Classics 03 (EP 178)– The Tentacled Sky

[Algernon Sydney is Dead]

Update (Sunday, July 06, 2014): Drabbleclassics 3 – The Tentacled Sky
Feature: The Tentacled Sky by Jay Lake
Drabble: Packets by Rish Outfield
Genres: Drabbleclassics Horror
Original Episode: 178



Wednesday, September 1st, 2010
The note itself simply read, “TUESDAY 7:13 PM”.
Unsigned, undated, unadorned. Stuck into my door, just above the latch where I’d be sure to find the note immediately upon my return from my errands about the city…

A Drabblecast original story.
Episode Art: Elan Trinidad
The Dunesteef

Twabble: “ Overpopulation by the virus in Tom gave his body a fever and the virus perished from the consequences of climate change. ” by Screaminspace

[strawman]

Congratulations to Jay Lake for channeling Lovecraft to an absolutely uncanny extent. This episode is really a work of art. Again, I get the sense that Norm applied the soundtrack with a composer's ear, although my one criticism would relate to the sustained dramatic pitch in the last quarter of the story. It was a long time to hold that tone of dread up.
(Also, in what may become known as a "Normism" if editors Kendall and Luke don't start catching this stuff, it's surfactant, not surfacticant.)
A wonderful addition to have Mr. Lake's comments as a postscript. That my favorite authors would chose the Drabblecast as a creative venue surely speaks more of love than money. Lovecraft month has been inspired innovation, executed with such a fine ear for richness of detail, another characteristic that puts the Drabblecast in a class by itself.
And like Lovecraft, Norm has crafted a sustained and elaborate sense that a new dread thrill impends, next week, tomorrow, soon.

[Kevin Anderson]

Great drabble Rish. Really felt like the opener to a much larger story. I can imagine the spiciness of the messages increase as it goes from mild, medium, HOT.

[eggyolk]

I listened to this twice. The first time I had to turn it off because it was too scary. Seriously. It was that bit with scooby doo. The earliest nightmare I can remember came after watching Scooby Doo and (13, or was it 100) ghosts with Vincent Price. So I had to stop listening after that bit, it was scary. Hey, some people are afraid of clowns, other people are afraid of Vincent Price in animated form. What can I say?

The main story, about the message in a packet, that was some serious fun.

Still have the jitters though.

[tbaker2500]

So I'm driving back from an afternoon of disc golf with my nephew in the most beautiful sunny, 70 degree weather. I listen to this episode. For the rest of the drive, I don't see the sunny afternoon. I see a dark hallway, with a hat left upside down.

Crap that was some creepy stuff.

[mrsmica]

Woohoo!
I love the artwork for this one

[strawman]

And good job, Mrsmica!
Drabblecast has got Talent, with your host, Uncle Smarmy and our panel of MegaBeast judges

Next year they'll have to start new categories, for Dribblecast, and fan-generated-and-voiced-and-produced shows. The Rise of the Anti-Borg!

[Mikes]

I loved this story. Of the this month's casts, I think this one is truly wear it's Lovecraft's bleeding heart on its sleeve, not only in content, but also in style with HP's "why use two words when 15 will do" approach.

As an aside, I got a serious sense of deja vu towards the end of the story when the perspective changed. I was standing on a train platform and could of sworn I'd listened to the story before in the same underground station. I haven't had deja vu in a while, so well done Jay Lake, you literally made my skin crawl.

[mrsmica]

*twilight zone music*

WoooOooooOooo!

[Phenopath]

Superb, this was my favourite story of Lovecraft month, atmospheric and totally over the top. I loved the wordy prose and got the sense that Jay was really enjoying himself. And why not? Words are fun.

My only quibble, was the gender switcher-roo actually required by the text? Apart from Norm's narration was there an explicit male gender designation in the first half of the text, or was it implicit?

Strawman - did I spot another Normism; "hairy-ied mothers" brought to mind images of beard wearing mothers pushing prams (not totally out-of-place in this story), or am I being a jerk?

Whatever, this was a great story and will be in contention for my personal best-of-the-year.

[normsherman]

My only quibble, was the gender switcher-roo actually required by the text? Apart from Norm's narration was there an explicit male gender designation in the first half of the text, or was it implicit?

I realized on second read that he was implicitly male, but gender was never directly confronted until the end, which allowed for the twist ending. Thought it would be cool to have the character snap into it at the same time we are intended to.

[tbaker2500]

It was startling to have the gender switch, but effective.

With regards to occasional mispronounced words- kinda gotta expect it from a weekly show. If Kendall and Luke previewed each ep before posting... We probably wouldn't ever get them.

[normsherman]

Harried-- hey I got that one right! http://www.thefreedictionary.com/harried" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Surfactant-- yah, never heard that one. Think I got caught up in the read and imagined an i in there somewhere. Fortunately I betchya the majority of people out there won't know what it means either though.

[themorg]

http://www.krakenrum.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

this saw this and made me think about the title of this story.

[ewagoner]

I had some of that rum just the other day. It's mighty, mighty tasty.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/ewagoner/4924946132/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Phenopath]

Harried-- hey I got that one right! http://www.thefreedictionary.com/harried" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I was being a jerk

[adamflorence]

Maybe I'm being dense, but what do the notes mean?

EALOU
UTTON
REED
URDER

[Seraph]

Maybe I'm being dense, but what do the notes mean?

EALOU
UTTON
REED
URDER

I'll see that dense, and raise you one - what the heck happened at the end ? Was the 'guy' the 'girl' all along ? Was he possessed ? I didn't quite understand what happened there. LOVED the story, fantastic narration, creepy as hell - I'm just struggling to fully comprehend what happened.

[Phenopath]

Maybe I'm being dense, but what do the notes mean?

EALOU
UTTON
REED
URDER

Obvious, reordered it means "Torture our undead eel".

[dreamrock]

I've listened like 6 times according to last.fm, but I keep getting distracted. This story requires full attention to understand. I'm going to try it out in a dark room with my mp3 player and a glass of caffeine.

Thanks for typing out the text. Saved me the trouble of doing it myself.

I'm going to suggest the following:

JEALOUS
MUTTON or BUTTON
BREED
MURDER