If you’ve been following the site for the last little while, you may have noticed the contest that we most recently launched. That contest is one we’re very proud to be hosting here on Talking Comics and we’re very happy with the reception it’s received. The contest I speak of is the Locke & Key: Design Your Own Key Contest. You can find out more about the contest by clicking here.
Because all of the contest entries were AMAZING, we wanted to share everyone’s hard work. They’re in no particular order, so sit back, enjoy and click on the thumbnails to enlarge each image.
The Key Of Medusa
Submitted By: Noah Miller
Description: It was originally hidden in the old green house until recent events. The key creates a stone copy of ones true self. The purpose of this key was to protect ones self or otherwise to be destroyed by the copy if intentions are foul. It can be used in the greenhouse by turning the key in a patina copper snake fountain.
The Maelkovic KeySubmitted By: Saihaz Azam
The key lets someone open a door into someone else’s mind and body (DNA of the intended victim needed in the chamber of the key)which allows the key bearer to be in control of anyone they want, this is unlike the head key which only allows manipulation of memories and thoughts.
The Gravity Key (a.k.a. The Gravikey)Submitted By: Sam Pierce
The Gravity Key turns off all gravity inside the house. It may seem like a day of fun but the Gravity Key is nothing but danger, made more so by the fact that the Key Hole for this Key lies hidden on the ceiling in one of the rooms.
Atheneum KeySubmitted By: Bob McGann
Used in the library of Keyhouse. By inserting the key into the center bookshelf, the holder can touch the spine of a book and the ephereal nature of the protagonist (or antagonist depending on the nature of the keyholder) will appear and provide guidance from his/her touching “The Adventure of the Final Problem” by Doyle will cause Sherlock Holmes to appear for a member of the Locke family, or Professor Moriarty for Dodge, for instance. The specter will disappear if either the key is removed or if another person touches the inserted key (Patton will be replaced with Rommel, Hannibal is swapped Scipio, Peter Pan is supplanted by Captain Hook). The character can be seen by anyone and will leave the library with the keyholder if requested, but that would leave the key unattended in the bookshelf, which is ill-advised.
Created to help with children’s studies by Keyhouse’s first inhabitants, it was also used for studying historical military tactics by Keyhouse’s occupants against the Redcoats, but can be harnessed for evil designs when used by the wrong person. At each touch of a book, the ghostly advisor will change to that book’s protagonist or antagonist, as decided by the key’s reading of the holder’s true nature, until the key is removed.
Acheron KeySubmitted By: Jenn Duell
The Acheron key allows the user the power to give life, or death when inserted into the wooden sarcophagus: The user places a cadaver, or an object that was personally touched by the cadaver inside the sarcophagus. If the user turns the key clockwise three times, the soul will return to the living and manifest in solid form inside of the sarcophagus. If the user turns the key counterclockwise three times, the soul will be ripped from the occupant (or the occupant of ownership of the object placed within the sarcophagus) and will meet his or her untimely death.
There is no limit to the length of time of the dead. Whether they died 10 minutes ago, or 3000 years ago; they can return to the living, only, they will not be the same as they were before they died. The returning will not be a slave to the user of the key; they will be completely able to injure, or even kill the user.
The soul leaving will be able to exist in the current world as a ghost so there is a possibility to make contact with the living. If their spirit is returned to life before 7 calendar days from initial departure, the returning will be fully restored as they were.
The sarcophagus should be discovered in the basement of Keyhouse with the Acheron Key laid on a table beside it. The Acheron will rest atop a journal in which was scribed by its former owner who kept a diary of his successes and failures of the “Acheron” experiments. (I have at least 6 pages worth of descriptions of what one could do with the Acheron Key and the sarcophagus)
Bonus use: After the user has discovered the journal and reads beyond general uses he will discover a section which talks about soul transfer. Insert an object of, or the person who possesses the soul in which you wish to steal. Insert the Acheron key and turn it counterclockwise 13 times. You have now captured the soul. To transfer; put a soul-less cadaver into the sarcophagus and turn clockwise 13 times and you will have successfully transferred a soul from one living being into another. You could transfer the soul into anything you desire, including jars, animals, radios. The possibilities are limitless.
