Dear Neil.

Dear Neil.

There's a tragedy happening in Iran, we're being shot in the streets, my brothers and sisters are dying, my government is committing war crimes and as a fellow human being I'm desperately asking for your help to raise awareness.

Mahsa Amini was a 22-year-old woman who was brutally murdered by the Islamic Republic of Iran's so-called "morality police." Her crime? Showing hair in public and "dressing inappropriately." Any human being with a pair of working eyes who has seen pictures of her prior to her murder can see that not only was her dress not inappropriate, but also that she (and a lot of women in Iran) had covered herself more than any other woman in any other part of world is obligated to.This sparked fury among the people of Iran and a wave of nation-wide protests broke out as the result. But don't get it wrong. This was only the straw that broke the camel's back and was the result of 43 years of unmitigated oppression and cruelty that the people of Iran have been subjected to. Every Iranian is branded a Muslim from birth and they're not given a choice. You cannot identify as an atheist and other religious minorities are treated horribly with a lot of their rights stripped from them. There's been a long history of cruelty against Bahai people in Iran, for example. We're not forced to be muslims in name only. We're also forced to act like muslims and learn all the muslim teachings, hijab being one of the many ideals shoved down our throat. And of course, converting from Islam to other religions or no religion is punishable by death. This savagery is not part of our culture or law; it is not part of any humanitarian law to kill women for showing hair and exercising their right to bodily autonomy for that matter.Up until now, the government forces have been violent and ruthless in their attempts to stump out our protests. They've shot people from a 63 year old woman to a 10 year old girl, killing them all without mercy. The Internet has been cut out in several places and reportedly, they've brought out tanks and used military-grade bullets in the city of Sanandaj, where the Internet has been shut down for two days as of September 21. Meanwhile, president Ibrahim Raisi is giving a lecture in the UN, babbling about saving the people of Palestine and justice in the world while his own forces are brutally murdering ordinary people and protesters in Iran.At this point, we're in danger of being cut off from the world when the whole internet finally shuts down. This is not a speculation. The same thing happened in the nation-wide protests of 2019 and the government proceeded to kill all the protesters in absolute radio silence. A lot of protesters were found with cement blocks tied to their ankles and thrown in the river after the successfully stumped the protests out. We don't want the same thing to happen to our children and people again. If you hear no more news from Iran, things haven't settled down. We are being silently killed off and executed.You might think you don't have anything to do with this, but think again about why you all involved yourselves in the war between Ukraine and Russia. This is not any different. Our people have waged a war against their government and none of them are people who willingly chose violence. They are normal people who want nothing more than a normal life, which is what the Islamic regime has taken from them. If you have an ounce of humanity and empathy within yourself, you'll spread the word around and not let this injustice go unanswered and unpunished.There's nothing more to be said.

As an Iranian woman who always read your books and who always raised up her voice, I need help now. We can Breathe anymore! I fought for poc, I raised my voice for ukraine. Now I need yours. I'm a young author. I can have a future... a free one! but my government took it from me. Please be my voice ... our voice!!

I'm happy to let people know, yes. And it's heartbreaking.

Here's the BBC on what's happening:

BBC News

Death toll rises from escalating protests in Iran - BBC News

Nine people are said to have been killed in unrest triggered by the death in custody of Mahsa Amini.

OK @youcanseethecosmos I HAVE THOUGHTS ABOUT YOUR AU IT HAS TAKEN OVER MY BRAIN

[TW: mention of ED, fainting. I have marked where both these start and end]

Dream, being the most introverted person imaginable, hides in his trailer almost all the time, alternating between rehearsing and writing

He does like to help out the BTS departments whenever he can, and can often be found quietly painting props and sets whenever there are less people on set

Hob on the other hand is the guy always telling jokes and making people smile on set

Sometimes people accuse him of getting the jobs he does by pulling strings via Dream, but then meet him and realise just how sweet and talented he is

Dream seems to forget that he's an A lister most of the time and does not know how much power his word/recommendation has in the industry

This is why Hob never really snaps back at Dream's accidental barbs. He has fallen in love with his new world and cannot exactly risk Dream saying he is not worth working with

(Dream would never say that but he is an idiot)

Hob is friendly with Death and often goes out for coffee with her whenever she is in the area

Dream is closest to Death out of all his siblings - she is his confidante about everything that even mildly bothers him, even if it takes a bit of prodding to get him to spill - and she makes it a point to regularly visit sets of projects he's in so he can unwind/let out everything he keeps bottling up

These visits are some of the few times Dream doesn't hide in his trailer, and they can be found chatting on a couch or floor or something until Dream falls asleep (going off on the point about Dream sleeping between takes)

