Best Dream of the Endless Grief & Mourning Fanfics
The best grief & mourning fanfiction featuring Dream of the Endless (Sandman) on AO3, curated by popularity. Canon kills characters and moves on; fandom holds funerals. Readers return to grief fic because it treats mourning as a story worth telling rather than a scene to survive.
Top Dream of the Endless Grief & Mourning Fic Recs
2 grief & mourning fics featuring Dream of the Endless, followed by other top-rated stories.
more sky comes and more days
Grief & Mourningby Chrome · Dreamling
In the aftermath of her imprisonment, Calliope is determined to learn to trust humans again, so she finds a roommate and settles in the mortal world. Meanwhile, her former husband has been on another quest that ended in grief, and he seeks her out for solace.What could possibly go wrong?or, “Hey, Z
pie of birds and grief and ocean water
Grief & Mourningby Chrome · Dreamling
“Yes,” he says. “But—humans, do you have it where you are hungry, and you only remain hungry so long, and then you stop being hungry?” His blue eyes meet Hob’s brown ones, and it feels as though they hold a memory between them of Hob at the old inn, wolfing down food. Do you know how hungry you can
who wants to live forever?
by ranchdiip · Dreamling
“An Endless?” Hob asks, softly, because it feels like a question that needs to be soft.“That’s what we are,” Death responds, trying again for a small smile. “Me and D—”“Don’t,” Hob interrupts, far stronger than he meant to, and Death looks surprised for as long as it takes him to get out, “Don’t, pl
slow burn
by arahir · Dreamling
Morpheus’s expression melts into unreadability. “Would you have come to my rescue again, Hob Gadling?”“Yes. God, yes, I would have. Of course, I would have."Hob learns where his friend has been, and even Dream of the Endless might, on rare occasion, need a hand.ART BY EV | chapter 3 | chapter 4 | ch
moonflower
by Magnolia35 · Dreamling
Hob has to do a double take because Dream is crying; big, ugly, hiccuping sobs that wrack his skeletal frame to the point where Dream looks like a leaf in the wind. The raven that’d been following the man the last time they met— Mike or Martin or Matthew or something— pecks at the guys shoes. The s
let me in before the rainy season starts again
by tiltingheartand · Dreamling
“Oh shit,” he says, eyes wide. And then, “oh fuck,” as he’s scooting backwards as quick as he can, “sorry, sorry, I’m sorry,” because what else can you say when you realize, oh, that’s not just a version of your friend that your brain conjured up, that’s your actual friend, the anthropomorphic perso
Into Darkness and Howling (I'll Keep Him From Drowning)
by TinyButFierce · Dreamling
It was beginning to sound like Roderick Burgess had something or someone trapped in his basement.Hob was starting to wonder if he should do something about that.
Right Place, Right Time
by sherwoodfox · Dreamling
Over the centuries, Hob had dreamt plenty of dreams about his friend from the tavern. All good dreams, of course.Very good dreams.Usually not dreams that featured either of them wearing very much clothing.But until the talking bird told him otherwise, he hadn't considered that those dreams might be
what you once wanted
by astrhae · Dreamling
“You know what kept me going, century after century?” Hob is angry enough, desperate enough, that his voice drops low, quiet. “Even when I had nothing?”The music around them crests, waves crashing against the unyielding shores of time –“Chimneys,” Morpheus answers, bland.Oh, what a bastard.---------
We have all the time in the world
by Picture_Yourself · Dreamling
A detailed examination on just what exactly would happen if Dream figured out he actually cared about Hob half a millennium earlier and Hob was a bit more successful in keeping his "friend's" attention. Aka they fuck by 1889.| fanart of chapter 6 | fanart inspired by this fic |
We dream - it is good we are dreaming
by Nekromika · Dreamling
It came sudden. His friends head snapped around, fanthomless eyes staring directly at him. One pale hand reached out and took hold of his arm, fingers as long as spider-legs which dug themselves painfully into his flesh.“Find me.”Hob awoke with sweat sticking to his brow, breath caugh in his lungs,
Afterimage
by ScribeofArda · Dreamling
The anthropomorphic personification of dreaming is sitting on his sofa, staring at a sequin cushion in his lap.His day could be weirder, but Hob isn't quite sure how.
Find More Dream of the Endless Grief & Mourning Stories on AO3
Browse the full AO3 archive for grief & mourning Dream of the Endless fanfiction, sorted by kudos. Then read offline with Fanfict Reader.
Dream of the Endless in Grief & Mourning Fanfiction
Dream of the Endless — The anthropomorphic personification of dreams, freed after a century of imprisonment to rebuild his realm and reckon with his own rigidity. He once met a mortal in a tavern and decided, very slowly, that they were friends.
Grief & Mourning — Stories that sit with loss: characters mourning a death canon rushed past, or grieving losses that aren't deaths at all — homes, futures, versions of themselves. Grief fic ranges from raw immediate aftermath to the strange long tail of missing someone for years.
Canon kills characters and moves on; fandom holds funerals. Readers return to grief fic because it treats mourning as a story worth telling rather than a scene to survive. Dream of the Endless's (also known as Morpheus, Lord of Dreams) role in Sandman makes them a natural fit for grief & mourning storylines, which is why this combination is one of the most popular in Sandman fanfiction.
Dream of the Endless Ships
Looking for grief & mourning fics with a specific pairing? Try these Dream of the Endless ships:
More Dream of the Endless Tropes
Grief & Mourning with Other Characters
Love grief & mourning? Explore the same trope with other popular characters:
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