Shelley (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
cousinshelley) wrote2022-06-01 06:24 pm
cousinshelley) wrote2022-06-01 06:24 pm
Summer of Horror Exchange
My Summer of Horror Exchange letter. A few have much shorter prompt sections than others. That doesn't mean I love them or want them any less!
Horror Dislikes
The fandoms I chose contain the kind of horror I like for those fandoms, and I think I'm pretty easy to please. That said, I'm not into gore for gore's sake, though if it's canon/and-or serves the plot it's fine, and slasher movies that are serious rather than funny don't do it for me (though they're nostalgic). Extreme body horror like The Walrus or stories where characters are dehumanized to be used by others aren't things I enjoy. Not into permanent maiming or alterations or torture porn.
I'm not interested in unrecoverable horrors in a gift story. I want the characters to be able to heal and recover from whatever happens, whether physically or psychologically. There doesn't have to be the promise that they'll end up 100%, but I don't want anyone left totally destroyed or despondent.
Horror Tropes I Enjoy
Horror Dislikes
General Likes
General DNWs
Re-Animator
The Endless
Wellington Paranormal
Schitt's Creek
Brand New Cherry Flavor
Crossover (The Conjuring/Insidious)
Evil
Horror Tropes I Enjoy
- Paranormal/Supernatural horror with or without religious themes and horror comedy are my favorite horror genres.
- Haunted places, ghosts, spirits
- Possession/coercion, demonic horror, religious horror
- Cosmic horror, Lovecraftian and eldritch horrors
- Mind control, mind fuck, warped realities, horror where the character doesn't know what's real
- Psychological horror and slow-burn horrors
- The aftermath and recovery from horror that happens before the story starts
- Heavy on the comfort/relief after the hurt/horror
Horror Dislikes
The fandoms I chose contain the kind of horror I like for those fandoms, and I think I'm pretty easy to please. That said, I'm not into gore for gore's sake, though if it's canon/and-or serves the plot it's fine, and slasher movies that are serious rather than funny don't do it for me (though they're nostalgic). Extreme body horror like The Walrus or stories where characters are dehumanized to be used by others aren't things I enjoy. Not into permanent maiming or alterations or torture porn.
I'm not interested in unrecoverable horrors in a gift story. I want the characters to be able to heal and recover from whatever happens, whether physically or psychologically. There doesn't have to be the promise that they'll end up 100%, but I don't want anyone left totally destroyed or despondent.
General Things I love:
- Friendship, found families, loyalty, love, deep emotional connections, devotion, displays of affection and respect
- Third person POV
- Missing scenes and fix-its, as well as case-fic and plotty stories
- Protectiveness and characters sacrificing their own comforts to help others
- Mutual pining with a happy ending, unrequited love finally realized
- Hurt/comfort, especially things like one comforting another after a nightmare, tending wounds, caring for them when they're ill or injured, hovering after something traumatic and trying to take their mind off things
- Tropes like oh my god there's only one bed and every other possible bedsharing scenario, fake couple/marriage for whatever reasons to real romance, forced proximity and bonus if there’s peril
- First kiss, first realization of feelings
- Humor, snark and banter, laughing and joking with each other
- Flirting/pining/UST, and getting together fic (I do like established relationship in shorter <500 or even <1000 word stories or any length when the couple is canon)
- Happy or at least hopeful endings
- Porn with feelings and emotional or romantic sex
- Possessiveness and a little jealousy
- First times
- Dubcon in some fandoms/pairings
- Desperate kisses and one or both partners overwhelmed with passion and feelings
- Manhandling and displays of strength, up against the wall sex
- Kneeling (any reason but especially for oral sex or to kiss knees or thighs or anything like that, grand)
- Penetrative sex, oral sex, fingers, frottage, mutual masturbation or one watching the other
- Naked and half-naked or one clothed and the other naked, basically any combo of clothed/not clothed
- Necking, petting, face and neck and body stroking, kissing and/or sucking or licking pretty much anywhere
- I really like up against the wall, taken from behind, and one riding the other, but any positions are fine
- Thank god you're/we're alive sex
- One character being suddenly so overcome with feeling and desire for the other they kiss them and initiate things out of the blue, like they can't wait another second--love those big music swell moments
- Light hair-pulling or ass-slapping when appropriate in the heat of the moment
- With appropriate pairings, like vampires, blood drinking and/or licking blood off the other’s mouth, face, neck, etc. can’t go wrong
- I like stories with no sex, fade-to-black, or full-on smut, so write whatever level you prefer. You can also split the difference and focus more on the emotions than a blow-by-blow what's going where sort of story if you want.
