#hc where ep two is vessel ii’s lore | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

spoiledleaff · 6 months ago

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NAZARETH. NOW. PLEAAASEEEEE!

✿ — okay, okay, haha! i know that this analysis is probably one of the most anticipated of the ep's songs, so i hope that i've done this analysis justice! :'D i'm also just gonna take a super quick moment to tag @excelsior9173, @laceandeights, and @pyrographic-memory!! i hope you all don't mind! :')) this is just because you all were so incredibly sweet with interacting with my original post, i figured i'd take a chance and tag you! :D there was also a super sweet anon who also asked for a nazareth analysis, but they asked on anon so i just hope that they see this, haha! :)

✿ — for a little bit of context, this ask is in reference to >>this<< post i made briefly going over my whole hc for the two ep!! :D you can also find my full analysis for calcutta >>here<<!! :)

anyways!! this post is gonna be another massive theory//headcannon post that will be focusing on the sleep token ep, two, and the second song, nazareth, as well as my hc that these songs are quite literally the basis for ii's backstory! :D i'm super proud with how this analysis turned out, and jericho is gonna be next up on that list! >:Dc followed by jaws and maybe even granite to tie it all up! :))

✿ — TWO + CALCUTTA.

↳ this is just a quick little summary of what we've analyzed so far!

this hc stems from the fact that every song from this ep are the only songs on spotify to list a 'vessel ii' as a composer alongside 'vessel'. and, of course, the ep is named 'two'! :D haha!

finally, i like to interpret calcutta as a song about hopelessness and about experiencing a growing sense of despair that can only come from loving another person that you cannot obtain. while sleep and their influences might be vessel's own personal prison—vessel is ii's calcutta; he is ii's prison that ii willingly crawls back into every night, just to have a moment where it is just the two of them. and i think that it is in this moment in time where sleep extends their influence to ii, intending to weaponize ii's jealousy and possessive thoughts to bring vessel closer to sleep. and this is where we've left off to prepare for our analysis of nazareth! :)

✿ — NAZARETH.

↳ tw + cw : discussions of death, jealousy, possessive thoughts, guns, domestic assault + murder. this one is a doozy!! please take care of yourself if you choose to continue.

✿ — before we deep dive into those lyrics, let's talk about what nazareth means! :)

✧ — as a name, 'nazareth' might mean 'a watch tower', but it's also been connected in the new testament with the word 'netzer' meaning 'a branch' or 'a shoot'. however! this doesn't mean 'shoot' as in with a gun, but 'a shoot' as in 'a growth that occurs from newly chopped down trees'. but!! this still has a chance to relate heavily to how sleep views their blessing specifically in vessel, mainly with how it is the consequences of the actions depicted in this song that leave a shoot of despair and resentment growing in both vessel and ii.

✧ — additionally, nazareth holds significant meaning in the new testament of christianity! nazareth is actually the childhood home of jesus, and it is in a synagogue of nazareth where jesus preached a sermon that eventually led to him being chased out of his boyhood home.

↳ but! why was jesus chased out of nazareth if that was his childhood home? well, when the people of nazareth demanded that jesus perform a miracle, jesus refused to do so because the people of nazareth did not have faith in him. the people of nazareth where so upset with jesus, that they wanted to throw him off a cliffside. now, this!! this is perhaps the most vital connection we have from the title of the song to its meaning! because, the reference of jesus' rejection by the people of nazareth could be interpreted as a very clear and intentional mirror of sleep's relationship with vessel.

