bakerstreet | The Things That Bump in the Night Meme

The Things That Bump in the Night Meme

Things That Go Bump in the Night: The Meme

They're the things that go bump in the night. As long as man has been telling stories, they have been passing along tales of the dark, the supernatural, the otherworldly. And it seems they're recruiting.

Maybe it was a science experiment gone wrong. Perhaps something bit you. Maybe an ancient ritual tainted your soul and transformed you into a servant of darkness. Or maybe you've always been this way. Whatever you thought you knew before, you're one of Them now. What happens next?

Rules (Do you guys even need these anymore?):

1. Post with your character name, fandom and preferences.
2. People reply to you using RNG (or not) to pick an option; up to you which character is affected by monstrosity - maybe both are!
3. Roleplay
4. Have fun!

1. Zombie. The quintessential undead. Zombies are reanimated corpses created sometimes by ancient shamanism, and other times by biological experimentation. Their mobility has eroded, higher brain functions decomposed into the basest instinct. Their continued survival revolves around sating their irrepressible need for human flesh. May or may not come accompanied by an apocalypse.

2. Vampire. The human leech. Vampires are an affront to religions, burned by the purity of sunlight and holy water alike. They prey on weaker humans, draining them of their blood. Many vampiric stories suggest that they are striking figures, with eyes capable of dominating the will of others. Feel free to supplement this with your canon's vampire conventions of choice (even the sparkly kind if the mood strikes you!).

3. Demon. Hell is a very real place, with a host of native creatures that specialize in the misery of and torture of mankind. There are the demons who seek to make contracts and collect human souls, and the mischievous oni. Terrible temptations come from demons like the sex-infused incubus and succubus. An then there are the less-humanoid creatures, like the two-headed Cerberus and multi-limbed tentacle creatures...

4. Mummy. In some cultures, a person of importance is revered even in death. Their bodies are rigorously maintained during the mummification process, ensuring that the deed will be forever preserved in in all their splendor. Do mind the Mummy's Curse though. They're said to be terribly fatal.

5. Werewolf. The passionate canine hybrid. After suffering the bite of one, hapless victims are swayed by the pull of the full moon, transformed into grotesque wolfmen lacking human sentience. How will you handle your curse?

6. Creation. Think about that abomination Frankenstein created. A brilliant scientist tries to play God and strings together the corpses of a dozen dead bodies to create life from death. Or perhaps the scientist had different motives in mind. Was your brain placed into a new body? Have your genes been spliced into some other inhuman beast? Or is this your first moment alive as a tabula rasa waiting to be educated anew? Beware the pitchfork-waving mob.

7. Plant Creature. They say plants grow better when people talk to them. Sometimes they just grow hungry. Sometimes they grow curious. And sometimes prolonged contact leaves a person feeling different about the world. Whether your concern is sex pollen or just in an ordinary Happening, be kind to the clorophyll-filled creatures in our midst.

8. Faeries. Beware the fey folk. They are the trickster creatures of folk legend, tiny winged things that find their joy in mischief. Faeries are nature's tricksters, merrily tangling the hair of sleepers and stealing small-but-important belongings just to watch the chaos that erupts from their disappearance. In particular, a faery ring holds tremendous charm: humans are known to stumble into them and be lured into dancing with the pixies until they either die or fall to madness.

9. Ghosts. People like to tell themselves that frightening noises can be attributed to mundane things, like house settling. Those people are deluding themselves. Ghosts are the spirits of the restless dead, who have much to accomplish but very little sway over the earthly coil they used to inhabit. Be it a poltergeist or other remnant of the spirit world, tread carefully. Some have been known to stop at nothing to achieve their goals, including possessing living bodies.

10. Sea Creature. It came from the black lagoon. Some of them are the mutant result of toxic waste dumping. Other sea creatures, like mermaids, are carefree nymphs who just don't understand that not everyone can breathe underwater. And then others, like the Sirens, simply enjoy the delicious taste of human flesh. And if you happen by a lake, take care around old Nessie. She can be just a bit irritable sometimes.

11. That frightening noise in the distance is something else entirely. But the calls are still coming from inside the house.

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[ LITERALLY A WEREWOLF ]

[Wow. I'm amazed anyone plays him, to be honest. Is there any sort of scene you're interested in? I can write a starter, but I don't know what you'd be interested in.]

[ omg a yarne! honestly i will roll with whatever you'd like to do, but if you need a more specific answer to help with the starter i'm chill with horror or awkward 'i can't believe my neighbour/random comrade we picked up/etc is actually a supernatural creature' reveals ]

[oh, man, i love werewolf horror...but just the idea that yarne has to exist in close proximity to any sort of wolf (wolfman or real wolf) is hilarious to me, too. um. hmm. i'd honestly love to say "i can't decide" but that would get us nowhere, so. h...orror? just unfortunate bunny man passing through where he shouldn't? i can write that up if that's something you're up for!]

