#sandman poll

[writing-for-life]

Only one choice. You can defend/explain it in the reblogs…

No nuance, no alternative, no scope for, “I love Desire but I don’t drink alcohol” or “I hate coffee but I also hate Desire, can I not have wine with Destruction?”

I’d rather have…

Coffee with Destruction

Wine with Desire

Voting ended onFeb 7

Here’s mine:

Coffee with Destruction, hands down. Makes it easier that I absolutely love coffee, but I always liked Destruction, too (sort of unpopular in the show fandom, I know, but psychologically speaking, he is the most self-actualised out of the bunch). I mean, he paints badly (although I’m not even sure that’s true. He paints. Give him time to figure it out). He cooks enthusiastically. He probably has an opinion about whether pour-over is pretentious, and I think he might even be interested to hear yours. Because I think he’d actually listen when you talk instead of just cataloguing your weaknesses for later use. I’m more of a cat person, but Barnabas is cute, so I think we’ll be okay and have a lot to yap about.

I feel like I’d leave that wine bar (or wherever Desire would take me) feeling like I’d been psychologically filleted (because I know that’s what I’d do—the shame 🤣). And I really like wine, too, so that’s not it…

[sweet-like-cinnamon-5]

Sandman Comics - What exactly was the deal Dream made with Loki?

Ok I know this is very intentionally left ambiguous, but I want to know what you all think. Please take my poll and please reblog.

So what exactly was the deal Dream made with Loki? In The Kindly Ones, what exactly did Dream send Loki to do?

A. Dream sent Loki to kidnap Daniel; to burn away Daniel's humanity in the fire; and to appear to Lyta as a fake police officer saying that Daniel is dead.

B. Dream sent Loki to kidnap Daniel and to burn away Daniel's humanity in the fire. Loki went rogue with appearing to Lyta as the fake police officer saying Daniel is dead.

C. Dream sent Loki to kidnap Daniel. Loki went rogue with burning Daniel in the fire and appearing to Lyta as the fake police officer.

D. Dream told Loki he would call on him to bring him Daniel at some point in the future. Loki couldn't stand having this hanging over his head so he took matters into his own hands and kidnapped Daniel now and framed Dream for the kidnapping. -> This seems to be the version the show went with.

E. I don't think Dream was responsible for Loki taking Daniel.

F. Other / nuance

What exactly did Dream ask Loki to do in TKO?

A. Kidnap Daniel, burn Daniel, appear to Lyta as fake cop

B. Kidnap and burn Daniel (Loki went rogue appearing as fake cop)

C. Kidnap Daniel (Loki went rogue with burning and appearing as fake cop)

D. Kidnap Daniel sometime in future (Loki went rogue with everything else)

E. I don't think Dream was responsible for Loki taking Daniel

F. Other / Nuance

Voting ended onFeb 19

I think...

B, with a subconscious knowledge that B had a good chance of turning into A? Like Dream officially told Loki to kidnap Daniel and burn the humanity out of him - Loki did this, but also went rogue and faked being a cop and told Lyta that Daniel is dead (because he is Loki and he will be under an obligation to no one!) - because he was trying to screw Dream over and cause his death - however this was subconsciously what Dream kind of wanted anyway. It was a suicide by magical cop, but not a fully consciously planned out suicide by magical cop.

(Btw, I am not saying at all whether I like or don't like any of this. I'm just saying *what I think happens based on my reading of the comics.* And I want to know what other people think too.)

I think Dream was definitely responsible for Loki taking Daniel since:

Dream and Loki had previously made a deal in SoM, and Dream could call in what he was owed at any time

Dream had been thinking of Daniel as his successor since... he first laid eyes on the pregnant Lyta probably, tbh, but at least consciously since SoM

The numerous characters who say or suggest that Dream himself put the entire thing in motion: Loki, Odin, Death, Lucifer, Nuala, Lucien, etc. (And also... Daniel!Dream himself in Exiles)

After the Corinthian breaks Loki's neck, he says to Puck: "Who were you working for? Who told you to steal the boy?" And Puck responds: "I could answer you endlessly." (👀)

Gaiman's afterward at the end of TKO. He lists some questions raised by TKO that are unanswered. But a question he lists that is unanswered but answerable is: "Who were Loki and Puck actually working for?" I am quite sure that Gaiman thinks the answer to this question is: Dream.

Finally: if not Dream-- who? I guess it is possssssssible that someone else planned out the entire thing to destroy Dream, but I just don't think that's what happened.

And building off of this point...

Who else besides Dream would order Daniel's humanity to be burned away in the fire?

Because what does this do? It doesn't destroy Daniel - it just strips away his mortality, leaving only his immortality? His immortality which later transforms into Dream of the Endless? Who would benefit from Daniel turning immortal and transforming into a being more set up to take on the role/identity of Dream of the Endless... other than the one being who has planned for Daniel to become Dream of the Endless (that is to stay, Morpheus!Dream)?

