body horror meme

[lolk]

WARNING -- POSSIBLE TRIGGERS (violence, pain, parasites, zombies, etc)

body horror meme


Something's gone wrong. Maybe it was a little parasite, wiggling under your skin. Maybe something bit you that one night in the woods. Maybe someone decided they didn't like you and placed a curse on you, or maybe the local psychotic AI decided she liked you and filled you full of nanites. In any case, you're changing, body and soul. There's no way to stop it. No way to reverse it. And above all, it's the most painful thing you've ever experienced...

HOW IT WORKS:
- Tag the meme, leaving your character name, fandom, and any preferences in the subject line
- Other character tags you
- You tag back, and use the random number generator to select from the following options. Or don't, and do whatever strikes your fancy. If you roll something your character already is, either roll again, go for human, or pick something that otherwise suits your fancy.
- Other character reacts, or is free to also roll on the table
- Play out the results.
- Have fun, but respect the preferences of others.

1. Water-dwelling. You're growing gills, or your skin is turning translucent, or you're sprouting fins, or maybe you're outright turning into some form of sea life. It doesn't matter what you're turning into – what does matter is that you're slowly losing the ability to breathe air, and there's no water in sight...

2. Animal. Something bit you, and you're turning into an animal. Your bones lengthen or perhaps shrink, break, twist, and reform, your teeth lengthen or shorten, and above all, you feel your instincts being overridden. Your senses sharpen; you notice smells you never did before, your vision becomes more sensitive to movement. If you're a predator? Man, these people look mighty tasty. Prey? OHGOD, EVERYTHING IS TERRIFYING. Lizard? Enjoy your new inability to regulate body temperature. Bird? Have fun with the whole beak and hollowing bones. And don't even get us started on insects and arachnids...

3. Parasitic Something's inside you, and it's changing you from within, chewing up your insides and altering your thoughts. You're not sure how much longer you're going to be you, and when the parasite's going to take over completely...

4. Demonic You've been meddling with dark powers beyond the ken of mortal man, and it seems you've accidentally sold your soul. Will you be the traditional kind of demon, horns and hooves, or something far more terrifying and ineffable?

5. Undead: No doubt about it, you're dying, but as you are, something's been altered in you. Maybe you're becoming a vampire – and not the fun kind, either, we're talking ugly, ravenous, and mad. Maybe you're a zombie, or a ghoul, and human flesh looks mighty tasty. Or maybe you're just turning into a ghost bent on vengeance. In any case, death is never fun.

6. Cybernetic Get captured by the Borg? Strapped to an operating table? Injected with nanites? Whatever happened to you, you're slowly turning into something half man, half machine, your squishy bits being replaced by mechanical components.

7. Lovecraftian You've heard their song, the terrors from beyond the stars, and even now they sing in your blood as your flesh transmutes into something ineffable and unknowable. You revel in the pain you feel even as you seek to spread it, to herald the end of all things... or maybe worse, you're aware of the transition as your mind becomes not your own.

8. Fusion/Hivemind You begin to fuse with the first person who tagged you – physically, mentally, or both. Soon, you can't tell who is who, which one of you is the real you, as your thoughts become one. Join in the fleshsong, mortal...

9. Inanimate Your body slowly petrifies and hardens, turning to stone, wood, glass, or something stranger still; or perhaps you liquefy, turning to some kind of liquid, or maybe you dissolve into the air itself.

10. Wildcard / pick your own Pick whatever you like, combine a few options, or make up your own.

Meme originally posted by teal_deer.

Comments

[pulling_rank]

[Instead of tapping, he throws his hand up in frustration, splashing a bit of water when he does.

His tapping is a lot slower on longer sentences.

.. / .-- .- ... / --- -. .-.. -.-- / .. -. / - .... . / --- -. . / .-.. .- -... / .- -. -.. / - .... . / .-. --- --- -- / .-- .. - .... / - .... . / .--. .. .--. . ... .-.-.-

I was only in the one lab and the room with the pipes.

