Iv Sleep Token - Blog Posts
So... How do we feel about Emergence?
The way the rain sounds in Rain slowly transition into the birds chirping in Take Me Back to Eden has me undone
I've been listening to Take Me Back To Eden on loop for the past four days. I am still waiting for the moment where I lose all interest, but it hasn't happened yet, which means that everyone in my life will suffer with Sleep Token until the day I hit the grave.
Sleep Token
reblog if you agree
Making of an embroidery pattern.
It's a very detailed project, and I try to update the progress regularly on here !
Can you guess who it is ? :D
“You never saw me naked. You wouldn’t even touch me. Except if you were wasted.”
Vessel, baby, my love, give me a name. Tell me who it was. I just want to have a conversation.
Vessel’s little “whoop”s gives me life. It brings him closer to human in my eyes. It does so much for the song. I love everything about this song so much.
WAS NO ONE GONNA TELL ME IVY HAS HIS OWN BAND?!!??! YALL WERE DEPRIVING ME OF HIS SCREAMS HOW DARE
Deadman's Mile
Summary: When a traveling interactive haunted house pops up near your hometown, your best friend Alex knows this will be the perfect way to get you into the Halloween spirit. Unfortunately for you, she left out a few key details. Word Count: 2.5k Disclaimer: This is not about the men behind the masks. I’m basing this solely off of their on-stage personas.
An alarm blaring near your head wakes you from your slumber. Groggily, you reach out to your side to blindly grab for your phone, which only takes a few tries before you finally find it and hit the snooze button. Rolling back over, now half awake, you’re content to just fall back asleep before being so rudely interrupted by Alex yanking your blanket off you. “Wake up, sleepyhead, today’s the day!” A loud groan erupts from your throat as you try to shield your eyes from the sunlight beaming in through your window, as another alarm goes off. Now fully awake and entirely too grumpy, you check your phone to see what time it is. 12pm flashes across your screen, as well as a couple of notifications you’re unable to read in your bleary-eyed state.
Sitting up with a stretch, you find Alex’s side of the makeshift bed to be completely empty. It isn’t uncommon for this to be the way things go the morning after your sleepovers, you both have always had completely different sleep schedules. The ache in your back and neck pulls you from your thoughts as you start to regret sleeping on the floor. Nothing a few advil won't fix, so you get up and shuffle into your bathroom in search of pain relief. While in the bathroom, you begrudgingly decide to get ready for the day as well. After going to the bathroom, brushing your teeth, then your hair, and taking the painkillers, you head back to the living room, feeling more alive than when you left it.
Alex had already started to make you both a late breakfast, scrambled eggs and frozen waffles, from what you can smell. She beams from the kitchen stove, spatula in hand, “Well, look who finally decided to join the realm of the living.” Rolling your eyes, you bend down to collect the blankets strewn across the floor. “Don’t even start, having plans wasn’t my idea,” you grumble. You both work in comfortable silence, you tidying up the living room and Alex making a simple breakfast to start your day. Once the folded blankets are back in your closet and Alex’s things are set near her bag, you walk into the kitchen to get some orange juice out for the two of you. As you pour your drinks and put the carton away, Alex walks over to the counter to set your plate down near you.
You hop up to sit on the kitchen counter before taking your plate into your hands and diving right in, starting to feel more and more like a human with every bite. “Damn, slow down, don’t want you catatonic and missing our adventure” you hear Alex chuckle off to your right side and your eyes narrow. “So you really aren’t even gonna give me a hint? You passed out before I could ask anything last night.” Taking a sip of her orange juice, Alex pretends to think over your question before quickly shaking her head and saying, “Nope,” leaving you, again, with more questions than answers. In the past, she’s been overly excited to share what trouble you two would be getting into, which only makes this situation feel that much more irritating.
With a huff, you set your now empty plate into the sink and hop off the counter. Hand on your hip, you stare at Alex for a second, who’s now grinning ear to ear at your defiance. “Well, could you at least tell me how I should dress? I don’t wanna be wearing uncomfortable shoes if we have to run from the cops.” Delighted at the change in questions, she finishes the last of her breakfast and puts her plate away as well. “You need to wear something casual and comfortable. We’re gonna be on our feet for a while, and I don’t want you to get…overwhelmed in any restrictive clothing.” That pause immediately put your guard up, as you were only joking about running from the police.
Alex, on the other hand, is smug as ever, walking right past you and into the living room to rummage through her bag. She finally pulls out a pair of jeans and a faded Bon Jovi band tee before holding them up at you as to say, “This is what I’m wearing, now go change.” Heading off into your room, you get changed and decide to put on a little bit of makeup. Heeding Alex’s warning about possibly running, you only apply some mascara, a bit of blush, and a lip tint. Finishing off your look with some bracelets and rings, you finally exit your room to find that Alex had the same idea as you.
~
It’s been about 15 minutes of silence, nervous energy collecting in your body as you watch houses pass by from the passenger seat window. You both hopped into Alex’s car at around 4:30pm, the sun already starting to lower towards the horizon as you hit the road. She still hasn’t given you any clue as to what the two of you would be doing that night, but she did say it was near the city, which was only met with a groan from you as you know how bad traffic can get.
