Memories of Leng (Lovecraft-Lite)

[Orenda]

It is... clear to me that while I enjoy some aspects of Lovecraft's Mythos, I simply cannot apreciate several of the major themes. I can understand the deranged cult driven mad by powerlust, psychic emanations and the dark corners of their own psyche. I enjoy the unusual creatures, great entities that span the stars and ultimate, indifferent universal forces.

I can even jive with Nyarlathotep when it is in a reasonably jovial mood and mask.

However, the cosmicism (or rather the near-mad obsession on cosmic indifference and insignificance), the racism, the classism and the frequent themes of inherited degeneration and corruption (for a given amount of "corrupt") simply do not appeal to me.

Thus, I am in the process of writing a number of stories and short stories which will try to outline my preference for Lovecraft-lite.

First, the Main-story.

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7387861/1/Memories_of_Leng

The main characters are pegged as a boy-knows-girl setup but could have just as easily been two male friends in a more traditional story.

Then came this thought:

http://kifkeykrunchies.deviantart.co...ries-307760839

There was a bit of a discussion about "purism", but that is neither here nor there.

Here is the first part of the first short story.

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/8227183/1/Tales_of_Leng


I realize it has very little to do with traditional lovecraftian fiction, what with the realization that Cthulhu won;t rise for a clear 4000 years and that most of the deranged rituals for drawing power (save sacrifice and consumption of human or animal) simply are not necessarily and are more creations of madness than of practical sorcery. However, I like it well enough and I realize that it is not for everyone.

[Orenda]

I have drawn up some Tattoo patterns that , in-universe, belong to the personages of a brother and sister among the Longhouse Quakers of the Luray Valley.

The Brother, Leonard, had this impressive design put onto his chest.
http://kifkeykrunchies.deviantart.com/#/d55fkii

His sister Tracy, on the other hand, opted for a more traditional design that relied on Geometric patterns and lines.
http://kifkeykrunchies.deviantart.com/#/d55gb7l

These Quaker/sorta-cultists are supposed to be peaceful... but the question of Horror creeps in. As in, how do you insert such a thing while still leaving the people much as they were.

[Orenda]

I just thought of something.

One of the horror elements that might creep into this community could be the nature of the beings that they call into existence to facilitate their livestock sacrifices. As said by myself, most simply wilt and die once the rituals are done but some go into the woods. Some of these are relatively peaceful, the biggest danger from them being the subtle draining of life energy from everything in their path.. but others are more dangerous, becoming vicious and wild... perhaps to the point of the kinds of (relatively) peaceful cult groups having to enlist the help of investigators to put the genie back into the bottle.

http://www.yog-sothoth.com/threads/23089-The-Dark-Young

http://www.yog-sothoth.com/threads/2...-allies-or-PCs

This thread is what I am talking about. The small cults who are willing to cooperate, to negotiate, to help and to seek the help of the PCs to stop something very bad from happening: from the end of the world to a rogue creature to a more vicious cult coming after them in a "always the bigger fish" kind of way.

[Orenda]

Well, got a new chapter up...

http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7387861/5/Memories-of-Leng

http://kifkeykrunchies.deviantart.co...er-5-323556407

And I have been considering something... what would be the worse fate in a Lovecraftian deconstruction: to become the victim of a mental parasite embodying all the worst characteristics of the Mythos protagonist stereotype (ie, Lovecraft at his most xenophobic and frustrated) or, to slay that particular demon, lose a chunk of SAN, give yourself over a bit to the more... benign aspects of the Mythos while never truly being at home in contemporary Western "normalcy"?

Basically, this:

http://kifkeykrunchies.deviantart.co...idea-315399800

Whaddaya think?