memorable

It is an annoyance and a tragedy that the immediate recollections of our escapades within the kaleidoscopic realm of dreams should vacate our minds with such cruel transience upon our withdrawal therefrom. Indeed, there is nary a dreamer – even among the most deliberate and experienced – who is spared the frustration of awakening from the dream realm with only fragmentary evocations of the awesome experiences they had and the amazing things their half-conscious eyes beheld; and there are fewer still who are spared the woefully common tragedy of awakening to no such remembrances at all, vainly grasping in the darkness for memories already gone. And so, as many diligent dreamers do upon awakening, I set immediately to writing the details of my most recent venture through the dream realm, fervently recording as much as I could before the bulk those precious memories faded into the ether. However, regardless of my efforts, many of the important details surrounding this tale were still lost in memory, not least of which were the details of the inciting event from which this tale would otherwise commence.

Because of this, all I can tell is that certain financial circumstances of an unfortunate sort had brought my mother, my sister, and me within the doleful residence of what is infamously known as a “Corporate City.” I cannot, however, tell the specific details of what forced us to settle into such a municipality. If I was ever made aware of the name of this place, I cannot remember it now and so, I will give it the name, “Avericia.” A fitting designation as you will soon tell.

The city of Avericia would most certainly stand as the ultimate staple of Late Stage Capitalism for Avericia was a place ruled by men of power and relentless greed. The rulers were not politicians of any sort, but corporate elites who reside in high towers and look down upon the working masses with little empathy and cruel indifference. Surrounded by a great wall rivaling that of Jericho, Avericia was home to those unfortunate souls who were subjugated to the whims of those ruthless men by whom they were employed.

At some undetermined point in time, I was treated to a panoramic view of the place. The panorama presented to me a deceptively pleasant skyline superimposed against the iridescent pulchritude of a twilight sky peopled by majestic cumuli decorated with calming shades of pink, orange, and mauve by the setting sun. The outer portion of the radial city boasted a suburban sprawl of asphalt roofs, clean-cut lawns, and lush trees for the viewing pleasure of the residents therein. Peering further towards the city center, I could see a lively metropolis of lights, never-ending festivities, and fanfare beyond imagination. And at the center of it all was a casino of impressive proportion. The exact details of that casino’s architecture are lost to me. All I can say is that its grand aspect had me entranced in a venerable state of awe. Upon initial examination, one would be hard-pressed to find anything wrong with such a beautiful sight and it is that very essence of synthetic beauty that draws wealthy tourists to the fantastical inner parts of that city every year.

After a procession of events that managed to evade remembrance, I found myself driving through the suburbs towards our place of residence. I remember little save a stretch of road that curved slightly through a neighborhood area, and from this up-close perspective, I could see fully the state of dereliction in which this suburban area was left. Houses were run down and defaced with graffiti and lawns were flooded with the foul overflow of neglected septic tanks. I do not remember the specific condition our home was in; I only remember that the place was crowded as there were several families taking up residence there. I slept in that house, not looking forward to the next morning.

I do not remember the events the following morning. I simply recall finding myself on an employee monorail tram towards the inner city where My sister and I were to begin our first shift at the casino. The specifics of our job duties were unclear, we only knew that we were to be doing grunt work with only meager compensation. The dereliction of the outer suburbs home to the impoverished employees contrasted with the pulchritude of the inner city which was home to the wealthy tourists. I do not remember the details of this inner-city; I simply remember being taken by the site of that massive casino at the center of it all, silhouetted in part against the rising sun.

The following events can only be described with a vexing degree of vagueness for it is here that all faculties of my recollection begin to break down. The next thing I recall is standing with my sister and the other employees outside of the employee entrance. It was off to the side, hidden from the public eye, and yet it was impressive in size, up to thirty feet high, as though it were a door for giants! I remember the moments where my sister and I would lament our present situation as we were made to clean the bathrooms. Unfortunately, that is all that I remember about the job itself. Sometime later, I found my half-conscious self floating through a cylindrical chamber illuminated by the firey luminescence of an unknown light source far below which caused the walls of this infernal chamber to glow red. The walls were lined with cavities whose openings were barred, each housing a prisoner. There was little doubt in my mind that I was deep within the annals of Sheol, the abode of the damned whose point of entry was at the base of this casino. How I came to be in this place, I do not know.

I do not remember the reasoning for the internment of the poor people imprisoned within those cavities, but I do recall being tasked with their emancipation. As it turned out, the rulers of this casino, as well as the city surrounding it, were demons and if I wanted to free the poor inmates of Sheol I had to go through the casino and kill each demon, bringing an end to their reign of wickedness and greed. What followed was a series of fantastical happenings of bravery, skill, danger, espionage, and camaraderie. The only demon that I specifically remember fighting was a green naga of tremendous size. One by one the demons fell and as they did, more people began to rise up and join the fight. It was a hard battle, but it was a battle that we were winning.

I wish I could say that fought to the very end. I wish I could say that I was able to free those poor people trapped in Sheol. Alas, I awoke before I could complete my task and so, as far as I know, the captives still suffer and many of the demonic elites responsible for their imprisonment still live.

I had this dream a while ago. I was walking through a mall with some friends when I happened across what appeared to be an upscale dinner theatre. The theatre walls were a golden color and the carpet had a very festive pattern to it. The big screen was framed to look like a fancy stage theatre. Instead if seat rows there were round dinner tables with white tablecloths, obviously there were chairs, plates, and, of course, the standard cutlery. I remember seeing a sign at the entrance. The sign read, "Todays screening: The Thoughts That Our Smiles Have." I walked in and saw what was on screen. It was literally just a bunch of close up shots of people's smiles. There was an editing filter to make it look like a super 8 film. The truly strange thing was that everyone was standing. No one was actually watching the film, they were all standing by their seats and staring right at us with these really wide grins on their faces. They were all dressed in formal attire, they didn't blink...their faces were perfectly static. It was so unsettling.

