#mythological depictions do also add another layer to this

[epujaonlineservice]

Yaganti Temple: Where Nandi Raises His Form

Yaganti Temple, nestled in the Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh, India, is an ancient and mysterious temple that captures the fascination of pilgrims and historians alike. Dedicated to Lord Shiva, it is renowned not only for the awe-inspiring beauty and its serene surroundings but also for its remarkable architectural features and the legendary growing statue of Nandi, the celestial bull of Shiva. This article delves into the history, myths, and architectural wonders of the Yaganti Temple, focusing on the unique phenomenon of the growing Nandi and the revered Yaganti Shiva Lingam.

Historical Backdrop

Yaganti was constructed in the 15th century by King Harihara Bukka Rayalu of the Sangama Dynasty of the Vijayanagara Empire. The temple’s origins, steeped in legend, are also linked to the great sage Agastya. It is said that Agastya wanted to install a Nandi idol at the site, but the idol that was made didn't suit his requirements, leading to the miraculous emergence of the current Nandi from the ground.

Over the centuries, Yaganti has been a center of spiritual solace and ritualistic practices, drawing devotees who seek the blessings of Lord Shiva. The temple’s architecture reflects the typical Vijayanagara style with intricate carvings and majestic stone structures, providing a glimpse into the artistic prowess of the era.

The Growing Nandi of Yaganti

One of the most baffling aspects of Yaganti is the phenomenon of the "growing Nandi temple." Scientific studies and local beliefs suggest that the Nandi statue has been increasing in size over the years. Measurements taken over the past few decades indicate that the Nandi’s dimensions have indeed changed, albeit subtly, which can be observed in the spacing between the idol and the pillar behind it.

Theories abound about why the Nandi is growing. Geological studies suggest that the rock out of which the Nandi is carved possesses a unique composition that might be reacting to the natural elements, causing it to expand very slowly. However, many devotees believe this to be a sign of increasing divine energies or a manifestation of the power of the deities worshipped here.

The Yaganti Shiva Lingam

Central to the temple’s spiritual aura is the Yaganti Shiva Lingam. Unlike traditional Shiva temples where the lingam is installed, the lingam at Yaganti is a natural formation that emerges from the ground. This spontaneous origin adds to the sanctity and the mystery of the temple, making it a focal point for worship. The lingam is bathed continuously with water from a natural spring that flows from the top of the hill, adding to its divine appearance.

Architectural Significance

Yaganti’s architecture is a testament to the Vijayanagara empire’s skill and aesthetic sensibilities. The temple complex is adorned with several mandapams (pillared halls), and sculpted panels depicting various deities and mythological scenes. The intricate carvings on the stone surfaces narrate stories from ancient scriptures, bringing to life the rich cultural heritage of India.

Legends and Myths

Several legends swirl around Yaganti, adding layers of myth to its historical core. It is said that the temple's pushkarini (temple tank) was formed by the powers of Lord Shiva, who struck the mountain with his trident allowing water to gush forth. Another legend states that the crows do not fly in Yaganti; a curse by Sage Agastya, because of their disturbance during his rituals.

Moreover, the temple is associated with the end times prophecy. It is believed that when Kali Yuga ends, the Nandi will come alive and trumpet the destruction of the world, marking the beginning of a new era.

Modern Day Relevance

Today, Yaganti continues to be a beacon for spiritual seekers and history enthusiasts. The temple not only offers a tranquil retreat but also stands as a remarkable example of India’s religious traditions and historical architecture. The growing Nandi and the naturally formed Shiva Lingam continue to intrigue and attract visitors from all around the world, ensuring that the temple remains a cherished site in the annals of Indian heritage.

In conclusion, Yaganti Temple is more than just a place of worship. It is a confluence of history, art, religion, and mystery that continues to challenge and fascinate. Whether one is drawn to it for its spiritual significance or its historical value, Yaganti promises a journey that is both intriguing and enlightening.

[jewfrogs]

What was the place of trans people in Ancient Greece? I don’t mean myths, but accounts of irl trans people. I once read something about priests of Aphrodite whose initiation ceremony was castration and wearing women’s clothing, which could be reinterpreted through a modern lens as Ancient Greece’s version of trans women, so to speak. Perhaps even non-binarism, though I don’t believe there was basis for escaping the gender binary and the very much enforced roles in the Greek patriarchy.

this is another great question! i’m going to broaden our scope a little bit to include some discussion of rome as well, because there’s a lot of useful stuff there and the two are interlinked.

discussing trans people in any historical context is difficult, because the framework through which we understand it doesn’t exist. that isn’t to say that people who didn’t conform to their assigned gender didn’t exist (gender variance has been documented for about as long as history), but that applying modern labels and understandings to them doesn’t always work, and there’s a lot of overlap between some categories (e.g. could we understand this individual as a trans woman or as an effeminate [gay] man? what does that mean when neither of those identities are contextual during the individual’s time?). all that to say: there isn’t a lot that directly corresponds to trans people from antiquity, but there’s certainly not nothing.

one reference to trans people in ancient greece comes from lucian’s dialogue of the courtesans (c. 120-190 CE), where the character megilla/us seems to be remarkably like a trans man: “I was born a woman like the rest of you, but I have the mind and the desires and everything else of a man.” this is an excellent post that discusses this passage in depth.

according to pliny the elder, there was a noted phenomenon of women turning into men: “The change of females into males is undoubtedly no fable. We find it stated in the Annals, that, in the consulship of P. Licinius Crassus and C. Cassius Longinus, a girl, who was living at Casinum with her parents, was changed into a boy; and that, by the command of the Aruspices, he was con- veyed away to a desert island. Licinius Mucianus informs us, that he once saw at Argos a person whose name was then Arescon, though he had been formerly called Arescusa: that this person had been married to a man, but that, shortly after, a beard and marks of virility made their appearance, upon which he took to himself a wife. He had also seen a boy at Smyrna, to whom the very same thing had happened. I myself saw in Africa one L. Cossicius, a citizen of Thysdris, who had been changed into a man the very day on which he was married to a husband.” (Plin. Nat. 7.4) it seems likely that this is discussing intersex people, since pliny references them immediately before, but it is interesting to see evidence for at least some form of transition and for the acceptance of said transition—arescon has a wife! that’s pretty neat! these people seem to be fairly well-accepted, which does make one think about how transition in general might have worked or been seen.

with regards to the priests, i haven’t read about anything like that with aphrodite (although i would be remiss not to mention aphroditos here, particularly her mention in macrobius’ saturnalia), but i’m guessing you’re thinking of the galli, priests of cybele (a phrygian goddess, often correlated with rhea and with the intersex deity agdistis) as well as her lover attis (who was castrated as well—catullus 63, which i am going to write something about one day, is a retelling of their myth). they were castrated and generally wore women’s clothing, and many sources refer to them with feminine language. firmicus maternus (c. 4th century AD) said of them negant se viros esse, et non sunt <mulieres>: mulieres se volunt credi (“they deny that they are men, and are not <women>: they want to be believed as women”). there are certainly parallels that can be drawn here!

in addition, there can be a lot of blurred overlap between gay readings and trans readings. in ancient greek & roman thought, the categories of men-who-are-penetrated and women-who-penetrate (or, well... hump, since one of the latin words for these women is tribades, or “rubbers”) are almost genders in their own right, or perhaps the intersection of two genders: men-who-are-penetrated are like women but not, and women-who-penetrate are like men but not. (it can definitely be interpreted, to some extent, that these people want to be read as the opposite binary gender to the one they were assigned—which raises the question of whether we simply don’t know some of these stories because people did pass and therefore it wasn’t outwardly transgressive.)

this is probably best encapsulated by an excerpt from the fables of phaedrus (a first-century CE roman author who is supposedly adapting aesop’s work), where the question tribadas et molles mares quae ratio procreasset (what reason brought [lesbians] and [effeminate men] into existence?) is asked, and this is the answer:

The same Prometheus, creator of the clay crowd (which is broken the moment it offends fortune), had made those parts of nature which decency hides with clothing apart from the rest for the whole day. Just before he could fix the parts to the right bodies, he was suddenly invited to dinner by Liber; when he had watered his veins well with nectar, he returned home late at night on faltering feet. Then, with a half-awake mind and a drunken mistake, he applied maidenhood to a type of man and affixed masculine members to the women; thus desire now enjoys perverse joy.

there are different ways this can be read, because “applicuit virginale generi masculo” and “masculina membra applicuit feminis” can both be taken as an aetiology for either tribades or molles mares. take one: the first line refers to molles mares, making them men in body with women’s spirits, and the second line refers to tribades, making them women in body with men’s spirits. take two: the first line refers to tribades, making them men in spirit with women’s bodies, and the second line refers to molles mares, making them women in spirit with men’s bodies. these are both really interesting readings that both resonate to some extent with transness and specifically with the space in between gayness and transness.

as an example, take the figure agathon (a fictionalized portrayal of a real playwright) from aristophanes’ thesmophorizusae. agathon is notably effeminate—he’s first introduced by a character saying εγώ γαρ ουχ όρω άνδρ’ ουδέν ενθάδ’ όντα, Κυρήνην δ’ όρω (“I see no man, but I see Cyrene”, in reference to, as one commentary puts it, “a dissolute woman of the day”). that is to say: agathon is read as a woman. when another character in the thesmo needs to dress up as a woman, he doesn’t borrow a woman’s clothes—he borrows agathon’s. could we read agathon as a trans figure? perhaps! but his effeminacy is tied to him being, as the greek puts it, ευρύπρωκτος—literally “wide-assed”, but often translated simply as a certain six-letter word that starts with f. agathon isn’t a woman, exactly, but he’s not quite a man either. i wouldn’t necessarily call this in-between space trans, but i don’t know if i could call it cis either.

tl;dr: there are few depictions of people we might call trans as we understand it today from ancient greece, but there are a lot of interesting questions we can ask and consider with regards to gender that touch on transness and antique experiences analogous to modern-day trans ones. also gayness and transness are very much intertwined.

[imaginepirates]

Alright kids, buckle up because I have a Hot Take regarding Elizabeth, Jack, and Greek mythology. And as usual, tumblr is killing the gif quality. Click to actually read it.

I’m currently taking a mythology class, and reading Edith Hamilton’s Mythology. While reading about Greek myth, I stumbled upon the fact that while doves are normally seen as the birds of Aphrodite, so are swans and sparrows. I know that everyone has noticed the parallel between Elizabeth’s and Jack’s surnames, but this just adds another layer of beauty to it. The fact is, Elizabeth and Jack are just two sides of the same coin. They both represent this idea of freedom, being apart from the constraints of society. We watch them flourish in these roles, utilizing whatever assets they have to achieve their own ends.

Aphrodite is most commonly known as the goddess of love and beauty. Paris named her the most beautiful goddess. With the common depiction of Aphrodite as a young blonde woman, it’s easy to connect her with Elizabeth. Lizzie is portrayed as being desired by most of the men around her, each in their own way. Even Sao Feng finds himself inexorably attracted to her, and actually thinks that she’s a goddess. She’s also played by Keira Knightley, aka everyone’s queer awakening. That being said, Jack, too, is pictured as being attractive. Not only is he played by Johnny Depp, but we know that he’s had multiple lovers—Giselle, Scarlett, Ayisha, Angelica—just to name a few. Many others are attracted to him, as well, like Tia Dalma (dmc hints at it), Beckett, and Elizabeth herself. Beckett actually went as far as using Jack to seduce Ayisha into giving away the coordinates of Zerzura, a magical island holding great treasure. Jack and Elizabeth even flirt with each other, though they’re also portrayed as using each other to accomplish their own ends.