General DNWs:
.
- Anything pandemic-related including references to it, anything political including references and people's names (unless in a historic context, like George Washington)
- AU (setting, A/B/O, genderswapping, etc.) but minor canon divergence to get non-canon couples together or see what happens if they go left instead of right are fine
- Script format with only each speaker's name and dialogue.
- Unhappy and otherwise bleak endings
- First and second person POV except in epistolary/journal format, original or unrequested character's outsider POV
- Kidfic and pregnancy-related fic, including mpreg
- Unrequested gender identity or sexuality headcanons, a focus on gender identity or sexuality, teach-me-a-lesson fic
- Surprise serious illness, character death, as well as cruelty to animals/animal death, infidelity, partner betrayal
- Holiday stories, unrequested crack/parodies, unrequested crossovers
- Unconventional capitalization and punctuation unless for canon/plot reasons
- Non-con, underage
- Oviposition, eggs, sex to cause pregnancy or mpreg, feeding to cause weight gain, inflations, dehumanization and extreme objectification, body horror-related sex
- Sex toys, BDSM, fisting, insertions and things like pain, torture, spitting, choking and hitting (more than a playful slap on the ass)
- Elimination-related kinks (enemas, urine, etc.)
- Characters calling each other daddy, baby boy/girl, slut, bitch, whore mommy or similar during sex. Outside sex is fine if it fits the context. Generic dirty talk, daddy and mommy kinks in general
- A focus on bodily fluids or excretions except sweat, tears and where mentioned, blood; come play or eating (swallowing after oral sex is fine)
.
Re-Animator
Dan Cain & Herbert West
I totally ship Dan/Herbert, but as long as they're not with other people and their interactions are as unnecessarily touchy and devoted as in the first couple of movies, I'm good with gen. Don't make them enemies or horrified by each other, but keep the strange relationship they have in canon at least, and I'll enjoy it!
One of my favorite moments is in Bride of Re-Animator when Dan presents Herbert with their creation. He’s awed and approaches them, and the first thing he does is grab Dan’s hand in a definitive squeeze. “We did it,” he says, giving Dan an equal part in their achievement and making a point of that. Dan’s holding her hand, and soon enough Herbert touches her specifically, but his first instinct was to squeeze Dan’s hand. And the whole shot is just that.
I firmly believe that Herbert doesn’t really care about people as much as he cares about defeating death and reaching his goals. He doesn’t care about individual people at all, except Dan. Dan’s the one living person Herbert does give a damn about, and that’s one of the things that makes their relationship so great, IMO.
If any horror they face has their relationship at the heart of it, whether you write it shippy or not, I'll be happy. I have a major character death DNW, but as long as the character who dies here comes back, I say lean into the death and grief of the other character if you want. Just don't leave them dead.
Some ideas I like:
My IQP prompts for this fandom have more shippy stuff about them I like, if you're interested. Any prompt there would be fine! If you plan to write gen, ignore the sexy parts. Most of the prompts will work equally well whether shippy or gen.