The Character KeySubmitted By: Susan Kulasik
The Character Key is gold with a small little book on top which changes colors in the sun. It unlocks a “book” (really a hallow empty box that can hold any book and can grow and shrink to fit the book being out inside much like the cupboard that goes with the Mending Key), in the “book” box, you place your favorite book inside and lock the lock. Within about a minute or so, you unlock the box and the book placed inside is gone and is replaced by the characters from the story. They are about three inches in height like thoughts that can be taken with the Head Key. You can have full conversations with the characters and get advise from them and they will be in full character and respond how they would as in the book.
As a one shot story for the key, I was thinking that Kinsey could be searching for a new book in their library to escape from her mothers drinking. On one shelf she finds a unique looking book that has a key hole and is locked. She puts in back and continues looking for a book. When she finds a book that looks decent, she goes to sit at the desk and has an urge to search through the drawers. In one of the drawers she finds an odd key. She remembers the locked book and decides its worth a shot to try the key. The key unlocks the book and she discovers it is not a book but a hallow box. She takes her new discovery up to her room having the perfect use for it. She takes her favorite comic book that her dad gave her and locks it in there and puts it in the drawer of her bedside table. She lays down and listens to music (one earbud in) and starts her new book. A few minutes later she hear tiny knocks coming from the drawer she put the key and the box in. She opens the drawer and unlocks the box and finds her book gone and the characters there staring up at her.
The Book KeySubmitted By: Tim Vargulish
This is called The Book Key. It has the power to allow someone to use the key to actually enter a book and put yourself inside the story. Great for a quick getaway when you’re trying to escape Dodge. You can also use it to summon literary characters from any book to come to your aid. Imagine having Superman, Tarzan, Harry Potter, Moby Dick, and Hester Prynne at your disposal for the most badass army to fight Dodge’s shadow army!
The 8-bit Flower KeySubmitted By: Michael Newhouse-Bailey
The 8-bit flower key would be inserted into the palm of the possessor and would grant them the ability to shoot fireballs from his or her hand. I picture an 8-bit side scrolling spread (aka NES Mario Brothers) when one of the Locke kids uses it. Can you imagine an 8-bit Keyhouse drawn by Gabriel Rodriguez! It would be quite effective against the crown of shadows and would have been quite useful these past couple of issues.
The 13 KeySubmitted By: Jason Adams
The 13 Key allows the holder to access either 13 minutes in the future or 13 minutes in the past. Once.
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Erigo KeySubmitted By: Todd M Clark
Erigo (latin for ‘raise’,’animate’) Key. Basically, can turn any inanimate object into a living thing. The key would have a shield with eyes and some sort of other little carvings or details embedded.
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Reflection KeySubmitted By: Sarah Parker
The reflection key unlocks a small room in Keyhouse in which all walls are completely covered in mirrors. Upon stepping into the room the key holder’s reflection manifests into a real person. This human replica shares the same knowledge, memories and abilities as the real person, and any information the replica gains while out in the real world is automatically gained by the original person, as they share the same mind. The replica is free to roam the outside world at the same time as the original person. Any injuries or even death sustained by the replica does not affect the original person, but if the replica is killed, another replica of that person can never be created. The only way to get rid of the replica and still be able to bring it back later is by locking it in the room of mirrors using the key. By doing this the replica ceases to exist until that person uses the reflection key again.
The reflection key was designed as a tool for gaining information, creating distraction, as well as protecting yourself.
Magellan KeySubmitted By: Caitlin Gelatt
The user of this key will be able to transport themselves anywhere on the miniature globe at the top of the key, do make sure to hold on to it for easy return travel, otherwise don’t leave home without your passport. By use of an interior light the user is able to project a map on the wall thus allowing them to see the miniscule destinations more clearly for accurate destination selection, no one needs their man thumbs sending them to the middle of the open ocean when they were aiming for that cute little island there.
