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moonchild-in-blue · 5 months

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So, I have recently noticed that out of all of Sleep Token's discography, there are exactly only 3 songs where Vessel isn't addressing someone directly as a dialogue (doesn't use the words you/we), and 2 of those he still mentions someone in the 3rd person.

Atlantic - doesn't use you/we. The second person (you) is implied, but the song is mostly about Vessel/his inner monologue and memories. If I'm not mistaken this is the ONLY song that mentions him crying sobbing (I've barely begun and I'm already sad).

call me // flood me // weather me // etc

Alkaline - doesn't use you/we but spends the whole song describing someone and how she affects him.

she is changing me // her molecules // she's not acid nor alkaline // i'm caught up with her design // etc

Distraction - doesn't use you/we, and the main focus is on him. Vessel mentions someone in passing (in the 3rd person), but mainly it's all about him.

she is not like any other (...)

Worth mentioning that the ONLY song that breaks the you/we // dialogue rule, that seems to be solely about Vessel and doesn't reference any other person is DYWTYLM, if you go with the most common interpretation that this is Vessel talking to himself/his reflection.

[of course it's up to personal interpretation but to me this is what makes the most sense]

Why is this interesting? BECAUSE, in literally every other song, his feelings about the person, their relationship, and even his own position tend to change a lot.

Sometimes Vessel gets extremely passive agressive and angry at them (I see you Granite). Others he is just pouring out his love and desire, and being the most romantic individual ever. Sometimes they are someone to defend or be guarded by, others they are a menace and dangerous; someone to walk away from. All of these are things he says directly to them, even if he does flourishes and dances around the question.

And yet, in all 3 of those songs, they are always painted as someone who is "good" and "unlike any other", who protects them, who is "more than he could ask for". Someone whom he loves and is content with. In Alkaline, where he mostly just talks about her, Vessel describes her as "either born in hell or heaven sent" and goes on about the dichotomy of her being, but is ultimately "into it". At no point he shows remorse or discontent regarding her.

On the other hand, he is always suffering in them (technically he is always suffering anyways but-). In none of these songs does Vessel ever takes the role of someone who could retaliate. Of someone who is strong. If we look at Atlantic and Distraction (and DYWTYLM if you want to), the only songs pretty much solely about him, he is always in pain, on the verge of collapsing completely. Even Alkaline, he is glad to be consumed and entangled by her.

In those songs, Vessel is crumbling and sobbing and falling apart, and begging to be "put to sleep"; he is willing to be drowned because "it's too late for him", offering no resistance; he is wishing to be someone else, wishing to love himself and "smile back at him", as he knows he should.

When talking directly to them, Vessel is as loving and sweet as he is angry and hurt by them. And yet on the very, very few occasions he talks to only to himself, he is always seeking refuge and declaring his love for them, while running from himself and begging for death.

Also interesting to point out that, with the exception of DYWTYLM, all of them belong to This Place Will Become Your Tomb. The depression album. The "let me be taken by the cold waves and sink to the bottom of the ocean so I don't feel anymore pain" album.

#tpwbyt my most beloved #i made myself sad so now you have to be sad too #these are are many words just to say how much i love Atlantic lmao #AND DISTRACTION. my sad girlie #sleep token #sleep token lore #tpwbyt #darya is unhinged

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moonchild-in-blue · 6 months

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When Vessel said "But I'll be full of the love you want, no matter what, forevermore", and "With my love as your garden, won't you fall for me? I am yours in the end so won't you fall for me", and "Pull me beneath the surface, deep into your love", and, "I am certain you and I are crashing course, driven by a holy force", and "Will you levitate? Up where my love doesn't matter? Where I won't reach you?", and "I'd turn my walls to gold to bring you home again", and "I'm still your favourite regret, you're still my weapon of choosing", and "I'm losing my faith in our lives apart", and "And we go beyond the farthest reaches", and "Well I believe, somewhere in the past, something was between you and I, my dear", and "In turning divine, we tangle endlessly like lovers entwined", and-

#no I'm not okay #Vessel my sweet sweet music-man. you're breaking my heart #who's up for a Wine & Cry session with me?#my heart is spilling over and i have nowhere to drain it to #so i guess crying and yearning it is.#soft and tender at 4am on a thursday #sleep token #darya is unhinged

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moonchild-in-blue · 8 months

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Vessel and the New Lore

So the new messages got me thinking and connecting dots. I don't know coherent this will sound, but I think there's something here? Anyways. Something about the relationship Vessel has with himself vs. The Mask.

I thought it'd be interesting to link the parallels between the Room Bellow show and the Fall For Me video messages, with the new ones and the album. Long post ahead so I'll put a cut somewhere.

(This is the second time I'll be writing this cus tumblr decided to be a hoe and deleted my entire draft so if it seems weird, you know. Pro tip: never use the app for long posts.)

Disclaimer: I'm in no way endorsing or encouraging any type of discourse about Vessel's irl identity and/or other [Redacted] and such. Unfortunately I do know things, but not everyone does. Respect the band; don't spoil it for others. If you know, keep it to yourself.

So, starting with the first message:

Mask: Why am I here? What is my purpose in all of this? Vessel: Your purpose is twofold. You protect me, from them, and you also protect them from me. Mask: How is it that I serve to protect anyone from anything, that makes no sense. Vessel: In order for all of this to work there has to be a certain boundary in place. They need to be able to project themselves onto this, without anyone else's identity getting in the way. In turn, I need to be able to show my true self to them in a way that does not compromise their ability to connect. Mask: So that's what I am? A boundary? Vessel: Yes.

We have here a confirmation of what he has told us many times before, either indirectly or not. The Mask/the Vessel persona serves as a way for him to connect and engage with us, while keeping both parties safe. We get to project onto and take from him some sort of comfort and catharsis, without any external factors to influence and skew the way we interpret his music, and He gets to expose and deal with his pain and negative thoughts in a protected environment. Who he is is irrelevant, we're merely here to share and understand each other.

