Fates better than death
Apr. 27th, 2010 01:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
beccaelizabethYou know that thing where you can bring someone back from the Underworld, if you don't look back?
And people always look back?
My dream just came up with a solution to that problem.
Get some Thing to eat your eyeballs before you try the return trip.
Now, granted, this would undoubtedly work, but arrrgh arrgh arrrrrrrrgh.
Dream was mostly dreamlike confusion, with the usual running and jumping and falling.
(She chose down? Wait was that wrong? Too late now... *aaaaaaah*)
For the record? There is an important difference between 'glowy' and 'enlightened'. And between 'looking like Buddha' and 'being Buddha'. And between 'sitting on your arse in a glowy glowy bubble with neat meditation chimes' and 'actual progress to enlightenment'. Being able to tell the difference? Probably a good step towards enlightenment. As I think is knowing that it's more important to help all living beings, especially the ones right in front of you who need the help right now, than it is to sit next to a silent glowy dude and hope it ... rubs off, I guess...
... why do I only know this now I'm awake? *sigh* Though, to be fair, even dream me figured it out eventually, and went off to do something helpful.
In the dream the guy I was saving was played by James Marsters. So, you know, obvious appeal there.
And I guess saving any life by losing your eyes would be a pretty good swap, but it's easier when it's also pretty. Except for the part where you never see the pretty again.
So I was on a Quest to go find him because the world needed him or something. Or, possibly, because he's pretty and smells good. Either worked.
When I found him he was all with the 'do you trust me?'
And I said 'yes'.
... dream me is not awake me. Awake me is jumping up and down going 'read the small print! read the small print!!!' Awake me does not grok trust.
In the dream?
He told me about the rule, you can bring someone back if you never look back. So then he said to close my eyes.
And then something gross and squishy went into my hand and my eyes flicked open from surprise to check what it was. He looked all sad and showed me.
"It's a bull's eye. An actual bull's actual eye." Bzuh?
"Just throw it behind you."
I start to turn to and...
"And don't look!"
Oh, yeah, right... that's harder than it sounds...
So I throw it away behind me, there's a pause, and it whizzes past again toward him. We both miss the catch. I stand still while he goes to retrieve it. (Mustn't look back.)
"Again. This time try to catch it."
So I try it again, and hey, yeah, I do tend to look when I know I need to catch. Third fail. And I miss the catch.
He's looking real sad now. I say "I can do this! Give me the stupid thing!"
So I close my eyes, throw it behind me, stand still with my hands spread out, and *splat*, it ends up in my left hand.
"See?"
"Once more."
I close my eyes, throw it behind me, stand still with my hands spread out, and
*pounce, grab*
some Thing has grabbed me hard, locked up like steel but cold fleshy bone grips. I can't move my hands, and I can't move my head, the Thing has me grabbed under the chin, head tipped right back to the sky. My eyes fly open - again - and again he says
"Don't look." But this time he's begging for my own good. "You don't want to look."
"I'm afraid," says a new voice behind me, "For this part, that won't be possible." And it sounds like the Doctor, like the 4th Doctor, but it's really really not the Doctor and looming into view is a shriveled dead grin and teeth and yawning black BITE BITE BITE and the Thing leaned in and ATE MY EYEBALL ARRGH ARRGH ARRRRRRGH!!!
"Wait, no, stop!" I yell, not expecting it to help...
And it stops. And it waits.
"Well? I can't give it back, of course, but the other one is still your choice."
My remaining eyeball glares at Mr 'Trust Me'.
He makes puppy dog face.
"Stop that. You don't get to do that. You can't do this and be sorry."
"I am, so, so..."
"Stop it!"
"But this is the only way. You've seen that. Nobody gets out of here, they've tricked them all."
"But this will work?"
"Yes."
He walks up close. He's real close now. I can feel his warmth even past the cold Thing that grabbed me. I can smell him even past the grave taint.
"If you don't want this, say it now. I mean it. You want to fix this? You can even have one of my..."
"No, no." I close my eyes... eye, and take a deep breath. He's still there, the feel of him, the smell of him. His voice. He'll still be there even if I can't see him any more.
"Do it."
"You're sure?" Asks the rich voiced Thing.
"Yes."
And it peels back my eyelid, and there's teeth, teeth, teeth again.
I only scream a little, don't even open my mouth. It's a mercy of the afterlife, the good people places anyway, that there is no pain.
So I guess my first reliable sign of returning to life will be the screaming agony.
That's something to look forward to.
... as dreams go, I could have really done without that one.