We carefully made our way through the theatre. I remember that we were trying to move through it and get to the exit door on the other side. We stopped halfway and kept our backs against the wall. The lights got dimmer. Everyone was still staring at us with those wide grins. I remember the soundtrack that was playing during the screening. I heard it the moment I walked in. The lyrics made me very uneasy.

"Smiling is fun. Smiling is fun. Not to smile is illegal. Smiling is fun."

The singer was female and she had an alto pitch. That last line, "not to smile is illegal" is what got us. These people may have had smiles on their faces but we just knew that they were hostile. They were scrutinizing us...looking for a reason to take us down. I just knew they were. It is here that I became lucid. There was a tall white man standing next to me. Like all the other men, he was in a tux. His hair was brunette and his smile creeped me out the most (probably because he was closer to me than the others). In compliance with the song, we put on our biggest grins. I had a feeling that that's what these people wanted from us. They wanted us to smile like them. But we knew that it wasn't enough. They didn't just want us to look insanely happy, they wanted us to be insanely happy. I looked at the man next to me and showed him my smile, in the hopes that I could fool him into believing that I was like him. In spite of his rigid grin, I could tell that he wasn't fooled. I don't know how I could tell but I could. His grin was unwavering, while mine was painful and twitchy I think he could see that...they all could.

We knew we had to get out of there fast! While doing our best to maintain our unnatural grins, we made our way to the exit on the other side of the theatre. I turned towards the screen and that's when I saw the most unsettling figure yet. He was the only one sitting. It was a big light orange monster with incredibly long and sharp teeth. He had jet black eyes and was looking right at us just like everyone else. He too was smiling. As we moved through the theatre I noticed that everyone was slowly walking towards is. They had us all but surrounded, still wearing those creepy-ass grins. This was it, we had been found out. "Fuck this," I thought, "I'm out."

I woke up and was glad to be awake.

I composed the song I heard in this dream. I didn't record the lyrics but I got the melody down. I think I'll create a playlist of all the songs I've heard in my dreams. https://soundcloud.com/ghostchild191/rictus

24 October 2017

We began at Patty's Pub. I was observing what appeared to be a budding relationship between an adult Angelica Pickles and an older gentleman whom I will name "Jenkins." Angelica seemed to be happy in the relationship and everyone agreed that they were a good fit. Jenkins' extended family was there with them and they could not be happier. Though I would soon learn that Angelica did not share this sentiment. I witnessed her in the back room, freaking out over the prospect of being in a relationship with this man. In truth, she was disgusted by him and wanted out. There was a problem, though. Angelica felt that she could not just break it off, for some reason, she felt that she had to make him out to be a monster, assuring that she would be completely justified in her decision to break up with Jenkins. I watched as Angelica went out and accused Jenkins of sexually assaulting her.

Later we were at some sort bookstore in a mall. At that point, everyone had heard the stories that Angelica was spreading about Jenkins. Thankfully, no one within the family believed her. The entire family was supportive of Jenkins. Unfortunately, Angelica knew that this family would discredit her so she decided that she would discredit the entire family. I suddenly found myself observing the events through Jenkins' eyes. I could even hear his thoughts as he walked throughout the video store, seeing the damage that Angelica was doing. Angelica had sparked fights among the family members and now rifts were starting to form. Not only that but Angelica's accusation had had a negative impact on his personal life. I could hear him thinking, "I thought I had found a nice girl but she turned out to be a psychopath!" I began to feel angry for Jenkins as he continued to walk through the store. He could only watch helplessly as family members turned on one another. Over and over again, Jenkins just kept thinking to himself, "That girl is a psychopath! That girl is a psychopath!"

Sometime later, I was myself again. I was no longer experiencing the world through Jenkins' eyes. Word had spread of what had happened and people had come together to help Jenkins expose Angelica as the narcissist she is. I remember that Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were both there. I don't remember what the plan was exactly but I do remember what was involved. We were in a small blue theatre within the bookstore. The room was dark except for the bright blue light that was emanating from the screen. I was helping the team tape what appeared to be a line of security cameras connected by a single cord onto the wall. Once everything was set up we all hid in the back and waited for Angelica to show up. I may not remember what we had prepared for her but I do remember the sense of anticipation that filled the room. I couldn't wait to see the look on Angelica's face when we finally got her. Just a few more moments....

Sadly, I would never see our plan come to fruition. I was awoken by mom as she entered the living room. I lay on the couch and groan, upset that I would not get to see how this story ended. Little did I know that this was only the beginning. My mom left the room and I drifted back to sleep. I reentered the dream realm and found myself standing outside the mall where Jenkins and Angelica were.

And so the story continues...

So this dream was a long one, I don't have time to get it all down now. I decided to split it into two parts. I'll post part two later.

Another job in the dream realm. This time I was working a futuristic warehouse. The place was dark and almost desolate. I remember being in a big empty room with a transparent monitor screen suspended over the door displaying the date and time. It was at this moment that things did not seem right. I didn't work at a warehouse anymore (I used to work at one IRL) so why was I...?

Son of a bitch. I was dreaming. I stopped and took a moment to examine my surroundings. It always amazed me how real and tangible everything felt. As I stated once in a previous lucid dream one of my reality checks is my magic watch.

