#my art style has also changed since getting into cod

[wispscribbles]

I want to say your style is soft and whimsical? If that's the word. Its a nice variation to a lot of the others I've seen. Sorry if my words are not wording. I love your style is just so fluffy and sweet between Ghost and Soap.

daww thank you! That's so sweet!! Drawing big buff military men has been a challenge for me, it's very different from my usual stuff - but it's fun to love a piece of media so much that it forces you to leave your creative comfort zone. I used to only draw animals when I started out, so that's definitely shaped my style into what it is. But Ghost and Soap deserve a little softness, as a treat, so it’s ok that my style is sorta mismatched with the source material

[thekillerssluts]

THE PAST, PRESENT AND FUTURE OF WILL BUTLER

It’s been nearly four centuries since the first member of the Butler family arrived in the United States. From Quakerism and Mormonism to getting thrown in jail, the Butler family history is a fascinating story which bears one constant, one recurring theme on which the Butler’s always touch base: music. On new solo album Generations, Will Butler (Arcade Fire) expands his horizons while delving into his own legacy and asking questions about his place in society as an American. Jack Parker called up Butler to discuss his namesake’s glistening legacy, the new album and societal parallels between 2020 and 1820.

Hi Will. Generations is your second studio album, and it comes five years after your debut, Policy. Was it always a long term plan, in your mind, to put out a second album? Yeah. I was always going to do a second record, but my wife and I have an eight year old and two twins. Not to blame the twins, but I would have made a second record earlier, haha. There was also the last Arcade Fire record, and I went to grad school. It’s been busy.

You described this album as more of a novel. Would you call it a concept album? I don’t think of it as a concept album, but any listener or critic is welcome to interpret in whichever way they like. There is a sonic arc to the album, and although it’s not exactly character development there is some sort of development throughout the record. I feel like it takes on a journey.

The stories on some tracks are definitely vivid in places. What informed your songwriting on some of these songs? Fine tells a very poignant story. Some of the songs on the album have a big focus on 19th century American poets like Emily Dickinson or Erwin Melville. Melville isn’t famous for his poetry, but he has some good poems about the Civil War. I was reading a lot of history, and a lot of the themes are essentially just trying to absorb what the fuck has been happening the last 200 years.

And of course everything that’s been happening the last six months. Do you notice many similarities between the last half year versus the last 200 years? Yeah. We had Ferguson and Baltimore, and people are protesting now too. People are rioting! But this isn’t an outlier in American history; the police keep brutalising people and those being brutalised keep saying that enough is enough. It happens every few years, so it’s a very consistent part of history. It’s shocking that people even need to come out and say that black lives matter. That is an outlier, the fact that we have to highlight that killing black people is a bad thing. It’s never exactly the same throughout history, but it’s certainly familiar in a dark way. The pandemic…eugh. There aren’t many global pandemics which I’ve experienced in my lifetime, but it’s certainly not what I expected.

The sonic palette of Generations is much broader. There seems to be more emphasis on exploring different sounds and styles; was this a conscious decision or something that just came naturally? I wanted Generations to be a more complex and complicated album with more development. My brain is so broken that I think about food a lot; Policy was more a case of making dinner with whatever you can find in the fresh section at the supermarket. Generations is more purposeful, it’s layering the flavours, roasting the meat for 48 hours and stewing the bones. There’s more foraging.

I guess solo projects like this one also allow you to explore territory you wouldn’t go for as quickly with Arcade Fire. Yeah. I mean, they’re still related projects in that I’m the same human being poking at the same stuff sonically and emotionally, but with this I can go further in certain directions. This album is still collaborative, but I can also do more.

You previously said that this record asks the question “what’s my place in American history?” Assuming you know that now: what is your place in American history, as a rich, white male? It’s a positional answer, to be honest. It’s how you are positioned in a community and how you relate to the people you live with. It’s hard to answer, because it’s also in conversation with New York City and Brooklyn. Like, how is New York going to move forward? On a broader level, though, it’s still provisional and conversational.

So has working on this record helped you discover aspects of yourself which you weren’t aware of? I’m real smart on a booksmart level, but working on this record made me realise how dumb you still are as a human, on a human level. Most of us are pretty dumb, and every now and then you encounter some amazing humans, but then you’re like, “wow, I’m real dumb and I’m lost without these people”.

I just want to touch on the album closer, Fine. What informed your songwriting and the story on that track in particular? It’s one of your best works to date. Thank you. So, the first Butler came to the US in the 1630s and settled into Boston before moving to Cape Cod and living on the water. They were one of the first families to convert to Quakerism. It’s in the history records because they kept getting fined for being Quakers. They’d get thrown into jail and cops would arrest Daniel Butler in the middle of the night for exposing little kids to Quakerism. The Butlers have lived in New England on a long stretch of coastline for the last 400 years. My Mum’s family is Mormon, and my great grandfather was the last son of a Mormon homesetter who crossed the plains. He was born in the 1870s and he was a musician. He started a family band with his kids and they would drive across the desert – before there were even roads – on wooden planks to play shows in churches and then get arrested for doing it. My life today is very beautifully influenced by what happened at the end of the 19th century. It’s so beautiful to inherit such a musical legacy, but there’s also such a horrifying legacy to being an American. Why I am how I am is informed by a lot of beauty and horror. It’s about trying to figure out where you stand before you throw your first punch. You have to square your hips. It’s not so much an exercise in guilt as it is in knowledge.

Fine is trying out the Kanye West trick of being really stupid and profound by talking about important and unimportant things are the same time. I was thinking about George Washington from 250 years ago, just thinking about his legacy and on a wider scale the legacies which we inherit. How those legacies came to us, and how the world was made. It’s trying to do that both in a jokey and a horrifying way. Look at Washington’s slaves, for example. He has one named Henry Washington who I’d never heard of until I was an adult. He escaped and with the British against the United States, and then lost. In order to avoid slavery he fled to Canada and then ended up in Sierra Leone, where he ended up fighting against the British. These are incredible histories which just go ignored. Fine is essentially about trying to figure out what line of history we’re following and how we follow it.

Now more than ever people are turning to the arts for empowerment. How can we use music in 2020 to harness positive change? Music has been a great comfort to people who are doing really intense work, and I’ve seen people really respond to artists who say something meaningful. Art can really provide comfort, which I think is important. I get that there are other important angles, like how art isn’t always supposed to be comfortable, but over the years I’ve seen how much value music has for people who are trying to make the world a better place. As a musician you can’t control the people who feel comfort. You can’t tell someone horrible that they aren’t supposed to feel comforted by your music, but you can pray that your music is put in front of someone who will nourish it.

Of course. So with live music still out of the question, what’s next for you? I’m really excited for the record to come out! People have been finding meaning in comfort through music these last six months, and it kind of feels like you’re doing a service by putting music out into the world. I’ll probably do some kind of online thing, but it’s not really my speciality. I’ve got a week and a half to figure it out. My son started school today in New York, so figuring out online school for an eight year old is also a thing. And if it weren’t for the pandemic, I’d have gotten into my car and driven around Pennsylvania knocking on doors ahead of the election in November. 

[bunkershotgolf]

The Club at New Seabury’s Director of Golf Instruction Named NEPGA Cape Cod Chapter Teacher of the Year

Jimmy Damiano’s Relatable, Fun Approach with All Skill Levels Transforms Golf Culture

 Jimmy Damiano, Director of Golf Instruction at the Club at New Seabury has been named 2020 NEPGA Cape Cod Chapter Teacher of the Year.

A lifelong devotee to enhancing the golf experience, Damiano has inspired single digit handicappers as well as beginners for decades. Whether he’s giving a three-hour playing lesson with a championship golfer or he’s instructing a group of eager beginners enrolled in a GETGOLF READY CLINIC, he brings the same enthusiasm and commitment to helping his pupils.

“Jimmy’s passion for the game is so evident with everyone he works with,” said Jim Clay, Director of Golf at the Club at New Seabury. “He is a true ambassador of golf and has really reinvigorated our Club and our members by adding fun and thought in his students’ approach to the game. He’s so deserving of the NEPGA Cape Cod Chapter Teach of the Year award.”

Damiano spent countless hours honing his craft under the watchful eye of Jim McLean, a renowned golf instructor and longtime owner and advocate of Trackman, which utilizes state-of-the-art technology to deliver an understandable message to a wide range of players.  In addition to technology, Damiano stresses club fitting as an essential ingredient to each students’ improvement, which he maintains extensive experience.

He became a full-time instructor, splitting his time between Long Island (Glen Oaks) in the summers and at the Jim McLean Golf School at Doral (in Miami) in the winters and has also been fortunate to work at other top private clubs, including Castle Pines Golf Club and Nantucket Golf Club, where he turned pro in 1998. After spending 13 summer seasons as a teaching professional at Glen Oaks Club in Old Westbury he arrived on Cape Cod in May 2018 to assume the position of Director of Golf Instruction at The Club at New Seabury, a premier Private Golf Community, boasting two championship tracks – the Ocean Course and the Dunes Course. Damiano was tasked with helping to transform the golf culture and in one year has led an astounding turnaround with a 250 percent increase in Instruction Revenue which included Revenue (262%), Quantity of Lessons (250%) and Club Sales (266%).

“Last year was a blur. Once the weather improved around Memorial Day it was like a turn style and a switch that went on and never turned off,” recalled Damiano, who estimates he has given between 15,000-20,000 hours of golf lessons over his career. “After many years of instructing I can now walk away from a 10 hour day and feel good that I’ve helped every one of those 10, providing them with something to make them better.”

As impressive as the numbers are, Damiano’s impact at New Seabury can be seen with a renewed focus on membership engagement.

“We aimed to create a culture of learning and improvement through the use of instruction and technology and Jimmy’s approach to the game, his knowledge of the swing, and communication skills were crucial to our success,” Clay noted. “The membership confirmed our belief that they wanted this change by supporting the instruction and club fitting programs.”

At the Club at New Seabury, Damiano helped introduce several new golf programs in 2019 and all were met with enthusiasm.

From Get Golf Ready, a women’s clinic designed to introduce current non golfing spouses into the game, to Play 3 and Practice Tee Clinics which emphasized learning on the golf course where the instructor first evaluates the student on the course then uses that knowledge to instruct accordingly.

“I never played golf before joining the Get Golf Ready Ladies Clinic,” said Lisa Joubert of New Seabury. “Jimmy has taught me golf basics and golf etiquette but also gave me the confidence to go out on the course with my husband after just a handful of lessons. He is a great instructor, extremely knowledgeable about the sport and he is positive, motivating and encouraging. He made me feel comfortable with each lesson whether I mastered it or messed up. I’ve learned that you just need to relax and enjoy the game.”

Damiano has also worked alongside many peers who have gained the highest accolades when it comes to golf instruction. Jamie Fisher, Director of Instruction at Conway Farms Golf Club and Indian Ridge Country Club and an LPGA Class A Member has known Jimmy since 1995 and taught with him in California, Massachusetts, and at resort golf schools.

“I have watched Jimmy blossom into the top teacher he is today throughout that time,” said Fisher. “It goes without saying that to be a great teacher or coach one must have an understanding of the subject matter.  Of course, Jimmy has that in spades and has a continual drive to continue learning about the game especially through the ever-evolving use of cutting edge technology. But, in my opinion Jimmy's real strength as a teacher/coach is his boundless enthusiasm and ability to inspire his students.”

Damiano’s skill set has also added tremendous value to the member experience and in doing so he’s made golf fun and interactive.

Neil Golub, Chairman of the Golub Corporation and a lifetime golfer for over 70 years has won club championships and is a 5-time Schenectady County Senior Champion, added: “Jimmy’s charisma and training techniques during our practices have been inspiring. Today my short game (which has been excellent since training with friend Dave Pelz) has been significantly upgraded with Jimmy’s new techniques. Hard to believe but true. I have been coached by some of the best Golf Training has to offer. For anyone like myself with talent who is willing to work, I would rate Jimmy as the most coherent coach I have ever experienced.”