(The show tried to come up with a reason why Loki would independently decide to burn Daniel's humanity away.... but I'm sorry, I genuinely don't think it made any sense.)

So this is why I think Dream is responsible for the kidnapping and the burning.

I don't think Dream is consciously responsible for the entire thing. That is to say: I don't think Dream consciously thought: "ok I'll kidnap Daniel, burn Daniel, make Lyta think Daniel is dead, manipulate Lyta into invoking the Kindly Ones, and then the Kindly Ones will come for me - and in the meantime I'll have the newly immortal Daniel in my realm and I'll give him the emerald - and then I get to die (yay! ☺️) and Daniel will be the new Dream."

The reason I don't think this, is that if it were that planned out, Dream wouldn't have fought at all. Because he DID fight, at least a little. He does go to Lyta in the waking and try to kill her to get her to stop (yes, he could have done more after discovering her in the circle with Thessaly - but he did go). And he does beg Nuala not to summon him when she does (yes, he easily could have done more with that, of course. A simple: "Nuala, leaving the Dreaming now will lead to my death" and she instantly would have stopped calling for him, since she was trying to save him. That was the last domino to fall and after that his fate was sealed and he very much made the choice to go to her, knowing what that meant. But he still did earnestly beseech her not to call him then, which he wouldn't have done if it was a more straightforward planned out suicide).

More reasons I think it wasn't a straightforward consciously planned out suicide: His conversation with Lucien, near the very end. Dream says: "I... I knew what I was going to do, Lucien. I was going to remove the mortal woman Lyta Hall. She is what powers this aspect of the Furies. That proved... impractical." (Lucien: And now, Lord?) "Now, I am... considering." Dream has no reason to lie to Lucien. Dream doesn't really lie to Lucien. If he doesn't want him to know something, he obfuscates, or he answers a question with a question, or he just straight up doesn't respond. I think he is telling the truth here. He was (at least partially) planning on ending this. Now that he can't ("can't"), things are different.

Other reasons I don't think he fully consciously planned the entire thing:

It is long and brutal and painful and so drawn out. The residents of the Dreaming are being brutally murdered, the Dreaming is being destroyed, and Dream seems to be doing nothing? His residents are left thinking he doesn't care about them? (When of course he does, HE CARES SO MUCH.) It is so painful, for all of the Dreaming residents, and for Dream himself. And also for me reading it. I think the only reason he allows for things to get so drawn out is that he's figuring out what to do. I think if he consciously knew exactly what he wanted to do, it would have gone faster.

He is tempted, until the very end, with the idea of escape. When he goes to meet the Kindly Ones for the final time, he pictures Nuala: "You could keep moving. You could go from Faerie to somewhere else, to, to somewhere else again. They'd never catch you." He is thinking about it. He is tempted. And, when he meets with Death for the final time, he says how he thought she would yell at him. She says it's much too late for that, but-- what if she DID yell? What if she was like, "Dream, I don't know wtf you're playing at here, get your ass up and fight and tell those assholes to get lost! You're being pathetic again!" WHAT IF!!! (I don't think she would say that (she is Death; she's not going to lead him away from her), and even if she did I don't think it would make a difference, but- just the fact that he wanted her to?? Or pictured her doing so??)

Loki thinks he's screwing him over. Loki clearly is going offscript somewhere. He's not doing exactly what Dream ordered him to do at some point. (We just don't know exactly where - hence this poll.) Loki thinks that he is the one tricking Dream - but at the very end, he realizes he was the one tricked. But I personally think it's more subconscious, on Dream's part. (Dream: "Loki, please do X." Loki: "Oh I'll do X, but I'll also do Y, and that will lead to your death! Jokes on you!" Dream: "I secretly wanted to die so jokes on YOU" ... but in a more subtle, subconscious type of way?)

Finally: the main reason that I don't think Dream directly consciously planned the entire thing out:

Is that the idea is beyond disgusting and horrible.

Dream purposefully and consciously: kidnaps a baby; burns the baby; lies to the baby's mother that the baby is dead; manipulates the baby's mother into calling the Kindly Ones to avenge her thought-to-be-dead baby; uses the called Kindly Ones to commit suicide by magical cop; and then has the not-actually-completely-fully-dead baby assume the role of Dream of the Endless, thereby being lost to Lyta forever?

Dream has just lost Orpheus. The pain of losing his son, and of being responsible for losing his son, is so unbearable that it is splitting him apart. So how are we possibly supposed to accept: "so then he turned around and gave Lyta that same unbearably devastating pain too"? Like, how??

