As a author I have a policy of not sticking my nose into the arena where my stories are under discussion, as I enjoy each listener/reader taking away what they will from the story, what it means to them. However, here I am fasinated by the perception that this story is political in any way or is a thinly masked sermon of any sort. The role of the "government" and it's actions towards the Deep Ones is clearly defined in The Shadow Over Innsmouth and this story is a continuation of what might have happened after those events through the eyes of the Deeps Ones and their descendents and the are not intended to in any way represent any social groups in human society today. Were this the case, I would gladly admit it. But as an author, I have never used writing as a platform for any political, or ideologica grandstanding as I actually hate that kind of fiction fro amy direction. I believe, for me as a writer and a reade, that fiction is a place to explore things beyond our mudane world. We are all inundated with politicized rage porn from all directions these days 24/7 and that conditioning makes us see it under every bed. Again, I cannot stand that kind of perspective in stories from any point of view and often find myself saying, GIVE IT A REST even if I happen to agree with the position on display. Several of my stories focus on the Deep Ones from their perspective and I try to explore posible experiences,fears, journeys, transformations, and yes agendas, from the position of these purely fictional beings, never as stand-ns for any human groups. I am saying all this not in any sort of defense of myself, but rather a defense of my borrowing of HPL's Deep Ones as they become my own characters. I believe they deserve to be looked at and explored and loved or hated on their own merits and many times outside of their relation to humanity, again, not as any metaphor or stand-in for any other people or groups. Such a strange creature with such a long legacy would have fascinating stories to tell. I hope we can enjoy them as they are, not as we are conditioned through the madness of contemporary media, to mispercieve them. Good night and good luck. And many thanks for the kind words from those who liked the story. They mean a lot. --Aaron Vlek
Dammit Vlek, there's more to the Cthulhu Mythos then the stupid Deep Ones! And why do all the authors that insist on writing endless Deep Ones stories always overlook so many things from the original The Shadow over Innsmouth, like the fact that Obed Marsh himself was 100% human?
I think rather than being political, this story betrays the sentiments common to modernity, and therfore its rather obviously a _recent_ addition to the mythos. In the original story, the deep folk were murderous and killed any outsider who found out about them, its also heavily implied they sacrifice people for their god Dagon. But this story portrays them all as innocent victims who are being targeted by the government simply because they are "different". Its a very progressive and modern perspective to empathize with "freaks" and try and paint any marginalized group of people as purely being victims, and its particularly jarring in this story since the Deep Folk are literally people-sacrificing murder-monsters that worship a cosmic eldritch-being anathema to humankind lol. I understand it probably wasnt intentional, but the story is in stark contrast to everyrhing Lovecraft ever wrote about Cosmic entities and what happens to humans who fraternize with them. Its very easy to interpret the story as the auther saying "remember the monsters killing everyone in the first story?? Well they were just friendly fish people! And they were the real victims!!" That being said i enjoyed it. But i absolutely understand people having gripes with it.
But do the Deep Ones see themselves as monsters? How do the monsters in any horror story view themselves? And must we by default always identify ourselves with humanity? This is not done in any other horror genre. These trends fascinate me as an author but even more as an observer of society. Vampires murder and people love them. Zombies, murdering and feasting on human flesh is all they do yet people can’t get enough of them. Interesting!
@@Vlekistan I'd say we dont _have_ to identify with humanity no.. but if there are human characters that decide to help a group of beings who have made it very clear their ultimate goal is to conquer, subjugate, and mutilate humankind, then the humans helping these creatures should probably be aware of the consequences of helping them (at least if they want to be portrayed as intellegent). Its one thing to be anti-torture, or even anti-government, but for human characters to behave in such a way that could very well be downright misanthropic, they should probably have a good reason. The auther of this story doesnt seem to realize that the story he wrote a sequal to was about a race of monsters that wanted human beings to be killed wholesale and sacrificed to an eldritch god. Having all the creatures just go back into the ocean and portraying as a happy ending seems a bit bizarre conodering what these same creatures were doing to innocent people in the original story
@@shawnpleil4699 I think it should be obvious. Because we all have our favorite points of entry and that's where we work. I don't feel the need to write about things that don't captivate my interest, and there are plenty of writers who pump out tons of tentacle stuff. No one can address all points, and there will always be points that people love that an individial writer is not going to tackle. Not really surprising. If your issues are not being written about, maybe YOU should get on that! We'd probably all love to see what you came up with as the pool is remarkably "deep" and not fully plumbed by any means! And Lovecraft is by no means the soul inspiration for my work. I have a lot of other stories and even collections that have nothing to do with the Mythos. Why, I even have a "cute" Christmas story about a bunch of woodland animals stealing Coyote's star for his holiday tree. I write Krampus stories too. I think most, if not all writers, unless they are just chasing a market, will have those places their heart and soul resonates with. One of my own personal favorites I've done is a horror story set in Venice, and another that chronicles Lorenzi de Medici's deathbed visions through the lens of Hieronymus Bosch. There are worlds upon worlds of Mythos work to be done and I can only tackle a small part of it, that part I feel inspired and qualified, if you will, to write about.
Excellent readings. Voice works well for me as a sleep aid if I am tired and have heard a story before. First time I found the channel the readings were engaging enough I did not fall asleep - backfired.
UA-cam can’t work UA-cam correctly never mind involving A.I. Just get my notifications right and on time and I’d be happy most of UA-cam would be also. 😂😂😂😮😮😮😂😂😂
Major props to Vishnu Prasad in that this image has been on my recommendations for a week, and each times makes me exclaim aloud. It inexorably calls to mind the Shadow over Innsmouth, so no surprise at the intro to this one.
