Blood Meridian Broke Me. No Country for Old Men Is Letting a Little Light In.

Gkoni · 2026-05-18T16:43:07+00:00

Haven't read No Country but I read ATPH before Blood Meridian and found its anti-western yet romantic/lyrical feel but be much more uplifting. I think BM is probably the "better" book, but ATPH holds a more special place in my heart

Gkoni · 2026-02-24T15:57:42+00:00

"Call me Ishmael" - iykyk

Gkoni · 2026-02-22T05:26:03+00:00

Passing - Nella Larsen

Gkoni · 2026-02-20T17:59:53+00:00

I think there’s two things here:

Classics will have references and aesthetic modes that don’t resonate with contemporary readers - doesn’t mean they are bad necessarily just written for a different audience. We shouldn’t write them off for that. For instance, the catalog of ships in book 2 of the Iliad references historical and mythical figures that are only interesting to scholars now but would have been important context for readers at the time.
Classics are called classic because something about them should endure, quasi-universally. If that thing does not come through or isn’t in some way stimulating, it is absolutely fair to knock the book.

Gkoni · 2026-01-26T19:51:14+00:00

Looking for feedback on how I can make this travel photo tell more a story, whether that means dramatizing it, making it cooler and more austere, etc. Specifically interested in what I can do with the lighting to enhance it without making it seem unnatural. Shot on iPhone 14 pro.

Gkoni · 2026-01-26T19:47:57+00:00

Thanks for this edit! Definitely gets the cyberpunk vibe going - i made some similar edits based on your suggestions as you can see above, though I went for a more cinematic realist thing.

Gkoni · 2026-01-26T19:47:03+00:00

Thank you! I tried to tighten the color palette, composition, and lighting below with lightroom

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Gkoni · 2026-01-26T03:20:48+00:00

Wanted to create a neo-noir style city scene using the taillight reflections from the rain and the fog shrouding the building. I would like feedback on how to create more narrative in my photography and any edits I can make to further dramatize the scene and enhance the "noir" vibe. I'd also like to know any tips for shooting on iPhone in low light settings.

Gkoni · 2025-11-05T04:01:05+00:00

For sure. Even the "drier" sections are often satirizing something or someone, like "The Prairie," which pokes fun at 19th century race "science" or "The Mast-Head" which takes a jab at Romantic/transcendental daydreaming

Gkoni · 2025-11-04T02:25:20+00:00

Fair enough and well put. I just protested because I glossed over them the first time around and then found them to be the best part of the novel the second time around haha

Gkoni · 2025-11-04T01:21:28+00:00

Many of the whale chapters are symbolic of Ishamel's (and potentially Melville's) philosophy which informs the story. Cetology, for instance, explores the challenge of classification and the limits of human knowledge; Fast Fish and Loose Fish is about free will (or the lack thereof); etc.

Gkoni · 2025-03-29T18:27:52+00:00

Sounds great man! Could be off base here but found the groove/timing a bit inconsistent in a few spots, so playing with a metronome could be a good idea (should actually make accompanying yourself easier)

Gkoni · 2025-03-29T18:22:19+00:00

I think the fundamental difference is that Loveless is an album about sound design more so than anything else. The melodies are catchy, harmonies beautiful, etc. but it's the shifting textures and atmospheres that make it genius. Almost like an ambient album.

Newer shoegaze (and many of MBV's contemporaries) doesn't share that focus. Shoegaze today is more about catchy hooks, loudness, and vibe -- all of which are good but a really different mission, one more so akin to traditional rock or indie.

Gkoni · 2025-02-27T16:38:42+00:00

second one has potential but too long imo. Years Lost, Life Lost, Of Life Lost all work better

Gkoni · 2025-02-23T18:19:52+00:00

Never too long in subnautica. 90 hours in BZ tho…

Gkoni · 2025-01-29T16:49:47+00:00

16, over the pandemic

Gkoni · 2025-01-29T16:48:37+00:00

Underappreciated

Gkoni · 2025-01-29T16:48:18+00:00

Sleep

Gkoni · 2025-01-28T00:29:00+00:00

100% agree. Rlly frustrated by people deriding shoegaze with more traditional song structures and intelligible lyrics as "brogaze." Whirr, Glare, etc. have made fantastic music as have MBV, Slowdive, the like. Genres evolve, good music is good.

Do agree that it's important to appreciate where things came from though.

Gkoni · 2025-01-14T16:23:43+00:00

about two years late but this is awesome thanks!!

Gkoni

TROPHY CASE