SAVE US,

this is your destiny, to save us from the dark.

[guardscape-m]

this is a blog for ian goldstein, dream guardian of the east coast, and an oc of my own creation for 5 (?) years, by jack. ( 26, he/him, est, 18+. ) affiliated with @somnuis.

[guardscape-m]

hey can you please stop entering my dreams it's weird

can you stop being so god damn angry

[guardscape-m]

we had a good run (1 week)

[hotelstares]

Mandy, I am supposed to be your best friend. I am not some doormat for you to wipe your feet on when your life falls to crap. Do you even like Graham Lansing? Do you? Or is this all part of your con to get a letter for Harvard from his father? You know what? I— I don’t even care. I don’t, just— Have fun being an Everest, Mandy. 

[guardscape-m]

It starts just it always does - eyes opening wide. Ian looks around the vast emptiness of the world in front of him, various pieces of rubble floating around with a cyan glow. It's not unfamiliar to him, though he notices that his sight is a little lower than usual. As he moves past a reflective piece of glass that'd come off of a skyscraper, Ian sees the avatar he's taken up. It's him, of course it's him - but at 6 years old. Whoever was dreaming this up must've had a pretty vivid memory to know age.

As he moves through the dark world, he sees a giant tower constructed of whatever rubble was laying around, haphazardly. A shiver down his spine tells him exactly what or who constructed it. A few more shivers, and a woosh on his right side confirms it.

' Out of all your ominous schemes, this is by far the weirdest, ' Ian says under his breath. ' Really? Making me into a kid? You could've at least been accurate with my clothes. Where are my athletic shorts? ' The Boogeyman, standing extra tall in front of him, doesn't say a word. Smoke emits from her shoulders, side of her coat, and the top of her hat - she's not even trying to hide her true self around him.

' Where are we? And what are you gonna have me go up that tower for? '

@somnuis.

[guardscape-m]

[zanephillips]

Milo Manheim in School Spirits 1.02 “The Fault of Our Scars”

[guardscape-m]

@somnuis cont.

     Should a protector of the Dreamscape, someone good-hearted become engulfed with rage, it’d be a feast for a King of the Dark. Ian was no stranger to it, no one was. But sometimes, he wondered if it was his nature. After seeing so much anger, fear, destruction of the mind — it was no wonder that every once in a while, he felt like he understood the creature in front of him. Somnus, the malevolent beast of the living, understood him more than he thought.

     As he closed his eyes and took deep breaths, the coldness in the air and the shivers in his spine grew stronger. The Darkness itself loomed over his head, the tendrils of the Crown almost sticking to it. He felt the presence of it calling to him — Morpheus, MORPHEUS. Something so unnatural and yet just so. Ian open his eyes and the Darkness dissipates, the voices hissing as he looks right behind him, just to see who was putting their hand on his shoulder.

❛ Never. I’d never be your king, Somnus. But you don’t realize how dangerous that kind of power is. It’s made you sick. It’s hurting you now. Look at yourself. I know that you’re scared. That’s okay. I am too. You’ve seen it. But we can be better than this. We can ... ❜ He trails off, eyes lost in the abyss that’s stood in front of him. The Crown upon her head shifts again, taking shape of the Crown that was on his own head. Tones of all different colors, glowing faintly, make up the centerpiece.

❛ No. You’re too proud, aren’t you ? Well, my answer is still NO. ❜

[guardscape-m]

nobody’s here but the oppressors right now so i’m just gonna quickly thought dump some things i had about ian recently:

one thing i wanna touch on is the idea if everyone can be saved - can people who are bad in the awake world be “cured” by their experiences in the dreamscape and the darkness/somnus meddling with them? i think that if they’re visited by those two they end up being more aggressive in the awake world. almost as if they’re being like seasoned for a meal before they get eaten anyway. somnus and june do it for the sake of them being sick and wanting to harm others on purpose, because i think they are angry at the world for being so stagnant and making themselves feel in place. even though they aren’t working with the darkness, it helps its cause. anyway some food for thought

[guardscape-m]

wakeupwakeupwaKEUPWAKEUPWAKEUP!!!!!

