Need quick ideas for extremely horrific things that occur during wartime.

Yeah. Basically, if anyone saw the last episode of Tennant's tenure in Doctor Who, you may remember he mentioned "the nightmare child" which emerged sometime during the Time War when it descended into hell and the Time Lords turned into looneypants and whatnot. A plotbunny emerged in my head but it would involve needing a purpose for the nightmare child. i.e, why the hell do they call it that?

So what do you think a "nightmare child" could do? What would they make a specific thing, perhaps a living thing, to do within the general perameters of supposed Time Lord context? Note that the entire plot would not necessarily revolve around what this nightmare child was"made" to do, and rather what it does at the time. If that makes any sense whatsoever.

Maybe a captured and modified Vampire? Those were pretty huge, I think. They could have attached TARDIS technology to it to make it more controllable.

Well, I always imagined the Nightmare Child as Child of Alara (pic spoilered below) drenched in GRIMDARK. Given the way that the Time War appears to have been skull-fucking reality on a very basic level, the "Nightmare Child" could be exactly that: a creature born from literal nightmares, somehow manifesting physically/psychically as a result of existence coming apart at the welds.

I don't think the Nightmare Child was made, at least not intentionally- it's just something that sort of happened, like all the other awesome-sounding things Ten mentioned in that scene (I'm most interested in the Could've-Been-King and his army of Meanwhiles and Neverweres. Monsters made of probability ahoy!)

Spoiler:

Well, you don't got time for dancin', or lovey-dovey. You ain't got time for that now.

son of a bitch Zeiss what have you done

gaijinguy wrote:

Well, I always imagined the Nightmare Child as Child of Alara (pic spoilered below) drenched in GRIMDARK. Given the way that the Time War appears to have been skull-fucking reality on a very basic level, the "Nightmare Child" could be exactly that: a creature born from literal nightmares, somehow manifesting physically/psychically as a result of existence coming apart at the welds.I don't think the Nightmare Child was made, at least not intentionally- it's just something that sort of happened, like all the other awesome-sounding things Ten mentioned in that scene...

That's a very good point. Although I'm not familiar with grimdark (or their use of vampires, Sutremaine, I only came in on the new series...) but I guess that's what research is for. That actually could work, seeing as most Gallifreyans are connected in some way with telepathy, and collective mindfucking plus reality fucking usually equals wtfery. Though, thing is I just want her to have a reason, like she's not just sort of there as a pain in the ass like the Macra were in Gridlock. Just a red herring of the main conflict even though up until the last 1/3rd of the episode they were the main antagonist.

gaijinguy wrote:

(I'm most interested in the Could've-Been-King and his army of Meanwhiles and Neverweres. Monsters made of probability ahoy!)

I know, right? And yet the entire episode I'm wondering what the weeping angels had to do with anything. Not that they aren't appropriately badass, but still.

Jesus. wrote:

That's a very good point. Although I'm not familiar with grimdark (or their use of vampires, Sutremaine, I only came in on the new series...) but I guess that's what research is for. That actually could work, seeing as most Gallifreyans are connected in some way with telepathy, and collective mindfucking plus reality fucking usually equals wtfery. Though, thing is I just want her to have a reason, like she's not just sort of there as a pain in the ass like the Macra were in Gridlock. Just a red herring of the main conflict even though up until the last 1/3rd of the episode they were the main antagonist.

Oh- my GRIMDARK I mean the Warhammer 40K "let's start with space elves that rape people to death to eat their souls and get worse from there" spin on things.

As far as the Nightmare Child, if it was born that way and is sentient, it could just want to exist. The fact that it existing is a product of time being torn apart at the seams and literally making nightmares flesh wouldn't matter to it- it will be alive now, and it will fight to defend it's own existence, even if that means the end of everything.

Jesus. wrote:

Although I'm not familiar with grimdark (or their use of vampires, Sutremaine, I only came in on the new series...) but I guess that's what research is for.

Uh, now that I think about it, those things are actually pretty obscure. Sorry.

Sutremaine wrote:

Jesus. wrote:

Although I'm not familiar with grimdark (or their use of vampires, Sutremaine, I only came in on the new series...) but I guess that's what research is for.

Uh, now that I think about it, those things are actually pretty obscure. Sorry.

No problem! I did hear that they would make an appearance in the new series with 11th doctor, so i can't assume they were that obscure. Weren't they a main antagonist back before the Doctor's time? *hasn't read the link yet*

BTW: My plotbunny actually just evolved to include the weeping angels. I just love those things so much.