#gadlads

[notallsandmen]

1889 soft dom Hob pointing sternly with a cigar is giving me Emotions

[littledreamling]

I love the thought of Hob spending the 90s (1990s, that is) hooking up with every pale emo/goth/punk Dream lookalike he could find to deal with the fact that he got stood up

But consider: after the very first time he had sex with one of those men, all miles of pale skin and dark hair and blue eyes that were just slightly the wrong shade, Hob spends an hour in the shower trying to wash every trace of the encounter from his skin, from his mouth, from his bones. Because he had promised his Stranger that he would wait, even if it was a promise only he had heard. He had promised his Stranger that they were friends and that he didn’t need anything more than his Stranger’s presence. And here he was, seeking out people who look exactly like him, people who are also strangers, but will never be strangers in the way his Stranger is. In some small way, he has pushed for more, if only by association, and he immediately hates himself for it. Hates the way that he knows the name of the man in his bed and wishes he didn’t. Hates the way he can still hear the man’s choked-off gasps as he came down Hob’s throat and his voice wasn’t deep enough, wasn’t otherworldly enough; it was just a man’s voice and nothing more. Hates that the man didn’t call him Hob because Hob isn’t going by Hob this time around. Hates that he’s used an innocent person to project his own selfish and unwanted desires onto. He hates himself for pushing and for looking for distractions and most of all, for wanting

[hardly-an-escape]

here’s an angsty little thought I had last night that won’t leave me alone:

picturing a follow up to Dream and Hob’s meeting, during which Dream confesses his romantic feelings for Hob; assuming based on the meeting in 1889 and on Hob’s description of 1989 and on his willingness to wait another 33 years that those feelings must be returned. but instead, Hob admits with a bittersweet smile that he’s seeing someone, actually. and it’s serious.

because personally I just don’t think Hob would never have another serious partner – or even spouse – even after losing Eleanor. (maybe no more kids… but definitely another partner.) That Man is just sooo husband shaped, I get major serial monogamist vibes from him, he likes having someone in bed next to him at night. and hot-smiley-longhaired-professor-in-a-leather-jacket Hob is a CATCH lbr.

so let’s say someone caught him. someone beat Dream to the punch. someone kind and worthy and gentle, someone who’s a catch in their own right.

and it makes Dream so happy, because when you love someone all you really want is for them to be happy, and there’s no denying that Hob looks happy. and it makes Dream so, so sad, because all he can think as Hob describes his partner with such a loving smile is – it could have been him. if only he hadn’t been so frightened, if only he hadn’t been so weak, if only Roderick Burgess hadn’t had that one lucky day and the subsequent century of misery.

and Hob is similarly torn, because he does love this person and it’s a joy to tell his oldest friend about that love, as it is always a joy to tell about one’s love. and his heart twists inside him also, because he’s not not in love with Dream, even now, and now the thought of what might have been is worming into his gut and coiling there uncomfortably.

and so they’re at this emotional standstill, because Dream can tamp his feelings down and lock them away (or try to), but he cannot stay away from Hob, not after finding him again after all this time, so he keeps visiting, torturing himself, not realizing that he is also torturing Hob a little bit every time.

because Hob is happy, is the thing, and even if he wasn’t he refuses to break his partner’s heart just because Dream came back, but every time Dream spends the afternoon, every time they laugh about something that happened hundreds of years ago, every time he sees Dream catch himself smiling a little too broadly and folding it away, Hob’s own heart breaks just a little bit more with a longing he won’t allow himself.

[landwriter]

I can't believe this is your first time dipping into creative writing. Your skills are insane, you're so frickin talented. Everything you write is just so good and effortless? I'm shook.

Also, 100% agree that this fandom is so cool and friendly and we can all just collectively scream at each other lol I love writing fanfiction but it's so rare to find a fandom that actually inspires me and keeps me excited. I hope it lasts well into the new year haha.

