Pipes Rattling

Well, I was indeed away last week, and without a hint of communication. The otherworldly horror of the Saskatchewan Writers Guild Annual General Meeting was just too much to deal with.

I think I make up for it with this lucky find from TV history, though. It’s a sort of successor to Welles’s War of the Worlds broadcast.

Speaking of Welles… why don’t we toss that in from the same source?

Also, as a final treat, I’ve just posted something over on my other site, a free goodie for the season called The Centennial Legacy. Happy Hallowe’en to all, and make sure to touch each of your children with an iron nail when they come back with their loot, just to make sure they are who they claim to be.

Today’s pen: Faber-Castell e-motion (an eerie cylinder of bone-white material, etched with an eldritch pattern)
Today’s ink: Herbin Éclat de Saphir (the colour of the water around the upper edge of a ‘blue hole’, into which divers may vanish without trace)

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Day	What	How Much	Pen	Ink
25 October 26 October 27 October 28 October	First draft of “Unintended Consequences” (working title). Second draft of same.	More or less settled at 3220 words. SO MANY REVISIONS NEEDED!	TWSBI Classic Pelikan Stola III Cross Century II Medalist Retro 51 Tornado	Edelstein Olivine Pelikan Royal Blue Herbin Violet Penseé Skrip Black

I’m going to have to really scramble to get that story onto my literary front if I’m going to make good on a plan, not previously spoken, to offer it as a Hallowe’en treat on the Friday ahead of The Great Day.

Did You Hear Something?

Today’s spookytacular video is a compilation of what is very probably pareidolias, clever fakes, and de-humanizings of homeless people with untreated mental diseases, but may include some authentic Things What Science Hain’t Grappled With Properly. There’s also some pleasant shudders generated, which is the point.

I hope that you, as I did, took an unpleasant shudder from the examples of commodification of some homeless people for the algorithms of YouTube. That’s not entertainment.

Today’s pen: Sheaffer Targa
Today’s ink: Herbin Lis de Thé

PS– I’m taking next week off work, so I don’t guarantee I’ll look in here. But I intend to.

Day	What	How Much	Pen	Ink
11 October 12 October 13 October 14 October	Thanksgiving Recovery Day† First draft of “Unintended Consequences” (working title).	Badly overtaxed my shoulders scraping the eavestroughs. 652 typed words.	Pelikan Stola III TWSBI Classic Parker 50 Cross Century II Medalist	Pelikan Royal Blue Edelstein Olivine Edelstein Topaz Herbin Violet Penseé

† I understand that people in the US think this is a month early– that’s how we know it’s a harvest festival. Also, I’ve heard that the people of the republic south of me celebrated Colobus Day on the 11th, although I’ve no idea why they devote a whole day to recognizing a genus of Old World monkeys.

You Can See It Coming…

It is often said that there are only {a relatively small whole number} of stories in the world, and that complete originality is not possible.

This comes into horror entertainment with extra force, since there is so often a cycle of fashionable frights (see 1980s Slashers for a fine illustration) that can quickly descend in to tropes and formulae.

The answer to objects based on this observation is this: we take pleasure from the skill of the execution.

Also, as Alasdair Stuart often reminds us in the outros over at Pseudopod, horror is watching something approach.

Today’s familiar pen: TWSBI Classic
Today’s ink, not quite what was expected from the context: Edelstein Olivine

Day	What	How Much	Pen	Ink
4 October 5 October 6 October 7 October	First draft of “Unintended Consequences” (working title).	915 typed words	Sheaffer Targa Cross Century II Medalist Pelikan Stola III Parker 50	Herbin Lis de Thé Herbin Violet Penseé Pelikan Royal Blue Edelstein Topaz

SPOOKY TIME STARTS!

Yes, I am trying to distract myself from:

1. Noticing the passing of summer;
2. Thinking too hard about my province’s Florida-inspired, Texas-spiced COVID response;
3. The start of my roof.

I have a call out for estimates on the latter, and I’m sure it will be terrifying.

So, let’s start off with some mild chills:

For those with more time to spare and a willingness to wait through a slow build-up, here’s one of my favourite Clark Ashton Smith stories, produced by the wonderful voice of Ian Gordon:

Today’s pen: Parker 75
Today’s ink: Herbin Vert de Gris