The Death of Needless Aspirations

The Uncaring
Chelsea Wolfe - Maw † My Dying Bride - The Whore, the Cook and the Mother † Sabbath Assembly - Risen From Below † Huntress - Four Blood Moons † The Black Dahlia Murder - Vlad, Son of the Dragon † Myrkur - Skadi † Paradise Lost - Forging Sympathy † Ahab - Red Foam

The Death of Needless Aspirations
My Dying Bride - Vast Choirs † Anathema - Sleep in Sanity † Paradise Lost - Rapture † Katatonia - Murder † Tiamat - Scent of Incense † Lychgate - Truimphalism † Burzum - Naar Himmelen Klarner † Emperor - The Ancient Queen


Remember mixtapes? These are mine.

This one isn't mine, but it's also great and worth your time:

The Sexuality of Your Shadow

Let's Loot the Witch's House!

Roll d10

Irish Horror Renaissance?

In the latter half of the Victorian era, the authors who were at the forefront of the resurgence of Gothic literature tended to be written by the Anglo-Irish: Bram Stoker's Dracula is a key example, as are Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray and Joseph Sheridan Le Fanu's Carmilla and Uncle Silas. Indeed, the literary critic Terry Eagleton identifies this strain as the "Irish Gothic" and argues that such fictions were a way to grapple with the haunted history of the Protestant Ascendancy, Ireland's political colonization, and the horrors of the potato famine.

Based on The Canal (2014) and The Hallow (2015), I'm tempted to argue that we're in the midst of a similarly rich period in which Irish filmmakers reinvigorate the tired cliches of the horror film. Both films are good examples of the "Irish Gothic," as each addresses contemporary Irish fears in fictional form while breathing new life into the conventions that define the horror genre.

Ivan Kavanagh's The Canal deals with a heady cocktail of infidelity, work-stress, the difficulties of single parent homes, and the specter of domestic violence.

Corin Hardy's The Hallow, on the other hand, deals with fears about the Irish economy, issues of conservation, and the tension between the beliefs of the past and the shambles of modernity.

Both come highly recommended.

Curse of Strahd

Looks like Ravenloft is back! 

But which Ravenloft is this? Is it the Ravenloft of the original AD&D module, the 2e campaign setting, the aborted 4e reboot, or something new? Well, let's see what we can glean from some choice quotes from this interview at Geek & Sundry:

“What we’ve done in Curse of Strahd is given you a bigger sandbox. The land of Barovia is more detailed than it has been previously, and there are more cool places to go and more cool people to meet, and a mechanism to guide you.”

This definitely makes it sound like Curse of Strahd isn't a 5e update of the Ravenloft campaign setting. According to Chris Perkins, we're going to get a lot more information on Barovia, but I'm doubtful from what's said here that we're going to get much in the way of a bigger picture of the other Domains of Dread, if they're mentioned at all. 

I'm...strangely okay with that. It might be nice to see them start small with Ravenloft and built outward into something different. I thought what I wanted was a big reboot of the entire campaign setting, but what I might really want is a series of adventures set in disparate, not-really-connected domains that are fleshed out in the adventures. (The Mists make everything connected enough for any purpose.)

"Curse of Strahd incorporates material from the original adventure and expands upon it. It shows you more of the vampire Strahd’s domains and the people who live there, and all kinds of crazy shenanigans.”

Ah, so this makes it sound like Curse of Strahd is at least partially a reimagining of the original Ravenloft adventure, and possibly its derivatives like House of Strahd and Expedition to Castle Ravenloft. I'm fine with that being the basis, but I hope there's enough new material to make this exciting for Ravenloft veterans.

“In our stories… there are black people in Barovia. There are powerful women… Even Strahd’s tastes are more open-ended than they used to be. If you look at Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Dracula himself is not beyond romancing a man. Strahd the vampire is attracted to charismatic, magnetic people. Period.”

Excellent.

Also, I like that cover image and am glad they ditched Smurf Strahd. I like this gaunt, ennui-ridden Strahd who is tossing tarroka cards by the wayside because he knows that it is his hand that guides your stupid mortal fate. However...I don't really understand the background behind Strahd.

Lord Byron's Eldritch Deformity

Want to start an argument among a group of Romanticists? Casually drop this query: "Byron had a club foot, didn’t he?"

Suddenly, the room will be aflame with scholars each advancing their own theory as to what afflicted Byron’s limb. I’ve heard everything from infantile paralysis, dysplasia, and a persistent inflammation of the Achilles tendon–alongside the more widely talked of clubfoot deformation.

Despite of whatever his disability actually was, Byron was quite athletic and noted as a fantastic swimmer. Actually, it might be more accurate to say that he was physically fit in spite of his medical condition; as John Galt noted, Byron would exercise ”violently” perhaps to compensate for his emasculating limp.

But what if Byron’s strange limb and notable swimming prowess had a far more disturbing link? What if the same tainted blood that resulted in the dreadful ”Innsmouth look” also flowed through Byron’s veins? Byron’s scandalous relationship with his half-sister August Leigh seems almost natural in light of the inbreeding practiced in that horrid Massachusetts port.

Byron’s deformity wasn’t a clubfoot...it was a flipper.

The Sublime's Effects, In the Dust of This Planet, Frozen Charlottes, Lily's Big Speech

Sent by Heather C.: The Sublime's Effects in Gothic Fiction: "Romantic literature elicits personal pleasure from natural beauty, and Gothic fiction takes this aesthetic reaction and subverts it by creating delight and confusion from terror." Via The Artifice.



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In the Dust of This Planet: "Horror, fashion, and the end of the world … things get weird as we explore the undercurrents of thought that link nihilists, beard-stroking philosophers, Jay-Z, and True Detective." Via Radiolab.


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Sent by Kreg M.: Don’t Talk So Much: The Macabre History of the Frozen Charlottes. Via Pretty Awful Things.

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How Penny Dreadful showrunner John Logan crafted Lily's big speech: "The standout moment of Penny Dreadful’s second season was a scene-stealing (or world-stealing) turn no one expected — and that was the point." Via EW.

Game Style and Player Expectations

After talking about the social contract here, I starting thinking about how I would advertise a new game and set player expectations at the same time. Here's my attempt at describing what I'm up for running at the moment:

Open Table
I don't expect the same group of people to be available to play each session; drop-in, drop-out when you can, if you want. Or play every session. 

Filthy Casuals Are Welcome
You don't have to be a seasoned veteran of D&D to play in this game. New players are welcome. I'll help you out as much as you want; just ask.

Big Damn Heroes
I expect that characters can get away with stuff that "normal" people can't. Death and failure are on the table, but your character can certainly be larger-than-life.

Dark Fantasy
The over-arching aesthetic I'll be going for is informed by the conventions of Gothic literature. Think Bloodborne, Penny Dreadful, Dracula, Crimson Peak, and you've got the idea. There will be "horror" and "folklore" themed content.

We're Not Partisans Here
If you're going to be grumpy that this game isn't using the rules from your favorite edition, "school" of rpgs, or flavor of game, you'll be happier if you find a different game that fits what you're looking for.