Through the anonymity the mask offers, he is free to be as vulnerable and open with us as he wants, while keeping his identity safely stored away. The Mask serves as the physical reminder of how much we are allowed to know about him, and in return, how far he can (or should) expose himself without compromising his true identity. By living as Vessel and forgetting himself, he is ironically free to bare his most fragile and imperfect parts of himself on display (much like how we're all infinitely more honest about our struggles behind a fake online name than in irl.)

(curiously, this seems to be a contradiction to Higher's second verse, which feeds into the idea that Sleep is not the protector Vessel sometimes claims Them to be - "With all that you believe / You still refuse to shelter me")

From the Room Bellow:

"I experienced a great deal of pain in my life, however I do not believe I have suffered as you have suffered. Perhaps that Is another reason why we are here. At the very least, we have all suffered."

Lore wise, we are told time and time again that Vessel is a "sacred guardian", a messenger, a weapon, a tool - a physical vessel - for Sleep and Their message. He is the answer to Sleep's necessity for connection with us. And for that to work, he willingly gives up his identity for Sleep. For us.

Mask: I don't believe you. I believe there is more to it than that. I believe you are afraid of something. Vessel: We are all afraid of something, are we not? Mask: What is it you are so afraid they will see? Vessel: That I am exactly like everyone else. ... Vessel: I think I am afraid of becoming you. Mask: What does that even mean? Vessel: My life is becoming gradually consumed by you. Before long, all that I am will be contained within you. Then, one day, when I no longer wish to wear you, there will be nothing else left.

"I am afraid, are you afraid? I want to understand what it is to let go." (Fall For Me)

At the end of the day, Vessel is just some guy - he fears, and aches, and bleeds the same as us. We're equals. But as Vessel, he can't allow himself to crack, to break the illusion. As Vessel (and to connect to the lore, as the vessel of a god), he poses as someone we can look up to, someone who's there to carry our pain for us, almost like a symbiotic relationship of sorts - we feed on each other's emotions and energies.

From the Room Bellow:

"To love oneself is not the easy task we are sometimes told it is. (...) My own path towards greater self acceptance is paved with the art that I create. It is a path I continue to stumble down at the expense of everything else."

Without getting too much into it, it seems Vessel/Sleep Token were created as a sort of coping mechanism to deal with whatever it is that He went through. And he seems to have achieved that - he escaped his former self and became "Vessel", someone who's allowed to cry and rage and let his feeling loose. Someone who receives praise and comfort for it, someone who is finally understood.

Except that somehow, that same safety the Mask offered him backfired. Because how can you tell what's you and what's not? It appears that the lines between Vessel vs. Him have blurred beyond recognition. Because "Nothing lasts forever", so once ST ends, and Vessel is no longer a necessity, who does he become? Can he go back to his old self? Is there even a self to go back to?

Do you ever believe that we can turn into different people? It's getting harder to be myself. Do you wish that you loved me? Could we ever release? Is it better to just not feel?

I think it's worth mentioning DYWTYLM. Usually when I listen to it, I just interpret as being about self-love/esteem, suicidal thoughts, insecurities, yada yada yada, BUT! I think it kinda fits this right?? Like a conversation between Vessel and Him, the guy behind the mask.

And really, if you think about it, I think this dialogue is the basis of what TMBTE is. It's Vessel facing all these different facets of himself, the past versions, the ugly sides, coming to terms with them and learning to move on. And in the end, we see he finally does realize, albeit somewhat reluctantly, that there is more to it, than he can "be someone new", even if it means he needs to shed and let go of past versions of himself.

(of course, this is putting aside the whole trilogy and the story we've been told about Sleep/Vessel/Whatever romantic entanglement he was involved in. i'm merely giving this some other meaning and choosing to look through a very specific lens. call it a parallel universe if you want)

It's him accepting that although there may not be a version of himself to come back to, his Eden so to speak, there is finally something more waiting for him. But I'll get more into it later.

Also worth mentioning, this part of conversation-

Mask : Do you think they want you to cry? Do you think they like it? Vessel : Not as such, I think they just want to know that I am feeling something, feeling what they are feeling, perhaps. Mask : Do you think that this amount of crying is healthy for you? Vessel: I don't know. But at least I feel something, if I don't feel anything than why would I even do this?

-seems to be directly co-related to those lines on DYWTYLM. He wonders if maybe would be better not to feel at all, as if really asking himself, "should I continue to live as Vessel?", because that is his/The Mask's function.

(I almost forgot to mention the "Smile back at me" / "I can only ever see them smiling. That's good, I want them to smile." co-relations, but you see where I'm going right?")

Mask: It seems you have forgotten who you are. Before you had me you were nothing. All of this artifice, all this pathetic conjecture about your identity, it is nothing but a manifestation of how short-sighted and solipsistic you have become. I lifted you from misery and obscurity. You would be better to become me. You are nothing without me. You always were nothing without me.

"I am nothing without this music. I am nothing without this mask." (Room Bellow)

Sleep is a dickhead. And there it is - another confirmation of what we all assumed, of what he has also told us many times before in different words. Vessel, or better yet, Him, struggles with imposter syndrome, and a part of him seems to believe his worth is exclusively tied to his ability to create music and perform. Because who matters is Vessel, not Him. The praise and adoration, the glory, belongs to solely Vessel (in-lore, to Sleep).

He does not matter. He is insignificant. He is nothing.

So it makes sense to see how much he wishes to be someone else. How dependent he on his Mask (on Sleep). He can't shed that new identity away, because somehow, it became is ONLY identity. And yet, he knows that one day that must happen. And from a creative/artist standpoint, when you expose yourself the way he does into your art, almost bleeding into it, if that outlet is taken away, you really are left with nothing.

(yall, read the poem "about the PEN conference" by Bukowski).

"The truth is, I am ugly, I am inadequate, I am lost. I am no God." (Fall For Me)

And can I just say, how incredibly heartbreaking it is to hear him talk about himself like that? I have so, so much love and respect for Ves, it's almost ridiculous to think he is only worth the weight of his mask. I would give him a million hugs if I could. Whether or not he still believes that, I hope he one day can look at himself the way we do, and be proud and happy of the amazing human that he is.

