While laden with allusions to the works of Lovecraft, this rule book focuses on simulating cats in the liminal zone between realistic and fantastical, very definitely giving it the feel of Eliot not Ulthar. The world faces many threats, from the mundane dog to the eldritch Snarlyhotep and Phatproggua. While saving civilisation from these threats … Continue reading Call of Catthulhu, Book I: The Nekonomikon by Joel Sparks
H P Lovecraft
Cosmic Laughter
Many people allege cosmicism is bleak; however, this is to ignore the Prophet Lovecraft’s dictum that the universe is comedy. In glimpse of this, yesterday I found a Yog-Sothothic joke roiling in my mind; whether this shift in my mental state is a sign I am overcoming the slight foulness I acquired from Tenebrae or … Continue reading Cosmic Laughter
Once There Was
Art is strange. Wonderful. Tragic. Beautiful. But strange. Much like this performance of Nina McNeely's contemporary dance piece “Once There Was III”. https://www.ted.com/talks/nina_mcneely_once_there_was_iii_a_mesmerizing_blend_of_dance_animation_and_tech The seven-minute piece is... well, what is it? Babylonian myth reset in the modern age? Cyberpunk? McNeely gives a few minutes of explanation after but is that what the piece is? Certainly … Continue reading Once There Was
Whispering the Darkness
As perspicacious readers might have inferred despite my reticence in openly discussing the matter, I am not unfond of Lovecraft's work and cosmic dread in general. So, I was most joyous to discover Matt Hundley's film-length adaptation of The Whisperer in Darkness; while it is not perfect, it inclines strongly toward my preferred approach in … Continue reading Whispering the Darkness
Alchemical Divorce
Over the weekend, I re-encountered the theory that Lovecraft's fiction is a thin veil of fantasy over occult secrets shared with him by Aleister Crowley. While I am greatly fond of the mythos surrounding both men, so would feel joyous if this were true, I find it sadly implausible. Lovecraft's letters, the primary source for … Continue reading Alchemical Divorce
Behind Superficial Mutability
On Saturday, I played through Bit Golem's Dagon game. As some of you will know, I am a casual player of computer games rather than one who seeks to speed run them or plays into the early hours of the morning; so my having completed the game the same day I started (in fact within … Continue reading Behind Superficial Mutability
Yog-Sothoth Doesn’t Play Ball Games
Commentary on Lovecraftian horror often takes a fixed stance on Lovecraft's racism (was he a racist; is his work racist; does liking Lovecraft make you a racist) so this video by Athena Productions on whether art can be separated from artist was a pleasant surprise to my nuance-seeking mind. However, I noticed one critical factor … Continue reading Yog-Sothoth Doesn’t Play Ball Games
Proceeding in an Orderly Fashion
Earlier, I came across a theory that Inspector Legrasse suffered mental health issues following the Bayou raid, either from the raid itself, having the Cthulhu statue in his possession, or the cult attempting to recover the statue. While popular perception is that all Lovecraft's heroes go insane, I didn't recall Legrasse suffering a collapse. Rereading … Continue reading Proceeding in an Orderly Fashion
Happy Deathday to HP Lovecraft
What better soundtrack for the day the misanthrope died than a playlist of all the songs featured in Harlem Smoke, a novel that blends Lovecraft and music? The answer is potentially a great many things: however James Champagne's choices for songs to feature do provide a pleasing change from the three threads of dark ambient, … Continue reading Happy Deathday to HP Lovecraft
Giant Ball of Fun?
Could one keep a shoggoth as a pet? The authorities in their blindness make no reference even to their existence, so there is certainly no legal barrier. But is there a practical one? The answer depends on which sort of shoggoth one speaks of. Whilst the most well-known shoggoths are those described in Lovecraft’s At … Continue reading Giant Ball of Fun?