HPL Statue Coming Down?

"Great men's errors are to be venerated as more fruitful than little men's truths." ~ Friedrich Nietzsche

This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone, but now the Providence Atheneaum is considering taking down a bust of H.P. Lovecraft. 

Here's the video, by Arkham Reporter, detailing the story...

As many of you know, Lovecraft is probably my #1 influence, creatively speaking.  Primarily the Cthulhu Mythos, but I enjoy all his stories, as well as the majority of weird tales by his circle of friends and admirers. 

Yeah, Lovecraft was racist in his younger days.  Some of that might have been due to society in the early 20th century or ignorance or mental disorder... but HPL never killed anyone or threatened to kill anyone - which makes him a thousand times better than the antifa/BLM thugs and terrorists who've been destroying property and taking lives in our cities simply because they feel disenfranchised, when in reality they live in the most prosperous, safe, and free era in the entire world's history.

If this last bit seems unnecessarily harsh, well... I just learned about the white woman, Jessica Doty Whitaker, gunned down in Indianapolis for saying "All lives matter."  Here's the article.  I'm sickened.  And the disgusting leftist media is complicit in this racial and political violence.  They fan the flames of revolution, tearing America's systems down, their one-sided narrative practically begging for another civil war.

While I believe HPL was too quick to judge or prejudge those unlike himself, most likely out of fear than hatred, the madness and degradation and cruelty of today's "peaceful protesters" is so much worse.  Before taking a statue of Lovecraft down, take a long hard look at yourself, your own shortcomings and failures to live up to this country's lofty ideals.

VS

p.s. If they do remove his statue, I'd be happy to give it a good home until this age of insanity is behind us.

My Identity

I've clarified it on individual terms, but have so far avoided a secondary (or would that be tertiary?) public statement.  And that's probably hurt me in social media because a lot of times people assume the worst.  Especially in this day and age when it seems like half the population are abusers, scumbags, terrorists, intolerant religious zealots, sociopaths, hardened criminals, political extremists, and so on and so forth.

For a quick refresher, here is my original blog post, from over a year ago, where I came out as za'akier, a green-skinned, tentacled humanoid... biologically human*, but still extraterrestrial regarding identity.  And that's what it all comes down to.  How I see myself is different than how others probably view me.  And that's ok... expected, even.

I'm an outsider.  That's one of the reasons why I gravitate towards the writing of H.P. Lovecraft, and why I find a kinship with him and other writers in the Lovecraft Circle, other creators using the Cthulhu Mythos to push something forward, an agenda that goes beyond time and space.

But that's a blog post for another time, I think.

Right now, I want to reassure those who already know and support me, and those I haven't gotten the chance to meet (lot of angry people on reddit), that I'm not against anyone based on skin color, ethnicity, sexual preferences (unless you're a pedophile), identity, gender, politics, creed, etc.

My opening up to the internet about being za'akier wasn't about tearing anyone down or mocking those who are different, marginalized, etc.  On the contrary, I was identifying as an outsider, specifically the kind of alien identification previously mentioned.

To me, the term "trans" means more to me than a penis, vagina, beard, shaved legs, or any of the superficial trappings of biological sex and what we conceptualize as gender.  Transformation is rooted in how we see ourselves, and the cognitive dissonance that might evolve between our own self-perspective and that of the world at large.

To those who've hurt me, whether intentional or not, this past year, I forgive you.  But let's get over our differences sooner than later, yeah?

It's Christmas today.  If I could have one wish for the entire world, it would be for everyone to breathe deeply, try to relax, be themselves (leave the "hivemind" at the door), and get along with as many people as humanly possible.

Merry Christma'as!

VS

* There's some interesting information on "otherkin" which may or may not muddy the waters.  I'm not saying that I'm part of that group, and I'm not saying I'm not.  It's complicated.

Lovecraftian as always

H.P. Lovecraft and his Cthulhu Mythos have influenced much of my life.  So, Happy Birthday to him!  He is a prophet to some of the warped apostles who admire his foetid works.

While fantasy and D&D retro-compatible and retro-clone RPGs have enough adventures, campaigns, and settings to go around (although, there's always room for a few more gems), the Cthulhu genre is deplorably lacking!  I can't objectively judge whether there's a deficit of quality gaming material according to others.  But for myself, I want more opportunities to suss out the Dreaded One and his untenable ilk.  Nevertheless, I think it's relatively safe to say that intrepid investigators could do with plumbing fresh eldritch horrors, for a change.

