In the Rose Garden / Nyarlathotep: an Utena-illustrated H.P. Lovecraft Story

Dallbun · Back to Top

A sudden burst of Cthulhu-referencing in the game thread inspired me to throw this together. I present the first half of H.P. Lovecraft's short story, "Nyarlathotep."

H.P. Lovecraft wrote:
Nyarlathotep... the crawling chaos... I am the last... I will tell the audient void...

I do not recall distinctly when it began, but it was months ago. The general tension was horrible. To a season of political and social upheaval was added a strange and brooding apprehension of hideous physical danger;

a danger widespread and all-embracing,

such a danger as may be imagined only in the most terrible phantasms of the night.

I recall that the people went about with pale and worried faces, and whispered warnings and prophecies which no one dared consciously repeat or acknowledge to himself that he had heard.

A sense of monstrous guilt was upon the land, and out of the abysses between the stars swept chill currents that made men shiver in dark and lonely places.

There was a demoniac alteration in the sequence of the seasons - the autumn heat lingered fearsomely,

and everyone felt that the world and perhaps the universe had passed from the control of known gods or forces to that of gods or forces which were unknown.

And it was then that Nyarlathotep came out of Egypt. Who he was, none could tell, but he was of the old native blood and looked like a Pharaoh.

The fellahin knelt when they saw him, yet could not say why.

He said he had risen up out of the blackness of twenty-seven centuries,

and that he had heard messages from places not on this planet.

Into the lands of civilization came Nyarlathotep, swarthy, slender, and sinister,

always buying strange instruments of glass and metal

and combining them into instruments yet stranger.

He spoke much of the sciences - of electricity and psychology - and gave exhibitions of power which sent his spectators away speechless, yet which swelled his fame to exceeding magnitude.

Men advised one another to see Nyarlathotep, and shuddered.

And where Nyarlathotep went, rest vanished, for the small hours were rent with the screams of nightmare. Never before had the screams of nightmare been such a public problem; now the wise men almost wished they could forbid sleep in the small hours,

that the shrieks of cities might less horribly disturb the pale, pitying moon as it glimmered on green waters gliding under bridges, and old steeples crumbling against a sickly sky.

I remember when Nyarlathotep came to my city - the great, the old, the terrible city of unnumbered crimes.

My friend had told me of him, and of the impelling fascination and allurement of his revelations, and I burned with eagerness to explore his uttermost mysteries.

My friend said they were horrible and impressive beyond my most fevered imaginings; and what was thrown on a screen in the darkened room prophesied things none but Nyarlathotep dared prophesy,

and in the sputter of his sparks there was taken from men that which had never been taken before yet which showed only in the eyes.

And I heard it hinted abroad that those who knew Nyarlathotep looked on sights which others saw not.

Last edited by Dallbun (02-21-2012 06:54:00 PM)

Clarice · Back to Top

I AM TOTES CALLING FIRST DIBS ON YOUR CTHULHU TENTACLE-BABIES. I DON'T CARE WHAT THEY SAY, I'M HAVING YOUR CTHULHU TENTACLE-BABIES.

...BY THE WAY I AM NOT NEEDY, CLINGY OR DESPERATE. IF I WAS I WOULD DROWN YOUR KITTEN. AND NOT EVEN LOVECRAFT WENT THAT FAR. HE KNEW WHERE THE LINE WAS. HE KNEW. school-devil

Nebula · Back to Top

and gave exhibitions of power which sent his spectators away speechless

Akio's all about exhibitions all right, a hurr hurr

Blowfish · Back to Top

I AM TOTES CALLING FIRST DIBS ON YOUR CTHULHU TENTACLE-BABIES. I DON'T CARE WHAT THEY SAY, I'M HAVING YOUR CTHULHU TENTACLE-BABIES.

DAMMIT WHY AM I NEVER FAST ENOUGH.

Mating privileges aside, I am a little frightened at how adeptly put-together this is. My hat goes off to you, sir.

Ragnarok · Back to Top

That was amazing.

And, honestly, it's not hard to believe that Akio and Anthy are great old ones.

Clarice · Back to Top

...am I the only one now thinking Mikage Souji: Reanimator?

...

emot-rofl

crystalwren · Back to Top

Consider my world officially rocked, Dallbun.

Riri-kins · Back to Top

You, my friend, win the internet. Akio makes a hella-sexy mummy, and Lovecraft's one of my favorite writers. poptart poptart

Lightice · Back to Top

It's hilarious! emot-biggrin
I've always loved that story/poem. My avatar comes from an amateur film based around it.
<---- Yeah, that's Nyarlathotep.

Keep it going if you can; this should be fun to follow...

Katzenklavier · Back to Top

A very interesting visual interpretation. Utena does certainly have its Lovecraftian movements of ominous yet oddly ambiguous dread.

satyreyes · Back to Top

The matching of pictures to story... you, sir, are a genius. etc-love Every one perfect. Though I have to admit that my mind went to the wrong place first when I saw Akio sitting on the hood of the car and read "those who knew Nyarlahotep looked on sights which others saw not." emot-rofl

I won't volunteer to have your babies, because that would require surgery beyond the means of modern technicians, but I will update your title.

