The Waking Deep

 Today when you imagine quick and cheap horror stories, you may think of the forums where people post creepypastas. Why are they called Creepypastas? Is it because they all revolve around evil Italian cuisines? No, it's just a portmanteau of creepy and copypasta which it itself is another portmanteau of copy and paste said in a funny way. That's not the point though. Creepypastas are the modern-day campfire stories we can get for no cost other than internet access.  Campfire stories have been enjoyed and told ever since man first developed language and would tell stories of their ancestors and the spirits of nature. As culture developed, many of these stories would take on a horrifying theme as a way to deter others from doing things against the village's values. Telling stories that warn against venturing out in the darkness, disobeying the elders, eating people even for survival, don't steal, don't cheat on your spouse, and don't be dishonest. Other such stori...

 The current assignment is to make general posts on the blog for the next three weeks. While working as a substitute and dealing with horrible high schoolers, I've had trouble thinking of what to do since I didn't want to do just another cryptid breakdown till a friend made a suggestion tonight. Why not find some stories from others from the places they're from or their hometowns. I have several friends from around the world, so surely there are a couple of creepy urban legends they've either experienced or heard from their grandpa on his third glass of whiskey at the kitchen table while the mother who forbid it is off in another room doing laundry and this is his one drunken chance to freak out his grandkid.  Now it's too late in the night to go interviewing for stories and there's only an hour and a half left on this deadline. So, with the help of my own alcoholic energy, I'm going to recount one from when I was little about my aunt's basement and the ...

  One prevalent creature popping up in pop culture memes is the skin-walker. A creature that takes on the forms of animals to get close to its prey (Typically you). This meme is usually in reference to dogs or deer.   The origins of the American Skin-walker seem to come from Navajo folktales. They describe that of a terrible witch that transforms into animals and imitates them. The native tongue for them is "Yee naaldlooshii" which means "By means of it, it goes on all fours". The legends the Navajo told weren't as particularly gruesome as what's used now as in legend, Skinwalkers can also possess people and the legend depicts a struggle of who wins out in keeping the body. Today, they're depicted as murderous and ravenous monsters that hunt you in whatever form helps them most be it a 'peaceful' animal, the family pet, or a family member. But mostly the meme is made on deer and there's a potential reason for why the focus shifted towards dee...

  Here is a remix of a selection of cryptids that reside in North America. The image includes the Pope Lick Monster (Louiseville, Kentucky), the Wendigo (Plains and Great Lake Natives), the Rougarou (Louisiana), the Ogopogo (British Columbia, Canada), the Jersey Devil (New Jersey) and others. As this blog is going to be more about horror stories, sci-fi, and cryptids, this felt relevant especially after my previous post on Mothman.  Images sourced from... Rougarou https://pinebarrensinstitute.com/cryptids/2018/8/18/quick-cryptid-snippet-rougarou Sasquatch https://www.travelok.com/listings/view.profile/id.20696 Squonk SQUONK by Richard Svensson from "fearsome critters!" 2008 Ogopogo https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/ogopogo Skinwalker https://www.legendsofamerica.com/navajo-skinwalkers/ Jersey Devil The Jersey Devil, Philadelphia Bulletin , January 1909 The Pope Lick Monster monstrumathenaeum.org Lizard Man of Scape Ore Swamp Image by David Ro...

[This post is for my Digital and Multimedia Writing class project: Webify a Text] If you've ever lived in New England, chances are you've heard of a certain creature at one point or another. Maybe you heard of it in the news or by your mother in one of her famous anecdotes. A creature of unknown origins haunting a small town in West Virginia. Believed to be the cause of numerous disasters and witnessed by many individuals, yet no solid proof can be found.  This creature in question is known as the Moth Man... (Queue dramatic music) Described as a tall, dark, bird-like creature with glowing red eyes, this monster has brought devastation to the North Eastern United States since the 60s. But is there any truth to this creature? Is it just a product of a mass hallucination going on for the last 60 years? Let's go through a brief history of the Moth Man and you decided for yourself. According to this site , one of the first sightings of the creature was on November 12th, 1966 in...

 As dictated by our great overlord (Dr. Sansbury), I must now make an introduction post for my blog. Therefore, Hi, Hello, How are you? Are you doing well? Cool.  I'm Andrew. I am an English major with a desire to have a specialty in folklore. I really enjoy folklore due to the connection between it and the development of cultures around the world. A wendigo is never just a wendigo or some horrifying cannibal, it has a meaning to the Algonquin people. Its story helped shape their people's attitudes and history. Other than that, I am a 29 year old male. Born in the city of Lexington, Kentucky, I was a spry young lad with infinite potential and dreams lain before my path. I excelled in reading and art and found love in writing... All of which went down the drain once I discovered videogames and destroyed my attention span. There is no joy in the game anymore. Just a quick passage through time as dusk becomes morning light and lead weighs down my eyes. Maybe the story of the game...