About a year ago, I got the itch to co-author a modern-day Cthulhuoid campaign.  A year ago, I wasn't actually gaming, so that particular itch was strange in itself; yet, was no doubt still brimming with inspiration from running the beyond brilliant Masks of Nyarlathotep years ago.  Those nights of MoN kept the dream of gaming alive, even if I'd more or less given up on the hobby.  Poppycock to you 4th edition D&D.... poppycock, I say!

Also, I thought co-authoring was preferable because I'm only one man and writing can be a lonely, not to mention, single-perspective pursuit.  Additionally, the word "campaign" doesn't seem right.  Campaigns are for D&D and the various RPGs that evolved from miniature wargaming.  "Chronicle" was born of Vampire: the Masquerade.  What about "sequence" when describing a set of thematically linked adventures in the weird horror/scifi milieu?  Yes, I like it.  "A disturbing sequence of events befell Arkham, Dunwich, and Innsmouth."

Anyways, I soon dropped that idea and picked it up again a few months later...but with a twist.  That's where Liberation of the Demon Slayer began.  I wanted to give D&D another shot by way of the Old School Renaissance.  It worked, and LotDS blossomed along with my passion for roleplaying.  BTW, the old school mega-dungeon should be available early September.

Now that LotDS is almost off my plate (final touches being added as write this), and even though I have dozens of little notes for a follow-up OSR D&D type adventure, I'm still toying with the idea of creating a Mythos-based sequence for those wanting something new but still very much in the Lovecraftian tradition.

I've given up on collaborating with my fellow gamers and HPL aficionados, but not completely... surely as the ichor flows black, hope springs eternal.  So, let this be a warning to the world.  Venger's wheels are turning!  Feel free to throw ideas at me like they were shoggoths... some just might stick.

By His loathsome tentacles,

VS

p.s.  Someday, I'll get around to writing that Lovecraftian novel, too.  Someday...

Essential elements of Sword & Sorcery

The topic for this blog post was a special request from my friend, James Paese.  He is interested in creating a world for his roleplaying game of choice and wanted me to recommend a few essential elements of the sword-and-sorcery story, as it was designated back in 1961.  So, let's do it!

What are the essential elements of the sword & sorcery genre?  I'm listing them below; highly influenced by fantasy films from my youth, as well as, some classic S&S literature from the likes of Robert E. Howard, H.P. Lovecraft, and Roger Zelazny.  I've been meaning to bone up on more Appendix N material, but having two small kids leaves precious little time for reading.  Anyways, without further ado...

• Some are born for better things!  I'm talking about destiny.  There should be a few individuals who are fated to make a difference, to shake things up.  Those predestined for greatness!  Conversely, there have to be those tragically predestined for horror.
• Even if magic seems to be commonplace, it must remain esoteric!  Sorcery is not for everyone, and even if the DM wants a magic-rich world, those who explore the full extent of its power should be few and far between.
• Magic is dangerous and weird!  There's a price for having that kind of power.  Sorcery is an unnatural pursuit.  Let the entire world reflect that.  Yet, it must also have a source... or many sources.  The DM needs to consider where magic-users get their spells, as well as, the energy to cast them.  Old Ones, Elder Things, Outer Gods, and Demon Lords are always useful in that regard.
• Ambitious men are infinitely corruptible!  Most humans (or humanoids) can be good, decent, law abiding citizens of the realm; however, those at the top are almost always greedy, salacious, egotistical pricks.  If they haven't already made a Devil's bargain, they're on their way.  A great story requires a great villain!
• It's not all bad!  All the darkness (and there should be A LOT of it) needs to be counter-balanced with extraordinary beauty and virtue and courage.  Just as the demonic forces are closing in on the realm, so should the DM populate his world with unicorns, crystal caverns, virginal princesses, honorable knights, and a few willing to sacrifice themselves for the greater good.
• Epic and bloody battles!  It's not all about the sorcery.  Many disputes are settled by sword.  Hacking through encounters, killing monsters, dueling human (or humanoid) antagonists, etc.  Not only are the stakes high - this is life and death we're talking about, after all - but our depraved voyeurism demands crimson spurts, the warm splash of dark red upon our face, and glistening gore decorating the marble corridors of Zenn.  
• The unknown!  What's life without a little mystery?  The majority of players don't know it, but they crave a certain amount of strangeness.  What lurks within those shadowy ruins?  Why is there a tree growing up to the heavens?  Where is the mountain beyond the mountain?  How did that dilapidated Statue of Liberty get here?!? 

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If you want to suggest a topic for a future blog post, dear reader, please go right ahead.  

VS