Tell me about your dream characters (I might draw a few!)
I’m really interested if anybody here has particularly interesting (and/or reoccurring?) DCs?
I’d love to hear about everyone’s experience with this. Tell me about your dream guides or spirit guides if you have one (or more)/believe in that! (This is not a topic to debate the existence of DGs or SGs –but rather a topic to share your experience about your DCs including DGs and SGs if that’s your belief)
I may end up drawing some of the characters if I have time/inspiration (Note: no promises to draw anything or everything, but we’ll see!)
Since I started the topic I’ll kick it off! I have two main DCs that reoccur in my dreams (both LDs and NDs).
The first is Carol, A DC that some might call a DG; I see her as a DC that represents my subconscious. She’s the tallest person in the room. Long and slender body type. Silver tongued both literally and metaphorically. Insight is 20/20. Quite the enigma. Intriguing green skin tone and long wavy dark hair. Composed, somewhat cynical, a little bit sassy, and exceptionally competent. Seems self-aware (as in, “lucid,” not a mindless DC) and manipulates the dream environment. She’s kind of “in charge” in my dreams (or at least acts that way, I wouldn’t have it differently) and a bit of a mentor or teacher to me.
The second is STEVE (it’s pronounced “Styve” but she has insisted to me that it’s spelled S-T-E-V-E. Not sure if this is meaningful in some way or part of her DC quirkiness), she represents my trauma. She can’t get the smile off her face. Tightly curled, untame platinum blond hair with lightning-like tendencies. Average build and height, except when extreme emotions blow her out of proportion (sometimes she appears as a giant when I’m overwhelmed). Caucasian skintone. Enthusiastic, eccentric, and intense, she has no trouble sharing her uppercase personality. Means well and wants to help, but her category 5 energy can be overwhelming. Laughs like a Taser.
Have grown to love them both dearly despite initially butting heads with both of them early in our relationship. Here’s some art!
Few years ago I made it my goal to summon a guide in my next lucid dream. I wanted it to be an animal. Soon after I had a non-lucid dream in an alien snow covered world where a machine was turning snow black and there were several cat-like creatures around that could adapt to the color of their surroundings, like chameleons. As I approached the machine, one of these creatures rushed to meet me. She looked like a cross between a cat and a ferret and her fur was black. She climbed around my body excitedly like I was an old friend and somehow I knew her name and called out “Dawn!” with a smile on my face.
I’ve yet to meet Dawn again in a lucid dream, but I would like to. The only recurring dream character is my brother. He’s probably in half of my dreams. Always close by to help me. Though, in one dream he died and a town gave him a hero’s funeral. I’ve never been as emotional as in that dream.
Edit: Oh, I forgot Nuka. My cat from waking life who sadly passed away years ago. She used to appear in many of my dreams and make me lucid. She had white fur with large black spots. Other people from waking life that have passed away have appeared in my dreams and made me lucid. My grandpa and Arto to name two. Those have been recurring, but less lately.
@Splash
Your dream characters sound amazing! Such vivid personalities and details. I could have imagined them even without the drawing!
Sadly, I’ve let life get in the way of my sleep and therefore my dreams. But of all the dreams I do remember over the years and more recently, I don’t really have any distinct character that shows up repeatedly. I mean, my mom and my siblings show up somewhat often but otherwise, I tend to remember being rather alone in my dreams whether because I am the only person in it, or because I’m simply watching the story and characters in it as an external observer.
Other than family, I think the closest I have to a reoccurring character, is a man who shows up, often acting as a best friend or boyfriend character to mine. Other than being taller than me, he has no particular defining traits and my assumption that the character is the same across multiple dreams is only based on the fact that he “feels familiar.” I never really get a look at him and he’s never named. Pretty sure he’s based off a character I created in WL when I needed someone to talk to and ask advice from (easier to talk to myself when I pretend to be talking to a friend instead). His lack of definition is probably because I’ve never been able to decide on a name or look. It feels inorganic and limiting somehow. I’ve tried to get a good look at him in dreams, to let my subconscious decide, but my brain keeps teasing me with fake-outs.
Dawn sounds so precious
I have heard/read several dreamers do experience their DG taking the form of an animal of some kind. That reminds me that occasionally Carol (my subconscious in DC form) will take the form of a spider (usually a small black one).
I’m always amazed at how dreams can reveal and expose such powerful emotions.
Do you think there’s any connection between Nuka and Dawn as they’re both feline-like? Just found it interesting.
