#lorddunsany — Public Fediverse posts

@chartier
The author Lord Dunsany wrote a very short story on that topic at the time:

THE FOOD OF DEATH

Death was sick. But they brought him bread that the modern bakers make, whitened with alum, and the tinned meats of Chicago, with a pinch of our modern substitute for salt. They carried him into the dining-room of a great hotel (in that close atmosphere Death breathed more freely), and there they gave him their cheap Indian tea. They brought him a bottle of wine that they called champagne. Death drank it up. They brought a newspaper and looked up the patent medicines; they gave him the foods that it recommended for invalids, and a little medicine as prescribed in the paper. They gave him some milk and borax, such as children drink in England.

Death arose ravening, strong, and strode again through the cities.

- "Fifty-One Tales" (1915), by Lord Dunsany

https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/lord-dunsany/fifty-one-tales

#Books #Bookstodon #LordDunsany #Dunsany #FreeEbooks #QuasitBookRecs

You enter the old building.
Bookshelves line the walls.
A book called "Appendix N." edited by one Peter Bebergal catches your eye. It seems to collect 17 ancient scrolls by authors such as #HPLovecraft #LordDunsany & more, inspiring #DungeonsAndDragons #DnD lore

Do you dare to open the book?

#EnglishLiterature #Fantasy #FantasyLiterature

Minashi-by-the-Sea (What the Iron-Gray Catkin Saw)

#Wss366

Conclution

Kurotsuki Kaibyō awoke the next morning to the sounds of bamboo flutes and lime wood lyres out in the street. Inside the inn, the whining of merchants denied their morning meal could be heard, for its iron-gray owner had already taken a berth on a ship bound for fair hills #unblighted by Kurosuki’s shadow, and the new owner was nowhere to be seen.

Restlessly, the Stealer of Dreams walked the streets. The smells of roasted lamb skewers, chestnuts fresh from the coals, and overflowing drinks of rum, redolent with the scent of lime, cinnamon, and cloves held no appeal for her, for she had heard Nyarlathotep’s piping and it haunted her like nothing had before.

Still, when the people paraded out of the city to frolic in the orchards on the hills, she made her way to the High Citadel. After casting wary glances to see if anyone was watching, she climbed the walls in a spot sheltered from the Toads of Lang’s view. Then, on silent feet, she jumped to the courtyard and swiftly blended into the shadows of the citadel itself.

It took only moments to slip through the moldering gate that none had dared to maintain in centuries.

What happened then no one knows. But the obscene piping that night grew louder, drowning out the bright bells and lutes of the celebration. The iron-gray catkin whose name might mean “She Who Fled a Doom That Did Not Come” reported seeing something drifting amid the lime blossoms festooning the waters of the harbor. Something that should not have been there. What is known is that Kurotsuki Kaibyō, the Stealer of Dreams, was no longer seen walking on silent feet amid the shadows of doomed dreamers.

#MicroFiction #TootFic #Serial #NMPrompts #NMV366 #Lovecraft #LordDunsany #Pastiche #Cats #Otherkin #Catgirl #Neko

Minashi-by-the-Sea (What the Iron-Gray Catkin Saw)

#Wss366

Conclution

Kurotsuki Kaibyō awoke the next morning to the sounds of bamboo flutes and lime wood lyres out in the street. Inside the inn, the whining of merchants denied their morning meal could be heard, for its iron-gray owner had already taken a berth on a ship bound for fair hills #unblighted by Kurosuki’s shadow, and the new owner was nowhere to be seen.

Restlessly, the Stealer of Dreams walked the streets. The smells of roasted lamb skewers, chestnuts fresh from the coals, and overflowing drinks of rum, redolent with the scent of lime, cinnamon, and cloves held no appeal for her, for she had heard Nyarlathotep’s piping and it haunted her like nothing had before.

Still, when the people paraded out of the city to frolic in the orchards on the hills, she made her way to the High Citadel. After casting wary glances to see if anyone was watching, she climbed the walls in a spot sheltered from the Toads of Lang’s view. Then, on silent feet, she jumped to the courtyard and swiftly blended into the shadows of the citadel itself.

It took only moments to slip through the moldering gate that none had dared to maintain in centuries.

What happened then no one knows. But the obscene piping that night grew louder, drowning out the bright bells and lutes of the celebration. The iron-gray catkin whose name might mean “She Who Fled a Doom That Did Not Come” reported seeing something drifting amid the lime blossoms festooning the waters of the harbor. Something that should not have been there. What is known is that Kurotsuki Kaibyō, the Stealer of Dreams, was no longer seen walking on silent feet amid the shadows of doomed dreamers.