Hamilton writes that Aphrodite “laughed sweetly or mockingly at those her wiles had conquered; the irresistible goddess who stole away even the wits of the wise”. Both Elizabeth and Jack have coy smiles and find amusement in the people they toy with. We watch Elizabeth give that grin in cotbp when she threatens to drop the medallion overboard in front of Barbossa, mockingly, having outsmarted him. Later, we see a sweeter side of her as she smiles stupidly about Jack and James teases her for it. James, too, had his wits quite obviously stolen by her. Jack is portrayed as a trickster, smiling every time he works his way out of trouble. Sometimes convincingly, sometimes not so much. But he has a signature grin that makes the audience love him, even as he lies through his teeth.

So comes another important aspect of Aphrodite: she was seen as a goddess of war. Hamilton writes that she is “treacherous and malicious, exerting a deadly and destructive power over men”. Aphrodite wasn’t afraid to have her way, and neither were Jack or Elizabeth. Again, we see Elizabeth more as the main warrior, named King of the Brethren Court and declaring war on the EITC and navy. She progressively gets more dangerous as she gains access to weapons and better training. She utterly embraces this new role; when she’s mistaken for a goddess, she doesn’t back away from it, and when she’s named pirate king, she takes it right in stride. But Jack, too, is a figure of war. He believes, when necessary, in the principle of “fighting to run away”. He carries a pistol with one shot left in it to kill a man who wronged him. He faces the kraken with sword in hand. He gives Elizabeth his whole speech on doing things just because she wants to do them, and in the end, we watch her kill him. They’re both pirates, treacherous and deadly.

Yet another aspect of Aphrodite that hardly anybody mentions is that she was considered a goddess of the sea. She supposedly rose fully formed from the ocean. Aphros, in Greek, means ‘sea-foam’. Here, Jack is the most representative. He begins and ends the series a pirate and sailor, with his ship being the most important thing in the world to him. Pearls are another of Aphrodite’s symbols, and the Black Pearl suddenly becomes the most apt of names as Jack is often shown as the darker parallel to Elizabeth, even if in the end, we know they’re much more similar than we originally thought. Elizabeth, on the other hand, begins as a model of society and ends being mistaken for Calypso, another sea goddess. We watch as these two become tied to the sea so that the audience immediately relates both characters with the ocean.

Probably the least connected symbol is that of the apple. The apple is one of Aphrodite’s sacred fruits, and we see the apple as a symbol with Barbossa. Here, the apple is destructive, covered in poison, meant to kill the consumer. But both Jack and Elizabeth are shown eating—or nearly eating—Barbossa’s apples. They’re the only two characters, other than Barbossa himself, connected to the apple at all.

Sorry that was super long, but I thought it was worth taking a look at. I just think that the parallels are super interesting. Also, feel free to request more Hot Takes because they’re just...so fun to do. And if you have any ideas, even if half-formed, I’d love to hear and maybe expand on them.

[dwollsadventures]

The second part of a request from TheLOAD from... a while back. The initial one was the Nix/Nokk/Knucker piece. This one took me a little longer for a few reasons. Mostly school reasons. And writer's block reasons,  which is why this is taking the place of the monthly preview. And because, for research, I had to re-read the entirety of Drakon by Daniel Ogden for information. For those not used to my pedantry, this is not an "in-canon" family tree of the Greek dragons, such as you might see in those huge Greek mythology family tree pictures that are on the internet (I've got a few in my favorites from waaaaayyyy back as well). Rather, this is a way of showing how the concept of the dragon came about throughout time and how other beings are related through those branching lines. Of course this is presented as a lot more neat than it probably should be. If it were truly accurate it would have interconnected lines all over the place and obscure the little lizards. Before we talk about what's on the tree let's talk about what's not on it. Though Odgen talks about every (and I mean every) slightly Draconic being in Greek and Roman mythology, I've opted to include a trimmed down version. Because some, like Medusa and Lamia, I personally do not consider dragons proper, and others like the goddess Keto are relatively obscure and probably only exist to explain the existence of a related being (like the ketea). Creatures like Chimera and Typhoeus are included because, while not usually serpentine or draconic, they are in effect dragons; horrible, vaguely reptilian monsters slain by a hero. Not every individual dragon is depicted, only the ones I thought pertinent to include. (warning: LONG)

To start with, a drakon is a snake. The Greeks used the word to refer to both huge monsters and mundane snakes. Drakon itself is derived from the word dérkomai and is believed to literally mean, "the one who sees". The hypnotizing power attributed to snakes is present in drakons, traditionally given the job of the sleepless guardian of treasure. Going back even further, we see that the drakon comes from two disparate cultural perceptions of snake, each of which is still present in its classical form.

Snake Goddess - One of the native precursors of the Greeks were the Minoans. They had more in common with their Egyptian and Near Eastern neighbors than the Italians and Balkans. From what little we can gather of their culture, it appears the snake was a symbol of the goddess. Whether or not it was any goddess in particular is unknown. This theme survives into ancient Greece, however. Athena often uses snakes as agents when acting with mortals, Hera uses them as well (the twin serpents who attempted to strangle Heracles and the Hydra), and Medea had a chariot pulled by snakes. Earth goddesses in particular are heavily associated with them. Python was a direct product of Gaia, and the snake was a divine symbol of Demeter, who also had a rad snake chariot. Even in mortal women, their dynamic with snakes and dragons is nurturing. Several heroines sing to snakes as their masculine counterparts steal the treasure they guard, fulfilling a nurturing role in comparison to the destructive masculine one. Here the snake is a guardian, a creature of the earth and everything beneath it, including gold and the dead. These dragons are usually not slain, but pacified by the presence of a woman. In addition, the beard is an originally Greek symbol associated with snakes, particularly those connected to the gods. This was quite possibly a signifier of their supernatural status above mundane serpents. The goddess depicted above isn't any one in particular, though her dress does pull from a statue of Athena holding a curled python.

Drakaina - One way in which the snake goddess has survived is in the drakaina. This word is simply the feminine form of drakon, but also encompasses the numerous beings characterized by having the upper body of a woman and the lower body of a drakon. Numerous beings in Greek mythology fit this theme, but the one I've focused on is the Scythian drakaina, a woman who intercepts Heracles during one of his labors and kidnaps some cows. She offers to return the cattle in exchange for a night of intercourse. And then Herc is off and we're told the three sons of that union go on to become kings of great renown in Scythia. Some authors interpret this as a Greek adaptation of a Scythian myth, with one of the key pieces of evidence being that the drakaina's name is Hora, meaning "Seasons". Regardless of whether or not this is a goddess, it is a story where the snake-woman is neither killed nor stolen from, instead given the prestige of being the founder of a line of kings.

PIE Chaos Serpent - From the Proto-Indo-Europeans up North, we get the dragon we're all more familiar with. Serpents of this breed, such as Apep, Tiamat, and Jormungand, are all enormous, destructive creatures allied with darkness and the unforgiving seas. They represent the primordial chaos from what order sprang out of, and often have a hand in trying to return the world to that way. One of the primary themes associated with them is the dragon slayer: a god or hero who fights a dragon to save something, be it a land or treasure or an Ethiopian princess.

Typhoeus - This guy, though significantly more humanoid and giant-like than any others, is the clearest example of a PIE chaos serpent in Greece. It does not get more typical than a giant snake (like) monster fighting a storm god. Typhoeus probably sprung from traditions where he was more serpentine, but gradually added other aspects. Such as his own storm god qualities. In Greece, gods associated with the winds are always given wings, save for Zeus. The two's battle is reflective of a battle between the terrible whirlwinds and lightning strikes and the calmer, helpful rain showers that enable humanity to survive. 

And then we get to the drakon proper. Taking elements from both sides of the tree, the archetypal Greek drakon is an enormous, often monstrous serpent associated with both the underground and the waters in some way. They are agents of gods, most often goddesses, sent to battle heroes or guard priceless treasures. Sometimes they're killed, sometimes they're merely lulled to sleep by a helpful maiden. Rather than breathing fire (which everything from mechanical bulls to horses to giants do), they possess venoms and rows of sharp teeth. Mention of their terrible gazes is often made. This drakon has both a beard and a casque-like crown, common elements in drakon descriptions from Greece. Its face is much less serpentine, being modeled after a clay illustration of the Colchian dragon. This gives is a suitably monstrous look, as if it were being pealed from layers of mud.

Chimera - Despite its odd appearance, the chimera fits the pattern of a dragon terrorizing a countryside and being slain by a plucky hero. The chimera may in fact be the originator of the classical Saint George imagery, where the saint is depicted as towering over a crawling, pitiful dragon. A 3rd century mosaic from Imperial Rome may have started this trend. What makes her (because despite her mane the Chimera is a female) stand apart from all the rest is the sheer strangeness of her form compared to others. Especially the little goat that comes out of her back, like a rider. Which I had to cut for spacing reasons :(

Hydra - Another classical Greek dragon is the multi-headed hydra, who has given its name to a whole genre of creatures with more heads than they ought to have. In addition to having the attributes of a typical Greek drakon, the Hydra has two traits seen in Mesopotamian monsters as well. The first is the amount of heads. Having many heads is not as common in Greece as it is in the Near East, where the idea of an eleven-headed sea serpent pops up numerous times across several different cultures. The second is that the hydra, in its earliest mentioning by Hesiod, is said to have been raised by Hera specifically to combat Heracles. This same tactic is done by a few Mesopotamian gods. In their realm of influence, monsters are pawns of the gods, who send them out to do their bidding on Earth while they lounge in Heaven. Our Hydra may have been a later influence from Greece's neighbors to the East. Also, had to add in the crab that Hera also sends in to help the hydra. If this were a spec bio piece, I would make it a species of crab that evolved to clean the hydra of parasites.

Cetus - Sea monsters such as these are perhaps the furthest from the traditional Greek drakon, while still remaining core parts of the mythology. In form cetoi range from exaggerations of real whales and sharks to dog-headed serpents with frilly fins and ears. Or even animal-headed fish. Because they live underwater, they almost always function as tools of divine vengeance. Kinda hard to steal treasure underwater. Heavy metal tends to sink. While cetus was originally a word for any sea monster, it would eventually become the root of the scientific term cetacean: whales and dolphins.

But the tree doesn't end there. See, even after the culture we recognize as the Ancient Greeks and Romans faded, their dragons still lived on. Medieval Europe, with its glorification of Greco-Roman texts, derived many of their folk beliefs from their predecessors. Or, the people who they liked to imagine were there predecessors.

Draco - The Romans adopted the Greek drakon whole-clothe, like a lot of stuff. The only noteworthy original dragon to come out of the pre-Fall Roman era was the Dacian Draco. The Dacians used the image of a dragon as a standard during war-time, represented as a serpent with the head of a dog. When conquered, the Romans adopted this, possibly beginning the Western tradition of associating dragons with military power and identity. The dog-headed serpent would also survive to the modern period, showing up in descriptions of Balkan lamya. 

Indian Drakon - Here begins a tradition in Greek and Roman literature that claimed that foreign parts were full of large, dangerous, and more interesting fauna than the mundane peninsula they were all stuck on. This is a common theme of humanity in general, where everyone you're not familiar with is teeming with exciting and ancient life. Just look at cryptozoology. India in particular was a favorite of Greek tall tales, being far away for journeys to be rare, but also rich and full of exotic animals. Philostratus populated India with three types of drakons: the lowly marsh, the silver hill, and the dazzling golden mountain drakons. They were typical in every respect, having enormous sizes, red crowns, beards, and guarding treasure beneath the earth. An interesting addition was that they were the mortal enemies of elephants. Being the largest land-animal (in real life), they made perfect prey for these humongous serpents. Feeding on them was fraught with peril, however, as the struggle between reptile and mammal could result in the death of either party, or both. To symbolize the foreignness of the drakon, I drew it as a sort of hybrid between the drakon and the Hindu naga. 