✿ —alrighty!! these are pretty much the most important points i can make before we officially dive into the lyrics! the relationship between jesus and the people of nazareth is something that is absolutely imperative to keep in the back of your mind while we continue with the lyrics! >:Dc

✧ — as always, this is all a byproduct of my own personal opinions and headcannons, but i like to think that nazareth is a song about the drastic measures that sleep would go through in order to keep vessel tethered to them, using ii's pre-existing jealousy against vessel's current partner (as discussed in the calcutta analysis) as a weapon. i know i said that i wouldn't go through every single lyric in the previous analysis, i realize i kind of did anyways, haha! regardless, here is my interpretation of nazareth's lyrics. :)

✧ — super quick!! while calcutta, and later also jericho, are told from the perspective of ii, i think that nazareth is specifically from sleep's pov, talking directly to ii!! please keep this in mind while we continue! :D

' and i'll see you when the wrath comes // knocking on your bedroom door with money // building you a kingdom '

↳ this is sleep's promise to ii. throughout the entire course of the song, this is what sleep promises to ii. but what does this mean? i think this is sleep telling ii that they will be there when ii's anger and jealousy inevitably takes over—there will be a point in ii's life where this wrath will metaphorically knock on the door of ii's consciousness with money, with a deal that is too good to pass up. ii has alienated himself so much from vessel and his partner that it is with his jealousy and with his anger that he is building his own kingdom, he is growing too comfortable with all of these awful, awful feelings that are only further amplified by sleep's manipulation; ii is the king of his own misery, and sleep is there with him every step of the way.

' drippin' from the open mouth // i'll show you what you look like from the inside // and i'll see you when the wrath comes around '

↳ i think that these lines really start to illustrate for the audience just how much of a master manipulator sleep is as they continue to actively antagonize ii in regards to his immense jealousy of vessel's partner. using graphic imagery — perhaps even projecting the image of vessel's partner dying and bleeding out and dripping blood from their open mouth, already illustrating what they want ii to do — sleep continues to acknowledge ii's negative emotions, further reminding ii that his wrath will make itself known and sleep will be there when that happens.

' tonight, tonight, tonight // you have the answer '

↳ whereas sleep's previous words feel like a promise, these ones feel more like a taunt. a scathing reminder — a borderline prophecy — that sleep knows ii's fate. they're taunting him with this, though still trying to provoke ii.

' let's load the gun // make her eat the tape in the bathroom mirror // see if she can guess what // a hollow point does to a naked body // let's fuck her up '

↳ previously, sleep has been daydreaming about the violence that they want ii to unleash on vessel's partner, but here?? i think ii's sanity has finally snapped, and he currently has vessel's partner tied up and scared for their life as these lyrics are being sung. i think that the previous lyrics were nothing more than sleep's violent daydreams, but this verse is sleep describing all the things they want ii to do while vessel's partner is in the room with them.

↳ these lyrics are graphic, and it's deliberate. sleep wants vessel's partner to be afraid, they're toying with her life right in front of her eyes—sleep doesn't just want vessel's partner gone, they want her to suffer.

✧ — as a super quick interlude, i would just like to address sleep's motives before we continue with the rest of the analysis!!

in our calcutta analysis, we did briefly discuss why ii might be envious of vessel's partner—the reason being that ii might be envious of vessel's attentions being so divided between himself and vessel's partner, with ii feeling as though vessel doesn't care about ii when he's able to be with his partner, only defaulting to ii's company during the nighttime, when she is not available to be around vessel. which, to be fair, is honestly a totally valid human emotion! ii doesn't think of harming vessel's partner until sleep begins influencing him and taunting him. in calcutta, there isn't really any graphic displays of ii wishing any harm, let alone violence on vessel's partner—there is an instance where ii was rude to vessel's partner by completely dismissing her importance in vessel's life, but these wishes for violence don't make themselves terribly known until sleep starts taunting ii. but why would sleep be jealous alongside ii? well, i think that while ii has a very natural + human experience with his envy, sleep's jealousy is completely irrational and inhuman; it's completely possessive of vessel. sleep isn't used to vessel, or ii for that matter, interacting with anyone outside of sleep's influence. i think that sleep, as a deity, is used to being the center of attention—quite literally the center of worship. to them, vessel's partner feels like a threat, a distraction to vessel's worship. sleep doesn't simply want to occupy vessel's mind during the night, they want to occupy his mind and his attention at all given times. i think that knowing how ii shares those sentiments — albeit to a much more human and less completely dangerous degree; 'i'm whole again // for just a moment // 'till the morning comes' — sleep is able to poison ii's judgment and weaponize their shared jealousy to take vessel's partner out of the picture. i think the meaning behind the title of the song is that little hint that we need to properly understand sleep's motives! just like jesus when he refused to give the people of nazareth a miracle because they did not have faith, sleep is acting in a very similar way, albeit much more twisted. instead of simply rejecting vessel, sleep is rejecting his partner, the supposed source of vessel's sudden lack of faith. okay! back to the analysis >:Dc