Daww hehe. I’ve known them quite a long time and could write pages and pages about them (I guess that’s what my journal is, though) and that is my best effort to be concise haha
I absolutely love drawing them; since I am typically very reserved about talking about my dreams, art is my best way of expressing/sharing my experience (Though, I feel much more open talking here with other dreamers)
I don’t think this is terribly unusual for us lucid dreamers; I’m coming out of a dry spell after drifting a while myself. Sometimes I find that little (or long) breaks from making dreams my focus (weather chosen or forced by life) renew my passion and vigor and I am able to come back with more dedication than before the break.
Actually this quite reminds me of my relationship with STEVE. I first met her as a DC, she stood out to me because she seemed special somehow and our initial interaction has come to mean quite a lot to me. I’ve put the dream in a spoiler if anyone is at all interested:
Meeting STEVE
December 23, 2016
I stand on one of the upper levels of a very tall building, lucid. It’s a skyscraper, however the sides are open like a parking garage might would be, except there’s no railing or siding to prevent anyone from falling or jumping off the sides.
There is a giant for me to face. Her face is almost level with my floor of the building, a good 40 or so stories up. Someone directs me to strike her face due to the connection of vision to the brain. I’m not really sure what they mean, but I think they know what they are talking about so I do as they say.
My flying is strong tonight. I strike the giant on the face.
[[Recall Gap]]
On the ground below the structure, dream characters battle the giant beside me. I’m not sure our strategy is working. The giant has not particularly made an attack against us, but I know I’m supposed to face her.
There is a white table set up on the ground. I hop up onto it and begin doing a water bending sequence, although without the water, recalling forms from yoga. I don’t mean for the other dream characters to do the same, but they follow my lead and copy my sequence.
Flow, balance, focus.
[[Recall Gap]]
I stand up in the tower again, high up, not on the top floor but close to it.
Dream characters mill around, perhaps with food and drink as if it is a party. And I find the giant to be not so giant anymore. She almost stands on my scale, but she is still larger. I, for the first time, particularly observe her. She is pretty, with wavy long blonde hair and pale Caucasian skin. She wears an elegant white dress with an asymmetrical cut that kinda replicates the waves in her hair. (She reminds me of a particularly violent character that had attacked me with a syringe in a traumatic dream)
The dream character is rather bubbly as she introduces herself. She says her name is “Styve,” insisting it’s spelled S-T-E-V-E, (like Steve). She’s friendly and warm.
Carol stands nearby. Although Carol host her usual tall stature, I notice that STEVE is actually taller than Carol. I find this very prominent within the dream, surprised because Carol is typically the tallest in the room.
Although it may seem like a stupid question, I am compelled to ask STEVE, “Did you shrink?” since we are on the same scale now.
Immediately and strongly, STEVE replies. “No, you grew.”
Carol gives a very firm nod to affirm that I, without a doubt, grew.
STEVE regains a bubbly composure and remarks that it is about time to go (I can feel I will wake soon), but I might see her again. She’s unsure. Alright, I say.
I direct a question at Carol, “(but…) will I see you again?”
Carol smiles, (Of course you’ll see me again, sweetheart.)
[[End]]
Several months later when I was struggling with traumatic memories (looooong dream related story there), I realized the worst part was that I was overwhelmed in those instances. I realized I needed a way to simplify my trauma and suddenly though, “hey, what if I have a character! Just like Carol is a simplification of my subconscious, why can’t I have a simplification of my trauma! Someone I can talk to, argue with, fight against and eventually…accept and befriend.” I realized that STEVE fit exactly what I needed. Someone big, but not bad. She had already endeared me, and she was going to help me grow. (I suspect Carol’s influence providing me this DC months before this realization),
While I often see STEVE in my LDs, I do imagine her in WL whenever I would have been struggling with traumatic memories. She helps me through it, we talk about it. She’s my coping strategy. Without STEVE I would not know Recovery, which is another story entirely and I fear I’m getting a little long winded here (and Recovery isn’t as much a DC as she’s a perspective ahaha.)
I actually recognize this with my DC’s too! Carol isn’t always physically there in my dreams, sometimes she’s more of a presence or energy. STEVE has a fondness for masquerading as random DCs, but I always recognize her smile (she literally can’t frown) and her energy.
I feel like my art has kinda “solidified” the way Carol and STEVE appear. However, they both appeared to me without calling upon them and I didn’t intentionally create their designs, so not sure what I would do in a situation like yours. What do you mean about “fake-outs?”
Love hearing about your experience! Thank you for sharing
@Letaali 's mention of Dawn and Nuka made me realize I forgot one of my other DCs!
