in this heart of darkness

[enthymeme]

The Nightmare Fuel Meme

WARNING: This is not a nice meme, and will likely contain triggers for violence, pain, death, sexual situations, and all kinds of other unpleasant things. Click through at your own risk.

Nightmare Fuel: This is the stuff so horrifying that it can give people the creeps for years. This scares the pants off of just about anyone to the author/creator's delight. This makes you shrink in the back of your chair, look over your shoulder, and remind yourself that what's going on is (usually) only fictional....

HOW IT WORKS:
♦ Leave a comment with your character's name and fandom, and state any preferences. If you'd like to roll for/pick an option here, go for it. If you'd like, you can fill out this handy form to make things easier for others:
<b>Character:</b> [insert name here] <b>Age:</b> [insert age here] <b>Description:</b> [one-sentence description] <b>Want:</b> [options you would particularly like] <b>Do Not Want:</b> [options you do not want to play out]
♦ Tag another character. Pick one of the options, either by using the RNG or just selecting one that interests you.
♦ Play out the results and respect others' preferences.
♦ Have fun and/or be traumatized!


1. ACID TRIP - Things are starting to get weird. Very weird. Your hands just popped off and are dancing the tango in the living room with your pet alligator while a Weeping Angel watches from the corner. There are invisible spiders crawling all over you and you don't dare open your mouth lest they fall in. It can only get as strange as your imagination will let it.

2. JUST BECAUSE YOU'RE PARANOID DOESN'T MEAN THEY AREN'T OUT TO GET YOU - You just can't help the feeling that someone is watching you. Someone is out to get you. Who are your real friends? Is that person really an alien in disguise? Are there surveillance cameras in your bedroom walls?

3. THE STUFF OF NIGHTMARES - Think about the worst nightmare that you've ever had. Guess what. You're now in it, and you just can't seem to wake up.

4. FUN WITH PHOBIAS - What do you fear? The dark? Heights? Swarms of insects? Snakes? Drowning? Whatever it is, it is now your reality.

5. TRANSFORMATION SEQUENCES OF THE NON-SPARKLY KIND - Something has gone wrong. You're...changing. And not in a good way. Are you turning into an animal? A demon? A monster? Were you assimilated by the Borg?

6. AND I MUST SCREAM - You can't move. You can't scream. You can't do anything but remain conscious of every passing second. Did you choose the wrong words for your wish? Were you turned to stone? Trapped by a curse? Turned into a doll, unmoving but forever beautiful? Sealed inside a tree for a thousand years?

7. A PLAGUE ON BOTH YOUR HOUSES - The dread spectre of disease has raised its head. Do you have days to live? Hours? Seconds? Or will you waste away slowly? What will happen in the meantime?

8. EYE SCREAM, YOU SCREAM - Something terrible has happened to you. It could have been an accident, a curse, an attack, a disease, or a surgery gone terribly wrong. But you've been horribly mutilated (or are in the process thereof) and are disturbing to see. Perhaps the Phantom will let you borrow his mask.

9. HORRIBLE TO BEAR - Congratulations, you're with child! Except...this wasn't supposed to happen. Did you just wake up one morning and discover the surprise? Is it part of a bizarre science experiment? Are you carrying the child of the devil? Or did you just get a Face Full of Alien Wing-Wong and hellspawn is about to burst out of your chest?

10. THE CASK OF AMONTILLADO - This is a really tiny space you're in. And it looks like you're going to be here for an awfully long time. Did the other person shut you up in here? Are they a fellow prisoner? Or can you somehow convince them to let you out?

11. WELCOME TO THE APOCALYPSE - The world is ending. In fire, in ice, in the zombie apocalypse, in a collision with a giant asteroid? Whatever it is, it's horrible. Do you even want to bother trying to survive?

12. SOYLENT GREEN IS PEOPLE - You're hungry. Really, really hungry. Nothing seems to satisfy you, nothing at all. Except that other person standing nearby looks awfully tasty. Cannibalism? Can you?

13. MINDS ARE FOR GAMES - Mind control? Brainwashing? Total amnesia? Whatever it is, you certainly aren't completely in control of yourself. Perhaps the other person is....

14. THE PLURAL OF DIMENSION IS DEMENTIA - Everything looks familiar, but it's just a little bit off. Did your neighbor always have that mustache? Was the sky always that shade of green? Welcome to the mirror universe, where you're the crazy one.

