Icon from a picrew by grgikau. Call me Tir or Julian. 37. He/They. Queer. Twitter: @tirlaeyn. ao3: tirlaeyn. 18+ Only. Star Trek. Sandman. IwtV. OMFD. Definitionless in this Strict Atmosphere.
I have a theory about Mervyn Pumpkinhead. I’d say it’s a headcanon but it’s more a theory.
According to the tale of Stingy Jack (the origin of the jack-o-Lantern) we carve Jack-o-lanterns to drive away old Jack and other wandering ghosts. The Jack-o-lantern is a protection ward against supernatural threats from entering your home.
One superstition has it that if you blow out the Jack-o-lantern before midnight on Halloween you invite evil spirits to enter your home for the entire year. It’s only safe to blow it out after midnight.
Another superstition is if you let the Jack-o-lantern burn out naturally you invite good luck for the entire year and have warded your home against evil for the full year. It is especially good luck if it manages to burn until after sunrise.
In The House with a clock in its walls Pumpkin Jack-o-lanterns are used as protection wards all year long.
Jack-o-lanterns, at their heart, are symbols of protection. Now, because we see Mervyn as a Mervyn Turniphead in The Sandman story The Tempest, it’s very clear that his Jack-o-lantern head isn’t just for the aesthetic. In his Turnip form, that is an old school Irish Jack-o-lantern. That is a pre-Halloween decoration (use for any time of year) Protection symbol against supernatural threats.
So even in present day when Mervyn has a modern Pumpkin Jack-o-lantern head, Mervyn is a walking, talking, protection ward against supernatural threats. He’s not just the groundskeeper or janitor. He’s a line of defense.
This does explain why Mervyn stands up to The Furies (The Kindly Ones) the way he does.
And this is also one of the many reasons I, myself, love Jack-o-lanterns. They aren’t just symbols of Halloween. They are kind of comforting in their protective light.
Morpheus AKA Dream of The Endless has his own language. It’s a simple enough language once you learn the basics. Here are a few translations of Morpheus to English…
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“Perhaps.” - Yes. Definitely yes. Yes, but I don’t want to actually say the word “Yes” to this for various reasons, usually out of pride, sometimes something else, but usually pride.
“You dare…” - The Morpheus equivalent of “I can’t even…” or various swear words.
“I did not need rescuing.” - Thank you for rescuing me.
“I was doing perfectly well on my own.” - I was NOT doing perfectly well on my own. I was in deep shit.
“I believe I was quite capable, given enough time, of rescuing myself.” - I have no idea how I was going to get out of that…
“Petty hedge-magick.” - (Actual meaning: Novice or amateur spellcasting.) Morpheus meaning: Something I woefully under-estimate.
“…help me… …please…” - I am weak, defenseless, and completely at your mercy and if you nurse me back to health we shall never speak of this again and no one else will ever hear those words uttered from me. I am going to lose consciousness now. Bye.
“After a fashion, I can.” - It’ll happen. Might take me a few decades but it’ll happen. I can do it. I will do it. But I’ll be lazy about it. Don’t rush me.
“I mislike (insert random thing here)” - I hate this thing!
“I feel cold.” or “It is cold.” - I am traumatized by what is currently happening.
“What could possibly go wrong?” - Equitable to Sarah saying “It’s a piece of cake.” in Jim Henson’s Labyrinth. He might as well say “Everything is about to go very, very, very, wrong.”
“I am perfectly self-sufficient.” - Oh, God, I am so lonely! Please, hold me.
_______________________________
Bonus:
Daniel:
“I walked.” - You REALLY want me to sit here and explain the mechanics of interdimensional travel to you right here and now? No. This is easier. And technically true.
“Time to go for a walk.” - I have a mission. (or) I have to set right one of Morpheus’ many f–k ups. Keep supper heated for me until I get back. Also I’m being cryptic because of wibbly wobbly Timey Wimey… stuff.
I just sent this to the Sandman lead showrunner, Allan Heinberg, suspecting he was deep enough into the Morpheus World that he would find it funny and accurate. He did.
ASAWWAAAAAQAQ THIS IS SO ACCURATE
Bonus:
imagine a muppet version of The Sandman in which Dream is the only muppet
Hello I am looking for more dream x hob mutuals/blogs to follow/fwends.
I’d really appreciate it if dream x hob folks would like this post, or even consider dropping me a fic idea ask if you want a little story! I love writing and want to flex my creative muscles a bit with these two lads.
Shares appreciated! Thanks and hi and hope you’re having a great day xo
Reading up on Christopher Marlowe, and found out that he died at the mere age of 29 under mysterious circumstances: during some kind of brawl, Marlowe was stabbed above the right eye, killing him instantly.
Marlowe was considered the foremost dramatist in London in the years just before his mysterious early death in 1593 (4 years after the Dream’s and Hob’s meeting in 1589), after which Shakespeare succeeded him as the pre-eminent Elizabethan playwright. Are we sure that Dream merely commissioned two plays from Shaxberd and not just, you know, asked the Corinthian to shiv his strongest competitor? 😂
