We’re going to talk about the 1889 meeting. Why? because I’m back on my bullshit after drawing this, and am not done dissecting the episode quite yet.
I want to begin where it all starts going wrong, which in my opinion, is when Dream tells Hob Lushing Lou’s real name. By doing this, Dream inadvertently reveals more of his inhuman nature (knowing the real name and backstory of a person he’s never met). Hob looks at him and says “How do you know all that?”, and Dream deflects by looking down at Hob’s cup and responding with “Your cup is empty, you need more wine.”
Hob doesn’t take the bait. Instead he continues, “You knew Lady Johanna, you know Lushing Lou, you know everyone, don’t you?”. He pushes Dream, because Hob only has scraps of information after centuries of meeting with the man and he wants to know more. Every time they meet he shares his whole being with His Stranger, shares entire lives he’s lived and names hes taken. He’s seen Hob at his best and his worst, and what does Hob know in turn? that he’s immortal like him? that he has some weird sand that subdues people? and now, apparently, that he knows everyone and the life they’ve lived?
Still, Dream deflects; “Saw her again, you know.”
And Hob gives in.
I love how he just looks at Dream for a second, then smiles almost bitterly at the table and puts his cigar down before looking back up and indulging Dream. He see’s that this line of conversation will get him no where, that His Stranger is avoiding this subject and will continue to do so whether Hob joins him in that or not. So Hob looks down at the table in acceptance, as if he didn’t expect to get anywhere with his statements but was disappointed nonetheless, and looks back up with a small smile to indulge Dreams avoidance.
But Hob doesn’t let go of it.
When Dream tells him that Lady Johanna undertook a task for him and succeeded, Hob again highlights the fact that he knows practically nothing about His Stranger- albeit in a more straightforward way.
“That might be the only thing I’ve learnt after 500 years.”
To me it feels like Hob doesn’t care about the information itself- Lady Johanna doing anything some 100, 50, 20 years ago means nothing to Hob right now. Its who the information is coming from, what it represents. Dream might have avoided divulging why he knew so many people’s names and stories, and Hob might have temporarily allowed him to, but he had never truly dropped the subject. And the way he looks- Hob naturally smiles a lot, and even now he can’t stop the way his lips quirk despite it being at his own self-deprecation. You can see it written all over his face here and in the above sequence when he puts his cigar down; the humourless way he smiles at his own misfortune.
But Hob is nothing if not persevering, so he brightens up the mood, talks about how people are almost always better than you think they are.
(i just thought this was a nice pic, sorry)
We could also read him opening up to Dream (talking about his mistakes, learning from them even though it feels like it doesn’t stop him from making them- perhaps a little foreshadowing for whats about to come next) as a way of trying to get Dream himself to open up. He is honest with Dream, as he always has been, in the hopes that tonight is the night His Stranger becomes a little more honest with him (though with our current track record of the night, this doesn’t seem likely, but as Hob says...he cant seem to stop making mistakes, and i wonder if this is something he thinks often of himself when Dream fails to meet him in 1989).
Dream looks at him like this:
And maybe its that not-quite smile he gives Hob after his honesty, that emboldens him to say “I think it’s you that’s changed,”. And this, my friends, is where shit well and truly hits the fan. Because suddenly that small smile is gone, though not in anger yet, and Dream asks “How so?”
We all know what happens next. Hob, correctly, supplies the idea that the reason Dream continues to meet him every century, despite them both knowing at this point that Hob will never give up on life, is because His Stranger seeks friendship. Hob understands, of course he does; Dream is the only living constant Hob has, he’s already referred to Dream as his friend because to Hob, that’s what he is- regardless of how much he does or doesn’t know about the man.
