Magnetism

I had one of those dreams this morning.

The details were clear. I was in some sort of hotel, surrounded by people. Someone had challenged me to demonstrate a mutant power.

I turned on a hypnotic power - a little mood alteration, boosting levels of dopamine, oxytocin and serotonin in everyone I touched, and increasing in strength with proximity to me, accumulating with prolonged exposure.

The difference between what I could do in my dreams and what I can do in real life is very simple. In real life, I have to prepare my subjects with a deep trance and lots of complicated instructions, activated by triggers. Takes a lot of work to set up. Here, in my dream, I had powers to affect people whose minds I had not previously touched with lengthy inductions and prep work.

As I type this, I'm watching X-Men First Class, specifically the scene where Hank tells Raven that his feet and her natural blue form will never be deemed beautiful, and the scene where Erik and Charles are having their chess match and debate.

X: We have it in us to be the better man.

M: We already are!
If the dream had continued, I'd likely have created tulpas and seeded the crowd with them. Tulpas which I, and everyone in the crowd, could see. I found myself wondering what I would have done if there'd been cops in my dream. Would I have had the coppers chat with one of my tulpas, and watch as the policeman has a polite discussion with thin air?

I'd have loved to have seen that in my dream.

Pegasus Galaxy Dream

Once in a while, I have these dreams of galaxies. I had one this morning.

I was, for some reason, part of the Atlantis Expedition, as in Stargate Atlantis. There was some member of a science team trying to solve a problem. I asked him if the solution was a simple mathematical formula he may have overlooked. He said he'd take it under advisement; but then he added that, since I was only an artist-in-residence, a mere poet, such matters were hardly my concern.

A while later, while carrying my lunch on a tray into the dining area, I overheard McDickbag joking about my comment "It could be a simple polynomial," followed by scornful laughter from his friends. The impression was that I was a bumpkin who was only on the expedition because somebody got strings pulled somewhere, and that I could not contribute in any way to the expedition. They had no idea I was standing right beside them, listening to this.

I just turned and quietly wandered away, went back to my place in a large chamber very high up, with a gorgeous balcony area overlooking the sea, and just locked myself in, swearing off all human contact bar the bare minimum necessary social interaction to get food.

Just my words and me, and the alien sea.

Before the dream ended, there was a call. All the way from the control tower.

They wondered why I'd gone.

And now I've written down these words, I'd be wondering why I'd ever want to go back to them.