#also I think maybe he could have protected Hob but didn't want to reveal his powers

[dyns33]

In the stars and the Book

So people wanted a new Dream of the Endless story for today. I hope you will like it !

It was rare for Destiny to give advice.

For several good reasons, which his family understood well, even if they were sometimes annoyed or disappointed that he did not break the rules to help them in difficult times.

His interventions were never really his doing, but permitted by his Book, if not obligatory.

More than any other member of the Endless, Destiny was fully and entirely his function. He loved his siblings though.

He always showed a small, almost imperceptible smile when he had the opportunity to help his family, who always listened attentively.

This time, Dream was the lucky one who received a call from Destiny's gallery.

Of course he was going to answer, it was part of his responsibilities. He'd had some problems since the Magnus had captured him, freed himself, gotten his tools back, rebuilt his kingdom, and ever since he'd felt a little empty.

His brother's call could be excellent news, or the start of new troubles. But he was going to answer anyway.

As always, Destiny greeted him quickly, not leaving his book and not clearly answering his questions. This was not what was supposed to happen.

Then, when Dream was calmer, he finally looked at him.

“Y/N.”

"The witch ? What about her ?"

“You will know happiness, true happiness, until your end, after she gives you a kiss.”

Morpheus remained stoic as he knew how to do so well, despite the storm that was brewing within him. The people of the Dreaming must have been totally panicked, even if they were used to their creator being quite upset after an encounter with any Endless other than Death.

“Goodbye, little brother.” was the last thing Destiny said, already turning his back on him, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

His relationship with Y/N ​​had always been complicated. They had almost killed each other the first time they spoke. A real disaster. But she was still young, while he had yet to learn patience and empathy.

No doubt he was also too romantic, since he no longer even remembered the reason for their argument, but only her eyes full of passion, her hand on his cheek when she had the audacity to slap him, her perfume when she had vanished into thin air, vowing never to see him again.

They had seen each other again, several times, without ever doing it on purpose, as if fate was doing everything for them to end up together.

Over time, their exchanges had become more cordial, almost friendly. Dream had to recognize that Lucienne, Hob, his sister, many people had helped him a lot to realize the value of this little witch, who had also helped him on many occasions.

Yet he never thought he would feel love for Y/N. Admiration, affection, a need to protect her, but love ? Dream had often been in love. At least he thought he was.

It was true that each of his relationships had ended like shooting stars, passing very quickly, before burning and disappearing into nothingness.

His big brother had just revealed to him the secret of a certain, infinite happiness, a happiness that he seemed to deserve against all expectations, he who had ended up thinking that he was made to remain alone. There was no reason to hesitate.

Y/N clearly had some hesitations.

Despite his many advances, he still didn't seem to know that it was not proper for mortals to appear in a living room uninvited or unannounced.

First misstep, because it was not by scaring his sweetheart that he was going to succeed in seducing her. The poor thing even asked him what she had done, convinced that he was coming to punish her.

“I’m not here for ill reasons.” he tried to reassure her. "I needed to see you. It's been a long time, I forgot how beautiful you were, χαρα μου."

"… Is everything okay ? You need a spell and you're hoping it'll be for free ? You know, I heard what happened to you. It's not pity at all, but maybe I can lower my prices for you this time."

"Your concern touches me. But I don't need anything except you. I think we could be happy together."

"Wow. Okay, you're dying."

He was going to have to use all his wooing skills to get her to kiss him.

Certainly he could have kissed her, here, right away, but his brother had been clear. It was she who had to give him this liberating kiss.

Even though Dream was now sure of his feelings, Y/N probably needed a little more time. She hadn't received Destiny's advice.

Despite all his many improvements since his release, patience had never been Dream's strong point. Yet he was literally the expectation, the hope, all the ideas, the stories, the fantasies of humanity. Not getting the promised happiness right away shouldn't have bothered him so much.

Plus, beginnings were always the most exciting part. Observe Y/N responding positively to his advances, his compliments, his gifts. However, she remained suspicious, expecting a game or a disguised exchange of good behavior.