Damiano remains eager to help perfect his pupils’ golf experiences as he is content in the shared experience.

“It’s so satisfying to see the smile on the face of one of my students who has just picked up the game,” said Damiano. “When they finally get the ball up in the air or hit that sweet spot you can see the gleam in their eye. Some of my students have had little to no experience but we’ve made it fun and comfortable. I always aim to be an effective and efficient instructor,” he added. “We can dilly dally on a driving range but I’m focusing on efficiency. I can break down what a student is doing wrong in minutes, and start working on the technical aspects of what they’re doing. Once they’re hitting the ball properly, we’ll go right on the course. The ultimate test is “can you hit these shots on the course?”

Since returning to Cape Cod in 2018 Damiano has settled into New Seabury nicely, spending time at the Club’s new Golf Practice & Teaching Facility: a 12-acre gem with expansive grass hitting areas, a two-acre short game area to practice every type of shot and a 20,000 square foot putting green along with a 100 yard sand bunker.

[cuddleslutloki]

I have a genuine question. How often do you actually deal with antis? I've been following you for a bit now and it seems every so often you bring up antis. I've certainly kept my interest about thorki shut and locked away in a box from my friends for the simple fact that all of them think it's incest. It's not an easy topic of conversation but you just seem to handle all the antis so well? Also on an off note about beast!Thor, his favorite pass time must just be rutting into Loki 24/7 🤔

when someone tells you that you're romanticizing abuse [bc i made a stockholm moodboard for a fic] I don't know what I'm supposed to say other than I don't condone it but I write about it? Is writing about abusive relationships bad in writing??? you're the only person i ask for advice so thank you for anything in advance

i’m honestly really glad you came to me. i really do like discussing this topic in this kind of way bc i’ll never reblog an anti or answer an anti ask. even if you’re arguing against them, i don’t think it’s worth it to argue against them if it means also spreading what they’re saying

the basic premise of all anti behavior and ideology is censorship. that’s all it is. 

“i don’t like this topic, you need to stop writing it and making art for it. if you don’t stop there will be consequences.”

that is censorship and that is the kind of shit fandom has had to fight ever since there’s been fandom. women, poc, lgbt+ folks have been dealing with people telling us what we can and can’t write and enjoy for... well, probably forever. but we’re still here, creating the kind of content we want to see and indulge in.

as far as how to deal with antis, my advice is to ignore, ignore, ignore. they want what any bully wants: attention

you stop paying attention, you stop giving them time they don’t deserve from you, they’ll die off. there’s no point in fighting them directly. produce the content you want to see and enjoy what you want to enjoy. drown them out. you don’t owe them a response just because they come to you. they don’t have any qualms about being rude to you, so be rude back and just ignore them. i love blocking antis, personally. take out the garbage, y’know?

antis use the words ship and support as synonyms because they think that shipping is some radical call to action for lgbt rep instead of entertainment

shipping is not activism. shipping is about entertainment and enjoyment, nothing more

so this is why i have this very blasé attitude about antis. i just don’t give a fuck about them beyond making posts trashing their idiocy. because that’s what it is. it’s idiocy, but going deeper it’s puritanism at its finest. antis use fox news scare tactic logic under the guise of some pseudo feminist agenda because they don’t understand and don’t want to understand that enjoying dark fiction as entertainment isn’t equivalent to some greater moral stance

they use the same argument about shipping and fanfiction that WASP moms use against video games and loud music: that enjoying and consuming it will make you think it’s normal and there’s nothing wrong with it irl

okay, well, vlad the impaler never played CoD or far cry and caligula never watched hentai but we know why i’m bringing them up in this context without even heading over to wikipedia, don’t we?

they use the words abuse and pedophilia waaaaaayy too liberally and they’re doing more harm than good because they’re twisting and warping words that should have very specific meanings by using them so goddamn vaguely and irresponsibly 

my own personal theory is that these people are terrified that if they don’t yell in opposition to these topics 24/7 and actively attack content creators that they’d probably enjoy it, and they’ve been so programmed by the echo chamber of tumblr and twitter that they think this means they’re bad people. 

spoiler alert: that’s not what it means

i literally watched a circle jerk on twitter where screenshots of some mafia starker au got tweeted and retweeted w/ pictures of someone pouring bleach into cereal and people had asked to see more of the post. if you really don’t like something, you shouldn’t hate-read about it. it’s not productive, it does more harm than good if that’s the actual issue rather than some reverse psychology-style enjoyment they’re probably getting out of it.

they claim to hate this shit so much, but they’re reading hundreds and thousands of words and putting these images in their heads of their own free will. i don’t do that with shit i genuinely dislike. i avoid it.

i see antis say they enjoy thorki fanart because they think it’s cute, then they see it’s tagged thorki and they have an over the top reaction because the nature of anti ideology states you should never enjoy something like that, so if you do then you have to make the excuse of ignorance to prove that you’re still innocent and pure. enjoyment is apologism to them because they aren’t content to simply attack fan creators, they want to try and drive away the people who consume our art as well because they know you’re the cornerstone of fandom. consumers are why creators create. yeah, i write because i enjoy it, but i also write to connect to my readers and have people commenting on my fics when they like them.

it’s also worth noting that antis only ever talk about shipping. they only talk about sexual and romantic ships. i’ve never seen an anti talk about (often extreme) levels of violence in canon source material for the ships and characters they want to froth at the mouth over. 

seeing someone bleed out and choking on their own blood after being stabbed or shot or bludgeoned? meh

seeing a character who was once a child have a sexual thought about a character who was also once a child and is also their close friend? omg why are we trying to make fandom unsafe for people?

personally, i’ve also noticed that fandoms with darker canon material tend to have more chill fandoms most of the time. i think it also depends on the average age in a given fandom. there’s a major difference between fannibals and steven universe fans, let’s just say that.

creating a moodboard for a dark fic is not “romanticizing abuse” and at this point antis honestly have no fucking idea what that phrase is. they use those words the way a bored CEO uses social media buzzwords and hashtags in a staff meeting

if antis want to see true romanticizing of abuse then they can go to serial killer thirst tags and spot the fucking differences between shippers and people who forget that ted bundy was weak, flaccid, cowardly piece of shit

writing something dark or violent or whatever else and condoning the act or doing the act are different. this is why stephen king isn’t under government surveillance or in prison.

make no mistake, this anti shit only applies to fandom. they’re attacking creators here because creators out at the professional levels don’t give a fuck. they’ve tried, and they’ve failed. 

creators at the professional level understand something antis don’t: that being able to reconcile your enjoyment of dark media can be a sign of emotional intelligence and good emotional health. it’s cathartic. it’s allowed to be cathartic.

the most common consumers of dark fiction are members of minority communities and people who’ve been emotionally and/or sexually repressed for one reason or another. 

antis want to say that fiction doesn’t exist in a vacuum and they are 100% correct! because writing fanfiction and original fiction that relates to parts of my life that nearly killed me gives me control over something that was beyond me in the original context. writing about fucked up codependent, violent romance allows me to process my shit in a way that’s healthy and produces something fun and enjoyable.

my therapist knows i ship thorki, she knows i write thorki. i’ve had her read pieces of fanfiction i’ve written in addition to pieces of original fiction. y’know what she said? “wow, baylen, that’s vivid. you have a way with words!”

i read her a line out of smart boy and told her what the story was about and this trained professional said “well it’s a productive way to process some emotion that you clearly need to let out”

but you know what? if someone doesn’t have the trauma i have? let them write it, too! let them create and enjoy the fictional content they want! more cake, y’all!

finally getting around to one of the first parts of your ask, lol. thorki is incest. thor and loki are brothers. they were raised believing they were blood brothers, even. loki being adopted doesn’t change a thousand years of personal history where thor looked at loki and thought that they came out of the same woman, y’know? 

that’s his brother and in the comics his attachment to loki is even more intense. the mcu nerfed that shit. loki’s life has been intrinsically tied to thor’s ability to feel a full sense of joy. 

enjoying an incest ship isn’t some sign of moral depravity. writing abusive relationships isn’t bad. gone girl was made into an award winning movie. art should look like life, and sometimes life fucking sucks. dark stories, sad stories, fucked up holy shit idk if i can go to sleep after i read this stories exist for a reason. we need them. we have to have an outlet for our frustration, our anger, and especially our fear.

so which is the healthier option of these

to write up a piece of fanfiction where two siblings are in love in a way that might be cute and soft or might be destructive, depending on your mood?

or

attacking strangers you don’t know online and threatening violence against anyone who doesn’t think like you do?

i know what kind of person i want to be.

ship and let ship, thanks for reading my doctoral thesis office hours are always

[nic-and-annie-in-france]

Amsterdam in 10

1. The unruly vibe. When we entered Amsterdam from the train station for the first time, it was such an abrupt change from the atmosphere of Copenhagen. We were immediately swept into the flow of foot traffic crowding the narrow streets. In stark contrast to the law-abiding Danes, no one seemed to follow the instructions of stoplights or pedestrian signs. Cyclists appeared to be out for tourists’ blood. Luckily, the walk from the train station to our hostel was a short one—I was happy to have booked a place that was very centrally located. However, after seeing piles of litter lining the cramped streets, and after smelling certain odors wafting through the area, I was suddenly less happy to be sleeping somewhere “centrally located” in Amsterdam. Everything seemed brash, bustling, and bacchanal—not what I’d call our natural habitat, but we were determined to make the best of it. 2. The man who complimented Nicolas’ beard. Nicolas and I were really fond of the man working at the desk when we checked into our hostel.  I was the one with the cash, so I was handling most of the conversation. Suddenly, he glanced at Nicolas and then did a double-take and said, “You have an excellent beard!” Nicolas was taken aback but thanked him, and complimented his beard in return. “Thank you,” he said, “I like to grease mine down, you know, to make me more attractive. But with a beard like that,” pointing to Nicolas’ chin, “just put a turban on you and you could pass for Indian too!” He belly laughed. Facial hair: uniting men across cultures. 3. The architecture. Of all the cities we visited on this trip, I had the clearest pre-trip picture in my head of Amsterdam. I knew there were winding alleyways, tall skinny houses, bicycles, and canals. That was indeed what we saw when we arrived. When we found a sidewalk or bridge empty enough to stop on without bothering anyone, we took a minute to admire the architecture. I enjoyed the opportunity to notice that all the buildings were of different heights, and the windows zigzagged across the façades instead of making a neat grid. Our hostel was built in the typical Amsterdam style too, so we got to see what the inside of those tall skinny buildings look like. Our room had space for a full-size bed, one chair, a small table, a coat closet, and a bathroom sink—that was it. But the window in the room was huge and we could people-watch while sitting on our bed.

4. The breakfast food. Having to find and buy breakfast first thing in the morning can be tricky, so anytime a free breakfast is offered to us by the Airbnb/hotel/hostel we are staying at, we eat it. Our place in Amsterdam offered us a breakfast of four slices of bread apiece with jam and butter, two slices of cheese, and a hard-boiled egg, plus our choice of tea or coffee. It was basic, but it was convenient, filling, and free. The breakfast and the check-in desk were all in the same room, so while we ate, the desk worker watched the morning news on the international CNN channel, which was reporting on the government shutdown.

Sadly, this was in a museum and not our hostel’s breakfast area, but we can pretend we ate here anyway.

5. The peaceful mornings. Breakfast wasn’t served at our hostel until 8:30 in the morning, so the earliest we could begin sightseeing was about 9:00 am. I was worried that we wouldn’t have a lot of time to get to the museums on the other side of town before they got busy. When we left right at 9, though, the streets were absolutely deserted except for the two of us and the fleets of garbage trucks and street cleaners. I couldn’t get over how empty it was. I kept wondering aloud to Nicolas where the people were who had to work, and he reminded me that the people who work in the city aren’t likely to live in the touristy area. It felt like we were the only two people visiting for Amsterdam’s cultural attractions instead of its nightlife. Given that the city felt so cramped and claustrophobic at other times of day, I was happy to have a little more room to breathe in the mornings.