Pliny's Drakon - This drakon is otherwise the same as the Indian, but is the start of another theme. As time went on, philosophers began taking more grounded looks at fantastical animals. While also perpetuating even more outrageous falsehoods. None was more popular than Pliny the Elder, hence the name. He believed that, while foreign drakons might be real, they were much more similar to the snakes of Greece than the monsters of legend. He scoffed at the crowns and hair they were adorned with. His Natural History was the first of many instances where the fantastical elements of the dragon were toned down to seem more palatable to a scientifically minded audience. It also introduced an interest into the life history of the dragons, treating them as real animals with lives beyond the myths. Our dragon up top evolved to resemble pythons, rather than the other way around to what probably happened in real life, where pythons were exaggerated to become dragons.

Then, we get two foreign influences, which would come to shape the modern definition of the European dragon. Christianity's influence cannot be understated here. As Jonathan Evans states in Medieval Folklore, the dragon came to be confused with several other desert animals. In Jewish and early Christian belief, desert animals were themselves demonic, living in inhospitable regions devoid of human life. Later, texts like Revelations would specifically denote dragons as heralds of evil, and even harbingers of Armageddon itself. This is in contrast to the morally neutral Leviathan. In the medieval era, dragons were beings of evil, without a doubt. Bestiaries were full of on the nose fables about how the natural lives of dragons. Like how they could not stand the breath of a panther (a symbol of Jesus Christ). Or how they could not catch birds that nested in the Peridexion tree (the tree being the church and the birds being Christians, who are safe from the devil so long as they do not stray from the arms of God). This is represented by a typical medieval devil, being brightly colorful and made in mockery of God's creations, aka a weird hybrid with a snake coming out of his butt. Then, the Germanic dragon. This is seen especially in Northern and Western Europe. The Germanic dragon is otherwise similar to the Greek, except that it began as a character of evil. Lindworms and other serpents are almost always antagonists, and there is no heroine who saves them from their fate of death. They also had a stronger connection to treasure. Greek dragons guarded treasure as a job, but the very existence of Germanic dragons is tied with their golden hoards. In addition, in Greek myths, getting transformed into an animal is usually the end of one's story. With the Germanic dragon, it's merely the beginning. Transformed dragons act as antagonists and moral lessons wrapped in one; a lesson to all to not be greedy. Germanic dragons, represented by the lindworm, reinforced their role as antagonists and agents of selfish evil.

Which finally brings us to the medieval dragon. In a way, this creature is a mix of everything above. The dragon is an animal and demon in one, simultaneously a figure of evil who spoils the land around them and a living being with its own life and needs. The medieval era also introduces the origin of dragons, showing them as having nests and young, not simply coming into existence out of the earth or sea like before. They also developed some less reptilian traits, like wings and hair. This was probably because of artistic traditions among the monks who wrote bestiaries rather than popular legend, which continued to conflate them with snakes and lizards and even crocodiles. This particular line of the tree would develop a life of its own, spreading far and wide across Europe and eventually reaching beyond the seas. Our modern conceptions of dragons are a whole 'nother story.

[tombraidergirl]

SotTR Impressions (1): Reveal Demo

On 26 April 2018 I was given the opportunity to try out the first hands-on demo for Shadow of the Tomb Raider at the London reveal event to which I was kindly invited by Square Enix Germany. Square Enix sponsored my travel an accommodations to this event.

Shadow of the Tomb Raider will complete the story arc that began in Tomb Raider - where adventure found young, fresh-from-college Lara Croft, forcing her to fight for survival - and was continued in Rise of the Tomb Raider - where Lara actively sought out adventure to honour her father’s legacy. In Shadow of the Tomb Raider Lara chooses to continue searching for great archaeological and mythological mysteries, out of curiosity and her love for adventure, slowly turning her into the adventuress we know and love from the classic games.

In the past couple of years the reboot series had to endure a lot of criticism pertaining to Lara’s character and the fact that her weak side was showing, but what people keep forgetting is that the Lara from the classic games (with the exception of Angkor Wat in The Last Revelation and Ireland in Chronicles - which didn’t portrait a very believable character if you’re honest ;-) - which is okay btw, it's fiction) was a seasoned explorer in her late twenties or early thirties (born in 1968). Her original storyline was that an event - in that case a plane crash - at the age of 21 made her turn her life upside down, becoming the heroine of Tomb Raider I and everything after. A storyline that Tomb Raider Legend kind of messed up and Tomb Raider (2013) then tried to fix by getting back to the roots, but replacing the plane crash with a shipwreck to add something fresh, instead of doing Legend’s Nepal again at the “correct” age. So where in the original game was it written that 21-year-old Lara didn’t have weaknesses? I can sympathise with people not loving to play a softer Lara, when we got to know and love her as a tough cookie, but that’s over with anyway, and so is this discussion I hope.

Shadow adds a new layer of toughness to Lara. Her body has changed visibly, her well toned muscles clearly showing. Her face seems a little less soft - something that is probably going to be discussed at length on the internet with comments along the lines of “why did they change her face again” - which is only logical given what she has been through in the recent years.

Story

Lara and Jonah are in Cozumel, Mexico hot on the trail of one Dr. Dominguez, a member of the Trinity order, searching for a hidden underground temple holding a key, the “Key of Chak Chel” to some mystery. Lara herself is trying to beat them to it and believes to have the upper hand as a second piece of the puzzle, the “Silver Box of Ix Chel”, Trinity is searching for in Brazil, might actually be located in Peru according to her own calculations. The Day of the Dead, or Día de Muertos, is being celebrated presenting Lara and Jonah with the opportunity to blend in, Lara hiding her Trinity-wide known face beneath a traditional mask worn for this occasion. With Jonah’s help Lara manages to follow Dominguez, whom Lara begins to suspect of being the actual leader of Trinity. She learns that while they are still unsuccessful in Brazil, they might have found the entrance to the hidden complex here in Cozumel. Gaining entrance to the dig site Lara manages to find a cave entrance Trinity has so far ignored. This ultimately leads her into the heart of the complex, an underground Maya pyramid, where she finds a large mural telling the story of Kukulkan, the creation god, and tells of a ritual that - when combining the key and the box - summons him. But it also warns of many catastrophes, in the order: tsunami, storm, earthquake, and volcanic eruptions. Lara then spots a circular stone tablet depicting the Hydra constellation which is misaligned. After aligning it, the hiding place of the Key of Chak Chel, an ancient ornate dagger, is revealed to her. While Lara marvels at the artefact, she receives a warning from Jonah via the two-way radio that Trinity is closing in. Without having time to think, Lara grabs the artefact and thus inadvertently sets things into motion. “What have I done?” Lara manages to escape the underground structure but is surprised by Dominguez and his men who take the dagger from her and tell her that by grabbing the artefact she started the apocalypse and that the first harbinger, the tsunami, is on its way. Lara manages to escape the tsunami, while witnessing the destruction it leaves in its wake, and is able to reunite with Jonah. She tells him what has happened and that she has lost the dagger to Trinity and that the foremost thing on her mind is beating Trinity in the race for the Box to prevent Trinity from realising their dreams for a new world order. Jonah maintains that Lara is not at fault for the tsunami. “Not everything is about you.” He believes that helping the survivors of the tsunami should be their priority.

Gameplay

In the first part of the demo Lara explores the town square and has the opportunity to interact with a couple of people, by talking to them, and learning more about their lives; a gameplay mechanism that has been introduced in the Reboot, where Lara could talk to the other Endurance survivors and returning in Rise where minor interactions with the Remnant were possible. But Shadow takes the whole thing a step further, as the whole market scene is not really relevant for progressing with the main story, but gives the environment a more lively feel. The market also offers the first resources in the form of a medkit and some herbs.

Another gameplay element returning is the fluent switch between cut scenes and playable scenes, when Jonah distracts two goons to allow Lara to sneak past and explore the back alleys and reach the dig site, which is well guarded and locked down. She then reaches another exploration area, a nice and quiet location with the remains of ruined Maya structures where more resources can be found, including resource crates and where Lara uses the wall scramble, the move that gets her up and over high walls. 

Lara’s use of the climbing axe has also improved, offering new ways of traversal  not seen in the reboot games yet. Besides climbing on craggy walls, she can now attach the rope she carries to rappel up or down, to use that rope to perform a so called rappel swing and reach far off platforms, and to perform wall runs to again reach far off platforms.

Lara finally locates a cave entrance allowing her passage to yet another type of area, where she meets her first prey in the form of the well known and difficult to shoot rats that can be killed for hide and +25 XP. The new gameplay elements introduced here are the ability to disarm spear traps by cutting tripwire ropes using the knife Lara carries and the improved diving skill that gives Lara a new freedom when exploring under water. Unfortunately Lara has not brought the rebreather from Rise along but she is now able to use pockets of trapped air to extend her time underwater. 

After making her way through the underwater passages Lara finally reaches the interesting bit where a series of counterweights waits to be figured out to allow her to ascend upwards. Through the use of carts that can be pushed, tethered to other objects like cranks, or rotated around on a turntable, Lara can use them to break through walls and to weight down platforms. It seems like more of these kinds of puzzles have made their way from the challenge tombs - of which there were none in the demo by the way - into the base game. 

(Concept Art)

Another well known gameplay element is a water slide scene, where Lara has to be steered down a torrential stream, avoiding deadly traps. 

The axe can still be used to pry open doors, widen cracks in walls and even to break windows in this game.

The resources found in Shadow of the Tomb Raider are more plentiful if we are to believe what the developers told us and besides the known resources like herbs, cloths, hide, hardwood (which can also be dug up from hidden caches) we were able to spot ready made medkits and stimulants. More known elements returning are murals - which will now improve Laras overall knowledge of the culture rather than her language skills in particular - shootable targets as part of a challenge and explorer backpacks or maps - that give Lara the location of hidden collectables.

Impressions

Let me begin with Jonah, because he’s right there at the beginning of the demo. I have spoken with quite a few fans who thought that reboot Jonah seemed a lot tougher than Rise Jonah and who missed that tougher side of him. But in Shadow tough Jonah is back. While in Rise I got the feeling that Jonah wasn’t really there of his own free will but coerced by Lara to be there, but in Shadow he’s back and seems genuinely interested in the adventure. He actively helps Lara by distracting mercenaries. The two seem like equals, two adventurers who can both hold their own, no one in need of comforting and supporting (Lara by Jonah in the Reboot) or of rescuing (Jonah by Lara in Rise). Something that does return from Rise is their occasional difference of opinion resulting in heated discussions not unlike the one that occurred in Croft Manor in Rise of the Tomb Raider.

The Cozumel part is a little reminiscent of the Syria section of Rise. It has Lara finding a hidden tomb or temple, it gives a kind of introduction into traps, but Cozumel is a little more bombastic adding a calm town exploration to it (a little like the very beginning of Peru in Tomb Raider Legend but without the town folk hiding in their houses - a better comparison would be another game that is not Tomb Raider where such explorations of towns with lots of friendly characters is common but I’ll refrain from such comparison at this point, you might not own a PlayStation :-) ) The climbing sections shortly later are a little like the beginning of Thailand in Underworld but with a more impressive environment, with a view close to the one enjoyed at the Coastal Bluffs in the Reboot. (Or, possibly passages of number 4 of the PlayStation game I am not mentioning here. ;-))

And finally: The top Lara was wearing in the demo (a different one from the one in the screenshots) is getting closer to the classic outfit we know.