Edited (already made a typo sorry) 2016-01-19 07:16 (UTC)

[ I'M SO SORRY YARNE YOU ARE GOING TO HAVE A HECK OF A SHOCK...i am definitely up for something like that, no problems! ]

[When it comes from moving from camp to camp safely by yourself, there are certain things you’re never supposed to do. Yarne knows all of them by heart, he counts on them for survival. First, you don’t head into creepy forests by yourself where you could easily get lost or trapped or hunted in. The fact that he’s breaking the first of his many survival rules is just proof that his life is a living nightmare that alternates between zombie warriors threatening him with extinction and comrades swinging swords around a little too carelessly during training threatening him with extinction as well. Today, though, it’s the Risen.

And, lucky for Yarne, he’s given them the slip. Once he’s sure they’re out of his range, he exhales a breath he’d been saving, a loud sigh that alerts maybe a few too many forest animals. But he’s safe! He’s definitely safe, and he stands behind a tree rubbing his neck while watching to make sure nothing else comes barreling after him. His entire body relaxes and, for a moment, he looks almost peaceful before he starts hurrying back through the forest.

It takes him only twenty steps before something else strikes him. He can’t resist crying out in surprise, but he lifts a hand to his mouth to force himself to shut up. All of the fur on his body is on end, and he can feel it in the air. It’s...it’s not Risen, it’s a worse feeling, the kind of feeling you get when you’re a rabbit person walking by dogs in town amplified by about a thousand. He cautiously looks around, every muscle tense as he waits for some sort of sign. He knows he’s in trouble, how could he not.

But he’s stupid enough to speak up anyways.]

Um...hellooo?

[He’s going to die. This is it. His beast stone rests comfortably against his chest, but it isn’t going to do him any good if he can’t see what’s here.]

[ooc; If this doesn't work, let me know! I'm also open to it going from horror to comedy of errors or something or however you want to play it.]

[ ooc: this is absolutely fine, no worries! ]

[ This journey has been an interesting one. Townsfolk expressed their concerns at seeing a man of his age traveling abroad, but he'd thanked them and moved on, only concerned at the rumors of animate dead in the area.

After all, where he finds such warriors, he might find traces of his master, who takes an interest in such things.

He disposes of any that come his way easily - they're significantly outclassed by his skill, and he comes out of it without a scratch. But...

There's something else here. He can smell it. It's different to the laguz he's met before, but...it's similar, at the same time. The fact that he can't quite discern it frustrates him; he growls and shifts, stalking forward, not answering the voice that echoes through the forest.

For Yarne, he gets no answer but a rumbling growl, somewhere off to his right, and that feeling getting closer. ]

E-eeekph!

[That sure is a growl. A dangerous growl. Yarne would definitely rate it in the top three growls he's ever heard, and his first instinct is to open his mouth and let out a loud yelp-scream. It ends up strangled because he covers his mouth again. He really needs to work on not letting wild animals know where he is, this is bad, this is really bad.

His legs are already shaking—how much longer does he have to keep on running? His heart is pounding in his chest as he slowly turns in a circle, trying to face where the sound came from. For a taguel like him, the growl was even louder than the beast likely intended, but he easily picked out the direction it came from.

The feeling of dread gets stronger inside him. He's already sweating, but he carries the threat of extinction on his shoulders. If this were out in a field, he'd transform, but he can't see anything with the branches blocking out the moon, he can only make out the space in front of him.

This is going to end badly.

But he still darts off to the left without any indication that he's about to do so. He's not going to give up, even if he feels like this is just about to be the worst night of his life.]

[ He draws closer to his target, attempting to recognise the scent with all the other smells of rot and natural life to deal with; he thinks he can just about remember - but then the source of it is off again, running off into the forest.

He growls in frustration and picks up the pace - it's easy enough to tell where his 'prey' went, though he's unable to go very fast because of the same problem Yarne is facing. Still, he makes enough noise as he leaps through the brush for the taguel to pick up on the fact that his pursuer is still hot on his trail. ]

[It might be a bit easier if Yarne could smell his pursuer, too, or if he was moving in his beast form. But he can't dwell on the "ifs," he has to keep running. Stray branches scratch at the exposed skin on his arms and legs as he runs, and he's not exactly shy about throwing himself through some bushes, too.