' manifest pain at the core of pleasure // i'll see you when the wrath comes around '

↳ i think this line is meant to be split up between being addressed to vessel's partner and being addressed to ii. sleep has been an open antagonist throughout the entirety of this song; they want vessel's partner — and by extension, the audience — to absolutely suffer. sleep wants vessel's partner to think of vessel as she passes, sleep wants her to think of all the good times she's experienced with him + all the wonderful moments of her life she's spent with her loved one, and sleep wants her to die thinking of him; they want her to feel immense pain where there was once pleasure.

✿ — BIG, BIG TW FOR A DESCRIPTION OF BODY HORROR + GENITAL HORROR!! i totally understand if that's not your cup of tea!! please skip this next indented section!!!

↳ in a much more... gruesome approach, i think that this line might also be able to be taken quite literally—this is how ii kills vessel's partner. ii either shoots her in the heart, or... he might have also shot her in her lower abdomen, specifically targeting her reproductive system. sleep is so desperate to cause vessel's partner immense pain in the moments leading to her death that they are willing to have ii do anything to desecrate her humanity + any semblance of love she might've held for vessel—sleep wants vessel's partner to die with a twisted memory of vessel's love. regardless, because of this sentiment, i think this line specifically is a jab at vessel's emotions. of course, i always wanna insert my trans! ii headcannon into literally anything i write regarding this man, haha! so there's also a possible symbolic disconnect there if you really wanna think some sad thoughts :'D

↳ of course, we end with sleep's taunt towards ii, a reminder of what his rage + jealousy has forced him to do.

' tonight, tonight, tonight // you have the answer '

↳ this reoccurrence of this line had me going through the lyrics of all of the ep's songs quite a few times, because i never really remembered there being an actual question that might've been phrased or even referenced throughout the course of the ep. then, of course, i realized i'm writing a story for sleep token and quickly backtracked, haha! :'D i think this supposed 'question' is more-so implied in the aspects of ii's character that we see throughout the ep. i think that, deep down, this is another manipulation tactic used by sleep.

↳ vessel's partner is important to vessel, but obviously not to sleep. i like to think that ii was much more hesitant to accept sleep's blessings and their influence than vessel was, but his actions tonight have made it 'clear' that ii will do what he is told, even if that means harming vessel in the process. his allegiances are ultimately with sleep, not with vessel.

↳ (not really, haha! like i said, i think that this is another manipulation tactic used by sleep against ii. i think that, at this point, sleep is still obsessed with vessel and only vessel. ii is... interesting to them, but more-so in a useful sense than a 'hey, i actually kinda like this funky little fellow' kind of way, haha! sleep loves vessel, like, in a toxic, yandere kind of way. they want ii to feel guilty about what he's been coerced to do; they want ii to forcibly alienate himself even more from vessel, because ii loves vessel as well! and sleep unfortunately does know this.)

' let's load the gun // (they won't be missing you, they won't be missing you) // let's load the gun // (see you when the wrath comes, see you when the wrath comes) // let's load the gun // (see you when the wrath comes) '

↳ this is all sleep; ordering ii to load the gun, mocking vessel's partner over never being missed, and once again taunting ii over how easily his jealousy has gotten the better of him. this is where it all happens, and this is where it all ends.

↳ something i noticed while listening to this song on repeat, haha! now, i'm not experienced with music in any way, shape, or form, but to my uneducated ear, it sounds like there are two separate breakdowns towards the final minutes of the song—one following immediately after when vessel finishes singing, and another following a small piano-based transition that ends the song. i think that these two breakdowns symbolize our timelines!