     Ian’s eyes open to a room that’s pitch black. There’s no noise, no end in sight, nothing. Pure darkness — the place Guardians are afraid of. He turns around, desperately seeking an exit from this prison, only to look downward and see his reflection staring right up at him.

     A loud, angry voice booms inside his head — FOOL, I NEVER WOULD HAVE GUESSED THE THING YOU FEAR THE MOST IS YOURSELF.

     Ian grits his teeth, slams his fist to his own head to knock the beast out. The reflection below stares, smiling, mimicking his actions and injuries. “Why are you showing me this? What is this place?”

     THIS IS MY SANCTUM, THE PLACE YOU’RE TOLD TO NEVER GO. THE REALM OF FEAR. YOUR NEW HOME.

     “Stop it,” Ian retorts, bringing his hands to his head and never letting go. “This is just a nightmare, it’ll pass like it always does. You can’t last forever, you can’t make me stay here —” The monster laughs, clouding his vision. I CAN, IAN. AND I WILL. WHEN YOU BECOME MY NEWEST PARAGON, YOU’LL GET USED TO THE COLD.

     Ian’s eyes force themselves shut, the sound of silence slowly getting louder and overwhelming, white noise blaring every second until it stops. It’s pitch black. No noise, no end in sight, nothing. Except there’s another sound — one of a little girl sobbing, choking in between. Ian opens his eyes again and he sees where it’s coming from: a small, dark-haired girl, holding her blanket and shivering. The girl’s eye peeks from behind her blanket and locks with Ian’s for just a moment before hiding again. With still no way out but forward, Ian makes his way over to the young, scared little girl and crouches to her level.

     “Hey — it’s alright,” he says, a warm tone in a place so frozen. “Listen — I know it’s scary here. But I’m not scary. I promise, okay?” The girl stops shivering for a moment, slowly lifting the blanket down to look at Ian again. “Loud...the monster is so loud,” the girl explains. “It won’t leave me alone.”

     “I got news for you. As long as I’m around, it won’t hurt you.” Ian lifts up his pinky finger, the ultimate sign of trust. “Swear on it.” The girl’s own pinky slowly pops out from behind her blanket, linking into his tightly. The bond lets the room glow just a little bit, a smile reflected on both of them. “You just gotta tell me your name first. I’m Ian.”

     “Bela,” the girl replies. “My name is Bela.”

[guardscape-m]

     THE GUARDIAN BURSTS OPEN THE DOORWAY leading into the newest nightmare — and if he knew any better, he could be awake. he emerges in a thin aisle. the floor is vibrating, a few bumps in the road. the door behind him closes, and he realizes that he’s crossing the country. the smells of the coach bus catch up with him too, and he wonders why dreams had to be so real for a few moments. ian lowers himself down a little and peers around the seats. vague travellers — people he’d seen and never seen before. but since it wasn’t their dream, something of the mind, some of them had blank faces. just bodies. no features, no nothing. a common symptom of a free and empty mind, ian found. someone perfect for the darkness to eat. but as he moves closer towards the middle of the aisle, the faces start to have more detail. more features. eyes, mouth, nose, all coming in. these are people the dreamer knew. which means he’s close ...

ian peers over the seat of someone clearly not seated for the trip. she’s bouncing around in her seat, nervous, not able to keep still. she looks around the bus, out the window as far as she can, and suddenly, to ian.

❛ Hey, it’s okay, ❜ he begins. ❛ I’m not gonna hurt you, alright ? It’s just a bus, a big ... smelly .... ❜ his voice trails off as he stares forward through the window. cars have stopped. people are getting out of their cars, panicking, screaming. the cars begin to slam to the sides of the road, the railings clanging in a gigantic roar.