TOP
The Endless
Justin Smith & Hal, Justin Smith & Aaron Smith, Justin Smith & Aaron Smith & Hal
I ship Aaron/Justin and Hal/Justin (and Aaron/Hal/Justin for that matter), but I love their canon relationships, too. The time loops and deaths instantly undone to do it all over again create so many possibilities, along with an entity voyeur that likes to rub that in your face with videos and photos.
TOP
Wellington Paranormal
Minogue & O'Leary, Minogue & O'Leary & Maaka, Minogue & O'Leary & Maaka & Parker
No ships, just canon friendships and working relationships, and comedic horror. I love the horror these characters can get into while cluelessly coming out on the other side.
TOP
Schitt's Creek
I'm in love with the idea of Moira, David, and Stevie together somewhere that they think is haunted, or where they think they're being stalked by a murderer, or where they think crows are an actual threat to them. Or Moira alone or with any other character(s) in some sort of ridiculous moment or scenario where she (and/or they) think The Crows Have Eyes has become real life.
I don't love actual supernatural elements in shows where that kind of thing isn't canon, so I'd prefer the threat be born of their own paranoia and silliness rather than actual ghosts or something.
The crows Alexis released at the premier was a good example, but I'd love to see the characters paranoia and tendency to be OTT even more. Of course, everything's fine, and the crows or ghosts or whatever don't want revenge or blood, and it just ends up funny and possibly touching like the show itself.
Maybe everywhere Moira goes she notices crows, maybe just one or two at first and then larger numbers (or gathering outside their motel room this way) and she spirals and has to be talked down when it turns out there's a good reason (someone put up a new bird feeder or something realistic like that).
They can find out that wherever they're at and maybe have to sleep there, the new motel or someplace else, was the scene of a murder and start to think they're being haunted. Or that they're being stalked by a killer or something when there's a reasonable explanation.
It could even be something like them thinking Alexis has been kidnapped yet again by a bad date and panicking to look for her in outrageous ways when she's not missing at all. Or David thinking a new product at the shop is doing something unnatural to people, making them zombified or strange or something because of some goofy interactions and having to figure out that's not it at all.
I'm having trouble coming up with specific prompts, but anything along those lines would be great. Any characters are welcome, I love the whole thing.
TOP
Brand New Cherry Flavor
DNW: Please avoid showing or references to eye injury/eye horror, and animal harm or references to it. No more of Lisa producing blood kittens or eating guinea pig stew, please.
I do ship Boro/Lisa Nova, but don't want either of them shipped with Jonathan if you matched on the three. This fandom is an exception to my body horror-related sexy things. I mean, Boro grew Lisa a birth canal in her side with which to birth kittens, and it was definitely body horror at first, and then she enjoyed the heck out of it. That kind of thing is canon, and so fine with me.
All their interactions have such a charge behind them, but if you don't ship them, canon-typical is totally fine. I like a scenario where Boro doesn't want to destroy Lisa and steal her body, but wants her to be a companion, maybe even a protege, and any level of coercion and horror she causes while in pursuit of this is fine.
I also like a scenario where Boro can actually fix Jonathan, and Lisa sacrifices something of herself to get it done. Maybe she has to stay with Boro in exchange? Jonathan got a raw deal, so if he's there, it'd be cool if he could at least get part of his life back.
Boro is nearly killed and Lisa has to figure out how to regenerate her.
Anything dipping into Boro's past would be cool. She's a fascinating character, and seeing her horrified would be neat. Just seeing her frightened, turned on, unsure of herself would be amazing, because she's so casual and unruffled by things that horrify other people. Maybe Lisa does stay with her but ends up the controlling one between them.
Go wild with the horror surrounding the plants growing through Lisa's apartment, or the return of the jaguar's spirit and its desire for revenge. What other entities appear to Lisa, and are they guiding her or trying to hurt her?
You can go off the rails here, like the show did, as long as they're both alive and together somehow, platonically or more, in the end, even if Lisa is still a little horrified by parts of the turn her life has taken but willing to adapt and make the best of it.
