#dwell on dreams

[anominous-user]

is this something (2)

[secretlifeofvalentine]

it’s a dangerous cycle ㅤ♡ྀི

[saphira-approves]

Y’all know me, y’all know it’s a Bad Day when I’m too tired to stay up even a little later to talk Alagaësia, but sometime in the next couple days I WILL have the energy to share detailed and coherent thoughts on the Murtagh extra bits in the deluxe edition, but for now I shall simply share a spoiler-free rendition of my initial reaction:

AAAUUUUGGGHH ALL MY HEART’S DESIRE!!! ANSWERED!!!!! GIVEN!!!!!! AUGH

[magnusbae]

On the rare occasions when Hob is actually mad at Dream— he refuses to sleep. Coffee, energy drinks and the God forsaken awakeness pills? All fair game. If he has to inject caffeine directly into his vein, he would. Hob doesn't often get mad, but when he does, he likes to make a point. Dream and Hob match in more than one ways, really, they do. And so it is that the Dream Lord must come out of his realm personally to sprinkle sand into his lover's eyes because he'd be damned if Hob refuses his gift for more than two nights in a row. Not speaking for 100 years? Easy. Hob refusing sleep? Unacceptable.

[theminecraftbox]

I find myself reflecting upon the attitude that the only “acceptable” redemption for c!Dream requires violent coercive action. It’s a startlingly common take even among those who agree in general terms that retributive justice is broadly a bad idea and that Pandora’s Vault/torture in particular is either immoral, ineffective, or both.

If a “redemption arc” always requires violence or the threat of it, what exactly is being communicated?

[starsailores]

one of the many things in threads that breaks my heart is that, when kosika asks nasi what holland was like, the only thing she said was 'lonely'. any other character who survived acol would have called him powerful, closed-off, perhaps even brutal, and many of them would have been all too happy to list all of his sins. any other character would have either demonised or sancified him. but nasi - despite only being a child, and only having caught glimpses of him - was one of the few people to see him for what he truly was. tired and alone. a man, not a magician, or a martyr, or a god.

[strangerinthelight]

Oh nothing, just thinking about if Loki found a way to visit Mobius in his dreams! And how Mobius would feel waking up from that!!

[deliriuxe]

I can't for the life of me figure out why the idea even came to me but Dream discovering he has a romantic rival for you but instead of it being his brother Nightmare it's Baggs. Like could y'all imagine.

[lunarharp]

figured i'd do this again..bit early i guess..

[usefulquotes7]

“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” - Buddha

[fabled-lady-twilla]

Okay but Horikoshi had NO right making Shiggy THAT ✨T H I C C✨ in his glow up lmao!!! He's got the all the fangirls stumbling like lord have mercy! 🧎🏻‍♀️🙌🏻🙆🏻‍♀️👌🏻

[pidgefudge]

anything is possible if you block out the real world and retreat into the expansive catalog of elaborate fantasies you've developed over the years as a coping mechanism

[terebelli]

[tickldpnk8]

Song of Orpheus Recap

Man, Song of Orpheus is hard. I started this post on July 6th. Three months ago!! It's a tragedy within a tragedy, I got emotional, and then put this book in the metaphorical freezer for a bit.

But it's also jam-packed with revelations and foreshadowing. It's a super-long issue (arc?) and I'll be covering it all in one go. So without further ado, I'll get into it.

On Orpheus’ nature

So it kicks off with a bit of foreshadowing in the form of a prophetic dream. So prophetic dreaming isn't something that started just when he became an oracle. Orpheus also seems to have no power over his dream, but once he becomes lucid enough, he is able to see his father and then visit him in the Dreaming. It's also interesting to me that he doesn't seem to be able to interpret his dream: asking Morpheus what it all meant. (And getting the brush off from his dad in the process.) Morpheus implies that he might actually know what the dream means, but won't tell his son because he is his son. (side note: this interaction totally reminded me of friends in high school who had parents who taught at our school)

Orpheus is also able to open a portal to the Dreaming with just his voice and lyre. I found this super interesting: combined with what we saw a few issues back in France, he seems to have some sort of power that manifests through song. Whether this is something his father grants him to get "home" easier or whether it's just how powerful of a musician he is, is not stated. I think it lends credence to Orpheus having some sort of demi-god-like musical power though in addition to prophetic dreams. Seems a perfect balance of traits to inherit from both of his parents.