I also think that, and this is just me rambling, their sudden explosion to fame must've taken some sort of toll of sorts. It must be SUCH an amazing feeling to see this many people connect and dedicate themselves to something you created, to be able to read between the lines of you thoughts, but it must just equally as scary. Suddenly there's SO many eyes on you, demanding and picking apart every gesture. Viciously clawing at the mask for a glimpse of the fragile soul within. It must not be easy to cope - and this goes to everyone in Sleep Token. They have to deal with so much unfairness, it's disgusting.

Vessel: You. Are. Wrong. In the end, my fractured sense of self was only another piece of fuel for the fire that burns in the eyes of these people before us. They too are pained. They too not know who they truly are. They are each stood alone on a stage of their own. And yet, they are here. United by that sense of never truly belonging. They see something beyond their own bleak horizons. And they reach for it. Together. So let us join now. To reflect their joy and to serve as a conduit for their anguish. To swallow their fear. To Worship.

"So for now let me serve as a living drama of your pain. If we are to be submerged then let us be submerged together." (Fall For Me)

And this is the part that really breaks me. He knows how much we need this, how much we rely on his music, on his words. He fights against his own claims that he has no value - he serves a purpose and that purpose is to serve the audience. Us. To take our struggles, our desires, and make it his own. To basically serve as a sacrifice for our well-being. To suffer, to feel together. To serve as a living drama of OUR pain.

"I will smile through the agony for you".

Because in the end, we're all equally broken. Because that's what the Mask is for, the anonymity, the mystery, the band - for us to "project ourselves" onto him, onto them. They are vessels, servants, worshippers of a god who shelters them; much like how we interact with their music, much like how Vessel thinks his purpose is for.

(and I could expand on this weird worshipper vs worshipee cycle, but i'm tired and i can't ramble on for too long. someone more clever than me feel free to expand)

(a post edit: peep that "fire that burns in the eyes of these people before us" vs "those eyes like fire, I'm a winged insect, you're a funeral pyre" parallel. Vessel sacrificing himself to us, for us. Performing and being Vessel as something he cannot but feel compelled to do.)

From the Room Bellow:

"We are here to silently collect. To project ourselves onto one-another. We are here to remember. We are here to forget."

WHICH BRINGS US TO EUCLID.

No, by now The night belongs to you This bough has broken through I must be someone new

If we are to take the messages as a complement to the album, then this definitely marks the "shift" in Vessel's perspective. He CAN be more, and he NEEDS to be more. To be new.

The night does not belong to god - it belongs to US. To Him. Not just Vessel, but Him. Obviously this is all speculation, but it really feels like he's ready to let go of so many things, and move on. To renew himself, to stand up and fight. To finally "bite back". He doesn't seem to be completely changed, as there are things he still seems to hold on to (just listen to Euclid). But it´s different now. The "vicious cycle is over."

"They see something beyond their own bleak horizons. And they reach for it. Together. So let us join now."

Vessel seems to emphasize the "collectiveness" of what Sleep Token is and represents quite often. So in a way, it´s him saying "We´ve all suffered together, we've all experienced so many things together, so let us reach for something better as one. Let us all become new. You are not alone in this, and neither am I, so hold on to us and be happy."

WHICH IS!!!!! JUST!!!!!

I think this shift represents something important. My guess, like many others have said, is that Something Big is going to happen in/after Wembley. I don't know what, I don't know if it's truly the end of the road for ST, as many speculate, but something is definitely going to happen. Whatever it is, I hope this is a positive change for them, and specially Vessel, and I am just so so grateful to be part of this amazing community of ours.

(if you read the whole thing, I love you and thank you and I'm sorry. My brain was itching real bad and this had to be let out. Don't take this a proper analysis or whatever, this is me squeezing excess water off the old rag that is my mind)

#unhinged moment #damn you vessel and your cryptic messages #if it reads weird i apologize #there's a lot more i wanted to say but i forgot. the 1st draft had much better takes but alas #sleep token #sleep token vessel #sleep token worship #long post #insomnia thoughts #sleep token lore #darya is unhinged

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moonchild-in-blue · 2 months

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Eppie cult, this is your friendly reminder that the word "Hypnosis" comes from Hypnos, the Greek god of Sleep (more accurately, the personification of sleep).

He was the twin brother of Thanatos (god of Death) and father of Morpheus (god of Dreams), and lived in a cave in the Underworld where light did not reach :::)

Also, there's this cute little myth about him and Endymion -

- which is an alternative take on Endymion's myth, in which Selene (goddess / personification of the Moon), fell in love with him and had him fall to an eternal slumber (through Zeus), so she could look at him and be with him every night forever :::)

Just a fun little thing to think about the next time you hear Hypnosis 😗✌️

#greek mythology nerd coming through with the Sleep Token parallels #having this in mind changes that song SO much #that one and Chokehold + Like That #(i mean all of them really but yeah)#:::) :::) :::)#i so want to have a conversation about greek mythology with Vessel #sleep token #sleep token lore #darya is unhinged

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moonchild-in-blue · 21 days

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Okay I know I said I was going to stay offline for a while because headache, but I just had the most horrible thought and have to share.

You know the piano on Drag Me Under? The rhythm at which the keys are pressed? Is it just me, or it sounds eerily like a heartbeat? HEAR ME OUT.

I'm not saying it's supposed to sound like that, and I'm aware the tempo is slightly off from the normal/usual heartbeat rate BUT. What if it is? What if you look at it from that perspective?

In the lyrics, Vessel says that they are lying down together. What if this is his/his lover's heartbeat, like when you rest your head on someone's chest and can feel it echo in you?

If he is indeed being dragged down, maybe this is the final moment before the descent? Into Them or down under, I'm not sure. "To merely behold you" - what if this is him remembering their last encounter before They abandoned him? Before Atlantic took place? Since they can't be together? Since the rhythm bleeds nicely into Blood Sport, their parting song? The one before the Big Sad? Does this make sense or am I crazy??

