I could have fully leaned on becoming the demon you think we are, but then I realised being intimidating and feral every night as you lie there helpless is pastiche, you know?
So, hello, welcome to the site!
Obviously, I’m not the best in my line of work. I prefer you awake so I can actually have a conversation. Then again, you won’t get to see me and I can’t influence your dreams.
That’s why we’re here! People start and end their days holding their phones, and so I might as well post about my interests here like anime, books, dungeons and dragons, and other things. Then have you read it so you have context when you’re hallucinating while I’m there.
Look at me, a supernatural entity having worldly interests. If I had money, I’d have spent it all on that.
I admit, I’m most likely just bored. But hey, you’re already scared right, I might as well make it interesting for you.
Anyway—do you know what sleep paralysis is?
It’s a glitch in your brain that happens between wakefulness and deep slumber.
Once you reach REM sleep, the dreams become more vivid, intense. Then your brain does this clever thing when it turns on a switch that paralyses your body and prevents you from acting out your dream.
Useful, isn’t it?
Think about some of the more graphic dreams that you’ve had.
Go ahead and take a minute.
Was it a good dream? One of those happy memories dredged up from your years in school. When your crush walked in looking tired and haggard from climbing the stairs, and you for one reason or another felt love for the first time.
Was it a nightmare? An embarrassing moment being played in a loop. Silhouettes of people looming over you, guffawing as if they’ve seen nothing more than a big joke standing in front of them — you, helpless and alone. Their faces begin to carve wide, grinning lips, sharp teeth visible from where you stand.
Sometimes that switch fails.
If I ask you which of these you’d rather live out, I think I know the answer.
But you never get a choice, do you?
The worst thing about nightmares is insomnia.
As I’m writing this, those of us on shift are waiting patiently for you to sleep.
When your brain inadvertently wakes up and your body is still paralysed, you’re stuck in that paradoxical state between being awake and asleep. The vivid imagery of REM spilling over like a dream forcing its way into your reality — that’s our gateway. Like a vampire waiting to be invited into a space, that’s how we appear in yours.
It’s easy to assume we’re malevolent because of how we look once we’re there. The moniker ‘sleep paralysis demon’ is totally understandable. But some of us don’t mean harm, honest!
Here’s a trade secret: we don’t need you to be afraid. Not too much at least. I was told it’s the vulnerability we feed on more than the fear.
We just happen to look hunched over, red eyes glowing in the dark, fanged and ready to pounce. If it makes it any easier, just think of me as jetlagged next time you see me.
But for most, that’s traumatising.
Each night you anticipate seeing a ghostly figure in your bedroom, when really it’s just a string bean looking demon about to tell you the latest manga leaks. Scary!
So you don’t sleep! Then you develop insomnia because you don’t want to see us.
That’s why we follow schedules now and can’t visit every night. Insomnia is bad for business, but worse than that, it’s bad for me! I don’t want to hang out with these guys. 🥺
On the bright side, I have more time in between shifts to click on ‘Continue watching’ for the nth time, and add to the off-grey scuff mark on my wall from throwing books when I’m feeling overwhelmed.
And I have more time to collect the stories I want to share with you!
At night.
Through your nightmares.
While looking the way I do.
Yikes. 😬
Melatonin gummies are berry-flavoured nightmares.
I tried ZzzQuil for a while, and they taste great!
They really shouldn’t have made those into melatonin candies because I’ve downed gummies five at a time.
Of course, that means even I’m getting the side effects, which I’m told isn’t normal for us.
It’s weird to be upstaged by gummy candies.
My nightmares were horrifying. They were like a chimaera of memories chasing me in places that I think should’ve been familiar to me. I was seeing people I don’t remember call out to me for help, and I couldn’t get to them because it felt like I was running through sludge.
See? If All Might had been there he could just Carolina Smash our way out of that ordeal. If all of the night creatures had their own sleep entities who had a pinch of imagination, one of them would have added a random concert from 4Town.
Suffice it to say, I take the melatonin gummies only when I want to remember.
Anyway—this is just a long winded way of saying I hope you enjoy your stay. And may your dreams be sweet and nerdy.