7 minute read
No. 1 in Imagination
A look into the thoughts that keep ASU students up at night or haunt them in their dreams
by Gib Manrique
Illustrations by Andrea Ramirez
With about 140,000 students enrolled at ASU, there’s bound to be some major differences in the student population. With diverse people come diverse minds.
I wanted to get into the brains of some of these students and figure out what, exactly, makes them tick. I thought one of the best ways to do this would be to inspect their thoughts — put them in a petri dish and analyze them under my microscope, if you will. Whether that be dreams, nightmares, day dreams or ultimate fantasies, what goes on behind someone’s eyes gives a pretty solid insight into who they are.
I wanted to see the nitty gritty. I’m not just talking about your classic teeth-falling-out-of-the-mouth dreams. I wanted to hear about someone’s teeth falling out while they battled people with tubas in a Hunger Games-style arena or someone’s wish to own ten million warships.
I’m trying to figure out which students at ASU have the most overactive imaginations (haha get it? Overactive. Like The Active Issue).
“I’m gonna ask you some questions. You can interpret them however you want to, any possible way that comes to mind. Ready? Okay.
“What’s your craziest dream? Wildest daydream? Ultimate fantasy?”
Lisa Chan, a freshman studying nursing
Lisa: “My craziest dream is that I had a younger brother — which I do not have in real life — and he got in trouble for something I did, so to spite me and my family, he poisoned our food with laxatives. I realized what he did, and I ran out of the room. I ran out in the street but he was chasing me! I had to hide behind cars and stuff. I was trying to get to my apartment and he was stomping around in the lobby. I’m waiting for the elevator and then I saw him looking for me. Eventually I think I just hid in a lobby bathroom but then it started levitating.”
Gib: “Oh! Oh my god. Uhm. Wait, so how old is your fake brother?”
Lisa: “He was like seven years old. I don’t know what he was doing but he had very evil intentions.”
Jackson Colvin, a freshman studying journalism
Jackson: “Oh... ultimate fantasy. Okay, loaded question. I think my ultimate fantasy is just living as absolutely happily as possible — just trying to make the most of this cool little gift we got out of nowhere, and um-” *very loud boom in the background. “Hopefully not get hit by a fucking truck. What the hell was that?”
Gib: “Dude I don’t fucking know.”
Jackson: “Okay well, that’s about it. I wanna be fulfilled, I wanna be happy and I want to experience life.”
Idaly Banuelos, a junior studying kinesiology
“If I could do anything with no risk, I would probably be a drag queen. I’ve thought about it a lot — I have so much respect for the artistry. Drag queens have to be skilled in everything: performance, makeup, sewing, managing and booking. But also I want to be an occupational therapist. I really want to work in neurological rehab and pediatrics. Maybe I’ll be the first drag queen occupational therapist.”
Caleb Butler, a freshman studying community health
“My wildest dream is buying a house and two cars within a day. Because [of] my nursing job, I know it probably wouldn’t work that way. The car I would buy would be a BMW I8 actually, and I would live either in a mansion in the hills of L.A., San Diego or just a big penthouse in New York.”
Brianna Le, a junior studying psychology
Brianna: “My craziest dream [is to be] a comic book artist for Marvel Studios. I know it sounds kind of stupid, but I think it would be really cool.”
Gib: “Are there any ideas of what you would want to write?”
Brianna: “Literally anything. I’ve always been a big fan.”
Alexa Carrillo, a freshman studying criminology
Alexa: “I had a dream that I met this celebrity called Debby Ryan on a rollercoaster.”
Gib: “What rollercoaster?”
Alexa: “The farm — Knotts Berry!”
Gib: “Why Debby Ryan?”
Alexa: “Because I was compared to her recently!”
Athena Asselin, a freshman studying public service and public policy
“My ultimate fantasy is living in a little swamp and having a lot of little critters around me — having a lot of little friends. And maybe positively influencing local education, specifically policy making.”
Savannah Dagupion, State Press Magazine editor-in-chief
“If you’ve kept up with any of the content I’ve written for State Press Magazine over the years, you’d know that I’m Native Hawaiian. Therefore, my ultimate fantasy is that people stop exploiting Native Hawaiian culture and land, travelers visit respectfully and lose their sense of entitlement, and foreign investors stop driving up the housing prices and forcing many locals into homelessness.
“I fantasize that people understand Hawaiʻi’s history — how the United States government illegally took over a sovereign nation and turned it into a state. I also fantasize that we can implement a more sustainable economy rather than one that relies on tourism. I hope Native Hawaiians can have more autonomy over their land, the government and the issues that affect them, and I hope Native Hawaiians are excited to perpetuate their culture through ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi, traditional practices, oral history, education, advocacy and policy.
“Either that, or like a flower and succulent farm would be cool.”
Leah Mesquita, State Press Magazine managing editor
“I have a recurring nightmare where I’m going to give birth and I’m about to die. I’m almost always lying down, sometimes in a bed, but never in a hospital. I’m always alone. It’s like an exorcism. I’m not sure why I dream about it, but it’s never anything pleasant. Maybe because I’m a lesbian or maybe because the idea of motherhood scares me, but I’m always having a psychotic break when it happens. I have so many questions for this pregnant version of myself. Am I straight now? Where is my girlfriend? Did she sell my body to the devil and now I’m carrying the antichrist? My mind only knows.”
Audrey Eagerton, State Press Magazine managing editor
“I dream about my enemies and anyone who has slightly wronged me giving me a heartfelt, sobbing apology. When I’m staring out a window on a road trip, I’m most likely thinking about an argument from two years ago, but in this alternate reality, my ex-best friend realizes that she is wrong and that I am right. In these dreams, I sometimes forgive her, other times I walk away. High ground secured.”
I guess it’s time for me to answer my own question. Make my bed and lie in it. I have yet to reveal my wildest dream or ultimate desire.
Well, I often have a dream about being in a house. Not a particularly fancy one, but it’s good enough. I’m drinking tea and watching the wind blow through the flowers and leaves outside. Everyone I love is an easy 10-minute walk away. It’s always 75 degrees in this dream. I guess this dream means I want peace for myself or something lame like that. Not a million dollars or fame or whatever. Just some kind of peace.
Sorry gang. I left this on a weird, melancholic personal note. I take back everything I just said. My ultimate fantasy is to own a dozen miniature horses and create my own miniature horse farm and then make one bo-billion dollars with my multi-level marketing miniature horse scheme. There we go. Much better.
