It looks a lot like engine oil and tastes like being poor and small

[sovay]

Most of my anxiety dreams are about school or performance. I was not expecting to dream last night that I was suddenly responsible for the arraignment of a serial killer: I was handed a folder of papers and pointed in the direction of the courtroom, which looked a lot more like a conference room. Unusually for this kind of dream, I explained promptly to the judge that I was here as a favor for an overworked lawyer (fictional, a vague acquaintance) and my knowledge of law was nonexistent to out of date by two thousand years; I'd been told it was just a formality, but if my participation was going to invalidate the case against the man, I wanted to bow out now. After which things devolved into a film noir cross with Hannibal, because I was supposed to have tried to fake my way through the prosecution and left things wide open for the defense, and then I spent much of the dream trying not to be killed. I didn't think much of it until I woke, but there were unicorns in this world; they had nothing to do with sexuality and a lot to do with not wanting to attract their attention, because they were arbiters of perfect justice and that's terrifying. Roaming, half-mythical, not part of the judicial system. In a story, I should have been able to summon one and confront the killer with it, but the only appearance I remember is a quick glimpse from the roof of a nearby warehouse: it was standing like a heraldic statue, possibly observing, possibly absorbed in some other thought; it was not horselike and not human and I couldn't guess what it was thinking. I remember its horn was a kind of ropy amber color. I woke up before the endgame. Things were getting bloody.

The marathon on Saturday was absolutely lovely and I should write about the movies, especially Tremors (1990), which I'd known nothing about and hadn't realized would be wonderful. Sunday sucked jet stream. We watched the latest episode of The Great British Bake Off, but that was after midnight and doesn't really count. I'm not sure about today, but tomorrow is the PMRP's Fall Fundraiser, when a portion of the proceeds from all purchases at Eat at Jumbo's will go toward funding Night of the Living Dead this month at Responsible Grace and The Big Broadcast of 1962: A Byfar Christmas Carol at the Regent in December. I have some stake in the latter, therefore plan to eat a calzone for radio. First I need to figure out what, beyond work, I am doing with this afternoon.

Comments

[rinue]

I love Tremors.

I am very excited by (or terrified by) these just unicorns.

[yhlee]

Most of my anxiety dreams are about school or performance
My anxiety dreams are super-boring and are invariably about topology homework. (I don't know why my brain fixated on topology rather than any of the other math courses I took in college.)

Your dream reminds me interestingly of that Sturgeon story, whose title I am blanking on. "The Silken-Swift," was that it?

People look at me funny when I tell them I'd rather have nightmares because the nightmares are at least more creative.

unicorns

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

, because they were arbiters of perfect justice

Whoa.

Yeah, terrifying. Would you dare to summon them to deal justly with the serial killer if they would also deal justly with you yourself? *gulp*

They sound beautiful, though

[ap-aelfwine.livejournal.com]

That's a fascinating and terrifying concept of a unicorn. I'm sorry you had to have an anxiety dream, although this does sound an oddly brilliant one to have.

I'm glad the marathon was lovely. I'm especially glad you liked Tremors, because I remember it fondly myself.*

I'm sorry for the sucky Sunday. I hope the fundraiser's gone well for PMRP.

*Then again, it had a funny take on monsters, attractive women, and creative uses of both field-expedient explosives and an elephant gun. In other words, it's fairly close to being the perfect movie for a very large chunk of the 12-15 year old male population. I saw it in a first run theatre, and I believe I was fourteen. The fact that you found it wonderful is comforting, because I'd had a bad feeling it might be one of those films that I'd see again and be wondering just what I'd been thinking.

[ladymondegreen.livejournal.com]

but there were unicorns in this world; they had nothing to do with sexuality and a lot to do with not wanting to attract their attention, because they were arbiters of perfect justice and that's terrifying

These sound remarkably like the quantum unicorns from Many Waters, which I've been thinking about a lot lately.

therefore plan to eat a calzone for radio

This might be one of my favorite sentences I've seen all day.