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Fantasy Dreams

Sheilawisz

Queen of Titania
Moderator
I was reading the thread about nightmares and whether they can be good inspiration for Fantasy stories, and then I had the idea to start another thread so we can share dreams (and nightmares, too!) that we have experienced and that could provide inspiration for a story.

To start the thread, I want to share a dream/nightmare that I had back in 2004:

I was not personally a part of this nightmare, which means that I was just observing it all like watching a movie... however, it felt so real and clear that I still have the feeling that I was really there, like I somehow managed to project myself into that Fantasy world.

I visited a splendid castle made of red marble, which stood between peaceful gardens surrounded by dark forests. The sky was always cloudy and sad, but the interior of the castle was pleasant and very clean. There were two princesses living in that red castle, and even though I know they were sisters, they looked quite different to each other:

The oldest sister was tall with long blond hair, with a sick-looking pale face and pale hands that were always covered in blood. She would walk inside the castle looking sad and never speaking, and I don't know why her hands were bloody all the time...

The other princess was the one that freaked me out: She had long black hair and green eyes, she would fly inside the castle and outdoors over the forest and I could feel a very dark and evil nature in her. She would also fly through tunnels full of fire that were located right under the castle, and this princess was feared because she had killed many people through her life.

Seeing her, standing in her presence really gave me shivers...

The sisters wore medieval-like long dresses with cloaks.

One day, the dark princess was sick in her room. She was lying on her bed writhing in pain, and these monk-like black hooded figures stood all around trying to help her. Suddenly the monks slashed her with a hook, her chest was open and I could see (witnessing this from above the bed) that the princess was empty, just darkness and ashes inside her...

However, a beautiful butterfly came flying out of her. The princess started to float and then she flew out through the open window, flying after the butterfly until both of them were very high above the castle. Then, she caught the butterfly between her hands and she said:

Do not leave, you taught me how to fly...

And I woke up terrified after the most intense and powerful dream of my life- I really want to write a Fantasy story based on this dream, maybe when I finish my current project =)

What about your dreams? Any dream particularly powerful and inspirational?
 
As a person who enjoyed making my opinions known in the aforementioned nightmare thread, I think this is a great idea!

I'll share a dream I had about three sisters...

They all looked the same: Seven feet tall, blonde hair down to their waists, and something very wrong about the way they moved. They lived in a cistern beneath miles of labyrinthine sewer tunnels, mossy and dark. In the very lowest chamber was a circular hole about ten feet deep. At the bottom of the hole was a pile of dry bones. The bones were human, but at the same time, they were not human at all. The bones belonged to their mother.

The dream started with a string of murders in Slushland that no one could figure out. No one except me. In this dream, I was an FBI agent, called in to assist the Slushland PD. The crimes themselves were normal, albeit violent. Broken windows, forced entry. The victims had been alone in their homes and were caught by surprise.

What wasn't normal was that their bodies had been turned into mush. All the blood had been drained from them, and pieces of their organs had been removed as if sucked out by a giant straw. For some reason, their skin and bones became translucent and took on the texture of lard.

Deep within the cistern, unbeknownst to me at the time, the sisters presented their offerings of blood and flesh, regurgitated onto the old bones. With each offering, something stirred in the pit.

Soon, the frequency of the murders grew. Murders were happening outside and in broad daylight, with the same MO. What few witnesses their were mentioned a tall, blonde woman leaving the scene covered in blood. The time between the killings convinced me and my associates that there was more than one woman.

We laid a trap, and cornered one of the sisters just after she had killed again. Instead of fleeing, she fought, and two men died before we were forced to retreat. They were drained, just like the previous victims.

Then the unthinkable happened. The three sisters worked together to kidnap children off a school bus. They brutally killed the driver, not even stopping to drain him before dragging the children into the sewers, very much alive. I organized a SWAT unit to retrieve the children from the cistern, and descended into the depths, coming face to face with the three sisters in their bloody, inhuman ritual.

And that's when I woke up.

I hate alarm clocks.
 

Sparkie

Auror
OMG! Two weeks ago, I had this awesome fantasy dream. And now that this thread is up I can't remember what happened!!! Seriously! This isn't a joke! I remember that I had the dream, and I remember calling my sister and telling her about it (that's how cool it was. I had to call someone else and tell them about it.) I'll try to post it if I can remember it later.
 
I've only had a few dreams that stand out as interesting story concepts.

