#asks ho!

honestly i don't think anything quite beats "Springtrap MPregs MatPat" from a memeable perspective, but i do hate that the term Fazz-goo is something that exists.

There's a whole Monster's Inc type set-up too where they try extracting "agony" from people by killing them in the most excruciatingly painful way possible (and boy howdy is it explicit).

And then there's the whole "this totally human person is actually a robot who had a lovely school/social life and even a boyfriend" but like... there's only three physical versions of her? Kid, teenager, adult woman. So the idea of a girl showing up to freshman year looking like an eight year old and then coming back next year looking sixteen is....???

Then there's the rudimentary AI made out of average household wares that is trained to mimic its creator's son but when the son dies and the creator loses it and the AI learns that pattern too so it rips people apart, wears their limbs, and then tucks itself away to hang out in a closet.

JOKES ASIDE, there's not a lot of "cursed stuff" in the haha way if you take the books at face value and ignore the batshit insanity of "wait, this ties back to the fucked up animatronics in a pizzeria?" they're pretty solid in a this is fucking horrific kind of way. And these are children's books. I've read "extreme adult horror" that cannot hold a candle to the amount of explicit gore, body horror, and existential dread in them.

CORRECT.

Listen, bud. I don't know what to tell you. The dick wants what it wants and sometimes what it wants is a lanky white British guy with dark hair named Thomas.

I think Thomas Sharpe sits within a very unfortunate vortex of circumstances that would lead anyone to develop a myriad of complications when it comes to any sort of relationship-- father, sister, lover, you name it. Realistically, acting on any potential attraction towards men is automatically made almost impossible given the time Crimson Peak takes place . While capital punishment was no longer in the cards, "gross indecency" could still land a man in jail for a decade. And the Sharpes already had a reputation on paper, what with Lady Sharpe's gruesome death and all.

That being said, any kind of abuse leaves marks that linger. It's wholly up to interpretation if his father's particular brand of abuse somehow dissuaded Thomas from even considering looking at other men with genuine desire. Maybe it gave him serious daddy issues and made him thirst harder but there was just no space for him to even allow himself to explore that aspect of his sexuality due to everything else going on in his life. With, you know, the scamming, and the murder, and the sis banging.

As for Carter Cushing, I think it's more to do with him not being used to dealing with American men. (From a meta perspective, in regards to genre, you have that clear line between Carter's "brusque, protective father/no-nonsense American capitalist" and Thomas' "limp-wristed baronet with sopping wet eyes/the obvious object of a vain young man's woman's desires" that is prevalent in romances, especially period romances, so his withering is more to do with trying to show him as this harmless, pathetic fella.)

Lucille wasn't so much avenging him as she was putting their plan into action, which actually brings up another subtle yet brilliant aspect of Thomas' sexuality. It's the fact that he serves the role of femme fatale (homme fatale?), relying on his wiles and looks and charm to lure in women. His wilting is tactical. It serves his and Lucille's purpose as the dream team of fucked uppery.

Zak is a walking caricature of an emo at the tender age of 40 and honestly? Good for him. They have to be bringing in that sweet money still since they just signed onto a whole different channel, too. I think they went exclusively to streaming for a season but then jumped ship.

Hello! I currently don't have any accessible sources on hand (either still online or not locked behind a paywall), but I can attempt to provide a succinct nugget of advice.

First and foremost, know your sub-genre. Horror is very broad, and each sub-genre has its own approach to its build and pay off. You have to take into consideration the length of your piece, the tone, and what you are hoping to achieve. Gothic and paranormal horror aims for a drawn out build, while slashers and creature-features tend to be quick and snappy on its delivery.

Second, in a more generalized way to build tension/suspense regardless of the genre: have nothing happen. This was the most important shred of knowledge I took away from the kajillion fiction writing classes I've taken. Set something up, then have nothing happen. BUT WATCH OUT. If you do this too often without payout, readers will get bored. Writing suspenseful horror that will keep a reader engaged relies on long stretches of road with the occasional pothole you cannot avoid--before you drive them off a cliff.

Third, because I have to be that guy: read. You will learn more from a well written piece of writing than any piece of advice you will find scrounging the internet. Some people can do wonders analyzing theoreticals, but it isn't until you can get your hands on something that delivers the thrills and you can rip your teeth into it that the machinations behind it really start to make sense!

Fourth, if you wanna know whether you're dragging it out or rushing it through? Have someone else read it and have them tell you what they think! Nothing ever feels scary/suspenseful when you've been rotating it in your head for a long while.

TLDR;

Know your sub-genre.

Have nothing happen.

Read stuff you're aiming to write.

Have another pair of eyes on your work!