#hello i am once again being crazy over Drag Me Under. it's been a while but OH BOY #I am shifting into full ST mode again #note: i am lying in bed and listening to them with my speaker close to where my pillows/head rest are #that's why the heartbeat chest thing came to me. i feel like I'm literally lying on someone's chest #I KNOW THIS SOUNDS VERY ALL OVER THE PLACE. I HAVEN'T WRITTEN ANYTHING IN A LONG TIME #but like??? yeah ??? Do you feel me???#aaaaaaaa i feel a little insane rn ngl #sleep token #sleep token lore #darya is unhinged

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moonchild-in-blue · 6 months

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in turning divine we tangle endlessly like lovers entwined i know for the last time you will not be mine so give me the night

We are entangled in each other like lovers; we spend the nights like lovers do, even though that's not what we really are. So for now let's pretend and become one, until the dawn breaks and you're no longer with me.

Something I've been thinking about.

#and that line from levitate: “and is that all you need? to merely pretend to be falling in love with me?”#someone take these crumbs and make them whole #tndnbtg #sundowning #sleep token #sleep token lore #darya is unhinged

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moonchild-in-blue · 3 months

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Do you ever think about sea turtles? How right from the start they must fight for their life? Unprepared, unguided, unprotected. They are born into a battlefield, struggling to reach the safety of the ocean, blue, dragging themselves through harsh sands and predator bites. Do you think they mourn for their fallen siblings? For the ones that died before even having a chance to taste salt? For the ones taken right at the gates of the sea?

Do you ever think about how they live alone? No parents to shelter them, to home to come to. Just a little turtle left to its own devices on the great blue. Do you think they resent their mothers for abandoning them? Their fathers for not feeding them? Do you think their hard shells are layered with trauma and longing and grief for a home that never was?

And do you ever think about how even in their absence, they turn into their parents? How after through all the hardship they return to the same beach they were born in, the only place where the scent of a long lost family still lingers? How they find comfort in broken eggshells, the only cradle they've ever known? How they too leave hundreds of children on the graveyard of brothers and sisters, perpetuating that cycle?

Do you think they ever hate themselves for it? That they wish to stay, but are forced to leave by whatever force compells them to the ocean? Or have the memories of a broken childhood been slowly washed away, mingling themselves with the blood of their ancestors?

#i have been watching that life on our planet docu-series and that sea turtle scene broke my heart #something about how life perpetuates its cycle even in the animal world #how we all turn into distorted mirrors of our parents and their parents and their parents #i can't be trusted around cinematic animal documents because i get sad and mushy. i blame Morgan Freeman's heavenly voice #darya is unhinged #sea turtle #writing

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moonchild-in-blue · 5 months

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Low-effort comic based on recent events.

If you consume any type of creative content for free, and you enjoy it, Tell The Creator. Likes and shares are great, but they can never replace Real human interaction. Real conversation. And you don't need to write an essay (although that is always welcomed!). A simple comment goes a looong way.

A little rant and the full comic (the 4 panels together) under the cut:

Speaking as someone who struggles a lot with motivation and self-discipline, and who is a creative irl, I can't really put into words how much it means to me to hear someone enjoys my work and has a genuine interest.

Go nuts in the comment sections/tags. Or just go for a good ol' "Hey, this is cool 👍". Obssess over that one weird detail you thought it was interesting.

Human interaction is vital for an artist. It tells us were are not just screaming at the void, that there is someone out there who is paying attention. You'd be surprised how many of us have been lifted off of the lowest of the lows because someone said they liked our work.

(obviously the point of art/creating is not to get attention, and of course you shouldn't measure your value in external validation, but I think I made my point clear).

And if you've read this whole silly vent, thank you and I love you, and take this as a sign to tell your favorite creators how much you love their work! 🌙💙✨

#sorry if this was a bit out of nowhere but I've just been feeling very low but very grateful #which is a weird combo but such is life #Seasonal depression is hitting HARD (went to the mall and saw way too many holiday stuff)#and not having time to work on my side projects is killing me #but it's okay. i least i have you people from my phone #darya does art #darya is unhinged #art #comics #artists on tumblr #writers on tumblr #ao3

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moonchild-in-blue · 6 months

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The Mist (Sleep Token)

So this is the aftermath of this very cool post by @reveries-of-my-mind. I was supposed to get it done weeks ago, but alas. It is here now I suppose.

Basically is Vessel as a kid (he's adorable here 🥺), wandering around in the woods, and encountering a Magical Clearing with a Strange Mist. Slightly different from my original idea, but it's actually kinda cute?? This was supposed to be much shorter, but once I start writing, it's hard to stop lol. 2k is not too bad though, right?

Anyways, here it is. I hope you like it Kay 🍄 (Also I used your picture for the divider, hope you don't mind!) 🌿🌹

The Mist had been with him ever since he could remember. As Vessel looked over his window, morning coffee in hand, a thin layer of fog covered his garden, speckled with red flowers.

---

It was a Saturday morning like any other. The sun peeked shyly behind grey clouds, extending its warm fingers to the earth bellow, still wet from the earlier rain.

His grandparents’ garden overlooked the great forest behind, lush trees and a sparkling creek impassively waiting behind the white fence. For any eight-year-old boy in the midst of summer holidays, with no friends around and plenty of time to kill, the woods were the perfect playground.

Everyday he would venture into the forest. He knew each and every rock and bush that formed the path to the stream. He knew which berries were the sweetest; which tree provided better shade. His grandfather had taught him to recognize the different singing birds and where they nested – under his bed, a shoebox containing his growing collection of nature findings was filled with all types of feathers, carefully catalogued in a piece of crinkled paper.

Today, he had decided to be a little braver. He would go on an adventure. With a very nice stick in hand, and a backpack full of sandwiches, two tangerines, and a water bottle - lovingly provided by his grandmother - the blonde boy ventured further into the woods.

---

After a little while of walking, his first sandwich long gone, the boy reached a tunnel encrusted on the base of a ridge, no bigger than his little frame, completely dark aside from a very faint light coming from the opposite entrance. It seated inconspicuously behind a curtain of leaves and vines, barely visible to anyone not paying attention.