6. The disorientation.  Amsterdam is known for its canals, and it certainly has a lot of them. I knew this going in, yet still felt disoriented every time we walked from one place to another. In lots of other European cities, you have “the river” that basically divides the city in two and gives you a basic sense of direction. If you get lost, you can make your way back to the river and reorient from there. The spider-web shaped system of canals in Amsterdam had the opposite effect. Every canal and every bridge looked exactly like the last, and since they radiated in all directions, they did nothing to help us distinguish north from south or east from west. Even after spending a couple of days walking around all of Amsterdam, we were still extremely dependent on the map on my phone to get around.

7. Favorite fun fact: all about Rembrandt’s Night Watch. It turns out that even for an art lover like me, there is such a thing as too many art museums. The Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam was one of the last ones that we went to. It was a shame that we were suffering from art fatigue when we went there, because it was a massive museum with an impressive collection of art. We decided to plan the rooms we really wanted to see and skip the rest. One of the “don’t miss” works in the museum was Rembrandt’s Night Watch. I only knew the bare minimum about Rembrandt when we went (Dutch, 1600s, fan of chiaroscuro), and I knew nothing at all about Night Watch. The painting was absolutely massive and housed in a cathedral-like room, with Night Watch occupying the place of the altar, and smaller works by Vermeer and Reubens placed in alcoves along the two longer walls. I learned that the painting was commissioned by an actual militia company, but was controversial because Rembrandt’s composition departed drastically from convention. Before, a commissioned work of a group of people would always have each subject’s face clearly visible, and they would be neatly posed with no movement suggested by the painting at all. Night Watch, by contrast, shows the militiamen exiting a building in a rather disorderly bunch, with some people’s faces obscured by darkness or by another object. I tend to perceive Rembrandt as talented and respectable, yet old and crusty, so it’s funny to think of him as the bad boy of painting in his time. I had no idea at first glance what was so special about the painting, so I really enjoyed learning to view it in a different light and appreciate the innovation of it.

8. The demonstrations at the Rembrandt house. We visited the house where Rembrandt lived for about 17 years before his financial difficulties forced him to sell it. Because his belongings were all repossessed, there is a near-perfect record of what Rembrandt had in his house when he lived there. We saw lots of his paintings and etchings, as well as (approximations of) the furniture and objects with which he decorated his bedroom, galleries, and studio.  I was most interested by the etching and paint-making demonstrations that we saw in Rembrandt’s studio. A woman taught us about different etching techniques, running a real etching through an antique press and then showing us the resulting print. It reminded me of the linoleum printmaking project I struggled through in middle school art class, which gave me even more respect for the exquisite quality of etchings Rembrandt produced.

9. The (disappointing) Van Gogh museum. The Van Gogh Museum has the largest collection of the Dutch artist’s works in the world, so I had pretty high expectations for it. I thought it would be like the Monet exhibit from Vienna mixed with the Sisi Museum, addressing both his work and his private life. The museum did do both of those things, but in a way that seemed a little glib. It’s widely known that Van Gogh suffered from mental illness and that he lived in poverty because his art didn’t become financially successful until after his death.  So it bothered me a little when the captions for his paintings said things like, “The colors express powerful emotion.” Which emotion? How do you know? What is it specifically about these colors that are expressive? Is “expressing emotion” really the top priority for a starving artist desperate to sell a painting? I just didn’t find their interpretations of the paintings convincing, and I didn’t learn as much as I had hoped. Also, the last disappointment was my own fault, but I was implicitly expecting to see Starry Night, and that painting was not in the museum’s collection. I should have thought to confirm whether or not Starry Night was there beforehand to manage my expectations properly, but it slipped my mind. It turns out Starry Night is on display at the MoMA in New York. We’ll just have to go there a different time! 10. The fish sandwich. I read online that the Dutch don’t have much of a traditional cuisine, with the exception of Hollandse Nieuwe, a lightly brined raw herring. Even though it didn’t sound appetizing, I decided that I wanted to try it just for the sake of tasting something new. We went to a  hole-in-the-wall fish market/lunch spot, and I got the raw herring sandwich topped with a Dutch toothpick flag, pickles, and diced onions, while Nicolas got a fried cod sandwich. The man behind the counter was friendly and charming; when he handed  me my sandwich he said, “The best thing about it is that you’ll speak Dutch afterwards!” The herring tasted about like you’d expect—salty and soft and oniony. It was edible, but by my last bite, I was definitely ready to be done. I was thankful that Nicolas let me have a taste of the cod afterwards so that the herring wasn’t the last taste lingering in my mouth for the rest of the day. I think the cashier’s line about speaking Dutch was a euphemism for having bad breath.

[eddycurrents]

BPRD: The Soul of Venice & Other Stories: “Dark Waters”

Story: Brian Augustyn | Art: Guy Davis | Colours: Dave Stewart | Letters: Michelle Madsen

Originally published by Dark Horse in BPRD: Dark Waters | July 2003

Collected in BPRD - Volume 2: The Soul of Venice & Other Stories | BPRD: Plague of Frogs - Volume 1

Plot Summary:

Abe and Roger travel to Shiloh, Massachusetts when a trio of bodies dating back to the witch trials are uncovered in a drained pond. While uncovering what happened in the past, they are attacked by a pastor possessed by the evil that was in the muck.

Reading Notes:

(Note: Pagination is in reference to the story itself and is not indicative of anything found in the issue or collections.)

pg. 1 - Love these silent establishing shots from Guy Davis and Dave Stewart. The detail is very nice and the subtle washes are interesting, bringing attention to the more important parts of the panels without necessarily being over the top. The more natural colour scheme for this story is very nice and sets a different look for this BPRD tale from Hellboy.

Also, I looked up “scrod” since I had no clue what it was. It’s apparently a small cod or haddock.

pg. 2 - That approach to colouring is very apparent in this panel above.

pg. 3 - The discovery of the bodies is both horrifying and hilarious. Setting up the mayor to stick his foot in his mouth is very entertaining.

pg. 4-6 - I’m still amazed by how these bits of exposition in Hellboy and BPRD tales never feel like infodumps. There’s just something about the overall structure of these stories wherein the details of the backstory enhance the story rather than feel like something superfluous. It’s something that some of the best procedurals manage to do as well.

pg. 7 - The brief history of witchcraft in Shiloh is fascinating.

pg. 8 - “HALLOWEEN DRESS-UP WITH SATAN IS A SIN” is a nice little touch on the church sign.

Also, I love how Guy Davis is setting up his layouts all throughout this story, but this is probably one of my favourites. The initial small panels of Pastor Blackwood spying on the Chief, Abe, and Roger gives a great sense of hiding and voyeurism, before opening up to find the pastor in darkness.

pg. 9 - Blackwood’s ranting about evil is insane. Also, funny.

pg. 10 - Being suffused by the mud is a nice horror turn to the story.

pg. 11 - I think this is one of the only instances of a larger panel broken down into a series of panels, but if I haven’t said so previously, I love when artists do this. It’s even interesting when Madsen’s sound effects get broken across the gutter.

pg. 12 - I like how Augustyn is writing Roger. Especially as he can understand the mud.

pg. 13 - More wonderful madness from Blackwood.

pg. 14-16 - The preliminary mud battle is interesting. It’s messy, different from your usual Hellboy fight sequence, and ultimately solved through intelligence rather than might.

pg. 16 - Also another good turn for Roger.

pg. 18 - And then we get reminded of Roger’s naïveté with one very hilarious astonishment with bodies floating.

pg. 19 - The reverend trying to bless the poor dead girls while Roger and Abe fight the mud creature and the pastor is nice.

pg. 21 - Beautiful panel.

pg. 22 - The mayor trying to turn this into a shameless promotion again brings it nicely full circle to the beginning of the story.

Final Thoughts:

This was actually Brian Augustyn’s second time dipping a toe into the Hellboy universe, having previously written the Painkiller Jane/Hellboy crossover one-shot back in 1997. I don’t believe that it’s collected anywhere. That one, with Rick Leonardi handling the art chores, was much more of a standard superhero type affair, even though you’d probably be hard pressed to really consider either of the characters superheroes. It wasn’t bad, with some interesting touches of Native American mythology and sociopolitical themes, but not the kind of almost straight horror tale like this one.

Also, I love Guy Davis’ art. Looking at this issue, it’s no wonder why Davis was eventually chosen to handle the ongoing art chores for BPRD and guide its visual appearance. Davis has a style that is highly detailed, but highly stylized. He’d done a lengthy run on the excellent Sandman Mystery Theatre series throughout much of the 90s and his own creator-owned work, The Marquis, shortly before this, in mostly this style. Over the years working on BPRD, his style changed becoming a wee bit more exaggerated and refined, but it’s nice to see his original work here.

d. emerson eddy ain’t go no worries, cause he ain’t in no hurry at all.

[birdthany]

So I got tagged in two different ask memes at around the same time, once by @subarulesbian and once by @mollyglock and I’m going to consolidate them under one cut because some of the questions repeat

First, the one I was tagged in by @subarulesbian​. Because this one is longer and therefore has more of the repeats 1. How tall are you? 5′6.5

2. What color and style is your hair? Right now it’s shoulder-length brown fluff. Think like Regina Spektor’s hair if she didn’t brush or style it and rolled around a lot in her sleep.

3. What color are your eyes? Blueish grayish.

4. Do you wear glasses? Yes, though I often go without them

5. Do you wear braces? Not since eighth grade

6. What is your fashion style? Don’t have much of one, but I like leggings, sweaters, and adding pins and patches to jackets and jeans. 

7. Full name? Bethany Johanna

8. When were you born? October ‘97, though for Reasons I consider April 22 to be my Birthday, and it’s the one I Celebrate

9. Where are you from and where do you live now? Massachusetts, near Boston. And Massachusetts, near Boston.

10. What school do you go to? I go to a local Comewnitty Cawledge. 

11. What kind of student are you? Not an amazing one. Usually I know all the material but my executive dysfunction and anxiety causes me to miss or lose a bunch of the assignments and/or tests, and my migraines make me miss class, so I end up with very middling grades.

12. Do you like school? Depends on the subject, the atmosphere of the class, and how understanding the professor is about the aforementioned issues I have.

13. What are your favourite school subjects? well i majored in philosophy so i guess that lol.

14. Favorite TV shows? okay i like hardly watch tv anymore but i will come out of my cave for better call saul, stranger things, westworld, and bob’s burgers. also i’ve seen scrubs and the x files all the way through like a hundred times each.

16. Favorite books? The Animorphs series. Lately I’ve been rereading ASOUE, too. Other than excellent childrens’ series I mostly read nonfiction.

17. Favourite past-time? Chilling, talking to friends, art, listening to music

18. Do you have any regrets? Hah. Haha. I guess I’ll say “being too tolerant of bullshit.”

19. Dream job? Last time I got an ask meme I said “head of a successful band and author,” and then I realized I was describing Gerard Way, but I don’t really have a different answer. I’d love to rescue guinea pigs professionally but that’s even less attainable. 

20. Would you like to get married? Theoretically..... Dunno how likely it is though. Because of Circumstances

21. Would you like to have kids someday? Not biologically, never ever biologically, but I’d like to adopt.

22. How many? 2 or 3, probably. Sibling relationships are important to me

23. Do you like shopping? If I have a gift card and a lot of energy, yeah. Otherwise, no. and I hate clothes shopping

24. What countries have you visited? I can name every country in the world, but I have been to none outside the US.

25. What’s the scariest nightmare you’ve ever had? Oh, boy. You’ve gotta be way more specific than that. 

26. Do you have any enemies? Not super sure. I think there are some people who would consider me an enemy that I’ve just moved on from thinking about at all.