I love this! The name drops, the lore expansion. This is what the Mythos needs, modern fans expanding and exploring the world of Lovecraft with good tie ins to the original stories.
If you ask me, it's like the highjacking of popular movie franchises to inject modern political views. This one reeks of antifa. Still a good story though, even if written from the point of view of the villain. The one reason I'm not so upset about it is because I'd probably wanna join the Deep Ones too, since I'm a Pisces.
Mythos March???? Dude, if I'd known, I would have subscribed years ago, already am now, but didn't know this was a thing, thanks for making the month of my birthday so much fun!
Yes, there is so much to explore, so many questions to bring to the myths while staying within canon and going beyond Cthulhu. So much indeed! Glad you liked it !😎
This might be my favorite Lovecraftion tale I've ever stumbled across. I am always fascinated by nonhuman perspectives in fiction, and I think the personhood of the people of Insmouth is a wonderful topic to explore. Bravo!
Ist statement-" You fool! Warren is DEAD!" Wasn't that taken from The Statement of Randolph Carter? Im new here, is The lighthouse some continuation of the short story?
This might be a bit late but yes, the opening is taken that story. This story and Devilskill is kind of a spiritual successor to HP Lovecraft's The Shadow Over Innsmouth, which is also available here. Another interesting spiritual successor is The Dark Secret of the House Outside of Town from Dark Somnium. House of the Dead Gods is also set in the same universe. Lighthouse Horror has a similar story called "I Move to a Town Where People Disappear Every 100 Years". These stories are what I've listened so far that is roughly set in or very close in spirit to The Shadow Over Innsmouth.
Vlek's "The Lighthouse", like Dipper's "Porcelain Blood" and Kings "N", represents contemporary CH at its best. An apex-level work sure to please even the most discriminating HPL-inspired short fiction enthusiast, "TL" is pure CH dope.
Fantastic story and narration! Dr. Gilman! How fitting. Amazing. Then, later, he lists the names of the research colleagues he works with. Awesome. Looking forward to reading more works by this author. Amazing tale. Thanks!!
@@Vlekistan no problem. I really liked it. Well-done. I am looking forward to more. Keep up the great work. I love the use of the last names from the books!
It's set in lovecraft's world, yes. But it lacks his style, and even his finesse. In lovecraft's work, you rarely see the protagonist take a truly active role. Things happen to them, but they almost never push back in a violent or forceful way. If they do, it is either pointless, or it still ends badly for them.
The innsmouth people represent lovecraft's fear and hatred of people unlike himself, so when his protagonists find out he's one of them, its the ultimate horror. I interpret this story as the narrator taking control of his biases, and when he (like always) finds out hes one of them, accepting that part of his history. Lovecraft is definitely more nihilist while in newer works you see the influence of modern movements
Harder to sympathize when you remember the countless people in the region who went missing, the human sacrifices, the shoggoths they introduced to Innsmouth's sewer system, the nascent hive mind that inevitably warps the minds of all hybrids as they age and take in the Innsmouth Look, and the evil gods they serve. The protagonist may have just precipitated the apocalypse by springing the Marsh lady.
@@Xbalanque84less hard to symphathise when you take a media analysis approach and realize the innsmouth people were HPL's projection of his "fear of the other" (his racism was bad even for his time)
@@trashqueeen using meta analysis of the authur to justify in-story misanthropic character decisions is pretty ridiculous lol. Regardless of what HP lovecrafts personal life or personal opinions were on "race", Shadow over Innsouth is about monsters killing, subjugating, sacrificing, and mutilating innocent people. Then _this story_ is about helping all those same murder-monsters lol. Period. Thats what happens. Its an incredibly jarring juxtoposition, and makes the characters involved look moronic.
I'm hoping that the Dream Swimmers have more adventures. I got a serious 'cycle' vibe from this, much like the John Silence or Carnacki stories, where this 'team' might have to deal with other misunderstood inhabitants of the Lovecraftian canon.
