echo, it all really gives the otherworldly vibe. And how the angle from which Dream is shot changes high to low as he goes from more-than-a-god, untouchable atop the stairs to vulnerable kneeling in front of Nada?(I was thinking about making a post about functions of different shot angles and how they are used to invoke different emotions with examples from the Sandman, if anyone would be interested?). They really did a great job on this one.
Transition from Nada and Dream kissing to the meteor
Subtle starry eyes right before he goes to visit Daniel Hall & his shots while he's talking to Lyta; also the shot from above when he leaves and she rushes to Daniel conveyed the urgency better than a regular shot would imo.
Dreamās Narration
Oh my god. Until I started writing the kick off post for this week, I didnāt even realize what a missed opportunity this was. Itās a story about stories. This was the perfect set up to have an in-show narrator. And Dream is the perfect narrator, stories are his domain. Like. Come on. It really would have given a different and unique vibe that would enhance the whole storytelling theme. And they could even throw in some of that exposition they seem to like that much.
Anya is live and ready to show you everything. Watch her strip, dance, and perform exclusive shows just for you. Interact in real-time and make your fantasies come true.
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@an-obsessed-cactus posted a poll in our Sandman community, and we thought it would be interesting to see how the figures compare to fandom on main (Iām reposting with their permission). It would be awesome if you could reblog so we can get a representative sample.
Have you read the comics and/or watched the show?
I both watched the show and read the comics
I watched the show but didn't read the comics
I didn't watch the show but read the comics
I watched the show and am reading the comics
I am watching the show and read the comics
I didn't watch the show and am currently reading the comics
I am currently watching the show and didn't read the comics
I started both and am in the process of reading/watching them
I didn't watch the show and started but didn't finish the comics
I started but didn't finish the show and didn't read the comics
I started both and didn't finish them
Voting ended onSep 6, 2025
If none of the options apply, pick the one thatās closest. There is no āneitherā because weāre only looking at people whoād consider themselves part of the fandom.
I've just finished reading The Tempest(the play Shakespeare and Morpheus talk about in s2ep11) and. I am really itching to stab something right now. It was bad enough when Morpheus talked about how he will never leave his island without the context of the play but. The Tempest is basically an everyone-lives fix-it fic I swear(it's a a good read btw y'all should check it out).
I wanted a tale of graceful ends. A play about a Duke who drowns his books, breaks his staff and leaves his home. About a magician who becomes a man. About a man who turns his back on magic.
It would have already been bad if the metaphor was with a tragedy, with parallelisms about duty and inability to change(as Shakespeare asks him, 'Why did you not want a tragedy, a tale of a noble hero with a tragic flaw?'). But no. Instead, they just had to contrast it with what Morpheus ultimately wantedāa tale of graceful ends: where everyone is happy and it all works out.
Don't let my angry-at-the-world attitude fool you, this is definitely meant as a compliment. I don't know if this was an addition in the show, as I'm working my way through the comics right now(but to me it's honestly a stroke of genius I wouldn't attribute to them. No offense meant, just don't see them like the type to go out of their way to include thought out Shakespeare references. My sincere apologies if I'm wrong), but oh my god I love it so much.
If they weren't clear before, the paragraph above states his wants in such a direct yet poignant way(yes I cried). He wants to be free of it. His duties and responsibilities. And he could be, he could choose to walk away from it all, but at the same time we know he never could because it goes against who he is. And yes, it's said out loud, but it's a far cry from the dialogue exposition that was common in season 2. If you know the show don't tell writing rule*: where the rest of the season was tell, this was show. With dialogue. Awesome.
Look, the parallel/antithesis isn't perfect. Prospero's and Morpheus' motivations and goals aren't the same. Still, in a way, Prospero gets everything Morpheus apparently wishes forāhe is rid of his powers, which for Morpheus are interchangeably linked to his duty. (About a magician who becomes a man. Ouch.) For Prospero though, it's almost a loss; not a heavy one, but rather he's letting go of something that only served to help him achieve his ultimate goal.
And don't get me started on Prospero as a storyteller that weaves the events of the play and the parallels there. Oh my god I just found another parallel with Morpheus and Prospero both orchestrating getting justice just. With vastly different outcomes for themselves in mind.
I have so much thoughts on this and could probably analyze it further and find even more interesting stuff, which is definitely there and was missed in my haste, and if I do, I'll add it later on(and if anyone else does or did, pls do share; it scratches a special itch in my brain). But I had to go scream about this somewhere.
*If you don't: the gist of show don't tell is in the title, but a good explanation isādon't tell us how a character is feeling; show it through their dialogue, body language... Clear examples of tell in Sandman were for example when Dream stated he was afraid to live in a world without Orpheus in it(we already know he loves him), or when Johanna said Morpheus was on a suicide mission. This was clearly shown when she said, 'I'm trying to save your life,' and Dream pointedly looked away(and in other ways I won't get into here).
