u/zephrry

Is the general expectation in the CoC gaming community that keepers will follow the Lovecraftian lore laid out in the rules/setting books closely, or is it expected/accepted that keepers will alter details to suit their need?

My instinct is typically to treat the lore as a source of inspiration and change details that don't interest me. For example, I'm not particularly invested in having supernatural phenomema always be related to Lovecraftian/cosmic horror entities in my games.

Or, I might include Yithian related body-switching plots, but since I don't enjoy time travel I would probably exclude that aspect of the lore.

I'm wondering whether or not adjusting the lore as a keeper is simply "not done," or if doing so is pretty typical.

Most horror concepts are metaphorical in some way or have some kind of message, and that's something I genuinely enjoy about the genre. But it really annoys me when basically every other story beat is telling you exactly what that metaphor/message is and what you should think about it. Films like The Substance, Immaculate, and even The Babadook do this.

Bad movies have always existed, and I don't exactly have highbrow tastes, but I feel like in recent years writers are absolutely tripping over themselves to make everything as spelled-out, heavy-handed, and closed for interpretation as possible.

Does anyone have recommendations for films that aren't like this? My favorite horror movies are Marrowbone, Black Swan, Noroi: The Curse, The Exorcist, and Carnival of Souls.

The only subgenres I don't like are slashers and body horror.

I'm writing a story featuring a character who is loosely inspired by Joan of Arc (young girl touched by divinity is inspired to fight and becomes a great military commander), though the context is pretty different and the setting is not "medieval Europe but with magic." (I should clarify that this is not a YA story, the character just happens to be a teen.)

I want this character to enter the story when she's about 14 years old. The problem is, I don't really know how to write a young teen. I have tried to get advice on this, but some people say, "Don't try to write them a specific way, everyone develops differently." And then other people will say, "Yes, but don't make them mini-adults either." I'm sure both factions are right, but I need specific advice on how how to portray that middle ground.

So I guess my question is: how do I find that intersection of making a teen character seem like a teen, without making them act a particular way?

Here's the reason why I'm posting on this sub even though writing teens is not specific to fantasy: A lot of the advice I've seen revolves in some way around youth culture, slang, and modern conceptions of adolescence. Well, I'm writing in a historically inspires, secondary world setting. There will be no modern slang, public schooling, or distinct youth culture to distinguish teens' lives and interests from adults.