calliopes_pen | Dear Chocolate Box Author

What follows are my general likes and dislikes, as well as the prompts that I provided. I could only find three fandoms that I wanted to request, and bits of the prompts for Crimson Peak, and Horror of Dracula (1958) are recycled from older Yuletides. So are the likes and dislikes.

In each fandom you should see more than one prompt. That way, if you didn’t care for one particular one, you have others.

My likes, as well as my dislikes. My likes: Plot. Victorian horror, gothic romance, gothic horror, horror—psychological or otherwise, slow building suspense, ghost stories, ghosts, haunted houses, demons, werewolves, folklore, mythology, dark and twisted fairy tales, darkfic, Dracula and vampires, Hammer Horror Movies, possession (ghostly or demonic) and exorcisms, mind control, hypnosis, loyalty, character studies, adventure, action, unreliable narrators, missing scenes, séances, devoted friendship and relationships, character development, introspection, AUs, worldbuilding, snark, hurt/comfort, graphic violence, PTSD, eldritch abominations, Stockholm Syndrome, brainwashing, drama, nightmares, sleepwalking, mystery, crossovers, fantasy elements, Faustian bargains/pacts, captivity, slow moving zombies, black magic/rituals/summoning of something, necromancy, graveyards, mounting dread.

Dislikes/Do Not Want To Read List: Cancer. Body horror, when it is outside of the genre of vampirism, ghosts, or the supernatural. PWP or anything explicit, rape, incest, underage, BDSM, humiliation, mpreg, character bashing, bestiality, necrophilia, kidfic, animal abuse, child abuse, cannibalism, fast moving zombies, tentacle porn, sex pollen, RPF.

Crimson Peak (2015)

Edith returns to Allerdale Hall to put the past to rest. While there, she is drawn to Lucille’s side. She can’t exorcise her, and doesn’t think she even know she’s there as she plays the piano forever…but what if she followed her home? What if Edith began to dream of her? Or at least, she thinks it’s all a dream when it is, in fact, a haunting. What does she do?

If you like Alan at all, and want him involved in some capacity, feel free to include him. I liked him.

Another prompt

What if Edith became obsessed with putting the ghosts to rest? She researches. She tries to learn ways (with Alan’s help, if you want to include him at all) to exorcise Allerdale Hall. Perhaps someone tried to move the machine still located at Allerdale Hall, and an incensed ghost of Lucille killed them. Word makes its way to America, and Edith feels she must do something. If Lucille lingers, perhaps Thomas is trapped there, gradually decaying and becoming the worse for it all. Edith just wants him at peace. You can give the story a direction of either Lucille/Edith or Edith/Thomas.

Dracula (1931)

What if Renfield stayed in the castle longer? What if Renfield thought it was safest to seek sanctuary next to Dracula’s coffin, as the brides neared? What happens next?

Dracula/Renfield is the only pairing listed here, and I can easily see it happening. And here’s one more possible prompt:

What if killing Renfield in that manner in the film wasn’t permanent? In the Spanish version of the film, Van Helsing stayed behind to put his soul to rest, and it’s vaguely implied (well, in the original script, at least) that might have been the case in the English film, as well. What if he didn’t?

What if Renfield rose again as a result? What if he found his Master staked through the heart, and somehow managed to resurrect him from a twisted sense of loyalty in his new state? What do they do? Do they roam the night seeking vengeance at each other’s sides, while Dracula imperiously watches all, half-disgusted by being stuck with him, since Renfield once ate bugs? Or does he behave as a strangely awkward yet creepy teacher to this new world? Throw heaps of UST into the fray, if you can’t think of a better way to go with them.

Horror of Dracula (1958)
Dracula/Lucy Holmwood (Horror of Dracula); Dracula/Jonathan Harker (Horror of Dracula); Dracula/Doctor Van Helsing (Horror of Dracula)

Dracula stays at Jonathan’s side as he transforms into a vampire. What if they stayed together, and perhaps teamed up for the rest of the film? There are hints of Jonathan/Dracula, based on the creepy way that Jonathan was grinning in Dracula’s coffin. Go with that. Van Helsing wouldn’t put an end to Jonathan’s undead existence, but instead be confronted with two vampires instead of one. What if together, they were able to do more horrors? Does the turned Jonathan get a kick out of witnessing Dracula/Lucy, or just her corruption, when Dracula targets her?

And here are a few other prompts:

-What if Jonathan woke fully before he was staked by Van Helsing, and tried to fight back? What if he called out to Dracula, who hadn’t left yet for some reason? What is the result if he was there to hear the cry of the newly turned man? It can either go Jonathan/Dracula, or Dracula/Van Helsing in this one, too.

-Dracula/Doctor Van Helsing (Horror of Dracula)

In that final fight, there’s a moment where Van Helsing is almost bitten. What if he was? What if he was turned, despite everything? How does he take to being at Dracula’s side? To get the upper hand, there was that instant when Van Helsing leaped upon the tapestry and tore it down. What if Dracula prevented that?