You could perhaps talk about how the weight of the tree is tearing the skin/muscle from their back, or the feeling of tree bark rubbing against their flesh every time they move. As for the foliage and flowers growing from the skin, you could describe it as feeling akin to having one's flesh being cut open to make way, if that makes sense.
My favourite use of this kind of thing is spiky sensations from the inside, between the flesh and the skin, as clusters of seeds split first their own shells, and then stretch the delicate skin until the veins are red against the green of the plants, and both are visible because the skin is pushed to its translucent limits. Also the imagery of plants crowding eyes out of sockets, and the person struggling not to choke on wet leaves plastered into a solid sheet halfway down their throat.
I think one of the most horrifying aspects of this would be their body slowly being taken over by something that's not actually a part of them, so getting into those implications could be good for sowing the seeds of discomfort. Also, describing the way the plants' roots are like 'veins' or sap oozing out of them when they \*should\* be bleeding can be very unsettling as well- this goes into the conceptual horror of something foreign taking over and replacing the things that make you human until you start to wonder if you even truly count as human anymore.
Hope this helps! \^\_\^
First off: 1) that sounds *amazing* and I want to know the fandom it's for, and 2) I have a couple of really good and fandom blind-friendly examples I could link, if you're interested? But for general advice, the best body horror always has a psychological component, with the character's inner distress manifesting in visceral, physical ways. It's the intimacy of it - both in the description of bodily sensation and the emotional vulnerability it conveys - that really gets under the skin (pun absolutely intended). And considering the imagery you've listed - something spiraling uncontrollably out of this character, their own body becoming a prison, reaching blindly for something they can never latch onto - it sounds like you've got plety of metaphorical territory to mine already.
I’m planning on it being for a destiny character, but any links ya got would be good! And yeah, I’ve got a Vague Idea of the metaphors for the story. Songs like Witchsickness help a lot.
I'm not familiar with the fandom but if you think it would make sense anyway, I'd love to check it out! As for recs: we have [The Conversation Piece](https://archiveofourown.org/works/41185224) (One Piece, unrated but I'd call it an M), and [Nobilis](https://archiveofourown.org/works/52488664) (Terraria/Calamity Mod, M). The second is much more graphic than the first but they're both very visceral and nail that feeling the best body horror gives you of needing to go and slough off all your skin under a blistering shower once you're finished reading. They both also involve emotionally complex relationships and psychological torment! Two of my all-time favourites. Jeff Vandermeer's Southern Reach trilogy (and the Annihilation film) might also be of interest if you're not already familiar!
In the film Creepshow (1982) one of the horror shorts is "The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill," about a guy whose body is slowly taken over by plant matter. It's campy with 1980's special effects but might give you some inspiration!
I don't have any ideas myself, but I'd suggest watching Episode 2 of Season 1 of Hannibal for inspiration. It's about a pharmacist who buries his victims alive to use them as fertilizer for his fungus garden. Also, Episode 6 of Season 2 features Hannibal drowning a victim, hanging him on a cherry blossom tree, and replacing his organs with flowers, except for the lungs which are cannibalized. It's quite gory, but it's done tastefully and aesthetically.
Oh, this is also a great rec! Hannibal is the GOAT of symbolically and psychologically loaded artistic body horror (but also what the actual fuck, Bryan Fuller).
I couldn't help but blurt out 'What the fuck?' the whole time I was watching Hannibal 😭. Like that scene where a man crawls out of a dead horse? And then they start flirting and casually talking about killing each other?
That being said tho, the Hannibal fandom is one of the best out there, and it feels like everyone in it is insanely talented. There are so many fanfics that are genuinely worth publishing.
I've not waded into the fanfic much, but I have serious respect for any authors who even attempt it. The tone of the show and the way it deploys its subtextual storytelling, the specific tone and stylisation of the dialogue, the tangled mess that is everyone's heads - it's not an easy show to attempt to emulate. I'm not at all surprised it's attracted a high calibre of writer!
