question in regards to my Big Bang

[liliaeth]

Just something one of my betas made me think about...


If the bad guys are eating babies, does it make a difference if the babies are still alive when the bad guys start eating them?

Comments

[gluisa88.livejournal.com]

Holy shit.

Both ideas are repulsive, but if you're looking for less repulsive, then I'd go with the dead babies. (I'm assuming this is a dark!fic so I'm assuming repulsive is what you're going for?)

lol!

Honestly, people eating live babies is the stuff that nightmares are made of!

[liliaeth]

Well it's supposed to be horror and horrifying enough at that, that even Dean has to throw up in response. And knowing the kind of things he's seen in his life...

[bogwitch.livejournal.com]

If they are villains willing to do that, why would they care?

[liliaeth]

well to the bad guys who are pagan gods, the humans are just animals. So to them eating the babies meat is like eating say calf's meat. Just figured that since in 'Hammer of the gods' they ate that one guy who was still alive when they started, as well as the guy who got prepared in advance, that live babies might be seen as a special treat for them.

[bogwitch.livejournal.com]

They would be fresher.

[honeylocusttree.livejournal.com]

I'd say so, if only because of all the screaming involved in being eaten alive.

[liliaeth]

thanks for reminding me, I might need to add more screaming.

[impala1967.livejournal.com]

oh yeah, dead babies are better than live babies, even though both sound really bad

[liliaeth]

yeah, trying to go for horror, and I didn't want it to be just teenagers who got eaten.

[rayvlin.livejournal.com]

Honestly, I think toddlers would be worse then babies(or more gratifying....)

In general when reading about things being eaten alive, people like the prey to not be aware of being eaten.

[liliaeth]

true, I figured it'd be a bit more horrifying if we first get the description of the babies being brought in, giving them some degree of personality and then having them killed, than if the bad guys just brought in platters of baby pattée and so on.

[dreamsofspike.livejournal.com]

What exactly are you going for here?

If you want maximum horror, live babies.

If you want to NOT traumatize your readers for life - dead babies.

Either one is absolutely horrific.

May I ask what fandom this will be for?

[liliaeth]

well uhm, maximum horror was kind of the idea.

fandom's spn, and I wanted to do something that would horrify even Dean Winchester

[elisi]

One: Yes it makes a difference.

Two: This is why I love LJ.

[liliaeth]

:-)

I just figure that if you go for horror, then it's best to go full out.

[ffutures.livejournal.com]

Ignoring horror and concentrating on plotting for a sec., live babies make the heroes' lives more complicated.

Dead babies, there's no point trying to rescue them so you can concentrate on escaping / killing the bad guys.

Live babies, you have to try rescuing them / avoiding killing them while killing the bad guys.

[liliaeth]

hmm, the problem of the situation is that Dean is in no position to save the babies, whatsoever. He's pretty much forced to either watch them get eaten or run out of the room knowing he'll be punished for doing so. (dozens of pagan gods, Sam's life depending on him being obedient and no weapons...)

I decided to have him run out, and be sick of what he saw.

The idea was to come up with something so horrifying, that he actually questions if his decision to agree to the slavery he found himself in to save his brother, and ensure Sam's happiness for the rest of his life, is worth it. (wanted to make his sacrifice as hard on him as possible.)