Hey, this video is fun for Boro & Lisa, mostly Boro.
TOP
Crossover Fandom: The Conjuring & Insidious
I ship Brad/Drew from The Conjuring and Specs/Tucker from Insidious, but their canon relationships are wonderful too.
I love the idea of them meeting in some way, whether while investigating some paranormal horror, or outside that context but meeting because of the work they do. Support group for those traumatized by the paranormal? Workshops on how to back up your boss while fighting demons and otherworldly entities? One pair goes missing during an investigation and the other is on the trail?
I'm charmed by the idea of some sort of text/chat/email relationship between the four talking about whatever unspeakable horror they faced that day and offering support. I chose Comedic Horror as a tag along with the others because I would enjoy a more serious story or something lighter, and I think messages sent between them or brief meetings would lend themselves well to the humorous side.
If you want to go shippy, showing it through deep concern for the other, desperation if something bad happens (like they disappear or are possessed or something) or a little jealousy prompted by a growing friendship with one of the other two, that would be a-okay with me.
These characters would be great in a story involving any one of the tropes like amnesia (that heals in the story), rescues, protecting each other, the willingness to sacrifice oneself for someone else, hiding some kind of horror from others.
One or more get trapped in the world of Insidious and the others have to rescue them. One has spirit-induced amnesia and that one holds the key to defeating or protecting them all from a demon or supernatural threat. One has been possessed or controlled by something awful an the rest have to fix it. Go wild, include any other characters you want, but leave them on good terms and okay in the end.
TOP
Evil
I ship every combination of Kristen/Ben/David, and I'm also fine with their canon relationships. I love the sibling relationship between Ben and Karima and wish she showed up a lot more. I also chose solo Ben, because any Ben-centric story will be a winner.
TOP
If any horror they face has their relationship at the heart of it, whether you write it shippy or not, I'll be happy. I have a major character death DNW, but as long as the character who dies here comes back, I say lean into the death and grief of the other character if you want. Just don't leave them dead.
Some ideas I like:
I love when people in strange and intense relationships don't remember the other person, briefly. Whether the amnesia is brought on because a monster stole their memory or they bumped their head, I like pain it causes the other person and the problems it creates, and of course the happiness when the memories return. Dan or Herbert losing their memory of the other and all the rest would be really interesting, especially if it's in the middle of them facing something dangerous.
I like the horror inherent in Dan slowly realizing he must have died and been resurrected with Herbert’s reagent (because Herbert just couldn't let him go *cough*). I like the idea of the aftermath of something like that and how one or both adapt. I don’t want Dan to have come back too wrong, but it'd be neat if now and then they have to take special measures to keep him okay, whether it’s more reagent or some other drug, or something Herbert has to do.
I like the horror inherent in Dan slowly realizing he must have died and been resurrected with Herbert’s reagent (because Herbert just couldn't let him go *cough*). I like the idea of the aftermath of something like that and how one or both adapt. I don’t want Dan to have come back too wrong, but it'd be neat if now and then they have to take special measures to keep him okay, whether it’s more reagent or some other drug, or something Herbert has to do.
Maybe in a situation like that Dan has to drink blood like a vampire, or Herbert has to let him beat the shit out of him or something. Or he has kill someone to provide fresh blood and tissue, and has to assure Dan he only kills people who deserve to die. Maybe he’s much more discerning, because he knew Dan would want that. But please don't have Dan looking like the bride. Any physical changes should be subtle and easily hidden, preferably.
Alternately, Herbert can slowly realize he’s resurrected. Maybe at first he was wild and had to be kept in a room, and Dan used his notes and what he learned to refine the reagent, and finally has him 98% of the way there (or all the way for that matter; that’d be fine for either one, just the aftermath without the need for anything else). How does it happen, and how does Herbert react finding out Dan couldn’t let him go? In either case, one being really overprotective of the other would be lovely, though not necessary. Like in a nearly lost him once, can’t take any chances now kind of thing.
