bakerstreet | The Things That Bump in the Night Meme

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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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[ He could have told the Queen where her daughter was hiding when she came calling, and he might have been spared. He has no investment in Regina's safety, not after all that she's done to him. It's an easy thing. Just tell her and she'll never trouble him again.

But knowing his daughter is out of harm's way, and knowing that Emma and the others are doing all they can to keep mother and daughter separated, what would that make him if he did give in? All his life all he's ever cared about is getting by on his own, or with Grace. This is about more than that. This was what needed to be done for the good of all. That's what they were trying to do here, right?

Jefferson gets the opportunity to show some backbone for a change, and he does just that. He straightens his back and in as even a tone as he can manage tells Cora exactly where she can shove it. Perhaps in more polite terms.

But he's no lion, no fighter, and Cora is not impressed with his sudden bout of bravery. It doesn't suit him, she says. Does playing nice with all the heroic types give him the delusion that he's one as well? She knows what he really is...a scavenger. A parasite. A cockroach that scuttles away from the light, better off crushed under heel. But she won't do that. She can think of far worse fates for him than death. Ensuring he never sees Grace again is just the start.

The lights in the mansion that had been his home go down and don't come back on again, and all the doors lock tight. Who's to say he hasn't simply run away, coward to the last? ]

[A dark house isn't an empty house, and Emma keeps that thought in mind while she parks. Normally she wouldn't even bother, but her instincts are telling her to move forward, so she gets out and walks up to the steps. The doorbell never gets any use from her, and she pounds on the door, waiting a few moments longer than usual before she tries again.

He might hear her shout his name after that, because she doesn't have the patience for this, not when she realizes that something might be off. He can't be with Grace, because she and Henry are both at a school event, which means he's around. And last she checked, she and Jefferson were in a good place; he's not angry.

Well, not unless he's just in a bad mood, and that's never kept him from talking to her before.]

Open the damn door, Jefferson. I know you're in there.

[ Oh, he can hear her, but there's no way to get to her from where he is. Not for lack of trying, of course. The lid of this damnable metal box won't come off no matter how hard he pushes, and he's long since tired of scratching against the insides in the vain hope of progress. Had he the need for air he'd have run out by now. Those first few days had been nothing but screaming and pounding on the inside of the lid, hoping that someone would hear. But Grace wasn't coming home. There was no one coming, and why should they?

No one except the savior. Her voice reaches him, through the exhaustion and more importantly, the hunger. After all, it had been days since he'd eaten anything...

There's no effort wasted on movement, now. Emma might feel a compulsion come over her to check the back door instead, with windows that shatter and provide easier access. She might not, though. She is an incredibly stubborn creature, as he's learned well enough by this point. The mental reach is mostly from instinct and he's near out of his mind from the cramped space and the dark and the thirst that scrapes his dry throat. Even so, there's a flicker of hope that maybe he won't be stuck in this box until the end of days, after all.

Emma... ]

[Leaving it be is too easy for her, she barely even considers it as she pounds on the door again, slamming her hand against it in frustration. He's there, she knows it. She can practically feel it even if he's pretending he's not around. That's not like him, not when it comes to her, so she contemplates what to do about the door before she moves back, away from the house to take a moment and decide on the easiest way in.

She wanders around to the side, looking for an open window - unlikely for this time of year - until she gets to the back door and decides it's her best shot. The locks aren't as sturdy as the ones around front, and she doesn't hesitate to take out her gun, shooting it open before she pushes the door in, keeping it in hand as she enters the darkness. Maybe he isn't home, maybe she's wrong about this.

If she isn't, she doesn't know what the hell she's up against.]

Jefferson? Come out, now.

[ The kitchen lies empty and dark, like the rest of the house. There's still a pot of tea soaking on the kitchen island, but it looks as though it might be starting to sprout some form of mold at this point.

There's also a spill of flour on the far end of the room, right next to the cabinet doors. It stirs slightly as though from a draft, coming from a false panel at the back of the cabinet...Jefferson's plenty paranoid, so of course he's got a hidden room to stow himself and his daughter away should someone unpleasant come calling. Why wouldn't he?

All for naught; it appeared she knew where it was all along.