#MicroFiction #TootFic #Serial #NMPrompts #NMV366 #Lovecraft #LordDunsany #Pastiche #Cats #Otherkin #Catgirl #Neko

Minashi-by-the-Sea (What the Iron-Gray Catkin Saw)

#Wss366

Conclution

Kurotsuki Kaibyō awoke the next morning to the sounds of bamboo flutes and lime wood lyres out in the street. Inside the inn, the whining of merchants denied their morning meal could be heard, for its iron-gray owner had already taken a berth on a ship bound for fair hills #unblighted by Kurosuki’s shadow, and the new owner was nowhere to be seen.

Restlessly, the Stealer of Dreams walked the streets. The smells of roasted lamb skewers, chestnuts fresh from the coals, and overflowing drinks of rum, redolent with the scent of lime, cinnamon, and cloves held no appeal for her, for she had heard Nyarlathotep’s piping and it haunted her like nothing had before.

Still, when the people paraded out of the city to frolic in the orchards on the hills, she made her way to the High Citadel. After casting wary glances to see if anyone was watching, she climbed the walls in a spot sheltered from the Toads of Lang’s view. Then, on silent feet, she jumped to the courtyard and swiftly blended into the shadows of the citadel itself.

It took only moments to slip through the moldering gate that none had dared to maintain in centuries.

What happened then no one knows. But the obscene piping that night grew louder, drowning out the bright bells and lutes of the celebration. The iron-gray catkin whose name might mean “She Who Fled a Doom That Did Not Come” reported seeing something drifting amid the lime blossoms festooning the waters of the harbor. Something that should not have been there. What is known is that Kurotsuki Kaibyō, the Stealer of Dreams, was no longer seen walking on silent feet amid the shadows of doomed dreamers.

#MicroFiction #TootFic #Serial #NMPrompts #NMV366 #Lovecraft #LordDunsany #Pastiche #Cats #Otherkin #Catgirl #Neko

Minashi-by-the-Sea (What the Iron-Gray Catkin Saw)

#Wss366

Conclution

Kurotsuki Kaibyō awoke the next morning to the sounds of bamboo flutes and lime wood lyres out in the street. Inside the inn, the whining of merchants denied their morning meal could be heard, for its iron-gray owner had already taken a berth on a ship bound for fair hills #unblighted by Kurosuki’s shadow, and the new owner was nowhere to be seen.

Restlessly, the Stealer of Dreams walked the streets. The smells of roasted lamb skewers, chestnuts fresh from the coals, and overflowing drinks of rum, redolent with the scent of lime, cinnamon, and cloves held no appeal for her, for she had heard Nyarlathotep’s piping and it haunted her like nothing had before.

Still, when the people paraded out of the city to frolic in the orchards on the hills, she made her way to the High Citadel. After casting wary glances to see if anyone was watching, she climbed the walls in a spot sheltered from the Toads of Lang’s view. Then, on silent feet, she jumped to the courtyard and swiftly blended into the shadows of the citadel itself.

It took only moments to slip through the moldering gate that none had dared to maintain in centuries.

What happened then no one knows. But the obscene piping that night grew louder, drowning out the bright bells and lutes of the celebration. The iron-gray catkin whose name might mean “She Who Fled a Doom That Did Not Come” reported seeing something drifting amid the lime blossoms festooning the waters of the harbor. Something that should not have been there. What is known is that Kurotsuki Kaibyō, the Stealer of Dreams, was no longer seen walking on silent feet amid the shadows of doomed dreamers.

#MicroFiction #TootFic #Serial #NMPrompts #NMV366 #Lovecraft #LordDunsany #Pastiche #Cats #Otherkin #Catgirl #Neko

Minashi-by-the-Sea (What the Iron-Gray Catkin Saw)

#Wss366

Conclution

Kurotsuki Kaibyō awoke the next morning to the sounds of bamboo flutes and lime wood lyres out in the street. Inside the inn, the whining of merchants denied their morning meal could be heard, for its iron-gray owner had already taken a berth on a ship bound for fair hills #unblighted by Kurosuki’s shadow, and the new owner was nowhere to be seen.

Restlessly, the Stealer of Dreams walked the streets. The smells of roasted lamb skewers, chestnuts fresh from the coals, and overflowing drinks of rum, redolent with the scent of lime, cinnamon, and cloves held no appeal for her, for she had heard Nyarlathotep’s piping and it haunted her like nothing had before.

Still, when the people paraded out of the city to frolic in the orchards on the hills, she made her way to the High Citadel. After casting wary glances to see if anyone was watching, she climbed the walls in a spot sheltered from the Toads of Lang’s view. Then, on silent feet, she jumped to the courtyard and swiftly blended into the shadows of the citadel itself.

It took only moments to slip through the moldering gate that none had dared to maintain in centuries.

