Vess has given so much of himself, he has been through so much and has put himself on display in a way that most artists, most people, in fact, never will. With Caramel, it seems to me that he is telling us about himself just as much as he is calling out certain behaviours from others. He's trying to carry the weight of this fame while also being pissed about how he's been treated. Do you know how much of a toll that has to take on a person? Especially someone that is trying so hard to keep their personal and professional lives separate in the way that Vessel does? The pain, the raw anger, it's all very pointed, he isn't pulling punches, he wants us to know exactly how this has all affected him, how it's affected all of them, even if some still think it's an act.
He's never been this open in this way before, never spoken directly to us and now when he does, it's because we failed him. We allowed it to get this bad, every time we saw someone say something a bit fishy and ignored it, every time someone posted an unmasked photo or a name and we just blocked and moved on instead of drawing attention to it and why it was wrong. He says he's unable to express how he truly feels for the fear of being deemed ungrateful, that he thought he got better and now he's second guessing, and it's because people in our community couldn't be decent humans. We pushed him too far, we have taken too much. We need to do better. It doesn't matter if you or I didn't participate in the things that lead to him feeling this way, because it still reflects on all of us. We can't let this kind of thing keep happening.
I can only hope that he knows how loved he is. I hope he knows how many of us are here to stay. How many of us are here for the music, for the message, for the home that we have built here. How we want to try and repay him however we can for the solace and catharsis he has given so many of us. And that's exactly it, he has GIVEN us all of it. He has ALLOWED us to experience it, to experience Sleep Token. I hope he knows how many of us would walk with him until we couldn't anymore, for no other reason than because we care. How many of us respect and admire him, how many don't expect anything, how all we want is to see him happy and healthy, to see all of them find peace. He has shown us time and again that we matter, it's time we do the same for him, which looks like backing off and leaving him alone (that goes for the rest of the guys as well).
Here are some reminders for those who can't take a hint:
Respect boundaries. When a ritual is done, it's done, go home. No names, no faces, no spoilers, at least not in areas related to ST. No leaks, no yelling gross things at rituals, no commenting gross things on their posts. Just don't be an ass.
They are just people. They play characters on stage, but they are still just guys, and they're doing their job. When they're off stage, they're off the clock
We as fans are not entitled to anything from them. Not music, not merch, not interaction, not a glance in your general direction. NOT ANYTHING
The band does not owe us shit (maybe if I say it again in a different way, it'll sink in)
and remember NOTHING LASTS FOREVER
