If something characterizes the Andalusian Holy Week, it is the fragrance of orange blossom in its streets, full of orange trees -which give sour orange. The beginning of Lent, Ash Wednesday, is almost synchronized with the appearance of the first orange blossoms. Azahar is a word of Arabic origin, az-zahr, which means “white flower“. In my portfolio I have a photo gallery of the Marchena orange blossom.
However, just 47 days before Holy Week, all the streets are still under construction. Will the works be finished on time? We will have to ask María del Mar Romero Aguilar, mayoress of Marchena. The route of the Three Kings parade had to be changed, and it did not end well.
It is a Konami saga inspired by Bram Stoker’s Dracula. In these platform games we face varied mythological enemies (not necessarily from the world of vampires) although the final boss of the game is always Dracula.
It differs into two different types, the classic platforms in which you hit the enemies and progress through the levels. And the “metroidvania” that includes RPG and exploration elements, and that have gained much fame since they began with the work of art “Castlevania: Symphony of the Night” from Playstation 1 and Saturn. A game that everyone should play because it is a masterpiece that elevates you to the quintessence. Its soundtrack alone is already a real gem.
I have read “Dracula” by Bram Stoker 2.5 times. Twice the complete novel and once “The Powers of Darkness”, which is an alternative version discovered recently in which the first part, when the protagonist is welcomed in the castle, is much longer, narratively rich, and more things happen, but the rest of the novel is a dirty, quick and poorly done draft that makes no sense and does not match the final work. It is possible that it was one of the drafts that Bram Stoker did before finishing the entire novel. It’s a shame he removed so much from the castle part, which is so much better in draft.
Silent Hill
I take my hat off to this wonder. There is something special, I can’t get the touch on it, that totally connects with me and my style. It’s so surreal, dark, inspired by mystical cults, and psychological terror, and it makes such clever use of the artwork, the colors, the lighting, the camera angles. The story is absorbing, it keeps you in constant tension, as well as being a challenge. My favorite is the first one from Playstation 1, followed by Silent Hill 2. Pyramid Head is GOD.
DOOM
Here I have to clarify that I am referring above all to the first MS-DOS DOOM, the one that came out in the 90s (although DOOM 2 is basically an expansion of 1), but anyways I include the complete saga. It has something that makes it special to me, and it hooks me like no other. Demons of all kinds attack you mercilessly as you constantly search for secrets and the damn exit that allows you to advance. It’s insane gameplay, and if you dare, try the “Nightmare” mode. Warning: it is completely unplayable. That’s done on purpose.
If we look closely, the three have something in common, they are dark, mystical, with supernatural beings and terror. That means something, and I have to keep digging around. I’m still looking for my style.
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