#also shoutout to my lovely mutual hookedhobbies for both writing that fic and also recommending me this book

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please excuse me while i go a wee bit off the rails for a second here!!

So I'm reading Dracul currently and when I read this particular section my brain started going brrrrrr thinking about the way the other vessels may be drawn to Vessel by the power of Sleep (thinking of III in particular). Like, let me just replace some words real quickly :

III could not explain how or why he was able to do such a thing, yet there it was, a strange tugging, as if a cord had been tied to Vessel and he was pulling III along behind him. That pull was accompanied by what could only be described as a tickling at the back of his mind, and as he grew closer, that tickling redoubled. It wasn't uncomfortable; quite the opposite - he found it soothing. This force wanted III to be close to Vessel.

The force, obviously being Sleep, binds itself to each of them, and in being Sleep's primary vessel, Vessel has a natural allure to them. In my mind, Vessel & II knew each other prior to Sleep, but III and IV felt this incredibly strong pull towards this vocalist, this seemingly random guy. They think it's just because of the music, because of their aligned tastes. But they also feel connected to him in a way that they've never felt towards anyone before, but they don't realize it was Sleep's doing until it was too late, until they had allowed Sleep to meld into every fiber of their being.

It's the reason their music is so relatable, why it's so enthralling. Sleep manages to grasp at the minds of listeners, just a little, just enough to keep drawing them back, to keep them worshipping. At least until He can return to His former glory.

(idk maybe i'm just really too deep in the sleep token brainrot but i'm throwing these thoughts out of my head and into the void)