Noticing your leg has been bouncing since you got into the car, Alex turns to you with a reassuring smile, “Don’t worry, I know how much you love horror stuff. It’s spooky season and we gotta kick it off the right way, I promise you won’t be in any danger.” Turning back to face the road she chuckles and silently adds on, “At least not any real danger.” You shake your head, still trying to figure out what the plan was. Maybe she’s taking you to that horror themed bar down the road from where you worked, maybe theres a new thriller at the cinema, whatever it is, a smile makes its way to your face at the gesture.
She’s right, Halloween is your favoite holiday and with your schedule, you haven’t gotten time to properly appreciate the autumn leaves that have painted the sidewalks in beautiful shades of red and orange. Taking another look out the window, you see Alex has turned down a dirt path that separates your neighborhood from the city. The quickly setting sun mixed with dense greenery of pine trees would usually bring you comfort, but in this case it only heightens your worries. You’ve walked this trail a million times, yet the winding path and towering trees have a new energy to them. Something less relaxing and a bit more sinister.
As soon as this newfound dread settles in your stomach, the radio blurts out an ad for an interactive haunted house and everything finally clicks. “Alex, don’t tell me this haunt is our plans for the night.” Gawking and staring wide eyed at your friend who only laughs in return, mischief returning to her gaze once again. “Listen, I know you don’t like haunted houses, but this is a once in a lifetime thing! Plus, you gotta test your comfort zone every once and a while. Who knows, maybe you’ll enjoy this.”
Pulling into an opening in the trees, Alex puts the car in park and turns off the radio, finally turning to you fully. Meeting her gaze and crossing your arms, you make no move to unbuckle your seatbelt. “So what, you intentionally didn’t tell me cuz you knew I would say no?” Alex nods enthusiastically and shuts off the car engine, unbuckling herself and opening the drivers side door. Hopping out, you hear leaves crunch under her feet and with a huff, you also unbuckle your seatbelt, steppng out of the passengers seat into the opening. Looking around, you find lanterns set on the ground, providing a bit of light and acting as a guide to show you both where to go. In the distance, there’s a large victorian style manor, decked out in lush vines crawling up the siding. It just looks like another abandoned house, but you still get chills looking at it.
With the wind blowing and the need to protect yourself settling in, you pull your unzipped jacket across your chest and go to stand near Alex. There are a few other cars in the lot you stand in, but no signs of life other than a few fits of laughter coming from the front of the manor, as well as some classical music being played on an out of tune piano. You’re guess is that there are speakers hidden around, which you find yourself impressed by. Not only did these folks take the time to set up, but they created a whole experience out of a dilapidated building in the middle of the woods.
Alex nudges you and with that, you both start walking towards the manor. On the way to the line, she tells you a bit about this haunted house. Apparently they travel all over the world, and just so happened to pick your town, as well as a few others in the U.S. The haunt is called Deadman’s Mile, and it started in the U.K. That’s all the information you payed attention to before you started taking in your surroundings. A large gate stood open, inviting you into what seemed to be a courtyard. This had to be an estate they rented out due to how well kept the front garden seemed, along with a large fountain statue of cherubs and florals standing at the center of everything.
Despite your hesitation, this place was gorgeous. Cobblestone walkways, lanterns and string lights, ivy overgrown onto every possible surface, it was straight out of a movie. You felt reinvigorated and now it was your turn to pull Alex along. Grabbing her hand and taking the lead, you both rush closer to the building, stepping into a roped off line that had already begun forming. The chatter of other attendees and the soundtrack of eerie piano melodies melded into one as you settled into the excitement surrounding you. Alex sighed in relief that her plan had worked, and you both just stood in awe and anticipation as more and more people showed up.
Alex had started chatting with another group behind you two, sharing tid bits of information she read about online. Small talk was never really your thing, so you instead turned to see how many people are ahead of you two. A big sign catches your eye that reads “When entering this haunt, you consent to the actors touching, pulling, pushing, and invading your space. If you need an out, the safeword is Sleep.” Turning to Alex and tugging on her shirt, you point to the sign with fear settling back into your body. “Oh yeah, guess I forgot to mention that too.” She chuckles and goes back to the conversation she was having.You start to wonder what on earth you could do to get back at her, but right now your fate has been sealed. No matter if you’d rather die in a hole, you’re determined to have fun tonight.
While standing in line, you notice one of the haunt actors wandering around, a little ways ahead of where you and Alex stand. He seems to be about 5’10, and has a dirty shovel slung over his shoulder. He’s wearing a flannel that’s cuffed at his forearms and tucked into the waist of a pair of old, grass-stained jeans. In his back pocket are some gardening gloves, and hooked around one of his belt loops is a large ring of keys that you can only assume are for the manor you stand in front of. As he surveys the line for anyone of interest, the two of you lock eyes and you freeze. In this moment, you hope that maybe if you stand still enough, he’ll forget he even spotted you.