↳ the first breakdown is when ii finally gives into sleep's demands and shoots vessel's partner until she's dead in the bathroom. the second breakdown is when ii completely loses it over what he's done.

✿ — to put it all together!! i don't think that ii can be entirely blamed for the murder of vessel's partner. with this story + interpretation, ii was entirely coerced, borderline possessed and overpowered by sleep's own possessive thoughts toward vessel, and inevitably manipulated into doing an extreme action when he wasn't in his right mind. (am i condoning this sort of reason in real life?? hell no!! but, as a very gentle reminder, this is fantasy! and like to think that i'm allowed to have my brain read too deep between the lines of a sleep token ep and come back to this silly little blog to report my findings and my daydreams, haha!) but ii's jealousy and wrath have made themselves known, and sleep was especially quick to monopolize on that—weaponizing ii's own emotions in a way that would directly benefit sleep through the murder of vessel's partner. this song is a warning; it is a threat and it's especially graphic and unsettling because sleep wants that reminder to forever haunt not only vessel, but ii as well, for the rest of their lives and their servitude to sleep. ii was the one holding the gun, but it was inevitably sleep that forced him to pull the trigger.

✿ — and that's it!! :D this concludes my analysis + narrative interpretation of the song nazareth from the ep, two! :)) once again, as a friendly reminder, this is just my own interpretation of the lyrics through a strictly narrative lense :) i don't think this could be actual sleep token canon, haha! i just think that this would make a very fun and interesting story for my own selfish reasons, haha! next up on the list is jericho, and then i'll for sure be making an analysis for jaws to tie everything all up! :) please feel free to let me know what you think of this analysis! :D this one was definitively a challenge to get through, but i've no doubt that jericho is going to be even harder in terms of angsty emotions as that one focuses more on ii's consequences and how they impact his relationship with vessel. :'D ahhhh, i'm not readyyyy, haha!

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spoiledleaff · 6 months ago

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No no you cannot just post that 'silly little hc'??? And not expect me to ask you about it??? I need the rest of your lecture notes ASAP lol

✿ — yesss! haha! i was really, really hoping that someone might be intrigued enough to maybe ask me about this further; it's honestly so near and dear to my heart, especially since diving deep into storytelling and character development is a massive passion of mine! :)) for a little bit of context, this ask is in reference to >>this<< post i made briefly going over my whole hc for the two ep! :D

anyways!! this post is gonna be a massive theory/headcannon post that will be focusing on the sleep token ep, two, and the first song, calcutta, as well as my hc that these songs are quite literally the basis for ii's backstory! :D considering that nazareth and jericho are two of my favorite songs in all of sleep token's discography, i'll most likely address those two songs in a separate post! :) for now, i just wanna throw these thoughts out there, haha!

✿ — TWO.

well, first of all, where does this hc originate from? i'm so glad you asked! :D this hc stems from the fact that every song from this ep are the only songs on spotify to list a 'vessel ii' as a composer alongside 'vessel'. to my knowledge! calcutta, nazareth, and jericho are the only songs in the entire sleep token discography that lists a 'vessel ii' as a composer alongside 'vessel' or 'vessel 1'. naturally, we can assume that this is our one and only ii! :)

and, of course, the ep is named 'two'! :) yes, of course, this ep is the band's second compilation of music, so the name is a little bit on the nose, haha! but i also like to think — in the same vein that this ep is ii's backstory — the ep one is vessel's backstory :) which, who knows, haha! maybe i'll do my own narrative analysis of the one ep after this >:Dc

✿ — CALCUTTA.

↳ tw + cw : discussions of death, jealousy + possessive thoughts.

✿ — first up on the ep is calcutta! :D gosh, i do so love this song, haha! but, first of all, what does calcutta mean?

✧ — as a general idea, calcutta is actually the largest city and the capital in west bengal of india! it's a bit of a melting pot of sorts, especially for practicing different religions such as hinduism, muslims, and, of course, christianity. though, since 2001, the city has officially changed its name to 'kolkata'.

