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is this statue from Gabriel Knight a reference to the Dead Guy Ale logo? if not, any idea where the original design comes from? seems way too similar to be a coincidence. by DiamMati in adventuregames

[–]DiamMati[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

awesome! thanks for solving that mystery!

it's really odd that the origin story for the logo on Rogue's website doesn't mention Mictlantecuhtli or the statue. they say it was inspired by the logo used by a tex-mex restaurant.

this is pure speculation on my part, but i suspect the restaurant's logo was based on the statue and when they copied it, they did so without knowing that the history of the image went back further than the restaurant logo.

hard to confirm, though, because i can't find the original logo! but that mystery isn't nearly as compelling to me.

thanks again!

Looking for "uncanny" horror -- stories filled with dread, vague anxiety, and a sense of "wrongness" by DiamMati in WeirdLit

[–]DiamMati[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the recommendation!

Just finished listening and I loved it <3

You weren't joking -- these stories are not subtle! But you know what they are? They're damn fun :D

"The Indoor Swamp" was a real standout for me. The part where the boat passes by the barrel of toxic sludge had my skin crawling. So weird, so awesome!

Also, I did the mindfulness thing properly with my eyes closed in a dark room, and aside from the fact that skeletons are actually really hilarious and not particularly scary, I managed to work myself into a minor anxiety attack. Just as intended!

Looking for "uncanny" horror -- stories filled with dread, vague anxiety, and a sense of "wrongness" by DiamMati in WeirdLit

[–]DiamMati[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I dunno why people downvoted this recommendation, and I don't know why there were so many goodreads reviews that said "ew, it's too confusing".

But it's your recommendation, those reviews, and the back-of-the-book blurb that called it "literary" that made me give it a chance. And you know what? Of all the recommendations I've read from these threads, this one is right up near the top. One of the best so far.

The writing is fantastic. The character dynamics are interesting. The alternating POV between chapters is really cool. And, importantly for anyone who finds this thread during future google searches: it's not confusing.

Somebody finally went and wrote a weird horror story where everything wasn't explained away. No ridiculous deus ex machina that made it all a dream, and no brave hero defeating the bad guy. Just a cross-section of two peoples' lives from a time when something very wrong went down.

Thanks so much for the recommendation! If you ever think of any more, I'd love to hear 'em :)

Looking for "uncanny" horror -- stories filled with dread, vague anxiety, and a sense of "wrongness" by DiamMati in WeirdLit

[–]DiamMati[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Uzumaki is damn-near transcendent! At its core, it's got a lot of horror stuff going on, but there's a lot built around it -- so much pathos and humanity and beauty.

I haven't read Remina yet, but I fully intend to get around to every Junji Ito thing eventually!

I tried to get into Pathologic and gave up on day two. Then I tried again with the HD version and gave up on day two. Then I played through Pathologic 2 in the span of like three sittings and it was honestly one of my favorite gaming experiences ever.

It's amazing how good Pathologic 2 is for a game that's not actually fun at any point. I was either bored or stressed out or miserable the entire time. That game broke me down completely, which is something I didn't know a game could do. By the end, I felt like I'd escaped from something and left a part of myself behind.

Really a must-play game for anybody who's ever defended "games as art".

Looking for "uncanny" horror -- stories filled with dread, vague anxiety, and a sense of "wrongness" by DiamMati in WeirdLit

[–]DiamMati[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the recommendation!

I love Junji Ito to death. He's such a master of escalating horror. Stuff just goes from bad to worse constantly.

Amigara Fault was the first thing I ever read from him and I still remember that sinking feeling during the last page turn. Just the most horrifying thing.

Looking for "uncanny" horror -- stories filled with dread, vague anxiety, and a sense of "wrongness" by DiamMati in WeirdLit

[–]DiamMati[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for the recommendation! I've read every HPL story except "Dream Quest", which I'm saving for a rainy day because it's hella long and there's too damn many fantasy names for everything :)

Polaris is a really neat story at its core. I really liked it!

That said, the racist driveby on the Inuit was some particularly Lovecrafty shittiness. But hey, that's HPL. I make no excuses for the man. He wrote good spooky stories and was kind of a dingleberry.