Now one of the tools I use to tell if I am dreaming or not is my magic watch. Every once in a while I will do a reality check IRL by checking my watch. I will press two ‘buttons’ (they’re not buttons IRL) at the top and the bottom of the face of my watch. If nothing happens (or if I’m just not wearing a watch) then I know I am not dreaming. However, if the face of my watch unlatches and opens up then I know that I am dreaming. This has never failed me. Now in The Dream Realm, I will use this magic watch as a bottomless storage device. When the face opens up I can reach in and pull out anything that I want.
~Excerpt from an earlier dream called Lucid Highway

Anyway, I've been experimenting with my magic watch and had an idea for it earlier this year. I wondered if I could use it as sort of a Social Status Indicator (SSI) like the one that is featured in Assassin's Creed. This could be used to alert me to any hostiles that may be in the area. I looked down at my watch and was happy to see the social status icon appear on my watch's screen. The SSI was indicating that there were no hostiles in the area. I walked into the next room of the warehouse where I saw a dimly lit room full of pallets of mulch. At least that's I remembered seeing when I woke up. I knew there were pallets though I am not entirely sure what was on them. I do remember the pallets were arranged in rows. I walked past the rows of pallets and looked down at my watch. My SSI was indicating that there was a hostile nearby. According to the Indicator, the hostile hadn't spotted me yet but he was aware that I was in the area with him. I stepped lightly but was not worried. Then I saw the hostile. It was a wolf. The wolf had spotted me and was making a beeline towards me. My SSI let me know that I was now exposed and in the middle of an open conflict. I really was not afraid of this thing as it was slow and rather unintelligent. Now don't ask me where this idea came from but I went ahead and pointed a finger gun at him and "fired." Believe it or not, it worked. The wolf fell over dead. Somehow I knew that that would work. Anyway, I checked my SSI and it was indicating that there was another hostile in the area but according to the indicator the hostile was either not aware of my presence or was aware but simply did not recognize me or was otherwise uninterested. In that case, I did not worry about it and went about my business. I was making my way towards another door when I woke up. But I was very tired and fell right back asleep and found myself back in the warehouse pallet room. There, an anime girl was teaching me how the watch worked the many ways that it could be used. I woke up shortly thereafter.

21 March 2017

There were six artifacts he wanted me to retrieve. Who was "he"? Your guess is as good as mine, reader. Unfortunately, the identity of my client was lost in memory as was the exact nature of our agreement. All I remember is that he wanted six artifacts; all of which were held in six different locations. I was working with some other people but I do not remember whom. I vaguely remember being at one location. It was some sort of colony built around a really high tower. I remember the tower was miles wide and miles high and the colony was on the tower. All of the homes, stores, and other facilities were built into the sides of it. The last thing I remember about this place is leaving in a hurry. I was jumping off of a balcony onto another one just below me. I was about halfway down the tower. There were some others with me but they had been left behind. We had retrieved three of the artifacts and were now on our way to retrieve the fourth. This one was at a haunted mansion. I ended up going alone for reasons I cannot remember. I remember being taken by fear the moment I stepped in. The mansion's antechamber was lit with orange lighting and had red carpeting. I saw two thin, blue ghostly figures. I attempted to sneak past them to get into the hallway on the left but they spotted me and came after me. I don't know how but I managed to escape.

Some time later I found myself in the ballroom where there were several other ghosts. Again some came after me but others tried to help me in my task. At some point, I learned that the ghosts were all bound to that mansion through some curse. They wanted to move on and be free from that place but they could not. Through some cruel twist of fate, they were forced to wander in limbo for all eternity. I will admit that I was not so much concerned about the spirits as I was about completing my tasks and getting out of there alive. But I knew that my task was somehow tied with their desire to be free. Freeing this spirits would help me do what I needed to do.

I vaguely remember moving from room to room. I was in the dining room, the ballroom, the kitchen, and the party room. In each place, I happened across ghosts. Some were friendly, some were neutral, many were hostile for reasons I never learned, though I'll admit that I never bothered to ask. After moving through the mansion I finally found myself nearing the completion of my task. I was in a hallway and the artifact I needed was just behind the door ahead of me. There were three ghosts in there with me. The were female, had long brunette hair and dressed in white gowns. I attempted to sneak past them but to no avail. They noticed me and immediately started flying towards me. I ran to the door desperate to get away, hoping that in retrieving this artifact I could release these wretched spirits from their limbo and be done with them. As I ran towards the door I began to float just as the ghosts did and I made to the door. I was in the kitchen. I remember it was well lit, well maintained and very spacious. Definitely, a place that was once frequented by professional chefs. The artifact I needed was not there so I ran to the door on the right and found myself in the dining room where a long table that seats several was located. It was all set up though I do not remember if there was food out. I trembled for I knew that the ghosts were still behind me and they would be in any minute! And then...

We jump ahead a few moments. I have the artifact in my posession, I am now in a well-lit dining hall with food and festivities, and I am surrounded by jovial spirits grateful to me. I don't remember the exact moment that I did it but I did it. I retrieved the fourth artifact and freed the spirits from Limbo. I would later be invited to join the ghosts in the mansion's chapel for a formal celebratory comedy show. Indeed it was very enjoyable though I was unable to report back to my client nor was I able to retrieve the last two artifacts. I awoke after the show.

16 March 2017

The overseers had made a mistake. Leaving a bunch of inexperienced and overzealous 20 somethings alone in a room full of expensive space equipment was quite possibly the most dangerous thing that they could have done. Even more so since one of them had left one of the starships up and running. I don't remember what we were doing there nor do I have a clear idea as to whom exactly I was with I just remember that we were all young, we were all foolish, and that starship was calling out to us; daring us to try and resist temptation. Of course, we didn't resist. How could we? We entered into the ship, took our seats and, in no time at all, we were airborne. What happens next is rather fuzzy. I remember us being in space and flying past planets but I do not remember which ones nor do I remember who was flying. We eventually made it to a planet that was orbiting a star other than our own. I remember the planet was gray and covered in ridges. In spite of its appearance, we found that not only was it capable of sustaining life but it was inhabited but sapient beings. This was according to our readings. Obviously, we were curious and so, like the eager fools we were, we set a course to land on the planet without calling down to ask permission to land, without letting the locals know we were there, and without considering the consequences.