A fix-it for the third film. Preferably a short time span than 13 years, maybe just a year or so, and Herbert gets out of prison, either through a technicality or an escape. He goes to find Dan, not for revenge or anything, but maybe for help (if he escaped) or just to get some answers about why he betrayed him. But it turns out Dan only turned state’s evidence to prevent the government or some other villain from killing Herbert or worse and he hasn’t been able to contact him. Maybe Dan breaks him out and explains, even. As long as they get back together.
Or maybe Carl Hill’s head got regenerated yet again and he bat-winged his way to Dan and hypnotized him to do it, and Dan’s been under his control for the whole time while Hill’s been trying to get him to reproduce the reagent or do his bidding while he’s working on it. I’m okay with it if he took other liberties with Dan too, giving Herbert even more reason to kill him again, but just controlling his mind and making him betray Herbert would be plenty. The aftermath of Dan getting free of that control and Herbert helping him through it would be amazing.
If you can think of some other reason for an unwilling betrayal, I’m sure that’d be great, too. I’m after Herbert’s alarm when he discovers that Dan didn’t want to betray him and has been in a prison of his own the whole time, even if it’s just one of guilt. Just please avoid real betrayals and don't have them at odds by the end.
I'd also be happy with them facing other horrors together, like Herbert's creations coming after them, him creating some new horror that's a problem, or whatever you dream up!
I'd also be happy with them facing other horrors together, like Herbert's creations coming after them, him creating some new horror that's a problem, or whatever you dream up!
My IQP prompts for this fandom have more shippy stuff about them I like, if you're interested. Any prompt there would be fine! If you plan to write gen, ignore the sexy parts. Most of the prompts will work equally well whether shippy or gen.
TOP
The Endless
Justin Smith & Hal, Justin Smith & Aaron Smith, Justin Smith & Aaron Smith & Hal
I ship Aaron/Justin and Hal/Justin (and Aaron/Hal/Justin for that matter), but I love their canon relationships, too. The time loops and deaths instantly undone to do it all over again create so many possibilities, along with an entity voyeur that likes to rub that in your face with videos and photos.
I've watched this movie and Resolution enough times that you should feel free to use any characters and/or references from either that you want to. This movie (and Resolution) does so much with so little. The creepiness and mystery build with implication and lack of information rather than spelling everything out, and I love that.
The relationship between Justin and Aaron is fascinating and codependent, and any exploration of that will be a winner. Justin got him out of the cult and takes care of him, but he's got such strange ways of protecting him, like telling him that all the men in the cult are castrated and that Anna is a pedophile who paid Aaron too much attention when he was little. On the shippy side, there a lot of interesting paths to go down thanks to things like this.
This fandom is an exception to my major character death DNW as long as the character comes back. You can kill 'em and hurt 'em all you want as long as it's not permanent here.
This fandom is an exception to my major character death DNW as long as the character comes back. You can kill 'em and hurt 'em all you want as long as it's not permanent here.
If you want to set something after the film, do they wake up back in the camp one day and have to leave all over again? Do they somehow figure out they're in a time loop that may go back even as far as the car accident? Does Justin wonder if they're dead and in some time-loop purgatory and question reality altogether? Is being out of the camp the dream and his nightmare of being stuck there his reality? Does the entity send them messages beyond the video of the cult saying goodbye?
Aaron dies in the camp and Justin has to push into the time loop premise to try to go back and save him. I know I DNW major character death, but this is an exception because we’ll assume he will eventually not stay dead and that Justin will save him and brak them out. The story can go that far, or he can get through loop once, rescue Aaron, and Aaron dies again as long as it ends with the clear indication that Justin’s going around again, and he knows eventually he’ll get it right. Alternately, Justin dies and Aaron has to save him in the same way.