It's like he's a different person compared to the Yarne on the battlefield. He's moving entirely by instinct, entirely out of a desire to run and escape or reverse who has the upper hand here. Instinct can't carry him too far, not when he's still a teenager lacking in experience, but he's doing the damned best he can.

But those sounds are still coming closer and closer. His beast stone remains on his chest, swaying around wildly as Yarne runs, but it's not going to be of any use to him if he can only use it once his pursuer has sunk fangs into him.]

Go away! I'm...I'm not gonna let you catch me!

[Anything is worth a try, right? He winces as another branch scratches the side of his face—it's probably only going to be a matter of time before he falls or makes a blunder, but for now he's fighting hard.]

[ He's well-disciplined, and though the chase is on, his blood doesn't run hot. He only wants to get a good look at this strange person that he can't recognise by scent (or, perhaps more accurately, it's a scent he hasn't encountered for a very long time).

Yarne's blundering progress creates obstacles for Valkenhayn to leap over and weave around (and in one case, almost trip on, to his eternal shame. He's getting out of shape.) In response to the defiant 'go away' he simply growls again, more questioning (and slightly irritated) than aggressive. He just wants to get an actual look at you, child.

That really doesn't help Yarne's nerves, though, especially since Valkenhayn is now close enough that if Yarne happens to look back, he can see bright blue eyes glowing in the darkness. ~~Good job, Valk.~~

Though he's caught up in the hunt, he pushes himself a little more - because he can sense that there are other things moving in the darkness, now. It's best if he catches up to this runner before something much nastier than him does. ]

Edited 2016-01-19 13:44 (UTC)

[Maybe the worst part is that if there are other things out there, Yarne hasn't even begun to pick up on them yet. He's so focused on the creature that's moving behind him that he just has to keep running, eyes straining in the dark to make sure he doesn't miss something. Yarne's luck doesn't last forever—he does miss something, a fallen tree, and he runs right into it, banging his legs all over the rotted wood.

That's painful as hell, but he places a hand on it and vaults over it, a momentary cry of pain forcing itself out of his lips despite his best attempts to rein it in. He doesn't need his predator to know he's in pain.

The last thing he wants is to be caught, and to that end he's not turning around, even as an unfamiliar sound starts reaching his long, furred ears. Running water. He's near the river again, he can follow that out of the forest, maybe, he can—

That momentary distraction costs him what he thinks is everything at the time. A root catches his ankle and Yarne fails to recover, only managing to move to the side before falling and rolling a short distance down a hill, coming to rest right before a bush. The last thing he sees before he falls is a pair of two eyes floating in the distance, a sight that sends chills down his spine, but the tumble guarantees it's going to be a few seconds before he's standing and another few before he can run.

So, this might be extinction.]

[ As a human, he would have grimaced; as a wolf, he merely whines a little as he runs, the light just clear enough to watch his target first smack into a fallen tree and then trip over.

He slows his pace - no need to run now - and pads over to his fallen 'prey'. Now that Yarne can see his pursuer, it's...not very comforting either, really. The wolf - and it is clearly a wolf, despite the folded ears being more reminiscent of a dog - is well-built and quite a bit bigger than a normal one.

The wolf slowly approaches. And...

Valkenhayn pokes at Yarne's ear with a curious paw for a moment, then shakes his head. Now that the scent is clear, he knows why he was confused. He hasn't met a taguel in a long time, and for good reason. To any potential prey, though, his evaluating pause is easily interpreted as "thinking about whether to rip your throat out or not."

Just for a shade of surreal comedy in such a terrifying situation, from where Yarne is currently sprawled he can see the wolf's fluffy tail. There is a pink ribbon tied in a neat bow on it. ]

Edited 2016-01-19 14:06 (UTC)

[His mother would be so disappointed. That's one of the things he's thinking about, what Yarne thinks might be the last thing he ever gets a chance to think about. Wolves are always so dangerous, mistaking him for food...to think it'd be a combination of Risen and wolves that get him to this point.

He really doesn't want to die, but he's also still reading the situation completely wrong, but can anyone blame him?

Thanks to that fall, he has a few open cuts on his body, scrapes, bruises, mud in his fur. He groans, keeping his hands in front of him as he prepares to sit up, but the wolf is already over him, touching his ear. Yarne's eyes are filled with fear, his heart is racing, but there's still a little fire left in him as he bleeds and lays there looking like an idiot.]

Y-you can't eat me, okay?! I'll...I'll punch you in the face if you try!

[There's still fear behind his words even as he notes movement behind the wolf. A flash of pink catches his eye, and—]

Wait, what?!

[He probably shouldn't be yelling considering the situation, but he's still waiting for that wolf to attempt to dive for his throat.]