Emma. ]

[It's clear when she looks around that something happened. Jefferson wouldn't leave the house like this, everything has a place here. The beam of her flashlight hits the tea pot, the appliances, and finally the spill on the other side. Once she's next to it, she opens the doors, and she almost leaves them be. Then she remembers whose house she's in, and it doesn't surprise her when a little rattling gets her what she wants; a place she didn't expect to find.

Still no Jefferson, though, and that upsets her. This isn't strictly about finding an answer. Emma wants to find him, alive and well. She wants him to be alright, needs to see to it that he's in one piece, and all of this isn't leading her to that conclusion.

It does, however, lead her to where he's been stuck. And maybe it's her magic that kicks in, because when she puts her flashlight to the side and attempts to open it, almost no effort is needed at all.]

[ It's in the cramped little room beyond that the box can be found. It's fairly obvious, nothing else in the room to distract from its presence, long enough to house a human body and...

Well. No lock.

He can hear her outside, though. Smell her, even through the tight seal, something other than dust and metal. He almost laughs. Oh, he should learn to have more faith in her, some day. His voice rasps just loud enough to be heard once she gets closer. ]

Took you...long enough.

How the did this -

[No, she knows. Regina wouldn't waste her time on this. Rumpelstiltskin's been busy. This was all Cora, coming for him, or for information, maybe on them. He doesn't know much more than anyone else, in spite of the way she's been coming around lately. It's a comfort - a small one, but right now she'll take what she can get.

She starts on the lid immediately. There's nothing to keep it from opening aside from the weight of it, and struggles for a good grip, for a way of raising it off of him.]

I'll count to three. You push up, I'll pull it off. One, two...

[Why do these things keep happening?]

Three.

Edited 2013-01-30 02:14 (UTC)

It's not going to...

[ He swallows, pauses for a moment, whether it's to collect his thoughts or get his voice back. Finally he speaks up again, as loud as he can muster to get through the thick metal. ]

Magic. You'll have to use magic.

I don't know how, Jefferson. I can't.

[She doesn't want to. Magic is what made Regina crazy. It's what cursed the town and tore everyone apart. Now that she can use it, why would she want to?

Unfortunately, when she tries to open the lid on her own, it doesn't move in the slightest.]

You have to...

[ He can feel the box itself shift with her efforts, but that lid isn't coming off easy. Of course, with Regina in hiding and Rumplestiltskin distracted by...well, whatever plans the imp has, there isn't much chance of anyone else coming to his rescue is there?

His eyes slide shut. ]

It's not as though we don't have the time to figure it out.

[They may have time, but Emma doesn't feel like spending it in this creepy little hellhole. And it's not as if they have a ton of options; Regina wouldn't help him, Gold would have his price. It's her or waiting for someone to break it open, and she doesn't know how long he's been in there. She doesn't know how he's survived in there.

She grips the edge and concentrates, focuses on the box, thinks about what she expects to see happen.

...Which is frustrating, because nothing happens.]

Dammit.

[Attempt number two is a little smoother, because she can feel that rush through her, a burst of air, the wiggle of the lid.

Too bad it stops there.

But then there's attempt number three...]

Edited 2013-01-30 02:42 (UTC)

[ He can feel it when it starts, the hum of magic that splits the lid right down the center. It's slow going but it's absolutely there, and then it opens and there's air.

He sucks in a breath he doesn't need, and all he can smell is her. A wave of heat and something rich and tempting right underneath of it that makes his gut roil. He nearly gags on it, coughing heavily as one cold hand comes to grip the edge of his makeshift tomb. He's too weak to manage anything else. ]

[Once she has it, once it's practically glowing, vibrating with magic, she sets her mind on pushing it away from him. It doesn't take much, thankfully, before she moves closer, leans in to help him, reaches for Jefferson, and...

Again, not what she was expecting.]

[ The longer she lingers, the closer she gets, the worse it becomes. There's something in his gut that doesn't care that she just saved him, all it cares about is getting closer to that scent, and he's starving. He can hear her heart pounding in his ears as clear as he could with an ear to her chest, and that can't mean anything good.

He suspects. But God, if that's the case... ]

I didn't...I didn't tell her anything.

[ His tongue rolls across his lips as he tries to focus beyond her. Getting up, that's a good start. ]

[He's cold. It's dark enough that she feels him before she seems him, but he's not supposed to be that cold. Her heart speeds up; all fear and all for him, and she tries to help him up without reaching for her light.