We crash landed on the surface and realized something strange about the planet. The entire surface appeared to be made of metal. All of those ridges that we saw from above were deeper and more numerous than we realized. Also, they weren't just ridges, they were valleys and crevasses that were lined with houses, pipes, and wires. As a matter of fact, no one seemed to reside outside of these valleys. While there was air on the planet, there was no blue sky. There was no sky at all! As we explored, we began to realize that this was not a real planet. It was an artificial planet that had been built to sustain life. We eventually came to a radial valley in the center of which was a huge cylindrical tower that seemed to be home to several apartment residents. One of them met us and warned us to hide lest they find us. We didn't know what he was talking about but we went ahead and heeded his warning. I do not remember exactly what happened thereafter but I do have vague recollections of hiding from the guards, whom I noticed were dressed like skull kids from The Legend of Zelda**. I remember seeing our ship hidden within the cylindrical tower. Apparently, the residents had somehow managed to hide it in there. I remember it looking really beaten up from the crash and wondering how we were going to got off this planet.

In time we learned about the planet's origin. The residents were human and were the descendants of pilgrims who had left earth to build this planet. We also learned that this planet was essentially home to one huge cult that worshiped the moon (I'm not sure which moon). At first, everyone there believed in the teachings of the cult but now the current leader was corrupted and the whole place was under the control of an oppressive regime. If they were to find us, we would be forced to join their cult and live here until the day we died. Obviously, we did not want this. The residents agreed to help us escape and go home.

Over time we came to make friends with a young resident named 'Morty.' I don't remember much about him, I just remember that I really liked him, everyone did. One day, Morty mouthed off to one of the guards and he was killed. I remember how angry and sad everyone felt. Morty's death was a tragedy that stuck with us throughout the duration of our time on that planet. It was also enough to strike fear back into the hearts of the citizens as it reminded everyone what the regime was capable of.

Finally, the time came for us to make our escape, the ship was fixed and we were ready to go back home. We were only hundreds of feet off the surface when we began to think about the people down below. We began to think about the friends we had made and about how they were trapped. But, most importantly, we began to think about Morty and what he had died for. He died doing what everyone wished they could do. He died standing up to the regime. We realized that it would be wrong to leave these people behind. We knew that the leader of the planetary cult would be at the tower that day. We turned around went back down and started shooting! We exited the ship, guns blazing, shouting, "Revenge for Morty! Revenge for Morty!" Everyone was emboldened by our display of rebellion and pretty soon, all of the residents began chanting along with us "Revenge for Morty! Revenge for Morty!" It was an all-out battle between us and the cult guards. Unfortunately, it was a battle that we lost. We were all captured and brought before the cult leader. He promised to allow us to live and "let" us join his "glorious movement." They were about to begin a ceremony that would welcome us into their cult and assure that we stay there forever. I couldn't take it anymore. I was absolutely fuming. Morty was dead, these people would remain under the thumb of the regime and now we were trapped there with them. Without thinking, I went and attacked the cult leader only to be inevitably stopped by the guards. The leader seemed amused by my feeble attempt and went on to boast about how glorious his planet was and about how it would prosper under the movement.

I awoke in my bed, the cult leader's voice still echoing in the background. I could still hear him as though he were right there with me in my bedroom. Boasting about the glory of his broken cause.

**The previous weekend I had been at an anime convention where I came across several skull kid cosplayers.

8 February 2017

It seems to have begun with a chase. We were on our way to school, my friend and I, and out of nowhere this gang of bullies started chasing us. We were all on bicycles and my friend (whom I will name Melvin) and I were trying to outrace the bullies. Somehow, Melvin made to the front gates of the school before I did. This was an interesting setup. The school was surrounded by a fence and the gate was closed. There was suddenly a line of cars behind Melvin attempting to enter the gate and they were all honking at him. He was motionless and unsure of what to do. As the bullies and I got closer I saw a perfect opportunity to create a diversion for us to escape. I yelled at Melvin, telling him to create a diversion. What he does next is really weird. He stood tall and declared that he was really great or something along those lines, much to the astonishment and confusion of the drivers and the bullies alike. Regardless of how weird this diversion was, it worked and we were both able to get into the gate and escape the bullies somehow. We then hid under the front steps of the school and waited for the bullies to leave.

It was at this point that Trixie Tang (from Fairly Odd Parents) and Candace Flynn (from Phineas and Ferb) showed up. Now, these two were our rivals apparently and we did not care for one another. That being said, Trixie did have noble intentions for coming to this particular school. She wanted to better herself. She wanted to become a better person and leave her old selfish ways behind. I did commend her for that but this did nothing to alleviate the animosity between the two of us.

So we were at the football field later where Trixie's old boyfriend, whom I will now name 'Devon,' came to meet her. This was particularly hard for Trixie because she knew that in order to move on and leave her old life behind she would have to break it off with him. As much as I did not like her, I felt for Trixie. I knew that this was not easy and I actually respected her for making such a hard choice. I never saw the break-up itself but I did see Trixie approaching Devon and I could already tell that this was not going to be pretty.

Melvin and I are alone with Candace after school. You see, there were apparently two teams at the school. Melvin and I were on one team while Trixie and Candace were on the other team. This would explain the rivalry. Each team had a flag and the flags were interesting, to say the least. The flags were laid out on their own tables and they were decorated with 3D pop-up imagery of old villages, goblins, and other weird things. Now Candace was having boy troubles of her own and I heard her say something along the lines of, "If only one of you goblins could come alive and tell me how to handle relationships." In that instance, a goblin came out of one of the houses on her flag and materialized right behind her. It looked really menacing but Candace smiled at it nonetheless. Then we cut to a scene where the goblin was happily explaining to Candace the complexities of relationships and how they work. The dream ended there.

