the Dream King had a choice to make: change or die. he chose to not to change. Morpheus was always a stand in for Gaiman, for good and (increasingly clearly) for ill. - ThreadSky

magsvisaggio.com • 46 days ago

the Dream King had a choice to make: change or die.

he chose to not to change.

Morpheus was always a stand in for Gaiman, for good and (increasingly clearly) for ill.

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juniperanduril.bsky.social•46 days ago

I’ve never met Gaiman, so I couldn’t say what he’s like. But I don’t agree with that conclusion on Morpheus. He died because he changed. He indulged Delirium and searched for their brother, and gave his son what he wanted. That’s what made his death possible. And changing allowed him to accept it.

magsvisaggio.com•46 days ago

I was speaking about real-life Gaiman, not Morpheus.

Gaiman chose not to change, and instead he dies.

magsvisaggio.com•46 days ago

Gaiman in his youth seemed, from his work, to question himself and his impulses, at least able to see that he could be a monster.

But then he became the Dream King, and all questioning stopped.

vivaciousvandal.bsky.social•46 days ago

This is such a good summation. I’ve been talking to people about the ultimate temptation when everyone treats you as a god, and starting to believe that about yourself. Using his own character to describe that really resonates for me.

ela-bambust.bsky.social•46 days ago

This hits home. Once he bought into his own mythology things carefully went off the rails

donnanquixote.bsky.social•46 days ago

If one has to desperately find any sliver good in the absolute goddamned horror of this, I want to believe that people will finally leave Gaiman behind and write better stories *in spite* of him, not because of him — the Dream King can be liberated and leave that awful little man behind.

donnanquixote.bsky.social•46 days ago

I don’t think I’ll be able to read Sandman again; especially the parts with Nada and Calliope. How their stories showed how Gaiman had some level of understanding — and just didn’t give a shit and actively choose to hurt women. To think his work has directly inspired my manuscript now horrifies me.

magsvisaggio.com•46 days ago

I think -- I really do think -- that before he was *the* Neil Gaiman and he was just this cult comic writer, that he was capable of interrogating himself. Sandman is in so many ways obviously about him and his relationships and his impulses and his fears. He takes Morpheus to task for his actions.

magsvisaggio.com•46 days ago

He condemns Morpheus for Nada. He condemns Madoc *and* Morpheus for the way they use people. The entire Thessaly/Morpheus relationship is a stand-in for a real and unhealthy relationship he had, where he had to accept he'd failed to be any sort of partner.

And clearly at some point that stopped.

snoreterra.bsky.social•46 days ago

I dunno, I felt like Morpheus got let off real easy for what he did to Nada so he wouldn’t have to experience any consequences. Which in hindsight fits with Gaiman’s modus of acting just sorry enough that he doesn’t have to commit to actually ceasing harm.

donnanquixote.bsky.social•46 days ago

Not gonna lie, my original discontent with how Nada was sidelined was a factor behind my manuscript (one of the ensemble protagonists is inspired/named after her — Nadége); and that was before the accusations came out. And you’re right, Gaiman’s behaviour puts Nada’s story into a far darker light.

donnanquixote.bsky.social•46 days ago

I think unfortunately you’re right, but not in a good way; it means he didn’t come out of the womb as an abuser, that at some point he had the capacity to be a good person. Which just reinforces how this all isn’t a mistake, his abuse was a series of active choices; which is so, so much worse. 💔

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