There have been many notable ones, but I'll touch one two particular times.

This event probably spearheaded my distinct ability to remember dreams so well - be they good or bad. I (like many children) watched Stephen King's IT when I was rather young, and soon became TERRIFIED of Pennywise to the point I would have a nightmare every single night for something close to two or three years. Now, you can only dream about a killer clown monster so much before the mind starts doing RIDICULOUS events; when Pennywise decided to brain wash/brain control my grandmother and shave her head... Well, I was brought into the world of lucid dreaming. Any time I hear or see anything related to Stephen King's IT in a dream, I begin lucid dreaming.

Many years later I'm making a huge life decision that will negatively impact some family members. The stress was weight down on me quite a bit, and due to that, well... I started having the most gruesome nightmares I've ever experienced, in a chain of linking events. It lasted the course of a week and contained a variety of scenarios that didn't all place my personal self as the main aspect of the dream. Often I was someone else, but it didn't... register. Mutilation, being chased, hanging body pieces, blood (lots of blood), various types of killers, shadowy creatures that can infect to kill, and otherwise destroy things, people begging for their lives/screaming, watching people drop from high points... It was a pretty terrible week.

I don't typically get stressed to that point anymore, thankfully.

Snapzu has a lovely community - small though it may be. In a sense I'm glad, because I get to be a part of its growth at an earlier stage and perhaps become a bit more active around here than I ever was upon Reddit. A downside (which is merely an aesthetic thing, really) is I can't just hover over a thumbnail or link to see an image with Imagus* - Reddit has indeed made me lazy, what with my RES, nightmode, and hover-zooming.

Another fine point about Snapzu is the website interface, which is easy to understand and also a bit more engaging. Skinnyboy makes a great point about censorship, but we'll see how that turns out in time! I also concur wholeheartedly with their point on profiles, as I somewhat forgot how nice it is to set up a profile image and what not.

Edit: Forgot I use Imagus instead of HoverZoom now because Hoverzoom is ridden with all sorts of nasty stuff!

This has changed for me over the years a few times. Initially it was The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke, then it was The Giver by Lowis Lowry for many years, and while many will likely disagree with my current favourite book of all time... It's The Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice. There are several reasons for this, and none of which because I'm some vampire romanticist.

The writing style is what initially pulled me in, and kept me re-reading the book until it split in half from wear and tear (bought a new copy). It's a very unique flavour coupled with a first person view, which isn't often done well in literature. The main character himself is someone incredibly relatable - his aspirations for better, challenging things around him, his reactions to events forced on him are all very well emoted through words. Now, I'm not saying ALL the Vampire Chronicles are well-done, as I honestly haven't re-read Interview With The Vampire in years, nor have I read The Vampire Armand more than once. Blood and Gold, The Queen of the Damned, Blackwood Farm, and even Merrick are all volumes I've enjoyed over and over. Usually the others capture me for their dive into history, as Rice truly has a knack for weaving tales within the past.