Happy 128th Birthday, H.P. Lovecraft!

[ysabetwordsmith]

Some folks are celebrating Lovecraft's birthday, as in this blog post of a horror poem.

From Terramagne:

April, 1917 -- H.P. Lovecraft wanted to join the Coast Guard, but nearly drowned during an open-water swim test. He emerged hysterical, insisting that something had touched his mind and shoved him toward the surface. Because of this and his poor physical scores, the Coast Guard rejected him. Lovecraft went on to write a wide range of horror stories, many of them featuring mysterious monsters associated with the ocean.
(L-America) In April 1917, Lovecraft tried to join the National Guard but did not pass the physical examination.

Comments

[earthspirits]

That's very interesting. It would suggest that this experience may have inspired some of his tales.

Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

It certainly did in Terramagne. Here, people have proposed various theories about his sources of inspiration which range from insanity (various types) to fever dreams and psychedelics. Fewer people have noted his tendency to get into some rather weird places, activities, and topics of research but he did those too.

Re: Yes ...

[jtthomas]

Having grown up quite close to where he grew up, I would also add that there is something about the area, something just /off/, not in a good way or a bad. This extends for no more than fifty miles east of Providence and south of there until you hit the coast, and includes the somewhat infamous Freetown State Forest where there may or may not be an active serial killer (depending on which member of the police force you ask). But it leaves, from my experience, somewhere close to 5% of the populace with this indelible mark of where they grew up. Lovecraft is just one of the stronger examples of that.

(Other things I've seen happen: put the only three twice-gifted kids in the whole school in the same class, which has happened many times, before any of them were diagnosed; have parents trust their kids enough that there's still a ride-the-bike-until-you're-tired culture, even in the cities; and a shocking rate of four leaf clover some years. I'm talking at least one in twenty.)

Re: Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

So basically there's a dimensional gate somewhere in that area, with enough spillover to affect resonant members of the populace in significant numbers. 0_o

Well, feel free to prompt for that if you want to give me enough background description that I can render it accurately. I've already laid the foundation for Lovecraft.

Re: Yes ...

[jtthomas]

That's definitely one way of putting it.

Prompting is going to happen, no doubt. We've still got active ports around here, which Kraken would likely take advantage of.

Re: Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Kraken has a presence in most of the major ports around the world, although the amount varies.

Re: Yes ...

[fayanora]

Hellmouth? :D

LOL, now I'm thinking, for my Ravenstone story, about a natural gateway in that area leading to Annwn. (In Ravenstone story, Annwn has a lot of Lovecraftian influences.)

Re: Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

Yeah, Hellmouth was my first thought too. But it seems to be more complex than that.

Re: Yes ...

[fayanora]

Some of his stories were inspired by his racism, too. I don't recall which ones.

[we_are_spc]

...I need to go back and read some of his things. I mean...xd

I've also heard he was one of the more...er...biggoted writers )At least in L-America) of his time. But I could be wrong about that.

-Fallon~

[tree_and_leaf]

Mm, that's a bit of an understatement...

[we_are_spc]

Ha...yeah, one of our friends told us that he was one of the more rasist of the writers, and they've read quite a bit of his stuff, so I'm pretty sure they know what they're on about.

-Fallon~

[bairnsidhe]

Bigoted enough he was remarkable in it even in the 1920's. You had to be REALLY bigoted to stand out as a closeminded jerk in 1920's New England. Doesn't mean his stories lack merit, just that you need to keep an eye on his personal biases.

If you decide you like the feel, I highly recommend Ballad of Black Tom, a retelling of his most racist work from the perspective of a black grifter/fixer from Harlem who gets caught up in it. Victor Lavalle did a stellar job with the adaptation.

[we_are_spc]

Ah...o.o I'll have to give this to halialkers. They love Lovecraftian horror, and adaptations.

I can't remember enough of his stuff to remember whether or not I liked them (Unfortunately most of that is buried in school memories...and blocked off when Trausio skidattled...) So I'll have to reacquaint myself with it.

We remember more of Edgar Allen Poe than we do H.P.

-Fallon~

[thnidu]

His name has always struck me as massively ironic.

[bairnsidhe]

Aww, he got put back where he could breathe by the cephalopods. I quite liked the story about the squids/octopi negotiating a peace to maintain balance now that whales and humans have a peace. Terramagne is made better than L-Earth simply due to the animals being chattier, if nothing else.

Yes ...

[ysabetwordsmith]

>> Aww, he got put back where he could breathe by the cephalopods. <<

Exactly.

>> I quite liked the story about the squids/octopi negotiating a peace to maintain balance now that whales and humans have a peace.<<

Yay! I'm happy to hear that.

>> Terramagne is made better than L-Earth simply due to the animals being chattier, if nothing else.<<

I think so too. :D

Re: Yes ...

[we_are_spc]

I'll give a third to that. :d

-Fallon~

[fayanora]

H. P. Lovecraft: problematic fave. (He was a huge racist, even for the era.) We never read anything he wrote, but we like the aesthetic.