27. Do you have a s/o? Noooope. Not gonna do that again for awhile, either

28. Do you believe in miracles? Probably? Depends on what exactly you mean, again. I’ll say probably. Now, the one I was tagged in by @mollyglock

★ nickname: Most people just call me Bethany, but my ex used to call me “Bread” and Jay sometimes calls me “B” or “Bthany” (pronounced like bee-thany)

★ zodiac: tauruś 

★ height: 5′6.5″. yes the half inch is important (I know I already answered this but I think it’s funny that I didn’t have to change Robin’s answer at all)

★ last movie i saw: hhhhh I.... uh..... Oh! It was Bohemian Rhapsody.

★ last thing i googled: “november 2018 movies” trying to remember what the last movie I saw was. Before that “regina spektor hair” to make sure I was remembering right for my previous answers

★ favorite musician: 

now the last thing I googled was “gerard way deviantart stamp” 

★ song stuck in my head: “Come One, Come All” by All Time Low. I don’t really listen to them, but it’s on my playlist of “songs that are weirdly hateful towards DJs” 

★ other blogs: This is it babey

★ do i get asks: Sometimes! More often I get posts sent to me from the Messaging function

★ following: 569 but probably like half are inactive

★ followers: 339

★ amount of sleep: Absolutely completely varied and random. Today it was a lot, tomorrow it might be none.

★ lucky number: 13, I suppose

★ what i’m wearing: Magic school bus T-shirt, Cape Cod sweatshirt, and Jeggings. Because I’m an adult. Oh, and a warm beanie-ish type hat.

★ dream job: Already answered!

★ dream trip: I really want to see the world eventually... I’d be happy going just about anywhere tbh, but I really want to leave the country. Somewhere warm with really cool wildlife like Australia would be awesome.

★ favorite food: Anything that combines tomatoes with mozzarella or chocolate with peppermint. 

★ play any instruments: I did violin as a kid and still kinda remember how to play it, I’m an amateur at guitar, and I did voice for quite awhile but my voice is different than it was before so I fuck up singing a lot now

★ language: I’m only fluent in English, but I'm also conversational in ASL because my mom is an ASL interpreter and her BF and many of her friends I grew up around are all Deaf

★ favorite song: I’m going to follow Robin’s example and pick a Danger Days song, I’m gonna go with Party Poison! It seems appropriate since that whole ‘verse but also that song specifically is why the Party Poison symbol is the one I had Gerard draw so I can get it tattooed 

★ random fact: Birds are my Brand(tm) but I love guinea pigs just as much, and I have Three of them. whereas I only have the one bird

★ describe yourself in an aesthetic: I have little-to-no awareness of my own appearance or vibe, I don’t really know if I have an aesthetic? I’d like to think I give off an artsy and loving vibe. I pretty much always have paint and/or animal fur/hay on my clothes, so it seems possible. 

[ourlittlebitofnothinguniverse]

All for the video game ask. (do I need to mention only if u r comfy w/ it at this point). Love you!!

alright u done done it now bitchhhhhhhh are u READY 4 THIS SHIT (dshfa;lkj thamk i am so pumped ur my biggest enabler) i already answered a couple of these for anon but i’ll go ahead and answer them here as well

1. First game you played obsessively?hmmmm i wanna say the legend of spyro the eternal night? i played it so much i could beat the whole game in four hours. i’ve heard lots of ppl actually hated the legend of spyro trilogy but honestly they can suck my ass i loved them

2. A game that has influenced you creatively? Writing, drawing, etc.uh besides my answer for anon of skyrim not many games have actually just straight up influenced my art style but i’ve been playing this game called Fe (not fire emblem just Fe) and i really want to draw fanart for it bc it’s super cute if that Counts as influence?

3. Who did you play with as a kid?if this is meant in terms of co-op games nobody bc we didn’t have anyif just in general, my sister for the most part. i’d watch her play things like resident evil and she’d help me with the hard parts in medievil and crash bandicoot warped (read: racing levels)

4. Who do you play with now?myself lmao i don’t rly like co-op and multiplayer games and i prefer to play most games by myself

5. Ever use cheat codes?like i told anon, no bc i don’t know how they work and i’d probably only use them for the sims anyways

6. Ever buy strategy guides?not really? once we bought the collectors edition for diablo II when i was little and it included the strategy guide which i stayed up all night to read (bc i had run out of other reading materials in the house) but like i don’t really use them idk

7. Any games you have multiple copies of?the sims three and i know you know the reason why but in case anybody else wants to know: i didn’t know they had actually completely changed the game since i had played it last probably a decade ago so i bought it @ walmart this year and then i got mad bc it apparently SUCKS ASS now so in search of a copy of the original version i bought a second one from amazon bc the Image being used WAS of the original case but it really was the new version so now i have two SHITTY SHITTY VERSIONS of a game i used to love that i will never play bc it’s shit except maybe i will bc apparently it has real life music in it just replaced with sims language which is amazing and this response is far too long for the question but i asked u if u were ready so u signed up 4 thisi also have an xbox version of it tht i got for like christmas or smth years ago and a,,,,,, ds version??? that i got last year bc somebody was selling “the original version of the game including every expansion pack” for only like $30 and it definitely said disk version but when i got it it was this Pre-owned Dirty Ds Cartridge Covered In What Looked Like Strawberry Jelly and when i tried to contact them they shut their page down so there’s that which equals four shitty shitty copies of the sims three and i will never be more mad about anything than i am about this

8. Rarest/Most expensive game in your collection?uh well back when i had a job i spent A Lot of money (to me it was a lot) to get the collectors edition of the last guardian so that would be my most expensive. other than that i would have to say one of the hardest to find (maybe not rare but not common)games i have currently is medievil for ps1 bc it took me like a week of searching to find a copy in good condition online for sale bc i rly wanted to own it again since we had to sell all my old games when we moved to oregon which sucked bc we had a Bunch of cool games (mostly early ps era)

9. Most regrettable purchase?did you see my rant about the sims three for answer 7? yeah

10. Ever go to a midnight game release or stand in line for hours?never lived in an area where that is A Thing

11. Have you ever made new friends from playing video games?i wanna make a homestuck joke here (srsly probably not like i said i don’t rly do any type of co-op or multiplayer games so)

12. Ever get picked on for liking games?not really?? is that a Thing?

13. A game you’ve never played that everyone else has?uh idk literally any COD game, basketball games, Fallout games, overwatch, anything that’s co-op, shooter games or sports related etc idk i’m a simple fellow these types of games don’t appeal to me

14. Favorite game music?idk what this means? like genre-wise??? idk abt stuff like that i just like good game music but i’ll tell you the fuck what, hiveswap music fuckin SLAPPED

15. If it was a requirement to get a game related tattoo, what would you pick?fuck shit idk man i don’t rly want a tattoo maybe uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh smth that could be vague

16. Favorite game to play with your friends IRL?idk rip lmao

17. Ever lose a friend over a game?Nah man i can’t even imagine smth as dumb as that unless they’re screaming racist or sexist slurs bc then friendship is terminated but otherwise like wtf it’s just a game,,,

18. Would you date someone that hates gaming?i mean?????? sure????????????? they don’t have to game with me??????????? unless they tell me I can’t game bc they don’t like it in which case Bye u controlling piece of shit

19. Favorite handheld console?u kno those games that used to come in sonic happy meals? yah (jk uh i don’t have much experience w/ handheld consoles besides nintendo ds-es and they’re cool)

20. Game that you know like the back of your hand?like i said i played spyro the eternal night so often i could beat it in four hours so probably that one.

21. Game that you didn’t like or understand as a kid but love now?the only games i didn’t like as a kid i p much still don’t like now

22. Do you wear game related clothing/accessories?i am Poor

23. The game that you’ve logged the most hours into?currently skyrim or stardew valley

24. First Pokemon game?I didn’t get to play any pokemon games until this year actually but i got myself pokemon y and ultra sun so those are my first two! although you Could technically say pokemon go bc i played that for the first time like One month before i got y and ultra sun but like idk if tht counts so *shrug emoji*

25. Were you ever an arcade game player?i never lived where arcades were a thing tbh

26. Ever form any gaming rivalries?Why

27. Game that makes you rage?there’s this absolutely adorable and INFURIATING game called so many me that’s a puzzle platformer but the controls are so ridiculously precise that it’s absolutely the WORST to play bc unless you do it just right at just the right millisecond you will die over and over and over

28. Ever play in a tournament?nah

29. What is your gaming set up?the livingroom tv and my mom’s xbox one or my bedroom with my ps4 i got for my birthday and my xbox 360 that i got like 7 years ago

30. How many consoles do you own?alright so If ds-es count i own,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, roughly seven? i have my new ps4 i got for my birthday last year, my 7 year old xbox 360, another xbox 360 i bought from a kid @ school, a ps1 i bought last year for the Nostalgia that’s in rly good condition, a rly old ds lite a rly old 3ds and my new pokeball 2dsxl. i would also say that the ps3 my aunt left when she died is mine bc my mom never used it and she had bought most of the games For Me and Her to play together anyways so the idea that she left it to my mom is,,,, Weird but my mom claims it was left to her so Shrug emoji

31. Does the 3DS and/or Virtual Boy hurt your eyes or give you headaches?“virtual boy” i love it omg. uh not really i don’t use my ds-es that often bc i don’t have a just wild amount of games but when i do use them it doesn’t rly mess w/ my brain or eyes too much

32. Did you ever play a game based on your favorite show/cartoon/movie/comic?probably not?

33. Did you ever have any bootleg games or plug-n-play games?i don’t think so tbh

34. Do either of your parents play video games?my mom does but she really only plays like three games (the newest assassins creed, skyrim, and stardew valley)

35. Ever work in a game store? Or do you have a favorite game shop?nope

36. Have you ever shed actual blood, sweat or tears over a game?man have u ever heard of brotherhood a tale of two sons? mom told me abt it and she didn’t warn me abt how it ended and i had to leave the room and cry bc it broke my heart

37. Have you played E.T. for the Atari 2600? Do you think that’s the worst game ever, or do you have another nomination?i didn’t know that was a thing

38. A game you’re ashamed to admit that you like?i can’t think of any tbh. oh wait i take that back sonic unleashed it’s terrible but i love it

39. A sequel that you would die for them to make?maybe not a sequel but they rly need to come out with another stardew valley type thing or maybe expansions or smth so that you can talk to and befriend more ppl and stuff

40. What to you think of virtual reality headsets or motion controls?never been able to try them but they look super fun and i can’t wait to see how they improve the technology

41. A genre that you just can’t get into?multi-player games period. also first person shooters and sports games. there’s more but i can’t remember the title of the game bc i don’t know what genre it would be lmao

42. Maybe it wasn’t your first game, but what was the game that started you on your path to nerdiness?i assume this means game related nerdiness not just my inherent nerdiness in general so probably the very first spyro game

43. Ever play games when you really should have been concentrating on something else?all the time my dude

44. Arcade machine that has consumed the most of your quarters?none

45. How are you at Mario Kart?probably shit i’m not good @ steering in games

46. Do you like relaxing games like Animal Crossing or Harvest Moon?i love them! i have like 100+ hours logged into stardew valley and i only got it in like november of last year

47. Do you like competitive games?not really

48. How long does it take your to customize your player character?so long. i either have to make them gorgeous or beautifully hideous

49. In games where you can pick your class, do you always tend to go for the same type of character?yah tbh lmao. i have like eight thief stone khajits in skyrim rn

50. If you were a game designer, what masterpiece would you create?i have a Lot of ideas and not all of them are good

51. Have you ever played a game for so long that you forgot to eat or sleep?forgetting to sleep, yes. forgetting to eat? no 

52. A game that you begged your parents for as a kid?i was a very sheltered kid i didn’t know about new games coming out when i was little bc we didn’t have any way for me to find out About Them. i’m making up for it by begging as an adult for ni-no-kuni II and the new spyro trilogy remastered

53. What’s your opinion on DLC these days?depends on the game tbh some of it is good and a lot of ppl who make mods are rly talented but sometimes the big companies just make dlc to make more money so it can be rly shitty so it’s kinda a 50/50

54. Do you give in to Steam sales?heck yes rn i’m waiting for house flipper to go on sale bc i’ve been waiting for it to come out since i found out abt it