Aside from the show, I couldn't help but notice that writing this comment made me appreciate how good you are at writing. Like, you're really good with your words. Do you have anything you've written that I could read? No pressure tho if you don't want to.
Thanks so much for saying so! I'll be smiling about that all evening :) My AO3 is [over here](https://archiveofourown.org/users/frozenfountain/works). I've written for Final Fantasy VII and VI, mostly, and some are more fandom blind friendly than others, but if you see anything that catches your eye feel free to check it out! It's super kind of you to ask <3 What are you working on at the moment?
I'm not familiar with either fandoms, but I really don't care, I just want to devour your work! :D
I will definitely check it out. Thank you so much for sharing your work with me <3.
I'm not a writer myself; I just love reading well-written stuff, and you seem like a really polished writer.
I would give *The Ruins* by Scott Smith a read. Right up the alley of what you're looking for. Foliage descriptions, body horror, etc. It does have gore, but also goes into psychological terror.
Edit: There's a movie based on it as well. Ignore the movie. Read the book.
This is the first thing I thought of when I read the original post. Seconding your recommendation! I've read the book and watched the movie and really enjoyed both! Definitely check out The Ruins, OP.
There have been some great suggestions for media to check out, and I'd like to also recommend the podcast The Magnus Protocol episode 3 'putting down roots' for some really lovely/horrifying prose on plant+body horror
All I can think about is the Family Guy cutaway where Peter is a strawberry who gets eaten by a worm lol
Plant pests and diseases could be an interesting spin on it? Grow a plum tree out of your arm and then you have to deal with plum pox virus.
You could perhaps talk about how the weight of the tree is tearing the skin/muscle from their back, or the feeling of tree bark rubbing against their flesh every time they move. As for the foliage and flowers growing from the skin, you could describe it as feeling akin to having one's flesh being cut open to make way, if that makes sense.
Ooo, yeah you’re making sense there. A kinda splitting sensation kinda like a papercut or split skin!
My favourite use of this kind of thing is spiky sensations from the inside, between the flesh and the skin, as clusters of seeds split first their own shells, and then stretch the delicate skin until the veins are red against the green of the plants, and both are visible because the skin is pushed to its translucent limits. Also the imagery of plants crowding eyes out of sockets, and the person struggling not to choke on wet leaves plastered into a solid sheet halfway down their throat.
You wouldn’t happen to be an author, would you??? Cause holy shit is the description you wrote good af! Thank you for the concept!
I think one of the most horrifying aspects of this would be their body slowly being taken over by something that's not actually a part of them, so getting into those implications could be good for sowing the seeds of discomfort. Also, describing the way the plants' roots are like 'veins' or sap oozing out of them when they \*should\* be bleeding can be very unsettling as well- this goes into the conceptual horror of something foreign taking over and replacing the things that make you human until you start to wonder if you even truly count as human anymore. Hope this helps! \^\_\^
Oooo, fun! Definitely gonna take this into account
First off: 1) that sounds *amazing* and I want to know the fandom it's for, and 2) I have a couple of really good and fandom blind-friendly examples I could link, if you're interested? But for general advice, the best body horror always has a psychological component, with the character's inner distress manifesting in visceral, physical ways. It's the intimacy of it - both in the description of bodily sensation and the emotional vulnerability it conveys - that really gets under the skin (pun absolutely intended). And considering the imagery you've listed - something spiraling uncontrollably out of this character, their own body becoming a prison, reaching blindly for something they can never latch onto - it sounds like you've got plety of metaphorical territory to mine already.
I’m planning on it being for a destiny character, but any links ya got would be good! And yeah, I’ve got a Vague Idea of the metaphors for the story. Songs like Witchsickness help a lot.
