@gavinfoxauthor.bsky.social
Published Freelance Occult Author. Wrote The Accelerated Necromancer. Does Magick With A Tinge Of Cosmicism. The Barghest Howls And The Wyrd Follows. Latest writing: http://TheAcceleratedChaote.Com Buy me a Koffee: https://ko-fi.com/gavinfoxauthor
Gods, when that nostalgia hits like a truck. How I miss those Dreamcast days. Phantasy Star Online, cold cherry coke, no work in the morning. My HUmar slinging his Inferno Bazooka at everything he saw. Laying waste to whatever Dark Falz could throw at him. Simpler times. Has it really been 25 years?
OK, #PhantomsFriday time. Now I'm in my mid 40's, so the version of ghost hunting that first got my attention was definitely low resolution, found footage looking web 1.0 personal website media. It's all we had. If you weren't there, this quick compilation definitely captures that vibe so hard.
So it's #ForteanFriday again. I have a soft spot for researchers who actually road trip to the places they are covering, and Northern Introvert definitely gets his boots muddy when chasing a tale. The channel is mostly local history, though when he goes folkloric, he goes all in.
Little late to the party on this one but fun fact: outside of my occult interests I am also big into both Analogue Horror and Godzilla. So this ticks all the boxes for me. Better yet, there's no King Kong in sight anywhere along the way. Really can't stand that damn dirty ape, if I'm honest.
#Mood.
No #FolkloreThursday today, but I've still got something to offer both #WitchSky and #FolkloreSky. Bob Trubshaw is a legend. And while his booklets are still required reading for those into the weird, a little known fact is that he actually released a bunch of them for free in PDF format right here.
#Mood.
Ah yes, a great read. A real hauntological time capsule of the early, almost free internet that I remember from my teens, while highlighting the tendrils of future control schemes that were sadly never averted. That text was actually how I got into his cyberpunk and futurist conference lectures.
I want to talk about appropriation in herbalism. (Skipping around on the list). Hot Take. Might lose followers 🤷♀️ It is what it is. Long Thread. 🧵
#WitchMadness26 #WitchSky #Herbalism
I once had a witch of Taíno decent come ask me for help.
Well that's severe tonsillitis then. Bugger. Still, I've always lived by the idea that growth is just scar tissue made sentient, and I'm way too busy to slow down over something so simple. Do see some strong black coffee in my immediate future though. Maybe two. If I can swallow at all, that is.
OK, so here's a slightly left field entry for #TechnopaganTuesday this week then. But a cautionary tale from the early days of the online space that still haunts the modern web. Yes, I'm talking about that time the US Secret Service went after a role playing games company. No, seriously.
Well I hope you enjoy it. As I tell everyone who grabs a copy, there's some quite revolutionary ideas and perspectives in there, but the tools work whether the underlying cosmology resonates or a more classical necromantic vision is preferred. Take what resonates and discard the rest, as always. 😅
Ha! Well... definitely was one of my more 'Constantine' adjacent moments to be sure. Go big or go home I suppose. 😅
Ha! Well I'm always happy to spread the (round brown) word. Just save some for me in September, eh? 😆
So as my followers on #WitchSky know, I am mad about conkers. I have a personal seasonal ritual where I collect them in September. Alter them over winter, then scatter them in my garden at first budding in spring. And judging by the fresh holes in my lawn, the squirrels are putting them to good use.
#WitchSky
This is what it feels like to post on #BlueSky.
A rare island of (mostly) human interaction within the bot and brain rot zombie infested social media landscape. Long may it remain a place where the weird can find each other.
New review up on my author portfolio, #ForteanSky. The Rough Guide To Unexplained Phenomena is a flawed gem, but a gem nonetheless, and worthy of a place on any paranormal enthusiast's bookcase. Find out why below, and when you're done there's other reviews on there too if you fancy reading more.
OK, early #ForteanFriday entry then. Michael Talbot's extended Holographic Universe discussion on the Thoughts Allowed show way back when, plus an extra hour originally available on the accompanying VHS. Why #Fortean I hear you ask? Well he covers a bunch of weird experiences as well as the science.
I can see that too. I mean, Fort's work is strongest when he's referencing other news or journal articles. And I do respect his desire to collate all that info at the time he did (it's a shame he regularly destroyed his notes and lists of sources though) I just can't really enjoy his literary voice.
... for future inquiry. But I can't be the only person that finds his writing to be illegible, even allowing for the time period. And as someone who reads Lovecraft, I know all about that type of bruised and battered prose. Fort's just really sucks, whereas Keel was actually a talented author. (3/3)
... not necessarily as distinct as they first appear to be, especially when the people experiencing those weird events are more interesting than the spooks themselves. So I've long considered myself a Keelian and not a Fortean. I respect the role of Charles Fort in opening the floodgates ... (2/3)
Been listening to a lot of John Keel's work on audiobook this week, and yeah, still in love with his output despite the controversy over just how true it all was. I get the feeling he saw it as living folklore, and I can definitely get behind that as a paradigm. True and true adjacent are ... (1/3)
No official #FolkloreThursday today from what I can see, but here's a little something to keep everyone going. Love it when an actual news network does a segment on their local ghosts, and this one is better than most, #ParanormalSky. Early entry for #PhantomsFriday too, perhaps?
Yard work for my #WeirdWednesday today then, #ForteanSky. In honour of the creeping green vines I'm cutting back, here's something also green and creepy for #CthulhuSky. A surprisingly rarely referenced ode to old Howard himself, spoken at his graveside. Worth putting up with the sound issues for.
Planning on sharing my thoughts on some of John Keel's books over at the Media Reviews section of my online portfolio soon, seeing as he has always been a big influence on my writing. And now I have acquired almost all of them as audio, revisiting those ideas should be doubly easy, dyslexia or not.
Quieter weekend than the last one, mostly just sorting files on my hard drive during #MercuryRetrograde and also getting some writing done. Had something nagging away at me since the trip back to London. Wouldn't call it a mystical download or anything so grand, but new ideas to explore either way.
Just finished this yesterday and madly in love with it (especially Jacket, who is a very good boy). Popped a glowing review up on Amazon, and not just because I know the author. This really is one of the best modern urban sci-fi fantasy books I've read in a while. Definitely worth your time.
Great. Always loved how these sorts of 'spirit of place' experiences can be translated across borders or cultures. Those who live their mystical side honestly will tend to find common ground with others who do the same, as it should be. The Weird is the Weird, regardless of location or date.
That's exciting. Most seem to forget that there were people involved in the experiences that led to the folklore that others now see in the books or hear friend of a friend. So what you do today has a chance to become the urban legends of tomorrow, be it as revivals of old ideas or wholly new ones.