Dreamscapes
I don't know about any of you, but most of the dreams I remember have certain things in common. Some things are familiar to me because they crop up again and again. For instance:
The City
The City is the setting for most of my dreams. It's based around Anchorage, Alaska and its environs, as that's where I grew up. Only, it's bigger, wilder and more *real* in some way. Parts of it have begun to look like Kamaishi, and Hillsboro is working its way in, too. My college town has also migrated into the City. But it's always the City, and my mind identifies it as home. Sometimes it's daytime, sometimes it's night, sometimes it's summer, other times it's winter. The Night City is the setting for unpleasant or disturbing dreams, or even outright nightmares, as is the Winter City. It's rarely daytime in the Winter City. Blame that on my subconscious or Alaska; I don't even know.
The Other City
When I'm not in the City, I'm conscious that I'm not near home, and I'm trying to get home. The Other City has aspects of places I've visited. Sometimes, I'll identify it as Portland, Seattle, Morioka or Tokyo. If it's Morioka or Tokyo, I'm usually trying to get to the train station. Dreams in the Other City aren't necessarily nightmares, but they are always accompanied by a sense that I want to get home.
The Cast
The cast varies, but the most common characters are my family members and the Friend. The Friend can be one of three people: My childhood best friend, my college roommate, and my current best friend, mermaidrain. Sometimes, she's an amalgam of two or all three. She's a more ambiguous figure then you'd expect. I'm not someone who makes friends easily. My childhood best friend and I drifted apart in high school. My college roommate and I got along great at first, but the relationship deteriorated to the point that I could barely stand her our senior year. We've since repaired things somewhat, but we'll probably never be close again. If the Friend takes their form, she's someone who may take me somewhere I don't want to be, or will suddenly disappear. On the other hand, if the Friend takes mermaidrain's form, she's much more likely to be a positive figure in the dream. But she may still disappear. That would be an indication I have an Issue, as you might guess.
Family is likewise complex. My parents are often positive figures, but, during stressful times, I may have "angry" dreams involving them. Some years back, Mom and I were having a bit of a rough time. Not fighting, but just rubbing each other the wrong way. I'd have dreams in which I was furious with her, yelling and screaming horrible things that I would never actually say to her. The only time I've ever had an angry dream about Dad was around the time it began to sink in just how bad his condition was. My subconscious took it as a betrayal, and I had a horrible angry dream about him.
My siblings are, by and large, neutral or positive figures. My oldest sister is the most likely to be a negative figure, not because I don't love her--I do, dearly--but because she was, to some degree, an authority figure while I was growing up. There are seven years between us, and she got put in charge when Mom and Dad were out. My brother is the most likely to be a purely positive figure in a dream. However, if it's just the four of us, it may be a nightmare, especially if it's in the Night City. I put that down to childhood feelings of being safer when Mom and Dad were home.
Fears
I have some weird fears in my dreams. It's not surprising that spiders are a common feature of my nightmares, big spiders I'm unable to avoid. And their webs, ugh. *shudder*
My weirdest dream phobia? Tall buildings. I'm not an acrophobe; heights don't bother me that much. I have a healthy respect for them, but I'm more likely to admire the view from the top floor of a tall building than to be afraid of falling. In my dreams, though, I'm terrified of them. If I'm outside, I fear they're going to fall on me. If I'm inside, the higher I go, the more frightened I am that the building will tilt and I'll fall right out. I'll end up clinging to the floor, trying not to slip.
Another dream fear is less common now that I'm far removed from schooling, but it still crops up occasionally. I'll be in school (high school or college) and be unable to find my classes. Or I'll realize I haven't turned in assignments all semester for a class.
Not being able to find a bathroom is another common problem I encounter in my dreams. Or I'll find one, but there will be no stall walls, no privacy, and I won't be able to go. Closely related are "underclothed" dreams. I'll rarely be naked, but I'll have no top or no bottom.
The worst, though, are my "demon" dreams. The feeling of pure fear, of pure evil, in some dreams, the ones I have to drag myself out of, praying frantically. I don't have those very often, and I'm really glad I don't.
Good Dreams
My bad or unpleasant dreams have a lot of common features. My good dreams don't. I can make only a few generalizations. They're always daylight dreams. They're always in or around the City, though I'll sometimes be driving somewhere, usually through an exaggerated, heavenly version of Alaska. If there's a dog--and this should surprise no one who knows me--it's a good dream. Dogs don't show up for bad dreams. mermaidrain is a good indicator. If my whole family is together, it's almost always positive.