55. Did you ever make someone you hated in the Sims and did mean stuff to them?no my style of playing the sims was more along the lines of make a hundred houses that are all P Much The Same House and making a hundred familys and never playing literally any of them hadflskja;sdfjdslkhja i just liked building stuff and that’s why i’m pissed abt how much they changed the sims three bc it used to be Way Better

56. Did you ever play Roller Coaster Tycoon and kill off your guests?we didn’t have it but i did have zoo tycoon and i’d release the dinosaurs sometimes

57. Did you ever play a game to 100% or get all of the achievements?legend of spyro the eternal night

58. If you can only play 3 games for the rest of your life, which ones do you pick?uh!!! that’s too much pressure and i would get so bored playing them for the rest of my life even if i loved them so i will not choose

59. Do you play any cell phone games?sort of? i’m big into abyssrium and i like viridi if those Count?

60. Do you know the Konami Code???????????????????????? guess not

61. Do you trade in your games or keep them forever?keep them forever!

62. Ever buy a console specifically to play one game?i got the last guardian before getting the ps4 does that answer ur question? (jk that is not the only reason i wanted and got the ps4 but it was One big reason)

63. Ever go to a gaming convention or tournament? nah

64. Ever make a TV or monitor purchase based on what would be best for gaming?not really? i just use whatever i currently have bc i am lame

65. Ever have a Game Genie, Game Shark or Action Replay? Did it ever mess up your game’s save file?nope

66. Did you ever have have an old Nokia with Snake on it?not a nokia but we had this one handheld thing that had a bunch of games in it that included snake i just can’t remember what it was it had like letters and numbers and it needed like regular batteries and you could only play the games that came programmed on it 

67. Do you have a happy gaming-related childhood memory you want to share?i cannot think of any right off the top of my head even though i know i played a lot of video games and loved them when i was little. hm it might not count as like a gaming-related childhood memory and more of just a memory of a game but we did have one really interesting little game that i absolutely loved i think we only rented it but u were a scientist who could turn into a mouse and it was absolutely amazing i loved it i have no idea what it was called hm

68. Ever save up a ton of tickets in an arcade to get something cool?not really we didn’t have arcades around where i grew up

69. In your opinion, best game ever made? there are a lot of rly good ones i can’t choose a best game

70. Very first game you ever beat? like i told anon i’m p sure it was crash bandicoot warped

WHEW this was rly fun thank u for enabling me it took me like two hours to answer this i’m so happy. ilu 2 man hope ur day has been rad!

[juniorformulamotorsport]

Friday, 12th July 2019 – Porto, Day 2

Friday morning saw Lynne creak into action rather late, but in good time for our first activity of the day. I’d already been out to try and purchase some yogurt for her because she insists it’s needed to kick start her digestion. I’d found a lot of lovely buildings, but despite Google Maps insisting there was a supermarket at the destination it had sent me to, there really wasn’t. I’d given up and returned to the Intercontinental where the staff in the restaurant let me have a yogurt for free (we were on a room only booking so breakfast was meant to be €25 per person which was part of the reason I’d gone out to hunt for fermented dairy products – we didn’t actually want breakfast proper because of our plans for the day).

We had always intended to skip breakfast because we were booked on a food tour of Porto, starting at 10:00 and lasting around 3.5 hours. Our experience of food tours so far (in Helsinki and Krakow) had taught us that it’s best to arrive hungry for this sort of endeavour. This one, the Vintage Food Tour, with the lovely and very knowledgeable Maria from Taste Porto would prove to be no exception. First, however, we’d ordered a pair of Porto cards, including the Andante card that gives you access to Porto’s public transport network. The cost was €33 each for four days so it wasn’t exactly expensive even if we didn’t use it in all the places it was valid (which wouldn’t be possible in 4 days unless you rushed in and out of everywhere and I’d rather not do that, unlike some people).

First we walked up to the cathedral where, after a couple of false starts, we finally located the Tourist Information office, and were soon in possession of the cards as well as a very useful city map.

From there we walked back down the hill to get to our rendezvous point. We met over by the Mercado do Bolhão (which apparently means big bubble because it’s on the site of a small creek that’s now underground, and that used to produce lots of bubbles). The neoclassic building that’s on the site now was built in 1914 and provides the main market in town. It’s currently undergoing a full refurbishment, and most of the traders have been moved to a massive all nearby for the duration while the art deco building is restored to its former glory. It had apparently fallen into a bit of a state of disrepair, but a massive grant from the EU coupled with local money means it will stage a come back. When it does I’d like to see it because I’m sure it will be glorious once again. It’s been classified as a Property of Patrimonial Interest since 2006, and a Monument of Public Interest since 2013. They started the work in 2018 and it’s supposed to be complete in 2020. The traders are apparently looking forward to returning because they’ll be back in the open in the courtyard area after 2 years inside. Work does seem to be progressing nicely, at least from the outside…

After the 8 of us on the tour had introduced ourselves to each other Maria walked us to the first destination on the tour, the Mercearia do Bolhão, an utterly wonderful old-style grocery shop selling food and drink, but also with a small household cleaning section. There’s a bakery section as well but that’s been moved to a second building a handful of doors down.

Inside we were presented with a selection of local goodies, including a lovely selection of cheese, crackers, quince paste and a local sausage. We nibbled our way through these (Maria told us she’d be disappointed if we didn’t eat everything and explained that the locals have very big appetites). The cheese was especially good, made with milk from cows, goats and sheep. It was soft, creamy and had a slightly pungent finish where you could clearly detect the goat’s milk flavour. The crackers were slightly sweet with a good crunch, and the quince paste was grainier than the sort I’m used to, but went perfectly with the cheese. Apparently having both together is known as Romeo and Juliet!

From here we walked towards the famous Porto café, the Majestic Café, which is a terrific looking place complete with smartly-uniformed waiters. It’s also a complete tourist trap, and charges around €5 a coffee. The locals don’t go there, and as this was a tour to show us where the locals do go, Maria walked us along to the second café owned by the same people, the Guarany Café, close to our hotel on the Avenida dos Aliados. Here coffee costs around €1, and breakfast is €15 instead of €30. We sat down and had a coffee each, a very strong but smooth blend, preferred by the locals. The café itself is also lovely, but has the advantage of not being rammed with tourists. Apparently there are a number of regulars including a local poet in his 90s know who comes in every morning for a coffee and to read the newspapers. Apparently the original owners made their money in Brazil and then returned in the 1930s to open this café. Its website also provides a good example of something we would continue to experience all the time we were in Porto, with translations into English having quite obviously never been anywhere near a native English speaker before being committed to print/the internet. It was enough to make my inner editor weep!

Fortified by coffee, our next stop was at the magnificent São Bento station, where we had a brief run through the history of Porto and of Portugal and an opportunity to admire the 20,000 tiles that make up the decoration of the main hall. The station is the main starting point for train journeys through the Douro valley, and it is also the terminus of a number of local lines. Like our hotel, it too was once a convent, with the last nun only dying a number of years after the first train service ran! The tiles date from 1905–1916, and depict scenes from Portugal’s history, including the entry into Porto of King John I and Philippa of Lancaster to celebrate their wedding. There are also scenes of local life, including a cattle fair and a pilgrim camp (Porto is on one of the many routes to Santiago de Compostela and thus sees a lot of pilgrims walking the path even now – we saw quite a few walkers with the pilgrim sign of a scallop shell hanging from their rucksacks), along with scenes showing vineyards, the grape harvest, wine shipment down the Douro and work in a watermill. As Maria pointed out, all the work seems to be being done by the women.

From the station we headed up the hill back towards the cathedral where we stopped off at a shop selling canned fish. This was not the madly touristic version either, but rather somewhere very civilised that is run by the associated of tinned fish producers with intent to promote their products. There was a table waiting for us in Loja das Conservas (other branches are available, including in Macau, which I wish I’d known sooner), with a bottle of wine, crackers and two different types of tinned fish to try, one the obvious sardines, the other needlefish. Both were very tasty indeed, once I’d recovered from trying a drop or two of the chilli sauce known as “the bastard” and my tongue stopped throbbing! In addition to hundreds of different types of fish in tins, with all sorts of sauces, they also sell some purely fun things including these dangly sardines, and I’d really recommend a visit. We were all given a 5% discount voucher to use in the shop, and Lynne and I decided we’d come back later and collect some supplies. The vinho verde served alongside the fish was also very good.

From here we went to Ö Tascö, a very modern looking restaurant in what we were now beginning to realise was the standard Porto building with a very narrow facade at the front but that go back for forever, very much like Belgian buildings. I asked if it was for the same reason (the wider the building the more tax you paid) and was told that yes, that was indeed the case. Here we were offered more wine along with some petischos, salt cod fritters and some Alheira sausages, apparently also known as Jewish sausages. These are sausages made of meat (veal, duck, chicken quail or rabbit) and bread, usually along with alho (garlic) which is where the name comes from. Apparently they were invented by the Jews of Portugal in 1497 when they were given a choice between being expelled from the country or converting to Christianity. The conversos who secretly retained their beliefs avoided eating pork but where at risk because they didn’t have sausages (containing pork) hanging up in their smokehouses and so, to avoid the Inquisition noticing, they started making sausages from other meats. They are tasty, with a texture that’s very mushy, and are very filling. The cod fritters were a model of lightness in comparison!

After a second glass of wine the conversation was very animated, and we all seemed to be getting on very well. We were in even better form by the time we reached Taxca, a pub rather than a restaurant, where we drank an espadal wine, a sparkling, light rose, kept in a cask and served from a pump and produced in the vinho verde region. With it we had a typical snack, a hefty serving of presunto ham in a bread roll. Maria reckoned this was the sort of place she and her friends would come to at the start of a night out to get things off to a good start. The hams are hanging up above the bar, and the menu is a pair of metal plaques with the words cut out of them, fastened to the wall. Presumably it doesn’t change very often!

  Now we were full of food we were ready for the final stage of the tour. Stopping off at a bakery for some sweet treats, we headed on to a port and wine shop, Touriga (named after one of the many grapes used to make port), where we would have a short session on port, and a tasting of three different ports along with the treats. We had the good fortune to try a 10-year old white, a 2013 late bottled vintage, and a 10-year old tawny.

The went perfectly with the sweets, a tiny almond tart, and a sticky brigadeiro (a Brazilian ball of chocolate and condensed milk and butter formed into a ball and coated in chocolate sprinkles). And half an hour later we realised that a) we were going to have to buy some port and b) we weren’t going to make it to our scheduled tasting at Graham’s port house by 14:15 because it was 14:15 and we’d gone way over the scheduled time. We didn’t care; we’d been having fun. We cared even less when Maria called Graham’s and rescheduled it for us for the following day. She apologised for the overrun, but we’d really enjoyed it and really, really wouldn’t have wanted to rush off.

Before we left the shop we ordered a case of the wines we’d tried (6 of the white, 6 of the tawny) and arranged to have them shipped home for a very reasonable extra €37. The American on the tour were disappointed to find they’d have to pay €173 to ship 12 bottles and instead planned to bury them in their suitcases. I do hope it all survives the trip back to Michigan. Ours arrived 6 days later, safely packed, and with a lovely note thanking us for supporting small wine producers. I suggest the pleasure will be all ours! We’d had a fabulous food tour, and I could see why the Guardian ranked Taste Porto’s tours as among the best anywhere.

It was now around 3pm. We dropped some things off at the hotel, and then decided it was too stick to do anything productive so we’d join a bus tour to take a look at the Atlantic coast. It was a hop on hop off tour but we couldn’t raise the energy to hop off so we stayed put on the top level, letting the breeze cool us off, and watching the world go by. I do have to say that I’ve been on better tours with the same company. The commentary was almost inaudible even with the volume turned up full blast, and had clearly been read by someone with only a passing familiarity with English. It was, however, also considerably cheaper than in most European countries at €15 for 2 days. And we got to sit down for an hour or so, which was by now very welcome!

At the end of the tour we hopped off and went and peered into the MacDonalds, to see if we’d been told the truth. We most certainly had!