The witch set traps for him, to reveal his true intentions. The master of nightmares found this charming and amusing at first. Then Morpheus was a little hurt and exasperated that she didn't seem as infatuated with him as he was with her.

"… You say you love me ?"

"Indeed."

"Since when ? The last time we parted, I stole several of your books and you threatened to hang me. Fortunately your librarian likes me. I returned the books to her by the way. I don't t think we can be together, we'll end up tearing each other's heads off."

"It has to happen though. Destiny said we were meant to be together."

"… What ?"

The news did not please the little witch at all. She was making fun of him, but she wasn't necessarily having a bad time. Their arguments had become like a form of dance, a nuptial ritual.

Why did he always have to ruin everything ? He, the prince of stories, really had a problem with his choice of words.

He tried to hold her back, explaining that what his brother said had to happen, it wasn't his fault.

Seeing the tears in her eyes silenced him. The last thing he wanted to be hurt her, this vision pierced his heart.

"I can't believe I could be so stupid."

"You don't understand… We can be happy, together. Love each other."

"No. I loved you. And I thought maybe you loved me too, finally. But you're here out of obligation, like always. I never want to see you again ! I'm serious this time !"

There was no spell in the world that could hide a being thinking of Dream of the Endless. Those who thought always ended up dreaming, entering his kingdom.

Yet he left her sleep in peace, the rare times Y/N closed her eyes, trembling every night at the idea of ​​finding him in her dreams.

He wondered if she was right. If he only chased after her because his brother had put him on this path, and not by choice. By feeling. It was true that he hadn't asked himself the question before Destiny called him, and he had rushed straight to the front of his happiness.

Now that he was fully taking the time to think about it, knowing that the witch had loved him in silence all this time, that he had hurt her, that she deserved better than that, he thought that he had undoubtedly always loved her more than the others.

He loved her so much that he kept his distance, because everyone he wanted ended up leaving him, suffering, or dying. And he didn't want that for her, never for her. His tender Y/N, brave, intelligent, lively little witch. Who treated him normally, standing up to him without fear, making him see his missteps.

A whole week passed, before he showed up at her place, this time knocking on the door and waiting for it to open.

He raised his hand in a peace sign as soon as their eyes met, making no move to try and enter.

"χαρα μου… I'm sorry. For my behavior, and for my presence here, when you clearly expressed your hatred for me. But I owed you this apology, and as punishment, I agree not to see you again. Thus, I condemn myself to never knowing happiness, which I do not deserve after all. My brother did not say that you could not be happy with another. Just know that I loved every moment spent with you, and I will cherish them until the end. If it wasn't happiness, it looked like it."

"… Is this a ruse to get me to fall under your spell again ?"

"No. I still find it hard to believe that you could have loved a being such as myself. I don't think I would have ever imagined it, even in my wildest creations. My brother must have known, he who knows all."

"Hob says you're a sweet fool, full of pride, but with just as much kindness, fear and humanity deep down."

“I will have to think about visiting my dear friend very soon.” Dream said while keeping a stoic face.

This made Y/N laugh. Her magnificent laugh, accompanied by a smile that she gave him too rarely. He would populate the nights of many dreamers tonight.

But for now, Morpheus wondered if he was awake, seeing her continue to smile at him, placing her hand on his cheek. They had never touched each other like this, not once, since their first meeting.

"Don't sulk, it wasn't a criticism. I knew I could only love you when he assured me that you weren't as terrible as you showed yourself. A facade, necessary because of your status."

“I’m not sulking, I’m not…”

The kiss was quick. Morpheus would remember it until his sister took the whole universe with her. Those lips on his. All this love, for him, all this time, contained in a simple kiss.

He remained as still as a marble statue, which made her smile again. Then Y/N kissed him on the cheek this time, whispering that they could go to the New Inn for a drink, before closing the door.

"… Boss ?"

“Yes Matthew ?”

"You've been here for three hours, people on the street are starting to notice you. Are you going to stay long ?"

“Until my love came out and we went to the New Inn for a drink.”