<3

thank you so much! if what I write seems good that's great, and if what I write seems effortless that's an incredible fuckin coup because I can promise it is Hugely Effortful (not in a bad way but like...there's no two ways about it haha! i am clinically incapable of not Trying My Very Hardest - dw i'm working on it)

I love this fandom and honestly while this is my first time writing fic of any kind, it's not my first time picking up a hobby, and at even like, two months and change of consistently Doing It, I've already outlasted a lot of stuff I've picked up in the past. I hope it lasts well into the new year for us both <3

[nelsonbeauchejason]

[SIDE; JOKE] 18,

Narration (echo)

[notallsandmen]

I’m slightly obsessed with this article on ”The Erotics of Trent Reznor” by Jude Ellison S. Doyle

[littledreamling]

oops my Hob angst fic is now over 2k words and still doesn’t have a name 🫠

[landwriter]

As the head of the official gadlad religious angst subcommittee, I’d like to humbly bring forth the following topic for consideration:

The bible that Hob grew up listening to in his local parish is not the same bible that is used today, not by a long shot. It’s numerous translations are, for the most part, mistranslations. Hob would’ve grown up listening to the bible being read in Latin (though we won’t even get into all that’s involved in the conversation regarding the original Hebrew, the original Greek, or the incredibly racist and antisemitic Humanist movement to understand the bible as it was written, though I think Hob would’ve been very involved in said movement) so I think Hob would find any modern bible in English to be almost unusable as a translation because it’s been butchered so badly from its original form. And then to see it being used so widely and forcefully to back up prejudiced and hateful arguments against communities (any communities, but especially those that Hob is a part of) would enrage and severely disappoint him in equal measure. Whether or not Hob is religious still (and I’ve made posts arguing both sides), he would find it incredibly distasteful that people were using bad faith translations to support horrendous arguments. As an academic, a historian, and a Christian, it would disgust him to see his childhood religious text so mangled, both by constant translations and by those who would misuse the words within it

[slaps hood of car that is hob gadling] this baby can fit so much translation anguish in it

[littledreamling]

🌹

The last (ish*) line of my latest wip:

His hand flew to his mouth to muffle the sound and the effort of restraint hollowed his chest; there was a chasm where his heart belonged, a void in his life where his Stranger belonged, and the thought brought a fresh tide of tears, ripped from his throat with a guttural cry.

-my as-yet unnamed fic about Hob sleeping with someone after being stood up by Dream and having Big Emotions™ about it, based on this post

*ish because the actual last line I wrote is incredibly self-deprecating and could possibly be triggering to some so I don’t want to post it without proper tagging

[landwriter]

snacks provided: hobnobs, ribena squash, buckfast if u wanna go hard, and some foul 16th c snack that the one medievalist always brings

New Hob fandom name unlocked we’re now the GadLads it’s me and @landwriter feel free to join we meet up every *checks notes* waking hour to discuss *checks notes* really deep serious Sad Hob Lore & Meta only requirement to join is to be a complete an utter fool

[virgo-dream]

[KICKS DOWN DOOR] DID SOMEBODY SAY DREAMLING HEADCANON?

Let me try and think of something I've not seen before but 100% fervently believe to be true!!! ok ok---

Dream is def. a clotheshorse. Look at that battle skirt, god. Hob is not, 'least not in modern days. Headcanon: after they get together Dream is absolutely a sniffy little cunt about Hob's clothes. They're so banal. We've had Dream being cozy and fuckable in Hob's stolen sweaters and footie shirts. Let's have Hob being taken to a bespoke tailor's shop that may or may not exist in the Waking world and/or the mortal plane, strictly speaking. Dream is the owner and operator, and Hob the only customer. Hob doesn't just put up with it in some sweet, Hobbishly indulging way - he fucking loves it. He's a hedonist. Loves the feeling of expensive fabrics against his skin, the line of tailored clothes transforming his unchanging body, loves Dream's proprietary little smirk at dressing Hob. Loves the way Dream looks at him all the time now, knowing and pleased and heated. He's always loved good clothes. But these are great clothes. It gets so out of control that Hob has to tell his colleagues Dream is a tailor, because there's no way he'd be able to afford this otherwise. If he didn't have, you know. Boyfriend privileges. "You are a tailor though, sort of," says Hob, a bit soused after a faculty party, dressed like liquid sex in a gunmetal grey suit, "S'just, the fabric of the collective unconsciousness and all the words we've ever written." Dream is starting to smile when Hob adds, "Also, you brought this upon yourself." 'This' being Dream, reluctantly agreeing to produce a bespoke prom dress for department chair's daughter. Headcanon: due to his own hubris Dream accidentally spends the rest of that decade of Hob's 'life' moonlighting (daylighting?) as a reclusive fashion designer with a reputation for utter brilliance and eccentricity, who takes all his commissions exclusively by referral and vets clients, bizarrely, through his (now tenured, imagine that) history professor husband.