I’m pretty sure there are no MacDonalds anywhere else that are quite so spectacular on the inside…

Or the outside! We didn’t need any prompting not to stay though. Maria had recommended a gelateria close by, and as it was a sticky day we figured what the hell, we’d have one and then go back to the hotel to get cleaned up before dinner. The 1927 Gelateria Portuense is brilliant. It’s a tiny place, tucked away down a sidestreet, and it serves the most fabulous gelato. By the time we got there, they’d started to run out of several flavours, but they still had the pistachio left, enough for a single portion, so Lynne had that and I had the mango, and we swapped spoonfuls. It was definitely among the best ice cream or gelato I’ve ever eaten. They also do a tasting selecton where you can have 6 small tubs of different flavours for €7 which seemed like a bargain for that quality level.

Now decidedly sticky as well as sweaty we retreated back to the hotel for a pre-dinner shower and a drink before going out for dinner (we had a bottle of the white port from the tour to hand and intended to enjoy it).

Travel 2019 – Porto, Day 2 Friday, 12th July 2019 - Porto, Day 2 Friday morning saw Lynne creak into action rather late, but in good time for our first activity of the day.

[thegeeklee]

Review: Night In The Woods (PC/PS4)

There’s so many games out there these days, that it’s hard to keep track of them all, but I try my best. I do vaguely remember having seen something about Night In The Woods a few years ago, but clearly it didn’t seem to get me to track it from there. I then 2 years ago, stumbled upon it in an indie game exhibition at Seattle’s EMP Museum. I had a quick play (I was in a bit of a rush as we were flying out a few hours later), and was impressed by it’s slickness, to the point that I just assumed it must have already been out. It wasn’t already out, so it remained only vaguely in the back of my mind. It was only when a friend mentioned the game a few times, that I started to take notice of it more. And then in the past 2 months, I got surprisingly hyped about the release of the game, counting down the days until it would pop up on Steam.

Night In The Woods was kickstarted 3 years ago by a small indie team, receiving over 4 times it’s original $50,000 funding request. They could have kept adding features as stretch goals to get even more backers, but they wisely saw this as scope creep (something I wish the developers of Star Citizen would take note of). After a few delays, it’s finally out. So what’s it like?

Well if you aren’t into hipster aesthetics, you could easily be put off by the art style. I think this is part of what put me off from buying in early to this game when I first heard about it. But don’t let it put you off. The art style is a really flat, almost children’s book like. But this definitely ain’t not kid’s game. It’s about young adult life, a coming of age story about young people trying to figure out what to do with their life, when it seems like there’s limited options. It reminded me a lot of South Park Stick of Truth. It feels like you are playing a real live animation.

The protagonist, is Mae, who’s dropped out of college and returned to her small home town to live with her parents. As what happens with most people who return to their home towns, a lot is the same, but a lot has changed. Her friends are all working dead end jobs. The local coal mine has been closed down, which has hit the local economy badly, with less money and jobs around, causing people and businesses to leave the town. The game is in many ways a modern life simulator of what happens to a town like this once society moves on from dated industries like coal mining.

But it’s not all mundane, day to day life going ons. There is something weird going on in the town, and in-between dealing with friends and feelings, you will find yourself trying to figure out this hidden mystery. There’s also some very abstract dream sequences. It makes for an interesting contrast.

The game is a very heavily narrative driven adventure. Most of what you will be doing is just talking to people around the town. There is a lot of talking to go through if you engage with all the characters in the town, so keep that in mind when choosing whether this game is for you. This is however broken up with some exploring, mini games and platforming.

The exploring is somewhat limited, but there definitely is some hidden components you could miss if you don’t snoop around. The mini games are basic, but really help break the game up a bit and give it variety. The guitar hero style mini game in particular is enjoyable, even though I don’t think there’s any way to be good at it. It could easily be separated as a stand alone mini game. The platforming can be fiddly and frustrating in parts. In particular there’s a platforming section near the start that is supposed to teach you to triple jump. I got stuck on this for about 10 minutes to the point of almost rage quitting. Perhaps you don’t suck as much I do, but if you do, keep at it, because I didn’t really come across anything as frustrating as that afterwards. It was pretty smooth sailing from there on. The game works well with a controller (especially for the force feedback scenes).

The general gameplay loop is waking up each day, going into town, and choosing a friend to hang out with at night. At first impressions, it probably seems like quite a linear game, and I guess the main story line is linear, however it’s the choices you make like which friend to hang out with, which makes playthroughs somewhat unique and giving it a level of replayability to it. Choosing to hang out with one character at night, means you’re missing out on hanging out with another character, therefore you’ve not seen that scene during your playthrough. This became apparent when I realised I had not seen the iconic “Donut Wolf” during my playthrough. Also you have a journal which you add scribblings into. When you see blank pages, it makes you wonder what you missed. While it can frustrate a completionist that wants to see everything in their playthrough, it does mean you could do at least a second playthrough, and see some new things you didn’t experience the first time. This is a good feature to have with narrative games. It can be even extended further, as there is a full rouge like game called Demon Tower that you can play on Mae’s computer.

As you have probably noticed from the screen shots, all the characters are andromorphic animals. I’ve since seen human versions of the characters done up as fan art, and it’s interesting seeing these interpretations, because the characters, despite being animals, do come across much more human than most human game characters. All of the characters are strong, with some of the most authentic dialogue I’ve seen in a game in a long time. I became quite attached to the characters and the town, much more so than I did with Oxenfree (which I only recently got around to playing through). The characters are very much defined already. You are playing the character of Mae, not yourself. Mae is a bit of a jerk. Often in dialogue choices you have the option of being a jerk, or being a jerk in a different way. This ensures you can’t taint the character by trying to make them a better person. Mae has her traits, and you will be going on that journey with her. Much like Costume Quest, if there was one thing missing, I’d say it’s voice acting, but it’s understandable that there’s none considering it’s budget.

While as mentioned, it could be seen as having hipster elements, the game is in fact quite grunge. So much so that I could just imagine Gary Numan’s ‘Down In The Park’ playing in background (the game actually has a great original soundtrack). It’s got goths and punks. There’s stealing and knife fights. One of the most challenging things media can attempt to do is make bands and music culture cool within it’s content. Night In The Woods pulls it off authentically.

Overall this game is not for everyone, but for those whom it is, it’s an awesome little unique game. I say little because I originally expected it to be about 5 hours long. I was surprised to find my playthrough was around 13-14 hours. Granted I am a slow player, who likes to check every nook and cranny while talking to anyone whose mouth moves. But for those whom equate a games value with it’s length (not me), I think you could find you’d get at least 8 hours of gameplay out of it, not including if you did additional playthroughs or tried to complete Demon Tower. This is great value for a game released for $20USD. As I said though, this game ain’t gonna be for everyone, COD kids need not apply. If you are unsure about it, there’s two free supplementary games you can download here: https://finji.itch.io/ . The Longest Night is reminiscent of a mini game from Night In The Woods, while Lost Constellation is more like a full game, that will give a good feel for what the gameplay of Night In The Woods is like. Between playing these, you’ll get a sense of whether Night In The Woods is your jam.

2017 is going to be a huge year for adventure games, and Night In The Woods starts the year off strong with a potential Game of The Year candidate.  I look forward to seeing what it’s developer, Infinite Fall do next.

[sentrava]

The Ultimate Guide to Gothenburg: What to Eat, See & Do

Young, progressive, hip, clean, innovative—these are all adjectives I’d use to describe Gothenburg, Sweden’s second largest city and the jumping off point for all west coast road trips. It’s a little bit casual, a little bit cosmopolitan, and a whole lot hipster. In fact, one of its residents told us about the university town: “Gothenburg is not just a beer city—it’s a beard city.” In that respect, it felt a whole lot like home.

But it’s really a place you need to hit the ground running before you can fully appreciate its distinct vibe. Here’s what you can expect from what many refer to as “Little London.”

WHERE TO STAY IN GOTHENBURG

On the front end of our trip, we stayed at the Clarion Post Hotel as part of the Volvo Overseas Delivery Program. This former central post office is one of the city’s finest design hotels with a lobby lined with crystals and an inviting rooftop pool on the 13th floor that offers a full panorama of the city center.

On our return, we spent three nights at Hotel Pigalle, one of Gothenburg’s chicest boutique hotels. And while it’s designed to mimic Paris in the early 1900s, the hotel itself has actually only been around a couple years (yet it already landed on Conde Nast Traveler’s coveted Gold List). Keep your eyes peeled for fun little design accents like strands of pearls and amusing artwork (Karl Lagerfeld as an owl, anyone?).

HOW TO GET AROUND TOWN

We spent most of our time on foot to hit up all the central attractions. Despite just 500,000 residents, Gothenburg is a pretty large city size-wise so if you’re there more than a day or two, you’ll need to turn to additional methods to see the sights.

You could rent a car, but honestly you don’t need it. We talked to Gothenburg residents in their 30s and 40s who had never even bothered to get a driver’s license — the public transportation is that good. We found the tram and bus system very easy to navigate, not to mention reliable; each stop listed the time of the next arrival down to the minute, and we never waited more than five.

You can purchase tickets at any of the sales kiosks or the tourist center, as well as download the app and pay on your phone. Gothenburg’s visitor card (available in 24-, 48- and 72-hour increments) also includes all public transportation: buses, trams, ferries, trains. Like everything else in Sweden, the transportation truly runs like a dream.

If you’re in a pinch, there are also plenty of taxis—some of which are even Teslas (#OnlyInSweden)—and we wound up calling one to go to the airport when we were in danger of missing our flight.

WHERE TO GET KILLER INSTAGRAM SHOTS

Dorsia. This burlesque-inspired hotel may be the sexiest place in all of Gothenburg with its bold artwork and red velvet accents. We didn’t stay here, but we did settle into the living room one rainy afternoon for cocktails as we sipped our way through the extensive gin menu.

The Palm House. This green house is located right smack in the middle of the well-manicured lawns of the Garden Society of Gothenburg, an urban oasis that dates back to the 19th century and boasts thousands of roses. It was raining throughout most of our time in Gothenburg, but that didn’t stop us from seeking shelter indoors and enjoying the exotic plants (and the warm temps) of the indoors Palm House.

Gothenburg Museum of Art. I’m not typically a museum fan, but I couldn’t help but love the modern art filling Gothenburg’s stately museum. We saw paintings from famed Scandinavian artists such as Edvard Munch and marveled over the sculptures. There was even a Ping Pong installation where I got to use my skills to school SVV in the art of table tennis.

Upper House Spa. A protruding outdoor hot tub that hangs 19 stories above the ground and boasts killer views of Liseberg and the city beyond? I almost couldn’t believe it myself. But this three-level spa housed in Gothia Towers is one of the coolest places I’ve visited ever. (Pro tip: Stay in the on-site hotel, and your spa bill and fitness classes will be 20 percent off.)

Haga. The old town may be one of the more touristy sections in the city, but it’s also the oldest. The entire block is lined with cute, colorful wooden houses, many of them some hundreds of years old.

Gothenburg Botanical Garden. A 20-minute tram ride from the center of town, Gothenburg’s botanical garden (Botaniska Trädgården) is one of the largest in northern Europe (not to mention, most beautiful). Spanning more than 400 acres, this gorgeous slice of greenery took us more than an hour to walk through thanks to its more than 16,000 species of plants to fawn over.

WHERE TO EAT & DRINK

Jerntorgets Brygghus. There are a handful of craft breweries within Gothenburg—it’s a scene very much on the rise—but only a couple you can actually visit (and even those are either reservation-only or have odd days and hours, like open every other Friday). Luckily, we found this friendly taproom on the fringe of the tourist district, Haga, that stocked everything we could want and more.

SK Mat & Människor. This contemporary restaurant helmed by restaurateur Stefan Karlsson has an open kitchen so you can watch the chefs in action as they whip up your meal (translated in English, the restaurant’s name means “food and people”). Awarded a star in the Michelin guide, it’s a great excuse for a date night, as well as the prime spot to sample all the regional delights. We had the tasting menu—three of the four courses of which was a different kind of fish from West Sweden—complete with wine pairings.