Dallbun · Back to Top

Lightice wrote:
Keep it going if you can; this should be fun to follow...

I wasn't planning on it, actually. The second half of this prose poem would be much harder to adapt, I think. And unfortunately, I can't think of any other Lovecraft stories that are suitably evocative yet condensed. Much as I might like to do "The Dreams in the Witch House" with Anthy as Keziah Mason and Chu-Chu as Brown Jenkin... emot-wink

satyreyes wrote:
I have to admit that my mind went to the wrong place first when I saw Akio sitting on the hood of the car and read "those who knew Nyarlahotep looked on sights which others saw not."

Yeah, I thought the same thing... but it's Akio, after all. Why try to fight it? emot-rolleyes

Also, new title, cool! cool

Lightice · Back to Top

Dallbun wrote:
Lightice wrote:
Keep it going if you can; this should be fun to follow...
I wasn't planning on it, actually. The second half of this prose poem would be much harder to adapt, I think. And unfortunately, I can't think of any other Lovecraft stories that are suitably evocative yet condensed.

I think that the scenes from the movie might actually be quite suitable for the way the reality starts breaking down towards the end...

Much as I might like to do "The Dreams in the Witch House" with Anthy as Keziah Mason and Chu-Chu as Brown Jenkin... emot-wink

emot-rofl
It's a bit long for such an adaption, but it would certainly be fun.

MemoryArtist · Back to Top

For a second I thought this might have something to do with those Nyaruko-san novels or whatever.

So since Akio and Anthy are Other Gods, does that make Utena into Randolph Carter? "You fool, Wakaba is DEAD!"

E: And there is also the very Silver Key-like nature of the return to / replay of Ohtori in the movie... Of course, I'm of the firm opinion that absolutely every work of fiction is improved by a little Yog-Sothothery.

Last edited by MemoryArtist (06-24-2010 08:56:35 PM)

Tamago · Back to Top

Great story Dalibun etc-love thou I am surprised that you didn't use this picture. school-freud

Dallbun · Back to Top

MemoryArtist wrote:
So since Akio and Anthy are Other Gods, does that make Utena into Randolph Carter? "You fool, Wakaba is DEAD!"

I don't know... to get a proper Lovecraftian protagonist, I think we'd need to use elements from all the Duelists. Miki provides the academic background, and Touga the old money. Juri scoffs at the superstitions of the commoners that would have warned them of the danger, and Utena provides the burst of adrenalin that allows them to barely escape with their life. And Saionji faints at the last moment, then emerges ranting.

Tamago wrote:
Great story Dalibun thou I am surprised that you didn't use this picture.

http://ohtori.nu/galerie/d/2326-3/Series_ep04_128.jpg

Why would I use that one? This is "Nyarlathotep," not "The Call of Cthulhu." emot-wink

Although I do wish I'd had this picture for the screams of nightmare:

Somehow it didn't end up in the gallery. emot-frown

Trench Kamen · Back to Top

A+ would read again. emot-biggrin

Anthiena · Back to Top

Oh gaaaaawd that was awesome.

mercurynin · Back to Top

You always put together the coolest stuff, Dallbun. etc-love poptart

CoffinBreaker · Back to Top

emot-aaa

Hats off to you, sir! The Mad King would would be proud etc-love

Scoluron · Back to Top

Blowfish wrote:
Mating privileges aside, I am a little frightened at how adeptly put-together this is. My hat goes off to you, sir.

Dallbun is a cheater! He came up with this years ago!

...I guess that isn't cheating. emot-aaa

Mai_Kanzaki · Back to Top

Concidering I've just started actually reading the mythos and what not this has been pretty cool. Though sadly all I've been finding in my local is the same set of stories.

#1 | Back to Top06-04-2010 06:52:44 AM

Nyarlathotep: an Utena-illustrated H.P. Lovecraft Story

H.P. Lovecraft wrote:

#2 | Back to Top06-04-2010 07:05:03 AM

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#8 | Back to Top06-05-2010 05:26:15 PM

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#11 | Back to Top06-06-2010 04:38:16 PM

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#12 | Back to Top06-06-2010 10:01:42 PM

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Lightice wrote:

satyreyes wrote:

#13 | Back to Top06-07-2010 05:05:07 PM

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Dallbun wrote:

Lightice wrote:

#14 | Back to Top06-24-2010 08:50:27 PM

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#15 | Back to Top06-26-2010 11:54:53 PM

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#16 | Back to Top06-27-2010 03:52:54 AM

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MemoryArtist wrote:

Tamago wrote:

#17 | Back to Top07-16-2010 12:41:58 PM

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#18 | Back to Top11-15-2010 11:55:33 AM

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#19 | Back to Top11-15-2010 01:52:50 PM

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#20 | Back to Top11-16-2010 02:20:03 PM

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#21 | Back to Top12-01-2010 10:48:27 PM

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Blowfish wrote:

#22 | Back to Top12-02-2010 04:23:10 PM

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