SWERVE YOUR ENTHUSIASM (15)

By: Stan Chou
August 19, 2021

One in a series of 25 enthusiastic posts, contributed by 25 HILOBROW friends and regulars, on the topic of our favorite unfinished masterworks, legendary obscurities and cherished almost-weres.

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Illustration by the author

TYRAEL’S MIGHT

As Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) become more prevalent, I wonder about the various possibilities for art NFTs, specifically how they can serve the purpose of nostalgia and memories.

I played Diablo II 20 years ago. I had a character that reached level 81 and he probably had an armor that was somewhat rare. I stopped playing of course and can’t access my old account now. Before NFTs, I’d be perfectly happy to let that character and his items rest in peace but with the rise of NFTs, I wonder… could the character or his item be resurrected?

I imagine (I tend to think more than act) my character’s best armor on the NFT marketplace. I don’t own the copyright to the armor so I could try to pass it off as newsworthy that Stan got this armor from a Diablo boss on such-and-such date. Yes, it could be done!

It’s not about the money or the fame with NFTs. People will see right through that. I tend to take a romantic view. I’d rather do something that brings a smile to a fellow 40-year-old who remembers endlessly mouse-clicking the nights away hoping a dying boss will drop (“clunk” sound effect, you know what I’m talking about!) a unique sacred armor that just might be the rarest item in the game.

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SWERVE YOUR ENTHUSIASM: SERIES INTRODUCTION by Adam McGovern | Luc Sante on WARHOL’S WALT WHITMAN | Peggy Nelson on THE CURSE OF QUIXOTE | Adrienne Crew on POOR DEVIL | Bishakh Som on KATE BUSH BOOTLEGS | Douglas Wolk on BIG NUMBERS #3 | Devin McKinney on THE ORIGINAL OF LAURA | Mandy Keifetz on BACKFIRE | Heather Quinlan on TRANSITIONAL DISNEY | Michael Grasso on STEELY DAN’S 2nd ARRANGEMENT | Kelly Jean Fitzsimmons on THE GREAT MOVIE RIDE | Josh Glenn on LE HIBOU PHILOSOPHE | Lynn Peril on 70, GIRLS, 70 | Ron Wimberly on SHIRATO SANPEI | Holly Interlandi on LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT |Stan Chou on TYRAEL’S MIGHT | Nikhil Singh on JOURNEY TO IXTLAN | Brian Lozano on BLOWN BANNER | Adam McGovern on THE LEON SUITES | Sajan Saini on BRISCO COUNTY | Heather Kapplow on LORD OF LIGHT | Greg Rowland on SOLARNAUTS | Christopher-Rashee Stevenson on FLEDGLING | Crystal Durant on TURN-ON | Ran Xia on BYRON’S FRAGMENT | Carolyn Raship on BURNT BRONTË.

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Enthusiasms