On his 200th and something day lost in the Taklamakan desert, Warren spotted a lone, dusty white bearded figure in tattered robes and a turban standing next to a donkey. In the old man's hand hands he clutched a board nearly as weathered as himself. Scrawled on it in wild Arabic was a single word: "Out." Curious, Warren broke from the caravan to meet him. "Out? You mean out of here?" he asked. The man nodded his assent, "Yes, Effendi. I alone know the way out. Though I ask payment for my humble services." Warren was taken aback, "How much?" The old man grinned, "How much do you have, Effendi?" After much haggling, Warren paid the old man 100£, 5,000CN¥, 10,000₹, and 6 cigarettes - half up front, half on arrival. "Call me Warren" Warren said. Stuffing the payment in his, robes the old man nodded at a high dune some miles away and started off, donkey in tow in a slow walk. Warren took some minutes to bid farewell to his Arab rescuers, who assured him he'd be back. Then he raced after the old man. In the first mile a passing Song official sneered at them from his palanquin. "Idiots!" he spat in Mandarin. "You could spare yourselves exhaustion if you rode the donkey." The old man shrugged, mounted the animal, and bade Warren to get on too. The donkey struggled through the sand with much complaint with the two passengers. They'd hardly gone another mile when they passed the gaggle of Chinese airline passengers. A matronly woman in a Gucci dress clutching a small dog yelled, "How can you be so inhumane! You'll wear the poor animal out! It's animal cruelty, I say! The poor beast!" Chagrined, Warren dismounted and led the donkey. They'd made almost another mile before a pair of Buddhist monks crossed their path. "Look, oh student" the eldest monk said. "See how fatuous belief in tradition leads to an old man tyrannizing the younger generation, riding the donkey in comfort while his son walks in the hot sun." The old man shrugged, dismounted, and urged Warren to remount the donkey. The old man led the donkey. Hardly another mile passed before the elder of a pack of Nasrani Christians admonished his followers aloud "Look how we approach the Second Coming as the world falls further into Sin! The young man rides while his elderly father walks. Shame!" Shaking his head, Warren dismounted and they both set off on foot, donkey in tow. Mercifully they didn't see anyone else. Zig zagging up the high dune, they finally reached the summit, Warren panting for breath. Looking out he despaired at seeing only another continuous dune vista. Significantly lower dunes, to be sure. But dunes stretching far as his eye could see. Worse, in the distance he sighted the ominous dust cloud of the evening sand storm. He looked darkly down at his companion, who smiled beatifically up at him from a seated position. Lighting one of Warren's cigarettes, the old man said in a weedy but calm voice, "Always in motion, the sands of the Taklamakan. So, too, the planets, moons, and son heavens above. Certainly the travelers of ages who walk, walk, walk seeking escape. It is the will of Allah. There is only one way to escape it. That is to be...still." Exhausted and with no options, Warren sat hugging his knees and watched the sandstorm approach as the light dimmed. 10 minutes later the old man flicked his cigarette away, the ember arcing into the night. Then he partially unwound his turban to cover his face. Warren did likewise with his keffiyeh just before the sand wave engulfed them all. Warren jerked forward and woke with a start, his forward motion stopped by a seat belt. "We're here Effendi!" the turbaned old man in the front seat said, looking over his shoulder at Warren through the plexiglass. As if in a dream, Warren unbuckled himself and climbed out of the hackney cab. Shutting the door, he noticed they'd stopped in a pub. A pub in London by the looks of it. God he could use a pint he thought and started towards it. "Ahem" he heard behind him. Remembering, Warren turned and reached into his pockets for the fare. The bills came out - along with a copious amount of sand. He handed them through the window to the weathered brown hands. The old man nodded, "It was good meeting you, Warren." Warren realized he'd never asked the old man's name. But he didn't need to. He knew. Adding a generous tip, Warren grinned, *"You fool! Warren is dead!"*
Um, they are all family names linked to the mythos Pickman - ghouls (Pickman's Model) Whately - sorcerors / worshippers of Yog Sothoth (Wilbur Whaitely from The Dunwich Horror) Marsh - deep one relatives from Innsmouth Gilman - investigates witches & their familiars (Walter Gilman from dreams in the Witch House) West - Hertbert West, a doctor resurrecting the dead. Carter - Randolph Carter a dream explorer. Whaite - Asenath / Ephraim Waite. Sorcerors who possess bodies to prolong their age. Ward - Charles Dexter Ward, descendant of a terrible wizard Joseph Curwen.
@@Xbalanque84 Just realized Gilman is also from Dreams in the Witch house. Thank you all for your replies - gonna brush up on my mythology. I kinda always blew by the "human" names. This is a fantastic story on so many levels!
So he was insane? He just threw all the patients into the sea and killed the staff? Or maybe it was all real and eldritch evil wins over more reasonable human evil. Perfect ambiguity and a true Mythos story.
Dammit Vlek, there's more to the Cthulhu Mythos then the stupid Deep Ones! And why do all the authors that insist on writing endless Deep Ones stories always overlook so many things from the original The Shadow over Innsmouth, like the fact that Obed Marsh himself was 100% human?
I know I’m the millionth person to ask this but it’s worth a shot - where does “You FOOL !!!…Warren is dead.” come from ? How can I properly mourn Warren if I don’t know the specifics of his demise ? I am thrilled to be returning to Innsmouth after so long. I very seldom comment on this channel because there’s nothing I have to add. As far as I’m concerned and as a horror fanatic this is the best channel on UA-cam. Nothing more to be said.
@@justincase9282 Warren himself was a fool. Meddling about in the lightless depths where "grate (sic) holes are digged (sic) where Earth's pores ought suffice..."
As always fantastic' though instead of hiding ones head under the duvet in fright of the story!! This time was because of the picture?? Cos it's the uncanny lookalike of my ex wife ahhhhh 😳 hahaha🤣😂😅...
In all, the narrative is good, but there are instances of fawning invocation of Lovecraft that border on the sycophantic. Vlek appears as a bit of a "pick me" girl because of that. As always, the narration itself is superb, and we thank you for lending a solemn dignity to the piece, in spite of its (perceived by me) flaw.
You are still finding stonking mad bangers after all these years. Please invite Mr Vlek to gibber eldritch secrets any time he likes! I love these fresh expansions to the mythos.
Thank god for not using AI. Seriously love that. Praise Yeshua. Lord of light in a world of darkness. I walk without fear because I know you wait for me
Wonderfully read, Ian! A great addition to the mythos. The subtext in the story is interesting. I consider it malleable, honestly, but I wonder what Vlek chose for it to mean. More enjoyable to leave it a mystery, perhaps!