"Yeah, I don't know if your brother helped you or not, but if the witch finds it cute and not creepy, that will be proof that you two are indeed meant to be together."

Y/N found this both creepy and adorable. The poor raven returned to the Dreaming with a sigh to announce the great news, although the bright sky was not unwelcome.

It was very often a magnificent weather in the future, and until the end.

[gabessquishytum]

Lucifer kidnapping Hob to show off their new pet human at their birthday party, then Dream showing up in order to win back his helm has so much potential. Like there are so many things that Lucifer could make Dream or Hob do in that situation. How would Dream react initially? Half of me wants him to be perfectly stoic and the other half wants him to react the exact same way he's drawn in the comics reaction to his realm having been destroyed.

I can see so much negotiation between Dream and Lucifer, and Hob doesn't understand half of what they are saying.

Dream: This immortal is under my protection, you must return him to me

Lucifer: You missed your meeting with him in 1989, I think that removes any claim you might have on him

Dream: I did not miss it of my own free will as you very well know, Lucifer Morningstar

Lucifer: Be that as it may, the laws of hell dictate that your claim is void

Dream: He is also under Death's protection, you might not think my claim valid, but do you deny her claim?

Lucifer: Where is she then? If she wishes to prove her claim on this human, then she should speak for herself

Hob is watching the negotiations with interest and confusion because why are there three different cosmic entities fighting over him. He's also processing many things at once, like the fact that Dream is currently trying to free him from hell, and the fact that he didn't miss the meeting intentionally (then why did he miss the meeting????? Hob is very concerned)

Meanwhile Lucifer is very interested. They did not know that Dream of the Endless was so attached to this mortal, the fact that he's currently in hell practically naked, on a leash, and is a human pet for Lucifer's birthday party, is a total coincidence. But they are very interested, how far would Dream go for this human? They definitely want to find out.

Dream is genuinely not sure what to do. He is in hell, with only his sand and a very stubborn raven, trying to negotiate with both Choronzon for the helm, and Lucifer for Hob. And he fears that just by revealing his claim on Hob and trying to negotiate for his freedom, he has let his cards slip just enough that Lucifer has an even bigger advantage over him than when he started.

I have a few ideas for how Dream wins Hob and the helm back. One of which is that Choronzon, who would normally challenge Dream to the oldest game, but given the mood of the party.. challenges him to let Hob, a human, fuck his face while humping his leg like a dog. Now this was mostly in attempt to demean and humiliate Dream as much as possible. Little does Choronzon know how little the act in itself bothers Dream, like sure maybe it's not his preference to be having sex in hell as entertainment for Lucifer and those they invited to their party, but as a trade for the helm it certainly could have been a lot worse.

So Dream agrees before Lucifer has a chance to say anything, because they too know how little phases Dream. Dream has always seen himself as a sort of tool for the greater good, mostly this leads to lots of self sacrificing and self destructive behavior on his part, but it also leads to him having no shame along side his pride.

Hob is not sure how to react to Dream kneeling before him. The person he knew had to be a god of some sort, who had always carried himself with so much pride. In all of Hob's fantasies, he never expected that Dream would be the one on his knees, even if it was because of a deal he made with a demon. He had no say in any of this, but he's never really been opposed to sex with Dream and well, if this is his only chance, he's going to take it, even if they are in hell serving as Lucifer's entertainment. And as much as Hob would prefer to be gentle with Dream (cause he's not a fool, Dream looks like he could really use some soft emotional sex), he's well aware that being gentle won't cut it when Lucifer is their audience. So when Dream leans in to take Hob's cock into his mouth, Hob puts Dream's hand to his thigh and tells him to squeeze if it gets too much.

Dream of course, was not expecting that kindness, he would have thought that Hob would be too eager to get out of hell to bother with such things. But also, the very idea that anything that Hob could do to him would be too much for him, he finds very funny, so he just smirks at Hob, puts one of Hob's hands in his hair and then leans in to lick the head of Hob's cock.