What happened then no one knows. But the obscene piping that night grew louder, drowning out the bright bells and lutes of the celebration. The iron-gray catkin whose name might mean “She Who Fled a Doom That Did Not Come” reported seeing something drifting amid the lime blossoms festooning the waters of the harbor. Something that should not have been there. What is known is that Kurotsuki Kaibyō, the Stealer of Dreams, was no longer seen walking on silent feet amid the shadows of doomed dreamers.

#MicroFiction #TootFic #Serial #NMPrompts #NMV366 #Lovecraft #LordDunsany #Pastiche #Cats #Otherkin #Catgirl #Neko

Dead silence. Then steps are heard. Enter a hideous idol. It is blind and gropes its way. It gropes its way to the ruby and picks it up and screws it into the socket in the forehead. Sniggers still weeps softly, the rest stare in horror.] - 'A Night At An Inn', Lord Dunsany #LordDunsany #horror

Minashi-by-the-Sea (The Piping that Spoke of Nyarlathotep)

#Wss366 #MastoPrompt #MicroPrompt 9/7 -11

As the moon touched the hazy rim of the ocean, the Cat Who Stole Dreams indulged in one last #meal of the inn’s famed curried prawns, a #mash of almonds and sweet cream, and #distilled lime blossom liqueur. It was just a sip, enough to fend off the night's chill, no more.

Then, as the full dark of night blanketed Minashi-by-the-Sea, she donned her black, dew-spangled cape and her quietest #slippers and went out into the #late night. All was still except for the laughter of the fountains. The chorus of cicadas and revelers had long fallen silent. Not even the few unfortunates stirred by dreams of dark things said to slither from Hypnos Nor Slid’s House heard the soft footsteps of Kurotsuki.

With catlike grace, she climbed the outer walls of the High Citadel of Perpetual Petals. So lithe was her ascent that not a single petal of the trees that ringed that lofty place was disturbed, and thus the #wards that are triggered by their fall remained silent. The silent monitors, without the walls, perhaps saw a shadow flicker, but nothing more.

Thus, Kurotsuki Kaibyō reached a vantage from which she could observe the Toads of Leng cavorting and hear the fateful shrilling of the piping within the tower. The #luminous toads as they danced #round the tower #instilled no fear in her heart, yet a #current of dread set her fur to bristle, hearing the piping that spoke of Nyarlathotep, for it came from far beyond the ken of man.

Woe betide the mortal who, in a dream or drugged state, passes through the portals to that eldritch creature’s dimension. Better to face the nightgaunts or to be torn asunder by the ghouls of Pickman’s ilk than to glimpse the dwellers of that realm.

Shaken but undeterred, the queen of thieves came away that night ready to plunder the heart of Minashi-by-the-Sea.

#MicroFiction #TootFic #Serial #NMPrompts #NMV366 #NMMP #Lovecraft #LordDunsany #Pastiche #Cats #Otherkin #Catgirl #Neko

Minashi-by-the-Sea (The Piping that Spoke of Nyarlathotep)

#Wss366 #MastoPrompt #MicroPrompt 9/7 -11

As the moon touched the hazy rim of the ocean, the Cat Who Stole Dreams indulged in one last #meal of the inn’s famed curried prawns, a #mash of almonds and sweet cream, and #distilled lime blossom liqueur. It was just a sip, enough to fend off the night's chill, no more.

Then, as the full dark of night blanketed Minashi-by-the-Sea, she donned her black, dew-spangled cape and her quietest #slippers and went out into the #late night. All was still except for the laughter of the fountains. The chorus of cicadas and revelers had long fallen silent. Not even the few unfortunates stirred by dreams of dark things said to slither from Hypnos Nor Slid’s House heard the soft footsteps of Kurotsuki.

With catlike grace, she climbed the outer walls of the High Citadel of Perpetual Petals. So lithe was her ascent that not a single petal of the trees that ringed that lofty place was disturbed, and thus the #wards that are triggered by their fall remained silent. The silent monitors, without the walls, perhaps saw a shadow flicker, but nothing more.

Thus, Kurotsuki Kaibyō reached a vantage from which she could observe the Toads of Leng cavorting and hear the fateful shrilling of the piping within the tower. The #luminous toads as they danced #round the tower #instilled no fear in her heart, yet a #current of dread set her fur to bristle, hearing the piping that spoke of Nyarlathotep, for it came from far beyond the ken of man.

Woe betide the mortal who, in a dream or drugged state, passes through the portals to that eldritch creature’s dimension. Better to face the nightgaunts or to be torn asunder by the ghouls of Pickman’s ilk than to glimpse the dwellers of that realm.

Shaken but undeterred, the queen of thieves came away that night ready to plunder the heart of Minashi-by-the-Sea.