15. THE LATEST DISPLAY MODEL - You're so pretty that you belong on a shelf. Or behind bars. Perhaps magically frozen in place so that you can't escape or mar those lovely features. Maybe someone just wanted you safely hidden away, kept all to themselves. Or did they want to show everyone in the world that you belong to them and them alone?

16. JUST KEEP RUNNING - Something is chasing you. Maybe you don't even know what it is, you just know that you have to keep running, because if you stop the consequences are worse than you can bear to consider. No matter how exhausted you are, you just have to keep going.

17. WILDCARD - Pick another option, mix and match, do whatever you'd like. After all, when it comes to nightmares YMMV, so feel free to invent your own.

Comments

Rupert Giles | Buffy the Vampire Slayer | OTA

[consultmybooks]

Character: Rupert Giles
Age: Mid 40s to early 50s, depending on canon point
Description: Calm, levelheaded mentor figure to most of the Scooby gang, possessing the wisdom of having lived a long, hard life and carrying a dark side with him.
Want: 3, 4, 11, 13
Do Not Want: 9, 12, 13

11

[squishy_sidekick]

Everyone was zombies. It was his freshman year in college, and while he'd expected some of the demon in the school craziness he'd seen in high school to continue, and was even considering the possibility of a few zombies, he wasn't expecting to wake up one morning and find the school infested with them. Merton ran into the library, slammed the door shut, and then began to struggle to shove a bookcase in front of the door. When that failed miserably, he settled for grabbing a chair and jamming it under the handle. Then, hearing a noise from within the library, Merton turned, hoping desperately that there weren't any zombies already inside.]

Hello? [He called out, hoping desperately for an answer that wasn't a zombie moan and a chomp to the head.]

Rupert Giles | Angel and Faith | OTA

[throughthedark]

Character: Rupert Giles
Age: 12 (physically), mid-50s (mentally)
Description: Giles, after having been brought back to life from apparently-eternal torment by the demon Eyghon, trying to make his way and do what he can in a very different world
Want: 3, 4, 5, 11, 13, 15, 16
Do Not Want: 6, 9, 10, 12

Loki | MCU | OTA

[jotunblooded]

Character: Loki
Age: ~1,000
Description: The adopted son of Odin Allfather, too smart for his own good, broken by his exile, who relishes power over others and projects a front of pride to hide his disgust at his true nature
Want: 2, 3, 4, 5, 13, 15, 16
Do Not Want: 1, 9, 10, 12, 14

[northern_wall]

[[ I like 13... know FMA? Want a General Armstrong? I could AU her if that's better, too. ]]

[consulting_freak]

Character: Sherlock Holmes
Age: 29-32
Description: Genius detective that has a hard time exhibiting correct social behaviour and understanding his/others' emotions.
Want: (almost) any
Do Not Want: 9

I don't really have a number for this~ Feel free to take it in whatever direction~ <3

[consulting_malefactor]

[Weightless.

It's the first half-formed thought that dawns somewhere in the corner of Jim's mind. The feeling in his limbs drift somewhere between heavy and weightless. He tries to open his eyes, but his eyelids feel like they're made of lead. Time moves by him in slow motion, and it could almost be entirely too comfortable to push through the haze that shades the precision of his thoughts.

But then there's a sharp pain that blossoms in his back, just below his shoulder blades as something moves. And his eyes flutter open to a malachite-shaded shaded vision of an unfamiliar room. It stings, though, and he has to blink several times before he's able to keep his eyes open long enough to look around. When he does, all he can think is that this is a dream.

It has to be a dream. It must be. Because he's floating in a ridiculous tube filled with some sort of viscous green fluid (how the hell could anyone even really breathe in this), and the room in front of him is littered with various tools and monitors that look like they belong on a science fiction movie set. There are more tubes to his left and right, each of them filled with a similar fluid. The people inside are either sleeping, unconscious, or dead - it's difficult to discern. Jim looks down at himself to check; and yes, he is just as naked as everyone else. Fucking fantastic, he thinks to himself, the tone practically drowning with sarcasm.

The sharp pain in his back returns when he sighs mentally, followed by the surreal sensation of movement. He reaches a hand back and his fingertips brush against something painfully sensitive. Is it a cut?

A light in one of the corners of the room is flashing brightly. A warning? Weather? Fire? A break in? It's difficult to tell since he's not really sure what sort of place this is. Either way, he's liking the idea of being confined in this bizarre tube with every passing second. Dream or not, it would probably behove him to find a way out.

