Battleships and Blades

In fragmented pieces, and in no particular order:

Dad, nephew and I were on a ship - either a cruise ship or a military ship. We were all sitting out of a table. The weather was clear and we were in a sort of bay. Suddenly, the ship listed to the side. I looked out the window and saw the sea rising up to meet us, and the horizon line tipped diagonally. "Uh oh," Dad mumbled, as everything tipped and the water seemed to be above us for somehow. "Grab onto me," I ordered my nephew, and he did just as everything went dark.

Then we were outside the ship, floating in the water. Not sure how we got there. Another wave was hitting another boat. There were people nearby on a smaller boat, who offered to get us out. I can't remember why, but I was still in the water (don't remember if nephew was with me). There were swells further out on the water. Along the coast, there seemed to be some sort of fire or fight going on, like a war.

****

There was a series of large metal tubes and wires and gears, like along a factory. They were tinted red and there was fire below. Antonio Banderas and Peter Sarsgaard were having a sword fight in 18th century garb. Peter's character was angry because Antonio's character (who was in possession of a couple very fine white masks with black swirls on them) had wasted all their gold and had not accomplished the mission. There were flashbacks to a masquerade party, and a spy network. They fought back and forth, and Peter chased Antonio all over, though eventually they both lost interest in fighting. At some point - I can't remember if it was before or after the fight - they were joined by Alan Cummings, also in period garb. Alan was a dandy - he was there to stop them from fighting and be generally useless.

****

The camera panned up from this? Anyways I knew that if we were going to win the fight, we had to see what the enemy was doing. I was buying machines and fighters - the whole map went into view like a video game, and I was a small ship flying over the enemy metropolis. They had turrets and lots of mechanical robots which had two giant feet and a sort of domed top. "Too many walkers," I thought, and tried to buy some more units at my city. The enemy city tried to shoot down my airplane, but they missed.

****

Space - we were floating in space, holding onto a satellite thing. I think I was punishing some teenagers for being disrespectful of some nuns? I can't remember, as this was the fuzziest part of the dream. I just seem to recall the sensation of being where there was no air, and floating around.

****

This is the second dream in a row where I've dreamed of protecting my nephew. Two days ago I had a "Hunger Games" dream where I protected him from a jeep full of snakes, while letting my sister and other people float down a river without saving them.

Hillbilly Hollywood Wedding

I dreamed I was at some sort of rural barn/dance hall. Inside was brown and there was a dirt floor. There were folded wooden chairs in haphazard lines, and no decorations that I recall. I was getting married, except I was in an ugly blue gown that only came to my knees and it was made out of blue velveteen or terrycloth - I felt truly trashy in it. The blue was faded like a towel that had been through too many washes. Looking down, I saw that I wasn't even wearing heels - instead, I was wearing slouchy sock/boots of the same horrible blue material. There was a giant empty barrel in a corner the size of a swimming pool.

I kept leaving, even though it was my wedding, to stand in an adjoining room, alone. I didn't know what I was doing there - I was so confused, and generally felt unhappy. My mother came in, and she seemed concerned. Why was I stalling at my own wedding? she seemed to ask. I wanted her to make things better somehow, but I knew she couldn't. The guests were getting anxious. I lied and said I was fine. I forced myself to smile, and walked back out. This sequence repeated, except sometimes I was alone in the room, and sometimes there were strangers there.

The groom was not familiar to me. I thought I knew him from somewhere - but he wasn't the right man. I thought I was being forced to marry a teenage boy - from the nearby village, but this man was much older than me, with reddish hair. As I stood there, staring at him, I realized I couldn't say my vows because I couldn't remember his name. He stared at me, impatient. My mind was racing. Suddenly, I realized who he was.

"You're Conan...O'Brien!" I said, shocked. Why was I marrying a celebrity? And why wasn't I happy - I was going to be rich, and I was leaving the dirt behind? He was reading his vows from a red teleprompter, but he was running late for his show because I kept leaving the wedding. "Just skip to the end? Sum up?" I suggested, and he did, saying something about a fulfilling and enduring love. "That...was actually very beautiful," I said, giving him a hug. I hadn't expected anything that nice. He just sort of up and left then, to catch a helicopter. The celebration seemed unreal, as though people were unsure if they should celebrate. I was unsure myself. I kept telling myself to be happy, that I was getting something worthwhile, but really I felt bland and a little sad. I could not believe that I had gone through with it.

Throughout this dream, there was a sort of cutaway of young boys running around the interior of the church/barn/dance hall place. And there was a large man sitting in one of the chairs, with big red sideburns on his face.



******


I don't recall ever dreaming of a wedding - and what an unpleasant way to wake up, feeling as though I'd forced myself to do something that wasn't going to make me happy, for no apparent reason. And I don't usually dream about Mom - I wonder what I was trying to tell myself by having her show up?

I do know that I had this dream while I was supposed to be in a place of self-reflection and peace. My mind refused to unwind itself, and what sleep I did get was restless and full of internal noise. I was surrounded by calm, and my internal self rebelled against grace and stillness. I guess that would technically make this dream a nightmare - since it was a revulsion of the self. Either that, or my subconscious was desperately trying to show me how my mind has become a horrible place that needs re-evaluation, since there was a lot of symbolism in this dream, now that I look at it.