... as a plot bunny, it has that useful combination of logic and not quite believing anyone would ever go there even though it makes perfect sense.
And people always look back?
My dream just came up with a solution to that problem.
Get some Thing to eat your eyeballs before you try the return trip.
Now, granted, this would undoubtedly work, but arrrgh arrgh arrrrrrrrgh.
Dream was mostly dreamlike confusion, with the usual running and jumping and falling.
(She chose down? Wait was that wrong? Too late now... *aaaaaaah*)
For the record? There is an important difference between 'glowy' and 'enlightened'. And between 'looking like Buddha' and 'being Buddha'. And between 'sitting on your arse in a glowy glowy bubble with neat meditation chimes' and 'actual progress to enlightenment'. Being able to tell the difference? Probably a good step towards enlightenment. As I think is knowing that it's more important to help all living beings, especially the ones right in front of you who need the help right now, than it is to sit next to a silent glowy dude and hope it ... rubs off, I guess...
... why do I only know this now I'm awake? *sigh* Though, to be fair, even dream me figured it out eventually, and went off to do something helpful.
In the dream the guy I was saving was played by James Marsters. So, you know, obvious appeal there.
And I guess saving any life by losing your eyes would be a pretty good swap, but it's easier when it's also pretty. Except for the part where you never see the pretty again.
So I was on a Quest to go find him because the world needed him or something. Or, possibly, because he's pretty and smells good. Either worked.
When I found him he was all with the 'do you trust me?'
And I said 'yes'.
... dream me is not awake me. Awake me is jumping up and down going 'read the small print! read the small print!!!' Awake me does not grok trust.
In the dream?
He told me about the rule, you can bring someone back if you never look back. So then he said to close my eyes.
And then something gross and squishy went into my hand and my eyes flicked open from surprise to check what it was. He looked all sad and showed me.
"It's a bull's eye. An actual bull's actual eye." Bzuh?
"Just throw it behind you."
I start to turn to and...
"And don't look!"
Oh, yeah, right... that's harder than it sounds...
So I throw it away behind me, there's a pause, and it whizzes past again toward him. We both miss the catch. I stand still while he goes to retrieve it. (Mustn't look back.)
"Again. This time try to catch it."
So I try it again, and hey, yeah, I do tend to look when I know I need to catch. Third fail. And I miss the catch.
He's looking real sad now. I say "I can do this! Give me the stupid thing!"
So I close my eyes, throw it behind me, stand still with my hands spread out, and *splat*, it ends up in my left hand.
"See?"
"Once more."
I close my eyes, throw it behind me, stand still with my hands spread out, and
*pounce, grab*
some Thing has grabbed me hard, locked up like steel but cold fleshy bone grips. I can't move my hands, and I can't move my head, the Thing has me grabbed under the chin, head tipped right back to the sky. My eyes fly open - again - and again he says
"Don't look." But this time he's begging for my own good. "You don't want to look."
"I'm afraid," says a new voice behind me, "For this part, that won't be possible." And it sounds like the Doctor, like the 4th Doctor, but it's really really not the Doctor and looming into view is a shriveled dead grin and teeth and yawning black BITE BITE BITE and the Thing leaned in and ATE MY EYEBALL ARRGH ARRGH ARRRRRRGH!!!
"Wait, no, stop!" I yell, not expecting it to help...
And it stops. And it waits.
"Well? I can't give it back, of course, but the other one is still your choice."
My remaining eyeball glares at Mr 'Trust Me'.
He makes puppy dog face.
"Stop that. You don't get to do that. You can't do this and be sorry."
"I am, so, so..."
"Stop it!"
"But this is the only way. You've seen that. Nobody gets out of here, they've tricked them all."
"But this will work?"
"Yes."
He walks up close. He's real close now. I can feel his warmth even past the cold Thing that grabbed me. I can smell him even past the grave taint.
"If you don't want this, say it now. I mean it. You want to fix this? You can even have one of my..."
"No, no." I close my eyes... eye, and take a deep breath. He's still there, the feel of him, the smell of him. His voice. He'll still be there even if I can't see him any more.
"Do it."
"You're sure?" Asks the rich voiced Thing.
"Yes."
And it peels back my eyelid, and there's teeth, teeth, teeth again.
I only scream a little, don't even open my mouth. It's a mercy of the afterlife, the good people places anyway, that there is no pain.
So I guess my first reliable sign of returning to life will be the screaming agony.
That's something to look forward to.
... as dreams go, I could have really done without that one.
... as a plot bunny, it has that useful combination of logic and not quite believing anyone would ever go there even though it makes perfect sense.