Lucifer isn't fooled by their performance though, they know that it takes a lot more than that to humiliate Dream of the Endless. Luckily for them, the deal was only made for Dream's helm, meaning that they get their own turn with having both Dream and Hob (nearly) at their mercy. And Lucifer and Dream have a long history, they are in a unique position to know exactly what gets to Dream.

Of course, whatever they decide to do, it ends with Dream strutting out of hell the same smug shit he was when he walked into hell, but this time with both his helm and Hob in tow. Hob and Matthew are both not sure what to think

🪐

Thank you for sharing your ideas on this one!! I agree, it could go so many ways. I like the way you've outlined it - although I must say I feel bad for poor Matthew. All this sex stuff is NOT what he was expecting on the second day of his job!

Lucifer may know Dream very well indeed (intimately well, let's be realistic) but they don't really know Hob at all. Hob has had plenty of sinful thoughts and deeds under his belt for his entire life, and no doubt he belongs in hell, but Lucifer can't really get inside his mind. Hob is alive, human, and he also happens to have a fair bit of good in him too. Lucifer can't wrap their head around him. Whatever they order Hob to do, he seems unbothered. Nothing is too humiliating or degrading. Hob just says something like "I practically lived in a fet club in the 1990s, this is kinda tame by comparison?" Lucifer tries to torture Hob with images and illusions, but he's just like "eh, I've had nightmares much worse than this!" While Dream preens and watches on with quite a sense of pride. Seems like there's nothing Hob wouldn't do to secure a place out of hell at Dream’s side.

Even if Lucifer themself challenges Hob to play the oldest game with them, he can't die. And I think we all know that determination would will out against all that anti-life bullshit. Just imagine Lucifer's face when they get two bratty bows from Dream and Hob. It's enough to make anyone quit their job and go to open up a club in LA...

[rey-jake-therapist]

Hob Gadling's wives and girlfriends, the forgotten women of The Sandman

DISCLAIMER: the following posts contains major spoilers for Season of Mists, World's Ends, The Kindly Ones and The Wake.

A couple of weeks I told @writing-for-life my next meta would be about the women who shared Hob's life. There's not much to work on in the comics for most of them, but the fact remains that they exist and that Hob probably loved them all. And his second wife in particular, Margaret/Peggy aka Jim, had a story dedicated to her journey, in World's Ends.

Hob's canon romances always interested me because these women were all mortals, while he was not. We know he had at least one kid who died, and he saw almost all his lovers/wives die while knowing he would never follow them in the grave unless he wanted it. We didn't see it happen with Gwen, but it will, eventually.

It makes me wonder: how does he do it? How does he manage to be completely invested in a relationship knowing that the people he loves will all grow old and die, while he will stay the same and live forever? I would have loved it if the comics had him discussing that, and I still hope in the show he will. We never saw what his last conversation with Hob was, after all... I like to think that Dream stayed a bit longer than usual with Hob, and that they opened up about their respective lives and experiences with love. Audrey is still alive and probably in Hob's life at this point, it would be nice if she showed up, met Dreams and asked him embarrassing questions... but I digress haha

Before I continue I'd like to confess that not being a shipper, I don't read Dreamling fics - I rarely read fics revolving a ship in general... I prefer Morpheus x oc or non romantic fics -, so any comment I can make about the fandom is based on what I see on social media, and not on fanfic contents. I'm sure that Hob's wives and girlfriends are often evoked and maybe sometimes, even more developed there than they are in canon.

Hob's first wife: Eleanor

Eleanor's just a portrait, we don't know much about her except that Hob probably cared about her since in the show he still calls her "my Eleanor" long after she died.

She exists only to show that Hob's situation stabilized after he started making money. Also, their son's death and hers may have been the first time that it hit Hob in the head that while he could live forever, he couldn't prevent his loved ones from dying. The loss of his family affected him very much and yet, he still wanted to live. I'll probably write a meta later about how his situation purposely mirrors Morpheus', about how they both lost everything they loved at some point but reacted in a completely different manner.

