One of the most interesting dead malls I’ve seen; it’s somehow hanging by a thread. Only one business was open when I got there, and the other had just closed for the day. Some parts were off-limits, but there was still a lot to see. Highly recommended checking it out if you’re nearby.
I've been rewatching Kane's work since Backrooms released, specifically looking at his more hidden aspects of his visual storytelling I've forgotten about. There's plenty of this within The Oldest View; I think it's easily Kane's best work, largely because of his use of inferred details.
My favorite example of this is at 33:02, when Wyatt briefly pans the camera to show a large, Rolling Giant-shaped hole in the barrier where the food court used to sit. The obvious implication here is that other victims have met their fate inside of the remnants of this mall, but could it also mean the mall is beginning to decay?
I find this fascinating as it's the only part of the mall we see that is visibly damaged at the time of Wyatt recording his experience. The rest of the damage the mall accrues throughout the video is a direct result of the Rolling Giant chasing Wyatt as prey. What's your interpretation?
As an aside, I also love the brief glimpses we catch of the Rolling Giant stalking Wyatt without him knowing, like outside and behind the tree, and inside of the office space with its flags sticking out.
We were together for three and a half years, and we broke up in January. Until last summer, I had no doubt in my mind we'd stay together forever; we were actively discussing getting engaged. Around this time, though, we hit a bit of a wall in terms of how we communicated. This frustrated us both and we talked about ways to improve. For the most part, I felt that I did a good job ensuring we both got we wanted, and she did the same.
Over time, frustration continued to grow between us to the point that I gradually became more and more dissatisfied. She would come home from work in a bad mood nearly every day and that began to wear on me. Meanwhile, she was growing more upset at me being short-tempered at her being short-tempered. We couldn't win and we didn't know how to proceed.
This all came to a head in December when we had a very abrupt, out of pocket argument in public. (For the record, this was not like us at all, we have docile personalities.) She said some out of pocket, hurtful things about me and it left me a bit shellshocked, for lack of a better term. At the time, I began to see her differently. She's since profusely apologized for the incident, as have I.
From then on, we both watched the relationship slowly die. A month later, I broke up with her despite begging me not to. I wish I hadn't. I really wish I hadn't. I left to go back home in the interim which is when I also decided to move across the country to get a clean break and clear my head.
For the first couple of months, I was pretty okay with the decisions I'd made. Suddenly though, and I don't know what happened, the guilt of ending the relationship has hit me like a brick wall for nearly a month straight now. It's given me repeated anxiety attacks and I can't help but feel like I fucked up.
Despite everything, we're still on good terms. I miss her and I miss the joy she brought me, even despite the last few months of the relationship. We got tied up in emotions at the same time and acted out of character. Outside of the end, we had a loving, peaceful, healthy relationship.
Before we broke up, couples therapy was mentioned as a solution. At the time, that felt like a death kneel, but it likely would've helped sort out our grievances. If she were to welcome me back, I would do couple's therapy in a heartbeat.
In the meantime, I don't know what to do besides resume therapy and try to make my peace with the situation. She made me happy, and I was blessed to have her in my life.
TL;DR I ended a 3.5 year relationship over the winter following several volatile months where neither of us could avoid being irritated with each other. I now regret the decision to end things, and I'm left with the guilt of my actions.