[aluoka]

Level 5

here is a general idea that a new big idea is always around the corner; but I guess the trick is organised everything the hardest part of the game. The challenge is to keep all the parts in working order - studio practice, blog and related writing. Different parts of the brain are used for different activities. It seems to me that my brain working on different projects all the time.😩 I am a believer in drawing and painting but also I found digital media interesting to work with. I'm enthusiastic to see examples of how these two work together to create something. I completely unsure if it would work but I would like to continue making through my independent study. There was a general, almost internal excitement in the air in the studio today But it exceeded all expectations, people really came together to share the experience of their situation.The plan is to do what I like, always experiment a lot, make mistakes, try to enjoy bugs, failures and crashes. Try to not to be precious, accept the uncertainty of the outcome. I will make sure that there are many photos on the go, layering different parts of photos on them, and this causes unexpected combinations, which, in turn, generate ideas for future projects

I brought with me to the studio three works that I did in the summer, I got bored to complete them and I left it as it is, one of the photographs I took in the city last year another was sent to me by my daughter since the children's birthday ,and I didn’t add my granddaughter to the painting. The third was collected from garbage from the internet

Johannes Vermeer, Johannes also rendered Jan, (baptized October 31, 1632, Delft, Netherlands—buried December 16, 1675, Delft), Dutch artist who created paintings that are among the most beloved and revered images in the history of art. Although only about 36 of his paintings survive, these rare works are among the greatest treasures in the world’s finest museums. Vermeer began his career in the early 1650s by painting large-scale biblical and mythological scenes, but most of his later paintings—the ones for which he is most famous—depict scenes of daily life in interior settings. These works are remarkable for their purity of light and form, qualities that convey a serene, timeless sense of dignity. Vermeer also painted cityscapes and allegorical scenes.

“The elderly woman who quietly vigils over the scene is doing some kind of needlework, possibly sewing, judging by the large piece of clothe on her lap. She is the only aged person in the artist's oeuvre even though such figures were common stock among Dutch painters of the time. Sewing, like spinning, was an attribute of domestic virtue of Biblical origin. Thus, Vermeer's picture represents a real situation that serves as a model of behavior. However, the work is so naturalistic in its appearance that the viewer never feels the weight of didacticism or moralizing finger-waving.Differently from the rest of Europe, in the Netherlands the home became more important than ever., and vas eventually embodied in an emblem from the popular emblem book Sinnepoppen by Roemer Visscher. The illustration shows a turtle in his shell, a creature who never leaves his shell, captioned "T'huys best," or, home is best. The virtuous household also held political significance as it was regarded as "the seed of the state."”http://www.essentialvermeer.com/catalogue/little_street.html#top

According to art critics, the painting depicts an ordinary house of average income, built in the second half of the 15th - early 16th centuries. The house, apparently, was located in that part of the city that was not damaged by the fire of 1536, but the traces of numerous cracks, in their opinion, are the result of the explosion of a powder warehouse in 1654. the most naturalistic urban landscape of its time, "17th century portrait of Holland". The artist himself lived in a similar house.Historians have been trying to figure out exactly where the picture was painted for quite some time. And according to their research, the most likely candidate is the Waldersgracht area, where Jan Vermeer is believed to have been born. Some believe that he painted this view from the second floor window of the Mechelen Hotel, which belonged to his father. Most of these paintings were official or private orders. And their cost was not so great: in 1651 Jan van Goyen sold his "View of the Hague" to the city elders for 650 guilders. This can be considered a high price, for 500 guilders in the middle of the 17th century one could buy a small house.

[abodynamicslife]

Alpha, Beta, and Omega, particularly in the context of wolves, are early scientific descriptions of social status or rank. The idea is that the Alphas are the most dominant, powerful individuals; that the Betas are their subordinates, like lieutenants; and the “Omega” is the lowest-ranking wolf, the pack punching bag, who is submissive to everyone else and whose job is to take their abuse, and also to cajole the pack into play.

The paranormal romance genre has developed its own little sub-tropes around the framework of Alphas, Betas, and Omegas in werewolf packs, so they’re not always drawing directly on these terms as they’ve been applied to wolf packs, but it’s definitely still one of the most common versions you’ll see of werewolf society depicted in fiction. 

There is also a popular trope that’s specific to fanfiction, which is also called “Alpha/Beta/Omega” or “A/B/O” dynamics, and though it shares many of the same roots as far as Alpha dominance and Omega submission, it’s not the same trope at all. A/B/O stories treat the idea of Alpha, Beta, and Omega more like sexual orientation and a description of physical sex characteristics. Some of the same problems exist in both tropes — and it gets particularly confusing when authors write A/B/O dynamics into a werewolf character setting where Alpha/Beta/Omega are also used as werewolf social ranking.

The fact that these terms are so popular, and used in so many different ways, adds an extra layer of confusion to their use, because werewolf fans will have already come across so many different ideas and iterations of what exactly “Alpha,” “Beta,” and “Omega” mean in so many different fictional universes, versus what they mean in real life, compounded with the fact that, well… the basis of the whole concept is rubbish.

Why Alpha / Beta / Omega for Werewolves Simply doesn’t Make Sense

The concept of Alpha / Beta / Omega wolves comes from flawed, outdated science. We know now that wolf packs in the wild are typically just a family unit: the “alphas” are in fact just the parents, or the breeding pair, and most of the other wolves in the pack are their offspring from the past several years. (There are many other pack configurations, including extremely large packs that might include aunts, uncles, wolves welcomed from other packs, and more, but a wolf pack on the most basic level is simply a family.)

How would your werewolves have started using these terms in the first place? They weren’t commonly associated with wolves until the 1950s. Even if your werewolves wanted to apply human scientific terms to their own society, if that society pre-dates the 1950s, it wouldn’t make sense for them to use those terms for themselves at all.

-  If in your universe werewolf society goes back to much more ancient times, or are simply not coming straight out of human society with human views, they would already have their own fully developed culture, social practices, and language to describe themselves.

-  The most important thing I’d love for people to understand about our ideas of power, dominance, and rank in the social life of animals, is that these are almost always just humans projecting our own nonsense onto animals.

When Alpha / Beta / Omega Might Make Sense for Your Werewolf Characters

-  When your werewolves were created by, are being studied by, or are under the control of military, government, or science forces.

-  When your werewolves weren’t born as werewolves, but acquired the condition from a bite, and have no idea what they’re doing.

-  When your werewolves don’t use the terms for themselves, but humans have applied it to them.

There are undoubtedly other occasions when those terms might make sense, and hopefully you can give it some careful consideration to how the history of these terms might interact with the werewolf society you’ve built, if indeed your werewolves have any organized society at all.

Now Write!

I haven’t written this post with the intention of shaming authors who use this convention, but with the hope of encouraging authors to branch out a bit more in the way they write werewolves, and hopefully provide you with a bit more background on where these terms come from and their possible pitfalls for worldbuilding.

Read the full article here!

RANT ALERT

I clipped a lot of the article, to just focus on the main bits. I thought it had some interesting points, but I also thought this article was an incredibly presumptuous way of telling werewolf writers and worldbuilders how to build their own make-believe universe. 

Okay, we get it, Alpha/Beta/Omega ranks were based on flawed research from the 1940s-50s, and as opposed to unrelated wolves in captivity, wolves in the wild don’t actually act that way at all. Nice. Fascinating. But werewolf fiction/horror is HARDLY one to be a stickler for factual scientific accuracy or realism in the first place.

It’s one thing to want a realistic plot and feasible character/storyline development in werewolf fiction (hello, Teen Wolf is a glaringly painful example; you’re justified to freak out trying to follow the plot holes and inconsistency and baiting). It’s another thing to single out a trope you don’t like and say in your “non-shaming” article that:

“....as much as I obviously hate this entire trope and wish it would die (sorry, I’m trying not to be judgmental, but I’m failing).”

If you don’t like ABO, or any other trope, and it bothers you that much that it’s scientifically and biologically inaccurate, there’s a very simple solution: DON’T READ OR WATCH IT.

Does it REALLY matter that werewolf stories often rely on the ABO trope in order to build their fictional stories? Yes, it often perpetuates a stereotype about human-derived hierarchies and behavioral norms, but the article is missing the point: These are WERE-WOLVES. Not REAL WOLVES. They’re ALREADY HALF HUMAN. So of course they’re going to invoke some form of human interaction and societal structures!

Then the article brought up the bitten versus born wolves. Even BORN wolves are still descended from human ancestors. “Werewolf” literally means (Hu)Man-Wolf -- the same way werefox means man-fox and werejaguar means man-jaguar. It’s rare to find a werewolf historiography in literature or film that does not begin with a HUMAN either:

being bitten by a wolf from the offset (ie: magical/scientific rabies)

using magic/potions/charms to become a wolf (eg: shamanism, animism)

being cursed into becoming a wolf, often via cannibalism (eg: Lycaon)

becoming a wolf via death-rebirth spiritualism (eg: Eastern Europe lore)

or some combination of the above

In the universes where ABO is applied to werewolves, it usually appears where multiple werewolves are already living/passing amidst normal human societies together. Technically, they’re IN CAPTIVITY; they’re not living in THE WILD. These werewolves are busy reigning in the wolf, not the human. Their community is their pack, and they’re led by a top werewolf, just like humans societies (Teen Wolf “alphas”, True Blood “packmasters”, etc). Otherwise they live like ordinary people, more or less. So by the article’s own stance that ABO ranks were only applicable to wolves not living in the wild, ABO actually applies!

In werewolf literature/film where the main character is bitten by a mysterious rogue/wild/feral (were)wolf who only exists as a plot device (usually killed in order to “cure” the character or lift the “curse”), there are no packs or ranks anyway, since that lone (were)wolf was a one-off for the sake of the storyline.

So it’s not surprising at all if werewolf packs started adopting human terms to describe what they are, even if before the 1950s they didn’t have a name for their system -- which brings up another point:

We’re taking it for granted that fictional werewolf packs around the world are even speaking English and using ABO tropes in the first place. Who’s to say that wolf packs in Europe and Mexico and Africa and Asia and the Arctic and North America are all using the same terms to describe themselves? Especially when you think about the social structures already inherently different around the world, applied on top of the ways different cultures perceive animals like wolves. You already get hints when looking at werewolves/wolves/canines in mythology and folklore and seeing how different they are!

I just think the article took the whole thing too seriously; suspend your disbelief. No one expects werewolf fiction to be scientifically accurate -- it’s myths and horror and pop culture, and the ABO kink/trope emerged from it via Supernatural fanfiction, not some special on Animal Planet or National Geographic issue. It’s all FICTION.

