I had previously posted about these beings in the creatures forum, but as the idea has evolved, I decided they belong here. Dreams and nightmares are spirit beings that most people cannot see. They interact with people by visiting them in their dreams, and they (well, most of them ) must always take the same form. They are almost all humanoid, and they are definitely sentient and intelligent. There are a few people, called Dreamseers, who can see dreams and nightmares even when they're awake. Dreamseers can physically interact with dreams and nightmares as well. I need a new name for them, since they technically aren't dreams, they just appear in dreams, but I don't have one yet. Also, I have an idea about a sort of nightmare possession, but I'm not sure exactly how that would work...

They sound very interesting... are they evil or good?

I just read your other topic and then saw this one. They remind me sort of like the dreams in the BFG by Roald Dahl, but done 'right'. Those were always cartoony sounding. Very interesting concept. How many riders exist in the world?

eruheran

Well, some of them are good ("dreams") and some are evil ("nightmares"). They get to choose, in essence.

I'm not sure if I'd still call them "riders" since dreams and nightmares are less creatures and more human now, but there are only a handful of known Dreamseers in the world. Their numbers are on the rise at the time of this story, though. The government has been trying to control where and when they are born by matching couples with the right genes for some time... but perhaps I've said too much.

YAY! Another person who has a noncorporeal race (that is, a race with no physical bodies)!!!! I'd love to hear about what kind of society/culture they have, especially with the whole "dream" thing, that would lead for an interesting existence. You could call them phantasms if you wanted a "classic" fantasy name. Or you could come up with something else. Can't wait to hear more about them.
In Christ,
Jordan

In the other thread I thought you had mentioned that riders were the people who could control dreams the most. Maybe I'm wrong. So the government is manipulative...hmm...I see a story coming together here (of course, I guess that's your goal. )

eruheran

Haha, yes, that is my goal. And I did call them riders for a very long while, but as my idea has evolved, I had to throw out that name. So you weren't mistaken, just a little behind on my ever-changing thought processes.

Thanks for the suggestion! As I've thought about the idea, I've toyed around with having dreams not really be noncorporeal, but people from another plane of existence. It's a tricky idea that needs a lot of work, but I kind of like it, as it would add depth to the story/world...

Sounds good. Keep us posted on how they turn out