Feskekôrka. Built in 1874, the “fish church” is exactly as it sounds: a Gothic-style, church-like structure that houses a fish market. Insider, there’s also a second-floor restaurant, Gabriel, that overlooks the market and serves one of the best meals we had in all of Sweden (make reservations as the dining area is small). It’s known for its Swedish oysters, which taste like the ocean itself, but I was a huge fan of the “fish burger,” which was baked cod in casserole form and drowned in butter.

Saluhallen. Little has changed in the city’s resident market hall in Kungstorget since 1889 when it was completed. It’s still a popular spot for locals to grab lunch on the go from any of the many stalls or pick up meat, artisan cheese, spices, wine, chocolate, or other delicacies for dinner or to take as gifts.

Da Matteo. I embraced the concept of “fika” when I lived in Scandinavia more than a decade ago and was thrilled to learn that it’s still very much alive today in Sweden. On our first morning in Gothenburg, we stopped by the iconic Da Matteo roastery in Magasinsgatan for a latte and cardamom bun (and then returned on days two and three, as well!).

Forssén Öberg. This champagne bar offers a wide selection of bubbles by the glass or bottle, plus a bevy of seasonal Swedish dishes (read: lots of fish). We had the three-course tasting menu complete with champagne/wine pairings. I know what you’re thinking, and you’re right: We did not eat poorly on this trip!

Mr. P. We visited the modern brasserie in the art museum twice: once for cocktails (so good!) and again for lunch (also, delicious). Just don’t pass the chance to visit the adjoining modern art museum while you’re there.

Kafé Magasinet. You know those days when you’re playing tourist so hard and nothing sounds better than sitting down for a spell with a large beer for company? That’s how we felt after walking what felt like 100 miles around Gothenburg one day. We saw the entrance to Kafé Magasinet’s courtyard as we were tooling around Haga and mentally bookmarked it for when we needed a rest. The interior was every bit as lovely as we could hope when we returned an hour later, and the spacious café has both indoor and outdoor seating and serves fika, food and a full bar.

Food trucks in Magasinsgatan. Like so many other big cities, Gothenburg has a burgeoning food truck scene. There are always a couple ones in rotation parked right out front of the da Mateo in Magasinsgatan.

Atelier. On our final night at Hotel Pigalle, we headed up to the fourth floor for a feast in the on-site restaurant. I’m not sure what I loved more: the décor (a hodgepodge of patterns and textures occupying a cozy space with a slanted ceiling) or the meal (a three-course tasting menu of regional specialties and our first meal of the trip that wasn’t all seafood).

FOODS YOU MUST TRY

Swedish meatballs, with lingonberry sauce

Västerbottensost, a decadent savory cheese pie

Cod bake with brown butter, preferably from the Fish Church

Langoustine, saltwater crayfish

Kardemommebulle, cardamom buns

Any fresh-caught fish with dill sauce, the Swedish herb of choice

With its seven Michelin star restaurants, Gothenburg definitely lived up to its reputation of being a culinary destination, though as evidenced above, we found more to do there than just eat and drink.

Any favorite Gothenburg spots that I should put on my list for next trip?

This post is part of a campaign with Travel Mindset and partners Visit Sweden, West Sweden, Gothenburg & Co., SAS Scandinavian Airlines and Volvo Cars USA.

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[ronlofland]

A Gem On The Mediterranean – 10 Things To See And Do While Attending The INTA Annual Meeting In Barcelona

Barcelona may be my favorite city in the world.  It is certainly a top contender.  Because one of my dearest friends is a native Barcelonian, I’ve been fortunate enough to have visited multiple times, and I have also had one of the best tour guides you could hope for.  So when I found out that the 2017 International Trademark Association (INTA) Annual Meeting (May 20 -24) was being held in BCN (a common abbreviation for the city and its airport), I had only one question – Where do I sign up?

See this post in Spanish.

A Bit About the City

Barcelona, the capital city of the autonomous community of Catalonia, is nestled on the Mediterranean on the northeast coast of Spain.  An ancient city (one unverifiable legend suggest that Barcelona was founded by Hannibal’s father, Hamilcar Barca, and eponymously named Barcino in the 3rd Century BC), Barcelona was an important center of commerce for the Roman Empire by the 3rd Century AD.  It fell to the Visigoths in the 5th Century, came under Moorish control in the 8th Century, was taken by the son of Charlemagne in the early 9th Century, came under the Crown of Aragon in the 12th Century, and then came under the rule of the Spanish monarchy with the marriage of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile in 1469. In the 20th Century, as home to Pablo Picasso, Joan Miró, and Antoni Gaudí, the ancient city became a wellspring of all things Modern.

Given its storied history, Barcelona teems with architectural, artistic, and cultural wonders, and offers cuisine and gastronomy that is virtually unparalleled.  If you’re going to be there for the Annual Meeting, I definitely recommend removing your “I am at a conference” blinders so that you can take a good look around.  Need some help?  Here are ten things that I would recommend checking out.  And remember, this list could be ten times longer, so try to save some time for exploration – you won’t be sorry.

Look Up!

The architecture in Barcelona is almost unbelievable.  Gaudí is a main reason why.  This Modern architect and designer, heavily influenced by the Gothic Revival, transformed the look and feel of the city.  Structures like Casa Milà, also referred to as La Pedrera (“the quarry”), give Barcelona an other-worldly aura.  But that’s not all – you can take a stroll around Barcelona’s ancient Roman walls, visit the Gothic-era Barcelona Cathedral, behold the unlikely eminence of the colorful-by-night Torre Agbar, or bask in the Modern splendor of the Palau de la Música Catalana (The Music Palace of Catalonia). 

There is all this and so much more.  No matter your taste, there are sure to be at least a few buildings in Barcelona that you will adore.

Tuck In!

Get ready to eat.  Is fine dining your thing?  If so, you are in luck!  Barcelona has long been a hotbed of gastronomic excellence and innovation.  As head chef of the (sadly) shuttered, but still legendary El Bulli restaurant, Ferran Adrià put Barcelona on the international culinary map when he rose to the role of head chef in the 1980s.  Molecular gastronomy took hold, and Barcelona didn’t look back.  Mr. Adrià’s younger brother Albert, who was the pastry chef at El Bulli, has since put on a new apron and proved himself to be his brother’s equal in crafting savory fare.  His Tickets and Bodega 1900 restaurants are considered among the best in the world.  Jordi Cruz, who at the age of 26 was the second youngest chef ever to be awarded a Michelin star, now serves his creative cuisine at ABaC Restaurant and Hotel.

If trendy isn’t your cup of tea, there’s no need to worry.  Barcelona overflows with wine bars, tapas and pintxos places, traditional Spanish restaurants, and seafood for days.  This is just the tip of the iceberg.  Bring your appetite, because you’re going to need it.

Check out a Museum

Is art your thing?  Barcelona’s got it.  The Picasso Museum features some of the artist’s Modern masterpieces, like selections from the Las Meninas series, but it also features many of his early, pre-Cubist works, which sheds some light on Picasso’s evolution as an artist.  The National Museum of Catalonia has a wide ranging collection of works from Roman times to contemporary art.  The Joan Miró Foundation is a personal favorite.  I have a great appreciation for Miró, and a print purchased at the museum hangs in my office.

Take a Stroll in the Parc

Park Güell (or “Parc” in the native Catalan language), is a series of public parks and architectural elements located in Barcelona on Carmel Hill.  It is stunning.  Originally conceived by Spanish entrepreneur Eusebi Güell as a residential enclave for the wealthy, Güell entrusted the task of designing the compound to Gaudi, his lifelong friend.  Reportedly, Güell once said to Gaudí, “I don’t like your architecture, I respect it.”  This is a sentiment I don’t share, but I don’t think Güell stood alone in that thought.  In any event, the park never became a commercial success.  Only two houses were ever built on the property, including the one Güell died in.  In 1923, the Güell family gifted the park to the city of Barcelona.

Visit a Church that Has Been Under Construction for 135 Years

The Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família (“Basilica and Expiatory Church of the Holy Family”), commonly referred to as the Sagrada Familia, is large Roman Catholic church designed by Gaudí. (Are you sensing a theme?)  It is his as yet incomplete magnum opus.  Construction of the structure commenced in 1882, and has continued fairly constantly (there was an interruption due to the Spanish civil war) until this day.  The sixth and final construction phase started in 2010 and current projections call for completion in 2026, which will mark 100 years since Gaudí’s death.  La Sagrada Familia is also the architect’s final resting place.  This masterful combination of Gothic and Art Nouveau styles is open daily from 9 am to 8 pm at this time of year.  There is an area for worship and contemplation within the basilica, but regular masses are not currently being held.

Set Aside Some Time for Marketing

The modern supermarket is a fact of life throughout much of the world, and Barcelona is no exception.  But BCN’s network of neighborhood food markets still plays a vital role in the life of the city.  Need fresh fruits and vegetable, meats or fish?  No problem.  Need two chicken eggs, one duck egg, salt cod that has been pre-soaked in water for two days, and a big slice of Spanish tortilla?  You can get all that, too – and much more.  Many of the markets also have small restaurants, cafés, bars or snack counters.  They are a great place to grab a quick lunch or an afternoon snack.  The best known market, La Boqueria, attracts locals and a lot of tourists.  I suggest you check out the Santa Caterina market.  It has been open since 1948, but was remodeled in 2005.  It is worth the trip just to get a peek at the roof.

See the Sea

Barcelona was once regarded as the city that turned its back on the sea.  The 1992 Summer Olympics changed all that.  Much of the city got a makeover for its international coming out party, and the Mediterranean port was transformed.  Railroads, warehouses, and other structures that cut the city off from the sea were removed and the seven kilometers of seashore was made new.  The Barceloneta is a triangular piece of land that cuts into the Mediterranean, and features the Old Port (Port Vell) on one side and beaches on the other.  Sunday is paella day, and this is the area you want to visit to sample Spain’s national dish.  There are tapas restaurant, “chiringuitas,” which are beachside bar and snack places, an aquarium, and more, including the historic streets of La Barceloneta, a neighborhood bordered by the sea.

Climb (or Ride) Up a Hill

Montjuic Hill overlooks the city.  You can walk up (and check out the Olympic stadium on your way), or, if you are in a hurry, you can take the Montjuic funicular or the cable car from the Barceloneta.  Bring a camera (or make sure your smart phone has a full charge), because you are going to want to take pictures.  The views of the city are amazing.  While there, you can see the National Palace, which houses the National Museum of Catalonia, or visit the 17th century Montjuic Castle, an old military fortress.  The Joan Miró Foundation is nearby, too.  If you can manage to be there at 9 pm on Thursday, Friday, or Saturday, you can watch the show at the Montjuic Magic Fountain, a mixture of water, lights and music that is a lot more fun than 2-D videos might imply.

Get out of town?

If you are one of those people who likes to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city, even when you are on vacation at a conference, then Sitges (it’s pronounced SEE-chuss, btw) may be the place for you.  This beach town is about 35 kilometers southwest of Barcelona and you can reach it by train.  You can stay the night or just spend the day.  A “must see” destination for LGBTQ travelers (but everyone is welcome!), Sitges combines the feel of a quiet beach town with a thumping night life.  There really is nothing quite like it.

Ramble Along La Rambla

Okay, it’s pretty much a tourist trap these days.  La Rambla is a tree-lined open air mall/pedestrian way that connects the Plaça de Catalunya with the Old Port.  There are vendors, street performers, restaurants, cafés and bars, and a lot of people.  Why bother?  It’s a nice walk and you can stop by the Boqueria market on your way.  And, for whatever reason, you cannot go to Barcelona without walking the Rambla at least once.  If you don’t, they might not let you leave.  I tease, of course, but still recommend that you check it out.  If you are coming from abroad, this is a great place to stop by on your first day when jetlag is at its worst.  Watch your wallet, and feel assured that you will be able to order something to eat or drink from a multi-language menu at one of the tourist restaurants.  You may as well order una jarra de sangria (a pitcher of sangria) while you are at it.