He presses a palm to the smooth surface of the tube, and he can tell instantly that the material of the tube is too strong for him to try and break through. Pushing against the top doesn't do much good, as it's difficult to get any sort of leverage in a tube full of... well, whatever it is. His fingertips run along the edges. It's sealed tightly. He slams his fist against the top of the tube in frustration, but it only makes a dull thud.]

Kumagawa Misogi | Medaka Box | OTA

[negative]

Character: Kumagawa, Misogi.
Age: 17.
Description: The embodiment of all that is wrong with mankind, Kumagawa is a compulsive liar and a humongous loser, whose sole purpose in life is to spread misery to others.
Want: 1, 3, 4.
Do Not Want: N/A.

Zed | Wild Arms | OTA

[notsocool]

Character: Zed
Age: ~1,000
Description: A metal demon from the stars with a theatrical nature and a good heart, who can never seem to do anything right, even when he tries to be a good guy
Want: 3, 4, 5, 7, 13, 16
Do Not Want: 1, 9, 10, 12, 14

Axel χ Kingdom Hearts χ OTA

[flurry_of_flames]

Character: Axel
Age: 25
Description: Outwardly friendly and playful, inwardly cool and scheming, pyromancer agent of a strange organization.
Want: 5, 6, 13, 15 but open to most things.
Do Not Want: 1, 7, 9, 14

Kanji Tatsumi ~ Persona 4 ~ OTA

[realmenknitplushies]

Character: Kanji Tatsumi
Age: 15/16
Description: A delinquent teenager with a short temper, a good heart, and a host of issues regarding his place in the world. (AU android version also available.)
Want: 5, 13, 15 but very much open to suggestions.
Do Not Want: 1, 7, 9, 12, 14

John Watson | BBC Sherlock

[captainwatson]

Character: John Watson
Age: 35 - 40
Description: Loyal, brave, dry sense of humour. May appear a mild mannered pacifist but is really a closet adrenaline junkie who will not hesitate to kill 'not-good people' (aka, those who hurt his friends).
Want: 3, 5 especially but others are cool.
Do Not Want: 9

5

[consulting_freak]

It had started with a nagging throb in Sherlock's upper back. As with every other physical discomfort, it's quite easy for the genius to ignore in favour of focusing on the case. The throb gradually led to an ache bad enough for the consulting detective to seek comfort with a dose of not-quite-legally-obtained narcotics. As a recovering drug addict, he knew the dangers if using, so he made a quiet pact with himself that this would be the only time.

Just an hour later, Sherlock had stumbled away from the building hosting his most recent lead, leaving John Watson abandoned and uninformed. The pain had become so unbearable that it sliced through his extremely high threshold and prevented him from forming even the most mundane observations.

Once home, Sherlock sheds his coat and abandons it unceremoniously on the floor of the main room. He doesn't see the two long streaks of blood marring the dark wool, but he feels his shirt cling wetly against his shoulder blades. He hisses noisily as the fabric sticks against his wounds, but it doesn't stop him from abandoning it and the rest of his clothes on the way to the refuge of his shower.

He won't be checking his phone and John will find various blood-stained bits of Sherlock's wardrobe leading to his location like a trail of breadcrumbs. If John enters Sherlock's bedroom, he will see streaks of Sherlock's blood left on the floor and at hand level on the walls. The bathroom door will be closed but not locked, and the shower curtain will be drawn closed. Sherlock's breathing will be laboured and pained.

Elissa Cousland | Dragon Age: Origins - OTA

[elissacousland]

Prose preferred.
Character: Elissa Cousland, Grey Warden
Age: 19-22
Description: Former noble of good standing now living in a dark grey moral area even though most of her world believes her a hero for killing the Archdemon and stopping the Blight.
Want: All but those listed below, especially interested in 7 (Elissa's Taint is finally manifesting on the outside), 9 (Elissa the Darkspawn Broodmother), or 3
Do Not Want: 1, 12, 16 (Elissa would stop and fight! Running makes no sense.)

[dragoon_pride]

Character: Kain Highwind
Age: 21
Description: A broody, too-serious dragoon who's got problems with being easily mind-controlled.
Want: Preference for him to be the "victim" where applicable: 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10, 12, 13, 15
Do Not Want: 9

16

[carminejackal]

[If you've bothered to watch the Jackal play his games with others, you know why you should be running as far as you can and as fast as you can in the direction away from the tall figure in black. Don't be deceived by his harmless suited appearance with its lack of weaponry. He's armed to the teeth and extremely dangerous.]