[ Valkenhayn whuffs softly and backs off a little at that declaration, amused with the child's spirit. In a way, it reminds him of people he knew, before he began this long journey.

He is doing the exact opposite of diving for Yarne's throat. In fact, he seems generally uninterested in eating him at all, and leisurely thumps his tail against the ground once or twice, watching him. Yep, that's definitely a pink ribbon tied on there.

The moment of respite is regrettably brief, however; he spins with a low and aggressive growl, turning his back on Yarne. There are still Risen out there, after all, and with all the commotion they'd caused with their chase, it was inevitable that some would come. ]

Edited 2016-01-19 14:29 (UTC)

[Aaaand Yarne cowers at the sudden bark, soft or not, because that kill blow is (thankfully) not coming yet. Every sudden movement that Valkenhayn makes is terrifying to the timid taguel, at least until he gets a better view of that bow.]

H-hold it, why are you wearing that? Do you...

[Great, now he's talking to wolves. His body is sore and he's losing his mind, too. He sighs at the realization, though like most of his sighs it sounds more like a rigorous breathing exercise thanks to how loud he is while he does it. He's still got his hands in front of his face when the beast turns, and Yarne is confused until he hears it.

Steel. Footsteps. It's the Risen again, and his heart sinks. He wonders for a moment if it's the beast who led them here, but that doesn't sit right with him for some reason. All he knows is that he's in no shape to fight that number of them, but he's making his way to his feet again anyways.

He should try to flee. He should just try to escape the wolf (dog? It does have a bow) and keep going, but something is turning in his rarely used brain as he tries to catch his breath.]

If...if you're not interested in me anymore, don't you think that maybe we should be running? ...Why am I even asking you, anyways? Whoo, boy, I'm really losing it. Those guys coming aren't exactly friendly!

[ He eyes the number of opponents coming out of the forest. Normally, he'd have no real reservations with fighting so many, but there was the taguel child to think about. It's different with another to worry about.

No, retreating was a wiser choice at this point in time. If these foul creatures manage to catch them up, or a leader of them appears, then it will be time to fight. But - withdrawing is better.

He backs up until he can nudge Yarne, turning his head to look in the river's direction. The taguel can go first. He will catch up.

It's sort of hard to convey appropriate messages as a wolf, but it's too heated to transform - he'll need the speed, and he...also doesn't want to deal with the overexcitement it will probably cause. ]

[Is it just him, or is the wolf telling him to get out of here? Yarne's isn't very appreciative of a wolf who hounds him, instilling a fear of death in him, who then turns around to be helpful. He'd like to keep being made, thank you very much.

Instead, he just makes a grumpy face. The fur on his body is still standing, and the adrenaline hasn't died down just because he's taken a bad fall. Yet instead of running, he shifts his weight, not entirely sure he's comfortable with parts of this. Surviving is important, sure, but this wolf clearly belongs to someone, right?]

D-don't nudge me! I don't want to die, but...but if you're serious about helping me and if you can understand me, someone else getting hurt because they were protecting me is even worse!

[Yarne is way too loud for this forest. But what Valkenhayn is hearing is how Yarne really reacts to the fear of death when he's with his friends or with someone else—deep down, he's just as worried or more about the safety of his companions.

So he's going to try to nudge Valkenhayn with his foot. Maybe they should run, but. Together.]

You better not secretly still be planning to eat me.

[ooc; aaah, I'm sorry if I'm tagging too fast, every time I look up from Masterchef, your notif lands in my inbox. /o\;;]

Edited 2016-01-19 14:51 (UTC)

[ What a loud child. But his heart seems to be in the right place, as evidenced by his talk. He can't fault the taguel for being grumpy - he did chase him, after all, and he's responsible for his wounds.

He whuffs in amusement, but doesn't attempt to mouth on Yarne's clothing or anything. One: he has no desire to taste dirt (ripping out undead throats is fine, but no dirt). Two: he's pretty sure that would just make him more skittish.

No, he won't eat you. But those Risen are getting a bit close for comfort, so it's time to run. He pushes forward, deliberately, using his bulk to create a path that's less hazardous for Yarne to run and not trip at a bad moment.

(Though it might still happen. It's a forest, and he's not a bulldozer, just a large wolf.) ]

[ ooc: no it's okay I LOVE THIS THREAD, I WILL NEVER BE UNHAPPY WITH FAST TAGGING ]

[He might protest if he knew he was being referred to as a child, no matter how true that is, but right now he's a) blissfully unaware of that fact and b) trying to figure out why exactly he's in a love-hate friendship with this pink-bowed wolf.