The most clear one was about this group of young people with special powers who were protecting the world during some kind of metaphysical cataclysm. Basically, reality was unraveling itself for some reason and these kids were keeping things together by fixing stuff until the world could manage on its own again.

Individually they had some mystic skills - I think it was kinda like Diskworld headology, or the ability to shift energy around. They also had enhanced bodies and could do Jedi-style super jumps. I think they might have been able to play around with gravity and stuff as well. When working together their powers seemed to be exponentially magnified, though.

Their biggest feat was creating a new moon, since the old one was disintegrating. Though, to avoid messing up the tidal forces they had the new moon assemble at the same rate the old was was crumbling. So at one point there were two moons in the sky, one breaking down and one under construction.

Another time I dreamt I checked my bookshelf and found a trilogy of science fiction books by Terry Pratchet. I still remember the titles clearly: They were called Grand Opportunities, Moon Bubbles and Stellar Billions. The plot concerned a guy in the future who quit his job as went out into space to find the hidden loot from the greatest thief of all time. I actually did start to write down the plot to the whole thing, but it wasn't quite my kind of story.
 

Ankari

Hero Breaker
Moderator
I had a dream that I'm still able to recall 20 years later.

I'm outside of a castle. I'm tasked with retrieving a mythical blade housed somewhere inside. For some reason, I decide to burrow my way beneath the walls. When I emerge on the other side, a mighty wizard awaits. He has the classical features. Wild, gray beard, older in age, strong eyes and an angry stare. Lightning dances around him and he utilizes the visible power immediately. I dance around the attacks, but I know fear. Lightning crackles around me and soon consumes the sky and earth around the wizard.

I run away, into a tower, to seek the sword. I know that once I have the blade in hand, the wizard will be of no threat. I can't find it, but I do find a dagger suspended in the air that is a miniature replica. I grab it, and a duel ensues. I strike when I can, and run when I have no other choice.

By accident, I stumble upon the sword. I reach for it but something pushes against my hand. The wizard comes and unleashes more of his power. I'm forced to flee again. I lead him away, trying to somehow lose him to buy some time to return to the sword.

When I double back, I try at the sword again with the same results. I decide to thrust the dagger toward the sword. The dagger disappears and in my hand is the sword. I turn in time to face the wizard and slay him.

Then I woke up....
 
Sadly, I hardly remember the dreams I have these days. There is one from a few years ago though, it was very short (at least I can only recall a short extract) but it stuck in my mind because I think I died in it. Creepy.

It was night. I was standing in a clearing in this forest, and there's this old well just in the middle of the clearing. I think I was previously examining it or something, I wish I could remember more because there must have been some backstory going on. Anyway, this figure comes out of the trees in front of me, quite cliche creepy figure, wearing heavy, dark robe and a kind of cowl or hood. I called out a kind of wary greeting. This thing doesn't answer, just continues ambling slowly towards me. I get kind of nervous now, we're alone in this clearing at night, I call out to it again. This thing just comes straight up to me and shoves me backwards. It pushed me right down the well. I think I was aware of falling, but I woke up about the same time that I would have hit the base. I don't know if it was just my mind finding it too much and pulling me back to the real world or something.
 
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Sheilawisz

Queen of Titania
Moderator
Wow, those are very powerful Fantasy dreams... thanks for sharing!!

Ankari, I find your dream particularly interesting. That's the style of dreams that I love to have, and my goal is to master my lucid dreaming skills so I can intentionally create magic/adventure dreams like that =)

All of the dreams shared so far have potential to be Fantasy stories, and not only Fantasy but Sci Fi as well. I want to share another of my Fantasy dreams when the thread grows a little more, a rather recent adventure dream about three witches living in a very surreal Fantasy world...

By the way, eating cheese right before you go to sleep can sometimes trigger dreams like these.
 

Butterfly

Auror
Here's a dream that's been with me so long, it's almost like a memory rather than a dream, which is kind of weird.

It takes place in a valley, with a stream running through it and passed a cave set in a hillside. At one side of the stream is a cliff face with trees growing above it and at the base a rock, and a knight either injured or resting on the ground beside it, feet towards the stream. Everything around has turned to mud, the trees are bare as if it is autumn or winter. I get the impression that he has been through some sort of battle, and here he has lost all hope, while whatever evil it is has gone into the cave to find something.

In the depths of his despair he hears a voice. It says 'Good will out.'

He clambers to his feet, and vanishes into the darkness of the cave.

That's as far as it goes... and I've always wondered, but never found the answer of what lies within that cave.
 