[stgeorgesmovielover-blog]

John Wick: Chapter 2

For those of you that may have missed John Wick when it released back in April 2015 (nearly 7 months after the US release!), the film signalled the return to true action hero form for Keanu Reeves- and what a surprisingly brilliant film it was! Nearly 2 years on, Reeves is back in John Wick's 'tactical' suit to wreak more havoc on the seedy world of mafia dons, hitmen and gangsters. So, to catch us all up, John Wick: an ex-hitman who had recently lost his wife to a terminal illness, was forced out of retirement to track down the gangsters that killed the puppy she had left him in her memory and who had stolen his precious Mustang. The callous disrespect cannot go unpunished and Wick soon learns these thugs are closely linked to Mob Boss, Viggo Tarasov (Michael Nyqvist). As the film progresses it quickly becomes clear that Wick is a man you do not want to mess with; he is also a man that does not want to get back into the business of being a Hitman, but he must make them pay for what they have done, as he is a grieving man, with nothing left to lose. In this instalment, Wick finally gets his beloved Mustang back and, still reeling from the death of his wife, Helen, is truly ready to fade back into some sense of normalcy. But this state is, of course, shortly lived, when Wick is paid a visit by a former associate, Santino D'Antonio, with nefarious intentions to seize control over a large part of the international assassins' guild. D'Antonio (played by Riccardo Scamarcio), forces Wick's hand by reminding him of the blood oath that he holds over him, the price of which is to assassinate whomever he is instructed to, no questions asked. Little does Wick know, however, that once the oath is honoured and the debt is paid, he is to be targeted by every international assassin in the market for his bounty. But how does John Wick: Chapter 2 fare in comparison to Wick's first cinematic outing? Well, as far as entertainment goes, this one definitely hits the mark in much the same way as the fist! Hugely audacious and certifiably more violent than its predecessor, Chapter 2 takes a much bolder step into the action genre. What is plainly evident, is that John Wick is not great at retiring at all and perhaps, as others have commented along the way, he is addicted to bloody path of vengeance- but really, what else does he have to live for? And what could be more dangerous than a man with nothing left to hold him back? After its opening, the film wastes no time at all plunging us deeper into the particular diegesis of Wick's world, its mythologies, arcane rules and boundaries. This labyrinthine world of assassins is far more rigidly structured, regimented and orderly than we might otherwise think and it's a treat to explore the various layers and inner-workings in such a way. One of the best examples of these appetising details is the introduction of an old-fashioned administrative steno pool of tattooed ladies that handle and process the release of 'hits' and other nasty things that need to get done. There are also several moments of pleasure to be had watching Wick prepare for his various showdowns. Here is a man with incredibly refined flawless tastes and he knows what he wants. The conversation with the weapons Sommelier (Peter Serafinowicz) that is carried out as one, perfectly formed, metaphor for fine dining, is absolutely brilliant! Another highlight is when Wick responds to the question of 'what style?' by his Italian suit tailor, with the one-word response: 'tactical'. Yes, even gorgeous, precisely tailored dinner suits can serve a higher purpose in Wick's world- one of bullet-proof armour! It could be argued that some of the focus of the first film is lost here, with such attention paid to the smaller details of the criminal world, but these details are charming and help to add so much more class to the film, whilst also enabling a natural precursor for moments of humour. All of this lending the story the chance to venture down some fun avenues. Obviously, cinema was created so that we could all marvel at Keanu Reeves' ability to look about two decades younger than his actual age, in the slickest suits and simultaneously slice through people with the same grace as Fred Astaire! Yes, I am clearly a fan of Mr. Reeves, but joking aside, for all its charming craft and flawless style, John Wick: Chapter 2 is undoubtedly, like its predecessor, a showcase for Keanu Reeves: a great actor that has made great films for decades and a man, more importantly, with a sincere love for and skill in the action genre. I don't believe, as great as this series is, that it would be anywhere near as good without Reeves in the titular role. The action truly is second to none and it is obvious that Reeves knows what he's doing when it comes to the martial arts. Over the length of his career, Reeves has trained in such arts as Jiu Jitsu, Wushu, Boxing, Krav Maga, Judo, Karate and many more, so there is no chance of questioning the authenticity of the action in this one. Keanu Reeves was born for action, he was born to play the hero and yes, some have criticised his acting over the years as wooden or stilted, but I find- at least as John Wick, that he plays the grieving, reluctant hitman brilliantly. Having said all of that, Reeves is not the only star that shines brightly in this one. There is the returning cast of Ian McShane as Winston, the Owner of New York City's Continental Hotel, Lance Reddick as the Manager, and the ever-amazing John Leguizamo as Aurelio the mechanic. However the new faces also bring plenty to the table with the likes of Orange is the New Black's, Ruby Rose, as Ares, who manages to be a commanding presence in every scene despite no dialogue whatsoever, the brilliantly talented, Common, as Cassian, who completely nails the silent but deadly assassin mode with such panache that his and Reeves' scenes together light up the film! Finally, there is the superb addition of Laurence Fishburne, as the Bowery King. Indeed, there is no doubt that these two actors have a wonderful rapport between them, I mean, how could they not after their shared history in The Matrix franchise? But Fishburne is powerful in the role with a hint of eccentricity, for good measure, even though his role is a fairly small one, he manages to make quite the impact and I certainly felt those Neo/Morpheus chills! How could I not? It's Neo and Morpheus, people! The only real negative, for me, was how rapid the Ares and Wick fight was. As a Ruby Rose fan, I was anticipating a grander showdown but what I got was one that, sadly, did not last as long as I'd have liked it to, but she definitely has a place in the cinematic action world, no doubt about it! However, I must applaud Director, Chad Stahelski for the superbly choreographed art gallery sequence as that is a sheer work of art in itself! The visual feast that Stahelski and Cinematographer, Dan Laustsen have created is truly sumptuous. Every frame takes advantage of the refined styles of Wick's world, forming a colour palette unique to the action film landscape that gives John Wick: Chapter 2 an artistic quality. These two also know how handsome and physically expressive their leading man is. Often Reeves is the only thing on-screen, his face and body cast in shades of turquoise, jade, and neon pink and the angles of his frame beautifully highlighted in a gorgeous, stylish, yet masculine way. The fight scenes are also quite artful, they are never over-edited and the continuous use of wide shots only serve to further highlight just how much Reeves trained for the physicality of the role. It's safe to say that the violence is never one-dimensional, either, instead frequently oscillating between darkly humorous and even poetic. This chapter is definitely more brutal than the first- but we do get to see Wick's pencil trick- which is a testament to how deadly he really is. Reeves' dialogue may be spare, but his body tells a story of its own, even in the subdued moments and often, he manages to communicate more of a history than some actors do in entire monologues. Indeed, where Ares may be frenetic and Cassian brutal, Wick is elegant and poetic in his violence. Quite frequently it feels like Reeves is creating dance crafted by his skill with the action and violence and I'm hard pressed to think of any other modern action star who manages to be so brutal yet utterly beautiful in equal measure. But, it must be said that Keanu Reeves' talent goes beyond just his undeniable flair as a physical performer in action scenes. John Wick: Chapter 2 highlights the theme that has snaked its way throughout his entire career: loneliness. There is no doubt that Reeves has always been at his best when he has played men that are isolated due to choice and pathology. Wick's struggle to find peace in this dangerous, chaotic and volatile world is actually moving and you desperately want him to succeed in finding it. Here is a man without any real home in the world- emotional or tangible. Yes this is a slick, adrenaline-pumping action flick that will be sure to keep the masses entertained, but John Wick: Chapter 2 is also a moving depiction of how loneliness and grief can warp the best of us. A sharp, ferocious and stylish piece of cinema, John Wick: Chapter 2 is every bit as cool and bloodthirsty as the first. The film oozes sophistication and class and the franchise is probably one of the most artistic and technical we have seen within the Hollywood action genre in recent years- in fact the only other double-hitter that springs to mind is the Indonesian: The Raid (both parts 1 and 2), but John Wick definitely is bridging the gap between the Eastern giants in Martial Arts and the Hollywood mainstream! The door has been left open for a potential Chapter 3, and I know (if it goes ahead), I will definitely be first in line to see it. If it turns out to be anywhere near as good as the first two, then it's bound to be excellent! 4.5/5

[wristwatchjournal]

Independent Watchmaking – Kees Engelbarts – Hand-Engraved Watches, Total Creative License and Radical Skeletonisation

Kees Engelbarts might not a household name for most people. Readers of MONOCHROME, however, have been introduced to the watches of this most original Dutch engraver whom Frank has been following since 2009. Engelbarts is an independent watchmaker, a free spirit with a lively fantasy and a talent for engraving that situate his watches closer to art pieces than cookie-cutter watches made by the millions. Producing just six to eight watches a year, Engelbarts embraces the philosophy of handmade, an ideology that permeates just about every level of the watch, save the movements which are sourced from new old stock calibres. He is totally upfront about not being a watchmaker: he is an engraver who makes watches.  For 2020, Kees Engelbarts revisits his celebrated Skeletonised Tourbillon with even more daring feats of skeletonisation and a more muted, toned-down palette. The second watch he is introducing this year is Jumping Carp featuring a hand-engraved carp.

Background

Engelbarts trained as an engraver in Schoonhoven (known as the ‘Silver Town’) in Holland and then moved to Geneva in the 1990s. Turning his hand to the diminutive dimensions of watch dials, Engelbarts attracted plenty of commissions from high-end Swiss brands. In 1997 he decided to make his own watches and, like any self-respecting painter or sculptor, all his pieces are signed. To date, Engelbart’s creations revolve around two central themes: dials decorated with mythical creatures (often inspired by Japanese folklore and the Japanese technique of Mokume Gane) and skeletonisation that verges on the radical.

Intrepid Skeletonisation

If you compare the Argentium Tourbillon to the model we reviewed in 2017, you’ll notice the differences. Not only has Engelbarts toned-down the colour palette, but he’s taken his very own skeletonisation to more daring heights. For a taste of his former skeletonised watches, this bronze model will give you a feel for his organic approach. However, looking at this latest model with its barely-there support system, it’s a miracle the movement doesn’t come flying out of the watch.

Forget about CNC machines to achieve near-perfect parts: Engelbarts relies on his hands and his intuition to create his organic skeletonised watches. Most skeletonised watches start life as a non-openworked (closed) movement that is then skeletonised by the watchmaker; in short, the supporting structure already exists. In Engelbarts’ world, skeletonisation takes on a very different meaning. When he skeletonises, he doesn’t just open up pre-existing bridges and plates, he removes the ones provided with the outsourced movement and designs his very own from a blank. The mainplate and bridges are then built from an entirely different material, in this case, German silver. The German silver structure holding the parts in place is then oxidised. In the ‘Making Of’ pictures, you can see the twisted German silver structure before and after oxidisation.

As Engelbarts admits, he doesn’t start with a drawing or a technical plan. “The rough outlines are drawn on the main-plate and the bridges with a marker to see which parts of the movement are essential and which parts are not needed…I then start to cut away roughly and little by little come to the final shape.” What emerges are these amazing twisted coral-like structures that leave plenty of negative space to see the movement. The tourbillon at 6 o’clock, the gear train and the barrel are discernible from both front and back, suspended in space. Speaking to Engelbarts the other day, he described that skeletonising his latest tourbillon piece was “a blast, no challenges, pure pleasure working on a piece like that. You see it growing, getting closer to the end result. I forget the time when I work on a watch like this”.

Both the Argentium Tourbillon and the Jumping Carp are housed in 39.5mm cases made from 935 Argentium, a silver alloy that uses germanium instead of copper and doesn’t oxidise or tarnish like sterling silver. Both cases have been hardened and then brushed to create an attractive surface. The movement is a Swiss hand-wound tourbillon calibre beating at 21,600vph and with a 72-hour autonomy.

The Japanese Connection and the Jumping Carp

Engelbarts is fascinated with dragons and other mythological creatures, many of them associated with Japanese folklore. Jumping Carp is the first in a series of three unique watches and the theme is obviously related to this most Japanese of all fish; the Koi carp. With his fervid imagination, Engelbarts wanted to depict the carp in motion, jumping up to enter “through the dragon gate to transform into a dragon (and therefore become a mythical creature and achieve eternal life)”.  If you look closely at the dial, you can see the carp with its iridescent scales and fins jumping out of the turbulent waters… I’m not sure I can see the dragon gate, but that’s part of the fun. Everybody will see what they want to see.

As those of you who have followed Engelbarts well know, he is also a master of the ancient Japanese technique of Mokume Gane. In fact, he is the first to have applied this technique to the dial of a watch. Mokume Gane is a mixed metal laminated procedure developed in the 1600s in Japan and is attributed to Denbai Shoami (1651-1728), a master craftsman who specialised in sword fittings in the prefecture of Akita. Loosely translated as ‘wood grain metal’, the distinctive layered patterns of Mokume Gane transform the appearance of cold metal into warm natural wood grain and was first used to decorate tsuba, the handguard of a Japanese sword.