The Gingerbread KeySubmitted By: Randy Ziggy Canales-Ochoa
The Gingerbread Key: On the far edge of the property of Key House, there is a plain looking shed. When you use any regular old key on the door, it opens to reveal a regular shed. There are gardening supplied and tools everywhere. However, when you use the Gingerbread Key, your deepest desires are revealed. The inside of the shed becomes as big as it needs to be to accommodate whatever your mind desires. Have you ever wanted to go to a waterpark? Well then the inside of the shed be big enough to have a water park. It can give you anything from the ultimate gameroom to your dreamhouse occupied by the vision of your perfect boyfriend/girlfriend. But time moves differently in the shed, and a minute inside could be as much as a day or more outside depending on the strength of the desire, so be careful what you wish for.
Submitted By: Wes Bird
Location- Nestled in a bookcase is a hardback book containing many secrets. The appearance of this book is described as old and worn; the front and back covers faded by age and friction from repeated rubbing on other books during insertion and extraction, leaving the title difficult to discern, but looking close enough the title reads, “The Ghost in the Machine; and other lullabies- by Anonymous.” The spine of this book is larger than a normal book spine; the upper two thirds made of a hidden compartment that contains the Van Winkle Key and a small sheet of instruction paper for how to use, the bottom third solid with a small keyhole design.Door- Access to the door for this key is accomplished by taking the key out of the spine and replacing the book to its spot in the bookcase, then as the key is placed on the small keyhole design on the spine the key will start to enter the keyhole and a doorknob and door will appear in the face of the bookcase.
Use- This key is used to enter the dreamscape of individuals where insight into and eventually modification of memories and ideas can be done.
Selecting the individual whose mind you want access to is done by spelling out their name with other book titles in the bookcase prior to accessing the door. Once inside that person’s mind the key user can observe dreams and interpret them upon leaving the door and opening the key book to the glossary which will attach meanings to different things witnessed in dreams and will change according to each individual.
Modification of dreams, and memories and ideas, can be done with better understanding and practice of the key and the individuals to change some of a person’s actions. While nothing big can be removed or changed within the dream world, small things that may appear unimportant to a casual observer become important with knowledge and can be removed or changed to alter these dreams.
The use of the key is not dependent on the targeted individual being asleep but it can only be used during the night when most people would be asleep.
The Dream KeySubmitted By: Bert Ramos
The individual possessing the Dream Key has the ability to enter another person’s psyche while they sleep. There are no geographical limitations to its power. The only constraint is that the possessor of the key must also be asleep in order to appear before the Subconscious Door, which grants them access to the mind of the person they seek. As you can imagine, this leaves the possessor of the key vulnerable so the upmost precautions are needed when one intends to use it.
The key allows the user to tap into a level of consciousness that makes everything feel completely real. The only thing telling them it’s a dream would be farfetched surroundings or things they know cannot really exist in the real world. The key bearer has full control of the dream world and can conjure up anything they can imagine.
It can be used to plant thoughts and ideas as a way to manipulate their subject or as a means to have direct contact with someone. Any physical interactions are felt as if they were awake; this means both pleasant and painful sensations.
One can experience anything from the joy and pleasures of love to extreme torture and torment, even one’s demise.
In the right hands, both individuals can experience a welcomed visit that might be social, friendly, conjugal, etc. However in the wrong hands, it allows the keeper of the key to abuse or even kill the dreamer. Being slain in the dream world by someone who has entered your psyche will result in real death.
The Novel KeySubmitted By: Mary Elise Elam
Created in the early 1900’s, the Novel Key was made by Chamberlin Morse Walton Locke to help his children cope with the passing of their brother, Ian which is illustrated in Locke and Key: Open the Moon. This key unlocked the Keyhouse library on the 1st Level which is known as the Summer Study in Locke and Key: Grindhouse, but that was its most ordinary task.