CupofJoe

Myth Weaver
[ No Freudian or Jungian analysis needed ]
Had this dream many years ago and would love a story to go with it...

It is getting dark. The world is mostly greys but there is just enough light left to see our way. I am riding a large white warhorse, an old friend I trust. It is tired but I force it to run on, just a little longer. We are galloping down a sandy beach at the wave line. Salty foam and spray blinds me and stings in my eyes and in a dozen places on my face.
I am late for something that I can't quite remember. All I can see, fixate on is the silhouette of a large building at the end of the beach. There is one golden light right in the middle of the building.
Suddenly the horse stumbles and throws me off. It tries to rise but is exhausted and can't. I ache, try to stand up and to walk and then run to the light. I am as tired as my horse and stumble in to the sea. The waves crash around and over me as I force my way on.
Then a dozen small lights appear getting closer. I can hear screams and shouts behind me. I turn to see what is making them and see thousands of monsters and demons flowing down to the beach like the waves breaking.
I struggle to my feet again and draw my sword.
It hangs dead in my hand and I know it will be useless against the horde.
There are swooshes from the darkness and I can't tell where from and then the sky lights up from behind me and hundreds of fireballs fly over head and smash in to my enemy. The wave falters but rolls on.
They are a few yards away when the small lights coming from the building pass me. Dozens and dozens of black warhorses with black armoured warriors.

Then I wake up...
 
I have more. I might as well post about them.

I'm in a kitchen. It's a weird kitchen, in that everything is metal. Chrome metal, like on space ships. It's actually a space station, but I digress. There are three other people in the room, and they all have guns. They're loading rounds into clips, checking the sights, etc. I have one too, and I have no idea what's going on. All I know is that the moment I step outside that kitchen, I'll no longer be safe.

Moments later, we leave, and what we see isn't pretty. Everything's been torn up by laser fire or something that can twist metal with relative ease, and there are bodies everywhere. We enter a stairwell and slowly make our way down. At the bottom, we find a locked door. Suddenly, an alien of some kind phases through the wall and sends one of my comrades flying thirty feet across the room and into the wall. I don't know if it was the alien or the wall that killed him, but he was quite dead. Before we can shoot at the alien, he phases back through the wall, leaving us to contend with his friends, the insects.

They come down the stairs in a wave, chitinous black and white bodies rolling over each other. Each one wants to be the first to taste human flesh. Their mandibles clack together to make quite a racket.

(NOTE: The insects in this dream were directly inspired by a type of beetle I saw once as a child, but never again because they are rare in Slushland. If anyone is interested in seeing what they look like, click here: Just imagine they are human-sized, fatter, and that the orange spots are white.)

We manage to turn that particular stairwell into a roiling mass of ick without and injuries on our side (except for the guy who died earlier), and we blow the door open and get out.

The rest of the details are kind of fuzzy. I remember crawling through air ducts, using grenades to take out more insects, and eventually escaping. Almost. Towards the end, I took a leg injury and was eventually overrun and devoured alive. If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say my comrades made it out, unless they were extremely unlucky and, say, got to the shuttle bay to find out that there were no shuttles.

Also, to put in perspective how messed up The Punished One (AKA my brain) is, I had this dream when I was nine years old.
 

Sheilawisz

Queen of Titania
Moderator
Thanks for sharing more dreams, I am loving this thread!!

I have noticed that some of you describe your dreams in present tense, which many people believe is the best way to write down your dreams... I always write mine in past tense, but using the present is supposed to help you to develop and then master your lucid dreaming skills.

These nights I have not been able to recall my dreams as usual, but when I catch a good one I promise to post it here =)

I still have to share my dream about the three witches...
 
It's time for a breaking news bulletin! PlotHolio, an average forum member, has started a trend of narrating dreams in present tense!

Mr. Holio had the following comments: "When I wrote [the forum topic], I didn't really think about what tense it was going to be in. This happened by accident."

In other news, a French government plot has been uncovered, resulting in raised eyebrows and guffaws across the planet. According to reliable sources, the plot involved the invention of time travel with the sole intention of sending a DGSE team back in time to assassinate Kim Kardashian at her wedding...
 
I rarely fight in my dreams, which in one way is a good thing because when I do I never seem to win. oO

Once I dreamt I was in a big bright marble hall fencing against this elderly Don Quixote-looking gentleman with swords that looked like evolved rapiers - needle-thin and with elongated, cone-shaped guards. The old man beat me pretty much right away and then I woke up.