But to the adventurous boy, nothing escaped his sight. His little blue eyes twinkled with excitement. Finally, something new. He adjusted his backpack straps, took a deep breath, and crawled his way through the hole.

With scrapped knees and spider webs clinging to his hair and clothes, the boy stood in an unfamiliar clearing, tall and quite proud of himself for making it through the dark, scary tunnel.

The first thing he noticed was the silence. Usually the woods were brimming with life, the sounds of birds, shuffling creatures, and buzzing insects, serving as companions to his lone hummings. But here, on the other side of the mysterious passage, the sound seemed to deafen to a low whisper, almost as if the ground itself was vibrating. As if the trees were talking amongst themselves.

Then, there was the mist.

The clearing was a small, rounded meadow, carpeted with soft grass and a shallow brook, towering trees adorning the edges. A gentle shadow, cast by the leafy canopies, draped the enclosure in green light. And hovering over the grass, swirling in intricate, delicate patterns, was a fine layer of white mist.

Whenever a sun beam pierced the strange fog, the mist parted like tiny crystal prisms, painting the glade with translucent rainbows. The boy was elated – he had never seen or imagined something so extraordinary, not even in his wildest dreams. And this place, this enchanted forest, was all his!

The boy suddenly felt very important. He knew this place was special, and it had must be protected, like a closely guarded secret. His little heart thumped with excitement and wonder, sparkling blue eyes drinking in his surroundings. As he walked further inside the clearing, the boy noticed how the mist seemed to halt its movements, as if it could feel his presence.

“Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you. I’m an explorer! See?”

He brandished his stick in the air, proving his harmlessness to the Mist.

“Can I seat here?” he asked, pointing to the soft grass bellow. The Mist seemed to respond, swirling ever-so-slightly around his pale ankles.

Satisfied with this reply, the boy slumped down on the ground, glad to be able to rest after what if felt like hours walking. He took off his shoes and socks, and laid back on the grass, singing contently to himself. What an amazing discovery! I should keep this in my notebook.

From the dirty backpack, he produced a colourful sketchpad and a pencil case, along with his water-bottle and snacks. The pad was halfway filled with a myriad of drawings: several birds and leaves, his grandparent’s yard, countless types of mushrooms and insects, and even some strange-looking forest gnomes, no doubt inspired by the bedtime stories his grandfather would read him. Anything he would come across during his adventures was recorded in his notebook, and this mysterious place, this important secret of his, deserved several pages dedicated to it.

After a few hours of drawing the clearing and the swirling fog, and when the last of his food had been consumed, the boy knew it was time to go home. Before leaving, he chose some of the prettiest pebbles he gathered from the brook and made a neat little pile in the place he had been seated earlier, as a thank you to the mist for showing him such a wonderful place.

“Goodbye trees! Goodbye Mist! I’ll come back tomorrow, okay? Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone about this place – I’m very good at keeping secrets you know?” he waved his little arms farewell, hoping somehow the forest would hear him.

The Mist twirled over his little rock offering, and the boy left with a grin, very pleased with himself for being able to talk with the magic fog.

---

When he stood in front of the dark tunnel the next day, his stomach felt funny with dread. What if the misty clearing was no longer there? What if it was all his imagination? No, it was there! It’s all here on my notebook. Once again he took a deep breath, adjusted his backpack, and crossed the dark passage to the secluded meadow.

And there it was – the strange vapour, the leafy canopies, the soft grass. Just as he had left it. He could hardly contain his excitement, blonde hair bouncing up and down as he skipped over to his pile of rocks. Curiously enough, a single flower bloomed next to it, five deep-red petals sprouting beautifully, filling the air with an intoxicatingly sweet scent. It was the only form of vegetation in the whole clearing, aside from the giant trees and verdant grass.

(Later that night the boy would show his drawing of it to his grandfather, and be met with half disappointment, half curiosity, by learning that the flower had no name, nor had it been sighted anywhere else before.)

He spent the day much like before: drawing, playing in the brook, napping under the giant canopies and the feather-light touches of the dancing cloud. At last, the time to leave had come, and just like the previous day, he left a little offering with sticks for the Mist, this time near the entrance to the tunnel.

---

And so the boy spent his summer. Everyday he would come to the clearing, no longer afraid of the once scary tunnel, and find a new crimson bloom near his offerings. He had learned that the Mist was somewhat sentient – the low rumble he had once thought to be the trees talking seemed to come from the Mist itself. It was almost imperceptible at first, but his curious child ears had become attuned to the quiet murmur.

The boy also learned that the Mist liked to hear him sing. Whenever he started to hum to himself, the swirling intensified, as if dancing along to his music. He couldn’t quite make out what they all meant, but his twinkling blue eyes began to recognise some of the swirling patterns as a language of sorts.

The summer turned into months, into years. The once young child, with colourful sketchpads and scrapped knees, his little heart full of wonder and joy, became a teenager - lanky, brooding, and lonely. Instead of drawings and sticks, he now carried black notebooks, full of poetry, of musings, of songs. Every holiday, and whenever he had a long weekend, he would make the trip to his grandparents’ house and to his secret garden.

Throughout the years, the clearing had become his safe place, a haven from all the pain he had had to endure. He liked to lay back on the grass, as he had so many times before as a kid, and sing to his heart’s content, while the Mist happily twirled around him.

He was certain the Mist could talk, too. Whenever he closed his eyes, now dark blue with hurt, eager to sink into the warm ground beneath him, he could feel it whisper in his ear. Sometimes it was loud and clear as day, others it would be little more than a quiet purr. It wasn’t any language he could recognise, much like the queer symbols and patterns he had now memorized, nimbly scribbled on the margins of his notebooks.

But he heard it all the same.

The Mist knew him like anyone else. In the clearing, he had the freedom to be himself fully. The boy had shared every joy, every pain, every heartbreak with it. And in return, the Mist would grace him with feather-like touches, with new swirling patterns, with long naps and vivid dreams; with bouts of inspiration, whenever his music felt inadequate.

And with flowers. Always those strange flowers, red as blood, and oh so very fragrant.

---

Time passed, and the boy was now a man.