[rather_be_surfing]

Character: Derek Bliss
Age: Mid to Upper 30s
Description: Vampire hunter with an amazingly stable outlook on things.
Want: I'm all right with all the options above.
Do Not Want: Would like to keep sex out of the equation for this meme.

If you're not sure what you want to do, let me know and I'll pick one.

Six

[fleurdesel]

She doesn't remember being taken. She doesn't remember being bound, she doesn't remember how it is she got here or why. All she knows is that she's bound without being bound, paralyzed without being drugged or broken because she can feel everything. Every lazy cut, every languid bite. The forced bliss that fades into throbbing agony shortly after because she did not want it. It's a shed or a garage or a barn; somewhere made or lined with wood with a dirt floor and rope everywhere.

There's a table under her and were she able to turn her head she might see the other men and women likewise laid out. Tranced. Drugged. Breaking and broken. Some of them are able to whimper, some are able to beg. For death. For another bite. For water. Ivs in all their arms and this is a farm. They're nothing more than cattle for idle hands and pretty, thirsty dead things.

Those that are kind take a syringe and drink from them like they're the most morbid sort of juice box. The visceral add another bite. The wrong cut and lick and cut and lick, all for the squirming they wish they could do or the tense twitching of an attempt to flee.

They can't move.

They can only blink. Feel. Breathe. And pray that they'll finally die.

Leanansidhe | Dresden Files

[debtofhounds]

Character: Lea
Age: Appears to be in early 30s (As old as winter itself)
Description: Wild, can be vicious. Bound to rules that are beyond humanity. Not a friend to humans, but amenable to deals. In fact, she rather likes human sacrifices, too bad those have been phased out, isn't it?

High fae of the Winter court. SIC to Mab herself. Like all the fair folk, she's bound to speak the truth and uphold promises, dislikes cold iron.

Has an affinity for hounds.
Want: --
Do Not Want: 9

[redmoonmurders]

Character: Muraki Kazutaka
Age: 41
Description: creepy doctor guy. The more twisted the nightmare fuel is, the more he'll want to capture and experiment on people.
Want: any kind of cr, really
Do Not Want: n/a

dirk strider • homestuck

[brolix]

character: dirk strider
Age: 16
Description: aloof asshole with sensitive baby feelings and a mind like a machine.
Want: anything except the below is fine!
Do Not Want: 5, 8, 10, 14

Yukiko Amagi | Persona 4

[snowandfire]

Character: Yukiko Amagi
Age: 16
Description: Elegant, intelligent, and dutiful, presenting a near-perfect example of a high school student while hiding her inner insecurities, fears, and worries. Yukiko represents the Priestess arcana, possessing fire and healing abilities.
Want: 5, 6, 9, 10, 13, 15
Do Not Want: 1, 12

Castiel | Supernatural | OTA

[ofthursday]

Character: Castiel
Age: Mentally just under a billion; physically mid 30s
Description: Quiet, serious, somewhat awkward former angel turned human.
Want: Any not on the dnw list is fine.
Do Not Want: 5, 8, 9, 12

Cloud Strife / FFVII

[midgardsormr]

Character: Cloud Strife
Age: 22
Description: Reticent, outwardly strong and inwardly weak ex-mercenary with a bit of a history of mental issues (and non-consensual physical experimentation).
Want: Particularly want 13. Also: 1, 5, 14.
Do Not Want: 7, 9

13

[mr_lightning_bolt]

Everything fades to black; an empty, cool void. Immeasurable time passed before a sound could be heard, meek and almost inaudible at first, then it got louder. Cutting, splashing, spraying, tumbling, gasping, moaning and thumping. Meaty, wet sounds that brought colour to the darkness.

Light flickered overhead like the twitch of shoddy fluorescent bulb, white at first, but it pulsed until the colour shifted to red. When the area was finally illuminated it was scattered with mess. Things that were maybe, once, bodies. Hands, kneecaps, torn cartilage and snapped bone. Sitting atop a pile of body parts was an ominous, dark figure. One single red eye glowing and highlighting a set of grim, exposed teeth. He seemed to be smiling.

"Look what you've done, Cloud." the figure sneered, shaking his head as if disappointed "Look at all those bodies. You did this to them, didn't you?"