[the_new_sexy]

[Sherlock isn't bothered by John's frustration. His frustration is not nearly as great or important as Sherlock's.

.. - .----. ... .- ... - .- .-. - .-.-.- .-- . -.-. .- -. --. --- - .... . .-. . - --- -- --- .-. .-. --- .-- .-.-.-

It's a start. We'll go there tomorrow.

His fingernail hovers over the edge of the tank. It couldn't be a we. Not while John was like this.]

[pulling_rank]

[We. He wants that, but it isn't possible for him. Sherlock will have to go on his own, and John will be left here. He clicks softly, a hurt look crossing his features before he's able to stop it. He looks down in the water, hoping it hadn't been noticed.]

[the_new_sexy]

[.. ..-. .. .-.. . .- ...- . --..-- -- -.-- -.-. .-. --- ..-. - .-- .. .-.. .-.. -.-. --- -- . .. -. .-.-.-

If I leave, Mycroft will come in.

And Sherlock wasn't about to leave his only friend in the world---half-fish or not---to the mercy of his brother.]

[pulling_rank]

[A not insignificant amount of fear lodges itself in his chest at that.

A worried noise issues forth from his throat, but he sets his jaw.

.-- . / .... .- ...- . / - --- / .-. .. ... -.- / .. - .-.-.- / - --- / ..-. .. -..- / - .... .. ... .-.-.-

We have to risk it. To fix this.]

[the_new_sexy]

[Sherlock's grip on John's arm tightens.

He wants to say that he won't leave him. He'll have to. He has to figure out how this all started. They have to turn him back, somehow.

He just won't leave yet.]

[pulling_rank]

[John returns the grip, and returns his other to the water, using it to keep himself under once more. He was moving slowly, but his energy was starting to run out. He'd have to sort some way of staying under out.

Or maybe just float on his stomach, it might work.]

[the_new_sexy]

[His mobile is ruined, but he's not leaving John's side to find another phone. He's got to focus, he's got to work out what to do. What can they do, that wouldn't leave Sherlock abandoning John for answers? It has to be Baskerville. It has to be.]

[pulling_rank]

[John clicks a few times, something about the sound of them signaling irritation and slight worry, though not at Sherlock.

He reaches out for the side of the tank again.

.- .-. -- ... / .... ..- .-. - .-.-.- / - .. .-. . -.. .-.-.-

Arms hurt. Tired.

But he needs to be able to stay under, which poses something of a dilemma.]

[the_new_sexy]

[Panic hits Sherlock again. John was just asleep, and now he's tired again. What could happen to him while he's asleep this time? What might change?

... - .- -.-- .- .-- .- -.- . --..-- .--- --- .... -. .-.-.- -.-- --- ..- -.-. .- -. .----. - --. --- - --- ... .-.. . . .--. -.-- . - .-.-.-

Stay awake, John. You can't go to sleep yet.

He doesn't want to leave, but it's becoming more and more obvious that something has to be done right now.]

[pulling_rank]

[His brow knits in concern, but he nods. Staying under is becoming more difficult, and he doesn't want to pull away from Sherlock. He'll need to though, soon.]

[the_new_sexy]

[Sherlock's next message is very long, and he does it with a sort of deliberate nature, hoping that what would be a vocal tone can go into his fingernail as he taps it out.

-.-- --- ..- ... .-- .. -- .-.-.- .. -. . . -.. - --- --. . - .. -. -.-. --- -. - .- -.-. - .-- .. - .... -- -.-- -.-. .-. --- ..-. - .-.-.- ..-. .. -. -.. -- . .. ..-. -.-- --- ..- .-. . --. .- .. -. ..- ... . --- ..-. -.-- --- ..- .-. .-.. ..- -. --. ... .-.-.-

You swim. I need to get in contact with Mycroft. Find me if you regain use of your lungs.]

