History SoYouWantTo / BeTheNextHPLovecraft

* ''Manga/{{Berserk}}'': The world's pretty [[CrapsackWorld Crapsack]] ''without'' the horrors, and once these become central figures, the manga arguably goes ''[[UpToEleven beyond Lovecraft's]]'' WorldHalfEmpty image.

The characters' costumes depend on the setting. Specifically, their clothes should match whatever academic field they're in--if they're {{Mad Scientist}}s, they should wear lab coats; if they're Antarctic explorers, dress them in thick furs; cultists get {{Black Cloak}}s; for any other profession, old-fashioned, ill-fitting suits will do the trick. If your story is set in the Dreamlands, the styles should resemble Middle Eastern and/or traditional Eastern European.

If you're Jewish or non-Caucasian: learning about and using the weird traditions and folklore of your personal heritage can be a great subversion. Just don't write your story ''just'' as a TakeThat.

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Keep in mind that Lovecraft wrote ''weird'' fiction, whose goal was to create or evoke moods or feelings, not just of fear but of strangeness and even awe. A "[[http://weirdfictionreview.com/2012/05/the-weird-an-introduction/ certain atmosphere of breathless and unexplainable dread]]" is more to be aimed for than terror or horror as we usually think of them. Keep a copy of his great essay ''Supernatural Horror in Literature'' by you and when in doubt, consult it.

It's also a good idea to learn something about astronomy, architecture, 18th century history and culture, AncientGreece and AncientRome (especially their mythology and philosophy), ArabianNightsDays and your own ancestry. Adopt a cat or two.

The most common subversion is when the omnipotent, all-powerful EldritchAbomination turns out to be [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu neither as omnipotent or all-powerful as it's reputation would have us believe]]. This subversion often appears in works which borrow Lovecraft's trapping but generally aren't set in a LovecraftianFiction universe (soft fantasy or science fiction, for example). Depending on how this is done, it can puncture the extreme cynicism of Lovecraft's universe... but not necessarily. Think about it; if a cold, unforgiving universe inhabited by uncaring Eldritch Horrors is bad enough, a universe that is so cold and unforgiving that ''even the Eldritch Horrors ultimately don't stand a chance'' would be infinitely worse.

Also, you might want to try some variation with the human characters. Most of Lovecraft's protagonists were introverted, academic/intellectual types, [[AuthorAvatar not unlike Lovecraft himself]], if they had any characterization at all. You might want to try seeing how different sorts of people react to LovecraftianFiction situations. A good example would be the acclaimed radio series ''Quiet Please'', which featured many stories with Lovecraftian themes from a much more blue-collar perspective.

LovecraftianFiction also comes with numerous tropes designed to {{squick}} us out and plunge us deep into a universe that not only operates against our understanding of physics, but against any kind of logic at all. BodyHorror is common -- the fate of many in Lovecraft's works and his imitators is to be transformed into something entirely inhuman, a grotesque parody of man and nature. (Or, in a transformation that can be even more horrible if it's done well, something that is [[UncannyValley not quite entirely inhuman]]. Just enough traces of humanity remain to maintain identification.) Many of them are also set in LovecraftCountry or CampbellCountry, often miserable, squalid out-of-the-way places where ancient rituals and dark arts can be practiced in relative isolation. The TomeOfEldritchLore usually also figures prominently.

** ''Franchise/{{Kirby}}'': On a similar note. Yes, SweetDreamsFuel can enhance a CosmicHorrorStory in the right context.

corrupt religeous imagery. Swastikas and pentagrams, both originally occult symbols before ThoseWackyNazis and HeavyMetal co-opted them, feature prominently in Lovecraft's works.

The characters' costumes depend on the setting. Specifically, their clothes should match whatever academic field they're in--if they're {{Mad Scientist}}s, they should wear lab coats; if they're Antarctic explorers, dress them in thick furs; cultists get {{Black Cloak}}s; for any other profession, old-fashioned, ill-fitting suits will do the trick.

Don't neglect Lovecraft's gentler, nostalgic aspect. He had a profound sense of beauty, seen in his Dreamlands tales. Innocence and faith sometimes even win out in these stories. Cherished memories and dreams are the only things that give life even a perceived meaning, and have the power to transform one's everyday surroundings. Think of the places and times that have meant the most to you, and hold onto things -- art, music, furniture, even articles of clothing -- that help keep the memories of those places alive in your mind. Seek out places that have retained an antique charm.

It's also a good idea to learn something about astronomy, architecture, 18th century history and culture, Ancient Greece and Rome (mythology and philosophy), and your own ancestry. Adopt a cat or two.

That quote tells you all you need to know about the mindset of the author you've chosen to emulate. Something of a misanthropist, Creator/HPLovecraft's tale revolved around the idea that life really was ultimately meaningless; human experience and belief was worthless, human religions feeble artifices, and if there were any Gods out there, then they were either so far beyond us that they literally showed no interest in whether we live or die, or are actively malevolent and wish to consume us and torment us for all eternity. [[SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism Optimists in this universe are not welcome and not likely to do so well]]. Lovecraft's stories jump-started a modern horror movement focusing on {{Eldritch Abomination}}s waking from their eternal slumber to torment humanity, who is entirely defenseless and pathetic against their onslaught.

* ''{{Eversion}}'' proves that a CosmicHorrorStory can be told even via a PlatformGame.

* The best of TheSlenderManMythos are a modern take on cosmic horror, and uses media types unique to TheInternet to their fullest.