"The Horrific Consolations of TLO" Tee Shirt

[Dr. Bantham]

I simply could not resist the temptation. After bearing through the relentless tedium of Photoshop cut & paste I have created "The Horrific Consolations of Thomas Ligotti Online" tee shirt.

This design is a direct homage to the legendary TAROVFAOGT publication. You may be hard pressed to find a copy of this book, but you will soon be able to purchase a tee shirt! Talk about your consolations...

The text is also a play on "The Consolations of Horror" essay by TL. It occurred to me that TLO falls right in line with the premise of the essay. Besides, I had to find a blurb that could be formed out of the original text lettering, since my attempts at finding the exact font used proved fruitless!

I am researching printing techniques and vendors which will allow for future variations emulating the tooled leather look of the Black Lettered and Red Presentation editions of TAROVFAOGT. The will be printed in matching quantities of 40 and 10. These are not likely to be available for quite some time, if at all. The white copy, emulating the trade and limited editions of TAROVFAOGT could be available this week, pending response. I have all but committed to utilize an online printing company. Though this will drive the cost higher than if produced in bulk, it has the benefits of requiring no investment on the part of TLO and further allowing members to choose shirt style, fabric and size. The shirt will cost $20 or less, plus shipping. I really like this one.

 

[bendk]

Wonderful shirt concept, Dr. Bantham. You are full of great ideas.

It is curious, though, that this item follows so closely after Slawek's 'TLO Conspiracy Theory' dream (warning?). Could it be that the good Dr. B. needs more subjects for his diabolical experiment? Are we to be pawns in this sinister game of recruitment?

Count me in.

 

[waffles]

Wonderful shirt concept, Dr. Bantham. You are full of great ideas.

It is curious, though, that this item follows so closely after Slawek's 'TLO Conspiracy Theory' dream (warning?). Could it be that the good Dr. B. needs more subjects for his diabolical experiment? Are we to be pawns in this sinister game of recruitment?

Count me in.

Count me in too. Although with my luck I'd end up in the placebo group.

Lovely shirt.

 

[Dr. Bantham]

Thanks, fellas. I tweaked the text a bit in blocking and coloration, as affixed below. You can also view a sampling of potential shirt variants featuring this motif. Basically, I have marked up shirts by $5.00 and all remaining items from $1.00 to $2.00. I might kick the shirt fee down a buck, I dunno. Additional items may include coffee mugs, buttons, magnets, stickers and the like. I was going to limit the merchandise to singular products, but in the end I decided to open it up and let the consumer decide on what is desirable. Besides, I have to have a coffee cup.

All proceeds will go towards defraying the costs of maintaining TLO, including but not limited to server hosting costs of $240 per year. There are cheaper hosting plans out there, I know, but we went through two before finding the current host. The reliability and features are worth the cost. Again, the purchase of merchandise is not necessary for the existence of TLO. Payment has already been made in full for the next twelve months and it is certain to continue thereafter. Should the income within a years span breach the basic costs for TLO, the extra funds will be invested in some manner appropriate, such as promotion or awards.

Give us your thoughts on the various merchandise. Is the cost too much? There is a sale on clothing through Thursday, therefore you can knock $3.00 off any clothing item until then. That would bring the stock tee down to $15.99 plus shipping if I can bring the store online in time. If you consider your are "donating" $5.00 of this purchase to TLO, that means that you are only paying "the man" $10.99. There is an option for an economy tee which would cost $13.99 ($10.99 Sale Price). I have left this off in order to maintain quality, however if there is a demand for this I will include it as well.

In the end, it will not be the end of the world if these do not sell, as this method does not require a front-end investment. Besides, as long as I get one I will be happy! The "TLO Corporate" and "The Last Art of Twilight" designs may or may not be available prior to the sale end. I have a busy week ahead...

 

[Dr. Bantham]

Stop the presses! I just learned how to purchase direct in bulk from this same source. For instance, if I purchase 15 items of the same design (different sizes allowed), I can save about $4.00 per each. If I can get enough pre-orders for a certain design, the savings can be passed on. However, this could integrate a delay, since the shirts would be shipped to me for distribution. This might work for the White T-Shirt, which could bring the cost down to $14-$15 per each, while still allowing the TLO tithe! Of course, this would necessitate at least 10 pre-orders. Again, you would still be able to choose your size.

 

[unknown]

I would definitely get one. Dr. B, may I suggest that when it comes time to pre-ordering and such, you do a thread with all of the designs posted, all of the possibilities (t shirt, long sleeve, etc...) and the prices, so we can give you a relative definite order form type deal.

 

[unknown]

btw, I'd get the fitted t shirt *cough*

 

[Dr. Bantham]

I ordered two variants of this shirt yesterday. One with the new direct printing method and one with the old heat transfer method. The lad of the house will be sporting the latter in a short sleeve variant, which my choice was limited to items currently ported to the new technique and therefore I settled for a long sleeve shirt. Of course, we are falling into autumn here in the Appalachias and it may prove sporty after all.

I will be product testing these shirts over the next few weeks, testing quality, durability and washability. I will keep everyone posted.

 

[unknown]

haha. excellent. we expect a full report with details, pie graphs, pie, and some random figures.