He wasn’t quite sure why he was there. It had been years since he had last been in this clearing, real life catching up on him. He wasn’t even sure he would still be able to find it. The forest had considerably changed since the last time he had been there. The house in which he had once spent long summers in no longer existed.

It was silly, really. To seek comfort in what if felt like an imaginary friend. To run back to childhood safety once things had gone wrong.

Oh, and how they have gone wrong.

He stood there, expecting to see the crimson flowers and sparkling brook. To feel the soft grass beneath his feet once more. But the flowers were gone. The once gloriously green canopies loomed dry and brittle over him. All that remained were the little piles of rocks and sticks he had so carefully arranged many lifetimes ago. Gone was the lush grass and soft ground.

And gone was the Mist.

The man fell to his knees and wept. How did things get this way? How was he supposed to carry on living without a heart? Without her?

He sobbed himself to exhaustion, unconcerned about the impending night time, about his fate. Maybe it was for the best.

Oh child, we know that is not true. Why are you so distressed, my little one?

For the first time in years, the sweet fragrance of the red flowers enveloped him completely. His exposed skin prickled with emotion and fear – he had never heard the Mist this clearly before. Suddenly he was his teenage self again, longing to be embraced and understood by the one who knew him best.

“I’m truly alone now. And I don’t want to be. I’m tired.”

Oh, child.

The Mist chuckled, a low purr vibrating in the man’s chest. Their voice was unlike any other. It was wind, and water, and music combined. Somehow he knew to keep his eyes shut.

I can sense your pain. You don’t have to be alone anymore. I am here, am I not?

“I don’t even know if you are real. Maybe I have gone truly crazy. Clouds don’t talk.”

Humm. Such disbelief. I liked you better when you were young.

“What do you want from me?”

A rush of cold wind swept his blonde hair back. Every cell in his body was screaming to get away, and yet he was unable to move.

I can take your pain away. I can stay with you, make everything better. Would you like that?

“I… Who are you?”

Humm. Another chuckle.

You can call me Sleep.

#oh look at her being whimsical again lol #little vessel is very cute to me okay?#can you tell i so very desperately wanted to expand that ending? had to censor myself - this was NOT supposed to be long #ignore the use of the word adventure like 3 times in a row. i cant be bothered to edit further #sleep token #sleep token fanfiction #darya is unhinged

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moonchild-in-blue · 7 months

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Thinking about Sleep Token's "Give" and the way Vessel pronounces "I am the intake of breath so sharp and I know you better".

The way he prolongs that "shaaarp", all raspy and breathy makes me melt on the spot.

#Give is actually one of the best songs ever and you're wrong if you disagree 🙂#anyways i wish a very kiss with tongue to that specific line #sundowning #sleep token #sleep token lore #darya is unhinged

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moonchild-in-blue · 5 months

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Sleep Token X D&D

An expansion of this post because je suis trés unhinged and I miss playing DnD. I'm not including homebrew content for simplicity sake, guiding myself through this website. Feel free to add or change as you will. I'll leave some links for each class specs in case you wanna read more, or aren't super familiar with it.

At first it would make sense for all of them to be different types of Warlocks or Sorcerers, with Sleep as their common patron. BUT I think that would be an easy cop-out, and I want to make things interesting. This is just my headcanon so yeah, don't mean, don't be weird. Let me know how you'd do it!!

(and if there are any DnD players who happen to come across this post and want to take inspiration on it, you're more than welcome to do so!)

Let's get to it, nerds 🎲2️⃣0️⃣

[cut because this is LONG]

Vessel

Race: Tiefling. A lot of room for inventiveness here, and you can change his appearance as you'd prefer. Maybe that's why he's always cloaked and masked. Maybe he gets even more disfigured every time he connects with Sleep. Class/Sub-Class: Warlock, The Great Old One (mysterious entity whose nature is utterly foreign to the fabric of reality). Obviously Sleep would be his patron. I like to think Vessel had an encounter with Sleep whilst not knowing who or what They were, and eventually became their servant. For the pacts, I had thought of Pact of the Tome, where the Book of Shadows would be his lyrics, but Pact of the Talisman is also great, because of the mask. @a-s-levynn had suggested The Fathomless for his sub-class, which is also AMAZING, especially if you want to lean into the whole tentacle/water horror aesthetic. Alternatively, Sorcerer, Divine Soul is an EXCELENT class for Vessel (actually, now that I'm editing this, I kinda prefer this one lmao). Read this and tell me this isn't exactly what Vessel is: Sometimes the spark of magic that fuels a sorcerer comes from a divine source that glimmers within the soul. Having such a blessed soul is a sign that your innate magic might come from a distant but powerful familial connection to a divine being. Perhaps your ancestor was an angel, transformed into a mortal and sent to fight in a god’s name. Or your birth might align with an ancient prophecy, marking you as a servant of the gods or a chosen vessel of divine magic. Yeah.

Race: Lightfoot Halfling (yes I'm making him a hobbit, what about it?) Fire Genasi is also very apt. Class/Sub-Class: Druid, Circle of Wildfire (these druids bond with a primal spirit that harbors both destructive and creative power, allowing the druids to create controlled flames that burn away one thing but give life to another). This primal spirit, of course, would be Sleep. They are a bit of a mysterious entity. ii was the hardest to come up with. I knew I wanted him to be somehow connected to the land/elements, because I think that would be the best translation for his rhythmic prowess (drums wouldn't make much sense as a Bard). And that photo of him with the painted red fingertips reminds me of fire, so it seemed like a perfect fit. Some other alternatives: Druid, Circle of Dreams or Monk, Way of the Four Elements (monk would be SO good because of his silence, like LoZ Link, and the ability to harness his energy).

iii

Race: Obviously a Dark Elf. Obsidian-black polished skin, pale blond hair, pale blue eyes, slim figure. Need I say more? Earth Genasi could also be a good option, due to his golden vein-like paint. Class/Sub-Class: Ranger, Fey Wanderer (a ranger who represents both the mortal and the fey realms. As you wander the multiverse, your joyful laughter brightens the hearts of the downtrodden, and your martial prowess strikes terror in your foes, for great is the mirth of the fey and dreadful is their fury.) I quite like this because the options of how you acquire the magic are endless, and can be traced to Sleep or even Vessel (maybe he granted them?). iii is our favourite chaotic boy, but he can be so intimidating at times, this one plays off his duality quite well. Plus you get Otherworldly Glamour similar to iv which makes sense. A cool alternative could be Sorcerer, Wild Magic, as it has a similar base to Vessel and it draws magic out of chaos.

