Devil-O-Angel

An old concept that I'm still feral over, but a Dreamling fic in which the dreamling relationship is chronicled entirely by Yelp reviews of the New Inn.

Reviews are either 5* or 1* with surprisingly little in between, and the business owner replies are always a riot. They start off fairly normal, talking about the food and drink, the couple of guest rooms upstairs, the location and prices etc, but then they start to get weird.

Constantine leaves 3*, beer is shit whiskey is ok not haunted which is more than I can say for most london pubs and the response is Thanks Jo, but you're still banned

4* this place is run by my history professor and it's amazing but he asked me about my overdue essay three times so I can't give it 5* and Hob, who has had multiple students visit the pub for the sole purpose of doing this, is just like you still haven't submitted that, get off yelp and start citing your sources

There are multiple 5* reviews like would give 10* if i could, the owner chased off a neo nazi with a literal sword he pulled out from behind the bar

5* should probably give it less because a couple of times the answers to the history round on the monthly quiz night have been wrong, but otherwise it's a solid little place for a reasonably priced pint and a nice afternoon and Hob's response is just those answers were right

And then Dream comes back and the reviews start... Changing, a bit

One of the 1* reviews is just complaining about the fact that there was a bird at the bar and no one got rid of it and the reply from Hob is that's Matthew, he has a tab. Several of the 5* reviews are also about the fact that sometimes there's a bird in the bar

One of the 5* reviews is saw the most beautiful goth twink in the world, will definitely be going back and Hob nearly deletes that one. The reply instead is that's my boyfriend, unlike Matthew he never pays his tab

5* i have no idea how i got there or found the place because i swaer i was halfway across london from where google maps says it is but anyway the bartender was really great and understandig when I started crying on him, will defiantely go back if reality ever warps like that again. Response from owner: yeah sorry about the reality warping, we don't get it either

1* I only wish I could have given this establishment a glowing review – fabulous service, lovely food and a sumptuous wine I hadn't expected, but unfortunately I had to see my brother's face. Response from owner: Desire get off the internet, it doesn’t need your help

Neil Gaiman's favorite trope

i feel like not enough people are exploiting hob not knowing dream’s name for Hijinx Purposes like imagine hob getting kidnapped and being literally incapable of providing any useful information

Speaking of Hob accidentally building Dream a temple in the form of New Inn… a temple to someone like Morpheus is a rare thing indeed. Even more rare is the fact that Hob, de facto a high priest, was touched by Dream’s divinity; he sat with him, spoke with him, dined with him… such things do not go unnoticed. There are high priests and there are High Priests and there are the anointed ones and Hob is firmly in the latter category.

Soon, the New Inn starts to attract some odd folk. Of course, it’s London, you gonna get some odd folks here and there, but these people are odd in a very precise and focused way.

The problem with such a great amount of thaumaturgic energy is that it has to flow somewhere but Dream is trapped and imprisoned, the energy cannot flow to him, so it looks for a conduit, a storage, a battery if you will and it finds it in the form of one Hob Gadling. Hob’s dreams start to become more lucid, he finds his way to the library, the House of Mystery, the shores of creation, eventually, the crumbling throne room itself. Hob’s starts to channel the energy of the dreamers. He understands that he’s not exactly human anymore but he struggles to understand what he is.

In the basement under the Burgess manor, the glass bowl starts to crack. The cracks are microscopic, invisible to a naked eye, but Morpheus can see them, can sense them. The runes that trap him are fading quicker and quicker. Eventually they have to be redone daily. The cracks become larger. Something is happening.

Corinthian senses the changes too. Whatever it is, whoever it is, he cannot allow them to free Dream. Finding the source is easy, he is a nightmare after all, he is naturally attracted to the energy of the dreaming. He finds the The New Inn and he finds Hob Gadling, a creature that used to be human but is now something else indeed. Something that has to be killed before it realises its own power. Corinthian confronts Hob who is surprised to recognise him; they never met yet he knows him but Corinthian is not here to talk, he’s here to kill, and so he strikes a killing blow… except how do you kill an immortal? You don’t. You can’t.

But this strike by a nightmare with a knife made with the sand of creation severs the connection between Hob and the power, and suddenly all this cumulative energy of the worshippers and dreamers is free. And where does it all go? Straight to the place where Morpheus is kept, because no amount of runes and glass can separate all this power from its rightful master.

The circle is broken, the orb shatters, Dream of the Endless is free.

Corinthian tries to escape but Dream disposes of him before he can step a foot outside the inn. The energy from the New Inn allows Dream to summon the Moirai and ask about his tools (justice for Gregory). He finds his sand, his helmet, his ruby.

When he returns to the New Inn Hob is still there, still waiting for his friend.

“You waited for me”

“I did”

They smile at each other. It’s a beginning of a beautiful friendship or perhaps something more? Endless cannot involve themselves with humans but Hob Gadling isn’t human anymore. He’s something else. Something else indeed.

I was in the mood to draw something quick and rainbows and I haven’t drawn Rose before :)