I'd be interested in finding out if having a City is a common thing, or what your weird dream phobias might be, if anyone wants to talk dreams.
The City
The City is the setting for most of my dreams. It's based around Anchorage, Alaska and its environs, as that's where I grew up. Only, it's bigger, wilder and more *real* in some way. Parts of it have begun to look like Kamaishi, and Hillsboro is working its way in, too. My college town has also migrated into the City. But it's always the City, and my mind identifies it as home. Sometimes it's daytime, sometimes it's night, sometimes it's summer, other times it's winter. The Night City is the setting for unpleasant or disturbing dreams, or even outright nightmares, as is the Winter City. It's rarely daytime in the Winter City. Blame that on my subconscious or Alaska; I don't even know.
The Other City
When I'm not in the City, I'm conscious that I'm not near home, and I'm trying to get home. The Other City has aspects of places I've visited. Sometimes, I'll identify it as Portland, Seattle, Morioka or Tokyo. If it's Morioka or Tokyo, I'm usually trying to get to the train station. Dreams in the Other City aren't necessarily nightmares, but they are always accompanied by a sense that I want to get home.
The Cast
The cast varies, but the most common characters are my family members and the Friend. The Friend can be one of three people: My childhood best friend, my college roommate, and my current best friend, mermaidrain. Sometimes, she's an amalgam of two or all three. She's a more ambiguous figure then you'd expect. I'm not someone who makes friends easily. My childhood best friend and I drifted apart in high school. My college roommate and I got along great at first, but the relationship deteriorated to the point that I could barely stand her our senior year. We've since repaired things somewhat, but we'll probably never be close again. If the Friend takes their form, she's someone who may take me somewhere I don't want to be, or will suddenly disappear. On the other hand, if the Friend takes mermaidrain's form, she's much more likely to be a positive figure in the dream. But she may still disappear. That would be an indication I have an Issue, as you might guess.
Family is likewise complex. My parents are often positive figures, but, during stressful times, I may have "angry" dreams involving them. Some years back, Mom and I were having a bit of a rough time. Not fighting, but just rubbing each other the wrong way. I'd have dreams in which I was furious with her, yelling and screaming horrible things that I would never actually say to her. The only time I've ever had an angry dream about Dad was around the time it began to sink in just how bad his condition was. My subconscious took it as a betrayal, and I had a horrible angry dream about him.
My siblings are, by and large, neutral or positive figures. My oldest sister is the most likely to be a negative figure, not because I don't love her--I do, dearly--but because she was, to some degree, an authority figure while I was growing up. There are seven years between us, and she got put in charge when Mom and Dad were out. My brother is the most likely to be a purely positive figure in a dream. However, if it's just the four of us, it may be a nightmare, especially if it's in the Night City. I put that down to childhood feelings of being safer when Mom and Dad were home.
Fears
I have some weird fears in my dreams. It's not surprising that spiders are a common feature of my nightmares, big spiders I'm unable to avoid. And their webs, ugh. *shudder*
My weirdest dream phobia? Tall buildings. I'm not an acrophobe; heights don't bother me that much. I have a healthy respect for them, but I'm more likely to admire the view from the top floor of a tall building than to be afraid of falling. In my dreams, though, I'm terrified of them. If I'm outside, I fear they're going to fall on me. If I'm inside, the higher I go, the more frightened I am that the building will tilt and I'll fall right out. I'll end up clinging to the floor, trying not to slip.
Another dream fear is less common now that I'm far removed from schooling, but it still crops up occasionally. I'll be in school (high school or college) and be unable to find my classes. Or I'll realize I haven't turned in assignments all semester for a class.
Not being able to find a bathroom is another common problem I encounter in my dreams. Or I'll find one, but there will be no stall walls, no privacy, and I won't be able to go. Closely related are "underclothed" dreams. I'll rarely be naked, but I'll have no top or no bottom.
The worst, though, are my "demon" dreams. The feeling of pure fear, of pure evil, in some dreams, the ones I have to drag myself out of, praying frantically. I don't have those very often, and I'm really glad I don't.
Good Dreams
My bad or unpleasant dreams have a lot of common features. My good dreams don't. I can make only a few generalizations. They're always daylight dreams. They're always in or around the City, though I'll sometimes be driving somewhere, usually through an exaggerated, heavenly version of Alaska. If there's a dog--and this should surprise no one who knows me--it's a good dream. Dogs don't show up for bad dreams. mermaidrain is a good indicator. If my whole family is together, it's almost always positive.
I'd be interested in finding out if having a City is a common thing, or what your weird dream phobias might be, if anyone wants to talk dreams.