The Lucid Dream

Let madness consume you as you read this today!

(Author's Note: I'm actually in a great mood today. I just felt like casting a creepy and confusing aura on today's entry - that's all. If the words "haunting," "delusional" or "mindfuck" come across your mind after reading this, then I've done my job. *thumbs up*)





CURRENT MUSIC:
Tetsuya Shibata - "Confrontation With Lady" & "Lady Battle"
Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening Original Soundtrack

I've been fond of these two tracks because of how well they pair up. Granted, the music plays right after each other both in-game and in the soundtrack, but still. The tension that the former builds up is catapulted into combat by the latter.

Nobuko Toda, Shuichi Kobori and Akihiro Honda - "Screaming Mantis"
Metal Gear Solid 4: Guns of the Patriots Original Soundtrack

The battle music when you fight Screaming Mantis. Depending on how you went about dealing with the FROGS before this boss fight, it either set up a haunting experience... or a cakewalk.

Regardless, the music made the fight downright creepy if this was your first foray into the famed Metal Gear Solid series. (Surprisingly, this isn't my top-favorited boss fight or boss music of the game. That honor goes to Laughing Octopus - I still have nightmares about that fight once in a while.)



"I am the lucid dream. The monster in your nightmares. The fiend of a thousand faces. Cower before my true form! BOW DOWN BEFORE THE GOD OF DEATH!"
- Yogg-Saron
(World of Warcraft: Wrath of the Lich King - Ulduar)

Months ago the World of Warcraft guild my Paladin was in attempted to complete Ulduar. Now, for those of you who don't want to click that link and reread stuff from months ago... picture a massive brain-thing with fangs, psychic powers and tentacles that's both figuratively AND literally mind-fucking you. Congratulations: you just got raped by Yogg-Saron.

That's exactly how that fight works. Honestly. If you don't go insane from the chaotic fight, then your character surely will. The madness begins to consume you when Yogg-Saron reveals itself in what I consider one of the most chilling boss fights I've ever experienced.

Don't believe me? Listen to Yogg-Saron as it switches from its disguised avatar into its true form (0:16-0:37). Picture the beast I described and tell me you're not even slightly quivering after listening to the Old God... (Fun fact: "Screaming Mantis" works quite well with this fight. Field tested it via Audacity. Play the track right when Yogg-Saron commands you to bow down. *shivers*)





Afternoon, readers. In case you don't know me... I am the lucid dream. ...you won't.



So I awakened by a phone call from work, asking if I wanted to come in and work today on my day off. If I remember correctly, gameplay the call went something like this:

===FLASHBACK: Tue 28 Jun - 1040 hours===
JOSH: *zzz*
*the Sailor Moon theme starts blaring on his phone*
JOSH: *zz-* [shoots up with a start] -FUZZY PUMPKINS! ...wha?
*the Sailor Moon theme continues to play on his phone*
JOSH: [groggily grabs the phone] ...w-who woke me up...?
*click!*
JOSH: *yawn* Hello...?
TARGET COWORKER: Oh, hey, Josh! You're... probably going to kill me for waking you up...
JOSH: [mustering what sarcasm he can find right after waking up] Yes, I'm going to kill you. Go on?
TARGET COWORKER: *short laugh* Well, we wanted to see if you wanted to close tonight. There's no team lead and only a few people closing Hardlines tonight.

Cue mandatory silence as Josh's sleepy brain deciphers the message.

JOSH: [after, like, five seconds of thought] ...what time?

===PAUSE FLASHBACK===

This is the part where the audience goes "Ohh...!" - the "Ohh...!" you hear when a main character decides upon a bad decision or something like that.

Let us see how our protagonist goes on with this conversation...

===RESUME FLASHBACK===

TARGET COWORKER: Closing shift, as usual. 4:00?

Josh says nothing. Be it sleep deprivation or stunned silence... we may never know.

TARGET COWORKER [cont'd]: ...3:15?
JOSH: ...uhm, yeah. Sure. 3:15.
TARGET COWORKER: Alright. I'll let you go back to sleep. See ya' later.
JOSH: *sleepily* ...nnn... later...
*click!*

Josh lies back in bed for a few moments, processing what just happened - because as we all know, Josh goes on auto-pilot if he's in deep thought or in "I'm still waking up" mode.

JOSH: [suddenly shoots up again] Wait, WHAT!?
===END FLASHBACK===

Now, to the regulars who read my blog on a (hopefully) daily basis, you might remember how two nights ago I said I had two days off in a row. Obviously, that statement no longer holds true.

Let's look at the facts here.

For about the entirety of this month I haven't done anything... well, let's just say "fun." Aside from one trip for sushi I haven't really hung out with anyone outside of Target. The days I work or get called in to work just leave me exhausted to do anything, and any actual days off are spent snoozing and resting at home recuperating my energy. Any of the few times I could hang out with people eventually get snuffed out - either due to me being unavailable at the specified time or them flaking out on me.

Now, I could have simply said that I didn't want to work today, but let's face it - we're all broke, and we all need money. Of course, to get that money, I need to actually be working lots and lots of hours, which means I'd be too exhausted and constrained by work to do anything else.

Conversely, I could keep my days off, but that'll result in a lesser paycheck that may not be able to keep me afloat.

The question that all this begs me to ask is this: does this make me a soulless tool? Do I have my priorities set straight, or am I setting myself up for a major downfall in some end of my life?





*shrugs* Eh, just thought I'd drabble on about that. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a few things I need to edit before work, so... I'll see y'all later.