#MicroFiction #TootFic #Serial #NMPrompts #NMV366 #NMMP #Lovecraft #LordDunsany #Pastiche #Cats #Otherkin #Catgirl #Neko

Minashi-by-the-Sea (The Piping that Spoke of Nyarlathotep)

#Wss366 #MastoPrompt #MicroPrompt 9/7 -11

As the moon touched the hazy rim of the ocean, the Cat Who Stole Dreams indulged in one last #meal of the inn’s famed curried prawns, a #mash of almonds and sweet cream, and #distilled lime blossom liqueur. It was just a sip, enough to fend off the night's chill, no more.

Then, as the full dark of night blanketed Minashi-by-the-Sea, she donned her black, dew-spangled cape and her quietest #slippers and went out into the #late night. All was still except for the laughter of the fountains. The chorus of cicadas and revelers had long fallen silent. Not even the few unfortunates stirred by dreams of dark things said to slither from Hypnos Nor Slid’s House heard the soft footsteps of Kurotsuki.

With catlike grace, she climbed the outer walls of the High Citadel of Perpetual Petals. So lithe was her ascent that not a single petal of the trees that ringed that lofty place was disturbed, and thus the #wards that are triggered by their fall remained silent. The silent monitors, without the walls, perhaps saw a shadow flicker, but nothing more.

Thus, Kurotsuki Kaibyō reached a vantage from which she could observe the Toads of Leng cavorting and hear the fateful shrilling of the piping within the tower. The #luminous toads as they danced #round the tower #instilled no fear in her heart, yet a #current of dread set her fur to bristle, hearing the piping that spoke of Nyarlathotep, for it came from far beyond the ken of man.

Woe betide the mortal who, in a dream or drugged state, passes through the portals to that eldritch creature’s dimension. Better to face the nightgaunts or to be torn asunder by the ghouls of Pickman’s ilk than to glimpse the dwellers of that realm.

Shaken but undeterred, the queen of thieves came away that night ready to plunder the heart of Minashi-by-the-Sea.

#MicroFiction #TootFic #Serial #NMPrompts #NMV366 #NMMP #Lovecraft #LordDunsany #Pastiche #Cats #Otherkin #Catgirl #Neko

Minashi-by-the-Sea (The Piping that Spoke of Nyarlathotep)

#Wss366 #MastoPrompt #MicroPrompt 9/7 -11

As the moon touched the hazy rim of the ocean, the Cat Who Stole Dreams indulged in one last #meal of the inn’s famed curried prawns, a #mash of almonds and sweet cream, and #distilled lime blossom liqueur. It was just a sip, enough to fend off the night's chill, no more.

Then, as the full dark of night blanketed Minashi-by-the-Sea, she donned her black, dew-spangled cape and her quietest #slippers and went out into the #late night. All was still except for the laughter of the fountains. The chorus of cicadas and revelers had long fallen silent. Not even the few unfortunates stirred by dreams of dark things said to slither from Hypnos Nor Slid’s House heard the soft footsteps of Kurotsuki.

With catlike grace, she climbed the outer walls of the High Citadel of Perpetual Petals. So lithe was her ascent that not a single petal of the trees that ringed that lofty place was disturbed, and thus the #wards that are triggered by their fall remained silent. The silent monitors, without the walls, perhaps saw a shadow flicker, but nothing more.

Thus, Kurotsuki Kaibyō reached a vantage from which she could observe the Toads of Leng cavorting and hear the fateful shrilling of the piping within the tower. The #luminous toads as they danced #round the tower #instilled no fear in her heart, yet a #current of dread set her fur to bristle, hearing the piping that spoke of Nyarlathotep, for it came from far beyond the ken of man.

Woe betide the mortal who, in a dream or drugged state, passes through the portals to that eldritch creature’s dimension. Better to face the nightgaunts or to be torn asunder by the ghouls of Pickman’s ilk than to glimpse the dwellers of that realm.

Shaken but undeterred, the queen of thieves came away that night ready to plunder the heart of Minashi-by-the-Sea.

#MicroFiction #TootFic #Serial #NMPrompts #NMV366 #NMMP #Lovecraft #LordDunsany #Pastiche #Cats #Otherkin #Catgirl #Neko

Minashi-by-the-Sea (The Piping that Spoke of Nyarlathotep)

#Wss366 #MastoPrompt #MicroPrompt 9/7 -11

As the moon touched the hazy rim of the ocean, the Cat Who Stole Dreams indulged in one last #meal of the inn’s famed curried prawns, a #mash of almonds and sweet cream, and #distilled lime blossom liqueur. It was just a sip, enough to fend off the night's chill, no more.