When inside the library, the Novel Key could be used to unlock any book that was inside. Any book brought in could also be unlocked, but a book that was unlocked in the library would lock if the book left the room. When a book is unlocked, the reader can travel inside the book, and witness it from the point of view of the narrator. The reader can then either let the events in the book unfold as they would have normally, or change them in any way that would be physically possible for the narrator. If a reader dies in the book they immediately leave (unless the plot explains otherwise) and are left sitting in the library with a closed book in their hands. When a reader leaves a book, the book reverts to its original story, no matter what changes the reader made within it. A reader also has the ability to take items out of the book that they would have access to as the narrator. These items can only exist inside of the library, and automatically fall back into the book if they cross the threshold of the library doors or windows. The book is then returned to its original story at this time. While an item of the book is outside of it’s story, the rest of the pages within the book become blank, and the book is forced to be left open, allowing only one book to be open at a time. Items brought into books and left will also force the book to go blank and be left open, so readers and their possessions cannot be trapped within the books. Multiple people can enter the same book, but only at the same point in the plot. A person can not enter at chapter four, and another at chapter nine, unless the person in chapter for has reached chapter nine while existing within the book. Any changes a person makes in a book exist if another person joins them in the book as well, but all changes are reverted when both readers leave the book.
Luck KeySubmitted By: Marius Calandra
This key allows you to have a lucky advantage when playing games or anything the requires luck or skill and gives you the best chance to win. It is located behind the leprechaun book in the Keyhouse Library.
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Magic KeySubmitted By: Judene Calandra
With this key, any ingredient needed – be it bat wings or garlic cloves or any thing imaginable is readily available for spells or dinner or pranks.
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The Midsummer KeySubmitted By: Zoë Gulliksen
“Things base and vile, holding no quantity,
Love can transpose to form and dignity.
Love looks not with the eyes but with the mind.
And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.”
-Helena, A Midsummer Night’s Dream
Named after the bard of deception and passion, The Midsummer Key holds the ability for the holder to blind its heart’s desire. The key holder must write their love interest’s name on a scrap of paper with the quill tip to activate the enchantment. He or she may then fall in love without sight, however, once the scrap of paper is burnt by fire, the blindness is broken. The key can be used for the purest or the darkest of intentions, and must be treated with upmost caution.
The Tentacle KeySubmitted by: Heather O’Hara
The Tentacle Key allows the user to control the 8 closest people whether it be bodies, memories or abilities. The user can access these aspects and share with the entire group but only one aspect can be used at a time. All 8 have to be controlled in the same way. Once released the 8 will have no memory of the event.
Example: the user can see thru the group’s eyes to take in the surroundings. Once the danger is known the expertise of a soldier is given to the entire group to create a brutal force of fighters.
The key looks like the arms of an octopus reaching out to its victims. The tentacle closest to the shaft of the key wraps around it to convey control. Even the center piece that activates the tumblers of the lock is twisted like a tentacle.
The Pirate KeySubmitted by: Carlyn Kuchan
This is the Pirate Key. Use it when you are in financial need. When you hold it, a door will appear. Turn the key into the lock and behind it will be a group of pirates guarding their treasure! You must fight the pirates to get them to surrender their treasure so it will be yours!
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The Finder’s KeySubmitted by: Dan Nagan
The Finder’s Key allows its user to find that which they are looking for, or at least gives them a hint as to where they must look. The key unlocks a diary, and when the user opens the diary with what they wish to find in mind, they will find a clue within it that will help them find what they are looking for.
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The Birds KeySubmitted By: Stephanie Cooke – I am NOT entering the contest, FYI, just sharing the key that I made because I really just enjoyed the idea of this contest wholeheartedly.
When activated (by letting the claw perch on one of your fingers), the key unleashes a murder of crows that will furiously attack anyone around the holder of the key.