I like the idea of Justin and Aaron getting separated into two of the zones in the camp. They get desperate and maybe even pray to whatever force is causing it to reunite them, making promises and bargains, and maybe getting messages from the entity about what it wants them to do in exchange for being together again. It can be anything from something fairly innocent like smoking the red dope every night for a week and facing those consequence, or revealing secrets to each other, to sexytimes.
The amnesia trope with one of the brothers could be great, too. What if Justin's memory is taken by the entity, the red weed, the cult, Hal, whatever, and he's forgotten how much he wanted to be away from there? What does Aaron go through in not telling him, or telling him and ruining his happiness? What if Justin lost enough memories to leave without Aaron and only realize later when he's back in the real world. The horror of that and the need to get back and hopefully find him alive could be great.
What is Hal up to? Does he have an agenda beyond wanting them to stay? Is he jealous of their bond and hoping to win Aaron over? Does he have some sort of special connection with the entity nobody knows about? Both of them losing their memories while in camp and Hal managing them could be really interesting (and horror for Justin in a way, especially as he starts to remember).
Anything with the shades of the creepiness of the film with the brothers or them and Hal will be great. Feel free to include whatever canon characters you might want to.
Here are my IQP prompts that have some shippier stuff, if you're into that. I like the idea of Justin and Aaron getting separated into two of the zones in the camp. They get desperate and maybe even pray to whatever force is causing it to reunite them, making promises and bargains, and maybe getting messages from the entity about what it wants them to do in exchange for being together again. It can be anything from something fairly innocent like smoking the red dope every night for a week and facing those consequence, or revealing secrets to each other, to sexytimes.
The amnesia trope with one of the brothers could be great, too. What if Justin's memory is taken by the entity, the red weed, the cult, Hal, whatever, and he's forgotten how much he wanted to be away from there? What does Aaron go through in not telling him, or telling him and ruining his happiness? What if Justin lost enough memories to leave without Aaron and only realize later when he's back in the real world. The horror of that and the need to get back and hopefully find him alive could be great.
What is Hal up to? Does he have an agenda beyond wanting them to stay? Is he jealous of their bond and hoping to win Aaron over? Does he have some sort of special connection with the entity nobody knows about? Both of them losing their memories while in camp and Hal managing them could be really interesting (and horror for Justin in a way, especially as he starts to remember).
Anything with the shades of the creepiness of the film with the brothers or them and Hal will be great. Feel free to include whatever canon characters you might want to.
TOP
Wellington Paranormal
Minogue & O'Leary, Minogue & O'Leary & Maaka, Minogue & O'Leary & Maaka & Parker
No ships, just canon friendships and working relationships, and comedic horror. I love the horror these characters can get into while cluelessly coming out on the other side.
This show is so much fun. I think it's a wonderful spin-off of What We Do in the Shadows, which is one of my favorite movies.
Any kind of paranormal case or everyday interactions between any of these characters would be great. I love their friendship, and really how O'Leary seems to be the lead and Minogue defers to her a lot. And I love how hell can break loose and their reaction is to explain the situation calmly and say "we'd better do something about that, hadn't we?" Any casefic or just casual conversation about anything driving around in the car or in Maaka's office would work for me.
- After exposure to some paranormal creature Minogue starts to grow a tail or horns some other bizarre thing. I can picture him trying to hide it at first and then revealing it, and O'Leary taking it in stride. How do they solve the problem, or do they?
- They have to use a ouija board or some other device to try to contact someone who's passed on for information about a case? How crazily wrong could that go if they lose track of the letters and decipher the message incorrectly?
- One becomes psychic and drives the other crazy by constantly saying what will happen next, but only mundane things. Girl in the coffee shop's wearing purple today, before they get there, but not that someone naked is going to dash in front of their car, or something worth predicting.
- One gets possessed and the entity has messages show up on their skin or some other way, and they both keep interpreting the meanings wrong, but somehow fix it anyway. Or the possessed one keeps getting scolded by the others for being rude, pushy, nasty, whatever. O'Leary especially will not put up with that nonsense!