Then, as the full dark of night blanketed Minashi-by-the-Sea, she donned her black, dew-spangled cape and her quietest #slippers and went out into the #late night. All was still except for the laughter of the fountains. The chorus of cicadas and revelers had long fallen silent. Not even the few unfortunates stirred by dreams of dark things said to slither from Hypnos Nor Slid’s House heard the soft footsteps of Kurotsuki.

With catlike grace, she climbed the outer walls of the High Citadel of Perpetual Petals. So lithe was her ascent that not a single petal of the trees that ringed that lofty place was disturbed, and thus the #wards that are triggered by their fall remained silent. The silent monitors, without the walls, perhaps saw a shadow flicker, but nothing more.

Thus, Kurotsuki Kaibyō reached a vantage from which she could observe the Toads of Leng cavorting and hear the fateful shrilling of the piping within the tower. The #luminous toads as they danced #round the tower #instilled no fear in her heart, yet a #current of dread set her fur to bristle, hearing the piping that spoke of Nyarlathotep, for it came from far beyond the ken of man.

Woe betide the mortal who, in a dream or drugged state, passes through the portals to that eldritch creature’s dimension. Better to face the nightgaunts or to be torn asunder by the ghouls of Pickman’s ilk than to glimpse the dwellers of that realm.

Shaken but undeterred, the queen of thieves came away that night ready to plunder the heart of Minashi-by-the-Sea.

#MicroFiction #TootFic #Serial #NMPrompts #NMV366 #NMMP #Lovecraft #LordDunsany #Pastiche #Cats #Otherkin #Catgirl #Neko

Minashi-by-the-Sea (The Toad-Things of Leng)

#Wss366 #MastoPrompt 9/4 #MicroPrompt 8/27-29

Kurotsuki Kaibyō #yawned over her cup of strong Celedawn tea. The rich scent of #cardamom and cloves tickled her nose. She would need its invigorating properties, for she had a long night ahead of her and an even longer day.

Soon the moon would set, and it would be time to be about her business. Tomorrow would be the Festival of Lime Blossoms on the Water, and all the people of Minashi-by-the-Sea would be celebrating.

Except for the guards of the High Citadel of Perpetual Petals. The #Toads of Leng cared not for blossoms, scents, or even festivals. Their only loves were the repellent offal they were fed and dancing to the thin, insidious piping that emerged from the lofty tower on moonless nights.

Tonight, on cat feet, she would locate where the #Toad-things of Leng performed their hideous, obscene midnight capers. She would not be one of their flayed, #skinned victims that appeared floating in the harbor as dawn broke upon its lime blossom flotilla. And then tomorrow, when the #Toads were at their sleepiest and the citizens of Minashi-by-the-Sea frolicked amid the lime blossoms, she would #zip into the tower and be gone before anyone knew of her pilfering.

#MicroFiction #TootFic #Serial #NMPrompts #NMV366 #NMMP #LordDunsany #Pastiche #Cats #Otherkin #Catgirl #Neko

Minashi-by-the-Sea (The Toad-Things of Leng)

#Wss366 #MastoPrompt 9/4 #MicroPrompt 8/27-29

Kurotsuki Kaibyō #yawned over her cup of strong Celedawn tea. The rich scent of #cardamom and cloves tickled her nose. She would need its invigorating properties, for she had a long night ahead of her and an even longer day.

Soon the moon would set, and it would be time to be about her business. Tomorrow would be the Festival of Lime Blossoms on the Water, and all the people of Minashi-by-the-Sea would be celebrating.

Except for the guards of the High Citadel of Perpetual Petals. The #Toads of Leng cared not for blossoms, scents, or even festivals. Their only loves were the repellent offal they were fed and dancing to the thin, insidious piping that emerged from the lofty tower on moonless nights.

Tonight, on cat feet, she would locate where the #Toad-things of Leng performed their hideous, obscene midnight capers. She would not be one of their flayed, #skinned victims that appeared floating in the harbor as dawn broke upon its lime blossom flotilla. And then tomorrow, when the #Toads were at their sleepiest and the citizens of Minashi-by-the-Sea frolicked amid the lime blossoms, she would #zip into the tower and be gone before anyone knew of her pilfering.

#MicroFiction #TootFic #Serial #NMPrompts #NMV366 #NMMP #LordDunsany #Pastiche #Cats #Otherkin #Catgirl #Neko

Minashi-by-the-Sea (Kurotsuki Kaibyō 黒月怪猫 )

#Wss366 #MastoPrompt #MicroPrompt

It is said that cats and their kin walk in #forgotten places. One such was Kurotsuki Kaibyō, the dream-stealer. But what can we say of her: dusk gray, midnight black, amber dawn, tawny day; silent as the wind; Buddha still; a voice of mirth or stiletto-steeled death? Who can tell, for none still inhabit Far Karabash, High Mirrus, or Xanadu? They are but whispered tales and empty, dusty streets.

