Entry tags:
Plot-bunny: Highlander / Sandman
In The Sandman universe, there are seven of the Endless: Dream (our title character), Desire, Despair, Delirium, Death, Destiny, and Destruction. They each have their various realms and go about their lives and have friends, acquaintances, and enemies. It is a very, very good series and I definitely recommend it to anyone (over the age of 15, because it can be rather disturbing.)
Anyway, let us consider Destruction. He's an interesting character. In Brief Lives, it's shown that he grew tired of being who (and what) he was, so he walked away. Packed up his sword and his seeing pool and went off to explore existence. His realm is left to take care of itself. And people, at least, are quite capable to taking care of destruction themselves without a sentient personification overseeing it.
Throughout the series, we're also shown that, while most every person is effected at least a little by each of The Endless, some people are devotees of one over all of the others. This is particularly highlighted in Endless Nights.
Now, let us consider Methos of the Highlander universe. For a thousand years, he was Death. Then he stopped. He became a scholar and an explorer and a teacher and a doctor and all sorts of other things. I've seen Highlander/Sandman crossovers before--not a lot, but some--but they all tend to compare Methos with Death. (Death is a regularly shown as a rather adorable goth chick.) It makes a certain amount of sense, since Methos was going around killing people for a thousand year and even used the name "Death" for that time period. However, I think Methos actually makes more sense as a devotee of Destruction. He wasn't just death, he was a harbinger of the apocalypse for the people he killed, he was the end of the world, the destruction of all they knew, and enough of them survived to tell the tale that the Horsemen gained a serious reputation.
And then he walked away from it. Just like Destruction did.
So I wonder, did Destruction walk away because one of his devotees showed him the example? Or did Methos walk away because Destruction had changed, and changed Methos with him?
And I can just see some day in Joe's, Methos is drinking a beer with an old friend: a large man with a big laugh and a bushy blond beard. And a dog that looked suspiciously like it was joining the conversation. Joe and Mac both think the guy is vaguely familiar but they can't remember where they've met him before, and Mac swears up and down that he's not immortal.
Afterwards, when questioned:
Methos: He's an old, friend I guess. Or maybe patron. Or possibly master. Or family.
Mac: How can he be an old anything? He was mortal.
Methos: Mac, you're still so young: you think Immortals are the only immortals out there. And you still think I'm old.
Mac: What? You are old!
Methos: I am the oldest of all the Immortals. But I am far from the oldest of all the persons on the planet, and even further from being the oldest of all beings.
Anyway, let us consider Destruction. He's an interesting character. In Brief Lives, it's shown that he grew tired of being who (and what) he was, so he walked away. Packed up his sword and his seeing pool and went off to explore existence. His realm is left to take care of itself. And people, at least, are quite capable to taking care of destruction themselves without a sentient personification overseeing it.
Throughout the series, we're also shown that, while most every person is effected at least a little by each of The Endless, some people are devotees of one over all of the others. This is particularly highlighted in Endless Nights.
Now, let us consider Methos of the Highlander universe. For a thousand years, he was Death. Then he stopped. He became a scholar and an explorer and a teacher and a doctor and all sorts of other things. I've seen Highlander/Sandman crossovers before--not a lot, but some--but they all tend to compare Methos with Death. (Death is a regularly shown as a rather adorable goth chick.) It makes a certain amount of sense, since Methos was going around killing people for a thousand year and even used the name "Death" for that time period. However, I think Methos actually makes more sense as a devotee of Destruction. He wasn't just death, he was a harbinger of the apocalypse for the people he killed, he was the end of the world, the destruction of all they knew, and enough of them survived to tell the tale that the Horsemen gained a serious reputation.
And then he walked away from it. Just like Destruction did.
So I wonder, did Destruction walk away because one of his devotees showed him the example? Or did Methos walk away because Destruction had changed, and changed Methos with him?
And I can just see some day in Joe's, Methos is drinking a beer with an old friend: a large man with a big laugh and a bushy blond beard. And a dog that looked suspiciously like it was joining the conversation. Joe and Mac both think the guy is vaguely familiar but they can't remember where they've met him before, and Mac swears up and down that he's not immortal.
Afterwards, when questioned:
Methos: He's an old, friend I guess. Or maybe patron. Or possibly master. Or family.
Mac: How can he be an old anything? He was mortal.
Methos: Mac, you're still so young: you think Immortals are the only immortals out there. And you still think I'm old.
Mac: What? You are old!
Methos: I am the oldest of all the Immortals. But I am far from the oldest of all the persons on the planet, and even further from being the oldest of all beings.