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RyanWC — Dark Room
Published: 2013-07-05 22:01:50 +0000 UTC; Views: 12737; Favourites: 538; Downloads: 16
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Description
Darkness is one of the most frightening things that I believe humans have to live with. One of the reasons I have created this picture is because of how darkness has related to me. On several occasions I have awakened from a deep sleep only to see dark creepy figures hovering around my bed. I am awake and alert, and I know the things that I see are probably not real, but I cannot help but think "what if this time it's real?"Related content
Comments: 157
Oh my God, I can't believe I'm just now seeing this! I already started watching you a while ago, but now I feel like I really need to take another look at your gallery because I missed this awesome piece of artwork! This is just incredible and seriously something that deserves a lot better and well-thought out feedback then I'm giving, but I really felt the need to tell you how this made me feel. This makes me think of childhood, where one of the only things that really made me feel "alive" was ironically the things that scared me the most. Almost nothing scared me, and that was also a problem and something that I'm not proud of because it's gotten me into some trouble, but I would try and find things that were "scary" in order to invoke that feeling of adrenaline in me. Whenever I'd get sleep paralysis, I'd be terrified thinking I was being choked by a shadow figure or pulled inside my bed into the darkness where I'd die, and I'd want it to stop. But then after that happened, I'd always think about it for hours and crave for that feeling I felt when it happened to happen to me again, and thus I would constantly try and find movies or anything to give me that feeling, but almost always, nothing would. I remember my book The Encyclopedia of Things That Never Were, and how there was a 'dark side' chapter that went into so many different mythological creatures from different countries that had these dark stories behind them, and then the artwork was incredible! Then the Scary Stories to Tell in The Dark series didn't have a bunch of really well written stories, but the artwork was something else, and these things defined both the joy and terror of my childhood, the start of me spending a bunch of time analyzing why anything made me feel and why something is the way it is, and that introspection has also helped me as well as made me feel awkward, but that drive for understanding has later in life inspired me to make friends and help others. This is like looking into my childhood, the best and worst parts of it, the awkward and yet the oddly charming bits that helped shape me into who I am today. And so thank you for sharing this on deviantart.
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Oh wow, what a comment! Thank you.
I'm glad that this picture had such a connection with you. I enjoy learning that people are impacted by my work.
I can relate to the sleep paralysis and the semi-lucid state of seeing strange things. It has taken time to stop fearing it and to enjoy being on the edge of dreams. My mind paints such wildly vivid creatures and ethereal-like beings. Sometimes they appear fully sentient, and it always intrigues me what they do. I awake to always catch them doing something, like watching me or moving about. And they always appear surprised when I lay my eyes on them. It's truly a exciting experience and challenges my perception of what is and is not real.
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You're welcome! And yes, I really enjoy your artwork, but this one really left a lasting impact because of how I can relate to it.
It's a very interesting experience, especially for me because I have mind-blindness. I never knew that that was a thing until recently (always thinking that it was a little exaggerated and not actually happening when somebody said they could picture something in their head). Dreams were always an amazing thing for me, and especially nightmares, like being sucked into an entirely different world, but sleep paralysis, with as terrifying as it was, it was the most stress-inducing and yet oddly best moments to feel alive in my young life. I remember thinking of how crazy it was back then, but it was what taught me to really use introspection to question everything, and that later got me into psychology and sociology and helped me a lot with both my writing and my ability to not take sides whenever evaluating a situation and seeing things from new perspectives.
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Thanks 
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Your art is great, You should know that according to my Dr and also what I've read, that sometimes when people wake up in the dark, that because your eyes see only darkness (an absence of light) the dreaming part of the mind may continue to process images and thoughts related to what you're thinking at that waking moment (sometimes related to the dream, or a new random thought) and the eyes are only seeing darkness, but the mind is superimposing (adding) thoughts as images, and it mentally seems to be as if you're seeing this with your eyes, but your not, the brain continues to create images and they seem to be in the room, until you turn on a light, or it stops on it's own, my spelling may be incorrect but it's called Hypnogogic hallucinations, and they are not mental disorder
Another odd thing, is while we sleep the brain keeps us in a state of temporary paralysis, or we'd all be moving around, acting out our dreams, that's a normal biological brain function, but sometimes a person consciously wakes up but is unable to move, and because we think we're awake, we begin to panic, thinking we are experiencing some kind of attack or being held down by (Aliens, Demons, Succubus, Incubus etcetera) but we're just partially awake to a degree, but the body unable to move, to prevent things like sleepwalking or acting out dream movements, I have experienced both of these dream related abnormalities many times in the past, and they usually go away at some point, the cause of these things is random brain function as we start to think consciously just before waking up, but the brain continues to keep the body immobile, there are no invisible beings in your room, so try to remember that, if it happens again. Again Really Great Art.
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Thanks.
I researched this subject quite a bit and came across this same information.
While it used to be frightening, It happens so much that I have come to almost expect it. I actually enjoy just watching the weird things my mind can come up with.
One time I was sleeping on my back, and for some reason I just opened my eyes. What I saw was an alien-looking creature with translucent skin that was glowing with a soft blue light.
I could see this light coursing through the vascular tissue of his face. He was bent over with his upper torso and head being the only thing I could see as it was projecting through my wall.
His head was positioned about 8 inches away, and directly over mine, but in the opposite direction.
I found the next part interesting because it felt almost sentient. When I opened my eyes it was moving slowly back through the wall it was poking through.
But for some reason it stopped moving. It felt as if it was curious as to why I was awake or why I was just looking back at it instead of panicking.
For whatever reason it began to move closer to my head again. But this time I became fearful, and it caused it to stop. Then after wishing it were gone,
it disappeared through the wall.
Sometimes I wish I didn't panic because I was curious as to what it would do. Even if it was my own creation, it would be interesting known what my subconscious mind would communicate to me.
Could I talk to it? That would have been interesting to find out.
Anyways, it was an interesting experience. One I probably won't forget.
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Love this Ryan! Reminds me of The Creep from "CREEPSHOW" 1982. Just beautiful my friend!
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Then make friend with the dark as i make Death my company.
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That's an interesting phrase. I think it matches the picture quite well. Thanks.
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That's the truth my friend. That's exactly the thing i had done to overcome fear by becoming his friend.
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I love the drawings. They're a really nice touch to convey that this has happened before!
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The 3 winning entries are good decorative art.
Had I suspected that was what was really desired
by the judges, I would've submitted accordingly.
Congrats to the winners.
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i don't know what else to say... LOVE IT!!!!!
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Yeah, I guess it does have a little kid as the main object of haunt just like the movie.
Thanks.
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I love the details in this piece! Like the pictures on the walls and the floor depicting this scary monster. And the lighting effects are awesome. This piece is just gorgeous. And creepy of course.
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Thank you for the compliments. They are an encouragement.
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Awesome job on your entry for the contest and congrats for winning 2nd place!
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Thank you. I am very pleased to win.
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That looks sweet! And congratulations on getting 2nd place!
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I'm glad you think so. Thanks.
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