This is of course when the iconic “YyOUU dAAREREeee,,.,..1..1.1....,,,,.” scene happens, and Hob briefly tries to backtrack. He averts his eyes immediately and looks at the table (a recurring staple in avoidance tonight), gesturing with his hand as he says “No, look, I’m not saying-”, as if trying to explain it any better would make Dream accept it. I like that he seems to backtrack just a little bit, only to double down on it a few moments later. He put himself out there a bit by boldly stating that Dream sought companionship with him, that His Stranger was lonely, and it was evidently ill-received so he backpedals to reduce the damage of his words.
Yet when Dream says “You dare suggest one such as i might need your companionship?”, Hob simply looks at him and says yes. Yes, because he does, and this night has been a sequence of Hob pushing and relenting on what he actually wants to talk about so of course this is the moment he pushes.
And when Dream stands up? When Hob stands? When Hob moves forward?
I don’t know why he moved forward, why he took that step closer to Dream- what was he planning on doing? reaching out and touching him? simply standing closer as if it might keep His Stranger with him for just a few minutes? give him just enough time to talk some sense into the man? I don’t know, but i love it nonetheless.
And when Dream leaves, when Hob chases him. When he doesn’t tell His Stranger that he didn’t need him anyway, doesn’t say good luck finding someone else who understands- but instead says that he’ll wait. That he’ll still be there, 100 years later, because they’re friends and because Hob has faith in him, in them. That if Dream shows up, it’ll be because they are friends.
When he stands there, and quietly but with feeling says “...Fuck.”
Yeah. Good episode.
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Oh my fucking godddd I just had the funniest thought ever 😭you know how u were talking about satoru and his cuteness aggression earlier….. him biting ur cheeks n stuff…. What about reader with cuteness aggression. This is even funnier if reader is nowhere NEAR as strong as stsg because I’m just imaging like. Squishing satorus cheeks and staring at him with heart eyes then suddenly blurting out “toru you’re so cute :)) I literally want to strangle you :D” because he’s probably like??? Twice your height + size and the literal strongest sorcerer, there’s no WAY you could kill him even if you wanted to <//333 or or or just chomping his bicep out of nowhere. I’m not gonna lie he would probably just let you <//333 silly little loser. Would probably compare you to a chihuahua I’m not gonna lie 😭😭 like yes you just bit him!!!!! And yes he thinks it’s cute why wouldn’t he!!! just coos at you when u try and chew on him. He’s so frustratingly charming and funny and and and <///333 but I think. This is equally as funny with sugu because satoru is so lovesick that he really does not care how you show your affection he just thinks it’s a cute n silly part of ur character <333 just makes him swoon even more. But sugu i think would be equally fine with it deep down but jokingly judge you a bit depending on his mood. Like if u try biting his arm or saying something like “you’re so beautiful I’m going to beat u up ❤️❤️❤️” he just 🤨🤨🤨 “that’s not very nice.” (Doesn’t mean he’s gonna stop u doing it tho) LMFAOOOO but like…. Maybe when he’s a little sleepier or feeling a bit more gentle he just. (gently) cups/pinches ur cheeks 😞 tilts ur head up to look at him and just gently chuckles n shakes his head n says something like how he’s gonna have to muzzle you if u keep trying to eat him 💔💔💔 maybe his tone is a little condescending….. in a mommy way,, (lovingly) (jokingly) lectures you as if you’re a teething toddler that just keeps biting and chomping on everything. 😭😭 pats ur hair and smooths his hand down the back of ur head while he does it….. ok I’m going insane. my silly little babies. My angels. I need to bite their man boobs I mean what who said that !!!!!!!!!!
