Characters in fiction are imaginary. Now extend the fact that characters that are imaginary within a work of fiction, and you get Dream People. They might be inhabitants of Dreamland or hallucinations, but that doesn't mean they don't have hopes and fears. If the real characters know about the imaginary nature of the Dream People,
they may or may not stop caring about their well-being.
Ghosts are a separate trope.
Virtual entities are covered by
Projected Man and
Digital Avatar.
Compare
Imaginary Friend,
Intangible Man.
See also
Dream Land,
Dream Apocalypse.
Examples:
Anime And Manga
Film
Literature
- Edgar Rice Burroughs' Barsoom novel Thuvia, Maid of Mars: The inhabitants of Lothar are able to mentally create illusions of the ancient warriors of the city. One of the warriors is created so often that he becomes real.
- In Solaris, the mysterious "visitors" that appear on the ship are doppelgangers of the crew members' loved ones.
- An Elegy For The Still Living: The entire cast, even including Francis.
- Tommy Hazzard in The Boyfriend List.
Live-Action TV
- Harry Morgan and Brian Moser in later seasons of Dexter, since the resulting Dead Person Conversations are more to different aspects of his subconscious than the actual people themselves.
Tabletop Games
- Manes in Genius The Transgression are the inhabitants of pocket realities called Bardos. They're rather fragile outside Bardos.
- Changeling The Lost likewise features Incubi, ranging from simple "background players" to more aggressive concepts, such as Succubi, Night Hags, and a sentient play that convinces the actors to kill each other in a fit of jealousy.
Video Games
Webcomics
- Zimmy's mental constructs in Gunnerkrigg Court.
- Disconcertingly, they're not quite people; their faces are scribbles that vaguely resemble QR codes, except not.
- 9th Elsewhere: Carmen's dreamscape is inhabited by figments, each of which represents a different aspect of her personality.