Race: I thought about making him a Genasi or Half-Elf, but honestly I love him as a Human. I just love the idea that this human is sooo charming and talented, that even all these supernatural creatures can't help but be enthralled by him. Changeling or even Eladrin could also work. Class/Sub-Class: Bard, College of Glamour (these bards are so eloquent that a speech or song that one of them performs can cause captors to release the bard unharmed and can lull a furious dragon into complacency). I like that iv appears to be super low-key, but is actually insanely seductive (I see you mask pulling) and talented. So out of all of them, he was my obvious choice for a bard.

The Vesselettes

I think they could either be sort of like a greek chorus or muses but for Sleep, that appeared at key moments to help the party, or actual campaign members. Race: Aetherborn Class/Sub-Class: Clerics, Twilight Domain (The twilit transition from light into darkness often brings calm and even joy, as the day's labors end and the hours of rest begin. The darkness can also bring terrors, but the gods of twilight guard against the horrors of the night). It would be awesome to have them as healers and protectors of the party, who serve Sleep directly (if Sleep is evil, they could also be secret spies? To make sure the party does as Sleep intents). Or maybe they are protecting the party from Sleep (they can never sever their connection to them, but they will do everything they can to make sure the vessels won't go too far).

I'm not sure how they would all get together, but my [abridged] story would place them all as servants of this magical deity, called Sleep. Vessel was the first to encounter Them and lives as an actual, living vessel for them. They believe that Sleep, albeit mysterious, is a benevolent creature, who was wrongfully cast away from Their plane/stripped of their powers or divinity.

As the one closest to Sleep, Vessel can sense that something isn't quite right, but he's already so entangled and manipulated by them, that he doesn't even care.

So they fight all these people and creatures, believing they're doing something Good, but then it turns out that Sleep was evil all along? The people they have conquered and killed were actually good, trying to stop them from giving this awful, terrible being their power.

Sleep basically uses them to defeat their enemies and get back to whatever place or power they no longer have access to. Maybe the vessels turn their back on them? Maybe Vessel doesn't want to and they fight with each other? Or maybe they just keep serving Sleep?

Or, you know, Sleep could also be an actual helpful deity, and they are genuinely doing good by fighting in Their name. But maybe in the end Vessel can't let go of Them and drama ensues and everybody cries.

I don't know, this is just an idea. I spent WAY too much time researching for this, but it was fuuun. I love talking DnD.

#I know this is long but i promise it's nice!#don't let my hours go to waste hahaha (cries)#no but seriously #do let me know what you think or if you have any other ideas of how this could go down!#sleep token #sleep token x dnd #dnd #darya is unhinged #sleep token lore

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moonchild-in-blue · 5 months

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Some thoughts on Fields of Elation:

The daylight recedes in unison, this room Buries the hours like death, in motion Nobody else can pull me out The fields of elation, quiet and loamy

Okay so, the first verse is saying that as the night falls, time becomes less linear and more fleeting, like death approaching. Given the rest of the lyrics (and their whole discography), it's because Sleep is approaching Vessel. We know Sleep only comes at night, and how symbolic the dusk/twilight process (Sundowning) is to both Vessel and Sleep, and their relationship.

But the second verse has been ruminating in my head for a while, and I think I've finally reached some sort of conclusion (or at least a Thought I'm happy with).

I always assumed the "fields of elation" were meant to simbolize the state he was in whenever he and Sleep were together. Which makes sense given:

1 - the previous song of the ep, Thread the Needle ("we can spend the night in fascination")

2 - the next verse of this song ("caught in the careless arms of lust again")

3 - the music video (where we first see his mask being formed)

But then, in my umpteenth listen, THIS caught my attention:

[note: I like to read the lyrics as prose sentences, rather than lyrical. Because the physical placement of words necessary for the metric to make sense (when sung), isn't necessarily "correct" in terms of reading. What I mean is that a lot of sentences get interrupted or jumbled together, and when you read it as a running sentence instead, you find these little things you'd usually skim over. Sometimes the meaning even gets changed.]

"Nobody else can pull me out the fields of elation, quiet and loamy."

Vessel sings this right after the daylight receding verse (aka Sleep's impending arrival). So what if, bear with me, he is being pulled OUT of the "fields of elation" - a metaphorical place where life is thriving, where things are good and quiet and peaceful, (OMG IS THIS EDEN?? THIRD EYE MOMENT WAIT A SECOND), as he gets more and more entangled with Sleep?

Because RIGHT AFTER (I'm sorry for screaming, but I'm going full conspiracy mode over here) he says:

Your name is a sin I breathe, like oxygen Caught in the careless arms of lust, again

He claims that Sleep - being with Them, Their very nature, Their name - is a sin. He gives in to the lust, to the sin, again and again, in the night time, in the dream world. Where time is inconsequential. Where it feels like death. Where Sleep has full control.

So is this him, as a mortal, as a human, refusing, or rather giving up, his human life to worship this god who is all lust and danger and sin? Sleep becomes the very oxygen he breathes - so this is him offering himself fully to Them; his life is no longer his own, it's Theirs.

What's interesting is that he calls his "previous life" - the human, normal life, as "quiet". He uses the world elation in reference to his humanity, not to Sleep. Maybe this is him saying that he'd rather live in peril, in sin, in the brink of death for Sleep, than to lead a normal, peaceful, conventionally fulfilling life on his own. (this is very hot because I too crave danger)

The song ends with an admittance:

"I'm losing my faith in our lives apart."

To me, this is an indicative of the final commitment he's about to make. He and Sleep seem to be acquainted with each other for a while now (the word "again" is used a few lines before), but at this point he hasn't been given his new title as Vessel. He's still just a man, who has tasted sin, and is willing to be cast away from the light to live in the night with Them.