Interesting comment. I prefer that readers, or listeners, take from the story what speaks to them and not be distracted by what I meant. Sometimes that takeaway message is not what I meant at all but what the listener needed or wanted to hear. I have never added any personal or political position to my stories as I believe that would be a disservice to the work and listeners. The attitude towards the Innsmouth people that the head doctor had was not a neo political rant thrown in but rather absolutely reflective of what many of Lovecrafts surrounding characters said so it is in keeping with the cannon of HPLs work. But some wish to see it as a tiresome and predictable add on, and that’s fine too. My work is a smorgasbord, take what you want and go back for seconds if you will! 🤓
@@Vlekistan I appreciate your response and the insight it came with, sir! I hope I didn't come off as insulting. The subtext, whether it existed or not, was interesting to ponder, but it did nothing at all to diminish my enjoyment of the story. I especially liked the interweaving of the different Lovecraftian families! 😊 And seconds will be had, I assure you! Thanks for your great contribution to the Mythos. 🙏
Boy, do I wish authors would give it a rest with the whole "humans are the real monsters!" schtick, that trope has been stale for a decade or more... And it's a shame too, because this author clearly has a nose for prose and a pretty fantastic sense of creativity. But it boggles the mind how a person could invent a concept like dream therapy, develop it as it was in this story, and still somehow manage to make it bland and uninteresting by the end... Here's hoping they develop as a writer a bit more, maybe stop trying so hard to chase fads. Great narration though!
The writing was a little amateurish, with the Mary Sue protagonists really sticking out. But I enjoyed it. The subversion of the original was well-done. It's an interesting illustration of how far our culture has progressed since Lovecraft's original, which I found kind of inspiring, but without being too preachy or like some sort of commentary on contemporary politics. It's a nice celebration of liberalism (in a broad sense, not just the left half of politicians).
As a author I have a policy of not sticking my nose into the arena where my stories are under discussion, as I enjoy each listener/reader taking away what they will from the story, what it means to them. However, here I am fasinated by the perception that this story is political in any way or is a thinly masked sermon of any sort. The role of the "government" and it's actions towards the Deep Ones is clearly defined in The Shadow Over Innsmouth and this story is a continuation of what might have happened after those events through the eyes of the Deeps Ones and their descendents and the are not intended to in any way represent any social groups in human society today. Were this the case, I would gladly admit it. But as an author, I have never used writing as a platform for any political, or ideologica grandstanding as I actually hate that kind of fiction fro amy direction. I believe, for me as a writer and a reade, that fiction is a place to explore things beyond our mudane world. We are all inundated with politicized rage porn from all directions these days 24/7 and that conditioning makes us see it under every bed. Again, I cannot stand that kind of perspective in stories from any point of view and often find myself saying, GIVE IT A REST even if I happen to agree with the position on display. Several of my stories focus on the Deep Ones from their perspective and I try to explore posible experiences,fears, journeys, transformations, and yes agendas, from the position of these purely fictional beings, never as stand-ns for any human groups. I am saying all this not in any sort of defense of myself, but rather a defense of my borrowing of HPL's Deep Ones as they become my own characters. I believe they deserve to be looked at and explored and loved or hated on their own merits and many times outside of their relation to humanity, again, not as any metaphor or stand-in for any other people or groups. Such a strange creature with such a long legacy would have fascinating stories to tell. I hope we can enjoy them as they are, not as we are conditioned through the madness of contemporary media, to mispercieve them. Good night and good luck. And many thanks for the kind words from those who liked the story. They mean a lot. --Aaron Vlek
Dammit Vlek, there's more to the Cthulhu Mythos then the stupid Deep Ones!
And why do all the authors that insist on writing endless Deep Ones stories always overlook so many things
from the original The Shadow over Innsmouth, like the fact that Obed Marsh himself was 100% human?
I think rather than being political, this story betrays the sentiments common to modernity, and therfore its rather obviously a _recent_ addition to the mythos.
In the original story, the deep folk were murderous and killed any outsider who found out about them, its also heavily implied they sacrifice people for their god Dagon. But this story portrays them all as innocent victims who are being targeted by the government simply because they are "different". Its a very progressive and modern perspective to empathize with "freaks" and try and paint any marginalized group of people as purely being victims, and its particularly jarring in this story since the Deep Folk are literally people-sacrificing murder-monsters that worship a cosmic eldritch-being anathema to humankind lol.
I understand it probably wasnt intentional, but the story is in stark contrast to everyrhing Lovecraft ever wrote about Cosmic entities and what happens to humans who fraternize with them. Its very easy to interpret the story as the auther saying "remember the monsters killing everyone in the first story?? Well they were just friendly fish people! And they were the real victims!!"
That being said i enjoyed it. But i absolutely understand people having gripes with it.
But do the Deep Ones see themselves as monsters? How do the monsters in any horror story view themselves? And must we by default always identify ourselves with humanity? This is not done in any other horror genre. These trends fascinate me as an author but even more as an observer of society. Vampires murder and people love them. Zombies, murdering and feasting on human flesh is all they do yet people can’t get enough of them. Interesting!
@@Vlekistan I'd say we dont _have_ to identify with humanity no.. but if there are human characters that decide to help a group of beings who have made it very clear their ultimate goal is to conquer, subjugate, and mutilate humankind, then the humans helping these creatures should probably be aware of the consequences of helping them (at least if they want to be portrayed as intellegent). Its one thing to be anti-torture, or even anti-government, but for human characters to behave in such a way that could very well be downright misanthropic, they should probably have a good reason.