The art of Mokume Gane consists of layering different non-ferrous metals (a bit like mille-feuille pasty), which are then heated in an oven to the fusion temperature of the metal that melts first. As Engelbarts explained to me in an interview in 2018, “once you get your solid homogenous block with all the layers, the fun begins and you can do all sorts of things to it – bend it, twist it, engrave it and, like wood, expose the grain of the metal”. Using a tiny U-shaped scalpel and a low-relief engraving technique, Engelbarts breathes life into the stacked layers of silver and white gold that form the base. The layers of Mokume Gane accentuate the shapes of the waves and add volume and depth to the scenery.

The level of engraving is unparalleled as the sinuous shape of the carp, and the swirling waters come to life. Even the gold-plated hands that look like twisted golden branches are the result of Mokume Gane. The layers of metal used in Mokume Gane provides a fascinating depth. For this particular dial, he has used 19 layers of metal, which have then been oxidised and coloured with a process involving liver of sulphur.

The iridescent colours you can see are obtained from liver of sulphur, a foul-smelling potassium-based compound that creates patinas on metals. The intensity of colour depends on the concentration of the solution and can range from light yellow all the way up the spectrum to brown, blue, violet and even black.

As Engelbarts likes to say, the case is the frame for the artwork. Like the Argentium Tourbillon, the 39.5mm case of the Jumping Carp is made from Argentium 935 and displays the same matte brushed finish. The only difference between the two is that the Jumping Carp has an 18k yellow gold crown. As he says, “I don’t like polishing my cases because polished surfaces don’t stay polished very long” and they are more prone to scratches. Surprisingly thin for a watch with so much artwork on board, the height of both watches is 9.5mm and the dial and movement are protected with sapphire crystals.

The Jumping Carp is fitted with a new old stock manual-winding Peseux 330. This vintage Peseux 330 is the ancestor of the Peseux/ETA 7001, a simple but noble manual-winding movement with a frequency of 18,000vph and a 43-hour power reserve. Turning the watch over is another treat since the mainplate and bridges have also been hand-engraved with an Asian wave pattern, silver-plated, oxidized and then coloured with acids. Ranging from purple to blue and orange, the iridescent colours change according to the light.

Availability and price

The Argentium Tourbillon is a unique piece and will retail for CHF 120,000 (not incl. taxes). The Jumping Carp is the first of three and the watches will be sold as a trilogy. The other two are not finished yet.

For more information, please visit kees.ch.

The post Independent Watchmaking – Kees Engelbarts – Hand-Engraved Watches, Total Creative License and Radical Skeletonisation appeared first on Wristwatch Journal.

from WordPress https://ift.tt/31LWQHM via IFTTT

[gamingtipsandtrickshacks]

God of War Review -- The Best God of War Ever

The brand new chapter of the God of War saga is finally here, but if you expect it to have much in common with Kratos’ tribulations from the past, you’ll probably be disappointed, or at least extremely surprised. It’s time to clear our mind of all preconceptions and embark into a brand new adventure.

The most obvious difference is the setting: gone is Greece, replaced by the cold North. Kratos is still going to meet and fight gods, but this time around it’s Norse mythology to form the base for the story, and it does so for the better. The good folks at Sony Santa Monica didn’t just adopt Scandinavian myths and legends but forged them into one of the most vibrant and interesting fantasy settings I have seen in a long time.

The story begins with Kratos and his son Atreus as they burn the body of the boy’s mother. Her last wish dictates that the two scatter her ashes from the highest peak in the realms. Before they can depart, a strange tattooed man appears at the door of Kratos’ hut, seemingly aware of his divine nature.

Our short-tempered hero doesn’t like to be questioned, so a titanic battle ensues. After finally dispatching the rather resilient opponent, Kratos and Atreus depart for their adventure, which will definitely be a lot more complicated than expected.

The change in setting is just the tip of the iceberg, as Kratos himself is quite far from the consistently raging character that we left at the end of the previous game. While he still struggles to keep calm and collected, his newfound role as a father gives him new responsibilities, forcing him to hold his nature at bay or to find a new one within himself.

Of course, being the son of the God of War isn’t exactly easy, especially if said god isn’t willing to tell you squat about his own nature and yours. This is the conundrum that Atreus will have to face, as the two men, old and young, struggle to get closer to each other possibly without this resulting in too many bruises. The generational gap is the least of the problems that Kratos and Atreus will have to face, and the way they grow together as characters is probably one of the most charming aspects of this game.

This is probably the biggest innovation brought to the table by God of War. The previous games of the series were fun despite their characters. Exhilarating action gameplay and fantastic graphics (for the time) were the main attraction, while the story was pretty much an accessory. It’s a bit difficult to have compelling and nuanced storytelling when your main character has two states of mind, angry and angrier.

On the other hand, the new title comes with a cast that is rich in charm and depth. Kratos himself has grown into an extremely compelling character with plenty of emotional depth and his share of vulerabilities. His guff manners should not deceive, as there is definitely a lot to discover beneath the thick hide of this veteran father-warrior. As a matter of fact, in some aspects, he has turned into the geometric opposite of who he was. His abrupt speech patterns and unfriendly mannerism used to make him annoying. Now, thanks to the exceptional writing and the presence of Atreus as a perfect counterpart, they have become endearing traits, and definitely enjoyable.

Atreus himself is a great co-protagonist. Kratos’ son is depicted as flawed and immature. Yet, that’s done in a way that masterfully avoids turning him into a nuisance and indeed encourages the player to grow attached to this fledgling would-be warrior who struggles to live up to his super-stern father’s expectations, while dealing with his own mysterious and often uncomfortable nature.

The rest of the cast is equally well written and designed, and I can honestly say that for the first time I truly enjoyed the story of a God of War game. Until a couple of years ago, I would have never, ever, thought this possible.  The God of War series is all grown-up now, and I say this with the most positive sentiment possible.

For the first time in the story of the franchise, the strong narration and writing spark a wide range of feelings, going from deeply moving movements to absolutely hilarious skits, and the best part is that it all feels perfectly natural.

The story and characters are supported by absolutely superb voice acting, and the continuous dialogue between Kratos and Atreus is interesting and enjoyable all the way through the game.

Speaking of audio, every single aspect of the production is top-notch, from the sound design that perfectly sets the atmosphere of the imperious Norse landscape, to the score by Bear McCreary, which is hands-down one of the best soundtracks I have heard in a game of this genre in a long time.

One of the few aspects sticking to the tradition of the series is the graphics. I tested the game on PS4 Pro, and I have to say that the game looks truly spectacular. I am always amazed by the visual results that Sony’s top first-party studios manage to achieve on a console, and this is no exception.

Those playing on PS4 Pro like I did will have the chance to choose between a “favor resolution” mode that renders the game at 2160p checkerboard or a “favor performance” mode that renders at 1080p, with better frame rate.  The game is a true joy for the eyes in both modes, but it’s certainly good to have options (you can check out the difference in our dedicated article).

It’s actually difficult to judge which element looks better between the rich environments and the beautifully detailed character models. The world is brought to life masterfully, even thanks to advanced lighting and effects.

Amazing texture work is probably the best aspect of the characters, and rarely I have seen gameplay models so close to cutscene quality. They’re super-detailed, expressive, and fantastically animated.

Speaking of animation, it feels extremely visceral thanks to the combination with proficient camera work and the awesome sound design I mentioned above. You will “feel” every impact of Kratos’ axe directly in your stomach, and even something as simple as opening a chest has an “oomph” that is rarely seen in games.

Of course, the true king of the God of War franchise has always been gameplay, and that still holds true with this new game. Yet, this is not to say that it’s similar. As a matter of fact, it really isn’t. The new God of War is closer to an extremely stylish action-RPG than to a pure hack-and-slash.

The development team adopted a rather deep system involving plenty of loot, equipment and upgrades, alongside multiple skill trees, and this works as a very solid base for the new battle mechanics.

Combat itself has plenty of depth and nuance, discouraging button mashing even at the normal difficulty setting, and spurring the player to learn his “tools of the trade” in the forms of combos, blocks, dodges, and magical abilities. It’s definitely more tactical and complex than what God of War fans are used to, without losing one bit of its exhilarating nature.

The game presents the player with a good variety of enemies, each of which requires a different approach to be fought effectively, keeping you on your toes and ensuring that battle never gets old all the way throughout the adventure.

Things are made even more interesting by the fact that you don’t fight alone. Atreus acts as an adventuring companion and as the perfect distraction to allow you to unleash that devastating and extremely satisfying combo. Like his father, he can be customized (even if to a lesser extent) in order to further adapt him to your favorite playstyle or to the situation. His presence adds another layer of depth to the already engaging battle system.

The true star, at least for me, is Kratos’ new axe. It’s powerful and visceral, turning combat into a brutal and immersive activity. Upgrading and customizing it is satisfying and rewarding, and it comes with an extremely cool feature: not only it can be thrown with various effects depending on your skills and customization, but it can also be recalled by pressing triangle. When you do that, it won’t just reappear in Kratos’ hand, but it will actually fly back to it, hitting unsuspecting enemies in the back. It’s actually difficult to describe how cool this feels before you try it yourself.

Once mastered, God of War’s combat is one of the most rewarding I have tried in a long time. Kratos becomes a hurricane of death and destruction, blocking, shield bashing, slicing, dicing, spinning around and throwing his axe at an enemy further away, while pummeling closer monsters with punches and kicks, and then recalling the weapon to catch two more draugr in the back, before going in for one of the several spectacular finishers. It’s fast, complex, addictive, and exhilarating, but I never once felt like I wasn’t in control.

As a matter of fact, I have never felt so much in control in a God of War game, and the sensation this gives is fantastic.

The axe is also used extensively to solve quite a few puzzles scattered across the landscape. One particular kind requires you to strike some bells in order to unlock a chest. It may sound banal, but it often isn’t, and fluidly hitting your targets while calling your weapon back will feel definitely satisfying the first time you manage to pull the stunt.

Another extremely pleasing aspect of God of War is just how much content it packs. It’s not an open-world game, but there is a lot of real estate to visit, and plenty of room for exploration and for hunting secrets on top of the long and meaty story. Every realm that you visit looks and feels very different, and it’s really amazing that Sony Santa Monica managed to include this much gameplay while keeping the overall level of quality so consistently high. There is even an enormous amount of lore that can be collected to immerse yourself deeper into the setting.

Ultimately, God of War is the perfect example of how it’s possible to revolutionize a beloved series while improving it massively, in a way that does not feel unnatural. Mechanical improvements add up on top of a compelling story and impressively solid and likable characters.

Cory Barlog and his team managed to reinvent the wheel, and while they added more pieces, it rolls smoother than ever before, providing the best God of War experience of the history of the franchise.

[fadingfartconnoisseur]

Pula: Things to do When You Visit During Low Season!

We visited Pula in October hoping to catch the last rays of summer in this popular holiday hotspot. Pula is a small city in the southern part of Istria, the heart-shaped peninsula in northwestern Croatia, and it draws huge crowds during the summer months, both for its beaches and its famed film and music festivals. Well, we may have missed all the buzz, but we still managed to have a wonderful time in Pula during low season.

Since we travelled by bus by way of Italy and Slovenia, reaching Pula meant travelling the full length of Istria and we were amazed by the scenery outside the window. We went past fields of green in the form of olive groves and vineyards, roads lined with Italian Cypress trees, and hilltop towns dominated by orange rooftops and church bell towers. Istria was love at first sight, even causing us to switch up our Balkans travel itinerary so that we could spend a little more time along the coast and a little less time inland.