Dream enjoys it rather more than he expected. It's a little like designing dreams - or, in a few memorable cases, nightmares - for humans to wear. He understands the stories and power of clothing. He is soothed to be asked, over and over, for such a trivial boon: something to wear that they've been dreaming of. He enjoys having work in the Waking.

Mostly, though, he likes to look at Hob Gadling, marvel and living story, wearing his clothing. Wearing him. Moving through the world in sleeve and collar of his making, and saying, to all who look and all who ask: I am his.

Well, I knew I could count on you for some quality fashion headcanons Gloam!!! Border Country sends its regards I guess!!!!

But honestly, wouldn't he though? Because if you think about it, every piece of clothing ever designed had to be visualised or daydreamed in some way by the mind of a designer, and if it goes through the Dreaming, it is Dream's by proxy. So yeah, every couture design, every Gucci runway, every weird ass Balenciaga ready to wear monstrocity and every Schiaparelli gown has Dream's designing hands involved somehow.

And I can also imagine Dream making all of Hob's clothes, including the softest t-shirts and sweatpants, the silkiest pyjamas, the most comfortable jeans that are never too tight and never too loose either. And when he can't be around, Dream makes sure the clothes hug Hob in just the right way, to remind Hob that he's there, in spirit, as humans like to say, and that he'll try to be around as soon as possible.

Can you imagine Hob having a bad day and Dream just......... manifesting the softest most gentle clothes around him to hold him in bed as he would until he can be there himself? Or whenever Hob finds a student crying, there's always a handkerchief in his pocket, and somehow whenever any of his students wipe their tears with them they just have the most restorative night of sleep ever?

Dream making a suit for Hob to defend yet another thesis, and the suit being so comfortable and making Hob feel so so so confident it's insane.

Aaaaah the many many love languages of Dream of The Endless and his husband Hob Gadling whose love language is just Dream

[virgo-dream]

I can't seem to think of headcanons right now, the Christmas depression is hitting me hard right now. But I would like to say that Hob Gadling really reminds me of my English professor last year. Like he had been divorced twice, he had an absurd number of graduate degrees and was talking about going to law school next. There's other things too, not sure how old he was, but if there's anyone I've met that I'd place bets on being immortal, it would be him. Probably the biggest difference between my English professor and how the fandom characterizes Hob is that my English professor actually liked Shakespeare.

Though I personally think that Hob, while totally jealous that Shakespeare had stolen Dream's attention from him, will admit that Shakespeare's plays are good. He has an odd relationship with him in that he respects his work and admires it, but also will throw in oddly personal insults to his lectures on Shakespeare. I also think that he decided to study Shakespeare's work in an effort to figure out who Dream was and learn more about him because he had put two and two together that the reason that Shakespeare got really good at writing was because of Dream. There's a headcanon for you.

oh boy, it is getting us all, isn't it? sending love ur way anon!

hob is all of our local professor cryptid, because if anyone is a cryptid in disguise, it is definitely the history, art or literature teachers lol

honestly, i think the "hob hates shakespeare" thing is hilarious, because in different circumstances i think hob would love shaky boy

shakespeare at the time wasn't this renowned playwright, he was known for writing for the peasants. comedy of errors is literally like, comedy 101. the first yo mama joke is credited to him. i can't think of hob not enjoying some fine lowbrow humour like shakespeare used to make.

this is very valid hob meta tho and it is going on the gadlads archive 🙏

[virgo-dream]

me when I write: whew this is looking good! I’m definitely not rereading this later when I’ll surely hate it

me when you guys write: how does it feel to be god’s favourite?

[hardly-an-escape]

hashtag blessed

hob is so powerful, he really just bullshitted his way into immortality then live laugh loved his way into dating one of the most powerful beings in the world #Manifested #FakeItTilYouMakeIt #YouOnlyLiveOnceSoMakeItEternal

[virgo-dream]

New Hob fandom name unlocked we’re now the GadLads it’s me and @landwriter feel free to join we meet up every *checks notes* waking hour to discuss *checks notes* really deep serious Sad Hob Lore & Meta only requirement to join is to be a complete an utter fool

[moorishflower]

gadlad: I think I know why we still meet here, century after century. It's not because you want to see whether or not I'm ready to seek death. I don't think I'll ever seek death. By now, you know that about me. So, I think you're here for something else.

gadlad: Friendship. I think you're lonely.

DreamOfTheEndless: Read 4:42 PM

Modern day au where dream denies hob’s facebook friend request