While I am a big proponent of critical thinking and engaging in the abstract, I’m also a strong advocate of partaking in intense amounts of silliness from time to time.


Chase that big Scully energy, y’all

September is just about over, and not a moment too soon, as like many, Spooptober is always a delight to look forward to. I will say that this whole month went by in what felt like a flash, but that might have been due to me being absolutely knee deep in Silksong for the majority of it, with me eventually putting to words just shy a couple of dozen articles involving the game, the industry, the players who played it…even the reality and metaphysics that are held within and even contains the fucking thing. Definitely a great body of work to be proud of, and one that would be nice to see ages well on some level. It is quite difficult having to deal with the idea that one is making quickly digestible article, as it leaves little room for something of a more enduring nature to be left behind. At least in terms of a portfolio, I’m definitely set for having a lot to show for my endeavors within the gaming realm at the very least, so I remain proud of my work henceforth.

I’m also not entirely sure if this internal feeling of mental exhaustion is tied directly to the completely immersive experience I had with Silksong, in essentially living it for the past several weeks: playing it, struggling with it, thinking about it, writing in regards to it etc, or if it is a multitude of contributions that has added to a sense of depletion on my behalf, but the feeling is definitely there, and I’m banking on the idea that a break away from the intensity of Silksong will give me a little less stress in my day to day, if nothing else.

The thought of an extended vacation would be nice, but alas, nothing of the sort awaits me in the near future, which is why at least the season of spoops will give me some sense of relief, as I enjoy the festivities that lead up to Halloween itself. It was this time last year I had shoved my face back into the Resident Evil 3 Remake, which felt like it hit slightly different that time around. I can’t tell if it was a perfect storm of health, focus, writing output etc, but that week was fire, really. In fact, the article I put up towards the end of that week, The Absent Rain Theorem, ended up being reposted as the first article of the remodel of Active Time Event (ATE 2.0), the version of the site you are reading now, as the article gave me some sense of confidence my writing had evolved on some level, and that I was on serious about writing about games for a longer haul of sorts. Considering I’m still writing about them a year later, and with a stunning amount of content that followed, I’d say there was some proof of existence in that moment.

While I am excited at the notion of at least talking about Resident Evil in the coming weeks, as it is one of my favorite survival horror series, I would be remiss to not take a trip back to one of my other old favorite haunts, which comes in the form of the Silent Hill 2 Remake, which I slept on last year, due to not having acquired any next gen hardware. Thankfully, that problem is largely solved, and I have a yet untouched copy on my mantle just waiting to be enjoyed. Some good old fashioned spoopy times ahead, I reckon.

No heavy lifting in terms of conceptual writing today, as I’m still catching a breather from the finale of Silksong, so the conversation remains brief and casual, which is good from time to time. As always, I appreciate the support, so thanks for reading, it means a lot.

~Pashford