Words In The Dark
Oct. 28th, 2009 06:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
brightlotusmoonThe following stories have officially scared the shit out of me, in subtle, gentle ways.
http://www.yankeeclassic.com/miskatonic/library/stacks/literature/blackwood/stories/willows.htm
http://www.topbookz.com/browse/A/Algernon_Blackwood/The_Wendigo/page1/
http://www.kellylink.net/fiction/link-specialist.htm
http://gaslight.mtroyal.ca/mnkyspaw.htm
http://www.online-literature.com/hh-munro/1891/
http://www.thecimmerian.com/?p=5878 *
*If anyone has any links to the actual full text of Karl Edward Wagner's "Sticks" I would appreciate it.
Also, yes:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/27/AR2009102703745.html
I hate horror. I hate horror films, horror stories. But it's the sort of hate that makes me deathly curious. It's a fearful hate. It's a hate that makes me say, "I will never watch this movie on my own, but I will read detailed summaries that trace every step and scene." A good example would be the Saw franchise, although those films are more torture porn than horror. A better example might be the film In The Mouth Of Madness, which I did see, one early afternoon while alone. It left a very distinct impression that has been difficult to shake. I'm very weak when it comes to horror in film, and that movie probably represents the high point of what I can deal with, even though the costumes, masks, and amounts of fake gore are obvious. I cannot handle anything with too much gore, blood, and visual disgust.
I remember back when Freddy vs Jason came out in theaters. I was with a large group of friends who all wanted to see it, and it was hard for me to decline. I didn't have any way to get home unless one of those friends drove me. And I really didn't want to exclude myself from a group activity. We took seats in the middle of the theater. I never really saw the movie. I had my eyes shut throughout. After about an hour, I left to use the restroom. For thirty minutes. I did see the end of the film. But that is a classic example of what happens if I see a horror film in a theater. Which is why I will probably decline the next time a group of friends asks me to see one with them. I honestly would rather be left behind.
I remember when the trailers and previews for The Grudge 2 played on television every hour. I couldn't sleep well for a week. I always made sure my bedroom closet was shut and that a fan was blowing to drown out the freakish, horrific noises my imagination insisted upon making.
I will also admit that if a friend were to play a horror-type prank on me, I might physically injure him or her.
I hate being physically scared. But literature holds a fascinating sway that I find so hard to resist. The right author with the right words can make me shiver deliciously for weeks without regret.
http://www.yankeeclassic.com/miskatonic/library/stacks/literature/blackwood/stories/willows.htm
http://www.topbookz.com/browse/A/Algernon_Blackwood/The_Wendigo/page1/
http://www.kellylink.net/fiction/link-specialist.htm
http://gaslight.mtroyal.ca/mnkyspaw.htm
http://www.online-literature.com/hh-munro/1891/
http://www.thecimmerian.com/?p=5878 *
*If anyone has any links to the actual full text of Karl Edward Wagner's "Sticks" I would appreciate it.
Also, yes:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/27/AR2009102703745.html
I hate horror. I hate horror films, horror stories. But it's the sort of hate that makes me deathly curious. It's a fearful hate. It's a hate that makes me say, "I will never watch this movie on my own, but I will read detailed summaries that trace every step and scene." A good example would be the Saw franchise, although those films are more torture porn than horror. A better example might be the film In The Mouth Of Madness, which I did see, one early afternoon while alone. It left a very distinct impression that has been difficult to shake. I'm very weak when it comes to horror in film, and that movie probably represents the high point of what I can deal with, even though the costumes, masks, and amounts of fake gore are obvious. I cannot handle anything with too much gore, blood, and visual disgust.
I remember back when Freddy vs Jason came out in theaters. I was with a large group of friends who all wanted to see it, and it was hard for me to decline. I didn't have any way to get home unless one of those friends drove me. And I really didn't want to exclude myself from a group activity. We took seats in the middle of the theater. I never really saw the movie. I had my eyes shut throughout. After about an hour, I left to use the restroom. For thirty minutes. I did see the end of the film. But that is a classic example of what happens if I see a horror film in a theater. Which is why I will probably decline the next time a group of friends asks me to see one with them. I honestly would rather be left behind.
I remember when the trailers and previews for The Grudge 2 played on television every hour. I couldn't sleep well for a week. I always made sure my bedroom closet was shut and that a fan was blowing to drown out the freakish, horrific noises my imagination insisted upon making.
I will also admit that if a friend were to play a horror-type prank on me, I might physically injure him or her.
I hate being physically scared. But literature holds a fascinating sway that I find so hard to resist. The right author with the right words can make me shiver deliciously for weeks without regret.