Cora changed him, there's no denying that. And yet Emma's more worried about his reaction than any danger she might be in.]

I can tell.

[If she had gotten what she wanted, maybe Cora wouldn't have done this.]

Jefferson.

[ Changed him indeed. Of course, he's been locked in a box in the dark for days now, so the chill in his skin and his pallor might be excusable. But there's always the question of how he's still alive after all that, and while he thinks he knows the answer he doesn't want to ask himself the question after all this. ]

Don't suppose...there's any of that tea left.

[ He does his best to ignore the heat of her hand as she helps haul him up out of the box and to his feet, and no sooner does he stand does he feel that wave of hunger washing over him again. Yes. Food, drink, something. Anything.

He's never been good at resisting temptation. ]

Let's get you out of here.

[His memory seems to be intact, that's something. He's not fighting her, he knows what's going on. It's not enough, but she'll pretend it is. She'll bring him out of this dark room and into the light of the kitchen, and she'll wait until then, even with a flashlight now in hand again, to get a better look at him.]

How long has it been?

No idea. I was hoping you could tell me...

[ He looks like he's been through Hell, even from this angle. But the idea of getting out of this cramped little space and out into the world again has never sounded better. He almost moves a step forward before straightening, eyes widening. ]

Grace. Is Grace alright?

She's fine. She's with -

[Them. She asked to stay with them in the meantime. And Emma feels guilty for doing that, but she would have felt worse if she hadn't.]

She and Henry are at learning night.

[That's a little better, isn't it? She leads him out, back into the kitchen, and even though she doesn't want to, she finds the lights and flicks them on.

Which would be fine, if he was. But when she gets a good look at him...]

What the hell did Cora do to you?

[ All this time in the dark, the light sears. Luckily not in any real sense, but it's too much too quickly, and a hand flies up to cover them as he lets out a hiss. No, it's just too quick, that's all. Give him time to adjust and he'll be fine.

Just fine. He swallows hard, a hand going to the counter edge to steady himself. If only he could stop that beating in his head, it's driving him mad. Shaking his head he tries to focus on her words instead. ]

...she came. Looking for Regina. I told her I wasn't going to be any use to her and she...well, you saw.

[ Blindly, he gestures behind him to the cabinet. ]

She kept me alive, but...I don't know. I don't know what else she did.

I do.

[But the words won't come. It doesn't matter how long he's been in there, he shouldn't be so pale, or so cold. He shouldn't have survived it unless the box was enchanted, or...

She doesn't know how to tell him, but he should know. Doesn't he sense it, doesn't he feel different? They need to find a way to fix him, they don't have time to fool around, but -]

Why didn't you tell her anything?

Because I'm an idiot, obviously.

[ He brushes his momentary bout of bravery off for this moment, finally drawing his hand away and letting things slide back into focus. Almost too much focus, really. Details pop brighter and sharper than ever, and his gaze shifts at last to Emma.

His eyes shouldn't be that blue. They fix on her and don't budge, because it's like seeing her fresh all over again. Beautiful and strong and full of magic...she can make him better. She can make the pain stop.

His tongue presses against the inside of his cheek before he continues. ]

There are, ah...spells for preserving someone indefinitely. Regina used one before, maybe...

You're not an idiot.

[He was helping them. And that hits Emma hard, because he pays the price for everything he does, selfish or selfless. She does too, if weeks spent in a portal were any indication, but this wasn't his fight; it was hers. Any effort from him to fight alongside her just makes her wonder why he would do that.]

Maybe she used one on you?

[No, it's not the same as being preserved. It's all wrong. She shakes her head, leaning back against the counter as she tries to collect her thoughts. She can't focus and keep her attention on him, so her eyes wander over to Grace's artwork on the refrigerator, to the teapot, to anything.]

We'll fix this.

Edited 2013-01-30 04:48 (UTC)

[ She's almost in touching range, and then she is. The movement is quick and silent, and then he's there at her side. She throws off warmth like a witch's pyre, and that beat won't leave his head.

He's never been able to -- ]

...you should go.

[ Even as he says it, a hand reaches for her shoulder, brushes her hair back over it in an unnaturally smooth motion. It'd be so easy to just grab, prey too foolish to run.

If she tries to move away, it'll be instinct to hold her right where she is. ]

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