In a previous analysis (from one of @fields-of-elation 's post about The Offering), I had proposed the possibility of Vessel being the forbidden fruit that slowly corrupted Sleep, rather than the other way around ["you are a garden" (...) "take a bite" etc]. And while in this song Sleep is the one who is the obvious temptator, I don't think it's that out of pocket to continue with this narration.

Because Vessel says "in our lives apart", rather than "in my life". Maybe, just maybe, he knows how much Sleep needs him as well (his worship, his flesh, his love, whatever it is), and that's why he's so willing to become Their property. Something something mutual corruption, you know what I mean.

The video shows his mask being made - I think this song is that final moment of reflection and clarity before giving in. The song, sound-wise, has a very particular fluttery feeling to it - almost as if you're in a dream state. Everything about it feels incredible liminal and etheral.

If you look at the progression in language, he starts as a narrator, describing the events and surroundings as they happen. The hours are blurry, the night approaches - he's falling asleep ( and being pulled out of the fields of elation into Sleep's room/realm). And then it changes to a dialogue - Vessel adresses Sleep directly, confesses the power Their presence has on him, and reiterates that only Them can make them give up his life. And how much he needs to be together with Them.

Vessel hardly ever says exactly what he wants. He dances around the subject, almost as if afraid to make demands (for fear of rejection? for fear of vulnerability? a power imbalance?). So when he says:

Nobody else can pull me out (...)

I'm losing my faith in our lives apart

- what he really means is: I can't live without you any longer, so please make me permanently yours.

The mask is made, and thus Vessel is born.

#no joking i've had this on my drafts for two weeks now #but something about it never clicked #~until now~#i hope this made some sense! do elaborate more if you wish. this song is such a mystery to me #sleep token #sleep token lore #darya is unhinged

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moonchild-in-blue · 2 months

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"To be a monster is to be a hybrid signal, a lighthouse: both shelter and warning at once." O. Vuong, On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous

So I was reading this the other day and forgot to post it. This line stood out to me as applicable to how I see Vessel and Sleep's relationship:

[cw: mentions of toxic relationships / abuse / domestic violence / ptsd]

There is a quality of both parent and enemy, of protection and danger in how They interact with Vessel. "I'm hurting you because I love you; Stay away from me; Don't you dare stray from my guidance; This will end badly for you".

In the context of the book, the narrator is referring to his mother, how her years of abuse were largely caused by war ptsd. How she was supposed to be mother, and was stranger instead. How monsters are maybe not so bad, not so evil.

There is this amalgamation of complicated feelings and conflicting traits in who she [the mother] is, that can definitely be applied to Sleep. They are never truly evil; but They are not good either. "With all that you believe, you still refuse to shelter me // And no matter the cost of the rain, you still shelter me all the same". And much like our narrator, it's interesting to see Vessel go through that whole cycle of "I hate you / I love you / I never want to see you again / Please don't leave me".

If you have some experience with abusive relationships, you know how messed up that cycle of thinking is, and how impossible it is to come to a single conclusion when it comes to that person's character - especially if the abuse itself is caused by a traumatic past, or unresolved mental issues.

It makes me think of how Vessel often alludes to Sleep have been belonging to a higher place, a "Heaven" of sorts, and how They have seem to be since cast away. Is Sleep going through all the stages of grief and trauma something like that brings? Were they also in a war of their own? Is there a reason behind all of the malice and manipulation, aside from the fickle whims of an ancient god?

#i had been meaning to post this for a little while and am having a burst of inspiration #i got some art things to post in a sec but for now keep this #tw abuse #tw ptsd #<- just in case. let me know if you need any more tags #sleep token #sleep token lore #darya is unhinged

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moonchild-in-blue · 7 months

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I'm gonna be meta for a little bit, but huge shout out to George Lever (Sleep Token's previous producer).

Like, don't get me wrong, I love Carl Bown (he's worked with soo many of my favourite bands and killed it), and I love that Vessel himself got involved in the producing process of TMBTE. The album is amazing, everything sounds extremely clean and professional, and very, very concise.

But George Lever? That guy has a way with music that just... It's very innate. I think One was self-produced (although I'm not entirely sure), but everything else apart from TMBTE was produced by him - and you can tell.

There's this very raw and organic feeling to his work that I think it's quite rare to find nowadays. Especially the drums - I really wish he could've been the one mixing it for the last album because man, he just gets it.

When I first listened to Eden, I remember thinking "man, this drummer is insane". But then I went all the way back to One and slowly made my way to TPWBYT and ket me tell you, Jaws' drum line left me flabbergasted. I know that George and ii have been friends/working together for quite a while prior to ST, so maybe that's one reason why. But they just work so well together, everything sounds so clear and crisp, it feels almost impossible.

This is not to discredit the amazing, fenomenal work done on TMBTE - there's a reason why it's my favourite album and why it gained the traction it did - nor to downplay ii's insane skills (as if one could ever do that, he's just that good). But George's work with ST is just so, so brilliant, and I really needed to put it out there.

It's been a while since I've checked in on him, but it seems he's a bit inactive nowadays? Idk. Whatever the reason why he's no longer working with them, or why he's a bit mia (or was for a while), I wish him all the best, and I'm just so thankful for all his hard work.

#his work on tpwbyt in particular is just - fantastic #i do think it speaks volumes to the kind of artists vessel and ii are #they're obviously incredibly talented and knowledgeable and they have a very genuine approach to their work #they seem to be very careful and particular in choosing the people they work with and how their music is supposed to sound #if you haven't seen George's q&a on the subreddit i highly recommend you do. also his yt channel #i love the way he talks about his work and mindset. it's so very interesting #all of this to say that one of the reasons st is so successful comes from the amazing team behind it and all those surrounding them #it really makes a difference when you have the right people working with you. and it makes me appreciate all the background people even more #cus at the end of the day sleep token is not just 2 or 4 or 7 people - it's everyone involved #excuse my ramblings but yeah. feeling very grateful on this friday night #george lever #sleep token #darya is unhinged

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