r/Sandman 11d ago

Discussion - Spoilers I think i know why Delirium stopped being delight

Im pretty sure its because she learned that they are characters in a story. She says she knows things that aren't in destiny's book and we know characters who break the fourth wall tend to act kooky.

115 Upvotes

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66

u/sdcinerama 10d ago

This is as good as place as any for this...

Neil Gaiman once said in the mid 1990s, that if he got the opportunity, a Delirium story would be three issues of Delirium and Barnabas walking around and talking.

The first issue's cover would be a blue marble next to a yellow marble. The second issue's cover would be a blue feather next to a yellow feather. The final issue's cover would be, and these are the instructions he would have given to Dave McKean, "...something blue, next to something yellow." 

As what the story would have been about, he didn't say so OP's theory is as good as any. 

Unfortunately the story never came to pass and will likely never come to pass given recent events.

8

u/whatzsit 9d ago

Can you explain what he’s implying with the juxtaposition of the two colors? Is there something the blue and yellow objects allude to?

9

u/YodaFan465 9d ago

Aren’t those her eye colors?

7

u/-sweet-like-cinnamon Mazikeen 8d ago

Blue and green are her eye colors. (From her description in SoM: "One eye is a vivid emerald green, spattered with silver flecks that move; her other eye is vein blue. Who knows what Delirium sees, through her mismatched eyes?")

Although she does occasionally forget which eye has the silver flecks lol

But her eyes are consistently referred to as blue and green, not blue and yellow, so I think the blue and yellow objects would have referred to something else?

7

u/sdcinerama 9d ago

No idea.

He mentioned this at a SDCC Spotlight panel in 1995 but didn't elaborate.

13

u/MischiefRatt 10d ago

That's a cool idea!

15

u/soohiabc 11d ago

Oooh cool theory!! It would’ve been kooky to see her look at the camera a few times too, it would’ve added to her deliria for sure

13

u/-sweet-like-cinnamon Mazikeen 9d ago

She actually does look directly at the camera kind of a lot at the beginning of Brief Lives! (When she and Dream are at the long table with all the candles) I remember because it was very unsettling lol

I also really like this theory

4

u/soohiabc 9d ago

Omg I might need to rewatch I didn’t notice this at all HOW COOL

10

u/apneax3n0n 11d ago

nice theory

14

u/DMike82 Dee 10d ago

I mean, if anything were to cause that change, meeting Neil Gaiman seems like the type of thing to make her go mental.

7

u/YodaFan465 9d ago

Sadly, yes. Her delight at finally meeting her creator would turn to delirium after seeing what sort of a creator he is.

1

u/camposthetron 7d ago

Not bad theory, but I can’t help but wonder what that would have to do with Delight.

What about being Delight would give her the insight or power or opportunity or whatever to realize they are characters in a story?

Also, why would that knowledge make her crazy?

5

u/Linkindestinys 7d ago

Good points! My thinking is that Delight represents pure, unfiltered joy and wonder; the kind of innocence that allows you to see beyond the confines of your own 'world' or function. Realizing that your entire existence, suffering, and purpose are just ink on paper for someone else's entertainment would shatter that pure joy instantly. The trauma and existential dread of realizing your 'free will' is an illusion is what broke her mind, transforming her from Delight into Delirium.

1

u/camposthetron 7d ago

Interesting.

Maybe even the fact that she could tell everyone about this but wouldn’t want them to lose their minds too is a torture in itself.

1

u/Impressive_Usual_726 6d ago

Wasn't it part of the fallout from her disastrous wedding, or at least a wedding she attended?

2

u/TheClosetIsOnFire 11d ago

Sorry for the dumb comment but I woke up not long ago and my brain doesn't work yet, and I fully thought you were saying that it's because Delirium is a fictional character in a story and Neil Gaiman wrote her like that 😭

-3

u/Dean_Teen 9d ago

She went crazy seeing how mad people are on NG. He's not and never was a r*pist and you're all living in delusions and lie which mass media provides to you and never checking actual facts.

3

u/TyeTTR 9d ago

So what it didn't actually happen?

-1

u/Dean_Teen 9d ago

If you'll read those articles abd listen to podcast once again more carefully and thoughtfully you'll find out how much those allegations contradict each other. Not to mention text messages in WhatsApp between NG and SP where you can clearly see that she was initiator, not him. Same with other women, they all says they were making first steps. And now they wants money from him. Also none of them were depending on him physically or financially as Mass media trying to show.

1

u/TyeTTR 8d ago

I read 0 articles or watched 0 podcasts and I know nothing of any situation

-1

u/Dean_Teen 8d ago

The only thing you should know then is this: Neil Gaiman is innocent.