H P Lovecraft dropped by last night, I called him forth to celebrate his 120th birthday. We played Arkham Horror. Cthulhu was defeated by a nun with a cross and a tommy gun. He said something evocative about abyssms of horror, and returned to the grave. But he took the entire line of Arkham Horror with him (the price of calling him up), and now the dead are complaining that coffins are not built big enough.

If I raised my glass to him, he'd go epileptic in his grave... He wasn't particularly fond of.... MULATTOES! (Gene-mixing! Oh, the horror!)

I don't think ol' Howard would get along with many modern day fans of the Mythos. I mean, really... He went "livid with rage" (according to his wife) whenever he saw non-WASPs walking the streets.

And he hated dogs.

You really want to party with someone like that?

Mylo said:

Not meaning this to excuse his behaviour, but it was a different time back in the 1920s and 30s. HPL was hardly the only person back then who got uppitty about that sort of thing. There may yet come a time in the future when people look back on all our thong bikinis and gas guzzling SUVs as a vulgar and foolish way to live. Again, I'm not saying I agree with his attititudes, but I don't really think it's fair to judge people from a different era by today's standards.

He was also strongly opposed to science and technology probing the mysteries of the universe which "man was not meant to know" if his writings are any indication. I don't profess to know his religious beliefs, but I suspect if he was alive today he would be squarely in the Creationist camp. I wouldn't hold that against him if I had the chance to shake his hand and tell him how much I've enjoyed his stories.

JRR Tolkien was about as racist as the time and place in which he was born. Maybe slightly less. Lovecraft was IMO particularly racist, even for his time. I enjoy his stories, but I remember what kind of man he was. It's sort of like how I am able to enjoy Michael Jackson's "Dont' Stop Til You Get Enough," even though I realize that he was probably a child molester.

dj2.0 said:

Mylo said:

Yeah, but you forget, he was also a hypocrite (hating Jews and marrying one) :') so, you never know (read the Sprague de Camp biography if you haven't already, it's *enormously* entertaining, and amusing— Lovecraft could have won a Neurotic of the Year award).

@ Steve-O he wasn't a Creationist (he was quite anti-religion).

Mylo said:

Yes. Because I am able to seperate the person from the 'skin' they wear on more than just the subject of racism.

And besides, you clearly dont know many dead people - it tends to broaden the perspective Hes learned a few lessons by now, and who can say they have not got anything to learn?

Party pooper

Also don't forget that he was an avid teatotler so raising a glass to him gets him spinning in his grave to boot.

who said anything about booze? we drank shoggoth milk.

HPL was an athetis acorrding to my knowledge. He hated booze. He also HATED games. He was a reclusive man who dealt with only a few people. He did however love ice cream.

( I am sure I spelt words wrong but I dont care)

You know who else liked ice cream? HITLER!

avec said:

Hitler loved dogs made out of vegetarian icecream!

Hitler also breathed air and ate food so we should all stop that.

Mylo said:

Like you don't hate Duke.

HyeJinx1984 said:

Everyone hates Duke. Except Hitler (because he thought he was made out of icecream).