Meta-Post Exploratoring This Blog - (Feel Free To Ask Me Questions or Make Suggestions of Topics)

     Hi, folks! Just wanted to say hi and update a few things.

     Firstly I want to say there will basically never be update posts like this, it is simply that time constraints have caused me to change up how I approach the blog, so I have had to post-bone today's post to Sunday.

     That is to say that from now on, the blog posts will be posted weekly every Sunday. These will be the main posts, the exploratoring posts, the good and researched ones. Wednesday will still be my other posting day, but it might not be every Wednesday that something is up. When something does appear on Wednesday it will either be ongoing journal posts such as Tales From the Sunless Sea, or real-world exploratoring that might also be ongoing. These posts are to keep up content but are less important and targeted at my main audience.

     On Sunday will be the follow up to my Bloodborne post about the Lovecraft ties, so keep up with that. Other than that I wanted to say thank you for joining me for a successful launch of this blog. While I have had very few comments on the actual blog, the feedback I have been getting elsewhere has been really great and I've had a few posts hit over 1000 views, so that is fantastic.

     My only hopes are that you will anyone seeing one of my posts might stick around to check out more of them, and perhaps get a feel that they like my blog. Once I have 4-5 months of startup time I will open up a Pateron and perhaps put a few adverts in the side bars, but not so much that it will overwhelm - because if I could make some money from this, that would be amazing and I could spend more time focusing on making the best possible content!

     Now, I also know that so far almost all of my content has been about video games, but it won't always be. I have a few books, TV shows and films in the pipeline to discuss, including a potential segment looking at adaptations and why one is better than the other. So if you've been checking out some of my stuff but aren't massively into video games - please stick around!

     The other thing I wished to say is as it says in the title - please do make suggestions. Anything you think is interesting enough for a deeper analysis is something I could add to my list and if it is recommended, then I am happy to prioritise it for you. So if there is a game, film, book, etc. that you really like, feel free to throw a suggestion my way and I'll see what I can do. Alternatively if you wish to as me any questions about pretty much literally anything, I will always reply - and if my reply is good enough or I get a bunch of questions at once, I could always use that to fill in a Wednesday post where I would otherwise have no content. So don't be shy!

     Also, I am available for hire fairly cheap if you would like my help on any work, either proofreading or want something written for you. I know my current posts are not in the most exemplary form with regard to proofreading (which is one reason I'm focusing on one a week rather than two a week from now on - higher quality) but if you check out my short story portfolio to the right hand side of the page, they are a better example. All you have to do is ask, and I look forward to working with you.

     Thank you so much for reading and remember: some may explore, but I explorator!

Exploratoring The Real World - The Racecourse

Three and a half years ago, I wrote about a place in Northampton called 'The Racecourse' that was a nice place by day, but dangerous and to be avoided by night. This held a lot of symbolism for me, so I wrote and recorded this. Thanks for reading.

 The Racecourse

     Do you walk dogs, or do dogs walk you? That's what I was thinking. Swaying on those swings – rusted and immaturely coloured with reds and blues. Those creaky chains could resist the wind, but not my weight. I wasn't swaying forwards and backwards, as it was more of a side-to-side; my mind was peaceful – simple. Noticing the childish smoke from my mouth, I pretended to be a dragon in the way that had always been funny since I was little.

     It was a heavily coated dog, walking a heavily coated man. That's what it was. The dog had a jovial bounce to his step – somewhat of a skipping child on four legs. He was as fluffy and grey as the looming clouds. A dark night threatened. The man tailed a rigid trail behind; he definitely wasn't in control. I stared out to the mass of open space peering closely at the hiding spots: trees that could hold dens or hills to roll down. The Racecourse was so innocent and vague; there were fewer things more sinister.

     Guess who I felt sorry for most, though? Those information signs that act so self-importantly. They sit and tell you things, constantly - sat gleaming their information to deaf ears and dull minds. Who was really going to stop and hear them out in that kind of cold? Must be hard to have a job. Or at least a boring one where you slave away the majority of your waking life to a cause that isn't your own. Those kinds of people probably cross through places like the The Racecourse every day in an attempt at being punctual. I doubt they even stop to look at the monotonous, striving, aimless field.

The signs probably should quit their jobs. They won't, though, because they work to live their ever extending life. You have to admire their persistence, calling out to happily married couples romancing hand in hand – clearly enjoying the rest of their lives so much more than the signs. I wondered how old they were – when does a sign retire, anyway?

     So many leaves on the ground from the time of year. Some of the leaves had a youthful shade of white spread over them as if trying to dye their 'greying' hair. Hiding from their own mortality. Brown must be a dull colour for a leaf; morbid and dry. Sometimes the wind would carry them speedily along as if chasing a hearse: 'Take me with you' they'd whisper in the despair of the night. At first they lose their tree, and then the death of darkness has to plague them, destroying their overt attempts at being innocent and pure. When the scythe strikes, The Racecourse wins.

I wonder if the dog made his way home? I bet the man got enough exercise. I made my own way home before dark, it's not quite my time, yet.