# Lovecraft month/week/day



## Deleted member 53128 (Jul 22, 2013)

So I was thinking that we should hold some kind of a Lovecraft month/week/day, since his birthday is coming up (20th of August). Something like trying to get all the people in here to come up with a Lovecraft style short story, poem, artwork etc. and maybe even have a small competition about it. What do you guys think?


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## Jeko (Jul 22, 2013)

Could be the theme for the next poetry/LM challenge. I'd support it.


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## FleshEater (Jul 22, 2013)

Eh...A happy birthday post on that day should suffice. A link to the documentary made about him on You Tube could be added as well.


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## BreakingMyself (Jul 22, 2013)

I'm definitely interested. I'm a huge fan of Lovecraft, the Cthulhu Mythos and anything Lovecraftian for that matter.


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## Jeko (Jul 23, 2013)

> A happy birthday post on that day should suffice.



The fictional gods of his imagination shall punish you for your inadequate celebration!


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## Deleted member 53128 (Jul 23, 2013)

Well I say that if the mods aren't making it official, we'll do it unofficially! Everyone get your best Lovecraft on and post something Lovecraft style on the week of his birthday and make sure you have (Lovecraft Week) in the title! Anything is needed, poetry, stories, artworks, anything!


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## Cran (Jul 23, 2013)

Work out what you want to do, and what you need from staff. Put your need from staff request either directly to one of our Supervisors, or you can liaise through Cadence (as he is the mentor on the ground in this discussion), or through me (seeing I've chimed in). As a member-initiated project, you also have the option of approaching our Senior and/or Chief Mentors for support.


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## Robert_S (Jul 23, 2013)

I'll give it my best go.


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## Staff Deployment (Jul 23, 2013)

I am fully 100% supportive of this.

For anyone unfamiliar with Lovecraft's distinctive style and themes, here's some *excellent reading* that also contains handy writing tips in general. Should stoke the tentacles somewhat.


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## Robert_S (Jul 23, 2013)

Staff Deployment said:


> For anyone unfamiliar with Lovecraft's distinctive style and themes, here's some *excellent reading* that also contains handy writing tips in general. Should stoke the tentacles somewhat.



Sweet, that site is back up. I remember finding that site years ago, but the links to his texts all broke, so I wrote the site off as no longer being maintained. There are some other stories I would like to read.


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## FleshEater (Jul 23, 2013)

Cadence said:


> The fictional gods of his imagination shall punish you for your inadequate celebration!



He's probably the most celebrated writer in the world of horror. Go to a horror convention and you'll go dizzy counting the Cthulu shirts . Needless to say, everyone else does enough celebrating to keep Yog Sothoth and Cthulu happy that I don't feel it necessary to go overboard and plague my writing with adverbs, adjectives, and overly extensive prose. Well, at least not anymore.


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## Staff Deployment (Jul 23, 2013)

FleshEater said:


> Cthulu (...) Cthulu



Cthul_h_u!
As an aside, I doubt Yog Sothoth would have any investment in the attention us mere bacteria pay it.



Robert_S said:


> Sweet, that site is back up. I remember finding that site years ago, but the links to his texts all broke, so I wrote the site off as no longer being maintained. There are some other stories I would like to read.



Excellent determination, chap!


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## Origen (Jul 25, 2013)

...


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## tony0310 (Jul 25, 2013)

Whilst I support the idea of starting a Lovecraft contest and good luck to everyone who enters it, I have never been able to understand the attraction of his writing, personally.  I wonder if this is an American thing.  I love horror but I tried Lovecraft and all of those crazy names just left me cold.  I remember reading a Stephen King short story (I think it was called Jerusalem's Lot), which was  Lovecraft pastiche but I didn't like it at all.  I know I am probably in a minority here and it is horses for courses but I do wish you well to all those fans of him


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## Robert_S (Jul 25, 2013)

tony0310 said:


> Whilst I support the idea of starting a Lovecraft contest and good luck to everyone who enters it, I have never been able to understand the attraction of his writing, personally.  I wonder if this is an American thing.  I love horror but I tried Lovecraft and all of those crazy names just left me cold.



His writing comes across as Victorian, but the diction is well chosen and rolls very smoothly. As for the names, each story has one, maybe two unique names, so it's not too hard for me to keep track.

P.S.: Starting my short story.


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## tony0310 (Jul 25, 2013)

Robert_S said:


> His writing comes across as Victorian, but the diction is well chosen and rolls very smoothly. As for the names, each story has one, maybe two unique names, so it's not too hard for me to keep track.
> 
> P.S.: Starting my short story.