A trope as old as time itself. The story of boy meets girl. It began a park owned by the Britannia Family. For those unfamiliar, The Britannias are mostly antagonistic characters of the anime, Code Geass. I don't know what I was doing there but I do remember that I probably wasn't supposed to be there. I remember that it was a place for elites and I was anything but. I slipped through the gates undetected though I could feel the scrutinizing gaze of those around me. Some were questioning my presence there and it made me really uncomfortable. I never faced anyone but I could almost sense their stares. This, however did nothing to take away from the beauty of park. The tall sakura trees contrasted beautifully against the clear blue sky. The grass was lush and green and the lake was such a beautiful shade of blue it was almost unreal.

Perhaps it was sheer happenstance or perhaps it was in my efforts to distance myself from the dubious elites. Either way, I somehow ended up crossing paths with Princess Euphemia V. Britannia (one of the few Britannia characters who isn't kind of a dick). I saw her with her assistant whom I will name "Stacy." Stacy was not a character in the show. I vaguely remember what she looked like. She had a green skin tight shirt and brunette hair. Euphemia was just as stunning as ever as her natural pink hair complimented her ensemble. I didn't approach as I did not want to intrude. Euphemia was having a picnic with her date Sam Malone from the TV show, "Cheers." Just as in the show Sam was kind of an ass. However, he was different in the dream than he was in the show. In the show he is just a funny, pleasant and although he can be an ass he knows when to dial it back. But in this dream he was just a straight up asshole.

I began to observe Euphemia's and Sam's life together over the years. I saw them together in Sam's bar at one point and the whole time Sam was just plain mean. I could not believe that she would be with a person like that. Stacy seemed to share my sentiment as she disapproved of Euphemia's decision to be with him and had no problems in expressing this. I don't know what happened between them as a result of this. As time went by I began to recall an opportunity I had to ask Euphemia out myself and I began to regret my decision not to. Then, for no particular reason, time reset itself.

I was back at the entrance of the park and just as before I slipped through ignoring to judging stares of the elites who were there. There was a small dirt path that curved around the lake which I somehow knew would lead me to Euphemia I followed it but was put off by the elites around me and so I decided to stray from the path and find another way. I eventually found Sam, Stacy, and Euphemia having a picnic as before. I took note of the mistakes that Sam made and made sure to never make them. I wanted to talk to her and tell her how I felt but I was nervous. Now Stacey seemed to know how I felt as she addressed and encouraged me to speak with Euphemia. She must have thought that I would be the better option than him. Somehow Euphemia ended up breaking up with Sam right then and there and I was able to befriend and talk with her. In spite of the growing friendship I still felt that the time was not right to make my move. Stacy took note of my trepidation and encouraged me to tell Euphemia how I felt.

Stacy was right. I turned to the princess, once again taken by her pulchritude and gentleness. Would she really go for a guy like me? There was only one way to find out. I pushed my fears aside, threw caution to the wind and made my move. A bold decision that I would not come to regret.

3 February 2016

It began at the McDonald’s by I-435. I was with woman who resembled Robin from “How I met your Mother.” I don’t remember the events preceding this; I just remember realizing that I was dreaming at some point during this dream. It was cloudy, foggy almost. Now usually when I realize that I was dreaming I almost immediately end up waking myself up and that almost happened but I did not want that. So I decided to say a prayer (I’m a Christian) asking God to help me in preserving this experience and then everything began to snap into focus. I could not get over how real this felt. How real everything felt. I took into account all of the mistakes I had made when attempting to remain lucid before and I made sure not to make those mistakes again. Robin and I then made our way to the 435 Highway and I decided to jump. The jump was higher than expected, like way higher, and when I came back down I hit the ground with a thud. The shock almost woke me up and I could feel myself slipping back out of the dream. At this point it began to feel like sort of a daydream as I was beginning to wake up and I could feel myself lying on my couch IRL. I knew that opening my eyes would finalize the end of this experience so I squeezed them shut attempting to bring this sort of daydream back into a lucid dream. It a few seconds but I was able to do it. My body fell back asleep and the dream was back in full focus. I was back in The Dream Realm.

I was still on 435 with Robin but something was different. In reality 435 is a beltway but in this dream it was a long highway that stretched for miles, maybe hundreds of miles, in just one direction. Robin and I began to fall for each other as we walked down the highway. There were no cars and I do not remember there being a median. The clouds had cleared and now it was a bright and sunny day. There was something tranquil about the whole thing. Vast rolling hills, cool air on your skin, and just the calm silence. It was really cool. Robin and I were coming up on some kind of structure. It appeared to be a series of upright tubes that protruded out of the ground like towers. I could see them past an overpass.
Now one of the tools I use to tell if I am dreaming or not is my magic watch. Every once in a while I will do a reality check IRL by checking my watch. I will press two ‘buttons’ (they’re not buttons IRL) at the top and the bottom of the face of my watch. If nothing happens (or if I’m just not wearing a watch) then I know I am not dreaming. However if the face of my watch unlatches and opens up then I know that I am dreaming. This has never failed me. Now in The Dream Realm I will use this magic watch as a bottomless storage device. When the face opens up I can reach in and pull out anything that I want. I pulled a rose out of my magic watch and offered it to Robin. Then I pulled out a chocolate, Robin was very moved by the gesture. She and I kissed and we’ll just say that things happened from there.

I ‘awoke’ on top of Dennis from “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.” The whole gang from the show was there laughing at us. Now I thought that I had woken up for real so I resigned into a non lucidity. At least for a short while. I don’t really remember what happened, I just remember that I was in a highway rest stop and the Dennis and I were embarrassed but we were able to laugh it off. The diner was run by a woman. I remember it was snowing outside, this only served to further solidify the idea that this was not a dream as I had gone to bed expecting a snow storm the next morning. Then I realized that things were not quite right so I checked my watch and sure enough, I was still in The Dream Realm. I was lucid again.