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Re: Part IV (WTF!)
Date: 2009-10-30 02:33 am (UTC)Re: Part IV (WTF!)
Date: 2009-10-30 02:45 am (UTC)Re: Part IV (WTF!)
Date: 2009-10-30 03:34 am (UTC)I definitely believe in astrology to an extent. Cancer sun, Leo moon, Scorpio ascendant, Chiron in Cancer here. My chart is all fire and water, save Venus, which was in Gemini, and Jupiter, which was in Taurus. Is it a bit sad I have this memorized and spout it off like I'm introducing myself? Earth Dragon in Chinese astrology. What about you, eh? I'm trying to guess, but someone as vast as you just can't be pigeon-holed.
And woah (shut up, Firefox, I'll spell it how I want to) to the transcendental sex with past lives. The way you phrased it, it sounds like it just reached that point on its own rather than through anyone intentionally facilitating it, which is interesting in and of itself. Was that the case?
I've always been interested in the notion of past lives. Unfortunately, research on the topic has been delegated to the Realm of Fluff. Obviously, there's no way to find concrete evidence. As for myself, I've had a few dreams and a few inexplicable flashes of insight. These could be suppressed memories, but there's a tickle in the back of my mind telling me it's more than that, and that I'm just not ready for the truth yet. Since I've never had a full experience myself, my beliefs are rather uninformed, and simply fit in with the way I view everything else. I'd love to hear more about your experiences with this if you're ever inclined to share them.
I used to be a very spiritual person. I needed to be a spiritual person. I tapped into a waterfall of my truest essence, but I backed away before I got too deep in the water. I became too self-possessed and too busy. I've felt pushed back in that direction for a long time now, like this part of me is trying to claw back to the surface again. I've done nothing about it.
Until now, that is.
I hate to sound pedantic and maudlin, but the truth is that I believe we encountered each other for a reason. I've felt so much pain over what's happening and my lack of spirituality; I've needed comfort, the kind that can not be found in the bottom of a bottle, and I've needed relief, the kind that I can not buy from a pharmacy. These conversations with you have inspired me to go back and find that piece of me, to travel back to the place within me that overlooks momentum and stillness, to find my center again. The thought of going back there is painful, but not nearly so frightening as how barren I have felt without the courage to make the journey.
The Universe found a pretty hilarious way to wake me up. I believe you added me after seeing Sabrina quote my entry about sex toys on her journal.
I remember running into you on her journal a long time ago. She'd posted a picture of me and you responded with a very nice compliment. I wanted to add you, but I didn't. I thought better of it because I thought adding you after seeing you compliment me could be interpreted as egoism.
I wish, perhaps selfishly, that some day I can do something for you that brings you as much hope and joy as you've unintentionally brought to me. That way the pleasure isn't just all mine, and your reason for having found me is as great as my reason for finding you.
Yes, a beacon. Gilded.
Re: Part IV (WTF!)
Date: 2009-10-30 07:32 pm (UTC)Let's see *pulls up random astrology chart*
Aries Sun, Leo Moon, Pisces Mercury, Pisces Venus, Aries Mars, Cancer Jupiter, Virgo Saturn, Scorpio Uranus, Saggitarius Neptune, Libra Pluto.
It disappoints me a little, because I only feel like an Aries in certain moments. Generally I act like a Pisces or Cancer. If I had been born on my due date, I would have been born in early July.
Don't worry, you're already doing wonderful things by sharing your life with me. :)
Re: Part IV (WTF!)
Date: 2009-10-30 08:48 pm (UTC)I also have Mars in Aries.
Re: Part IV (WTF!)
Date: 2009-10-30 09:39 pm (UTC)Ad astra inclinant, non necessitant.
Date: 2009-10-30 11:55 pm (UTC)The way I see it, all of these variables are coming together in a way that can only be realized through action. It's like working on a character in a play. Reading through the script, you can see how the audience will interpret the words at face value. Running lines, thinking about your posture, putting on character shoes -- those steps are necessary, but this process doesn't make the role yours. The character isn't yours until you get on stage to flesh out the character's words with vitality and momentum. The script informs, but it does not dictate. Perhaps the truth of astrology lies not in our minds, not in our words, but somewhere warm instead, in a place that is nothing if not visceral and instinctual. If I were a star up there spinning in the cold and dark, I would want to nestle into something that alive too.
Re: Ad astra inclinant, non necessitant.
Date: 2009-10-31 12:22 am (UTC)Re: Ad astra inclinant, non necessitant.
Date: 2009-10-31 12:42 am (UTC)