Community rec + Femslash February, day 2

[flo_nelja]

There's a new comm that's about m/m shipping in old horror and ghost stories classics, it has fanfic, it has rec (and links to public versions), it's fantastic:

kindreadspirits

And while this is awesome and I have already started to read or re-read some of the recs, I was thinking, too bad it accepts f/f, and was also wondering, what are the classic horror stories where you can put f/f subtext? It's not easy, because it asks for two female character who talk to each other, and if they aren't entirely defined by their love for a man, it's better.

The line is the middle of the 20th century, so sadly, no Shirley Jackson. Do you have recs?

Carmilla is, of course, well known and the origin of the lesbian vampire trope (that I know? If there is earlier, tell me)

Dracula isn't centered on Mina/Lucy but their friendship is incredible and they have very good lines. I love you with all the moods and tenses of the verb indeed.

Christabel, a Coleridge horror poem that's fantastically femslash, I already wrote about it another day.

Do you have other recs for classic horror femslash? It doesn't need to be your fave, if it's here, I'm already curious.

Comments

[sweetsorcery]

:D

Everyone should set up communities for things that are of interest to them. Why don't you set one up for f/f in horror? (Or whatever genre(s) you wish.) And obviously, you would pick your own cutoff year then too.

[regshoe]

This is probably too obscure to call 'classic', but I really like D. K. Broster's short story 'The Pavement': it's about an old woman in early 20th century England who becomes obsessed with the figure of a girl in an ancient Roman mosaic on her family's land, and I think there is definite potential to take the obsession in a femslashy direction.

And I love Carmilla :D But I've not come across Christabel before—I'll have to check it out!

[flo_nelja]

I fear there's not enough content to fill it ^^ Canon content I mean, that's the point of my ask. :D

[flo_nelja]

Oooh thank you, I need to read this!

[garonne]

I had exactly the same thought about the kindreadspirits comm! I'm so happy that it exists, but also wish that a similar f/f one existed. But I'm not sure there are even that many stories that would be eligible for such a comm. Maybe there are! I would love to discover them if there are.

I can only think of one, and it's kind of a stretch: the DK Broster story The Pavement, published 1930s, and currently available in the collection Couching at the Door. It's about a woman who becomes obsessed, possibly under supernatural influence, by the mosaic of a Roman woman. It's quite femslashy, but not quite horror, more on that line of "disturbing things may or may not be supernatural."

Thanks for the mention of Christabel, I didn't know about this poem.

[flo_nelja]

You're the second person to rec me this story, I absolutely need to read it!

And I hope you'll enjoy Christabel !

[flo_nelja]

I just realized it was the Flight of the Heron writer!

Thank you! OOoh it's an old woman too, good! Yeah it's as femslashy as promised! I would have loved a bit more supernatural, but still, I'm glad I read it, thanks!