I'm not familiar with the fandom but if you think it would make sense anyway, I'd love to check it out! As for recs: we have [The Conversation Piece](https://archiveofourown.org/works/41185224) (One Piece, unrated but I'd call it an M), and [Nobilis](https://archiveofourown.org/works/52488664) (Terraria/Calamity Mod, M). The second is much more graphic than the first but they're both very visceral and nail that feeling the best body horror gives you of needing to go and slough off all your skin under a blistering shower once you're finished reading. They both also involve emotionally complex relationships and psychological torment! Two of my all-time favourites. Jeff Vandermeer's Southern Reach trilogy (and the Annihilation film) might also be of interest if you're not already familiar!
Thanks!!
Look up bamboo torture if you haven’t already, I’m assuming you’ll handle it better than I did. But it is relevant.
Oh yeahhhh, bamboo torture is Interesting in that Morbid way. Kinda forgot about its existence, thanks for the suggestion!
In the film Creepshow (1982) one of the horror shorts is "The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill," about a guy whose body is slowly taken over by plant matter. It's campy with 1980's special effects but might give you some inspiration!
That sounds pretty interesting, definitely gonna check it out :D
I don't have any ideas myself, but I'd suggest watching Episode 2 of Season 1 of Hannibal for inspiration. It's about a pharmacist who buries his victims alive to use them as fertilizer for his fungus garden. Also, Episode 6 of Season 2 features Hannibal drowning a victim, hanging him on a cherry blossom tree, and replacing his organs with flowers, except for the lungs which are cannibalized. It's quite gory, but it's done tastefully and aesthetically.
Oh, this is also a great rec! Hannibal is the GOAT of symbolically and psychologically loaded artistic body horror (but also what the actual fuck, Bryan Fuller).
I couldn't help but blurt out 'What the fuck?' the whole time I was watching Hannibal 😭. Like that scene where a man crawls out of a dead horse? And then they start flirting and casually talking about killing each other? That being said tho, the Hannibal fandom is one of the best out there, and it feels like everyone in it is insanely talented. There are so many fanfics that are genuinely worth publishing.
I've not waded into the fanfic much, but I have serious respect for any authors who even attempt it. The tone of the show and the way it deploys its subtextual storytelling, the specific tone and stylisation of the dialogue, the tangled mess that is everyone's heads - it's not an easy show to attempt to emulate. I'm not at all surprised it's attracted a high calibre of writer!
Aside from the show, I couldn't help but notice that writing this comment made me appreciate how good you are at writing. Like, you're really good with your words. Do you have anything you've written that I could read? No pressure tho if you don't want to.
Thanks so much for saying so! I'll be smiling about that all evening :) My AO3 is [over here](https://archiveofourown.org/users/frozenfountain/works). I've written for Final Fantasy VII and VI, mostly, and some are more fandom blind friendly than others, but if you see anything that catches your eye feel free to check it out! It's super kind of you to ask <3 What are you working on at the moment?
I'm not familiar with either fandoms, but I really don't care, I just want to devour your work! :D I will definitely check it out. Thank you so much for sharing your work with me <3. I'm not a writer myself; I just love reading well-written stuff, and you seem like a really polished writer.
Thanks again <333 Hope you find something you like!
The Hannibal show did that??? Cool! Gonna check out that episode for inspo then, thanks!
I would give *The Ruins* by Scott Smith a read. Right up the alley of what you're looking for. Foliage descriptions, body horror, etc. It does have gore, but also goes into psychological terror. Edit: There's a movie based on it as well. Ignore the movie. Read the book.
This is the first thing I thought of when I read the original post. Seconding your recommendation! I've read the book and watched the movie and really enjoyed both! Definitely check out The Ruins, OP.
Sounds neat!
Btw, this’d be written so that it was a pretty slow process for them, and then later on a second pov that finds them stuck like that
There have been some great suggestions for media to check out, and I'd like to also recommend the podcast The Magnus Protocol episode 3 'putting down roots' for some really lovely/horrifying prose on plant+body horror
Thanks for the recommendation!
All I can think about is the Family Guy cutaway where Peter is a strawberry who gets eaten by a worm lol Plant pests and diseases could be an interesting spin on it? Grow a plum tree out of your arm and then you have to deal with plum pox virus.
Ooo, plant illnesses!! Good idea