In total, we spent a week in Istria and this is a little taste of what we got up to in Pula:

Touring the impressive Pula Arena

We kicked off our sightseeing in Pula with a visit to the city’s best-known attraction: Pula Arena! This Roman amphitheatre is an architectural behemoth that dates back to the 1st century. It was built during the reign of Emperor Vespasian, at the same time the Colosseum in Rome was going up.

What’s even more shocking is how well preserved it is; this is the only remaining Roman amphitheatre with all four side towers and three stories still standing.

We walked past the arena on our first day in Pula as we were going to check into our apartment and what a sight that was! We were up and early the following morning ready to explore the inside.

It is believed that the amphitheater could seat about 20,000 spectators – gladiator fights would have taken place in the arena while spectators sat on the stone steps – but this structure would not go forgotten after the fall of the Roman Empire; during the Middle Ages, this is where knights would have held their tournaments and fairs.

Admission: 60 kuna / 10 Euros

Tip: During the summer months, Pula Arena puts on “Spectacvla Antiqva”, an event that reenacts gladiator fights and games from Roman antiquity. Alternatively, you can buy a ticket to one of the many concerts or films that are screened in the amphitheatre as part of the summer music festivals and Pula Film Festival.

Visiting the Roman Forum

From there, we also made time to visit the Roman Forum, which was the main square and the centre of social, religious and political life during Roman times.

The Forum in Pula once housed 3 temples: the Temple of Augustus, the Temple of Diana, and the Temple to the Capitoline Triad (where Jupiter, Juno and Minerva were worshipped), but today, only the Temple of Augustus remains.

Over the course of the centuries, the Temple of Augustus has seen many uses from a Christian church to a grain storehouse, but at present, it houses a very small 1-room museum – and when I say small, I mean you can visit in 5 minutes! Inside you can see a small collection of sculptures, reliefs and statuettes.

Admission: 5 kuna

Tracking down the Roman Mosaic

And speaking of the Romans, another cool site not too far from the Forum is the Roman Mosaic. This incredible well-preserved floor depicts the Punishment of Dirce, which is straight out of Greek mythology.

The mosaic is tucked away in a bit of an inconspicuous location, but it’s easy to find if you know how to get there. The best thing you can do is plot “Roman Floor Mosaic” on GoogleMaps, which will lead you to a parking lot off Ulica Benediktinske opatije.

You might think you’re off course at this point, but keep going. Walk through the parking lot until you see a set of gates on the left-hand side – it’ll look like you’re walking into the back entrance of a building complex. As soon as you walk through the gates, you’ll be able to see the mosaic on your right. A fascinating slice of history right under your nose!

Admission: Free

Eating the best pizza in town

Now for our favourite restaurant in town, allow me to introduce you to Pizzeria Jupiter! We found this place pretty early on and we ate here once a day the whole time we were in Pula.

I know you’re probably wondering, “Pizza in Croatia? What are you doing? This isn’t Italy!” but to be fair, Istrian cuisine does have a strong Italian influence and their pizza is amazing.

Two of our favourites at the restaurant were Frutti di mare a seafood pizza topped with tomatoes, cheese, scampi, mussels, tuna, sardines, squid and garlic; and Istriana topped with tomatoes, mozzarella, prosciutto, rucola and cherry tomatoes. Add a glass of the house red and I was in my foodie zone.

Sampling all the artisanal gelato

And speaking of food, we somehow managed to book ourselves into an apartment that was right next-door to a gelato shop, so needless to say, we were regulars at that place!

Over the course of our stay, we became very well-acquainted with Slastičarnica Fortuna – a fourth-generation gelato shop! – and we soon befriended one of the great-grandsons who worked there. Sam was all about the pistachio and I was super fond of anything with berries, so I had a new flavour to sample each day.

Getting lost in the Old Town

Another thing we did plenty of in Pula was walking around without much of a plan. I’m someone who just enjoys wandering up and down back streets admiring the architecture, popping into shops, and snapping photos along the way. Pula’s streets are perfect for this with so many impressive gates, cobbled lanes, and surprising facades.

If you prefer a bit more structure to your wanderings, try walking the length of Kandlerova, Forum and Sergijevaca; this is one street that runs through the Old Town in a horseshoe formation, changing names along the way.

This will take you past the cathedral, the tunnel network known as Zerostrasse, the Roman Forum, the Temple of Augustus, the Roman Mosaic and the Arch of Sergii just to name a few. You can also use this walk to scout out some restaurants or do a little souvenir shopping.

Enjoying a walk along the marina

Another thing you can do in Pula is go on a boat cruise. The most popular destination is Brijuni National Park, a group of 14 small islands that sit out on the Adriatic Sea.

The islands have a few archaeological and cultural sites and though admission to the park used to be free, these days you have to join one of the official excursions arranged by the park or local tourist agencies.

I tend to get super queasy on boats, so we ended up skipping this and wandering along the marina instead, but if you want to see more of the Istrian coast, this is a really popular day trip from Pula. To arrange an outing, you just have to walk down to the marina where you’ll find a row of tour operators offering different trips including a few sunset cruises.

Climbing the fortress for city views

Next up, for city views we walked up to Pula Castle, also known as Kaštel. This is an old fortress situated on a hill right in the centre of Pula and it was built by the Venetians during the 17th century.

The fort houses the Historical and Maritime Museum of Istria, but I would say the main draw are the views you get.

Admission: 20 kuna

Hitting up Pula’s beaches

We visited Pula during the low-season and even though the locals insisted “the water was warmer than the air” and still okay for a swim, I felt otherwise! I may not have gone for a swim, but I can agree that Valsaline is a beautiful beach and I can only imagine the crowds it draws during the summer months.

Since I’m no expert on summer in Pula, here’s a link to some of the best beaches in Pula for you to take your pick.

Where to stay in Pula

We had initially considered visiting Pula in the middle of summer, but the prices scared us away. Like most of Croatia’s coastline, Pula too is a summer hotspot, so not only where most properties already booked up for July and August, but the remaining ones had ridiculous price tags – we’re talking about $100/night for tiny studios.

By comparison, visiting during the low season, we were able to get a 1-bedroom house in the heart of the city for $40/night, so that’s something to keep in mind. You can get a better idea of rates for accommosations in Pula here.

As for location, Pula is fairly compact and walkable, so anywhere in the Old Town is a good place to stay.

Weather in Pula in October

So, Pula in the off-season – what was the weather like?

We were there in mid-October and though that late summer warmth was gone, it was still pleasant. The temperatures were about 16-20°C during the day, but would drop down to 6-10°C at night.

Mornings and evenings in Pula were usually foggy with mist rolling in from the water. In the mornings, I would leave our place wearing a scarf and a jacket, but then by mid-morning, I’d be peeling off these layers and basking in the sunshine in my short sleeve.

I do think this is still a nice time of year to be in Pula if beaches and summer rays aren’t your top priority. Locals told us how the summer months can be a bit stifling (one of them said that by the end of summer he’s wishing for rain!), so I thought the cooler weather was ideal for long days of wandering around on foot.

Have you been to Pula? What were some of your highlights?

Booking.com

via Travel Blogs http://ift.tt/2yE9StD

[gamingtipsandtrickshacks]

God of War Review -- The Best God of War Ever

The brand new chapter of the God of War saga is finally here, but if you expect it to have much in common with Kratos’ tribulations from the past, you’ll probably be disappointed, or at least extremely surprised. It’s time to clear our mind of all preconceptions and embark into a brand new adventure.

The most obvious difference is the setting: gone is Greece, replaced by the cold North. Kratos is still going to meet and fight gods, but this time around it’s Norse mythology to form the base for the story, and it does so for the better. The good folks at Sony Santa Monica didn’t just adopt Scandinavian myths and legends but forged them into one of the most vibrant and interesting fantasy settings I have seen in a long time.

The story begins with Kratos and his son Atreus as they burn the body of the boy’s mother. Her last wish dictates that the two scatter her ashes from the highest peak in the realms. Before they can depart, a strange tattooed man appears at the door of Kratos’ hut, seemingly aware of his divine nature.

Our short-tempered hero doesn’t like to be questioned, so a titanic battle ensues. After finally dispatching the rather resilient opponent, Kratos and Atreus depart for their adventure, which will definitely be a lot more complicated than expected.

The change in setting is just the tip of the iceberg, as Kratos himself is quite far from the consistently raging character that we left at the end of the previous game. While he still struggles to keep calm and collected, his newfound role as a father gives him new responsibilities, forcing him to hold his nature at bay or to find a new one within himself.

Of course, being the son of the God of War isn’t exactly easy, especially if said god isn’t willing to tell you squat about his own nature and yours. This is the conundrum that Atreus will have to face, as the two men, old and young, struggle to get closer to each other possibly without this resulting in too many bruises. The generational gap is the least of the problems that Kratos and Atreus will have to face, and the way they grow together as characters is probably one of the most charming aspects of this game.

This is probably the biggest innovation brought to the table by God of War. The previous games of the series were fun despite their characters. Exhilarating action gameplay and fantastic graphics (for the time) were the main attraction, while the story was pretty much an accessory. It’s a bit difficult to have compelling and nuanced storytelling when your main character has two states of mind, angry and angrier.

On the other hand, the new title comes with a cast that is rich in charm and depth. Kratos himself has grown into an extremely compelling character with plenty of emotional depth and his share of vulerabilities. His guff manners should not deceive, as there is definitely a lot to discover beneath the thick hide of this veteran father-warrior. As a matter of fact, in some aspects, he has turned into the geometric opposite of who he was. His abrupt speech patterns and unfriendly mannerism used to make him annoying. Now, thanks to the exceptional writing and the presence of Atreus as a perfect counterpart, they have become endearing traits, and definitely enjoyable.

Atreus himself is a great co-protagonist. Kratos’ son is depicted as flawed and immature. Yet, that’s done in a way that masterfully avoids turning him into a nuisance and indeed encourages the player to grow attached to this fledgling would-be warrior who struggles to live up to his super-stern father’s expectations, while dealing with his own mysterious and often uncomfortable nature.

The rest of the cast is equally well written and designed, and I can honestly say that for the first time I truly enjoyed the story of a God of War game. Until a couple of years ago, I would have never, ever, thought this possible.  The God of War series is all grown-up now, and I say this with the most positive sentiment possible.

For the first time in the story of the franchise, the strong narration and writing spark a wide range of feelings, going from deeply moving movements to absolutely hilarious skits, and the best part is that it all feels perfectly natural.

The story and characters are supported by absolutely superb voice acting, and the continuous dialogue between Kratos and Atreus is interesting and enjoyable all the way through the game.

Speaking of audio, every single aspect of the production is top-notch, from the sound design that perfectly sets the atmosphere of the imperious Norse landscape, to the score by Bear McCreary, which is hands-down one of the best soundtracks I have heard in a game of this genre in a long time.

One of the few aspects sticking to the tradition of the series is the graphics. I tested the game on PS4 Pro, and I have to say that the game looks truly spectacular. I am always amazed by the visual results that Sony’s top first-party studios manage to achieve on a console, and this is no exception.

Those playing on PS4 Pro like I did will have the chance to choose between a “favor resolution” mode that renders the game at 2160p checkerboard or a “favor performance” mode that renders at 1080p, with better frame rate.  The game is a true joy for the eyes in both modes, but it’s certainly good to have options (you can check out the difference in our dedicated article).

It’s actually difficult to judge which element looks better between the rich environments and the beautifully detailed character models. The world is brought to life masterfully, even thanks to advanced lighting and effects.

Amazing texture work is probably the best aspect of the characters, and rarely I have seen gameplay models so close to cutscene quality. They’re super-detailed, expressive, and fantastically animated.

