[ Voice ]

[intuitivewiccan]

[She finds the voice option comforting somehow; the anonymity allows her to feel less vulnerable and helpless, given the question she's posing to the people at large]

C-Can anyone recommend a good way to stop nightmares? Or at least...manage them, somehow?

[She knows magical ways to quell the disturbing dreamscapes she's been having of late, but

Comments

[voice]

[fudgingkillyou]

Nightmares, huh? [Dean sounds thoughtful.]

If you find out the answer, lemme know. But spending time with decent people usually helps me out, if that's any good to you.

[voice]

[intuitivewiccan]

It is. I have--see, my blood relatives, they're... [She stops; mentioning her father and brother is nothing but a source of pain, and she'd rather focus on the good things she has]

My real family is my friends. Willow, Buffy, Xander, Giles, Dawn. [Pause] Anya.

But when the night comes, sometimes...I-I get these feelings sometimes, and then...bad things happen. Sleep isn't always easy.

[fudgingkillyou]

[Dean won't question that. He's got family issues too.]

They're a good bunch of people, or the ones I know, anyway. You got a good thing going there.

But I do understand. Try sleeping in the same bed as someone else, maybe. [Not that Dean would ever do that himself, but it's advice. He doesn't have to follow it.]

[intuitivewiccan]

I do that. I mean, I-I did that.

Before Willow...the Willow in my world died. The one here...

[It's a long, complicated matter. She stops while she's ahead]

I might try it again, here. Do you...you sleep alone? [It was an innocent question, but she immediately realizes how it sounds and, even knowing Dean just a little bit, she's sure he'll take it to mean something else entirely]

I-I mean--with the nightmares, I mean--

[She knows she can't really backpedal or save this in any way]

I should...stop.

[visual]

[gating_across]

Depends on the nightmare. What's eating at you?

[Sheppard remembers the girl as the one he talked to previously when he arrived here. The name escapes him at the moment but he'll remember it eventually.]

[visual]

[intuitivewiccan]

Partly, I think, it's this...place. But...memories, from my world. They keep coming to me, in my dreams.

[visual]

[gating_across]

I take it that normally doesn't happen.

[intuitivewiccan]

It's happened...before. But the nightmares have never been so-so loud, so frequent. I think it's...

[She pauses, not sure how much to tell]

Something bad happened, a-a month ago. It's been hard ever since, with the nightmares.

[text]

[emergentfaculty]

Hello Miss, I hope you don't find it rude that I've weighed in with an answer although I don't know you. If you would like, I could prepare a series of notes and suggestions on meditation and lucid dreaming?

There are, of course, a few simple things you could try as well: cut back on dairy and meat, especially before bedtime, plan for at least eight hours of sleep, wash your sheets with either lavender or vanilla.

[text]

[intuitivewiccan]

It's all right, I appreciate it, and I would like any suggestions you have on meditation and lucid dreaming.

I don't eat much before bedtime, usually, but I haven't tried washing sheets with lavender or vanilla yet. I'll try anything.

May I ask your name?

[text]

[emergentfaculty]

I'm JARVIS. One of the suggested techniques I've read about involves being awake, aware, and 'walking through' the dream, but consciously changing the dream to make it tolerable - either by affecting the outcome of the dream or imagining a friend along with you to support and protect you.

[text]

[intuitivewiccan]

I think I have heard of that before. It sounds vaguely familiar. How do I do that, though? How do I stay aware and awake within the dream, to make it more tolerable?