On grief:

This is a repeating refrain throughout this issue: People die, you grieve and you move on. Aristeas expresses this sentiment in the opening pages of Chapter 1.

And Morpheus repeats the same sentiment to Orpheus in Chapter 2 after Euridice dies. As I was writing this section of this post, we were having a conversation on Grief and how it relates to Morpheus' own character. The linked thread is a slight tangent, but I do feel like this refrain just continues to echo throughout the series and between the characters.

On the Endless:

We also learn a ton about Morpheus' siblings in this issue. Especially as they are all introduced to Euridice. For example:

Apparently, Delirium almost got married at one point. I don't see this panel talked about a lot during discussions of her character. And I have to wonder, is this why Del changed? Is it why Delight was sad as @onehundredandeleventropicalfish pointed out that subtle lettering detail from Overture? She's always pictured so young as Delight that I can't really picture her marrying at that stage...and yet...

Meanwhile, we are finally introduced to the missing Endless: And I love that when we finally get a name, it's in Greek and his face is covered. Ha! Way to draw out the mystery a bit more. I love that he refers to Orpheus as his favorite nephew...but it begs the question how many nephews does he have??

But also what just happened here? Did Destruction simply open a portal to his sister’s house? Or did he literally kill Orpheus to grant him the audience he sought??

This panel never ceases to get me in the feels: how the family portrait is bisected by the gutter space right where Death should be. But this section of the story also makes me wonder how Death experiences Time...she decorates her apartment in a very modern way with things that haven't been invented yet...are they leftovers from a pre-Overture existence? Does time not pass linearly for her? Or do the Endless simply know what is coming and exist outside of time when they don't want to?

Whatever the case may be, Orpheus isn't able to adjust. So he's a normal human on that front, and we would likewise have a hard time perceiving their realms.

On Morpheus

Here we get that famous line that Morpheus doesn't dance. Not even with his wife and not even at his son's wedding. But also wtf is he wearing and what is that pinned to??

On Morpheus and Relationships

Here we have a conversation between Orpheus and his mother about Morpheus. And it's a bit heartbreaking because you can see how Morpheus is too rigid in his ways/thinking to keep relationships going: Orpheus alleges that his father won't forget or forgive a slight. While Calliope states that Morpheus doesn't really share any part of himself and isn't willing or perhaps able to change. So here we have Morpheus' fatal flaws spelled out for the Reader in this flashback issue.

And the sad thing for me is that by this point of the story, we're seeing that Morpheus is already changing. But the more frustrating point in this panel is that we can see how Orpheus is a chip off the old block...Orpheus is the one who renounced his father, yet it's not apparent that he's tried to reach out and make amends. argh

Yet after Orpheus' death, I do think Morpheus takes things too far as a parent (especially for us modern folks). I'm still hoping to write a meta on him and parenthood, but want to get through Brief Lives before I do. Orpheus asks for his help to die, but Morpheus states that Orpheus' life is his own...and his death too. Effectively upholding the disownment that Orpheus kicked off by stating he was "no longer [his] son" before seeking out his aunt. Morpheus was never going to be the first one to crack on this: he's too by the rules. And the rules state that his son has renounced him.

On Foreshadowing:

It’s also here that we get the first hint about the Thessalian witches...and Thessaly, who will do basically what it says: mutilate a man's face and pull down the moon in the next arc.

And then there's this... Orpheus is the one who has made the Furies cry. Orpheus is the one they will never forgive. And that comes true within this arc with his death at the hands of the Baccanae. But is it concluded? I also just can't help thinking that the son from the union they didn't approve of will give them the means to take revenge upon his father.

[lanesrequiem]

this is a random thought but what food would you guys wanna eat irl from the food options rc has been giving us over the years? id definitely avoid jorge’s cooking 😭

[fredficaccount]

I'm reading an absolutely brilliant Drarry fic. Dwelling on Dreams by @the-sinking-ship.

I'll talk more about it later, when I've already finished, knowing that it's an absolute marvel, I'm enjoying every word and I'm in love with the characters. I'll elaborate in due time, I have so much to say…

The reason I'm writing now is this passage:

I just laughed so hard!

About soccer (vs quidditch) 😄

« It's horribly boring. Absolutely nothing happens, no one scores, and they're always rolling around in pain every time the ball comes anywhere near them »

(…)

« But if Beckham wants to take his kit off and run around for two hours, I'm certainly not going to complain about it. In fact, it might be the only interesting part »

A gem 😊