#sleep token hc

[bonncy]

This place will become your tomb.

[spoiledleaff]

i think one of my silliest sleep token hcs is that the ep named two released in 2017 is quite literally ii’s backstory and his relationship with both vessel and sleep as in the song calcutta it shows ii’s reverence towards vessel and the beginnings of their relationship whereas in the song nazareth it shows ii’s jealousy and how sleep manifested in his consciousness as wishes for pure violence and finally in the song jericho it shows the consequences of ii’s actions and how it would forever impact his relationship with vessel and that the release of this ep is vessel’s way of forgiving ii for everything that happened and the music in and of itself is an offering for ii’s atonement :3

[inv3ga]

What form of potato do y'all think each member prefers? If waffle fries, potato wedges, or, at the very least, hash browns aren't one of their favorites, I don't think I could bear to continue listening to their music. (Kidding. They could love au gratin potatoes, and I would still love them. Question their taste buds, but the adoration would remain.)

[dafuq-lyrehc]

My Sleep Token HC

After the shows they’ve played recently, each night all the eepy boys call iii to check in on his situation, give him the highlights from the show, and tell him that they miss him and wish he was there performing with them.

[kwnnys]

— craigs gang + tweek sleeping hcs

hcs ; a/n : ok I swear I'll work on reqs after this pinky promise

— craig tucker

I've mentioned this on another post but I definitely think he grinds his teeth while sleeping.

mostly because of anxiety, but also it just happens randomly

he doesn't move much, but he occasionally turns while sleeping.

craig abslutely cannot sleep with warm sheets or pillows. it makes him super irritated and annoyed.

sometimes he lets tricia in his bed when she gets nightmares and they have cute sibling bond times <33

begged his parents for one of those car beds for years till they finally caved in and bought it for him.

has a bunch of space and car themed pajamas.

— tweek tweak

poor boy rarely gets any sleep cause of his insomnia 🙁🙁

but when he does manages to sleep, hes always tossing and turning

he defo groans and squirms in his sleep for no reason... just tweek being tweek

he used to have a bunch of stuffed animals until one night he swore he saw one of them move and threw them all out

always sleeps with the lights/tv on, or with a nightlight

the guys tease him for it constantly 😓😓

most of the time he sleeps in his outside clothes cause he forgets to change into his pajamas

xtra creek hc : the first time tweek slept over with craig he could not sleep the whole night cause mf kept grinding his teeth and it was driving him INSANE 😭😭 he always made sure to bring earplugs whenever he slept over since that day.

— clyde donovan

the kind of guy to say "sleep is for the weak 🥶" then pass out at 7 pm.

also sleeps with a nightlight on but would NEVER admit it out loud.

a very loud snorer in denial.

has a secret stuffed animal he always sleeps and cuddles with every night.

he talks in his sleep and says a bunch of random things

loves doing skin care and having spa nights!!!!!

the first one to sleep during every sleepover. cries every time he wakes up to drawings of penises on his face.

sleeps in the most horrendous positions 💀💀

bro transforms to a gymnast when he sleeps😭

— tolkien black

the most normal person in the group

he mostly sleeps on his side or back.

the group goes to his house for sleepovers so often he literally has some of their clothes in his drawer.

wears retainers.

he always makes sure to send the group goodnight texts before sleeping.

secretly a sleep walker (he doesn't know though.)

his bed is so big hes like an ant whenever he lays down 💀

has alot of fancy sleeping masks and scrubs but never uses them 😭 he just keeps them there for aesthetics

— jimmy valmer

that type of person that cannot sleep without a fan.

everyone will be trying to rest with the loud ass sound of a fan in the background 💀

almost immediately wakes whenever someone turns it off.

always sleeps through all of his alarms. he has about 50 of them.

used to wear retainers before he got braces.

shifts alot in his sleep and occasional giggles.

tells EVERYONE about all his silly dreams.

^ the group is kinda tired of it tbh.

jokingly tells the guys he has a boner in the middle of the night and they just look at him like 😐

[lionpointe]

meanwhile at sleep token hq

[thecupcakewritesmorethings]

See, I think II should be able to fight people. As a treat.