Hob's second wife: Peggy/Jim

We meet Margaret/Peggy/Jim in World's End. She pretends to be a man hence why she calls herself Jim, as she did during all the trip during which she met Hob Gadling. It's quite obvious that she did it for safety issues, as she would have probably not been allowed to travel on a boat let alone work on one if she had revealed as girl without a chaperon, and she clearly enjoyed the freedom and advantages she got as passing for a man. It's good to emphasize how brave she was to do that, as if her secret had gone out it could have put her in great danger.

Hob was the only one who saw through her, but he protected her secret. He also confirmed her doubts that he was much older than he seemed, a secret she protected as well. It seems she never believed he was immortal though - see the part about Audrey - .They bonded over having secrets they could possibly not reveal to anyone else, so it's a really sweet love story.

Later, in The Kindly Ones, we learn that Peggy died in his arms, during the Blitz. If they had kids, he doesn't say, but it's obvious he loved her very much and was deeply affected by her death, as he says on Audrey's grave, in The Kindly Ones, that Audrey's the first woman he was with since Peggy died.

Now I know that certain fans want Peggy to be trans or non-binary because she disguises as a man and asks to be called Jim. It's generally not as much because they care about her character or representation,than because it would make Hob canonically queer. Now I have no problem with anyone's headcanons: there are no right or wrong headcanon, no stupid or offensive ones - as long as they're not hateful, homophobic, racist, transphobic etc. - and whatever makes people feel represented and happy is fine by me. That said, I personally believe it's a bit simplistic to reduce a woman's refusal to follow societal norms to her being a man or non-binary, but again, whatever floats your boat guys.

I personally think that Peggy/Jim was written as a strong young woman who wanted to travel and see the world, knew she couldn't do that if she was seen as a woman, so she disguised as a man, took a man's name and enjoyed the role because let's be honest: the life for white men during this period was wayyyyyy funnier and easier than for women. What do you mean, it still is? I don't understand, are you saying institutional patriarchy is still very much a thing? *pretends to be shocked*.

You can find many stories like Peggy/Jim's in modern literature, and of course, in real life!

As for Hob, he knew Peggy was a woman quite early, and when he talks about her on Audrey's grave he says "Peg' ", not "Jim", which tells me he kept seeing her as a woman. But again, that's my headcanon and I won't argue about that, I just feel like Peggy/Jim deserves better than being discussed solely regarding Hob's sexuality. Her story is one of my favorite in the comics :)

Talking about the particular subject of Hob's sexuality is immortal and even though the comics doesn't mention any male boyfriend, he seems open minded and hedonistic enough to have at least tried... I always headcanoned Hob Gadling as pansexual, because it doesn't make sense to me that a man who lived for hundred of years would be straight, simply.

I really hope that the show will give us Peggy/Jim's story on screen, she highly deserves it. I love this character, I just wish it would be clearer in the comics that she's the future Mrs Gadling... I learned through social media that the Peg' he mentioned on Audrey's grave was the Peggy he met in World's Ends. It's very confusing, the way it's written.

Hob Gadling's girlfriends

We of course don't know every girlfriend that Hob had, in the comics we're just introduced to two: Audrey, and Gwen. We learn a couple of other names in The Kindly Ones though: Lisabet and Anne.

Audrey

Audrey's another woman who's never part of the conversations, yet the panel dedicated to Hob's reaction to her death is the first panel that made Hob sympathetic to me. But whenever this panel is discussed, everything that's related to Audrey is ignored so the focus is entirely on Hob's concern for Morpheus. Before I read the comics, I had no idea that Hob had just buried his lover, and begged Morpheus to resurrect her because the pain of losing her was too hard to handle.

A bit like for Margaret/Peggy/Jim, it's not clear at all that in Season of Mists, the woman we see with Hob in bed is Audrey, the woman whose grave he visits in The Kindly Ones.

It's really in The Kindly Ones that we can see how much he cared for Audrey, as he cared for all the lovers he had before but died. The reaction he has, he admits it himself, responds to a question we probably all asked: does he ever get used to it? Become insensitive, with time?