The auther of this story doesnt seem to realize that the story he wrote a sequal to was about a race of monsters that wanted human beings to be killed wholesale and sacrificed to an eldritch god. Having all the creatures just go back into the ocean and portraying as a happy ending seems a bit bizarre conodering what these same creatures were doing to innocent people in the original story
@@shawnpleil4699 I think it should be obvious. Because we all have our favorite points of entry and that's where we work. I don't feel the need to write about things that don't captivate my interest, and there are plenty of writers who pump out tons of tentacle stuff. No one can address all points, and there will always be points that people love that an individial writer is not going to tackle. Not really surprising. If your issues are not being written about, maybe YOU should get on that! We'd probably all love to see what you came up with as the pool is remarkably "deep" and not fully plumbed by any means! And Lovecraft is by no means the soul inspiration for my work. I have a lot of other stories and even collections that have nothing to do with the Mythos. Why, I even have a "cute" Christmas story about a bunch of woodland animals stealing Coyote's star for his holiday tree. I write Krampus stories too. I think most, if not all writers, unless they are just chasing a market, will have those places their heart and soul resonates with. One of my own personal favorites I've done is a horror story set in Venice, and another that chronicles Lorenzi de Medici's deathbed visions through the lens of Hieronymus Bosch. There are worlds upon worlds of Mythos work to be done and I can only tackle a small part of it, that part I feel inspired and qualified, if you will, to write about.
Ian's voice is wonderful. His pronunciation and enunciation are perfect. I'm sick, of A.I. and people who can't speak clearly.
Excellent readings. Voice works well for me as a sleep aid if I am tired and have heard a story before. First time I found the channel the readings were engaging enough I did not fall asleep - backfired.
I do agree.
UA-cam can’t work UA-cam correctly never mind involving A.I. Just get my notifications right and on time and I’d be happy most of UA-cam would be also.
😂😂😂😮😮😮😂😂😂
I've never seen a comment with which I've agreed more strongly.
i very much dislike the mind cornfused "supposedly" living people .
If I do not understand, it is often a fun task to comprehend.
😊
The art is pretty much how I feel at the wee hours of the morning finding a good story to listen to while finishing off my graveyard shift
I'm an insomniac and have often had night jobs, I know the feeling. Podcasts are good too, really help the hours past quicker.
To quote the great Peter Stormare in one on his best roles, "I do so love the old names!". A fantastic contribution to the mythos, thank you HB!
Thank you ! Loved him in that.
Of course the devil has no fashion sense! (But Balthazar did) 😂
I believe the actual line is "I do miss the old names", but either way: yeah. Dope AF. Best one? "Little Horn!"
To the narrator: such mastery of pauses and pace
Hear here! As one of HB's authors it really is a privilege to have Ian deliver a tale. He nails intent of a phrase perfectly.
"The human mind isn't capable of understanding the human mind. But it is all any of us have to work with."
-The Attic Expeditions 👏👍👋
I watched this movie recently! Was pretty fun enjoyed it more than I thought I would. (The attic expeditions)
I love all the readers for horror stories, but you are my favourite. When I hear, Warren you fool,I settle down and enjoy. ❤
Major props to Vishnu Prasad in that this image has been on my recommendations for a week, and each times makes me exclaim aloud. It inexorably calls to mind the Shadow over Innsmouth, so no surprise at the intro to this one.
Caption of photo should say; "Man does Keto diet wrong way."
It looks like Skullface's elderly Aunty
Ahahaha
Do Innsmouth natives even qualify as "men" at this point?
I love this! The name drops, the lore expansion. This is what the Mythos needs, modern fans expanding and exploring the world of Lovecraft with good tie ins to the original stories.
In case you weren't aware, Horrorbabble ran a series of new original mythos last year, written by bold and handsome authors.
If you ask me, it's like the highjacking of popular movie franchises to inject modern political views. This one reeks of antifa. Still a good story though, even if written from the point of view of the villain. The one reason I'm not so upset about it is because I'd probably wanna join the Deep Ones too, since I'm a Pisces.
Thanks! Glad you liked it. I am always trying to explore the mythos while staying in cannon. So much room to play and grow.
@@Vlekistanit’s a great tale, wonderfully written! Will check out more of your writing for sure.
@@tamlandipper29Your story was great, Mr Dipper. That whole collection was smart and engaging, and understood the source material.
Thank you Ian!
The thumbnail art is genuinely masterfull, and excellent job narrating this yarn of Azorhothery
Just what I needed today-a new HorrorBabble!!
Thanks for the story! Great narration as always!
"Drain the Swamp" the sign of the times is showing
Make them sound as delightful as you'd like, I'm still with old Zadok Allen 🤔
Perfect timing right as my shift started!!!
This is EVERYTHING I’ve ever wanted from the Mythos. Bravissimo.
Thank you kindly! So glad you liked it !😁
Agreed.
Ian or rather Mr. Gordon, thank you for your amazing truly amazing service to us on UA-cam
Many thanks as always Ian!😎
Mythos March???? Dude, if I'd known, I would have subscribed years ago, already am now, but didn't know this was a thing, thanks for making the month of my birthday so much fun!
Bravo to both author and narrator.
Well done.
That is some creepy-ass artwork! It reminds me of The Damp Man.
Yes only not as fat, or damp. Yet somehow it made that impression on me as well
A great reading as always but did not really get into the story. In fact lost interest midway but hung in there till the end.
The days HorrorBabble audios drop are very good days. And this one is deliciously Lovecraftian
Thanks! Glad you liked it!😎
@@Vlekistannigga what did YOU? Do?
I love this author! Always excited to see their work.
Thank you so much! It means a lot. 😎
This is fantastic. Love to see the lore explored from a different in-universe perspective like this. Very nicely written and, as always, well read.
Yes, there is so much to explore, so many questions to bring to the myths while staying within canon and going beyond Cthulhu. So much indeed! Glad you liked it !😎
Rejoice! A new HorrorBabble video is up and Warren is still dead.
