The Thing on the Doorstep (part 1)

We’re back, and we come bearing some proper awesomeness. This is our discussion of another of Lovecraft’s later works, The Thing on the Doorstep, once again with an eye on how it can be used in gaming. Also, once again, we talked far too much, so the gaming part will actually be in the next episode. This half covers our impressions of the story, which are as heartfelt and divisive as you may have come to expect from us.

“It is true that I have sent six bullets through the heads of my good friends, and yet I hope to shew by this statement that they were bloody well asking for it.”

If you would rather listen to a reading of the story instead of making your eyes dance around words on a page, Paul has found a good one, by Wayne June, posted on YouTube.

Some of the views on gender in this story are even weirder than they seem at first, and they start out pretty bloody weird. Once we get into the section about how only men’s brains have certain unique and far-reaching cosmic powers, it was inevitable that Paul would bring up this Harry Enfield sketch. It’s what Lovecraft would have wanted.

And, seeing as we’re embedding media mentioned in the episode, Matt makes mention of the classic HP Lovecraft Historical Society number, If I Were a Deep One, which gives us an excuse to link to that too (not that we needed much prompting).

This was the first episode recorded in our new, state-of-the-art studio (Paul’s home office). It’s no shed, and we dearly miss all the spiders. Worst of all, while we have retained our trusty old microphone stand (the wooden stool), Paul has cleaned all the mould off it! I don’t know how we’re expected to work under these conditions!

Ah, fragrant fungus, how we miss you!

Anyway, must dash. Someone’s left a trail of putrescence and maggots over the doorway again, and we really should get it cleaned up before the next episode.