Dream is always cold, and seeks out sources of warmth like a cat, but only when he's asleep, because he's too awkward to do so casually enough when he's awake, and holds back anyways because he doesn't want to be a burden. He curls into Death's side once he drops off, and she has never and will never tell him about it [ED mentions begin]

Dream has an ED, as a result of being in the movie business for so long, which is why Hob hasn't ever seen him eat, despite having known him for so many projects

He thinks Dream is so lean/slender because he just works out a lot, but is always a little alarmed whenever he has to touch him for any takes/photos/etc because his bones seem to be literally hanging out

He's always worried until exactly the moment Dream opens his mouth and says something mean

(I know you have something planned about The Big Reveal™ but my brain fixated on Dream having an ED and went off)

In one movie, Dream is to have a shirtless scene and he goes into overdrive with his workouts so he looks Perfect™, plus it's with Hob so he's even more anxious about looking good. He also subconsciously starts restricting his food intake even more. [Fainting mentions begin]

When filming the scene, he does look great, but in a slightly sickly way. The script calls for him to "faint" into Hob's character's arms, but he actually passes out

Hob thinks it's just his usual stellar acting and magnetic fervour that he brings into each role and scene

Until the director yells "Cut!" and Dream... doesn't wake up.

Cue panic

Death is conveniently on set that day, and realises what's going on

Oh no, we need to take him to his trailer and need a big strong man because he obviously can't walk there himself

Hob, thoroughly confused about what to feel, takes Dream to aforementioned trailer

While Death takes care of his idiocy, she ends up ranting about how he is Utterly The Stupidest, Most Self-Centered, Pathetic Excuse For An Actor on This, Or Any Other Form of Media, and simply cannot take care of himself or even ever say what he means

Hob, awkwardly hovering around and trying to not get in Death's path, asks what happened to his dearly detested

"He's been starving himself for this stupid scene. Probably hasn't drunk anything in a day or two."

Oh shit now things make a bit of sense

Hob is now extremely overbearing when it comes to making Dream eat regularly, now that Death has given him her blessing to yell at him to eat [All TW mentions end]

Death has also now informed him about how awkward he actually is, and how often he ends up implying exactly the opposite of what he means

Oh shit, he's trying to compliment me.

I've gone overboard and it is now very AM. Good night.

here’s weirder asks

who is/are your comfort character(s)?

lighter or matches?

do you leave the window open at night?

which cryptyd being do you believe in?

what color are your eyes?

why did you do that?

hair-ties or scrunchies?

how many water bottles are in your room right now?

which do you prefer, hot coffee or cold coffee?

would you slaughter the rich?

favorite extracurricular activity?

what kind of day is it?

when was the last time you ate?

do you love the smell of earth after it rains?

are you a parent? (all answers qualify)

can you drive?

are you farsighted or nearsighted?

what hair products do you use?

imagine we’re at a sleepover, would you paint my nails?

do you say soda or pop?

something you’ve kept since childhood?

what type of person are you?

how do you feel about chilly weather?

if we were together on a rooftop, what would we be doing?

perfume/body spray or lotion?

a scenario that you’ve replayed multiple times?

about how many hours of sleep did you get?

do you wear a mask?

how do you like your shower water?

is there dishes in your room?

what type of music keeps you grounded?

do you have a favorite towel?

the last adventure you’ve been on?

is there a song you know every word to by heart?

what’s your timezone?

how many times have you changed your url?

someone in your life, other than a relative, you’ve known for 10+ years?

a soap bar that smells good?

do you use lip balm?

did you have any snacks today?

how do you take your coffee?

an app you frequently use besides this godforsaken site?

what’s your take on spicy foods?

you get a free pass to kill anyone, who is it?

can you remember what happened yesterday?

favorite holiday film?

what was the last message you sent?

when did you first try an alcohol beverage?

can you skip rocks?

can i tag you in random stuff?

I love how he like never uses his own throne to intimidate and whatever, instead chooses to sit on the stairs. And then when he meets idiot men he will find literally any chair and make it a throne

You know you're in trouble when he menacingly stands up from a fancy chair in your house.

re: Hob and the New Inn, I think there's maybe an implication from his look in response to "if you've got enough money in this country you can do whatever you bloody want" that Hob thinks "I have enough money....", so then when the old pub is still standing in 2022 (instead of "new flats") it's reasonable to think Hob might have had something to do with it? Also the spray-painted sign pointing to the New Inn even after it's well established. And neil-gaiman tumblr com / post / 691863640411963392

true, but I do think that Hob would be more likely to simply keep White Horse running, instead of building a new place up. Neil's response - I understand how that could work, but why would he fund for about two decades and then let it fall to ruin?

Some fics that i've read have had hob try to convert it to a certified historic site etc etc which I kinda like so yeah. Doesn't exactly make sense to invest in White Horse just to set up new place

THE SANDMAN: A HOPE IN HELL (S01E04)