Olivier Mira Armstrong | Fullmetal Alchemist

[northern_wall]

Character: Major-General Olivier Mira Armstrong
Age: 37
Description: Hardass military commander of the icy Fort Briggs, opposing the shadowy conspiracy most of the Amestrian military is complicit in.
Want: 2, 11, 13
Do Not Want: 1, 9, 14, 15

2

[ex_napalms422]

[it's probably no secret to the major-general that she's being watched here in central. everyone in the military is, especially those near the top who may or may not be fully in line with the conspiracy lurking under the city streets. even he is, but that's probably more for collateral damage reasons.

father and the homunculi are watching the important players in their game, and the ones who might be a threat, but even with their so-far-reaching sight they can't be everywhere at once. so they employ mere humans like kimblee to be extra eyes and ears when necessary. it isn't the job he prefers, but he'll follow orders as necessary - even knowing that armstrong is as likely to kill him as not if she sees him.

which is a bit of fate he's tempting, at the moment, as he settles himself outside one of the numerous offices at the military headquarters, waiting for her to pass by (which she has to, if she wants to leave the building). if asked, he's waiting to meet with one of the generals. technically, he's not lying. he has a message to reaffirm. it's not subtle, and neither is he.]

Smile | .flow | OTA

[yousickgirl]

Character: Smile
Age: Either 17 or 18
Description: Immortal dream figment with cross-shaped scars over his eyes, a creepy grin and has a tendency of beating people to death with a hammer.
Want: Any and all, but I'm really interested in 3, 4, 8 and 13.
Do Not Want: N/A, go nuts :)

Dipper Pines | Gravity Falls

[pinevestigator]

Character: Dipper Pines
Age: 12
Description: Anyone who's ever seen Gravity Falls knows that this kid has seen things. He's always itching to solve a mystery, and extremely organized, generally on top of things, and clever to boot. He's seen more monsters and mythical goings-on than he'd care to tell about.
Did I mention he's seen things?
Want: 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 10, 13, 16
Do Not Want: 1, 7, 9, 12, 14, 15

16

[sweater_star]

[The rustling of the foliage around them was drowned out by the sound of their frantic breathing, the furious pounding of their hearts as they ran, stumbling and tripping through the darkness. Everywhere the forest seemed to grab at them, tearing at their clothes and trying to slow them down, as if working for the...thing in hot pursuit of them.

It was magic gone wrong, unleashing a terrible beast that was hungry...and right on their tails.

Part of them knew they couldn't outrun it forever...but they were too afraid of the consequences to stop trying.]

Hope Estheim || Final Fantasy XIII/XIII-2

[eagletalons]

Character: Hope Estheim
Age: 27
Description: Mild-mannered, socially-dumb engineer/scientist/archaeologist who has multitudes of issues, including familial and abandonment, and has gone through hell and monsters during his childhood.
Want: Anything not on the DNW section is fair game.
Do Not Want: 1, 6, 9, 10, 12, 13, 14

Mitsuru Kirijo | Persona 3

[obeymycommand]

Character: Mitsuru Kirijo
Age: 18
Description: Embodiment of the Empress arcana, privileged and perfectionist "ice queen" type who cares sincerely for those under her leadership.
Want: Anything not in the "no" section!
Do Not Want: 1, 11, 12, 16

Gideon Gleeful ✯ Gravity Falls

[telemysticist]

Character: Gideon Gleeful
Age: 9
Description: Sociopathic, misanthropic spoiled brat. Extremely intelligent and capable of manipulating an entire town. Has been regularly involved with the supernatural so yeah he's seen some things, man. Seriously he's one really messed up kid who probably deserves a lot of the bad things that happen to him.
Want: 3, 4, 7, 8, 10
Do Not Want: 1, 9, 14, 15

10

[lobster_tranny]

[Boy Gideon, you're just the favorite of demons. And why wouldn't you be? You're just a juicy mixture of complexes, desire, and megalomania that make for a delicious piece of evil. But alas, too soon has the boy's potential to do some real psychological damage to an entire town has faded away.

Oh well, Him would have to squeeze that potential right back out. At the very least, He could get a little bit of fun. And boy, does Him have the right testing ground for potential squeezing. Very carefully did the demon whisk the boy to a small room of mystery with nothing save a window overlooking scathing blackness.

As for Him? He seeps into the wall, giving the whole room a red color as He chats up the boy.]

From the frying pan to the pyre
Who knows where we go
We can sink or we get higher
The more you ask the less you know~

[arkham_doctor]

Character: Jonathan Crane
Age: Mid 30's
Description: Criminal psychologist studying fear. Like he doesn't belong here.
Want: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 10, 13
Do Not Want: 8, 9, 12

[emilblonsky]

[10? Perhaps 'roommates' at Arkham or something similar?]