I agree with the Victorian comment but that is probably the reason why I couldn't get into it.  The language seemed forced and unreal to me, like someone imitating Victorian language.  I guess I will never be a fan


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## Staff Deployment (Jul 25, 2013)

tony0310 said:


> Whilst I support the idea of starting a Lovecraft contest and good luck to everyone who enters it, I have never been able to understand the attraction of his writing, personally.  I wonder if this is an American thing.  I love horror but I tried Lovecraft and all of those crazy names just left me cold.  I remember reading a Stephen King short story (I think it was called Jerusalem's Lot), which was  Lovecraft pastiche but I didn't like it at all.  I know I am probably in a minority here and it is horses for courses but I do wish you well to all those fans of him



He is slow and verbose. You have to dedicate at lot of time and energy to fully absorb each story. May I recommend The Colour Out of Space? Slow like his others, but the creepy setting and overall atmosphere are especially well worth it here.

Near the end lies — in my opinion — the absolute most quintessential Lovecraft line of all time:

_It was just a colour out of space—a frightful messenger from unformed realms of infinity beyond all Nature as we know it; from realms whose mere existence stuns the brain and numbs us with the black extra-cosmic gulfs it throws open before our frenzied eyes._


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## tony0310 (Jul 25, 2013)

Staff Deployment said:


> He is slow and verbose. You have to dedicate at lot of time and energy to fully absorb each story. May I recommend The Colour Out of Space? Slow like his others, but the creepy setting and overall atmosphere are especially well worth it here.
> 
> Near the end lies — in my opinion — the absolute most quintessential Lovecraft line of all time:
> 
> ...


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## moderan (Jul 25, 2013)

FleshEater said:


> He's probably the most celebrated writer in the world of horror. Go to a horror convention and you'll go dizzy counting the Cthulhu shirts . Needless to say, everyone else does enough celebrating to keep Yog Sothoth and Cthulu happy that I don't feel it necessary to go overboard and plague my writing with adverbs, adjectives, and overly extensive prose. Well, at least not anymore.


Fixed your typo.
I'd be all for this idea. I like it in any fashion it can be had. I'll do a story and a song whether there's a contest or no. Maybe artwork too. Don't necessarily have to have a contest...I'm in if you want one, or if Fin picks it up for the LM.
It ties in with something else I need to pick up the threads of and with the general Hallowe'en spirit.
Do remember that HPL stands for cosmic horror and not purple prose, though. I back that notion too. Plus, it'd be a shame if Flesheater had a sad. Sure it would.
We should do it just to watch him rag.

Edit:*The Colour Out of Space* is awesome. *Pickman's Model* has long been my favorite "introductory" story.


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## Robert_S (Jul 25, 2013)

moderan said:


> Edit: *Pickman's Model* has long been my favorite "introductory" story.



We differ there. I think Pickman's Model is one of his worst stories, but there is a lot of stories I still need to read.

I think "From Beyond" is a solid, short, short story. Not surprised it became a movie.


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## Hunter56 (Jul 25, 2013)

tony0310 said:


> Whilst I support the idea of starting a Lovecraft contest and good luck to everyone who enters it, I have never been able to understand the attraction of his writing, personally.  I wonder if this is an American thing.  I love horror but I tried Lovecraft and all of those crazy names just left me cold.  I remember reading a Stephen King short story (I think it was called Jerusalem's Lot), which was  Lovecraft pastiche but I didn't like it at all.  I know I am probably in a minority here and it is horses for courses but I do wish you well to all those fans of him



You should try reading _Dagon_. It's one of his earlier stories and it's a pretty straight forward and enjoyable read. 

I vote yes for some type of Lovecraft month/week/day.


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## ppsage (Jul 25, 2013)

I don't vouch for this but I don't see anyone else has mentioned it so far in this thread. A website at this address claims to have the complete text of Lovecraft's stories (not sure if this would be a proscribed link so not live, for what that's worth):  

dagonbytes (dot) com/thelibrary/lovecraft/index.html

PS...worst format in the world


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## Origen (Jul 26, 2013)

tony0310 said:


> Whilst I support the idea of starting a Lovecraft contest and good luck to everyone who enters it, I have never been able to understand the attraction of his writing, personally.  I wonder if this is an American thing.  I love horror but I tried Lovecraft and all of those crazy names just left me cold.  I remember reading a Stephen King short story (I think it was called Jerusalem's Lot), which was  Lovecraft pastiche but I didn't like it at all.  I know I am probably in a minority here and it is horses for courses but I do wish you well to all those fans of him



I think it was Rodenberry who stood up at a Comicon to declare his 'fear of the Great Old Ones'.  Then an artist drunkenly took the mike from him and said, "I don't care about all that stuff--I just love drawing freaky creatures with lots of eyes and limbs."  So the spectrum of American appraisal of his work runs the gamut.


