Lara Croft and the Blade of Gwynnever Review

(Source: HardcoreGamers)
(This review contains no obvious spoilers and the book was bought by myself) 


I’ll admit, I did not have high expectations for this novel after the previous effort from Dan Abbot and Nik Vinent, Tomb Raider: Ten Thousand Immortals, was reduced into a Wikipedia, arse nugget, ten thousand train rides and terrible tipping non-adventure. I had more fun tweeting the atrocities in the book which you can find here. I suggest you read that rather than the few hours it will take for the book.

So it was safe to say I approached the latest Tomb Raider novel, Lara Croft and the Blade of Gwynnever, with pretty low expectations. However there were times when I quite enjoyed it and the book was certainly better than Ten Thousand Immortals. Based on the spinoff ‘Lara Croft’ franchise that includes ‘Guardian of Light’ and ‘Temple of Osiris’, Blade of Gwynnerver is more your classic Tomb Raider story than the main franchise. This came through with the characterisation for Lara; this Lara was sassy, swore a little and highlighted the morality of what she was doing as an ‘archeologist’. To be honest, I hadn’t realised how much I missed this classic side of Lara and I particularly enjoyed the quips during fight scenes and the dynamic between Lara and Carter. A fellow archeologist who we were introduced to in ‘Temple of Osiris’. It did rely, at times, that the reader was aware of previous games and what happened in them which is a great little touch for fans, however could alienate potential readers who just want an action/adventure story without a previous backstory.

The book certainly had the feel of the two early noughties movies, which I personally didn’t mind as I enjoyed Angelina Jolie’s portrayal of Lara, however if you were wishing for a true retro classic Lara, you may be disappointed. Yet that side certainly came through, in particular the way in which locations circled traditional Tomb Raider stomping grounds such as London, Egypt and Turkey. The story was deeply rooted into archaeology, more than I initially expected. I just wished more of that came out. However what bits there were added a fantastic level of depth to make the novel seem grounded compared to the more arcade and fantasy style of the Lara Croft franchise.

Blade of Gwynnever unfortunately had a similar problem to Ten Thousand Immortals, in that at times the authors sounded like they copy and pasted Wikipedia into their narrative to help describe a situation, item or phenomenon. Often these were not necessary and distracted away from the world creation of the novel. For example, at the start of the novel, there are two whole pages dedicated to the description of Boris Bikes and political unrest in London. Both of which did not add much to the story in the long term and simply acted as distracting factual fluff. Sometimes it became apparent that the authors did not fully understand the character of Lara Croft and the wider world of Tomb Raider, the narrative became confusing as they tried to grasp bits of the story together to create a coherent timeline. I have a feeling that the story has been heavily edited with new sections added in or removed as towards the end the structure is not as solid or entertaining as the start or middle.

A huge positive, despite the problems mentioned above, is that the authors appear freer in Blade of Gwynnever compared to Ten Thousand Immortals. The latter felt constricted with the need to fit into ‘Rise of the Tomb Raider’ and the book suffered because of this constriction on the character of Lara Croft and the need for her to finish in a certain location with the Trinity organisation set up. In Blade of Gwynnever the prose flows a lot better and we get to know this version of Lara in a greater depth from situations that seem viable for her. My personal favourites were the social sections where we see Lara mingling in scenes across the world with a gun strapped to her thigh under a dress. These were captured beautifully with the quick witted and sarcastic comments from Lara that acted as real throwbacks to both the movies and Core games.

Overall, it is a much better novel than Ten Thousand Immortals and the comic series Frozen Omen, a comic arc set in the same world as Blade of Gwynnever. However I doubt it having much appeal beyond that of the Tomb Raider fanbase. I’d say read it if you think it sounds interesting to you and you feel like you need a little dose of classic Lara, however keep in mind that there is much better fan fiction out there. It might be wise spending your time finding those rather than reading this book.

Lara Croft and the Blade of Gwynnever is available to buy and download now from:
Amazon UK
Amazon USA
Wordery

Cosplay Sensei - Megan Louise Cosplay


Photographer: Steam Kittens
How did you start cosplaying and how many costumes have you created to date?
I started cosplaying a year after I went to my first conversation, I think it was 2013 when I started. It was just a last minute idea I had the night before the convention because I remembered thinking how cool it was, and I never looked back. So far I have made a total of about 20 different cosplay, plus 2-3 that I'm starting to work on now. Not a lot but I like to re-wear them as much as I can. I don't see the point in spending x amount of time and money in making a cosplay to only wear it once. 

What is the one tool you can’t live without while creating costumes and favourite material to work with?
The one tool I can't live without is Google! For me, Google is my best friend when it comes to making cosplays because anything I don't know or I'm not sure of, I can google it. It's definitely been a life saver.
I don't really have a favourite material, I'm fine working with anything. Oh except for non stretch fabric, I swear that was created by some kind of devil! 