↳ another interesting thing that i discovered while doing some extra research for this post is in regards to the etymology behind the name 'kolkata'! :D the word is initially taken from the name 'kôlikata' which was the name of one of three villages in the area that merged together to form the city of kolkata. in regards to the etymology of the name, 'kolikata' is thought to have been a variation of the bengali word 'kalikkhetrô' which translates to 'field of kali'.

↳ okay, so!! interestingly enough, kali — also known as kalika — is a prominent figure in hindu mythology and religion! kali is oftentimes worshipped as a divine protector and as one who bestows liberation; she is associated with aspects of mortal life such as time, change, creation, power, and!! the most fascinating bit!! she is also associated with destruction and death. this little tidbit of information becomes even more interesting when considering the next song featured in this ep, nazareth. but!! back to calcutta! :)

✧ — additionally, there was also a dungeon stationed in fort william, calcutta in the 1700's that held british prisoners of war after the fort was overtaken in a seige. the dungeon was known as the 'black hole of calcutta', and a written account from one of the soldiers that was imprisoned there detailed brutal conditions that were so inhuman and cramped that they had its prisoners dying from suffocation and heat exhaustion. to support this reference, in the opening shots for the calcutta music video, vessel is shown literally crawling out of an unknown crevice, presumably a hole. haha! i don't know why i worded that so weirdly, but you get the point! :)

✿ — these possible little sneak-peeks of the possible history behind the name of this song are so fascinating to me, haha! but, what about the actual song?

✧ — of course, this is all up my personal feelings and interpretations about this song, but i like to think that calcutta is a song about hopelessness and about experiencing a growing sense of despair that can only come from loving another person that you cannot obtain. as much as i would love to break this song down lyric by lyric and piece by juicy little piece, i think i'm going to focus on specific lyrics and sections that really resonate with me! :D ...which is apparently almost the entirety of the song, haha!

' i am caught, tangled in // wrapped and quartered '

↳ when i first heard this lyric, i was immediately reminded of the black hole of calcutta. to be caught, to be tangled in, only to be executed in a brutal manner that was typically reserved only for individuals who had committed high treason against the kingdom of england. when dissecting it, it's an absolutely morbid and grim line that opens this entire ep!

' and i ache for your eyes and the way you breathe // and i wake, say your name // and i wake, say your name '

↳ personally, these lines scream!! unyielding yearning + unrequited love. especially considering that this line follows after vessel singing about how 'for just a moment // missing pieces find me'?? it feels like every slightly good emotion or feeling that's described in this song is almost immediately crushed by a haunting reminder of how temporary that sensation is.

' you are more than warm belief // melting skywards '

↳ something that i find to be one of the more interesting little references in this ep is that two of the three songs hold roots in christianity + and even calcutta holds a lot of religious symbolism and ties to hinduism. this line feels like religious symbolism being directed to a mortal body—one i can only assume might be vessel. this happens a lot throughout the course of this ep, where there are multiple lyrics that hold heavy references to religious symbolism and/or religious imagery. but there's something so distinctly mortal about how these lyrics are executed, that associating these lyrics with sleep just feels completely incorrect. at least to me!! a gentle reminder that this is all my own person headcannon :)

↳ i'd like to specifically bring your attention towards the terminology that's used in these lyrics! i believe that ii saying that vessel is 'more than warm belief' is ii saying that vessel is more than what sleep is trying to make of him; he is his own person, his own identity that is more than just his devotion to sleep. now, my favorite part is this next bit! 'melting skywards'. sleep token is known for their constant references to water as a form of symbolism, and i think that it's no different here! this might be a bit of an extra long stretch, but i think that ii is worried that vessel's 'warm belief' towards sleep will melt him—ii is worried that vessel's devotion might quite literally be the death of him, or at least the death of his identity, instead choosing to leave ii behind and become completely enveloped in sleep's identity.