Some proclaim she came from Atlantis, but the fish do not tell, and others say she hails from ----, whose name is #forgotten, along with its plazas and palaces.

The #harbor #drew Kurotsuki-chan with smells of tar; fresh seabream; mussels and shrimp stewed in a thick, sweet sauce, while the singsong of the polyglot people who thronged its byways soothed her ears, and the old sailors, easy prey for such as she, willingly sold their tales and dreams for a drink."

She stopped at a #harbor inn, run by a sly, iron-gray catkin with a name all hisses and nyas. Some said it meant “She who Provides Fresh Fish and Warm Beds.” Others said it was the same as her establishment, “Cat Haven.” Those who stayed there said various things and generally muddled the answer with amusing nonsense.

As Kurotsuki-chan entered, a whisper went round, and those who were wise hastened to secure a berth in some merchantman, outward bound for lands of heather mist, or, if desperation and despair drove them, for the fjord-bound ports of the cold north.

#MicroFiction #TootFic #Serial #NMPrompts #NMV366 #NMMP #LordDunsany #Pastiche #Cats #Otherkin #Catgirl #Neko

Minashi-by-the-Sea

#MicroPrompt #MastoPrompt 8/16

The moon rose above #slumbering Minashi-by-the-Sea. Its #cream walls glowed faintly in the light. Unbidden, the caravan camels stepped faster, setting their harness bells to chime. The drivers laughed at libelous jokes or prayed to their small gods. The moon that had threatened to vanish now waxed strong.

Forgotten was Far Karabash, its walls decaying in the gloom. No caravans, jars of aromatic spices, or bolts of fabulous silks would enter its gates. The crystal fountains of Minashi-by-the-Sea ceased murmuring a dirge for its passing. Instead, the waters celebrated the new dreamer, who built rose-tinted towers and #creamy sand beaches.

#MicroFiction #TootFic #Serial #NMPrompts #NMV366 #NMMP #Drabble #LordDunsany #Pastiche

To a Forgotten Dreamer II

#Wss366 (For the new word) #MastoPrompt 8/12

The caravan #halted above Far Karabash.

From Neither Lang’s once verdant hills, they saw the twisted streets of its bazaar.

The camels spat at not having arrived yet and longed for the cooling waters of Minashi-by-the-Sea.

Their drivers silently signed themselves against evil and glanced at the waning stars above. The moon grew dimmer by the hour.

From where they were, they couldn’t see the dust devils dance in Karabash’s haunted streets.

The city’s fireworks no longer bloomed in the even dusk. Its crystal #fruit had ceased singing.

Far Karabash’s dreamer no longer dreamed but slept forever in hushed darkness.

#MircoFiction #TootFic #NMPrompts #NMV366 #NMMP #Drabble #LordDunsany #Pastiche

#scribesandmakers 12 creativity

I am suffering from creativity overload at the moment. I have my regular series, two side stories started and at least one more that wants to be created. But not enough time.

Sorry Lord Dunsany

The fireworks over Far Karabash will never bloom.

The dreamer writes of other things.

#LordDunsany #NMPrompts #NMSAM #MicroFiction #AmWriting

𝑳𝒊𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒓𝒚 𝑵𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒅𝒔: 𝑰𝒏 𝑫𝒆𝒇𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒆 𝒐𝒇 𝑭𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒔𝒚 -

Riddle: What do Beowulf, Palmolive dish liquid, and Sarah Maas have in common? Hint: Ursula K. Le Guin knows!

https://waywordsstudio.com/.../way.../in-defense-of-fantasy/

#podcast #literature #books #bookworm #book #read #readreadread #ursulakleguin #jrrtolkien #lordoftherings #epics #art #gilgamesh #homer #amadisofgaula #beowulf #dungeonsanddragons #williammorris #lorddunsany #genre #trope

#wss366 06/08 #Plain
@benetnasch (#Lovecraft / #LordDunsany)
*** Von Planten’s Potion****
** Part 2 **

Ajax did not question his friend but wondered how being a rotten alchemist made you the most suitable person to create an elixir of immortality.

He had a question as he stretched to get the bottle. “We’re both immortal, so why are you so all-fired anxious to get this? We have no use for it. Some new girlfriend you want to join you for eternity, nudge, nudge, wink, wink?”

Siegfried ignored the ribald suggestion and answered, “That is just it. He was a dismal alchemist. The love potion he made for the King of England triggered the Hundred Years’ War. He even created the golem that killed him. It never saw battle, collapsing in the courtyard the first day, burying him in the rubble. They found him crushed beneath a fragment of its left cheek.”