Sorry but no one's ever going to make me feel sympathy for the Dagon people.
Perfect timing. Thank you!
Borra habble
@tinkywinky4449 🤏🏻
This might be my favorite Lovecraftion tale I've ever stumbled across. I am always fascinated by nonhuman perspectives in fiction, and I think the personhood of the people of Insmouth is a wonderful topic to explore. Bravo!
Thank you! I have been trying to explore and flesh out that very perspective of the nonhuman characters in all of y Lovecraftian tales.
Love the familiar family names creeping up again in a way that feels fairly natural and sensible. This tale was a good choice.
Thank you kindly! 😎
I feel that "Finley" would be another terrific innsmouth name
@@bobbymarcum772 Nemo Finley
This story sounds nice & hopeful but is but the beginning of another nightmarish era in Innsmouth.
3:50 The idea that Lovecraft exists in the universe he created and is just the same pulp author as his irl self is kind of hilarious
This was amazing!! I would love to hear more stories about the dream-swimmers. It felt a bit like a Lovecraftian Inception!
Good of you to share.
Ist statement-" You fool! Warren is DEAD!" Wasn't that taken from The Statement of Randolph Carter? Im new here, is The lighthouse some continuation of the short story?
This might be a bit late but yes, the opening is taken that story.
This story and Devilskill is kind of a spiritual successor to HP Lovecraft's The Shadow Over Innsmouth, which is also available here.
Another interesting spiritual successor is The Dark Secret of the House Outside of Town from Dark Somnium. House of the Dead Gods is also set in the same universe.
Lighthouse Horror has a similar story called "I Move to a Town Where People Disappear Every 100 Years".
These stories are what I've listened so far that is roughly set in or very close in spirit to The Shadow Over Innsmouth.
Really loved the humane element of this story. With the right sound and visual design, what an amazing videogame this would make!
I enjoy Aaron Vlek's stories.
So glad you like the work, many thanks.😎
Wow just wow keeping the Lovecraft mythos alive 😎
That thumbnail reminds me of gwent's selfeater monster/relict 😊😊
Vlek's "The Lighthouse", like Dipper's "Porcelain Blood" and Kings "N", represents contemporary CH at its best. An apex-level work sure to please even the most discriminating HPL-inspired short fiction enthusiast, "TL" is pure CH dope.
Magnificent once again. I think this is my new favorite. Well done sir.
Many thanks! 😎
Truly a disturbing thumbnail. Bravo Horror Babble, bravo 👏!
Fantastic story and narration!
Dr. Gilman! How fitting. Amazing. Then, later, he lists the names of the research colleagues he works with. Awesome.
Looking forward to reading more works by this author.
Amazing tale.
Thanks!!
So glad you liked it! I am always working on more! 😎
@@Vlekistan no problem. I really liked it. Well-done. I am looking forward to more. Keep up the great work. I love the use of the last names from the books!
Perfection
It's set in lovecraft's world, yes. But it lacks his style, and even his finesse. In lovecraft's work, you rarely see the protagonist take a truly active role. Things happen to them, but they almost never push back in a violent or forceful way. If they do, it is either pointless, or it still ends badly for them.
The innsmouth people represent lovecraft's fear and hatred of people unlike himself, so when his protagonists find out he's one of them, its the ultimate horror. I interpret this story as the narrator taking control of his biases, and when he (like always) finds out hes one of them, accepting that part of his history. Lovecraft is definitely more nihilist while in newer works you see the influence of modern movements
Lovecraft and finesse? If braining someone with a sledgehammer of words is finesse then Lovecraft’s got it in spades
@@trashqueeenAgreed. In his later work we start to see some of the dynamic optimism of mid century science fiction.
@@juliadia007 I call BS
Mr. Warren's demise is being grossly exaggerated.
Way to make me sympathise with fish-like-frogs and frog-like-fishes.
Meh
Harder to sympathize when you remember the countless people in the region who went missing, the human sacrifices, the shoggoths they introduced to Innsmouth's sewer system, the nascent hive mind that inevitably warps the minds of all hybrids as they age and take in the Innsmouth Look, and the evil gods they serve. The protagonist may have just precipitated the apocalypse by springing the Marsh lady.
@@Xbalanque84less hard to symphathise when you take a media analysis approach and realize the innsmouth people were HPL's projection of his "fear of the other" (his racism was bad even for his time)
@@trashqueeen using meta analysis of the authur to justify in-story misanthropic character decisions is pretty ridiculous lol. Regardless of what HP lovecrafts personal life or personal opinions were on "race", Shadow over Innsouth is about monsters killing, subjugating, sacrificing, and mutilating innocent people. Then _this story_ is about helping all those same murder-monsters lol. Period. Thats what happens. Its an incredibly jarring juxtoposition, and makes the characters involved look moronic.
Thank you ❤
That's very creepy art.
I think that’s maybe the best Innsmouth look illustration I’ve ever seen 🤘properly creepy. Magic ❤
Aaron Vlek! Hells yeah!
😎
Great tale from Ms. Vlek and amazing telling Ian. She has many Lovecraftian tales and great to hear on Horrorbabble. 💀
I was delighted, and honored, to finally get on HB! 😎
I found your work on another channel and Prophet of The Black Hajj is my favorite....so far. 😁
One of the best out of very many I have heard .
Needed this today, thank you!! 💜
I'm hoping that the Dream Swimmers have more adventures. I got a serious 'cycle' vibe from this, much like the John Silence or Carnacki stories, where this 'team' might have to deal with other misunderstood inhabitants of the Lovecraftian canon.
