To Sleep Perchance… to Dream.

If you could be a character from a book or film, who would you be? Why?

If I wasn’t restricted to female characters only, and if graphic novels were an option, I would pick Dream, from The Sandman, by Neil Gaiman. The image you see featured with this post is a quick original sketch of mine, using a reference image I found online of classic Dream art.

(There’s also the ongoing Netflix series inspired by the comics).

I find the idea of accidentally plunging an entire realm into chaos because of a tough break-up unbelievably relatable LOL.

Seriously, I dig his vibe; I imagine in reality, I would be a split hybrid of Dream and the unexpectedly-whimsical Death. At least, she had a lot of spunk and whimsy in the comics. That’s how I recall her.

I did go as Death for Halloween one year, mimicking her goth girl look from the graphic novels, with my then-black hair, and the signature black eyeliner detail.

From time to time, I’m a dash of Delight/Delirium, but mainly the broody Dream, and the introspective but mostly optimistic Death. Diametric opposites are kind of my jam.

I legit dreamed of Dream, too, while watching the series. He rescued me from a nightmare but wouldn’t let me stay with him.

AND I wrote a poem that a friend said reminded her of Dream very strongly:

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Romancing a god

Paint him winter-pale,

my wild moon man,

broken dreams like

catch lights glittering

in his icy eyes. Frosted

flirtations, half-truths

and misdirection, his

kisses steeped in the

dark Knowing of the

solstice, just before 

the axis tips and 

the light returns.

—Michelle Engel

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