[pastlivesxpastlie]

Me: I love that your headcannon is that ii hates Jack Antonoff.

🦦: yeah it’s my headcannon and it’s real until he says it isn’t.

[bonncy]

[spoiledleaff]

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!

[inv3ga]

I want fics/hcs where there's considerable height difference, piercings get caught, awkward sounds and laughter during doing the do, ridiculously cheesy dialogue, awkward dirty talk, conversations during, funny intrusive thoughts that one partner can't help but laugh at, I just want to see these people fall more in love with each other outside of phenomenal sex, dammit.

[politemagic]

The Haunting of Sleep Manor (Sleep Token Haunted House AU)

very very excited to start sharing this series!! the first chapter will be posted by the end of this week (hopefully tomorrow). i've been having a lot of fun writing it, so here's a little teaser 👻🖤

edit: Chapter I can be found over here or on ao3 if you prefer!

They didn’t have much in the way of worldly possessions, so all of their belongings packed neatly into one moving truck. The four vessels of Sleep squished together in the cab as they barreled down the quiet country road. Vessel was humming along to the radio, II lightly drumming along with his fingers against his thigh. IV’s mind had wandered off, his eyes slightly glazed over as he took in the passing scenery, III snoring against his shoulder. At last, they could see the wrought iron gates of Langley Manor, their new home looming at the end of the drive beyond. Vessel veered off the road, pulling up to the gates and shifting the truck into park, causing III to stir from his slumber.

Vessel hopped out of the driver’s door, unlocking the padlock with one of the many keys from the keyring he’d received from the realtor’s office the day before. The old house came with a ridiculous number of keys, he couldn’t even begin to imagine the various secrets it had locked away. Sleep wouldn’t have selected just any home, he was sure there was something more to this place than meets the eye. He pushed the gates open at last, quickly making his way back to the truck. The gravel driveway crunched beneath the tires as they neared Langley Manor, the vast expanse of land that came with the home sprawling out in luscious greens behind it. Vessel could hardly believe that he was finally here, that any of this was real. But the excited chatter from the others indicated to him that not only was it very real, it was just as amazing as he’d imagined it to be.

(original headcanons can be found here ☺️)

[dontaskwhybutarsonsoundsokay]

IV Cuddling HC

He gets really excited when you are in a cuddly mood so often times he tackles you.

He prefers being little spoon, but will let you be little spoon only if he is allowed to play with your hair

He likes being as close to you as possible, and will often hug a pillow when snuggling

He requires at least 2 blankets at all times, he wants to be comfy.

He refuses to watch any tv when cuddling, saying he's to focused on spending time with you.

[fivewholeminutes]

A Series of Small Offerings

PART ONE -4- Calcutta

I sweat and I ache for / Your eyes and the way you breathe

OH GOD I HATE THIS ONE and i hate this paper. And it was such a fucking rollercoaster oh my gooooood. Do you remember when I've said yesterday that I have plans for Calcutta? WELL I'VE LIED. THEY'VE CHANGED AT LEAST 5364587 TIMES SINCE THIS MORNING.

Originally, I have decided on the "Melting skywards more than silence broken / I'm whole again for just a moment" part first. And halfway drawing the last idea for that line I had a moment of realisation that what I'm doing is ACTUALLY MORE FITTING FOR THE OTHER LINE. That was me for five whole minutes (pun not intended) after it struck me:

Have an alternative blurry shot to show the shiny parts that are not so visible in the main shot:

Frankly, I put the silver line + some black pointliner there, because everything melted skywards too much into each other, because if you try to have various things in different shades of black on this paper, it all just goes to shit <3

[cr1ms0n4nd-ac3]

So...... I'm bored, so have this fluff oc x canon oneshot undercut. ↓

[ HC: Ace is Vessel's emotional supporter #2, he'll always comfort him and be there for him forever! Especially the others. ]

April 29, 5:12 AM. In a mid-early morning, to where Ace hasn't been asleep in his room for 10 hours now. His daily routine of taking an all-nighter is what he does perhaps, or he had another nightmare again, til before going on a tour for arizona tomorrow. He sighed in a tone of quietness that can be heard across Ace's mouth.. his right tired eye is glowing in neon dark blue. Shining all around the room..

