A book series I cannot recommend highly enough: Mervyn Peake's Gormenghast Trilogy. Update: Well, I do promise that the next article is on its way. Everything is written, thank Hylia, and now it's just a matter of editing and organization. I've never written an article with another person before, so this has been an interesting process (and it will most certainly be an interesting read). My goal has been an article every two months, so I'm clearly about a month behind. But such is summer: a time to live actively and engage in nature. Fall and winter are the time for lucubration and navel-gazing. (At least in my mind.) Regardless, the Gorons are rolling ever closer. | Here's a riddle for you, in the meantime. I envision this as a battle-tested, Zelda-playing grandmother trying to scare her grandchildren before bedtime by recounting . . . well, see if you can guess the riddle's subject. "Listen, my scrubs, and I’ll tell you a tale Of malice perniciously wrought! Of disasters and blunders aplenty, In search of the New and the “Hot”! Scene One: A Fledgling Leaves the Nest Wave to the left, and flap to the right, Swing and pretend you’re in a real fight. Rotate and twist and flick and then throw, Master, I sense that your power is low. Scene Two: An Unhappy Scribe The scribe sits alone with his stylus in hand, Scratching with loop, tick, and dash; With pain in his hand, his teeth start to gnash: Arthritis by curlicues fanned! Scene Three: “Blow out the candles, dear!” First, match your mouth to the color and note. Now hold it up to your mouth just so, And, just like I do, inhale and blow! No! Not at all! Is a frog in your throat?! Well now, my scrubs, can you guess at my tale? Of what do my histories speak? Horrors untold by the God-kings out East, And all in the name of the chic!" (If you couldn't tell, I was feeling some ever-so-slight frustration with a few of Nintendo's game-design choices.) |
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It's a lovely, rainy day here. I hope this message finds you all well.
The newest article, on Zora's Domain, is up. As with Gerudo Town, this latest piece was a protracted Labor of Love. These things always begin so simply, but with celerity take on lives of their own, leading here and there. But, honestly, I don't think I'd have it any other way. Unhappily, I was unable to find many pictures in the public domain (or that had been licensed for reuse) for the jewelry I wished to highlight, so I'm not particularly content with the images I was able to use. To that end, I'll post a few links that you might want to look into before reading. Not everything will be immediately clear, but you'll know the pieces I mean. Like much of society, the ever-present pandemic has disrupted even things so remote as this website, but it is still my hope that, in coming here to this place, you leave more at peace and with a greater appreciation for art, for your relationships, and for life in general. I hope you are all safe and in good health. Talbot Links: https://nasvete.com/murrle-bennett-art-nouveau-jewelry/ http://www.artnet.com/artists/levinger-bissinger/ https://www.1stdibs.com/creators/rene-lalique/jewelry/ https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/101260691604784298/ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/490610953130588796/ https://www.tademagallery.com/jewellery/d/karl-hermann-jugendstil-brooch/207775 https://www.pinterest.com/pin/243827767305306888/ https://www.pinterest.com/pin/16747829837265565/ New article up under "Random Articles" entitled The Fang & Bone - The Hunt Across Hyrule. I was always highly entertained by Kilton in playing Breath of the Wild, and I've long been intrigued by hunting (and its attendant ethics) in video games (as I do not hunt in real life), so this is the outcome. I hope you enjoy it. It is rather more lighthearted than usual!
I am happy to report that I am on track thus far this year, having completed one out of six planned articles in the allotted two months. As I look to the future, I am continually gobsmacked by how many things I still need to write. Ah well. Onward and upward.
Over the past months and years, really since the inception of this project, several people have inquired about a few consistent things, though perhaps not in so many words; to that end, I want to clear up the air on some related matters.
1) How do you plan on growing this thing? I don't, honestly. Since my goals are based in personal understanding and contributing to the greater pool of human knowledge and appreciation, I have no plans to promote my work in any way. I long ago decided not to be a proselytizing force in the world, and that, if people were lucky, interested, or determined enough, they would find their way here, and hopefully take something of value away. (Or, better yet, improve upon my work and give even more unto the world.) I am deeply, deeply opposed to instant, cheap, and petty fame, and to those incentivization structures that enslave people into feeling the need to post constantly about nothing, promote sensationalized, disgusting material, or fret about how many "followers" or "friends" they have. Nothing on earth is more geared toward our baser impulses and desires than these schemes to drag user data and attention from us. If you find yourself caught in such a structure, please find a way to escape. You, and the world, will be better for it. This is not to say that I will deny any opportunities given to me (like my interview with Le Monde), but I have never been an attention-seeker. (Finding the golden mean between privacy and publicity is always a razor's edge.) 2) Why don't you make money from this? I have no desire to, and why would I? This project has ever been a hobby to me. I have a full-time job in education to pay for my worldly needs, and there is no reason to monetize what I find pleasurable and meaningful. To admit money into the environment would . . . well . . . poison the thing. It would add another dimension to what I do that would ineluctably sap some of the purity of this work, and I have always been skeptical of people who seek to monetize every action they take in the world. Of course, Patreon would be a less-intrusive way to manage this aspect of things, but, again, even the approaching scent of money is enough to sour the waters of philosophy and aesthetics. Call me jaded. 3) What is the good of this project? Why bother with it? I'll admit, this is my question, posed to myself. I do entertain this subject at times, though I always come down on the side that: it is worth it, both to myself and to others. I have three primary virtues in life, being self-growth, mindfulness, and balance, and this website is but one canal into which I can pour the waters of my energy. I think humans are happiest when connected to larger structures of meaning, other people, and with their own deepest thoughts and ambitions. Yet, we live in an age wherein none of those things is incentivized and encouraged. We are pushed toward atomized isolation, superficiality, and frivolous plenitude, none of which is healthy. And, together, they are downright destructive. Can this website dispel those poisons? Nope. At least, not alone. But, it can act as a healthier place in an online climate -- one without ads, anger, and superficiality -- and that is all I can give in this way. 4) Why do you write like you write? (This question has also been phrased as an insult multiple times.) Because I can do no other. I've read a lot across a great domain, found a voice that is somewhat mine (though it can never be purely mine, and that's fine and natural), and then refined things based on my personal tastes. Sure, it's a bit "purple" as far as prose goes, but that's what I like. So, I make neither concessions nor apologies. In fine: As I state in the About Me section, this website is but one off-shoot of my Philosophy of Life, and it is a pure one (in that it represents me truthfully and authentically) that I see perfectly in-line with my hopes for humanity and for the world. I genuinely do want to see the world made better, no matter the magnitude of that betterment. We all have our corners of the earth, and our own gifts, and to use them for the Good seems something worth doing. One last thing: As I look at the data for this website, one of the most frequently-visited sections is the Contact page. There appear to be several hundred hits on that page per month, yet I only get a few emails every blue moon. Consider this an invitation to reach out; there's no need to be frightened or apprehensive. I respond to each email I get, and the emails I've received thus far have only ever been lovely and heart-felt. In this life, fleeting though it is, it's always a good thing to share appreciation and warmth with others. You're welcome to my time and energy. Have a wonderful, meaningful day.
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The universe of The Legend of Zelda is replete with multifarious architectural oddities, beautiful and resonating structures, and ineffably-mysterious temples hidden in the remote corners of the world. It is my hope to explore said places, shedding light upon some of their salient features, and fulfilling the goals laid out by the introduction, the main goal of which is to help people understand and appreciate the unspoken, yet deeply-felt, allure of these locations and structures. Archives
August 2022
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