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Lovecraft! (If I Cthulhu Once . . .)

Posted on by Goth Girl

Lovecraft

Lovecraft!  (If I Cthulhu Once, I Cthulhu A Thousand Times)

H.P. Lovecraft and his fictional worlds hold a place of cherished fear within the hearts of so many people, even to this very night.  To help you enjoy all that tentacle-enriched, maddening goodness in places you might not have found yet, we are featuring a series of the Lovecraftian you’ll find worth your time.  We think this may become a semi-regular series for your pleasure.  Lovecraft’s creations and offshoots never fade from memory or nightmare.

Shall we begin with some summer recreation?  I can just see you on the beach at sunset, tradewinds cooling you in the after-sun glow, your book (digital or hard copy) in one hand and notepad waiting on the nearby weatherproofed table for any sudden inspiration to hit.  That isn’t an umbrella I see in your drink?  There’d better be a monsoon pushing your way over the dark, glyph-covered monolith for you to need the protection of a paper umbrella looking that cute.  Onward to Lovecraft.  Click an image for the option to buy.

LOVECRAFT
Part One

Let’s start with the basics, a solid collection of H.P. Lovecraft work.  Many different publishers have put out collections by Lovecraft.   I’ll just show you one of the many different releases worth their cost:


At 99 cents for a Kindle edition, you’re instantly prepared to read a bunch of Lovecraft’s tales in one digital book on either Kindle or free Kindle app.  Keep the mythos handy wherever you go with the anthology.  Read this one and you’ll have a much stronger sense of Lovecraft’s work.

Here’s one of the better modern documentaries on the subject of H.P. Lovecraft:

Lovecraft: Fear of the Unknown

This award-winning documentary takes a solid look at the man and his work, and steps into the minds of respected, popular horror authors and filmmakers who don’t hold back when telling you why they are so influenced by Lovecraft.  The pace is lively, the visuals are effective, the soundtrack sets the mood, and the director knows his craft.  The care taken in creating this documentary is evident.  See this one and you’ll begin to understand why Lovecraft is beloved to the point of cult creation.

The Lovecraft eZine, July 2013

For those times you want more than the original Weird Tales stories, or the documentary, there are some magazines carrying on the Lovecraft tradition.  Lovecraft eZine is an obvious choice.  This magazine, if even by name alone, carries stories geared to a taste for the Cthulhu mythos and Lovecraftian horror; if they didn’t, the Lovecraft eZine publishers would have been pulled into the murky depths long ago in outrage by their local townsfolk of batrachian lineage.

You’ll notice a decently atmospheric cover on each issue, and one look at their table of contents is enough to persuade you to indulge in some entertaining Lovecraft eZine stories.  Go on, it’s Summer, set loose your inner Great Old One for a while.

Cthulhu 2000, Anthology, Kindle Edition

Even though this anthology is older, the incredible list of authors included make it practically a guaranteed pleasure for you to read.  A beautiful cover by Bob Eggleton only serves to enhance the experience.  This anthology is more about Lovecraftian horror, and contains none of Lovecraft’s original stories in it.  That is the link to the Kindle Edition. 

Here is the link to the paperback “Cthulhu 2000” anthology:

To wrap up this Part One of things Lovecraftian, seal it off with a slimy twist-tie and toss it into a nearby abyss, I must include a little Cthulhu whimsy for you:

Cthulhu Slippers

 Let the plush tentacles wrap your feet in Old Ones style.  Look down in madness before you take another step!

Cthulhu Rising Water Globe

 

A six inch globe filled with Cthulhu rising up, on a heavy base upon which is inscribed a famous Lovecraftian quote, makes this a water globe to add to your collection.  The color-changing background lighting is, I suppose, a bonus effect.  Water globes can be a charming decoration in the home, and who has more warmth and charm than Cthulhu?

Nyarlathotep Plush Toy

There are two versions of this, shall I say, adorable Nyarlathotep plush toy.  The first is rarer:

 

 And the second, much more available:

 

 That wraps up our Part One of Lovecraft summer ideas for fun and recreation. 

Until next we meet here,
Enjoy your night,

Goth-Girl Editor

Reinvention

Posted on by Goth Girl

When Autumn happens, don’t you feel a need to be into new things?  Maybe it’s based on enthusiasm at seeing more colorful scenery all around, the refreshingly crisp air and deeper blue skies, or maybe it’s just shaking off the heat of late Summer.

Action is part of satisfying this Autumn need.  If I sit on my butt, I’ll lose out on a lot of what Autumn is about.  To me, reinvention is the key.  Ah, reinvention, it’s the stuff of mad scientists at work to corrupt the noble inventions of others, composers in thrall to the daemonic symphony laid out in their heads, and artists deep in otherworldly vision.

Did I mean ‘invention’ rather than reinvention? No, invention’s fine but thankless.  Invent something brand new and celebrate fast because it’ll be ripped off in no time without so much as a quick thank you note.

However, reinvention is a different story.  Take something stale and forgotten, twist it around in your hands and your head, rework it, add bits of innovation and intuition, make the right creative connections for it, and you really have something for yourself or anyone observing.  If someone rips it off, go after them legally, but at least you won’t have that overwhelming feeling of having your ‘new baby’ torn from your arms and cloned badly for someone else’s profit.

What is this getting at?

You can reinvent anything, and you too can be happy as a spiderling shed of its first moult.  Okay, I’m being a bit facetious, but what the hell.

Some simple things to try and reinvent, with even simpler guidelines I actually use thrown in:

1.  Your house, your apartment, your room – even the smaller details can make a big difference in how you feel in your environment.

2.  Your makeup, nails, hair – an innovative stylist once advised me, every so often shake it all up and go for what you normally wouldn’t in color and style just for fun, and it actually works!  Much more amusing than monotony in appearance. If you always keep your one solitary look going, it can reach a point where you bore yourself with the sameness over time.

4.  Your art or rehearsal studio – keep it simple of course, for maximum focus on your creativity, but new little items, unusual shelving, new backdrops, or bits of color can keep it from being stale when you look up from what you’re doing.  Even a new scent or background music can affect creativity in a good way.

5.  Your instrument – Unless expensively vintage,  plan to redesign it in looks or sound.  That can be a great project, but does require research and skill, and if you put your decadent imagination and hard work into it you just might have something outrageously different in your hands, slung round your shoulder, or at your feet, when you’re out on a gig.  People do notice that, including fellow musicians.

6.  Your clothing – if you must, go ahead and try one ‘trendy’ thing, but regularly updated, individual style wins out over the latest big bucks designer garments anytime as long as you keep in mind what’s flattering to your body while making the statement you want to make.

7.  Your attitude – to reinvent an attitude in a positive way, that takes some work.  Take one personality weakness and have at it.  Try having the patience you normally wouldn’t, or sweet words and less critical insults, and see what happens around you.  Makes a great experiment, and who’s to force you to be locked into only one way of being, either sweet or vile? It’s all about balance anyway, good with the bad.

8. Your toys – and you know what I mean so I won’t go into the gritty details of all that falls under the term ‘toys’ here.  Could be anything.  We all have at least a few things we play with for fun.  Do a revamp, rehaul, or customization by your own hands.  It’s something to appreciate after it’s done, and of course, to use and show off.

Think about it.  You know you’ll have fun stepping around expectations to indulge in the kind of reinvention so suited to a crisp, refreshing Autumn.

I remain,
Hunter of the Extraordinary,

Goth Girl