' more than silence broken // i'm whole again // for just a moment // 'till the morning comes '

↳ this line feels like a small snippet into vessel's and ii's relationship together, specifically their bonding through music as their time together is 'more than silence broken'. it's through these moments in time where ii feels whole again with vessel and the music that they've made by his side.

↳ i think the most interesting part of this line is the lyric ''till the morning comes'. my favorite thought behind sleep's and vessel's relationship is that sleep is the dominant force during the night, whereas vessel is the dominant side during the day. however, considering that sleep — especially during this era of sleep token's music — is considered a widely negative and toxic personality in their relationship with vessel, wouldn't ii look forward to the daytime?? a time of the week where sleep isn't such a domineering presence in both his and vessel's life?? well! i like to think that this song takes place early in vessel's borderline infatuation with sleep, so even the hours of daylight would be spent with vessel obsessing over sleep and possibly ignoring his relationship with ii in favor of his relationships with sleep and his own personal lover—more on this young lady next!! >:Dc

' oh, she said you'd better believe it // i said you don't know // oh, you said you'd better be there // i said you don't even know '

↳ now, we've finally come to a relatively popular theory in terms of vessel's life before sleep's influence—the possibility of his partner! :) now i will say that i do agree with the theory that vessel did have a longterm partner before sleep and the other vessels hehehe--! especially when considering the music videos for jaws, the way that you were, and possibly even the love that you want and the couple of feminine actors that make an impactful and/or reoccurring appearance in sleep token's music videos!

↳ okay! time to break this puppy down >:)c there are three separate sets of pronouns here — 'she', 'you', and 'i' — so let's identify who might be talking! i believe that 'she' is referring to vessel's partner, 'you' is in reference to vessel, and 'i' is ii. i believe that this verse establishes ii's jealousy towards vessel's partner — something that sleep will weaponize against them both in nazareth.

✧ — ' she said you'd better believe it // i said you don't know ' : to me this feels like vessel's partner is trying to address ii's jealousy, affirming that they are here to stay in vessel's life whether ii likes it or not + ii dismissing them, 'you don't know'.

✧ — ' you said you'd better be there // i said you don't even know ' : this feels like borderline damage control to me, which would make sense if we consider this first half to be from vessel's pov. vessel can see the animosity between ii and his partner. when vessel says, 'you'd better be there', i think he's referring to ii's presence in his life. you'd better be here, you'd better stay with me, etc. etc. and when ii replies, 'you don't even know', i think this is said with the opposite intentions of when ii was dismissing vessel's partner. here, i think ii is almost comforting vessel; his intentions are more genuine when he's addressing vessel, while remaining more hurtful when regarding vessel's partner. i think that this is where sleep finds ii.

✿ — to put it all together, i think that ii cherishes his time spent with vessel during the night, because it's just them! no partner and, at this time, sleep's influence is still small in vessel's life. it's just them. but his attentions are split up — it's being wrapped and quartered — between being with vessel, tolerating his partner, and beginning to catch the eye of sleep themselves. but, in these moments, when it's just ii and vessel together in the dead night, ii feels whole. during the day, vessel seeks out his partner, but in the night, vessel seeks out ii—his missing pieces find him, even for just a moment. however, even in the morning, when vessel moves on, ii is still waking up saying vessel's name. in conclusion, while sleep and their influences might be vessel's—vessel is ii's calcutta; he is ii's prison that ii willingly crawls back into every night, just to have a moment where it is just the two of them. and i think that it is in this moment in time where sleep extends their influence to ii, intending to weaponize ii's jealousy and possessive thoughts to bring vessel closer to sleep.

✿ — and that's it! :D that's my analysis of calcutta from the ep, two! :)) as a friendly reminder, this is just my own interpretation of the lyrics through a strictly narrative lense :) i don't think this could be actual sleep token canon, haha! i just think that this would make a very fun and interesting story for my own selfish reasons, haha! i'll still probably make another post for nazareth and jericho, but please feel free to let me know what you think of this silly little analysis in the mean time! :D i always love hearing other people's opinions and thoughts on these sorts of topics, haha!

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