- Minogue or Maaka gets abducted by aliens, and can't convince the others that anything truly amazing/frightening/monumental happened. O'Leary especially keeps finding rational explanations for everything.
- Minogue or O'Leary has a girlfriend who turns out to be a monster (preferably inhuman in some way so there's no question that the relationship has to end, haha). How is it revealed and what do they do? Does the creature attack Parker and that's how they figure it out?
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Schitt's Creek
I'm in love with the idea of Moira, David, and Stevie together somewhere that they think is haunted, or where they think they're being stalked by a murderer, or where they think crows are an actual threat to them. Or Moira alone or with any other character(s) in some sort of ridiculous moment or scenario where she (and/or they) think The Crows Have Eyes has become real life.
I don't love actual supernatural elements in shows where that kind of thing isn't canon, so I'd prefer the threat be born of their own paranoia and silliness rather than actual ghosts or something.
The crows Alexis released at the premier was a good example, but I'd love to see the characters paranoia and tendency to be OTT even more. Of course, everything's fine, and the crows or ghosts or whatever don't want revenge or blood, and it just ends up funny and possibly touching like the show itself.
Maybe everywhere Moira goes she notices crows, maybe just one or two at first and then larger numbers (or gathering outside their motel room this way) and she spirals and has to be talked down when it turns out there's a good reason (someone put up a new bird feeder or something realistic like that).
They can find out that wherever they're at and maybe have to sleep there, the new motel or someplace else, was the scene of a murder and start to think they're being haunted. Or that they're being stalked by a killer or something when there's a reasonable explanation.
It could even be something like them thinking Alexis has been kidnapped yet again by a bad date and panicking to look for her in outrageous ways when she's not missing at all. Or David thinking a new product at the shop is doing something unnatural to people, making them zombified or strange or something because of some goofy interactions and having to figure out that's not it at all.
I'm having trouble coming up with specific prompts, but anything along those lines would be great. Any characters are welcome, I love the whole thing.
TOP
Brand New Cherry Flavor
DNW: Please avoid showing or references to eye injury/eye horror, and animal harm or references to it. No more of Lisa producing blood kittens or eating guinea pig stew, please.
I do ship Boro/Lisa Nova, but don't want either of them shipped with Jonathan if you matched on the three. This fandom is an exception to my body horror-related sexy things. I mean, Boro grew Lisa a birth canal in her side with which to birth kittens, and it was definitely body horror at first, and then she enjoyed the heck out of it. That kind of thing is canon, and so fine with me.
All their interactions have such a charge behind them, but if you don't ship them, canon-typical is totally fine. I like a scenario where Boro doesn't want to destroy Lisa and steal her body, but wants her to be a companion, maybe even a protege, and any level of coercion and horror she causes while in pursuit of this is fine.
I also like a scenario where Boro can actually fix Jonathan, and Lisa sacrifices something of herself to get it done. Maybe she has to stay with Boro in exchange? Jonathan got a raw deal, so if he's there, it'd be cool if he could at least get part of his life back.
Boro is nearly killed and Lisa has to figure out how to regenerate her.
Anything dipping into Boro's past would be cool. She's a fascinating character, and seeing her horrified would be neat. Just seeing her frightened, turned on, unsure of herself would be amazing, because she's so casual and unruffled by things that horrify other people. Maybe Lisa does stay with her but ends up the controlling one between them.
Go wild with the horror surrounding the plants growing through Lisa's apartment, or the return of the jaguar's spirit and its desire for revenge. What other entities appear to Lisa, and are they guiding her or trying to hurt her?
You can go off the rails here, like the show did, as long as they're both alive and together somehow, platonically or more, in the end, even if Lisa is still a little horrified by parts of the turn her life has taken but willing to adapt and make the best of it.
Hey, this video is fun for Boro & Lisa, mostly Boro.