     ❛ Bus. ❜ the road is clear now. it’s parted - nothing in its way, and the bus keeps moving. accelerating. gravity’s at play ? sometimes dreams get a little too real. ian falls backwards a few seats, hand barely gripping onto one of them. he pops back up with a horrifying realization — this isn’t what she’s dreaming about. this is someone else’s. and he knows exactly who.

❛ Excuse me for one second, ❜ he huffs as he makes his way to the front, struggling to keep up. he’s a few seats behind the driver, making his way into an unoccupied one. ❛ SLOW DOWN, ARE YOU CRAZY !? ❜ he knows the answer. he knows the danger. he’s close.

     the faceless passengers start to convulse, shake and shake until they almost vibrate — he’s at the source of the nightmare, and she doesn’t like it.

@somnuis.

[guardscape-m]

     THE NIGHT IS YOUNG and so are they — the Paragons of Fear have an entire evening ahead of them in furthering their plans. The former Guardian arrives to meet her promptly where she’d told him to, and is faced with only her back. Classic, is what he would say, once. Now, the weapon, Morpheus, simply lowers and stands on one knee. His arm drapes over his chest and waits for her to turn to him. But he doesn’t go unnoticed.

     ❛ It’s time to go, ❜ he calls. ❛ There must be plenty of fear out there to sustain us for the coming weeks. ❜

@somnuis.

[guardscape-m]

somnuis​.

         ❝ God, you seem tense  ––  does your sense of humor suffer when you’re stressed out? ❞    That is, admittedly, a slip of character. Not fatally so, but certainly less mysterious and foreboding than she had originally sought out to be.  THE VOID SPEAKS;   a ringing in her head, not so much a word but a reminder, loud and obnoxious.  She centers herself on the task at hand, bringing a finger to her temple to shut out the noise.

          ❝ Alright, ❞  she says,  tone relenting.    ❝ I can tell you my name.  In the spirit of fairness. ❞   Inch by inch, she’ll allow only the most minute budging.   She takes gentle steps towards him,  wondering at what point he’ll push back  ––  testing the limits of his caution.   ❝ Though I think you know who I am. ❞  She smiles,  again knowing it to be imperceptible to him.  It’s a playful tease;  she continues nearly immediately,   ❝ I’m what the Guardians dream of.   The thing in nightmares. ❞  Cheesy  ––   she’ll allow it.  She’s playing a part,  and it’s good fun.   ❝ I’m the Boogeyman. ❞

          She peers down and scrapes at the floor with her heel,  a blue afterglow following her tracks in such a way that allows her to spell out a word, however fleeting.  

                                            [    S  O  M  N  U  S    ]

     The Boogeyman was just a scary story. Something the babysitters and older siblings of the world made up to get a fright out of the children who carried the imaginative weight of the dreamscape as they both knew it. But to hear the other so confidently say it, the gravitas in that voice, and to watch the the world manipulated in the MONSTER’S favor — Ian had no choice but to believe. Not that the Boogeyman wasn’t real. Whoever this was MADE IT REAL.

     There’s a lump in his throat as the name spells in front of him, the word hanging over the both of them. SOMNUS ... SOMNUS ... SOMNUS ... he’s heard it before. All over, actually — it’d been underlying in every dream he’d pillaged, every person he saved. And the ones he didn’t — they said it louder. But this creature claimed to be familiar to him. He knows....does he ? ❛ What the hell are you talking about ? ❜ He asks, staring into the abyss that was Somnus. ❛ If I know you...then how come I’ve never heard of you ? The Guardians have never mentioned you before. And I know this place front to back. ❜

     He motions with his arm and the mist around them moves in the same forward direction, a half-hearted attempt to get some semblance of light in the silhouette’s stead. No dice. The thing that was Somnus still remained pitch black. Running out of options, Ian flicks the kill switch. ❛ Did the Darkness send you ? ❜

[guardscape-m]

somnuis​.