Speaking of animation, it feels extremely visceral thanks to the combination with proficient camera work and the awesome sound design I mentioned above. You will “feel” every impact of Kratos’ axe directly in your stomach, and even something as simple as opening a chest has an “oomph” that is rarely seen in games.

Of course, the true king of the God of War franchise has always been gameplay, and that still holds true with this new game. Yet, this is not to say that it’s similar. As a matter of fact, it really isn’t. The new God of War is closer to an extremely stylish action-RPG than to a pure hack-and-slash.

The development team adopted a rather deep system involving plenty of loot, equipment and upgrades, alongside multiple skill trees, and this works as a very solid base for the new battle mechanics.

Combat itself has plenty of depth and nuance, discouraging button mashing even at the normal difficulty setting, and spurring the player to learn his “tools of the trade” in the forms of combos, blocks, dodges, and magical abilities. It’s definitely more tactical and complex than what God of War fans are used to, without losing one bit of its exhilarating nature.

The game presents the player with a good variety of enemies, each of which requires a different approach to be fought effectively, keeping you on your toes and ensuring that battle never gets old all the way throughout the adventure.

Things are made even more interesting by the fact that you don’t fight alone. Atreus acts as an adventuring companion and as the perfect distraction to allow you to unleash that devastating and extremely satisfying combo. Like his father, he can be customized (even if to a lesser extent) in order to further adapt him to your favorite playstyle or to the situation. His presence adds another layer of depth to the already engaging battle system.

The true star, at least for me, is Kratos’ new axe. It’s powerful and visceral, turning combat into a brutal and immersive activity. Upgrading and customizing it is satisfying and rewarding, and it comes with an extremely cool feature: not only it can be thrown with various effects depending on your skills and customization, but it can also be recalled by pressing triangle. When you do that, it won’t just reappear in Kratos’ hand, but it will actually fly back to it, hitting unsuspecting enemies in the back. It’s actually difficult to describe how cool this feels before you try it yourself.

Once mastered, God of War’s combat is one of the most rewarding I have tried in a long time. Kratos becomes a hurricane of death and destruction, blocking, shield bashing, slicing, dicing, spinning around and throwing his axe at an enemy further away, while pummeling closer monsters with punches and kicks, and then recalling the weapon to catch two more draugr in the back, before going in for one of the several spectacular finishers. It’s fast, complex, addictive, and exhilarating, but I never once felt like I wasn’t in control.

As a matter of fact, I have never felt so much in control in a God of War game, and the sensation this gives is fantastic.

The axe is also used extensively to solve quite a few puzzles scattered across the landscape. One particular kind requires you to strike some bells in order to unlock a chest. It may sound banal, but it often isn’t, and fluidly hitting your targets while calling your weapon back will feel definitely satisfying the first time you manage to pull the stunt.

Another extremely pleasing aspect of God of War is just how much content it packs. It’s not an open-world game, but there is a lot of real estate to visit, and plenty of room for exploration and for hunting secrets on top of the long and meaty story. Every realm that you visit looks and feels very different, and it’s really amazing that Sony Santa Monica managed to include this much gameplay while keeping the overall level of quality so consistently high. There is even an enormous amount of lore that can be collected to immerse yourself deeper into the setting.

Ultimately, God of War is the perfect example of how it’s possible to revolutionize a beloved series while improving it massively, in a way that does not feel unnatural. Mechanical improvements add up on top of a compelling story and impressively solid and likable characters.

Cory Barlog and his team managed to reinvent the wheel, and while they added more pieces, it rolls smoother than ever before, providing the best God of War experience of the history of the franchise.

[gamingtipsandtrickshacks]

God of War Review -- The Best God of War Ever

The brand new chapter of the God of War saga is finally here, but if you expect it to have much in common with Kratos’ tribulations from the past, you’ll probably be disappointed, or at least extremely surprised. It’s time to clear our mind of all preconceptions and embark into a brand new adventure.

The most obvious difference is the setting: gone is Greece, replaced by the cold North. Kratos is still going to meet and fight gods, but this time around it’s Norse mythology to form the base for the story, and it does so for the better. The good folks at Sony Santa Monica didn’t just adopt Scandinavian myths and legends but forged them into one of the most vibrant and interesting fantasy settings I have seen in a long time.

The story begins with Kratos and his son Atreus as they burn the body of the boy’s mother. Her last wish dictates that the two scatter her ashes from the highest peak in the realms. Before they can depart, a strange tattooed man appears at the door of Kratos’ hut, seemingly aware of his divine nature.

Our short-tempered hero doesn’t like to be questioned, so a titanic battle ensues. After finally dispatching the rather resilient opponent, Kratos and Atreus depart for their adventure, which will definitely be a lot more complicated than expected.

The change in setting is just the tip of the iceberg, as Kratos himself is quite far from the consistently raging character that we left at the end of the previous game. While he still struggles to keep calm and collected, his newfound role as a father gives him new responsibilities, forcing him to hold his nature at bay or to find a new one within himself.

Of course, being the son of the God of War isn’t exactly easy, especially if said god isn’t willing to tell you squat about his own nature and yours. This is the conundrum that Atreus will have to face, as the two men, old and young, struggle to get closer to each other possibly without this resulting in too many bruises. The generational gap is the least of the problems that Kratos and Atreus will have to face, and the way they grow together as characters is probably one of the most charming aspects of this game.

This is probably the biggest innovation brought to the table by God of War. The previous games of the series were fun despite their characters. Exhilarating action gameplay and fantastic graphics (for the time) were the main attraction, while the story was pretty much an accessory. It’s a bit difficult to have compelling and nuanced storytelling when your main character has two states of mind, angry and angrier.

On the other hand, the new title comes with a cast that is rich in charm and depth. Kratos himself has grown into an extremely compelling character with plenty of emotional depth and his share of vulerabilities. His guff manners should not deceive, as there is definitely a lot to discover beneath the thick hide of this veteran father-warrior. As a matter of fact, in some aspects, he has turned into the geometric opposite of who he was. His abrupt speech patterns and unfriendly mannerism used to make him annoying. Now, thanks to the exceptional writing and the presence of Atreus as a perfect counterpart, they have become endearing traits, and definitely enjoyable.

Atreus himself is a great co-protagonist. Kratos’ son is depicted as flawed and immature. Yet, that’s done in a way that masterfully avoids turning him into a nuisance and indeed encourages the player to grow attached to this fledgling would-be warrior who struggles to live up to his super-stern father’s expectations, while dealing with his own mysterious and often uncomfortable nature.

The rest of the cast is equally well written and designed, and I can honestly say that for the first time I truly enjoyed the story of a God of War game. Until a couple of years ago, I would have never, ever, thought this possible.  The God of War series is all grown-up now, and I say this with the most positive sentiment possible.

For the first time in the story of the franchise, the strong narration and writing spark a wide range of feelings, going from deeply moving movements to absolutely hilarious skits, and the best part is that it all feels perfectly natural.

The story and characters are supported by absolutely superb voice acting, and the continuous dialogue between Kratos and Atreus is interesting and enjoyable all the way through the game.

Speaking of audio, every single aspect of the production is top-notch, from the sound design that perfectly sets the atmosphere of the imperious Norse landscape, to the score by Bear McCreary, which is hands-down one of the best soundtracks I have heard in a game of this genre in a long time.

One of the few aspects sticking to the tradition of the series is the graphics. I tested the game on PS4 Pro, and I have to say that the game looks truly spectacular. I am always amazed by the visual results that Sony’s top first-party studios manage to achieve on a console, and this is no exception.

Those playing on PS4 Pro like I did will have the chance to choose between a “favor resolution” mode that renders the game at 2160p checkerboard or a “favor performance” mode that renders at 1080p, with better frame rate.  The game is a true joy for the eyes in both modes, but it’s certainly good to have options (you can check out the difference in our dedicated article).

It’s actually difficult to judge which element looks better between the rich environments and the beautifully detailed character models. The world is brought to life masterfully, even thanks to advanced lighting and effects.

Amazing texture work is probably the best aspect of the characters, and rarely I have seen gameplay models so close to cutscene quality. They’re super-detailed, expressive, and fantastically animated.

Speaking of animation, it feels extremely visceral thanks to the combination with proficient camera work and the awesome sound design I mentioned above. You will “feel” every impact of Kratos’ axe directly in your stomach, and even something as simple as opening a chest has an “oomph” that is rarely seen in games.

Of course, the true king of the God of War franchise has always been gameplay, and that still holds true with this new game. Yet, this is not to say that it’s similar. As a matter of fact, it really isn’t. The new God of War is closer to an extremely stylish action-RPG than to a pure hack-and-slash.

The development team adopted a rather deep system involving plenty of loot, equipment and upgrades, alongside multiple skill trees, and this works as a very solid base for the new battle mechanics.

Combat itself has plenty of depth and nuance, discouraging button mashing even at the normal difficulty setting, and spurring the player to learn his “tools of the trade” in the forms of combos, blocks, dodges, and magical abilities. It’s definitely more tactical and complex than what God of War fans are used to, without losing one bit of its exhilarating nature.

The game presents the player with a good variety of enemies, each of which requires a different approach to be fought effectively, keeping you on your toes and ensuring that battle never gets old all the way throughout the adventure.

Things are made even more interesting by the fact that you don’t fight alone. Atreus acts as an adventuring companion and as the perfect distraction to allow you to unleash that devastating and extremely satisfying combo. Like his father, he can be customized (even if to a lesser extent) in order to further adapt him to your favorite playstyle or to the situation. His presence adds another layer of depth to the already engaging battle system.

The true star, at least for me, is Kratos’ new axe. It’s powerful and visceral, turning combat into a brutal and immersive activity. Upgrading and customizing it is satisfying and rewarding, and it comes with an extremely cool feature: not only it can be thrown with various effects depending on your skills and customization, but it can also be recalled by pressing triangle. When you do that, it won’t just reappear in Kratos’ hand, but it will actually fly back to it, hitting unsuspecting enemies in the back. It’s actually difficult to describe how cool this feels before you try it yourself.

Once mastered, God of War’s combat is one of the most rewarding I have tried in a long time. Kratos becomes a hurricane of death and destruction, blocking, shield bashing, slicing, dicing, spinning around and throwing his axe at an enemy further away, while pummeling closer monsters with punches and kicks, and then recalling the weapon to catch two more draugr in the back, before going in for one of the several spectacular finishers. It’s fast, complex, addictive, and exhilarating, but I never once felt like I wasn’t in control.

As a matter of fact, I have never felt so much in control in a God of War game, and the sensation this gives is fantastic.

The axe is also used extensively to solve quite a few puzzles scattered across the landscape. One particular kind requires you to strike some bells in order to unlock a chest. It may sound banal, but it often isn’t, and fluidly hitting your targets while calling your weapon back will feel definitely satisfying the first time you manage to pull the stunt.

Another extremely pleasing aspect of God of War is just how much content it packs. It’s not an open-world game, but there is a lot of real estate to visit, and plenty of room for exploration and for hunting secrets on top of the long and meaty story. Every realm that you visit looks and feels very different, and it’s really amazing that Sony Santa Monica managed to include this much gameplay while keeping the overall level of quality so consistently high. There is even an enormous amount of lore that can be collected to immerse yourself deeper into the setting.

Ultimately, God of War is the perfect example of how it’s possible to revolutionize a beloved series while improving it massively, in a way that does not feel unnatural. Mechanical improvements add up on top of a compelling story and impressively solid and likable characters.

Cory Barlog and his team managed to reinvent the wheel, and while they added more pieces, it rolls smoother than ever before, providing the best God of War experience of the history of the franchise.