The answer's no:

I always wondered why Morpheus visited him at this moment: was it because he felt his pain and wanted to be here for him? Or was it because he wanted to say one last goodbye and it happened to coincide with the moment Hob was drowning in his grief? Was it because he himself needed a friend, more than ever?

Anyway he certainly didn't expect Hob's request. For the first time that we know of, Hob asked Dream to use his supernatural powers. Hob, the immortal who saw all the people he knew die, not only wasn't used to it but asked Dream basically the same thing as Orpheus asked him: help him to get his lover back. It must have been very painful for Dream, but poor Hob couldn't know that. I doubt he even knew that Dream had once been married and had a son.

So yeah, afterwards he runs after Morpheus and tries to make him confide in him, he even feels his friend's death is imminent and he shows a deep concern, but that's not all that this panel is about. I think it's about saying that no matter how old you are, how many lives you lived, how many people you loved and loved you.... The death of a loved one is always painful.

2. Gwen

Gwen is Hob's last girlfriend that we know of. She's also, in his own admission, the first Black woman he dates. Considering that Hob used to be an enthusiastic slave trader who needed an ethereal entity to tell him that slavery was wrong to think that he should find another way to become rich, I find this information.... interesting. After 600 years, it was about time... did he refuse to date Black women because of guilt for what he did? Or because he remained racist for a long time and didn't think Black women were worth his attention?

I feel very protective of Gwen, first because I dislike how she was written as a moral caution for Hob, as she absolves him for his sins but without knowing the extent of his sins - she has no idea he's immortal and was a slave trader - . When she appears in the show - and I really hope she will! - , I hope she'll be written in a way that she doesn't exist solely for Hob to express his guilt while being too coward to tell her the truth about what he did.

I was going to say something very personal about me, but I'm not sure the comparison I want to make would work, so I prefer keeping it for me, finally. If anyone's interested in knowing me better they can join me in private though :)

The second reason why I'm very protective of her is that as Audrey, on social media she's generally treated as non existent by the fandom - who focuses entirely on Hob's grief regarding Morpheus' death - . I recently saw a wish regarding Gwen that made my blood boil and almost made me hit the 'deactivate' button, but I'm not here to start a war, let alone to point fingers. I just really wish some people paid more attention to what they wrote, because some stuff I've read these last days came off as very insensitive.

And I'll conclude with one last panel featuring the gorgeous Gwen:

Also tagging @violetoftheendless and @tickldpnk8 , in case you're interested in discussing this subject :)

[orionsangel86]

I came across a post today that asks the question why fandom despises Thessaly so much for being a TERF when fandom is so happy to ship Dreamling and make Hob a central character when he was a slaver in the 1700s.

I did think of reblogging the post directly and adding my thoughts to it, but I get the impression that the OP and their circle would not welcome my comments and I don't want to put them on blast to wider fandom either. They are well within their rights to their opinions and their anger towards wider fandom, which lets be honest certainly includes its fair share of racism and misogyny.

But I also wondered if maybe this post of mine had some part to play in that post. It was a very critical post towards fandom and people wanting Thessaly cut from the show, and implied that fandom will happily cut out and proudly hate on transphobic characters, but turns a blind eye to racism and makes a literal slaver their protagonist.

So I wanted to delve into this a bit deeper and go some way to explaining my viewpoint on this. I'm not here to cause discourse or arguments, hence me keeping to my corner on my own post, but perhaps if this does come across some people who saw the other post its a worthy contender for explanation - as well as maybe a defence of myself if the above post was partly the inspiration for it.

Under a cut as it gets long.

The comments I want to address specifically are about how the OP and their circle see no difference between Thessaly and Hob. In their eyes, Hob Gadling is just as horrible as Thessaly, and deserves to be cut from the show more than she does. They view Hobs position in the story as minor and non relevant to Dream's arc, compared to Thessaly who plays a significant role in his narrative.

