The Endless Are Not Their Opposite--They Only Define It

I read quite often, on here and elsewhere, that the Endless are also their opposite (@tickldpnk8 and I were just talking about an interesting thread on Reddit), so I just decided to speed-complete this one and get it out of my drafts before it dies in there (so not as much in-depth as originally planned, but sometimes, you just need to run with it 🤣).

The Endless are not their opposite. They define it. It’s a (in my mind, and I’d love to hear what you think) massive difference. And they define their opposite by their absence. If they truly were their opposite, it would give very different meaning to canon, and if we were to do so, a lot of it wouldn't make sense in my view.

Dream is not also reality. He defines it. He is, and forever will be, unreality. It is his absence that defines reality. A dream that becomes real isn't a dream anymore--it's real. That’s the main reason why pulling the ship into reality in Overture weakens him. If he were reality, he could have just snapped his fingers and make it happen. If he were reality, a lot of his problems wouldn't be... well, problems. The fact he is (a) D/dream is pretty much why all his relationships are doomed to fail. Dreams don't last. Dreams are forever strange and can't be truly known.

Delirium is not also sanity/clarity. She defines it through her absence. And when she pulls herself together like in Brief Lives, it hurts her "muchly". It is immeasurable pain for her because it is what she is not and cannot be for any extended period of time without hurting herself.

Despair is not also hope. She defines it via her absence. As long as you hope, you don’t despair. If Despair were also hope, we would not have 6 issues of Overture very clearly showing us who and what H/hope is. If Despair were also hope, we wouldn't need a little girl called Hope reach out her hand and touch Dream—he would have a sister who could do it. But the only time Despair shows up for him, so to speak, is after he killed Orpheus—make of that what you will.

Death is not also life. She defines it. The fact that she is there at your beginning does not mean she is the one who gives you life. She is there so you will remember her, always (and especially when she takes your hand), hence you will cherish life. She does not directly give life to immortals either--they are immortal because of her absence, because she withholds her gift, like she does with Orpheus and Hob (the Eblis-situation has nothing to do with anything in my mind and is linked to a funeral rite, and we are clearly told it is not something she usually does [“it’s been so long”], or is remotely comfortable doing. It is just that she is the Endless that is most life-adjacent and hence the one who will have to do it. Just like Dream is the most reality-adjacent and hence the one who has to pull the ship).

Destruction is not also creation. He defines it. He is what gives us the blank slate, he is what makes creation possible, he is what starts the cycle and ends it, but he is not creation himself. Keeping on destroying makes creation impossible. There needs to be a pause, a break for creation to come to fruition—the absence of destruction. If he were also creation, he wouldn't create so badly (to the extent that it is canonically turned into a running gag), and being around him and seeking him out wouldn't be an issue. But it is.

Desire is not also hatred (I’m still not sure if hatred is really the opposite of desire, but I’ll run with it because that’s what Gaiman chose). They define it via their absence. You know how Dream doesn’t want Desire in his life anymore after one major spat (whether he had reason to or overreacted isn’t really the issue). And what feelings are often left in the absence of Desire? And what does Desire feel and gets themselves tangled up in because they are pushed away and are basically not acknowledged/desired by their own sibling despite constantly trying to show him they are important (desire is not just a sexual thing, people, get your mind out of the gutter 🤣)? Yeah, about that one… There is definitely a different type of enmeshment here which sometimes seems a bit plot-hole-y to me, but I think that might be down to the fact that Desire is the chosen antagonist (and even that, only to a degree until they aren’t). Even so, it still makes sense.

Destiny is not also freedom. He is the absence of it. All paths lead to the same end. Or a decision you make was the decision you were going to make all along, and what looks like a different ending was the ending that would have happened anyway. And even if you choose, the book will start to make that choice destiny again. Only Delirium knows what’s not in his book, and in this universe, the only true freedom is not bound by any rules, logic or sanity…

I really don't care if Miley Cyrus smoked a bong. She's 18? She can live her own life...

when a new media comes out and i have to navigate tumblrs shit ui to add the tag to my blacklist

Now rebloggable for 48 hours ONLY get it while you can

May the 4th be with You: A Poem for Star Wars Day

i want to share with you some of my favourite graffiti from Pompeii

I’ve always loved these. Humanity has never fucking changed.

the guy who wrote “if anyone does not believe in Venus, they should gaze at my gf” drank XTREME respect women juice

I’m like if someone smart chose to be an idiot. Out of free will

Omg this is SUCH a grandma thing. She’s totally okay with them being queer, she’s just upset that she can’t feed them her world-famous ham.

“Honey, you’re so thin! Are you eating enough at home? I really don’t agree with this whole ‘vegetarian’ thing, I’m worried about my grandbaby not getting enough protein!!!”

I don't care you you fuck what clothes you wear your pronouns or what you so to your hair but WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU WON'T EAT MY FOOD

Morpheus and his long, black coat

+bonus: 

you: suck my dick me, an intellectual: inhale my richard

here it is! the post that started a “me, an intellectual” hell frenzy, and is officially ⭐ the worst post of 2016 ⭐

you: the worst post of 2016

me, an intellectual: modern art

Look everyone look

Czech customs taken out of context:

•Calling family and friends to kill a pig and eat it in an almost ritualistic nature

•Setting a flame and drowning an effigy of a winter goddess in an actual ritualistic nature

•Driving around a drunk ram in a decorated cart

•Guarding a shaved tree decorated with colorfull ribbons

•Chasing girls with a willow branch whip

•Carnival, but instead of dressing up as your favourite anime character, you wear funky tall hats with colorfull pom pomps glued on it, a hay costume and a bear mask, sometimes you see two dudes dressed up as a bride and a groom

•Dressing a young boy in a girl costume and pretending hes a king running away from Hungary in disguise

•Dressing up as Chort (Čert) to scare children

•Dressing up as white creatures with long beaks called "Lucky" to scare children but also adult men

•Divining future by throwing a shoe against the door, looking inside a frozen river, cutting open an apple or making a nut shell boats just to see if anyone dies or gets married next year

•Burning witches...that's it

•When drinking a toast, never cross hands with anyone, and make eye contact

•Tapping a glass of beer on a table before you drink it

• And if youre driving a car and see a village sign decorated in colorfull roses and ribbons, you're not getting out of the village any time soon

This happened so many times when I worked at the cash desk at my old job, usually with the customer sighing with defeat and going "well, I can't pay you with those..." before going back to fishing out the cash

I never thought just how wild that would look with zero context

vodník-core

The Truth of Mankind…

…Is Also Dream’s

These quotes are from episode 5 (24/7):

[But you do, and we see your star in so many panels of The Wake 🥺]

You are the magician who became the man, Morpheus. And you are the king who left his kingdom, but not without making sure everyone else would be okay first--perhaps that is a different definition of a graceful ending, but it is graceful nonetheless.

You’re so painfully human, and yet, you are also not 😭

hmmm why does my uterus hurt and why do i feel kinda off. weird. surely these are not the warning symptoms of a predictable biological process that occurs on a regular schedule. anyway. im going to wear white pants today.

by talos this cant be happening

The Devil Wears Prada (2006) // Hacks, Season 1 (2021)

The Devil Wears Prada // Hacks 2.02 – “Quid Pro Quo”

The Devil Wears Prada // Hacks 3.02 – “Better Late”