This was a shock to me as I had never been lucid for this long before. I turned away from the window to see that the place had gone dark. The counter was closed off and all of the blinds were shut. I was freaked out by this so I pulled a six shooter out of my magic watch. I thought about exploring the diner more but decided against it as the place kind of made me uneasy. I went outside. I was in the mountains and it was a wooded area. The snow was thick and the wind was strong. I did not know where to go from here so I asked God where I should go next. Before I knew it the wind blew me towards a pair of motorcycles. The moment I mounted one of them it was as if winter itself disappeared in the blink of an eye. All the snow just sort of evaporated and it was a clear sunny day. Again I could feel myself waking up and I fought it off. Someone had joined me on the motorcycle next to mine and we both rode off on the highway. Then the police chased after us for reasons unknown and we attempted to out run them. Now the guy who had joined me, we’ll call him Jeff, I guess was streaming this online because he kept talking to a camera. We went off road with the police hard on our tails and took dive off of a ledge. It must have been 20 foot drop. We hit the ground with a splat and I remember us both laughing as our mangled selves were lying in pools of blood. My femur was completely broken and sticking out and it hurt like hell but I was having such a good time that I was able to laugh it off. Then Jeff said to the camera, “I hope you enjoyed this segment but we gotta go now. Till next time, keep it real!” Then he said to me, “Whelp time for us to wake up. Till next time.” And he disappeared, I assumed he was another dreamer who had woken himself up (I may have been lucid but my mind wasn’t completely rational).

Then I decided it was time to wake myself up. Not because of the injury but because I just felt that it was time. I had a blast and now my time was done. As Jeff said, “Until next time.” I woke up on the couch and checked my wrist: No watch, this was real. I quickly jotted down this experience and proceeded to caress my femur for the next minute as phantom pains persisted thereafter.

It was the dawn of time. I was an observer to what scholars call "The World's First Marriage." Adam and Eve were upon their fourth year on earth and humanity had existed along with them. Their marriage, however, was less than ideal. Most know the story of what happened at The Garden of Eden. What people today don't know is that the marriage never really recovered from that moment. Eve was deeply hurt by Adams thoughtless finger pointing when he was faced by his creator. She still remembered his words when God asked if he had disobeyed and I imagined that even after four years the words still stung: You gave me this woman and she gave me the fruit so I ate it! When push came to shove Adam threw his wife under the bus and, while I can not be sure, I don't think he ever apologized for what he had done. So here they were now a marriage strained by an act of unbelievable cowardice. It was obvious to me and everyone else that Eve was not happy. Many have even stated that Adam may not have been the best thing to happen to Eve which I found odd since Adam had (supposedly) come first.

It was night time and although man had only existed for four years he had already made leaps and bounds in progress. I was in the middle east and I saw that mankind had already begun erecting modern civilizations. I later found myself walking along a path towards a town. I am not sure as to weather or not I was part of a pedestrian convoy but I do remember that it was pitch black out and the path was thoroughly shaded by trees. There were guards standing along both sides of the path. They wore turbans and they were armed with AK-47s (to reiterate this is just four years after mankind was first created) I didn't like them. I think I may have had to sidestep some land mines that were planted along the path (four years).

I eventually came upon a town. The town appeared to be a middle eastern slum that was dimly lit by blue florescent lights and I really wanted to get inside (I think that the guards were eyeing me something fierce). I don't remember the details but I was able to find a nice woman who was more than willing to let me stay. The home's exterior had the appearance of a mortar concrete home but the interior was very modern with wooden flooring, concrete walls and ceiling and all the amenities of a typical first world home. The family was very nice but didn't get along terribly well. I remember that there was a fight among the family and then the city guards came in and told the family that they were being evicted.

They had no other choice but to leave immediately so they packed up and were ready to go. I was gone from the house and some time had passed, then I came across a tower in the middle of a meadow. I don't remember what had happened but I do remember that the guards there did not want me at that tower.

6 October 2015

Chapter 1: The Arcade

I was at an arcade restaurant reminiscent of Dave and Busters. I really don’t remember much about the restaurant itself outside the fact that it was huge and had a lot to it. I vaguely remember speaking to a waitress there. She was older, tall, had a brown beehive hairdo and wore heavy makeup. She was also slightly overweight. By the way she was dressed she looked more suited for a truck stop restaurant than a fancy-ish arcade place but whatever. I don’t remember what we talked about but I don’t think that I placed any orders.

I went to the Elevator and went up to the second floor. When I first stepped in I only had the option of moving to the second floor which is why I was surprised when I saw that there was a third and fourth floor. There was a balcony that gave me a view of all three floors. I can’t really describe all too well how they were laid out but I remember that it was really cool. I saw a young kid playing basket ball but the goal had no hoop, it was only a clear back board. I wondered how the third and fourth floors could be accessed when some kid dropped a pair of broken headphones by my feet. I saw the kid run away up a flight of stairs to the third floor.

Now knowing how to access the two upper floors I ran up the steps with the broken headphones. I do not remember much about the third floor aside from the fact that the floor was carpeted. The kid was not there so I proceeded up a flight of stairs to the fourth floor where I saw the kid hiding behind a billiards table. I remember trying to offer the kid his headphones back but he seemed very afraid of me. He was afraid that I was mad at him because I thought that he threw the headphones at me but I assured him that I understood that it was only an accident. Funny thing is, the kid looked like a younger version of myself.

I walked into an elevator that was on the third floor. There I saw five buttons which told me that there was a fifth floor that I have yet to see. At some point a man and his girlfriend came onto the elevator. He was tall, Caucasian, had curly hair and a light beard. He wore a green thick jacket and denim jeans. She was blond, curvy, I don’t remember much else about her appearance. Now the elevator was very old and run down. The inside was plastered with graffiti. It was nice graffiti, I could tell the graffiti artists put a lot of work into it, but it was graffiti nonetheless. The couple and I spoke and we kind of hit it off. Now unfortunately the elevator was rough going down and the man and I nervously joked about how sketchy the elevator was. The woman seemed to have no feelings about it.