They just might! Glad you liked them.
Another great story! Thank you so much.
On his 200th and something day lost in the Taklamakan desert, Warren spotted a lone, dusty white bearded figure in tattered robes and a turban standing next to a donkey. In the old man's hand hands he clutched a board nearly as weathered as himself. Scrawled on it in wild Arabic was a single word: "Out." Curious, Warren broke from the caravan to meet him.
"Out? You mean out of here?" he asked. The man nodded his assent, "Yes, Effendi. I alone know the way out. Though I ask payment for my humble services." Warren was taken aback, "How much?" The old man grinned, "How much do you have, Effendi?" After much haggling, Warren paid the old man 100£, 5,000CN¥, 10,000₹, and 6 cigarettes - half up front, half on arrival. "Call me Warren" Warren said.
Stuffing the payment in his, robes the old man nodded at a high dune some miles away and started off, donkey in tow in a slow walk. Warren took some minutes to bid farewell to his Arab rescuers, who assured him he'd be back. Then he raced after the old man.
In the first mile a passing Song official sneered at them from his palanquin. "Idiots!" he spat in Mandarin. "You could spare yourselves exhaustion if you rode the donkey." The old man shrugged, mounted the animal, and bade Warren to get on too.
The donkey struggled through the sand with much complaint with the two passengers. They'd hardly gone another mile when they passed the gaggle of Chinese airline passengers. A matronly woman in a Gucci dress clutching a small dog yelled, "How can you be so inhumane! You'll wear the poor animal out! It's animal cruelty, I say! The poor beast!" Chagrined, Warren dismounted and led the donkey.
They'd made almost another mile before a pair of Buddhist monks crossed their path. "Look, oh student" the eldest monk said. "See how fatuous belief in tradition leads to an old man tyrannizing the younger generation, riding the donkey in comfort while his son walks in the hot sun." The old man shrugged, dismounted, and urged Warren to remount the donkey. The old man led the donkey.
Hardly another mile passed before the elder of a pack of Nasrani Christians admonished his followers aloud "Look how we approach the Second Coming as the world falls further into Sin! The young man rides while his elderly father walks. Shame!" Shaking his head, Warren dismounted and they both set off on foot, donkey in tow.
Mercifully they didn't see anyone else. Zig zagging up the high dune, they finally reached the summit, Warren panting for breath. Looking out he despaired at seeing only another continuous dune vista. Significantly lower dunes, to be sure. But dunes stretching far as his eye could see. Worse, in the distance he sighted the ominous dust cloud of the evening sand storm. He looked darkly down at his companion, who smiled beatifically up at him from a seated position. Lighting one of Warren's cigarettes, the old man said in a weedy but calm voice, "Always in motion, the sands of the Taklamakan. So, too, the planets, moons, and son heavens above. Certainly the travelers of ages who walk, walk, walk seeking escape. It is the will of Allah. There is only one way to escape it. That is to be...still." Exhausted and with no options, Warren sat hugging his knees and watched the sandstorm approach as the light dimmed. 10 minutes later the old man flicked his cigarette away, the ember arcing into the night. Then he partially unwound his turban to cover his face. Warren did likewise with his keffiyeh just before the sand wave engulfed them all.
Warren jerked forward and woke with a start, his forward motion stopped by a seat belt. "We're here Effendi!" the turbaned old man in the front seat said, looking over his shoulder at Warren through the plexiglass. As if in a dream, Warren unbuckled himself and climbed out of the hackney cab. Shutting the door, he noticed they'd stopped in a pub. A pub in London by the looks of it. God he could use a pint he thought and started towards it. "Ahem" he heard behind him. Remembering, Warren turned and reached into his pockets for the fare. The bills came out - along with a copious amount of sand. He handed them through the window to the weathered brown hands. The old man nodded, "It was good meeting you, Warren." Warren realized he'd never asked the old man's name. But he didn't need to. He knew.
Adding a generous tip, Warren grinned, *"You fool! Warren is dead!"*
I enjoyed this addition to the Mythos very much!
beautiful story with real people. Innsmouth - a magical place.
Ian’s reading bringing all this to us. thanks, sweetie-person 🌷🌱
Ohhh, Dr. GILL-man! ;) Another great story & Lovely narration. Thank you!
Many thanks! 😎
Um, they are all family names linked to the mythos
Pickman - ghouls (Pickman's Model)
Whately - sorcerors / worshippers of Yog Sothoth (Wilbur Whaitely from The Dunwich Horror)
Marsh - deep one relatives from Innsmouth
Gilman - investigates witches & their familiars (Walter Gilman from dreams in the Witch House)
West - Hertbert West, a doctor resurrecting the dead.
Carter - Randolph Carter a dream explorer.
Whaite - Asenath / Ephraim Waite. Sorcerors who possess bodies to prolong their age.
Ward - Charles Dexter Ward, descendant of a terrible wizard Joseph Curwen.
His great uncle ran the local hotel in Innsmouth.
@@Xbalanque84 ahh! Thank you.. Its a cool pun on the sea themed names. I loved that Pickman was in there too
@@Xbalanque84 Just realized Gilman is also from Dreams in the Witch house. Thank you all for your replies - gonna brush up on my mythology. I kinda always blew by the "human" names. This is a fantastic story on so many levels!
Here's hoping for more Aaron Vlek stories
Glad you enjoyed it!
