Monday, September 28, 2009

Flying The Colors

"Miskatonic U School Colors? Anyone happen to know what they might be?"

That's what launched this thread at Yog-Sothoth. The very helpful Gil Trevizo points out that Chaosium's "Miskatonic University" supplement specifies the schools colors as purple and black.

Me? As I wrote there, I vote for Cardinal Red and White based on the "WDBUD?" test. By default I assume that any attribute of Miskatonic University not specified by Lovecraft (or another author*) can be discovered by asking "What Does Brown University Do?" or some variation thereof. Brown claims Seal Brown, Cardinal Red, and White as their school colors. It seems fair to shamelessly steal two of those and leave the school it's namesake color out of respect.

Outside of that justification I have no basis for the red and white color choice other than the fact that I think it looks good.



* I probably should have written "another established author". If Campbell, Derleth, or Smith had said purple and black I'd give that color scheme some more weight.

2 comments:

Doc Atomic said...

The purple and black feels to me like it was chosen because of it's potential for creepiness. It's the same mentality that puts tentacles in the Miskatonic University seal, etc.

I like the red and white. I also like the logic of using Brown as a model -- definitely feels like something Lovecraft might have done in his quest for veracity.

Propnomicon said...

@ Doc Atomic

There's nothing wrong, per se, with the "Medieval Metaphysics 101" approach to the Mythos. There are some fans that are rabidly against it, but I'm not one them. It's just not the approach that I personally enjoy.

That's one of the great things about Lovecraft's works- he explicitly invited everyone to play in his sandbox. Some of the kids might want to make castles, while others drive around their Tonka trucks, but there's plenty of room for everyone to do their thing.