The elevator began to increase in speed as it went down and I seriously began to wonder it was eventually going to snap. I knew that this building was not that tall but it seemed to take forever going down. The man and I were relieved when the elevator finally reached the bottom, however, it went down so hard that the man and I were forced onto our backs. The woman was standing at the elevator entrance jokingly shaking her head.

Chapter 2: Meet Jensen

Next thing I knew I was creating some sort of sentient exo-skin that was desperate for an endoskeleton to wrap itself around. It found an endoskeleton and had the appearance of an android like sir unit from “Invader Zim.” I do not remember what exactly happened thereafter but sometime later I was in a room at the arcade making another one of those things. This one was to be a newer version. I made this one by mixing some stuff in a bowl. The exo-skin began to take form and move about the room lamenting about how it had no form and no purpose. It sounded like that giant robot from “Courage the Cowardly Dog.” Soon an Irkan soldier came in with an endoskeleton for the exo-skin to attach to. What I found odd was the fact that the endoskeleton was equipped with an artificial brain. Why would this thing need an artificial brain when it is clearly already sapient on its own? So the exo-skin wrapped itself around the endoskeleton and once again it assumed the form of some sort android sir unit. At some point before I learned that I was making this thing for the Irkan Armada so it was no surprise to me when the android thing was called into battle. The Irkans named the android “Jensen.”

I was then view everything from Jensen’s point of view. I think I was consciously acting as Jensen. The Irkans had taken over the restaurant and were now under attack by their enemies and desperately needed help. It was weird. I was in complete control as Jensen and I knew that I was fighting for the wrong side. After all the Irkans were not a good people. They were out to take over the universe and somehow taking over this restaurant was a milestone for that goal. I knew all of this but I still fought as Jensen the android. Funny thing is, I had a feeling that the enemies were just as bad if not worse. That could be why I was fighting I think I felt that Irk was the lesser of two evils.

As Jensen, I bolted down the dark hallway where I saw an Irkan soldier firing his gun around the corridor. I ran past the corridor where I saw Irks leader under attack with his pants down. And who was this leader? John F. Kennedy! He was on the ground wrestling with this guy trying to do him in. I was having so many conflicting thoughts it’s not even funny. I was disappointed to see that a man like Kennedy would be leading the Irkan regime and yet I was anxious to save his life from this man. I knew that the man trying to kill Kennedy was bad, I just knew he had evil intentions, and that if he died it would be a terrible thing. It may make no sense now but when I was Jensen it made perfect sense, I had to fight for the Irkan Armada in spite of their overall intentions, I had to save Kennedy, I knew that the enemies of Irk could not be allowed to win but most importantly, this assassin had to die.

I rushed over to Kennedy with a stick in hand with every intention of beating his assassin to death. My first strike missed the assassin and hit Kennedy, I was warned by the Irkan Soldier behind me to be careful not to hit Kennedy. I ditched the stick and decided that it would just be easier to kick the assassin to death so that is just what I did. I kicked him and kicked him as hard as I could until he just sorta…disappeared into oblivion. I exhaled a sigh of relief; the assassin was dead and Kennedy was saved.

He got up on his hands and knees; his pants still down and still weak from the struggle. His naked mistress Marilyn Monroe rushed out from somewhere and hovered over him. She was clearly concerned for his well being. As I looked at the nude Monroe and the slightly pantsless Kennedy it became clear that this assassin caught him in a moment of coitus with his mistress. I withheld any expression of disappointment that I had mustered up…it wasn’t my place. I looked out the huge window behind Kennedy and saw what may have been a city skyline during the hours of twilight. It had to be this way. The Irkans were not good people and, clearly, neither was Kennedy. But I knew that the people they were against were worse and in spite of my trepidations I knew that this was for the best. Dale Gribble from “King of the Hill” showed up. He had no armor but he too was holding an Irkan rifle. He began to chant “Jensen! Jensen! Jensen!” and everyone followed suit including Kennedy and Monroe. Every there was grateful for the work I’d done. I guess I would just have to trust that this would work out for the best.

Trivia
The day before, I had just read the Kennedy had Monroe as a mistress. I am unsure how true that is but it was on my mind as I fell asleep.

23 September 2015

Her name? She had no name as far as I knew or if she did I never had a chance to know it. I suppose “Kimmerle” would be a fitting name for her. A name that means “grief and trouble.”

Kim’s profession is still fuzzy to me, I’m not even sure if she had one per se but as I observed the events of her life unfold from her point of view throughout the duration of this dream it was clear that, at least for a time, she was embarking on some investigative journalism. It began during the day, there was a party being held in what appeared to be the basement of Victory Bible (a church I attended when I was younger). This woman’s intentions were unclear but as far as I could surmise she was attempting to get some intel on an older gentlemen who was attending the party. He was sitting in the back while everyone else was enjoying the party. He was an elderly man, with little hair left on his scalp. He wore glasses and white polo shirt with cackies. She sat with him and spoke about…something. I can not well remember what that something was but I know that it pertained to the personal lives of a number of the people at this party and that if word of their conversation got around there would be repercussions. It is for this reason that Kim and this man kept this conversation to themselves. At some point the man got anxious and demanded Kim to leave him and stop asking questions. I suppose they were getting close to getting caught. I vaguely remember a woman becoming frustrated with Kim and the man for some reason. She may have been on to what they were talking about.