This is where I disagree with them. I wrote the above post because I was looking at the story through an adaptation lense. It's a Doylist viewpoint of a difficult character to adapt to a wider audience. I may have been a bit heavy handed on the "because she's a TERF" narrative but to stress this isn't the primary reason why she should be cut. I also want to make it clear that when writing the above meta, aside from one comment about immortality being a motivation for Thessaly, Hob Gadling didn't even cross my mind.

The above meta is nothing to do with Hob or Dreamling. It's in fact a big advocate for canon Morphanna more than anything else, so I want to make it clear that there is no "getting rid of Thessaly to make room for Dreamling" about it. As much as literally ALL corners of this fandom want to make EVERYTHING about Dreamling for good or for bad, this post ain't one of em.

So why hate on Thessaly and not Hob? Well I think that's pretty simple actually.

One was able to change where the other wasn't.

The problem with Thessaly is that at no point does she even remotely attempt to be a decent person. At no point does she try to develop, to grow a moral compass, to do the right thing. She is a murderous transphobic witch when she is introduced, and she is still a murderous transphobic witch at the end of the story - I haven't read the Thessaly comics and have no intention too - non Gaimanverse Sandman does not interest me - so I don't know if she finds a conscience in those but thats irrelevant to the Sandman story anyway.

The reason Thessaly as a character annoyed me SO much when I first read the comics was because at literally every single point, every choice she makes is selfish, harmful to others, and cruel at times. She just doesn't care about people. At all. She's the epitome of a selfish person and she gets away unharmed at the end. When she was protecting Lyta in TKO I hoped that it would be revealled that she was helping her out of some empathy, or because of her feelings for Dream and wanting to get back at him, or just, I don't know, ANY emotional input here Thessaly would be nice but nope. It was just so she could get more years of life from the Kindly Ones. She has no relationships with other people, no connections beyond what she can gain from others, she only shows emotion when she is angry and murderous, and otherwise is just kind of dead between the eyes.

The reason why this person with these specific character traits would be hard to adapt isn't because she would make a bad villain - Thessaly would make a brilliant villain - you just gotta look at Esther Finch in DBDA to see what Thessaly COULD be (if she had ANY rizz at all lol). No, the reason she is hard to adapt is because keeping her exactly as she is in the comic AND making her the show protagonists only current love interest just isn't doable and wouldn't work in a show where every effort has already gone into making Dream more likeable and palatable to a wider audience. Even old school comic book fans don't like Thessaly and are confused by the way the comic treats Dream's relationship with her. None of it makes sense in the comic, so how is it gonna look in the show?

Even if you drastically changed Thessaly in the show to make her more palatable it would be a struggle because her arc as villain AND as love interest conflict so much. If you chose one but cut the other it reduces her character and changes the story. It makes more sense to cut her and replace her with a magic user who is already known to the audience who has chemistry with Dream whilst still being slightly antagonistic towards him when their motives don't align. Hence me once again circling back to Johanna being a better fit.

I am sure there are plenty of ways they could explore Thessaly in canon if they wanted to, but Johanna is right there. So why is Thessaly needed when Johanna would fit her arc perfectly AND add an emotional lense to it which would add depth and better conflict between the characters. There is no conspiracy here. No desire to cut her and replace her with fucking HOB. The two are completely separate conversations and the attempts to compare them as some social commentary on fandom feeling on transphobia vs fandom feeling on racism isn't really fair in my opinion.

But lets talk about Hob Gadling. Sure, like enough essays haven't already been written about this guy. Why does fandom not want him sent to the cutting room floor like Thessaly? Well for starters he has a completely different role in the story that can't really be replaced the same way. Hob is a symbol of change. He is positioned as a narrative foil to Dream in many ways. Quite simply, the Thessaly problems in adaptation don't exist for Hob.

This is a show about change, and about the protagonists inability to change. It is fitting then that we are introduced to a character who makes change his entire personality. The point of Hob is that he is adaptive to his environment and is able to survive and thrive because of change - either for good or for bad. Hob is also a symbol for humanity - or at least a specific type of white European humanity and how that specific demographic has evolved over time. What Hob does in the story is show Dream how important change can be. It's also fitting that he desires to keep living and manages to find joy in life no matter what whereas Dream seeks out Death in all its/her forms and struggles to find any joy at all in his function and being. It is through Hob and Hob's growth and change that Dream finds a friend in him, and through Hob, Dream comes to love humanity in a way he didn't before. I cannot think of another character that could replace Hob in this very specific role.