— stsg anon 👽👽👽 (alien version)
STSG ANON (alien version) MY SAVIOR……….. it’s crazy how the stsg hivemind works bc i was literally JUST thinking abt biting their arms
YOU’RE INSANEEEE (EXTREMELY affectionate) THIS IS SO . 😵💫😵💫 they’re so…… this is the realest thing EVER 2 me btw. reader w cuteness aggression!!!! they’re me!!!!!!!! i know you understand stsg anon but likeee who wouldn’t want to gnaw at their bones a bit……. maybe shake them around…….. they’re just so gorgeous and cute </3 how is a girlie (gn) to resist </3 </3 </3
i hope you realize how up my alley this is i started jumping and cheering when i saw it you really do know me and them better than anyone else… THEY WOULD ABSOLUTELY INDULGE YOU. ohhhh satoru would love it sm 😭😭😭 i think being called cute would fluster him a bit at first bc he just. isn’t used to it at alllll but he’s such a sucker for it…… he’s so strong your biting wouldn’t hurt him at all so i really do think he’d just let you go wild. chew at his chest all you want stsg anon he’ll simply chuckle and ruffle your hair <333
AND SUGU 😭😭😭😭😭 WAHHHHH I CRIED I SOBBED……… so real abt him jokingly judging you he literally becomes the 🤨 emoji personified (but on the inside he’s just ☺️)……. “that’s not very nice.” OHHH STSG ANON MY STSG WHISPERER the way you’re literally psychologically linked w them…… he would say that word for word w one single raised eyebrow and a barely contained smile and i would explode into pieces 💔💔💔 aaaa and the eepy gentle sugu 🥺🥺 tilting your head up n pinching your cheek…….
just gently chuckles n shakes his head n says something like how he’s gonna have to muzzle you if u keep trying to eat him 💔💔💔 maybe his tone is a little condescending….. in a mommy way,, (lovingly) (jokingly) lectures you as if you’re a teething toddler that just keeps biting and chomping on everything. 😭😭 pats ur hair and smooths his hand down the back of ur head while he does it…..
needed to copy+paste this bc i . do Not have the words to explain how crazy it made me. r you out to get me stsg anon…. was this your plan all along……. 😞😞 AAAARRGHHHHH I’M . NOT OKAY. NOT THE MOMMY!SUGU AGENDA PLS WARN ME NEXT TIME I ALMOST EXPLODED 😭😭😭😭 HHH THE COOING CONDESCENSION………. jokes abt needing to MUZZLE you……….. (ari has been found dead in a ditch) thank you for my life stsg anon thank you for existing thank you for blessing me w your giant brain i truly don’t deserve you . gna think about this all day 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
no but :((((( insanity aside!!! i adore this concept,.. it’s so sweet and cute and they would just eat it up!!! they’re soooo indulgent and adoring and i think they’d feel so oddly loved every time they feel you gnawing at their bicep 😭😭 they just think you’re the cutest thing!!!!
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Oh snap, I've somehow missed all your posts (despite having turned notifications on), stoked to be able to interact with you once again!
We're going to do our best to post more regularly ❤️
I closed my ask box last time because the amount of requests I got overwhelmed me lol so now I'm going to do my best to quickly get through all my backed up requests so I can filter in new story ideas at a more relaxed pace ❤️ unfortunately, writing as a hobby does not pay the bills and most of my time and energy is spent at my actual job 💀
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My dearest, darlingest Katie 🩷
First of all, I want to wish you a very happy birthday! 🥳I sincerely hope that you get to enjoy your day as stress- and cold-free as possible! 💚 And in general wish you many, many wonderful and pleasant days to come! 🫶
Now since you provide so well for us with your wonderful fanfics <3 I wanted to make sure that you got something as well, and therefore made you a little (emphasis on little) present!
And while I love your recent works so, so much! (and hope you know that through my comments 😹💕). I wanted to go back to the fanfic that made me fall in love with your writing in the first place! “The right side of my neck (still smells like you)” will always have a very special place in my heart, as one of the first fics to have read more than like 15+ times by now! You have such a great skill for writing truly comfortable intimacy and so much more, ofc!
Hope you’ll like this <3 and take good care of yourself! 🤗💜
Love you literally so much!
Stella 🩵
STELLAAAAAA omg this means. SO MUCH to me you have no idea!!!! i love you, i am so glad we met through this lil community and became friends, this is gonna send me absolutely spiraling from now until forever. i ADORE you ty so so so much <3333333333
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