To know that this color represents true sadness and true sorrow, Ace really chose this color just to get born with it. As he was about to get back on having sorrowful dreams.. Ace heard a door slowly creaking coming from his own room door, but he already closed his eye to "sleep". Even though sleeping with an eyepatch on the left seems a bit awkward and weird.

Ace honestly knew who came to his room due to himself having an ability to sense things, and what he knew is that he sensed Vessel coming here. But he thinks that he may or may not also have a nightmare, or was it something else? Who knows?

"Ace, you awake?" Vessel tiredly said, the singer stood here after he closed the door,then he sat down next to the sleepy eyepatched boi just to not disturb him. But he noticed that Ace lightly giggled, trying to pretend huh? Vessel thought with a slight smirk on his face. Then he had an idea.

And with that, Vessel started slowly tickling the sensitive part of Ace's neck.. thinking that this will work, but it did.

Ace sadly didn't win the tickle plan, causing the boy to giggle and laugh in a soft loud tone. He then sat back up and playfully fist bumped Vessel's left shoulder just to make him stop, while the singer giggled too. He was just glad that the plan worked that's all.

"Man, you really dare to get me aren't you Vess?" Ace said, while slightly rubbing his own right tired eye before going back to look at him.

"Well, I just want to check up on my favorite duetist that's all.. And by the way, i've just seen you walking alone in my dreams last night again, to where you are walking from the empty mist if I'm correct.." He said to a slight low quiet tone, and Ace can tell that this is the real reason why Vessel visits him. But that is a true statement.

"I see, I thought I was the only one having those sorrowful dreams.." Ace said in a quiet tone, but he felt a soft forehead kiss to the singer which made the duetist blush a bit softly enough.

"That's okay, if I am managing to meet you.. we could've make trouble together in our sorrow dreams, if you know what I mean love?"

. . .

With a 3 second silence, Ace immediately blushed very red after realizing that the singer is flirting, it made the duetist starting to stutter and then covered his entire embarrassed face.

"...bloody hell.. your too good to be this flirty.." The duetist muffled quietly in an literal embarrassed face. Vessel chuckled softly to how cute the duetist is blushing. But he did let out a hand crawling on Ace's back, slowly and gently hugging him. Til a second forehead kiss came here again to cheer the duetist up.

Eventually, Ace stopped being embarrassed and just embraced Vessel's gentle hug by hugging him back too. That makes it so warm for the duetist to have happy dreams, no wonder why Vessel gave him most attention during the concerts..

Vessel let out a quiet sigh, a smile still there for being proud to make his duetist happy.. after all, the two duet together in each songs, and they even have a lot of fun together. That's what true support is.

"Hey.. Ace? Are you excited for your rehearsal? Because you're about to sing some songs for our new setlist with me. I can tell that you are really happy to do this right?" Vessel said in a calm, quiet tone. Til Ace nodded while hugging but he felt quiet.. he must've enjoyed this warm hug.

Which made the singer feel...bliss. Very bliss.

He can't wait to duet with him forever until whatever happens to them. No matter what, he's glad to choose him as new member.

"Okay, good to hear you are excited.. Ace."

[foundationsofdecay]

Thinking about Sleep Token and TMBTE and mirrors and reflections and the loss of a sense of personal identity in general.

"I know what you want from me / you want someone to be / your reflection, your bitter deception, setting you free "

"My reflection just won't smile back at me like I know it should / and I would turn into a stranger in an instant if I could"

"Mirror talk, fake love"

"In reverse, you are all my symmetry / a parallel I would lay my life on"

The idea of being so entangled with one another in the first place that you've become one and the same, reflections of the other after so many years of giving and taking, and you can't even meaningfully separate and finally be set free without breaking you both and leaving pieces behind, but it's suddenly happened and now you must become someone new, for your own sake