Although I was viewing everyting from Kimmerle’s point of view I was aware of her appearance. She had light brown hair and was slightly tan. She had it down in curls. At least that was the case when she was at the party but things changed when she got back to her home. For one thing I saw that she lived in an anacronistic Victorian style home and while I have no memory of her looking in any mirrors I know that her hair had changed from brown to brunette and was up in a bun. She was no dressed in a dress reminescent of the ones that were worn back in the Victorian era. The house appeared to have electricity.

In this point in the dream it was nightfall and it appeared that Kim’s life had gotted drastically worse. Her mother was sick and bedridden and her sister along with other members of her family ostricized and criticized her. It seemed that she did not have a friend in the world at this point and I could tell that she was very unhappy with where her life was. It was imlied that her mother’s condition was somehow her fault. I am not sure if this was in any way related to the interview she conducted with that man. All I could tell was that something had gone horribly wrong, her mother was sick and dying as a result, her family was scornful towards her, and whatever it was that had gone wrong may have been all her fault and I think that she did blame herself for whatever events had transpired.

This may have been a single dream but the events hereafter appeared to take place over the course of several days. I was even able to witness Kim crawl into bed, go to sleep at night, and wake up the next morning. I don’t remember the details of the events but I do have vague memories of family members coming in to give Kimmerle a hard time. Even her own mother whome Kim was keeping in her house had nothing but harsh words for her. Three days seemed to pass.
On the third night Kim was playing a game on her laptop. She was sitting outside the house. I got the sense that this was a means of escape for her since her life was basically a mess. At some point I gained control of Kimmerle’s body and looked up at the sky. The Earth was rotating much faster than normal as I could actually see the stars racing across the sky. I was not aware that this was a dream but somehow I knew that time was passing by faster than normal and now I knew why. It was mezmerising, I had always wondered what it would be like to see a real live timelaps of the stars making their rounds. But at the same time there was something terrifying about it. For some reason I could only look up at the sky for short period of time because seeing the sky like this filled me with fear. I saw the sun was beginning to rise so (still in Kim’s body) I rushed back inside as I know her mother would not be happy find her daughter spending her nights out playing games (I am not sure how I knew that or why I even cared).

Another day came and went and the events were lost in memory. At this point Kim had regained control of her body. It was now the fourth night. Kim was lying in bed getting ready to go to sleep but then she heard a noise. Somehow we both knew that it was a man in her mother’s room although neither of us was sure what is intentions were. At this point it felt as though Kim and I shared control of her body. Her will was mine and my will was her’s. We both wanted to make sure that mother was alright but neither of us actually wanted to go out there out of fear. I am not sure if Kim was really aware of my presence within her soul (I guess I was within her soul, I’m not sure how else to describe it). When we peeked out the door of Kim’s room we saw the silhouette of a man scurrying out the front door. At this point we shut the door and proceeded to panic. We were not really sure what it was that were afraid of but something about that man’s aspect really spooked us. The last thing I saw was the window of Kim’s room. The curtains were shut and there was an orange light coming through.

I awoke in a cold sweat, my heart was racing. I don’t know what it was that frightened me just then but I was happy to be awake.

I was working back at the YMCA of the Rockies in Colorado, eating at the dining hall where we were given a full view of the mountain ranges. We had a new comer to the YMCA. A young boy probably around eighteen. The only thing that I can remember about him is that he was white with blond hair. Somehow he had manage to get into the subject of his dad and I have no memory as to how I felt about his story. You see, his dad was kind of an ass. Somehow he had managed to form some sort of partnership with an ice elemental that I will now name Eira. Much like your stereotypical ice elemental, Eira was evil. Or at least she did evil things; things that this kid’s dad got mixed up in. Things that his family got mixed up in. I don’t know the whole story but I got the feeling that his father alienated his family because of it. Anyone could see that this boy (who’s name is now Jack) had absolutely no interest in seeing his father again. But, of course, you know what happens when you speak of the Devil.

Sure enough, a tall middle aged man showed up at our table and had a seat. Now this guy, I do remember. I will call him Herman because it was the first name to come into my mind just now. He wore a grey shirt and had brunet hair with signs of greyness. He was all together pleasant but his aspect clearly made Jack uncomfortable. Now I don’t remember how this happened but at some point the man got to talking about Eira. Jack did not like him talking about her as it only served to reopen old wounds but he kept going on. Then he turned to me. For some reason he had commissioned me to fight her. I thing he wanted me to get rid of her. She was now at Snow Mountain causing trouble and he wanted her gone. Perhaps he wanted to be out from under her thumb, perhaps he really did care about the trouble she was causing here. One thing’s certain, she was the cause of a number of problems and they would not be resolved so long she was still breathing, or at least that was the assumption.

I ended up meeting with her in the front part of the dinning hall and we got to talking. I remember her aspect well. She was made entirely of ice but could still move with the fluidity of a normal human. She wore white and light blue clothing and had white hair. The only thing that I can’t remember about her is her eyes. She actually was not that bad of a person to talk to. The things that she did were wrong (whatever those things were) but that did not stop us from hitting it off. I grew to like her and she grew to like me. This, of course, was a rather frustrating revelation for we knew we could never be together.

After several unmemorable events I found myself in a dark hallway. As I pass by the right chamber in the hall I see Eira there training for what was going to be our final battle. I had agreed to fight Eira to the death in order to put an end to whatever harmful enterprise she was pursuing at Snow Mountain. She and I exchanged a glance but never spoke a word to each other. I then went up to a chamber on the left side of the hall where I would run through several laborious levels of some sort of training gauntlet. I barely remember running through them and once I was finished I returned to the training room where Eira was and we exchanged another look. This was it, I didn’t care what she was, I was ready to say “screw it all” and be with her. But as I approached the training room to tell her this a man pulled me aside. It was Herman accompanied by the architect who designed the gauntlet. Herman told the architect that I was to fight Eira. Impressed by this the architect led me back to his room where he wanted to hear my plans and show me more gauntlets. Eira and I never saw each other again after that.