Another time I was in some kind of freestyle fencing tournament were guys fought each other with sticks and wooden swords. Whoever won the tournament got to marry a princess, I think. I wasn't actually interested in getting married, royally or otherwise, but I did want to join the fight just for the sake of fighting. Unfortunately, a person from Porlock (in the shape of my younger brother) woke me up just as I was getting ready to face my first opponent. I never forgave him for that.

Then there was the dream where I was running around my school being pursued by Sephiroth of Final Fantasy VII fame, because he wanted to duel with me for some reason. Now, on one hand, in the dream I did have a katana. On the other, I was still pretty sure Sephiroth was going to completely murderize me if he found me. I mean, come on. Luckily, Tsuruko Aoyama from Love Hina showed up an counter-challenged him, giving me a chance to escape.
 

Sheilawisz

Queen of Titania
Moderator
Here you have an entry straight from my Dreams Diary, and it's another of my memorable dreams =)

March 10 2012

I visited a world of forests, mountains and fields, everything looked ghastly and sad and then I saw a witch-like supernatural entity that was something like a woman, but with gray skin, dark holes instead of eyes, black hair and a long, simple black dress.

She would float around in the forests rather than walk, and just like it happened with the dark princess of the red castle, just looking at this witch gave me a very creepy feeling...

The witch had a large, ancient-looking mirror, and there was a little girl trapped inside the mirror. The girl was terrified all the time and she was forced to imitate all the movements when the witch would use the mirror, and her mother was forced to be a servant for the witch so her daughter would be released someday.

Then, I was part of a squadron of Aylars (a species from my Fantasy worlds) sent to hunt down and kill the witch, and we were flying after the witch so high above the forest... We shot her down with our Aylar stars, and she took refuge inside an abandoned house in the forest.

We waited for some time, witnessing how many different people would enter the house, scream and never come out. We finally decided to go into the house after the witch, and when we faced her, she told me her story:

She once was a normal girl and daughter of extremely wealthy parents, but she had a boyfriend from a lesser family that her parents would not approve. Then her parents (wizards of some kind) transformed her boyfriend into a bird and killed him, and after that, she had become a monstrous witch...

I woke up quite shaken, but I really loved that dream =)
 

Masronyx

Minstrel
My dreams seem to always somehow make it into my writings. For the longest time, that's where most of it came from. Most of the time it's just a scene or the atmosphere of the dream itself that spawns a train of thought that leads to the story idea and goes from there. Otherwise, my dreams are a chaotic coagulation of stuff that happens in my daily life. Like work. That's a nightmare in itself.

Unfortunately, my sub conscious likes to try to make a story on purpose and I end up with some weird dream. Then after I've woken up and think back, I realize that it wouldn't work.
 
One I've sometimes wanted to turn into a story, but never have:

The "me" in the dream is a girl, probably a teenager, with long blond hair and fashionable clothing. (Seeing through her eyes, I don't know what her face looks like, but from the way she moves, I think she knows she's beautiful.) She's--I'm--together with an old lady, probably a relative, holding her hand as we stroll through the park on a sunny afternoon.

At the edge of the park is a forest, shadowed even on this fine day, but not so dark as to be unwelcoming. The old lady pulls me towards it, and I obediently follow, feeling the urge to explore. It's not so large a forest as to easily get lost, after all.

Past the burned-out tree that marks its entrance, the forest seems to darken. Black spots dance on the edge of my vision as I climb a steep slope, stepping on tree roots to keep my balance. Then I realize they're not roots--they're half-buried animal bones. I stumble, and suddenly the old lady is no longer holding my hand. I see her at the top of the slope, standing beside a woman in ragged robes whose face is hidden by a twisted black mask. I run towards her, my arms outstretched, but before I reach her, the ragged woman takes her hand, and both vanish.

The dream skips forward, and I get the feeling that months have passed. Day after day, I venture into the forest, and day after day, I stumble out half-drunk on foul air, black spots in my eyes and nausea in my gut. But one day, I finally find the old lady--her and many other women, all standing in a circle in the open-air ruins of what may once have been a temple. The black-masked woman recites a chant that the others all repeat, speaking in unison. I can still recognize the old lady, even clad in ragged robes and with dirt smeared on her face, but she doesn't seem to notice as I grab her arm and drag her out of the circle.

None of those chanting turn their faces towards mine, but the darkness in my vision suddenly increases. I lose track of which direction I'm going as I stumble through the woods, dragging the old lady all the way. I cough as the air turns sticky in my lungs, and my muscles grow weak. I can barely put one foot in front of the other. But at last I see light at the edge of the forest, and I make it through just as my vision is about to go black.