Anxiety! STEVE’s cat! Anxiety is much less prominent in my dreams (and art) than Carol or STEVE. Seems like a feral animal STEVE decided to take in (made sense to me that trauma has a connection to anxiety, not bound together, but a connection nevertheless). A genderless slender black cat, with wild eyes kinda like STEVE haha. Unpredictable and well…freaks out and lashes out seemingly randomly like a cat hahaha
I find it amazing how STEVE represents your trauma, that is such an amazing idea! I need a DC for this too, is it okay if I borrow the idea? it seems so calming and healing .
I love your drawings, i have just started drawing my dreams and DC’s digitally on photoshop, it’s so nice to find someone who does too!!
Apparently my subconscious takes the form of a mouse. I have a recurring DC named Fordtz in my LD’s (she spelled her name for me xD), but I never actually met her face to face. I found her while dialling random numbers on my phone haha! She told me about the form of my subconscious. I call her often cus she is so interesting to chat to. I really want to meet her one day, but whenever I try, it just never seems to be able to happen. Sometimes her phone even goes straight to voicemail!! Her voice is very soft and calming though, that’s as close as I can get to what she looks like…what she sounds like haha
I say go for it! It’s been so helpful for me and I’m really happy if this perspective can help you too. When STEVE and I work together I’m able to find Recovery (Recovery has physical form in my dreams, but in WL is more of a perspective). There’s been no better place than my dreams for me to understand and improve my mental health, dreams really are amazing in that way. I wish you the best on the journey and would love to hear about it if you find it a helpful perspective.
And here I thought I might be the only one! hehe Would love to do an art trade with you! (Send me a PM if you are interested ^^) My dreams are my main inspiration, although I mostly just draw Carol and STEVE (and Recovery) because they have an enjoyable dynamic
Oh, a mouse! Have you met, or just heard of them from Fordtz? And aha talking with Fordtz over the phone made me smile; that’s so endearing. Is she insightful? Hope you get to find her someday if that’s your goal! You mention her phone going to voicemail- reminds me sometimes I try to find/call on Carol and she does not respond. I always take it to mean she’s occupied (somehow?) or perhaps it’s not the right time for what I’m hoping to discuss.
Realized I had almost no art of Anxiety and did a quickie sketch
I mean that I’ve tried to call him to me in LDs with the intention of getting a good clear look at him (I have no intention of “creating” his look but keep hoping for my dreams to manifest him more clearly) but the characters that answer my summons never look the way I expect, don’t feel like him, and ultimately turn out not to be him even though they often pretend to be at first.
I wonder why that is? Sometimes I have trouble contacting my subconscious (Carol) in my dreams. I wonder if it’s some conscious mental block or subconscious discretion or something else??? I do hope you find him someday if that’s one of your goals!
I love your art! And your dream characters are so interesting!
Personally I’ve only really had one recurring dream character so far. Years ago I had this girl named “Lain” who showed up in my dreams and basically acted as my girlfriend in said dreams. Here’s a description from my dream journal at the time:
A lot of the time she just would hang out in the background… our relationship was pretty casual. I could always feel her presence though and it was comforting to me… just having a familiar presence like that pop into my dreams.
She first showed up in my dreams some time while I was in high school and disappeared a few years into college. So where did she come from and where did she go? Well, I have theories on exactly where she came from, which is actually what that whole “[REDACTED]” thing was about… I still like to keep those details vague and ~mysterious~ so I won’t expand on them. However, I will discuss what I think happened to her… I think I became her. She was essentially a girl version of myself and now that I am myself and a girl, she is absent from my dreams! It checks out!
Most of my recurring dream characters are real people: my parents and grandparents, my friends S and J.
There are two friendly animals, Mouse and Wolf, that go on adventures with me. (Mouse is a dormouse).
The artists Anselm Kiefer and H.R.Giger occur as characters; some of my dreams are set in environments that are based on Anselm Kiefer paintings.
There is a completely fictional character, Ken. Ken is Japanese, visiting the UK for a couple of years to do his PhD, which is in something like engineering and involves building networks of sensors. I met Ken in a bar. He took me on a date to a vegetarian restaurant that’s located in an cellar below ground.
There’s also a Scandinavian Guy (variously described as from Finland or Sweden). In one recent dream, a girl makes almond cookies for him. Sometimes appears in dreams set in the Viking era, with magic. I have censored some of these dreams in the interests of making my diary -appropriate for forums.
(*) My apologies to Finns for me not being dream-consistent about whether he is actually from Finland or Sweden, Probably should be Finland,
I have had many recurring dream characters through time, but there is only one that has always been there.
