324: The White People, with Jared Logan (long cut)

This is the unedited version for backers only.

This episode is an in-depth look at Arthur Machen's weird tale "The White People". While it's not a Cthulhu Mythos story, both Machen and this tale were big influences on Lovecraft. You will find elements of it, such as the Aklo language and the Voorish sign, dotted throughout Lovecraft's work.

But just what is it that makes "The White People" such an enduring favourite? It's a much more complex tale than it first appears to be, and not one that lends itself to easy analysis. We dig into its symbolism and hidden meanings, looking for both a better understanding of the story and inspiration for our games of Call of Cthulhu.

Our Guest Host

We are delighted to welcome Jared Logan back to the Good Friends! Jared is a stand-up comedian and writer who has been involved with a number of major actual play streams and podcasts, including Glass Cannon, Stream of Blood, and Ain't Slayed Nobody. You can find Jared on tour right now, supporting Kumail Nanjiani.

Blasphemous Tomes Latest Updates:

Blasphemous Tome Fanzines Update for $1 backers (April 2025)

Blasphemous Tome Fanzines Update for $3+ backers (April 2025)

October Horror Movie Challenge

Scott is closing in on the end of his annual October Horror Movie Challenge, posting daily reviews of horror films on this very site. If you're of a mind to join in, we would love to chat with you about it. You can find the main discussion on the Good Friends Discord server or over on Bluesky.

Scott on Tear Them Apart

If you'd rather see Scott talk about these films instead, he will be appearing on the Tear Them Apart Halloween livestream, along with our good friends Paul Yellovich and Evan Dorkin. This has become something of an annual tradition, where we talk about our month's viewing and answer questions from the audience.

The stream will start at 8 PM EST on the 30th of October, which translates to midnight on the 31st for those of us in the UK, and will go on until we all turn into pumpkins.

Scott on Symphony Entertainment

And in another annual Halloween tradition, Scott will also be joining Bridget Jeffries and Graham Walmsley for a livestreamed game on Symphony Entertainment's Twitch channel. The game will be completely improvised, drawing on viewer suggestions. Going by previous years, it will probably also include seasonal themes and be soul-crushingly dark.

The stream will take place on Thursday the 23rd of October, beginning at at 2PM EST/7 PM BST, and run for around an hour.

Links

Things we mention in this episode include:

• Arthur Machen

• Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn

• Bram Stoker

• Austin Osman Spare

• WB Yeats

• Tylwyth Teg

• "The Novel of the Black Seal" by Arthur Machen

• Changeling: the Lost

• "The Shining Pyramid" by Arthur Machen

• "The Red Hand" by Arthur Machen

• "N" by Arthur Machen

• Katharine Briggs

• "The Dunwich Horror" by HP Lovecraft

• "The Great God Pan" by Arthur Machen

• "The Whisperer in Darkness" by HP Lovecraft

• Shub-Niggurath

• Aklo

• "The Haunter of the Dark" by HP Lovecraft

• The Ceremonies by TED Klein

• The Twisted Ones by T Kingfisher

• The Hollow Places by T Kingfisher

• "The Willows" by Algernon Blackwood

• What Moves the Dead by T Kingfisher

• "The Fall of the House of Usher" by Edgar Allan Poe

• Pan's Labyrinth (2006)

• Dune by Frank Herbert

• Imperium Maledictum

• Kabbalism

• Tree of Life

• Qlippoth

• Sympathetic magic

• Angela Carter

• Mage: the Awakening

• Silbury Hill

• Appalachia

• Moana (2016)

• Genius loci

• Vaesen

• Thomas the Rhymer

• Tam Lin

• Voodoo dolls

• Poppets

• The Golden Bough by James George Frazer

• "The Thing on the Doorstep" by HP Lovecraft

• Carrie by Stephen King

• Celtic Revival

• Childe Rowland

• "The Hounds of Tindalos" by Frank Belknap Long

• Paradise Lost by John Milton

• Dion Fortune

• "N." by Stephen King

• Twin Peaks

• The Secret Diary of Laura Palmer by Jennifer Lynch

• Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk