I had this dream the other night, where I was in this goth club just minding my own business listening to some kickass darkwave, when some dude started something.
Apparently I was not sufficiently ‘goth’ to be present in the club [i.e. I wasn’t dressed very gothy.] He said something along the lines of ‘You don’t look goth, you’re not welcome here.’
To which I replied with my characteristic razor dream-wit ‘You aren’t very goth yourself if you think it’s something only determined by style.’
Before he had a chance to reply, his goth girlfriend, all fired up with her black makeup, red fishnets and flutterby wings decided to defend her mate. I continued to sit placidly listening to some Dorsetshire. She approached and told me to [I’ll paraphrase] ‘Fuck off.’
I politely declined.
To which, enraged, she then told me to follow her outside where she ostensibly was prepared to kick my ass. I said: ‘Fie! I am allowed to choose the weapons.’
Briefly puzzled, she conceded this point. I chose swords, and since she was goth and swords are sufficiently gothy she accepted. So she took down two rapiers from the wall and proceded out. On my way out, I grabbed a couple of full ashtrays. Stopping by the door, I removed the butts and combined all the ashes into one tray. Then I spit a big gob into the ashes, mixed it together and smeared it all over my face. Out I went.
Needless to say, I looked a bit gothier, and goth girl was a bit taken aback. She handed me my sword with a flabbergasted look that was quickly replaced by the old anger. Most of the club was outside now, ready to watch her kick my ass. I assume they assumed that since she was goth she had an innate knowledge of swordplay, whereas t‑shirt and jeans guy [me] wouldn’t know jack.
‘I’m ready,’ said I. She lifted her blade high, yawped, and followed this up by rushing me. Her flutterby wings flapped behind her. She was some sort of demented fairy.
When she got close enough, I cut the blade out of her hand.
‘I used to fence in college.’
In my dreams I switch back and forth from POV shots to high-angle medium shots [including medium-close, and medium-long]. Thus my dreams are quite like movies. I wonder if others’ dreams function in this way. If this is so, I see two possibilities for application within film theory.
- That the development of continuity editing styles is directly related to a subconscious understanding of dream-functions. The implications that this would have upon ideas of psychoanalytic film theory and suture boggle my mind. And:
- That immersion in television and film experiences has changed the way people dream. I don’t even want to try to get my head around that.