As if he could hear your racing thoughts, he starts making his way towards you as you will yourself to calm down. These are just actors after all. The closer he gets, the clearer you can see more of his features. His messy brown hair seems to have a mind of its own, but what really catches you are his eyes. They’re stormy blue in color and have a softness to them that immediately puts you at ease. The jingle of keys and a soft thump rips you from your thoughts as your eyes focus back to the man who’s now in front of you, leaning against a stone pillar with his arms crossed.
Meeting his gaze, all you can seem to mutter out is “Hi” and you don’t doubt you look like a deer in headlights. You’re met with a chuckle as he puts the shovel down to the ground, his hand still holding onto its handle. “The names Ivy, you seem a bit nervous. How bout some fun facts to help ya out hm?” Seemingly captivated by his accent and calm nature, you nod, still starstuck by his eyes. Leaning his weight onto the shovel and setting a hand on his hip, he thinks for a second before his eyes light up “Okay so, did you know that the flower Belladonna translate to beautiful woman and the berries from it can cause hallucinations and death?” Before you can react he’s holding a flower, what you presume to be the plant hes talking about, out to you.
You slowly reach up and take it from his grasp, eyeing the man curiously. A smile makes its way to his face and soon yours “A beautiful flower for a beautiful lady.” Leaning down next to your ear he whispers, “Be careful in there doll, the others won’t be as kind as I am.” With that, he slings his shovel over his shoulder and continues on down the line. Was he flirting with you? This must be something he does all the time. Looking down at the flower still in your hand, a blush spreads across your cheeks and his warning echos in your mind.
Turning to Alex, you find she’s already smiling at you knowingly. “What? You mad you didn’t get a gift?” Shoving the flower in her face, she swats your hand away and laughs. “Are you happy you decided to stop being such a shut-in? I told you not to worry.” Rolling your eyes, you find the line has started to move. Thankfully the two of your got there early so there wouldn’t be much wait time, but it seems like only one person is allowed to go in at a time. After noticing this, you mumble under your breath “Oh shit, I’m gonna be in there alone…” Ivy’s warning continues to run through your mind as you try to prepare yourself for what could very well be torture.
Looking back down the line in search for him, you’re met with other attendees and vague disappointment that you won’t see him again. Soon enough, you’re being pushed to the front of the line, tucking the flower into your pocket, you commit the safeword to memory, repeating it in your mind in case the worst does end up happening. Stepping into the threshold of the manor, your mind seems to go blank with anxiety. The only repreive you get from the darkness being warm, flickering candlelight.
Author Note: I'm so sorry it took so long to upload this! We're finally getting into interactions with the eepy boys, so hopefully that makes up for my absence. As always, constructive criticism is welcome <3
Chapter 2 Sneak Peek
While in line, you notice one of the haunt actors wandering around, a little ways ahead of where you and Alex stand. He seems to be about 5’10, and has a dirty shovel slung over his shoulder. He’s wearing a flannel that’s cuffed at his forearms and tucked into the waist of a pair of old, grass-stained jeans. In his back pocket are some gardening gloves, and hooked around one of his belt loops is a large ring of keys that you can only assume are for the manor you stand in front of. As he surveys the line for anyone of interest, the two of you lock eyes and you freeze. In this moment, you hope that maybe if you stand still enough, he’ll forget he even spotted you.
As if he could hear your racing thoughts, he starts making his way towards you, as you will yourself to calm down. These are just actors after all. The closer he gets, the clearer you can see more of his features. His messy brown hair seems to have a mind of its own, but what really catches you are his eyes. They’re stormy blue in color and have a softness to them that immediately puts you at ease. The jingle of keys and a soft thump rips you from your thoughts as your eyes focus back to the man who’s now in front of you, leaning against a stone pillar with his arms crossed.
Thinkin bout HauntActor! IV
oh IV, where do i even begin
I feel like he’d be best as a groundskeeper at the front of the haunt, entertaining the guests in line
he’s cocky and flirty, but there’s an odd vibe about him
imagining him sauntering around in dirt covered jeans and a shirt haphazardly tucked into his waistband
the jingling of keys attached to one of his belt loops becomes the telltale sign that he’s around
probably carries around a shovel and has it slung over his shoulder as he leans against one of the stone pillars
starts flirting with a guest then mid sentence turns around and just stares daggers into some random bloke that just so managed to pass by
slightly unhinged but keeps it under wraps pretty well (unlike III)
bro has definitely killed someone and buried them in the flowerbeds
“that smell? just a new fertilizer I’m trying out!”
has an unsettling knowledge of poisonous plants and will happily tell the guests about it while side eying the gardens and climbing vines
his character leans more into goofy territory, leading the guests into a false sense of security
he knows that once they are inside those towering walls, he won’t be able to save them
hell even when they leave those walls they’ll be in the woods and IV has enough rationale to not go back there
that’s III’s hunting grounds, IV just works here
This Is Halloween 🎃
The vocal runs he does in Nazareth drive me INSANE
Credits: Owen Troy -> yt
Oh ivy (sighing like I'm looking at old photos of my lover lost at war)
Credits: Unknown.
Old Sleep token sketches