Look, I have been very open about the fact that I fucking despise do not fully love parts of The Kindly Ones. I have been very very open about that. But I wonder if it's because I'm not interpreting it the same way as other people are? (And yes, I know, I know, it's supposed to be ambiguous, it's not supposed to be 100% spelled out... but I guess I do want to spell out what I think.)

Basically, what I think happens in TKO is:

-Dream is: suicidally depressed; no longer wants to exist as Dream of the Endless; can't forgive himself/wants to be punished for everything that happened with Orpheus; wants a way out

-Daniel Hall, the baby who gestated for so long in dreams, is his chosen way out and chosen successor

-Dream hires Loki (and Puck since they're hanging out) to kidnap Daniel and burn his humanity away. He doesn't do it directly himself or send one of the Dreaming residents to do it since it's a private matter and he doesn't want to be seen to be directly involved in the matter maybe? (Precedence for this when he sends Lady Johanna to rescue Orpheus's head, instead of intervening directly.) Plus he chooses Loki since Loki owes him. Plus maybe he subconsciously thinks that Loki will somehow betray him and this will lead to his death and this is secretly what he wants? But he's not admitting this part?

-So Dream hires Loki (and Puck) to kidnap and burn the baby. Maybe after that, they're supposed to deliver Daniel to Dream. Or maybe after that, they're supposed to do nothing, and the newly-recreated Corinthian will pick up Daniel (since in the comics, Dream is remaking Cori before Daniel is even kidnapped). We don't know. But it doesn't matter, since Loki and Puck: hide the baby; pose as police officers; tell Lyta that Daniel is dead; and know that Lyta will think Dream did it and will immediately go on a quest for revenge.

-Lyta goes on a long journey, eventually reaches the Kindly Ones, starts attacking the shit out of the Dreaming.

-Dream kind of tries to stop her, kind of doesn't, we all suffer a lot, eventually he dies

????????

Anyway I am getting a bit all over the place now. But please take my poll and please tell me what you think!!! 🖤

(But does that make sense? Because the Kindly Ones first appear to Lyta in a dream. Which has always made me think that Dream was responsible in part for giving Lyta the idea to call them. [Weirdly, the show addresses this directly and says that he is NOT the one sending them to Lyta in her dream. Which is weird. Because you would think that the Kindly Ones appearing to Lyta in a DREAM would be related to DREAM HIMSELF but idk, in the show I guess it isn't. The show is so weird though, and honestly there are so many writing choices in the show that I think just don't make sense. In the comics I certainly thought that Dream was involved in that part.] As far as I can tell, there seems to be textual evidence that Dream DID consciously plan the entire thing, and also textual evidence that Dream DIDN'T consciously plan the entire thing. And just the idea... that Dream intentionally and consciously planned to: kidnap Lyta's baby; make Lyta go through the unimaginable pain of thinking her baby is dead; which causes her to call the Kindly Ones on him; which causes him to die; which causes her not-actually-fully-dead-yet-baby to become Dream of the Endless; which causes Lyta to then, in part because of her own actions, lose her baby forever?? I literally cannot stand this idea?? It makes me so beyond disgusted with Dream and frankly so beyond disgusted with the narrative that it makes me want to put the book down and never pick it up again? To just... throw it onto the fire?? right next to baby Daniel oh ho ho ho i make myself laugh )

[writing-for-life]

Battle of the “Distant Mirrors” Title Splash Pages

Okay, I know this is incredibly mean, but who do you choose if you are NOT voting for the story, but ONLY for the title splash page? So it’s really about the art, but also about things like overall composition, getting the reader interested in reading the rest, or (if you already know the rest) how well you think it encapsulates the overall feel of the story.

The Best Splash Page Was Done By…

Stan Woch/Thermidor

Bryan Talbot/August

Shawn McManus/Three Septembers and a January

Ramadan/P. Craig Russell

Voting ended onFeb 25

[writing-for-life]

Round One/3, Poll

Teddy Kristiansen, artist #64

VS.

Yoshitaka Amano, artist The Dream Hunters (prose version)

Two artists with wildly different styles who have illustrated some of the probably most memorable storylines and created art that most Sandman fans will immediately recognise.

Here are the issues they have illustrated to refresh your memory:

Teddy Kristiansen: The Kindly Ones #64. Also check out Sandman Midnight Theatre (co-written by Neil Gaiman and Matt Wagner)

Yoshitaka Amano: The Dream Hunters (prose version)

And remember, you are voting for your favourite version of Dream, not the particular storyline.

Who is your favourite and why? Let us know in the comments/reblogs. Share your thoughts about their art, your favourite panels from their issues, or even other art they created and help us turn this into an artist appreciation post.