She shows up when something is important. When things had been bad for a while and are getting better, I would sometimes dream about her, and she would give me advice and wisdom. A couple of times, she has outright healed me. She is a character in the stories I made for myself as a girl, but I don’t know if that or the dreams came first. In the stories, she has different names or titles depending on who she is with. She has only once had her name said in a dream, and that was by her husband. It is usually not necessary.
Her appearance is very Ceeian. (This is also something from those stories.) It is common there to have curly hair, a round face, almond shaped eyes and pale to brown skin. Her hair is golden, sometimes with silver streaks, her skin is light coloured and her eyes are purple. She usually wears white clothes with some yellow on them. I have made several drawings and paintings of this character. Sometimes I put her in the background of a larger picture just for fun!
One memorable recurring dream character’s name is Felix, rather horse-faced, with auburn hair in these sort of Victorian-era sausage ringlets. I sense a connection of history between Felix and a reddish auburn haired character who looks much older (I have met Felix as a pubescent character) but clearly in adulthood I feel that the name has changed to a rather secret one that isn’t Felix.
Another time, I dreamed that I was somebody else’s imaginary friend. The imaginary friend character that I was, looked like a Western stereotype of a Middle Eastern genie/marid: a petit and scrawny dark man with a pointed gray goatee, billowing trousers and damask long coat with sort of “Turkish slippers”. Now that I’m somewhat more of a fan of fashion history, I suppose that this was roughly Ottoman Empire fashion, but in the dream it was obviously a bunch of stereotypes squished together.
Anyway, when the toddler who’d imagined this genie had begun to “grow up”, the worlds that they lived in stopped being able to meld; this genie tried to keep the worlds more open by going deeper into his world to a casino and bartering for a magic egg in a card game that was partially a cartomancy reading…and he won, but there was a time limit, so when he went to the border between the worlds with the egg, it was too late and the toddler who’d thought him up was gone. He was devastated, and went back to his world where there was a healing temple. I think the healing temple was a beautiful place and obviously very effective because I still remember how wholesome and serene it felt, but the whole entire dream was so sad that I woke up in actual tears.
I wish I could remember what the card dealer looked like, too, though, I think she was spoopy but I can’t remember more than that. She might have been this disembodied voice around a levitating deck of cards.
I’ve also had dreams of a very elderly Caucasian woman, somewhat dumpy build, wears plenty of shapeless black clothes, has gray hair, who lives in like the center of this accretion disc or this circumstellar disk of dream reality…because even after meeting her in her cottage in the woods, she made it so that it’s impossible to teleport to that cottage. It’s practically the point of her that she’s difficult to access. If she doesn’t come out to meet you, then you need to have several dream story beats dedicated to travel before you reach her front door. So it’s like…the long journey to meet her is part of truly getting to meet her. I suppose that she was basically like a living labyrinth of a person in that sense (although I only got into labyrinth meditations much, much, much later in life.)
After the one-person, no Evil Overlord, version of The Lord of the Rings part of the dream is over…then, she will usually invite you to the “anteroom” of her cottage…it’s a very open-air feeling cottage, more like a Roman domus style of architecture, and I say “anteroom” because that’s the function that the waiting room feels like it has but it’s really a gazebo in the middle of an immaculately-trimmed grass lawn in the middle of the woods where the weather is always sunny but not too hot, and the gazebo looks like it was grown (rather than built) using a method called inosculation, like a more haphazard and organic version of a “Belgian fence”. She’ll give you a tall glass of iced herbal tea, or at least she gave me that, and then she’ll go away because she’s very busy. (Which, if you’re lucid, can be anxiety-inducing because so much of the dream was spent getting here and could end at any time, but if the Witch in the Woods says “I’m busy” then the Witch in the Woods is obviously busy.)
When she comes back, however, she’ll do the maybe morally ambiguous magic that has to do with collecting hairs and fingernails and maybe bloodshed might be involved. Like, she’s not maternal even when she lets you sit in the gazebo of her garden and sip iced tea, and she’s not a scary wicked Halloween witch either, but there’s this respect I feel for the intensity of her power…like, it maybe her form of magic looks messy and gruesome, but she knows what she’s doing, and knows exactly why she does it, and knows exactly why you should or shouldn’t do something, and she has this sense of everything being perfectly in its place just because she beholds it and is attuned with the way of the world the the way of fate and the universe.
But she also changes things, very selectively, and that creates what looks like chaos even when she also at the same time feels like this embodiment of order…? If you read Discworld novels, I guess she’s sort of Nanny Ogg and Esme Weatherwax combined. Like, an introverted Nanny Ogg on the outside, but a Weatherwax in personality. No pointy hat though, nor any hat of any kind. Just plenty of black in her dress.
(I suspect Carol’s influence providing me this DC months before this realization),
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