#dream gets reincarnated as a human with no memories of being an endless after tko

[deliriiuumm]

instead of working, i wrote a summary for the dreamling post-canon time loop au that only exists in my head

Something strange is happening: every time Morpheus leaves his mini birthday celebration at The New Inn, he dies and comes back like a stupid video game character.

Is it all in his head? Why does Hob Gadling feel like an old friend? Why is his little sister talking to flying goldfish? Why does he keep tumbling down the stairs? And what the fuck is an “Endless”? 

It’s either he’s spiralling into madness or the universe is fucking with him. Either way, he needs a drink. And maybe a hug. Lots of them, actually.

[deliriiuumm]

dreamling post-canon time loop au headcanons

I honestly can’t believe we don't have a wealth of Dreamling post-canon time loop AUs. There's so much untapped potential in them & let me tell you why they slap (MAJOR COMIC SPOILERS AHEAD):

Imagine Dream being reincarnated as a human after TKO but has no memories of being an Endless. Imagine him being trapped in a time loop that is a metaphor for unresolved issues & self-punishment. Imagine him accidentally pulling Hob into the time loop & experiencing the inherent romanticism of watching his lover from his past life die in his arms while trying to fix his mistakes over & over again. 

How do they break the loop? By confronting their past issues & forgiving themselves. That's right, enforced character development & therapy via time loop, baby!

For your consideration:

Reincarnated Human!Dream & Johanna are childhood besties who like getting drinks at The New Inn owned by none other than Hob Gadling (who may or may not have been Dream's lover in his past life)

Dream doesn't remember Hob but he feels like an old friend & he feels safe with him

Random & headache-inducing flashbacks: “You take care of yourself"/ “Thank you… I shall”

Number of deaths:  ∞; Cause of death: tumbling down the stairs 💀

Enter Delirium who disguised herself as Reincarnated!Dream's human little sister because she missed him terribly & she's sick of losing her siblings 😢

“I want my brother to be okay, I don’t want him to get hurt” 💔

Hob's POV after The Wake: living on deliriously after losing his oldest friend, the one he thought he'd spend his immortality with. What would be left of the world without his old stranger, his beloved, and only confidante? How did he cope with grief? Did he cope at all?

[Narrator voice] He did not, in fact, cope well at all.

Post-Wake flashback: Hob dropping to his knees, screaming in anguish, and begging Dream to haunt him

The past begins to unravel in bits & pieces: a field of red flowers, bloodstained hands, a whiplash across his cheek, and the comforting touch of Death's hand. Nothingness. 

The deaths become more violent as Dream starts remembering the past. Being in so much pain, he's going mad. "Morpheus, we're dying again."

Objects and people start to disappear into the void. If they die one more time, will they come back? Or will they simply disappear into oblivion? 

Time loops are within Father Time's domain. Does he have anything to do with this or is it a cosmic anomaly?

Where do the Endless fit into all of this? Can they interfere or not? Will they be willing to? Or will they let Dream sort it all out as he did in the fishbowl?

And lastly: Dream vs. the Final Boss aka Death. Dream holding Hob as he dies in his arms for what may be the last time, filled with unfiltered rage as he summons and confronts Death of the Endless. 

That's all for now. I have many other headcanons for this AU that I hope to string together into one coherent fic. 

If you have some Dreamling/ Sandman time loop headcanons, I'd love to hear them!