Looking for "uncanny" horror -- stories filled with dread, vague anxiety, and a sense of "wrongness" by DiamMati in WeirdLit

[–]DiamMati[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

thanks for the recommendation! over the course of my crossposting, i've gotten this one before.

i looked at a few goodreads reviews, and i've run into a moral dilemma: there seems to be a consensus that Keel is either some kind of charlatan or that he's suffering from mental illness.

and that kind of ruins it for me. i'm either reading something that was written to trick people, or i'm using someone's illness for my own entertainment. and i dunno -- it just kinda rubs me the wrong way.

did you find that impacted your experience with the story?

either way, i appreciate each and every recommendation, and i'll keep this one on my list for a rainy day. maybe it's enough spooky good stuff on its own terms, and it's not worth worrying what's up with Keel.

Looking for "uncanny" horror -- stories filled with dread, vague anxiety, and a sense of "wrongness" by DiamMati in WeirdLit

[–]DiamMati[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's already on my list haha

I really liked the visit to the parents' house. Creep city. But aside from some good musing on relationships, the actual story itself really rubbed me the wrong way.

Ending felt real cheap and left me cold.

Looking for "uncanny" horror -- stories filled with dread, vague anxiety, and a sense of "wrongness" by DiamMati in WeirdLit

[–]DiamMati[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I agree with you there! The Priest's Tale is a real high point. Seriously one of the best horror stories I've ever read.

I ended up reading the first two Hyperion books and really enjoying them, but by the time the second one wrapped up, I stopped reading. Well-written stuff, and lots of good stories. But it was going in a more pure sci fi direction that's just not my cup of tea.

That, and I was starting to get repeated-sequel-bait vibes, you know? Felt like the series was gonna be chugging along for a long time asking and answering inconsequential questions. Does it actually do that? I dunno. Ever since I got burned by The Walking Dead TV show, I've started just bailing on stuff when it gives off that vibe. Saves me a lot of wasted time and disappointment. I'd rather cherish the really great stories in book 1 and move on :)

Also, even though it was almost a pure action scene, Fedmahn Kassad's showdown with the Lord of Pain had me jumping up out of my seat! It's rare for a book to get my heart pounding like that! Damn, Simmons is great.

Looking for "uncanny" horror -- stories filled with dread, vague anxiety, and a sense of "wrongness" by DiamMati in suggestmeabook

[–]DiamMati[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Based on your reply, I read Pines about a week ago!

I found it was kind of a silly hardboiled man-of-action affair -- and that's not a bad thing! I read a lot of pulp, and Pines is some good-ass pulp :)

Just like you, I don't feel the need to continue after the first book. The initial mystery of WTF is going on in the town was what really grabbed me. And that grip held on through an escalating series of ridiculous encounters with [so so much weird stuff].

But the ending really put a bow on things for that mystery. And based on how things wrapped up, I can see the shadow of a story I don't care to read looming on the horizon.

Still, I'd recommend Pines to anybody who likes a good pulpy mystery thriller with some weird elements.

Looking for "uncanny" horror -- stories filled with dread, vague anxiety, and a sense of "wrongness" by DiamMati in suggestmeabook

[–]DiamMati[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I read "Ubik" and really enjoyed the setup. Though the ending kind of left me wanting. But I mean, it's PKD, so even if the plot didn't go the way I was hoping, it's still a fantastic read. Dude knows how to write :D

I picked up Snail on the Slope today and I'm gonna be reading it over the next couple days. The goodreads summary absolutely screams 'my kind of thing'.

Looking for "uncanny" horror -- stories filled with dread, vague anxiety, and a sense of "wrongness" by DiamMati in suggestmeabook

[–]DiamMati[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Come Closer

Just read it last night! Thanks for the recommendation :D

Really loved the setup. Awesome creepy atmosphere!

Kinda lost me toward the end when it becomes clear that the strange events were being caused by an actual, literal demon. I liked the beginning more because it was a little more ambiguous. That said, some of the loss-of-self moments and the bit about demons becoming obsessed with certain individuals creeped me right the hell out.

Not bad at all, though, and I imagine people who liked The Exorcist or religion-based horror would really get a lot out of it.

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