Here’s the poll to vote for your favourite if you want to see them again (you can find the whole bracket and some additional info here, and feel free to check out previous matches via the tag #sandman march mania):

My favourite depiction of Dream is by…

Teddy Kristiansen

Yoshitaka Amano

Voting ended onMar 28, 2024

Event organisers: @writing-for-life and @tickldpnk8 (who also designed the logo)

[writing-for-life]

Round One/7, Poll

Stan Woch, penciller #29

VS.

JH Williams III, artist Sandman Overture

Both Stan Woch and JH Williams III have given us a very good-looking Morpheus in period clothes, but their style is vastly different.

If you would like to refresh your memory:

Stan Woch: Fables & Reflections #29—“Distant Mirrors – Thermidor”

JH Williams III: The Sandman Overture

And remember, you are voting for your favourite version of Dream, not the particular storyline.

Who is your favourite and why? Let us know in the comments/reblogs. Share your thoughts about their art, your favourite panels from their issues, or even other art they created and help us turn this into an artist appreciation post.

Here’s the poll to vote for your favourite if you want to see them again (you can find the whole bracket and some additional info here, and feel free to check out previous matches via the tag #sandman march mania):

My favourite depiction of Dream is by...

Stan Woch

JH Williams III

Voting ended onApr 1, 2024

Event organisers: @writing-for-life and @tickldpnk8 (who also created the logo)

[writing-for-life]

Round Three/3, Poll

P. Craig Russell

VS

Mike Dringenberg

Uh oh, it’s one of those again…

We have arrived at our last pairing before the finale hits tomorrow, everyone! So make this one count, because it’s the battle of the (supposed) Sturridge lookalikes.

And as usual, we recommend you read up on background information, look at wonderful art appreciation for both and refresh your memory (especially with regard to the issues they created). You can do this here. But as you know from last week, they also created some bloopers or slightly OOC portrayals, which you can find here—we don’t want to be too biased 😉

Plus, have their Sandman issues again:

P. Craig Russell: Fables & Reflections #50: “Distant Mirrors—Ramadan”, Endless Nights: “Death—Death and Venice”, The Dream Hunters

Mike Dringenberg: Preludes and Nocturnes #6-8, The Doll’s House #9-11 and #14-16, Season of Mists #21 and #28

While you are still voting for your favourite Morpheus/Daniel and NOT story arcs, we would like to hear (and see!) what other portrayal totally knocked it out of the park for you:

This round is all about your favourite artist’s Sandman characters other than Dream.

Let us know in the reblogs, post your favourite panels or unofficial art like commissions—we want to see it all!

Here’s the poll to vote for your favourite if you want to see them again (you can find the whole bracket and some additional info here, and feel free to check out previous matches via the tag #sandman march mania):

My favourite Dream design is still by…

P. Craig Russell

Mike Dringenberg

Voting ended onApr 18, 2024

[writing-for-life]

Round One/2, Poll

Michael Zulli, penciller issue #72

VS.

Bill Sienkiewicz, artist Endless Nights: Delirium—Going Inside

Michael Zulli and Bill Sienkiewicz are two of the three original artists to give Daniel!Dream a face (the third one is Jon J. Muth).

If you’d like to refresh your memory on the issues both have illustrated:

Michael Zulli: The Doll’s House #13, World’s End #53, The Wake #70-73

Bill Sienkiewicz: Endless Nights: Delirium—Going Inside

And remember, you are voting for your favourite version of Dream, not the particular storyline.

Who is your favourite and why? Let us know in the comments/reblogs. Share your thoughts about their art, your favourite panels from their issues, or even other art they created and help us turn this into an artist appreciation post.

Here’s the poll to vote for your favourite if you want to see them again (you can find the whole bracket and some additional info here, and feel free to check out previous matches via the tag #sandman march mania):

My favourite depiction of Dream is by…

Michael Zulli

Bill Sienkiewicz

Voting ended onMar 27, 2024

Event organisers: @writing-for-life and @tickldpnk8 (who also designed the logo)

[writing-for-life]

Round One/1, Poll

Michael Allred, artist issue #54

VS.

Jon J. Muth, artist/colorist issue #74

Both artists illustrated only one issue, but both have given us extremely memorable versions of Morpheus (and, in the case of Muth, also Daniel).

If you want to refresh your memory:

Mike Allred: World’s End #54, “The Golden Boy”

Jon J. Muth: The Wake #74, “Exiles”

And remember, you are voting for your favourite version of Dream, not the particular storyline.

Who is your favourite and why? Let us know in the comments/reblogs. Share your thoughts about their art, your favourite panels from their issues, or even other art they created and help us turn this into an artist appreciation post.

Here’s the poll to vote for your favourite if you want to see them again (you can find the whole bracket and some additional info here):

My favourite depiction of Dream is by…

Michael Allred

Jon J. Muth

Voting ended onMar 26, 2024

Event organisers: @writing-for-life and @tickldpnk8 (who also created the logo)