@@VlekistanI found your work on another channel and I find your take on Lovecraft's deep ones very interesting
Video art title: "it me"
So he was insane? He just threw all the patients into the sea and killed the staff? Or maybe it was all real and eldritch evil wins over more reasonable human evil. Perfect ambiguity and a true Mythos story.
Sounds like a Delta Green project
Woooo!
Edit to add: just finished it. Great story and reading!
Is this the one with Green Goblin and Batman?
Whyte man bad, ANYTHING else good.
I guess it flips the standard HPL worldview on its head, but it's just another "woking" of the Mythos. 🙄
Dammit Vlek, there's more to the Cthulhu Mythos then the stupid Deep Ones!
And why do all the authors that insist on writing endless Deep Ones stories always overlook so many things
from the original The Shadow over Innsmouth, like the fact that Obed Marsh himself was 100% human?
So you can have something to enjoy critiquing?
Another amazing tale! What a month!
So glad you like it, many thanks!😎
Justice for Gillmen everywhere!
I know I’m the millionth person to ask this but it’s worth a shot - where does “You FOOL !!!…Warren is dead.” come from ? How can I properly mourn Warren if I don’t know the specifics of his demise ?
I am thrilled to be returning to Innsmouth after so long. I very seldom comment on this channel because there’s nothing I have to add. As far as I’m concerned and as a horror fanatic this is the best channel on UA-cam. Nothing more to be said.
It is from the Lovecraft story, "The Statement of Randolph Carter."
@@justincase9282 Warren himself was a fool. Meddling about in the lightless depths where "grate (sic) holes are digged (sic) where Earth's pores ought suffice..."
Carnacki the Ghost Finder is the best
I really enjoyed this story.
Love this! Well read, and well written! Bringing Innsmouth closer and closer. I love it.
Thank you kindly !😎
@@Vlekistan My pleasure! Really enjoyed it
Mythos March!
DAAAAMN! That is a fantastic reading. Well done, 🎩
Absolutely a modern classic!
Thank you!
As always fantastic' though instead of hiding ones head under the duvet in fright of the story!! This time was because of the picture?? Cos it's the uncanny lookalike of my ex wife ahhhhh 😳 hahaha🤣😂😅...
You let a girl like that get away? What were you thinking man!? 😎
And I hated admitting this...
In all, the narrative is good, but there are instances of fawning invocation of Lovecraft that border on the sycophantic. Vlek appears as a bit of a "pick me" girl because of that.
As always, the narration itself is superb, and we thank you for lending a solemn dignity to the piece, in spite of its (perceived by me) flaw.
This is simply brilliant 👏
Thank you so much!😂
Fantastik story!
Thanks! 😁
How did you get my passport photo?
What a great story, weaving together so many of lovecraft's character lineages and story arcs.
Thanks for another great story!
You are still finding stonking mad bangers after all these years.
Please invite Mr Vlek to gibber eldritch secrets any time he likes!
I love these fresh expansions to the mythos.
Great story ….l think this is an allegory on mental illness and psychiatric hospitals as much as it’s a Cthulhu Mythos story.
Thank god for not using AI. Seriously love that. Praise Yeshua. Lord of light in a world of darkness. I walk without fear because I know you wait for me
Vlek is always amazing and never fails.
Too kind! So glad you liked it. 😎
This highlights a problem with a lot of fiction. It's just another permutation of stuff we definitely heard before
Wonderfully read, Ian! A great addition to the mythos.
The subtext in the story is interesting. I consider it malleable, honestly, but I wonder what Vlek chose for it to mean. More enjoyable to leave it a mystery, perhaps!
Interesting comment. I prefer that readers, or listeners, take from the story what speaks to them and not be distracted by what I meant. Sometimes that takeaway message is not what I meant at all but what the listener needed or wanted to hear. I have never added any personal or political position to my stories as I believe that would be a disservice to the work and listeners. The attitude towards the Innsmouth people that the head doctor had was not a neo political rant thrown in but rather absolutely reflective of what many of Lovecrafts surrounding characters said so it is in keeping with the cannon of HPLs work. But some wish to see it as a tiresome and predictable add on, and that’s fine too. My work is a smorgasbord, take what you want and go back for seconds if you will! 🤓
@@Vlekistan I appreciate your response and the insight it came with, sir! I hope I didn't come off as insulting. The subtext, whether it existed or not, was interesting to ponder, but it did nothing at all to diminish my enjoyment of the story. I especially liked the interweaving of the different Lovecraftian families! 😊 And seconds will be had, I assure you! Thanks for your great contribution to the Mythos. 🙏
It's Halloween and time to resurrect Warren!
❤🔥
So happy someone wrote a sequel to Shadow Over Innsmouth. Wonderful story!
Many thanks!
Gordon's alive
A marvellous story
Boy, do I wish authors would give it a rest with the whole "humans are the real monsters!" schtick, that trope has been stale for a decade or more...
And it's a shame too, because this author clearly has a nose for prose and a pretty fantastic sense of creativity. But it boggles the mind how a person could invent a concept like dream therapy, develop it as it was in this story, and still somehow manage to make it bland and uninteresting by the end...
Here's hoping they develop as a writer a bit more, maybe stop trying so hard to chase fads.
Great narration though!
Great listen!
That was an awesome story.
Many thanks!😂
The writing was a little amateurish, with the Mary Sue protagonists really sticking out. But I enjoyed it. The subversion of the original was well-done. It's an interesting illustration of how far our culture has progressed since Lovecraft's original, which I found kind of inspiring, but without being too preachy or like some sort of commentary on contemporary politics. It's a nice celebration of liberalism (in a broad sense, not just the left half of politicians).