#Something something alchemy sleep macrocosm microcosm

[ginjones]

Last sentence game

tagged by @quillingwords

Quilling! @notallsandmen already tagged me in this a few days ago but I will happily share more of my ideas for 'The Alchemy of Sleep' because

A: I'm itching to write it and do it justice B: It's already set to be around 5k so a big achievement for me in terms of my writing prowess or lack thereof C: I'm avoiding Uni work as usual!

This excerpt is still in draft form but I will give you a little bit of smut :)

"“You may touch yourself,” Dream says, “you may hold your shaft at its base but do not stroke, that is not the purpose of this exercise.” Following the directive, Hob lifts the fabric of his boxers and curls his fingers around the base of his prick and holds there, unmoving. The warmth of his hands brings a heated pulse to the surface, but he breathes in slowly and settles. He feels calm and centred; an animal safe in the comfort of its burrow with all his soft parts protected and held. For the first time in days, he yawns widely. Dream turns to him and smiles.

And then Dream just rattling of a science lesson is a sexy way:

“There is a part of your brain that secretes a chemical called melatonin. I imagine you will be aware of it.” Hob nods slowly. “I hold… dominion over it. If I deem it necessary, I can instruct your brain to expend melatonin in large quantities at a rapid pace. That is why you feel the pull of sleep and enter my realm swiftly, but not uncomfortably"

[vivern-of-nosgoth]

About the symbolism. Next step. The Cross.

Music began. We can see a sterile white corridor with interlacing of pipes and cables. There are no windows. Only closed doors. The Puppet Master's work space ? Web of cables and wires. We see that Guy with glasses again. Mercury (or the Master of Puppets through his mouth again) begins the Call. We see woman - the Soul - again, light is reflected in her eyes, she froze as a prey in the web. The Guy is coming home and going to bed. And again we see the old phone on his bedside table. Puppet Master's access point. The Guy sees a woman wearing a mask. He is scared, he is tossing and turning on the bed. Is he still asleep? He is running in the forest. Forest is a place hostile to man and contrasted with a cozy home. A dangerous external wild world. Macrocosm. Through the forest, passes the path to the World of the dead. Mercury continues his singing, his call. It's like shamanic awakening dance. A masked woman pursues a Guy, who's already out of sleep. We see how a woman - the Soul - tries on and pulls on something thin- like a snake changing the skin. The Guy again finds himself in the woods and finds an old abandoned house. It's all covered with graffiti. The house is a symbol of the human dwelling. Safe, orderly place. Cozy home or temple. Microcosm. But that house is not a home. There are no crickets here. It's scary and uncomfortable. It is written in contradictory words and dogmas. The phone rang again, unmerciful and awakening. The Guy begins to laugh in hysterics, not removing the black glasses. He is not seeing. Not yet. In the real world, we see a person in a familiar white mask. It is remotely similar to the birds from the Trinity, Salt  and Sulfur. As a nestling compared to an adult bird. In a dream, the Guy leaves the house, already without glasses, wearing the same white mask. He laughs uncomprehendingly and looks around. The woman in the mask is the same Soul. She accepted the changes and tries to wake up to the Guy. The mask in many cultures is connected with the supernatural. It also performs its direct function - hides what must to be hidden. This is transfiguration and transformation. The mask is like a cocoon of a butterfly. White color expresses innocence and inexperience. The shape of the mask also makes sense. The bird is a classic symbol of the human soul. So, the Guy connected with his changed Soul and woke up. What next? Did you noticed that we saw only Sulfur? From Salt there was only his symbol. In alchemy, Salt is the basis of all the substances obtained. In addition to Sulfur and Mercury, the third element, Salt, was added as philosophical, which was supposed to provide "graspability". Also Salt was perceived as a "child" of Sulfur and Mercury. Salt remains when everything else burns down. What if the awakened Guy is one of the candidates for the Salt? There is a locution as "salt of the earth" - especially valuable, talented people. The Puppet Master not only awakens people, but also seeks followers. And now pay attention to the lyrics. "Where are you now? I have to carry the cross. Where are you now? You're the greatest loss". The locution to "carry the cross" has a literal meaning. When Jesus literally bore his own cross on which he was killed. He was going to sacrifice himself. He true his idea to the end. He was alone, without followers and disciples. The Puppet Master is also true to his idea to the end. But not everyone who has awakened stays with him. Time is fleeting. The world around changes like snowflakes in a snowball, from any shake. He will always be alone.