Bonus

This list is a good place to start, but it only scratches the surface.  Barcelona is full of music and theater, cabaret and dancing, and night clubs that are really open all night.  I encourage you to think about the things you like to do most and do a little bit of quick research.  Whatever you are looking for probably will not be hard to find.

  Most of all, bon viatge and have a great time.  See you there!

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[battleborntap]

First Person Shooters as a genre have been around since Doom was released in 1993, and ever since, it has been widely considered one of the most liked genres (at least by Americans). With a wide variety of games and an even wider variety to the genre itself, let's take a look at some of my personal favorites!

Please note, these games all take place in the first person perspective, and have one of their main mechanics involving firing a gun or weapon of some kind. Games like Mirror's Edge and The Stanley Parable are omitted on the grounds that they are more First Person Puzzle Solvers rather than shooters, despite having the ability to shoot in these games. Also, I will only be doing one game from any given franchise, simply because I could pack this list with four or five sequels easy with all the games I've played. And finally, I can't say this enough, this is all based on my personal favorites and opinions. If you don't agree, that's fine! We all have our favorites, but this is simply a way for me to talk about mine!

So, without further delay, here are my Top Ten Favorite First Person Shooter Games!

#10. CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS (2010)

Of course a Call of Duty game made it onto this list, and MAN what a game it is! Call of Duty: Black Ops released on Ps3 and Xbox 360 in 2010 to much fan praise, and is often considered one of the last good Call of Duty games. While I am quick to argue that point (Advanced Warfare brought a focus to story for the first time in years and Black Ops 2 had probably, in my opinion, the best multiplayer in recent history), The original Black Ops had all three main modes (Story, Multiplayer and Zombies) on point for the launch of the game.

While the Multiplayer may not have aged well for the game, the Story mode is simply wonderful, and unlike the rest of the Black Ops series, YOU CAN UNDERSTAND WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING IN THE STORY! If you have to read a plot summary to fully understand what the hell happened in it, it's not a good story. As for Zombies, simply letting players become former presidents and fighting time traveling nazi zombies...what more do i need to say?

Overall, it's an impressive game by all accounts. It helped to prove that Treyarch had what it took to keep delivering on the CoD formula, and while it wasn't World at War 2 like me and several others had hoped for (Still hoping for it, personally), it was a great game to play all the same.

#9. DOOM (2016)

Doom is the grand daddy of all First Person Shooters, and the latest iteration into the franchise really does not disappoint. With brutal carnage kills, impressive graphics, and a return to what made the franchise fun in the first place, DOOM (2016) is easily one of the best games of that respective year.

The story is as basic as it comes; Hell has invaded Mars, and you were about to be sacrificed when s**t goes sideways. You escape, get a Master Chief Power Armor ripoff, and fight through rooms and hordes of Demons to try and prevent Hell from getting to Earth...You know, like the last three Dooms!

The combat in this is where it truly shines, giving you the ability to kill enemies when they are weakened with brutal finishing attacks. The weapons are all fantastic, and the enemies are tough, but manageable. The real problems are outside the story; Multiplayer seems tacked on and rushed, while SnapMap, the mode I was really excited for, is basically just Corridor maker, the more. Still, the story itself is fun as all hell...

#8. BIOSHOCK (2007)/ BIOSHOCK INFINITE (2013)

This one might seem like a bit of a cheat, but hear me out...I personally feel that these games are very much the same thanks to something called "Service to the Brand."

Let me ask you this. Why do people in Bioshock use plasmids? They are a part of a world where everything has gone to Hell, and now they need to do whatever they need to survive, including injecting themselves with chemicals to give them super powers! Now why do they do it in Bioshock Infinite use vigors, which are basically plasmids?...There's really no reason is there? The reason they use them is because the last two games released had Plasmids, and it wouldn't be the same game without them!

This is a common problem with sequels that differ from their original game, and honestly, the only reason I decided to lump them together is that, aside from story and some situations you encounter, they are basically the same game. Well crafted gun play with elemental magics, expertly written dialogue and story, and an all around impressive and fun universe to explore, these games fill me with a sense of wonder each time I play them. If I had to choose one, it would have to be Infinite, but it's by such a slim margin that I felt it best to lump them together. My list, my rules...

Also, We don't talk about Bioshock 2...just...no.

#7. STAR WARS: BATTLEFRONT (2015, Fight Me)

I know the original Battlefront games are well regarded and adored. I know many of the people who played this felt betrayed and hurt by the micro transactions and lack of content. I know it just feels like Battlefield with a Star Wars skin...But you know what? I don't care!

Star Wars: Battlefront is the Star Wars game I wanted to play when I first put the original Battlefront into my PS2. Was I disappointed by the lack of content? Sure. Did it feel like a cash grab on EA's part because they has acquired the license? Of course, it's EA. But I still enjoy the hell out of it.

The game play is fun and engaging, as well as more balanced than some large scale shooters. The available content, while infuriating that it's behind paywalls and a slow progression system, are rewarding and fun. The Heroes are overpowered, but not too much. Overall, I feel the game is good for one simple fact; for the first time in years, I felt like I was in the boots of a Stormtrooper.

Also, you occasionally get a Wilhelm scream to occur when you kill someone...so there's that.

#6. LEFT 4 DEAD 2 (2009)

How do you make a sequel to a decently balanced multiplayer zombie shooter? Change only who you play as and what their main quest is, then add more! That's exactly what Valve did with Left 4 Dead 2, and it worked great.

Playing as four new survivors with fun personalities, the game introduced three new special infected to deal with on top of the five introduced in the last games, the addition of choosing melee weapons instead of pistols, and helped to balance old issues and new ones that made the game well rounded and just plain fun to play ,whether you were with friends or a few randoms online.

Then Valve went one step further; They added in new content through DLC, some of which included the original five levels from the first game, where you can play as the first four survivors in the first five campaigns from the original game, but with the new enemies, weapons and everything! In general, Left 4 Dead 2 is just a damn fantastic game is you AXE me! HAHA!!

            I'm sorry...

#5. HALO 3 (2007)

Bungie hit pay dirt with the Halo franchise, and the third installment in the game is where all that effort peaked. Great gun play, multiplayer modes, and engaging story line that (mostly) resolved the conflicts of the last two games and more, the game was damn impressive on Xbox 360 when it came out, leading to it becoming the fifth best selling game on the console!

This was one of the big games me and my friends played for days on end, sometimes literally. It's one of the first games to give me a true love for shotguns in first person shooters, and the rest of the games since haven't felt as impacting to me. They've been fun to play, but this was the last game that made me truly enjoy the franchise in a nostalgic sense.

Maybe I'm just getting old? Maybe...

#4. PORTAL 2 (2011)

Portal 2 is much like Left 4 Dead 2; change little to nothing about the game, but improve the writing, add more content, and fix some bugs from the previous game. Unlike Left 4 Dead, however, this game didn't have a multiplayer mode in the original, so this one added one!

While the first game was a series of puzzles linked loosely together by an uncaring, vindictive god/computer named GLaDOS yelling at you and calling you names, the second game is a series of puzzles linked loosely together by an uncaring, vindictive god/ computer named GLaDOS yelling at you and calling you fat before you overthrow her and put a mentally inept ball in her place who slowly begins destroying everything around you, shoves GLaDOS into a potato and sends you both into a 1950's version of the labs you were exploring to be yelled at by a 1950's style billionaire voiced by J.K. Simmons!

The puzzles introduce familiar and new concepts, keeping them fresh well into the game. The dialogue is on point through out, with minimal dialogue feeling out of place or forced. The humor is even better than the first, allowing for visual gags more than the first game did and a few running jokes to boot. Ultimately, an impressive sequel to an already impressive game.

Also, this game made me fear/ hate certain birds...just sayin'

#3. BORDERLANDS 2 (2012)

how do you top a game that had literally a bajillion guns, a rapid fire sense of humor AND a cell shaded art style set in a semi-unique world? MORE GUNS! MORE HUMOR! MORE CELLS SHADED! AND A VILLAIN!

Yeah...if you really think about it, the first game didn't really have a main villain. Sure you had some minor ones, like Baron Flynt and Mad Mel, but they were more like sub-bosses than anything. Borderlands 2 had plenty of sub-bosses, but also gave us MOTHERF**KIN' HANDSOME JACK, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE BEST VIDEO GAME VILLAIN OF ALL TIME EVER PERIOD! With an actual story to get through, a villain to thwart, tons of fun new characters and old returning ones, as well as giving personality to the playable characters and the first games characters who act as NPC's this time around, the game did everything it needed to and then some.

This game established Borderlands as a franchise that's here to stay, and with follow-ups including The Pre-Sequel (Not bad, but not great) and Tales from the Borderlands (Fantastic Story, weird execution thanks to it being a TellTale game), there's no doubt in my mind that Borderlands is here to stay...

Can't really say the same for Battleborn...which is sad cause I kind of liked that one...

#2. OVERWATCH (2016)

Honestly, how could this one NOT be on this list? What is easily one of the best new franchises in YEARS, Overwatch brought exactly what it needed, and we keep getting more! With new characters and game modes being added, as well as regular balancing updates and more, the game shows no sign of slowing down.

If I had one complaint, it's that the game doesn't have a story mode. That said, we get plenty of information about the world and its characters thanks to digital comics, animated shorts, in-game dialogue and costumes, and a few other means. The roster is rich with diversity and ranges from easy to play to hard to master, and overall just is a fun time for everyone.

Hell, hte game hasn't even been out for a year yet and already we have three new characters, a new map, a new game mode and additional features like being able to make your own game mode ADDED IN FREE OF CHARGE! That's doing it right!

HONORABLE MENTIONS

The following five games are all fantastic in their own right, but didn't quite make my top ten. To save time, I'll only do a quick sentence or two for each, so please enjoy!

COUNTER-STRIKE: SOURCE - One of the first first-person shooters I played. Good combat and lots of customization both in game and in the variety of game modes.

GOLDENEYE 64 - A fun multiplayer title with an okay story mode. Best played with friends split screen...No Odd Job, please?

KILLZONE - I like to think of this as Sony's answer to Halo, but with space Nazi's instead of aliens. Regardless, it really made you feel like a soldier in an army instead of a lone wolf like most FPS games.

DESTINY -  Bungie's follow-up to Halo after leaving their flagship behind, the online, MMO hybrid was engaging, but didn't have much staying power if you didn't have a dedicated group to play with. With that and a lack of a real story, it felt like this was a half bake idea that will hopefully be more fleshed out in the sequel.

TITANFALL 2 - Improving on some of the pitfalls of the first game (Like console exclusivity), this is fun, fast paced, and in general a good game to play, especially if you have a friend or two in tow. Also, the story mode grabbed me with it's tutorial mode...so that says something.

Now, without delay, Here's Number 1!

#1. TEAM FORTRESS 2 (2007)

What started as a Quake mod eventually became the military themed hat simulator free-to-play sequel that Valve won't let you forget about. Tons of games release on Steam with some tie in to this, usually being a hat themed after whatever you're buying.

That said, once you get past the confusing as all hell economy the game has, there's a fun and engaging "Hero"-based shooter underneath. With nine classes to choose from, nearly limitless combinations for cosmetic customization and weapon loadouts. The story to the game is don similarly to that of Overwatch (Animations, comics, in game items, etc) but unlike Overwatch, many of the comics, animations and such contribute to the overall story of the game instead of just add little references to it.

The story itself is long, convoluted and silly, and perfect for the style of game it's trying to be. Overall, it's the game I've spent the most time in since I bought it back in 2007 (That's right, some of us PAID for this game), and it's easily my favorite First Person Shooter!

Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed! Wat are some of your favorite First person shooters? Let me know in the comments below, and until next time, I'm McNutty891! Have fun!

source : http://ift.tt/2oGhx4Q