Glieuaeiel's DJ

Renegade

A recent event has caused a member of the party to turn around and run back in the direction whence he came. The other five or six party members (all of whom are friends in real life) joke about how he's on a renegade quest for revenge--he's so angry about what happened that he's willing to go back an face a werewolf alone, rather than wait to ask for backup. Actually, he hadn't been planning on going back for that reason . . . but a few minutes later, as he comes in range of the werewolf, he decides to kill it. He activates the werewolf transition animation for himself, then (as a werewolf) raises a long, thin sword above his head and charges. He worries about missing, since it's difficult to get the timing right, but he manages to hit the werewolf. With the damage bonus from a charging attack, it turns out to be a one-hit kill!

Awkward

I'm sitting in a room with my parents and my youngest sister. Apparently she heard something at school today, because she asks, "What are tist-estic-cles?" She stumbles over the word as though it's unfamiliar. Oh, dear. As a male, I feel like I should be the one to explain this, but I can't decide where to begin. But then my parents jump in ahead of me and start explaining. I feel like they're not doing a great job of it.

[IRL, that sister is in ninth grade, so she definitely already knows what testicles are, but I guess my unconscious is a bit behind the times.]

Car Solves Relationship Problems

A man on a game show has just explained to the host that he's having some relationship problems with a woman. As far as he can see, he has two options, but both of them have disadvantages. The show host then jumps in to say that all is not lost, because he there's a third option by which he can get the best of both other options! Then the show jumps into a thirty-second explanation of the new option, which is something about buying a new car, because this thirty-second "explanation" turns out to be, basically, an advertisement for a shiny red sports car. The man is a bit nonplussed, and he wonders quietly (so that only I can hear) how many lights they needed to use to get those highlights on the car. By "highlights," I assume he means the horizontal white lines of reflected light along the side of the car that make it look extra-shiny.

No recall.

[I just traveled back to school, and it might take a few days for my dream recall to adjust to the new setting. Also, that means classes are starting soon, and I'm probably going to have a lot less time to write these entries. I'll still try to update every day, even if I don't have enough time to write down all the details. Hold me to it! ]

[Contains a mild SPOILER for book four of the Wheel of Time series. I remembered this dream pretty well when I first woke from it yesterday morning, but since then I've forgotten it. . . .]

Frags:

• Jenn Aiel, Rand al'Thor, something about clearing the land
• Siuan Sanche (post-stilling) and a blue knife

Math Battle

I forgot to bring my sword when I entered this dungeon. Swords haven't been allowed in the previous dungeons, so I've gotten in the habit of not bringing them. But now I'm worried that the creatures in this dungeon will be too difficult to kill without one. And a humanoid creature just appeared out of the darkness to attack me. It looks familiar, like the Draugr from Skyrim, but the name that identifies it is unfamiliar to me, so I'm guessing it must be a higher-level version of what I've fought before. Uh oh!

We exchange a few blows. It's not an easy battle, but I think I'll be able to defeat it. I must have gotten used to hand-to-hand combat while going through those other dungeons.

I know that there's a girl somewhere in the dungeon, an adversary of mine, who was somehow responsible for designing the dungeon. Eventually I catch up to her, near a wall with three thick, knotted ropes hanging from the ceiling in front of it. It's the final round of the math competition. I, the girl, and another guy who won the competition last year are the only three contestants remaining. We stand around for a bit while the rules are explained. There are three different math problems to chose from, one at the top of each rope. The first person to climb a rope and solve a problem wins.

Without warning, last year's winner says, "Well, let's go," and starts the stopwatch. It takes a couple of seconds for me to realize what happened. When I finally do, I feel like that was unfair of him, but I don't say anything--I just grab a rope and start climbing. It also seems strange that one of the competitors is in charge of the clock. The girl is behind both of us, somehow out of the running.

The problem at the top of my rope has many diagrams of pyramids constructed by stacking lots of spheres, only sometimes a group of spheres will be missing from the pyramid. As I'm struggling to understand what the problem is asking, the other guy says, "Why are you working on that problem? This one's much easier." Startled, I decide without thinking to switch to the other problem. The other problem has a diagram of a lot of dominoes arranged in a complicated pattern. You're looking at the pattern from off to the side at an angle (rather than top-down). I have trouble understanding what this problem is asking, too.

A bit later, I learn that only a few seconds remain. My answer sheet is still blank. I decide to leave it that way. Not a very good show, but I'll just try to do better next time. I'll try not to let people like that guy throw me off by making me second-guess which problem to do.

I go back to my seat as we wait for the results to be announced. For a moment, I'm confused, because it looks like there's someone already sitting in it. But then I look again, and it's empty. I must not have been looking at the right place.

The teacher starts discussing how to use graphing calculators to perform addition of "structs." I listen to the first couple of sentences, but then I tune out, because I already know how to do this. Suddenly I think I'm dreaming, and I wake myself up.