“In this case, instead of immortality, he created the Ultimate Poison, capable of killing even a god. The gods granted him this tower, crowned it with stars, and rimmed it in thorns, then sealed him inside. The nightgaunts we fought were not to keep people out but to keep him in.”

“And who do you wish to kill: Zeus, Odin, Vishnu, Amaterasu?”

“I am tired of life. All the true heroes have perished, and only we remain. Scholars study my glories in dull tomes. True love once blessed me, but my loves are not even dust in the pyramids anymore. Even Azai no longer dreams of her—Charlotte, rose-tinted Charlotte…”

A single tear traced the dust on Siegfried’s weathered face. If not for that telltale glimmer, you might not have known the grief in his stalwart heart.

He went on. “We, who walked the regal road—where time wore a crown and sang our names—are nothing but beggars now. I want to join my brothers and sisters.”

A pause.

Ajax turned the bottle slowly in his bronzed fingers. Flakes of the label drifted to the floor like dead leaves. He squinted.

“Siegfried?”

“Yes.”

“…The expiration date on this is a thousand years ago. It could not kill a fly.”

#MicroFiction #NMPrompts #NMV366 #Fantasy #Humor

#wss366 06/08 #Plain
@benetnasch (#Lovecraft / #LordDunsany
*** Von Planten’s Potion****
** Part 1 **

It was a PLAIN bottle high on a shelf. Cobwebs hung from it in a thick gray sheet, so dense it was hard to see. No different from the moth-gray canopy that covered everything. Century-old dust hung in the air, disturbed by their feet. No one had been here for decades. Only grandfather adventurers knew of it, and for them it was a tale told by their grandfather’s grandfather.

Siegfried revealed the bottle when he removed the novel “When Immortals Die.” It stood out, an oddity, one of the tower’s few works of fiction, tucked among philosophy, esotericism, and magical texts. So unimportant, the imprisoned ghosts of Alexandrian librarians had not bothered to protect it. Instead, they merely sat in a corner whispering forgotten histories or dusting the spines of the volumes.

The brown glass bottle, hidden behind the book, was so old that the glass had slumped, like melted wax. From where they stood, they could see a faded, peeling label but not read it.

“This is what I came for,” Siegfried said, showing it to his bronze-armed companion Ajax. Ajax had not seen him smile like this for ages. Not since his love, the Dream Countess Charlotte of Far Mourning Azai, had faded.

Ajax looked at the bottle with curiosity. “It must be special for us to have crossed the Sea of Ghosts and the Mountains of Madness.” Ajax glanced down to where his shadow had once been. “And the PLAIN of Lost Souls, where the shadows forget their owners.”

The tower’s isolation kept looters away, along with the reputation of its last owner, a minor and thoroughly eccentric alchemist, Sir Fritzefield von Planten. A man whose name was a footnote to a footnote in a long-forgotten collection of jokes and amusing anecdotes.

“It is. This is von Planten’s greatest achievement,” Siegfried said with awe. “Randolph Carter told me about it before he vanished into the Tower of Silence. He heard about it from Faust in a fate-weighted dream.”

“Well, from what I’ve heard, von Planten would have been lucky to brew mead without it turning to vinegar. Was it worth ruining your cloak of invisibility fighting the Greblings of the PLAIN?”

“Indeed, it was. I do not even regret breaking the Adamantine Blade of Thunder or wearing out Mercury’s Seven League Sandals. And yes, von Planten was a nincompoop, but it is his incompetence that makes him the perfect person to succeed where others failed. He set out to create a potion of immortality. This is the result.”
<Continued>

#MicroFiction #NMPrompts #NMV366 #Fantasy #Humor

@augieray
WHAT WE HAVE COME TO

When the advertiser saw the cathedral spires over the downs in the distance, he looked at them and wept.

"If only," he said, "this were an advertisement of Beefo, so nice, so nutritious, try it in your soup, ladies like it."

#LordDunsany

Listening to Edwyrdian Tales narrating some #LordDunsany stories with @hag and @bright_helpings

I do like some live #horror storytelling.

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/strange-dinner-guests-of-lord-dunsany-tickets-783579636787

@Markus

When the advertiser saw the cathedral spires over the downs in the distance, he looked at them and wept.

"If only," he said, "this were an advertisement of Beefo, so nice, so nutritious, try it in your soup, ladies like it."

#LordDunsany

Latest read, In the Land of Time (1906) by Lord Dunsany from In the Land of Time and Other Fantasy Tales. Karnith Zo, the king of Alatta, leads his army against the castle of Time.
Fantasy that's as poignant as poetry.
268 of #400FantasyStories #ShortStory #Books #LordDunsany

Nunmehr nicht sonderlich geheime Recherchen in Sachen Dunsany. #lorddunsany #pnpde

Any weird fiction fans here? I'm talking about the real stuff, from Weird Tales of the 1920s/30s.

