Paramour Fic

Tropes and genres
Related tropes/genres	My Chemical Romance
See also	Cabin Fic in P!atD fandom; Summer of Like
Related articles on Fanlore.

Paramour Fic is a trope in My Chemical Romance fanfic.

It refers to stories set during the band's stay at the Canfield-Moreno Estate, known as the Paramour Mansion in Los Angeles. The estate, which already had a reputation as a haunted mansion previous to MCR's stay, is a recording studio/events venue/movie location.

Not to be confused with Paramore fic.

In Canon

The band stayed at the Paramour in 2006 when they were writing and recording their third album, The Black Parade. Here are some quotes from the band members about their stay and its effect.

Ray Toro emphasized the "haunted" aspect in a 2007 interview:

There was definitely some negative- some energy there, you know, some kind of force, sometimes you would hear doors slamming out of nowhere, sometimes voices, water would be running in Bob's room, there was definitely some mystical forces going on there. But you know, we came through it and became stronger. [...] Some of the darker material was written there."

Mikey Way, who suffered the most direct consequences as he had to leave the mansion to seek treatment for mental health problems, said:

“Take a manic-depressive kid and throw him in a haunted house — with no cell-phone service, no TV, no heat — and put him in a room with one glowing blue light.” Mikey’s hands actually begin to shake at the memory of it. “I got there immediately and was like, ‘I know I’m not going to make it through this, I just wonder how it’s going to end.’”

Gerard Way wrote about the mansion and finding inspiration in the Black Parade limited edition booklet:

Now right about the darkest days for us, at The Paramour, when all hope seemed to be lost, I had terrible trouble sleeping. Every single night it felt as if someone or something was griping my throat, squeezing away until my lungs were empty. I would convulse. My heart was literally stopping. It was horrifying. These weren’t simply “night tremors" but in fact “night terrors” (this was the inspiration for the song, “Sleep”).

It was also about this time that I became obsessed with Joan of Arc for some crazy reason. I almost shaved my head. I’m glad I didn’t. I bought every movie I could about her and watched them over and over. The best one was “The Passion Of Joan Of Arc.” It was silent and intense. I would go for days just locked up in my room staring at this painting called “March Of The Saints,” in which Joan Of Arc is featured (this painting became the inspiration for the cover of the album and you will notice Joan Of Arc in the artwork).

In Fanon

Following the troubled circumstances surrounding the setting and period in canon, Paramour Fic is often dark and angsty.

If set in canon, it probably deals with themes of mental illness, specifically depression and suicidal thoughts. In slash fic, the setting and strained relationship between band members might be the catalyst for a sexual relationship to develop. Paramour Fic often centers on Mikey's struggle and/or Gerard's reaction to Mikey's departure.

If the fic is AU it is likely to feature horror or supernatural themes.

The Paramour is such a significant piece of MCR canon that it is often mentioned in fics even when they do not center on that time-period/setting.

Examples

• The Paramour Sessions by My_Chemical_Nightmare: a freaky retelling of the real events.
• My Way Home is Through You by 7iris (Mikey/Frank/Jamia), posted to Livejournal in 2008: Frank and Jamia take care of Mikey in the aftermath of his departure.
• Way to Ruin by pikasafire (Waycest), posted to LJ in 2010:

Summary: It’s nothing really. He’s overreacting. Prickling between his shoulder blades, like pins and needles down his spine. Doors shutting in his face. It’s nothing. It’s an old house, it’s drafts or something. Sure would explain how fucking cold the house is. Paramour fic.

• In the Walls by thesamefire, posted to LJ in 2009 for bandombigbang:

Summary: When My Chemical Romance move into the Paramour, they get a lot more than they bargained for. All they want to do is write an epic album, but Mikey is falling apart and Gerard isn't sure what to do about it—or about the fact that they're trapped inside the house with no escape from the increasingly strange and terrible things that are happening to them.

Resources

• Canfield-Moreno Estate Wikipedia page
• The Canfield-Moreno Estate Facebook page
• The Canfield-Moreno Estate from “Scream 3″ (features many pictures of the mansion's interior).