A serene place to live
Tonight Mother brought out some photos of a small town in China called Suzhou. Mother always attempted to avoid the big cities and tourist areas like Hong Kong or Beijing and instead search for the hidden jewels in her travels.
Apparently most of the country’s world-famous silks come from this area. She reminisced fondly about visiting a silk factory, and how interesting it was to watch the workers carefully unravel the silkworm’s cocoon.
Then she showed me a photograph of a summer garden estate. She said that this estate belonged to a famous politician of ancient times. The architecture was stunning, but I was entranced by the water. The numerous water features were enclosed with walkways and covered sitting areas. Every outdoor portion of the estate was built to either cross over or loop around the water. Any trip outside would result in a soothing trip past a man-made lake.
Every decoration or sculpture has a mythological reason for existing. Nothing is built “just because”. Fascinating!
The Doomed City
I’ve been talking with Mother about her travels. She was so excited to share her stories and photographs with me! It’s good to see her excited, and I’m happy I can share it with her in more detail. Even Father took some time out of his evening to sit and discuss the places with us both.
She first showed me pictures of her trip to Pompei. I’ve always been fascinated with that doomed city, ever since I read about it while learning Latin. All I remember from those lessons are simple phrases like “Caecilius est in horto.”
What a haunting place it is, only the skeletons of the city remains. Mother told us of how she was able to walk through ruined houses and see exactly where the citizens would live. Even with nothing standing but the walls, the city layout is still obvious. The remaining mosiacs and sculptures are beautiful. Even the destruction of an entire city could not erase these people from history. In fact it did the opposite, preserving it for ages.
As I prepare to leave the Cavern for a period of time, I realise the One Words have remained closed since I Wrote them. I still have no clue what I have created. I knew this journey would be filled with risks, but I told myself I would be strong enough to overcome them.
I’ve been ignoring it, but it is a problem I will have to deal with sooner or later. I cannot create blind
I haven’t felt inspired in a while. I feel my mind is closing, I’m beginning to “see” less and less upon visiting the Ages on my bookshelf. I’m starting to become numb to their surprises.
I’m not growing bored of them at all, but seeing them as less extraordinary. I feel a great sadness at that loss of awe, although I realise what it means. I need to search for inspiration outside the constraints of my bookcase.
I’ve been neglecting my own home. The surface holds so many amazing places, perhaps it is time to seek inspiration within the constraints of what is possible on this planet.
The difficulty lies in the fact that I cannot spare the time to visit all the amazing places the world has to offer. I desperately want to after being cooped up in these solitary places.
Oh! There is someone who has seen so much of what this world has to offer already! Mother has made a lifestyle out of finding the hidden places in the world. Perhaps her stories and pictures can give me a deeper understanding of these places, without the many months it would take to see them.
Of course, truly being there would be the best solution, but it will be good to see Mother again.
I have new eyes, perhaps I can see the world with them and learn anew.
Clearly the focal point
In school I only learned the very basics of artistic theory. When I decided I wanted to learn more, I had to teach myself. I bought countless books on drawing (Drawing on the Right Side of the brain was my favourite) as well as colour theory, 2D Design, and many others.
There are certain colour combinations that I find truly beautiful. The purple sky and cool blues of Kadish I find to be one of the most stunning. Did Guildmaster Kadish write his Vault Age to be so? Did he have any grasp of colour theory?
From Eder Kemo, I’ve been spending time in that eternal twilight of Kadish. Of all the hours I’ve spent there, I’ve not once noticed a shift in the light there. There seems to be no sunset or sunrise. No night or day. Only dusk.
The sky is the focal point in this Age. Even the trees stretch up to touch what appears to be a painted canvas.
There are so many things I want this Age to be. So many concepts swarming around in my head. I almost feel as if I am jumping from Step 1 to Step 250. I always get such ambitious plans, ways to attempt different things, strange combinations of things, shapes or concepts.
And yet I know this should not be my aim. Elegant simplicity should be my aim. I shouldn’t attempt to create an Age to hold all these concepts.
I forget I will be able to Write more than one Age. I don’t need to shoehorn interesting concepts into an Age just for the sake of having them. Each Age to it’s own.
Taken right as the rain began to fall
I’ve been thinking about what I want the dominant theme of my first Age to be. I’ve always loved falling water, whether it was rain, a waterfall or even a fountain. I remember being very young, and taking off all my clothes to splash about in one of the fountains outside the house. I remember pretending it was a small raincloud that stood perfectly still, and I could decide whether or not to let it get me wet.
Eder Kemo has been my favourite place visit for inspiration as of late. When the darkness rolls in and the thunder begins, I can’t help but smile. Sometimes I lay down amongst the ferns and enjoy the rain. Sometimes I hide in the gazebos.
Either way, it’s still heaven.
Well, congratulations America, you finally got the President you wanted. Congratulations Mr. Obama, let’s hope you can live up to your hope…err hype.
I bet my father is quite upset.
“Change? Oh yes, there will be change! The change left in my pocket when he takes all my money and gives it to the poor!”
Yes, that sounds like something he would say.
It is the nature of man to create monsters, and it is the nature of monsters to destroy their creators.
We, the explorers were the instruments of the bahro war. We released the bahro. We allowed them the choice to hurt, maim and kill. We allowed them to kill Willow Engberg, and their own kind.
Did we have any right? Was the prison I freed them from worse than being forced to fight each other?
I remember when Yeesha came to us in K’veer. The building was so full of explorers, I was afraid of being trampled to death. When she appeared, the sea of explorers made way, gracious enough to give her room. I was pleasantly surprised to note that the entire population of that place gave her such respect.
She talked of the bahro, and how she had no choice but to leave in order to keep them away from us. Then she left. After we had taken her Journey, she left us, alone in K’veer
I’ve always disliked that place. I can’t really explain why. It radiates sadness. It is such a gorgeous space, and yet, so forlorn. Apparently Yeesha’s father, a man named Atrus had spent a great deal of time here. Doing what, I don’t know. Perhaps he used this space as I use my own. To create new Ages to explore.
If I was given the opportunity to explore more of K’veer, I don’t think I would take it. It feels more like a haunted house, filled with the spectres of old memories.
