#sleeper citizen

My Sleeper touched peace. Touched a way of being among the green and the mycorrhizal networks that was beyond pain, beyond exploration, beyond a sense of self. You were holding the crown in your hands that could take you there. You *earned* that crown and the audience it granted you. You saw peace and touched a serenity that wasn’t untethered from the space station but instead *grew* from it, growing food and drugs out of nothing but love.

The Gardener was removed, but caring. An intelligence fashioned from the awareness, the *souls* of plants grown for beauty and survival in the hard vacuum of space.

You found all this because you and your scientist friend were curious. You had no agenda beyond wonder and bloody-mindedness.

You touched something new and different and grounded and safe. And it invited you in. No threat, just an extended hand. A way to stop the pain.

And I said no.

And it hurt.

You have to go back to The Eye. Half-derelict. Torn apart by corporate machinations. Stinking of desperation. Your refugee prison. Your safe haven. You have friends and enemies and rivals and bosses and lovers on this station and they’re all exploiting or exploring or running or hiding or

I chose to be a sick person. On the run.

I chose pain.

It wasn’t noble. I didn’t like it.

But my Sleeper had fought and bled to define themself. They had a few connections. A few dear friends. Unfinished business

And those don’t translate to the greenweave of the Gardener’s secret world.

And when the game asked. Told me to choose. Peace or pain.

Diving back into the time honored tradition of cosplay gifs! I applied a filter and ran the video through a gif software to make these. The craft is a blast from the past, and I so enjoyed making them, so expect more!