I vomit, expelling thick black gunk onto the grass in front of me, and the old lady vomits beside me. When we're both done, I turn to look at her, and she finally recognizes me. But the joy of reunion soon turns to frantic pleading. "The others," she begs me. "You have to help them."

I look in her eyes, and I can't say a word. I can't leave all those people there, forever chanting the masked woman's words. But I know that if I go in the woods again, I won't make it out. That thick, sticky air will fill my lungs, and I'll collapse before I reach the edge of the trees. When I wake, I'll be chanting, too . . .

P.S. In response to Butterfly's post: I think I know what's in the cave . . .
 
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Sheilawisz

Queen of Titania
Moderator
Just as I promised, here I present you...

The Dream of the Three Witches.

October 8 2010

I was a young witch with long brown hair, and I lived in an old-looking church with my two witch sisters and a priest of some kind who was our friend. The church was part of a large city full of parks and skyscrapers, and one day the priest sent us to murder another priest (a personal enemy) who lived in a huge cathedral far from our church.

We flew together and landed at the top of the cathedral some five hundred feet above the streets, then entering the structure and killing the enemy priest with energy blasts. We returned to our church just to discover that some sort of anti-witch police force was looking for us, so we blasted the church apart killing everyone inside...

We fled flying into a freezing night, and later we flew above a country where giant troll-like creatures were jumping and trying to catch us. We were flying far above them, fortunately... We landed at some towns looting shops and killing people, and then, traveling to an elevation of many miles above the fields, we created a castle where we stayed to live.

Just a floating castle, our home up in the sky...

After some time, we discovered a city that was floating as well not far from our castle. Many people lived there and they knew about the three famous witches, and there was a castle with a very tall tower where we met a Princess that lived there... she was blond and tall, and her intention was to join us and become a witch too.

I wanted to continue this adventure, but then I woke up... and despite all my efforts, I have been unable to return to that magical world...
 
I had a really weird dream last night. It was really dark and strange, and I might actually turn it into a story because it was so striking. This is the part I remember:

The setting was a kind of green countryside, similar to where I live. I was with someone (I can't recall who, or what they did in the dream) and we came across this bungalow farmhouse. It was quite shabby and dishevelled, but there was at least one person living there (just one of those things you know in a dream without needing to be shown). As we passed there were several of these little wooden animal pens next to each other right in front of the house, with the usual farm animals in; I think one might have had pigs, another had goats or something. But there was one of these wooden enclosures, and in this one there were about 6 people! I remember they were really grimy and shabbily dressed, and completely absent, you couldn't talk to them. Some were sitting, some were just standing against the fence, staring blankly at nothing, they hardly moved and seemed oblivious to us. Instinctively in my dream, I knew that this meant the person who lived in the old farmhouse was a cannibal. The people were just part of his livestock.

Creepy! I don't remember much more, but we did go inside the house. I may use it in a story some time.
 

Addison

Auror
All of my dreams are inspiring, whether or not they're of bunnies and rainbows or ghosts and blood. All of them help my writing in some way or other. But one of the most creepy dreams I've had took me into the shoes of an impulsive amateur detective. Scarier was the part that's burned into my memory. I remember face planting down a hill. I was wounded and plaid dead as the killer came over. I remember hearing him leave, I waited to make sure and he did. I held my breath the second before he unloaded three slugs into my back. the sharp pain of the bullets tearing through my flesh woke me up. I remember waking up in a sweat and running around looking in every room and then in the bathroom. I wasn't hurt, thank the heavens, but I couldn't get back to sleep.

Last night I had a genre-fusion dream. At first it was steam punk, a flying metal ship with all sorts of cool tech, then steam punk fantasy as the people were all sorts of races and trading magi-tech. I was apparently a great singer (definitely a dream) who could hit the right key to activate some sort of magi-tech so I had a bunch of thugs on my butt. Then it just got weird as, I and my elf magi-tech friend, went to a dock to find someone who could help. I remember him saying the person was crazy and a witch, but I thought it was metaphoric. A square opens in the dock, not like a trap door, like in a cartoon where someone cuts a hole in the wall, climbs through and pulls the hole back. The witch did that, flew around cackling shooting smoke as everything turned cartoon-ish. I don't remember what happened after that, I just remember it being really weird adn motivating me to watch Looney toons the next morning.
 
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