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## FleshEater (Jul 26, 2013)

When I first saw this, it brought back memories of the first few stories I'd ever written. I'll play, with something old. Here is my entry.

http://www.writingforums.com/fantasy-sci-fi-horror/133105-dwellers-dark.html#post1561876


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## Staff Deployment (Jul 26, 2013)

Whoa there, cowboy, we haven't even decided on a timespan yet.

I propose The Month of August.


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## Robert_S (Jul 26, 2013)

Also, what other parameters? Setting? Time? Should there be references to some artifacts of HPL's making (MiskatonicU, Necronomicon, etc)?


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## FleshEater (Jul 26, 2013)

Staff Deployment said:


> Whoa there, cowboy, we haven't even decided on a timespan yet.
> 
> I propose The Month of August.



Yeah, this all seemed pretty unofficial...so I took the liberty. Sorry.


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## Alehkra (Aug 1, 2013)

Well aren't I lucky? I've actually been working on a Lovecraft inspired piece, and I'm very excited that around the time I join this wonderful forum there is (perhaps) an unofficial month in his honour.


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## Staff Deployment (Aug 1, 2013)

I've taken the initiative: *Lovecraft Month*

After posting work on the creative boards, you're encouraged to provide a link to said work within the aforementioned thread if it has to do with H.P. Lovecraft.


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## Cran (Aug 1, 2013)

If you'd like a bit more exposure for this, and someone would like to write up a promo piece, I can put it on our Facebook page.


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## Staff Deployment (Aug 2, 2013)

Cran said:


> If you'd like a bit more exposure for this, and someone would like to write up a promo piece, I can put it on our Facebook page.



Not much of a 'promo piece', but assuming I made a more professional-looking version of this whiteboard drawing would that be something useful for the Facebook page?

[spoiler2=i.e. buddy here]
[/spoiler2]


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## BreakingMyself (Aug 2, 2013)

Keep the whiteboard one SD, it's great. To 'professionalise' that drawing would be madness.


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## Cran (Aug 2, 2013)

Staff Deployment said:


> Not much of a 'promo piece', but assuming I made a more professional-looking version of this whiteboard drawing would that be something useful for the Facebook page?
> 
> [spoiler2=i.e. buddy here]View attachment 4892[/spoiler2]


Larger images tend to be reduced when loaded into Facebook posts, so some of the text may become difficult to discern - if it were me, I would consider separating the text from the central image (set it as a header and/or footer, or more like a book cover?). How much work you want to put into it is up to you, and whether to use it is up to the organiser(s) of the project; keep in mind that with the potential exposure via Facebook, it's your rep as a graphic artist that rises or falls on your work.


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## Staff Deployment (Aug 2, 2013)

Cran said:


> Keep in mind that with the potential exposure via Facebook, it's your rep as a graphic artist that rises or falls on your work.



Ha ha, what? It's a fun little thing. I'm not a graphic artist, nor do I have any interest in exploiting Facebook for my own purposes. Wouldn't be using that specific picture, anyhow — I'd do something similar to what I did with that "skullface" thing from way back and do a traced digital copy through photoshop (sorry Breaking).

Who are the organizers of the project, by the way? Is it yours truly? So far the whole thing's informal and decentralized, which isn't bad at all.


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## Cran (Aug 3, 2013)

Staff Deployment said:


> Ha ha, what? It's a fun little thing. I'm not a graphic artist, nor do I have any interest in exploiting Facebook for my own purposes.


Not a question of exploiting FB for personal purposes; simply that the artist's name is associated with the artwork.



> Wouldn't be using that specific picture, anyhow — I'd do something similar to what I did with that "skullface" thing from way back and do a traced digital copy through photoshop (sorry Breaking).
> 
> Who are the organizers of the project, by the way? Is it yours truly?


 From what I can see in this thread, it's NukeWithG and your good self. 





> So far the whole thing's informal and decentralized, which isn't bad at all.


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## Sithsaber (Aug 22, 2013)

I'm looking to evoke some cosmic horror along with some other things in the "lets make a mythos thread" just wait till the mods okay it.


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