Written by Jonathan Wojcik
NIGHTMARE BEINGS 2016: Part II
With Artwork by Skincoats!
The Nightmare Beings feature has already grown exponentially since the first time, and we have a lot of guest artists contributing this year! If you're one of them, remember to remind me on tumblr or through my email when you've finished your drawings!EGGIPEDES
The idea of a worm or centipede-like entity formed from eggs, or embryos, is one you probably won't be surprised to know I've considered before, but it looks like pelican's subconscious beat me to it with much more interesting flair than I'd have managed. While this one isn't a "nightmare," we've never really been strict about how scary the dream has to be. I'm sure someone out there finds the thought of these cute little guys kind of chilling.
MATRIARCH
A lot of great characteristics here. There's always something especially horrifying about a creature that means no harm from its own perspective and simply can't be reasoned with from where we stand. I hope that if they did work things out, they didn't hurt her feelings too much.
A FRUIT TREE
What is it about fruit with faces on it that's so much ickier to me than other things you might slap a face onto? Maybe it's just that a fruit is kind of like a plant womb and placenta that only exists to be eaten or to fall off and rot. Kaible also mentions in a following commment that the fruit-heads may have been inspired by the disquieting mascot for the long-gone Happy Eater restaurant.
GRANDMA
Rabbits are always such a good choice for horror. Our culture traditionally sees them as one of the most disarmingly innocent of all animals, and they look like it, even if their lives are closer to how Watership Down portrays them. We don't really know if Grandma is really a rabbit, though, or just something horribly just-nearly rabbit shaped.
TOO MANY FACES
Streamlining and stylizing these descriptions without losing the important details is really quite an accomplishment. I was having difficulty even picturing these beings.
THE "BIRD"
Something about this dream story gives me a sense of deja vu, like I might have had a dream of my own with some brown, soaring object. For a nightmare, this also has surprisingly cohesive pacing and build-up, a perfect little spook tale all on its own.
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