                 𝑠ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑑𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑦𝑠𝑡𝑒𝑟𝑦 𝑜𝑓 𝑠ℎ𝑎𝑑𝑜𝑤𝑠,  she finds herself not comfortable,  but confident,  of her secrecy  &  trickery.  a cockiness which allowed her an advantage,  even when losing,   as she spoke out with a voice far from her own,  distorted at every syllable.  the static which loosely composed her figure moved haphazard with her own cadence,  stretching inwards and out,  nearly reaching towards him.   ❝ My name? Would you like to ask me 𝚑𝚘𝚠 𝙸 𝚊𝚖, as well? ❞ 

                  the loveliest thing about dreams is the inability to keep things straight.  one moment she stands in front of him,  the next behind,  body split into spaces and inhabiting corners simultaneously  ––  nightmares visible between the lines.  she was not metaphorically a walking terror,  but had physically taken the form.  she was inhuman,    a leech in the subconscious.  ❝ I know your 𝐧𝐚𝐦𝐞 already, Ian.  I know your job. ❞ 

                   she supposed her smile was lost on him,  being so intangible,  but she hoped it could be heard as she continued,  quiet but firm.    ❝ I know 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑡𝘩𝑖𝑛𝑔 about you. ❞ 

     the dreamscape is not tangible, ian. it’s never real. the barricade was never going to work, and he knew it — but he felt compelled to stay in place as he heard the other’s voice. it was unlike anything he’d ever prepared for before, in every nightmare he’d seen, nothing was as paralyzing as the monster’s voice. perhaps it was something amplified by the darkness — but it felt too much like its own malevolence to be that. ian grimaces as the shadow moves in front of him, next to him, behind him. the world turns cold.

      ❛ That seems a little one sided, doesn’t it ? ❜ ian asks, his habits never breaking. his fist clenches — trying to keep some sense of control in this realm was easy until now. ❛ If you know everything about me, then why don’t I know anything about you ? It’s just us two in here, Jack. We’ve got time. I can wait. ❜ one breath. two. if you feel like you’re losing yourself, ian, take it slow. you will find your way back. even in the darkest of dreams. his eyes close now, vision blending in with the creature in front of him. the room outlines itself into the blue he knows of the dreamscape, and he lets them open.

❛ Tell me who you are. Tell me why you’re killing these people. ❜

[guardscape-m]

    ❛ STOP ! ❜ the guardian’s hand reaches out, a blue, transparent barricade emerging in front of the silhouetted other in front of him. after weeks, months, maybe, of chasing them out of nightmares, foiling their disasters, playing catch-up to the corpses left behind —— this was the end. he’d make sure of it.

    ❛ no more irish goodbyes. i’ve been looking for you for longer than you’d been playing around with dreams. you don’t know what’s at stake here. and i don’t even know who you are. so why don’t we just turn around and have a little chat, and then i’ll let both of us go home. sound fair ? and we can excuse your jack the ripper cosplay too. ❜ the barricade slowly starts to fizzle out as he lowers his hand, and allows the intruder the chance to face him.

    ❛ why don’t we start with names ? i’m ian, and it’s my job to protect this realm from the darkness, and whoever you are. alright, now it’s your turn. ❜

@somnuis.

[guardscape-m]

also in a way somnus is very self-fulfilling by being alone with the darkness and almost ripping ian from that. in an offshoot setting where say ian's parents and loved ones are taken away from him, i think it's entirely possible for him to become susceptible to the same negative emotions that the darkness thrives in. the darkness influenced somnus to drift away though and in this hypothetical it would be somnus herself that causes ian to turn or experience this sudden shift

[guardscape-m]

thoughts this evening about how ian put his faith and trust in his second identity into bela only for her to complete turn it around and reveal to him that she was indeed the very thing he was saving people from...i think something i have yet to truly explore is just how much it does sting for ian, because he sees exactly where the darkness was able to eat at somnus' fears and use it against her. instead, part of it is longing for her to be just bela, and him dealing with the fact that there's someone out there somehow worse than the most evil thing to ever exist