[pulling_rank]

[He doesn't respond immediately, still sorting out the shorts and longs in his head, but a few seconds after, he nods again.

Reluctantly, he loosens his grip on Sherlock's forearm, and tries to slip free. He's somewhat pleased that he manages to do it without issuing forth some sort of whine, though he can feel it building in his chest.

John will swim, and hope like hell that Sherlock finds something to fix this.]

[the_new_sexy]

[He comes back two hours later. His clothes are mostly dry, but he's feeling more frustrated than ever. He leans over the tank and taps out a shave and a haircut to get John's attention]

[pulling_rank]

[John has been swimming for two hours, about forty-five minutes (he thinks) into it, things had started to get easier. That was when he'd realized why, but how could he find Sherlock to tell him.

He can stick his head above the water, and breathe normally long enough to speak, when he goes back under he can also breathe there.

He had wanted to find Sherlock, but a complication arose. He wasn't sure it was one that would go away if he tried to pull himself out of the tank. And so, despite the tapping, all Sherlock would hear is a fearful, long whine from under the water at the far end of the darkened tank.

His jacket and bathrobe have been discarded, and tossed haphazardly in a pile up on the side of the tank. They were getting in his way.]

[the_new_sexy]

John?

[He does take off his coat this time, and dives into the pool. John's in danger. John's in trouble. He can't work out why, but he doesn't care. The whine frightens him.]

[pulling_rank]

[John, for his part, knows when Sherlock dives in and is wishing fervently for some way to make himself invisible. It would be nice.

Or he could just wake up. That would be very nice as well.

He stays in the darkened area of the pool, swimming just out of sight. He gives a series of soft clicks, half-heartedly attempting to try and urge Sherlock away. He doesn't want to be seen like this. ]

[the_new_sexy]

[Sherlock tries to get closer to John, but John keeps swimming away. The panic in Sherlock's veins turns to mild annoyance. Why is he swimming away? And how is he moving so quickly? John isn't nearly as experienced a swimmer as Sherlock is.

It's not until he sees the flash of something in the light, something shiny and scaly that he realizes something else has changed.

He breaks the surface of the water and takes in deep breaths.]

[pulling_rank]

[John waits until he breaks the surface, and cautiously moves up to the surface enough to bring his head above water to look at Sherlock. The gills flatten and recede after a moment, then he is able to breathe normally.

If normal didn't come with webbed hands and a tail. He keeps his distance, allowing Sherlock space, and keeps his hands and tail carefully under the surface of the water.]

Sherlock?

[It's whispered in a frightened rush of breath. He wishes he could be pleased that he can actually talk again, but he's got other things to worry on.]

[the_new_sexy]

[Sherlock takes in a breath and tries to steady his voice]

So the voice returned with the continued change, then?

[pulling_rank]

Yes. I can--breathe normally if I want, but--[His tail splashes, not purposely, John is still not used to controlling it.]

--I couldn't exactly come find you. It's also not the--[He turns his head away from Sherlock, embarrassed, and raises his hands above the surface of the water, showing the webbing in between his fingers.

His voice trembles.]

--I don't know how to make it stop. I tried focusing like before but it--[He feels his eyes sting and he's glad he hadn't actually looked back to Sherlock yet. It's bad enough as it is, but he's scared.]

[the_new_sexy]

[Sherlock awkwardly swims over to John and holds out one hand while paddling with the other.]

Show me.

[pulling_rank]

[Reluctantly, and still not looking fully at Sherlock, he puts his hand in his friend's. The webbing made things feel odd, but he could move through the water easier. Now, unlike before, he didn't get tired as easily.]

[the_new_sexy]

[he examines the webbing. It's thin, but definitely normal human epidermis, held together in a fashion like he's never seen before. He looks back at John's face, and puts a fingertip against where his gills were.]

But your evolution has also given you the ability to breathe outside of water.

[pulling_rank]

If I go under, they come out again.

[He stays still as he's able, treading water, and allows Sherlock to look him over.]