I got into the genre in the usual way, through Lovecraft. And in the usual way I started exploring work of various writers in his circle, and the work of writers whom Lovecraft admired.

Hashtags for some of the weird fiction writers I like:

#hplovecraft #ClarkAshtonSmith #CLMoore #LeighBrackett #algernonblackwood #arthurmachen #LordDunsany #RobertEHoward #weirdfiction #WeirdTales #SeaburyQuinn

Any weird fiction fans here? I'm talking about the real stuff, from Weird Tales of the 1920s/30s.

I got into the genre in the usual way, through Lovecraft. And in the usual way I started exploring work of various writers in his circle, and the work of writers whom Lovecraft admired.

Hashtags for some of the weird fiction writers I like:

#hplovecraft #ClarkAshtonSmith #CLMoore #LeighBrackett #algernonblackwood #arthurmachen #LordDunsany #RobertEHoward #weirdfiction #WeirdTales #SeaburyQuinn

Any weird fiction fans here? I'm talking about the real stuff, from Weird Tales of the 1920s/30s.

I got into the genre in the usual way, through Lovecraft. And in the usual way I started exploring work of various writers in his circle, and the work of writers whom Lovecraft admired.

Hashtags for some of the weird fiction writers I like:

#hplovecraft #ClarkAshtonSmith #CLMoore #LeighBrackett #algernonblackwood #arthurmachen #LordDunsany #RobertEHoward #weirdfiction #WeirdTales #SeaburyQuinn

Any weird fiction fans here? I'm talking about the real stuff, from Weird Tales of the 1920s/30s.

I got into the genre in the usual way, through Lovecraft. And in the usual way I started exploring work of various writers in his circle, and the work of writers whom Lovecraft admired.

Hashtags for some of the weird fiction writers I like:

#hplovecraft #ClarkAshtonSmith #CLMoore #LeighBrackett #algernonblackwood #arthurmachen #LordDunsany #RobertEHoward #weirdfiction #WeirdTales #SeaburyQuinn

Any weird fiction fans here? I'm talking about the real stuff, from Weird Tales of the 1920s/30s.

I got into the genre in the usual way, through Lovecraft. And in the usual way I started exploring work of various writers in his circle, and the work of writers whom Lovecraft admired.

Hashtags for some of the weird fiction writers I like:

#hplovecraft #ClarkAshtonSmith #CLMoore #LeighBrackett #algernonblackwood #arthurmachen #LordDunsany #RobertEHoward #weirdfiction #WeirdTales #SeaburyQuinn

Here's my #bookstodon (first) post, of my most beloved, foundational, formatively lifechanging fav sff authors, some of whom (most recently McKillip, & Lee) have headed off to unknown destinations, leaving me re-reading like crazy, doing my part to keep them in the world.

#CJCherryh
#TanithLee
#PatriciaMcKillip
#SusanCooper
#UrsulaLeGuin
#LloydAlexander
#JRRTolkien
#EdwardEager
#RayBradbury
#LordDunsany

I wanted to post about books! I love optimistic #scifi, and some #fantasy, #historicalFiction, and #detectiveFiction. Favourite authors that occur to me include: #IainMBanks, #BeckyChambers, #LordDunsany, #TedChiang, #AdrianTchaikovsky, #RobertHarris, #HGWells, #GKChesterton, #AgathaChristie, #DorothyLSayers, #MargaretWeiss and #TracyHickman, and of course #Tolkien, who I still maintain is under-appreciated. I’m keen to discover new favourites - especially if they can diversify the list a bit.

@nonmateria Not sure if you are familiar with #JackVance's #speculativefiction, especially his #TheDyingEarth series. It is inspired by #ClarkAshtonSmith's stories of #Zothique & #Hyperboria. Smith was a much more open than either #HPLovecraft or #RobertEHoward. His artist fascination with other cultures & languages made him a #Xenophile in comparison to their #Xenophobia. He blended the #Lovecraft's #cosmichorror with a mix of #LordDunsany's ironic tone & the sensibility of #CharlesBaudelaire.

@nonmateria Not sure if you are familiar with #JackVance's #speculativefiction, especially his #TheDyingEarth series. It is inspired by #ClarkAshtonSmith's stories of #Zothique & #Hyperboria. Smith was a much more open than either #HPLovecraft or #RobertEHoward. His artist fascination with other cultures & languages made him a #Xenophile in comparison to their #Xenophobia. He blended the #Lovecraft's #cosmichorror with a mix of #LordDunsany's ironic tone & the sensibility of #CharlesBaudelaire.