TOP
Crossover Fandom: The Conjuring & Insidious
I ship Brad/Drew from The Conjuring and Specs/Tucker from Insidious, but their canon relationships are wonderful too.
I love the idea of them meeting in some way, whether while investigating some paranormal horror, or outside that context but meeting because of the work they do. Support group for those traumatized by the paranormal? Workshops on how to back up your boss while fighting demons and otherworldly entities? One pair goes missing during an investigation and the other is on the trail?
I'm charmed by the idea of some sort of text/chat/email relationship between the four talking about whatever unspeakable horror they faced that day and offering support. I chose Comedic Horror as a tag along with the others because I would enjoy a more serious story or something lighter, and I think messages sent between them or brief meetings would lend themselves well to the humorous side.
If you want to go shippy, showing it through deep concern for the other, desperation if something bad happens (like they disappear or are possessed or something) or a little jealousy prompted by a growing friendship with one of the other two, that would be a-okay with me.
These characters would be great in a story involving any one of the tropes like amnesia (that heals in the story), rescues, protecting each other, the willingness to sacrifice oneself for someone else, hiding some kind of horror from others.
One or more get trapped in the world of Insidious and the others have to rescue them. One has spirit-induced amnesia and that one holds the key to defeating or protecting them all from a demon or supernatural threat. One has been possessed or controlled by something awful an the rest have to fix it. Go wild, include any other characters you want, but leave them on good terms and okay in the end.
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Evil
I ship every combination of Kristen/Ben/David, and I'm also fine with their canon relationships. I love the sibling relationship between Ben and Karima and wish she showed up a lot more. I also chose solo Ben, because any Ben-centric story will be a winner.
I fell hard for this show. It has some genuinely creepy moments and themes, and characters that mesh so well together. I'm up for almost anything with these characters except a bleak ending with no hope. The story can be super dark, but I'd prefer it not end up dark or bleak, which is why I didn't choose Darkfic as a tag.
- Even if I hadn't loved this show as much as I did, it would have been worth watching to discover Ben Shakir. I typically don't want kidfic, but if you're moved to write Ben with Kristen's kids around or in the background or even as key characters (though they're not nommed), I'm game. Ben the Magnificent and how much those kids loved him and he loved and tried to protect them in return was an unexpected joy for me, so indulge yourself if you want to write a story like that where he has to protect them/rescue them from a horror. Or he finds out Lexis' secret. How does he weigh helping her with telling Kristen?
- I love the relationship with Ben and his sister Karima, and wish there'd been a lot more Karima in the show. I wish we'd have seen her (and Kristen and David) really afraid for Ben when he played the elevator game. If that had been longer, where they'd had some actual ongoing fear for him, I'd have liked it better (and I loved that episode). Basically anybody being worried and terrified for Ben and relieved when he's found or okay would be great.
- I hate that they never tied up the loose end of the baby that was mentioned in the demonic voice through the smart home device as Ben overheard. I thought maybe she got pregnant and had an abortion or miscarried, because it seems her family didn't know anything, but there are a lot of possibilities beyond those. Maybe there's horror in that story that Ben has to figure out or convince Karima to tell him?
- Ben and Karima working together on something that gets scary.
- Maybe Karima noticed something was wrong with him and snuck into his apartment to see his cameras or see something happening while he slept. If one of them has to save the other from some horror Ben doesn't even believe in, that'd be great.
- Ben, David, and Kristen investigating any horror you might find on the show, too. Casefic, whether in part, the whole thing, or the aftermath would be great.
- Ben finding out about the accidental exorcism and having to come to terms with it, now faced with two believers (possibly, it's hard to image Kristen not being swayed), would be horror for him and really interesting.
- One of the three suddenly being able to see things the others can't, like the gift of seeing demons or whatever, and having to convince the others they're not losing their mind.
- Any of them being unconscious and slowly becoming aware that they're restrained and the subject of an exorcism with the other two present.
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