Yes, Hob was a slaver. Emphasis on was. The comic tries very hard to show that Hob is not who he was, and by the end it is made textually clear that not only does he deeply regret his role in the slave trade, but that he is absolutely not racist at all in the modern era. I think this is the part that people who want to hate on Hob like to pretend isn't true. They talk about him as if he is still a slaver, still a racist, and still therefore completely worse than all other characters in the story. Yes what he did was absolutely horrific and I am not saying he is redeemable here. The comic doesn't allow him redemption. He admits himself that he can never make reparations for what he has done. But this is the glaring difference between him and Thessaly, this is the bit that the people comparing them fail to acknowledge.

Hob regrets. Thessaly does not.

Hob has changed, and wishes he could undo his actions. Thessaly has no such considerations.

Hob may have been a slaver, but as history moved on so did he, and he changed and based on what we learn about him in Hob's Leviathan and Sunday Mourning appears to have become a better person.

Thessaly is just as much a transphobe at the end of the story as she was at the beginning. She shows no remorse and no indication that she has grown or become a better person. She gets away unscathed and unbothered by the events that unfolded and it is infuriating that she does not learn. She does not care. She gets away with all her crimes whilst others died.

This is why I find it difficult to view the two characters under the same banner. I have seen a few posts of this nature claiming Hob is just as bad if not worse than Thessaly, but in my opinion, a characters ability to accept responsibility and feel regret and guilt for their past actions is a far better character than one who doesn't change, doesn't grow, and doesn't ever show remorse or regret.

If Hob was shown in the comic to have not changed, and to have not cared about his past actions - say for instance he was bragging about all the money he made in the 1700s and how those were the good old days! Wish the world would go back to how it was back then! Then I think that would be absolutely horrible and I would be the first person to state that the character needed to be changed or cut from the show because how could Dream be friends with someone who was clearly a white supremacist? How does that look for our protagonist who is supposed to be likeable! But the thing is that Hob HAS changed, and he HATES the past. If you pay any attention to the way Hob talks throughout the comics you'll find that at every opportunity Hob bemoans the past and is excited for the future.

But Thessaly doesn't look good for Dream. Because she is STILL a transphobe. STILL a murderer. STILL a selfish evil witch. Dream courting her and making her his lover is an absolutely batshit insane choice for the show to make. So I stand by my above meta. I don't know what direction the show will take, and if they have cast Thessaly and it turns out she is a brilliant new character and love interest then fine (at least give her some Esther Finch charisma please). But I refuse to accept this accusation that by wanting Thessaly cut and not Hob that this is some glaring example of fandom double standards and racism. It boggles the mind and of course, as always, everyone is forgetting the real reason for my original post - MORPHANNA. It's never been about Thessaly, not really, it's just about me being a rabid Morphanna shipper and wanting them to be canon. So by all means come at me with all the reasons Morphanna is problematic because I would LOVE to hear it.

The Problem With Thessaly

I’m sure plenty of fans would agree with me that there are certain elements of the Sandman comics that are going to be very difficult to adapt for television. I don’t envy the mammoth task Neil and the creative team on the show have ahead of them. But one element in particular which has been on my mind frequently is how they are going to introduce Thessaly to our screens.

It’s not just that she’s a TERF. It’s that she’s a cold, cruel, selfish, and inconsiderate bitch who only ever thinks about herself. Oh yeah, and she’s a huge TERF. There isn’t a single likeable element to her.

And yet.

We are supposed to somehow believe that our main protagonist, idiotic as he may sometimes be, depressed and seriously down on his luck as he is, will fall head over heels in love with her.

Sorry. But it ain’t happening. Something has gotta change. So here are my thoughts on how they could fix the Thessaly Problem.

Under a cut for comic spoilers (and its a bit long)

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