He must already be dead and this is just some sort of fever dream.

(It's also not a good idea to bite Yarne's clothes because he's barely wearing any, but that's a taguel thing apparently.)

He's waiting for a response, gets that soft bark again, and then Yarne turns to watch the wolf go. He can't believe this is happening, and he makes room for one more sigh before he pushes off. His legs are on fire, burning from the stress, and that fall hasn't exactly done him any favors in keeping him in top form.

But he runs after the wolf.]

...You know this is ironic, right?

[Now he's following the wolf that he's pretty sure had tried to kill him. Yarne is a little slower now that he's taken a bad spill, but he's no slouch, either—he's fighting through the pain and the fatigue, though his breathing is rougher. He just doesn't want to lose sight of the wolf. Maybe it's that he's a rabbit-man himself, but.

He almost feels like the wolf is...sentient, or at least that they're more in sync than enemies now.

He can worry about that later. Right now, it's time to run.]

[ Look, he's super old okay, you're all children to him.

Is irony really something to think about when running away from puppets that are definitely trying to kill them? Apparently it is.

By the way he keeps looking back at Yarne as he runs, he seems to be checking that the taguel is still behind him. It's definitely not the actions of an unintelligent wolf, that's for sure.

When they reach the river, he looks it over. Follow it or jump? It's fast-flowing, cold and fairly wide; he's sure he could jump it, but he has to think about his injured, temporary charge.

He looks over to Yarne. How long can he run until they get to a bridge (if there even is a bridge along here)? They don't have much time to decide; he can already hear the Risen coming closer.

He growls a little and nudges against Yarne again. He can jump the river, even with the taguel's weight in account. Better to save strength for running later if they can get away from immediate danger now. ]

[It definitely is. What kind of friend would Yarne be if he didn't point out ridiculous things from time to time? Like how a wolf looking back to see if he's still following reminds him more of a dog leading someone to a bowl than necessarily indicating intelligence.

Actually, you know, he won't actually voice that notion, because this wolf is definitely on the same page as him now.

By the time Yarne reaches the river, he's a little out of breath. He places his hands on his knees, bends over and tries to catch it for just a few seconds. He can afford a few seconds, right? And once he's done, he's looking at the river and coming to the same questions that his canine friend is.]

H-hold on! There's no way you'd make it! [Why do the undead have to move so quickly? Maybe if he transformed just long enough to clear the river, he could...

...oh, no. As he pats his chest, he comes to the worst realization. The beast stone that had rested there is gone, no doubt snapped off his neck when he tumbled earlier. The rope holding it must have snapped.]

Eeek! This...this is really bad! I can't transform like this! A-are you sure you want to do this?!

[He gets what the wolf is trying to say, but getting on the wolf is something he can't do unless he knows his partner really thinks it's a good idea.]

[ Valkenhayn would not be technically offended to be compared to a dog, because he's been called worse, so if Yarne had voiced that thought he would have taken it with grace.

The taguel's beast stone is gone? That's troubling, too. Coming back to get it later will definitely be a priority, but they can't do that now, with so many enemies nipping at their heels.

He thumps his tail once or twice in impatience, staring straight at Yarne. There is nothing but certainty in those eyes. And they don't have the time to hesitate. ]

[There are those piercing blue eyes again. Yarne gulps loud enough to be heard; after this is all over, he's going to need some serious destressing. Really, this wolf should be apologizing!

Right now, though, his wolf friend is being much more helpful, so Yarne does the only thing he can do. Carefully, he steps closer and places two hands on Valkenhayn's back before swinging one leg over. Once he's done that, he's already wrapping his arms around the neck so that he doesn't fall off, though he might be squeezing a little too hard there. His hands also might be grabbing the fur a little roughly, he's not used to riding animals. That's Gerome's thing.]

P-please be careful! For both of us, alright? No pressure or anything, but if we fall in, my race will probably go extinct.

[ He'll apologise when they aren't in imminent danger of being mauled by undead.

He growls, adjusting himself to the new weight and the pressure around his neck, and backs up a little.

Everything else happens in sort of a blur. He launches himself off the bank as the first few Risen burst through the trees; there's a moment of weightlessness before gravity does its work and Valkenhayn slams ungracefully onto the far side, scrabbling for a purchase before clambering up onto the riverbank.

It's at times like these that he remembers his age, really. (And is a bit cranky about it; he's not exactly a laguz, after all, and he doesn't age as gracefully as some of them do.) He whines and lies down so that Yarne can dismount more easily, and not at all because the impact winded him and he can't shake off being winded as easily as he once did. ]

Valkenhayn R. Hellsing | Blazblue

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