As a fan of both wrestling and cosplay/conventions, how do you think the two industries could work together to bring new and/or exciting content for fans?
The ring attire of both the male and female wrestlers are always an exciting thing for me to see when I watch. I can get so inspired by looking at the outfits that the seamstresses make. I'll be sitting there watching and someone will come out to wrestle I'll see their gear I get so excited and I just have to replicate it. 

Sometimes though sadly, the gear can be at bit of a miss cosplay wise, which is a shame especially if I really want to cosplay as that wrestler. Like there's one of the female superstar who I love and who I've been dying to cosplay as, but I'm just not a fan of her ring gear, which is a shame.

How would you describe the cosplay scene in Australia? 
The cosplay scene in Australia is absolutely amazing! Although I haven't been to any con in Australia other than the ones in South Australia (Adelaide, where I live) Adelaide has so many talented cosplayers here. I really love seeing and meeting people at cons and either seeing their cosplays for the first time or seeing how much they've improved. We have such a wonderful community, and I'm so glad I can be a part of it. 


Photographer: I Got Superpowers
Where is your cosplay work station?
I work basically anywhere in my house and my family just has to put up with it! Most of the time, I'm in my kitchen/dining room if I'm hot gluing things. I will hand sew or cut things in my lounge room and watch tv. When I'm using my seeing machine I'm in my bedroom. And for any big painting or for anything that can't be done indoors I will be either outside or in the garage. 

What was the motivation behind setting up your YouTube channel? 
I set up my YouTube channel as away to let out some more creativity. I was originally just going to show my cosplays on there, but I ending up doing a makeup tutorial for my Nikki Bella Cosplay and it got a fair bit of attention with over 26,000 views. A lot of people liked that I was doing makeup of the girls in the WWE, so I kept doing it. While still showing off my cosplays and doing makeup tutorials or the characters. 

And which is your favourite make up look you have done for the channel?
Oh god, my favourite? Hmmm, I love my Nikki Bella makeup, as I mentioned before that's the one that really "started" my YouTube in the sense that after that became so popular and people wanted more, I started doing it more regularly. My Paige makeup videos. She one of my favourite WWE wrestlers and I've done quite a few different videos on her, which are some of my most popular videos. But if I absolutely had to pick a favourite it would be my Suicide squad Harley Quinn makeup. I did that makeup (and made the cosplay) when there was only a handful of horrible quality leaked photos out and I was quite proud with how accurate it worked out. 

Photographer: I Got Superpowers
Any secret tips for other cosplayers?
Not really a "secret" tip, but my biggest tip would be; Don't be afraid to do things differently. Just because someone has done something one way, doesn't mean you have too. There's no right or wrong way to cosplay. I've had to paint shoes to get them the right colour, use knitting needles for hat pins in my mad hatter hat. Hot glue isn't just for gluing things, you can make things out of it!! Don't be afraid to try out new ways and techniques. Oh and also if you're wearing fake lashes BRING LASH GLUE TO THE CON WITH YOU! I can't begin to tell you all the times I've forgotten it. 

Who is your cosplay sensei?
Yaya Han is at the very top of that list, I mean look at her! She not only absolutely amazing at sewing and crafting but also business wise, with her cosplay patterns and fabrics! She amazing! Also someone who is very close to me, one of my best friends, Justine (jusz cosplay) she's, I think, has basically been there from the beginning. She was a local cosplayer that I found on Facebook and through her I realised how cool this whole thing is, I even told her that I stalked her Facebook when I first started cosplaying the first time I met her. And now we are besties. She's seen and had to put up with a lot of cosplay related tears and I love her for it.

Links:

Facebook

Twitter 

Instagram

YouTube

Blog

Professional Cosplay

Kamui Cosplay (Photographer Darshelle Stevens)


If you follow a few UK cosplayers, you have probably seen the term 'professional cosplayer' being thrown around; I'm not going to stir the drama pot, feel free to Google if you want to know more! What I want to talk about is common ideologies about what constitutes as a professional cosplayer and why people may take offense to it.

Controversially, a lot of a cosplayers worth comes with what can be placed with metrics - facebook followers, retweets, YouTube watch time engagement and more. Understandably, one of the main reasons a company may hire you or ask you come along to an event is because they want their event to be shared to the widest, most relevant audience. Many cosplayers are highly engaged with social media; it is an easy, and often cheap, method of PR and marketing to get cosplayers involved in events. At the end of the day however, cosplay will still be a predominately hobbyist activity and that is not a bad thing. The words 'amateur' and 'hobbyist' have become sadly tarnished in the current climate where being a professional in everything that we do is the aim for many. I am not just talking about cosplay here - photography, animation, baking, selling on eBay. Many are using tried and tested management techniques to sell ourselves and our products. Rightly so, we are proud of ourselves and what we do, with the old adage that if we can do something well, don't do it for free - the title of 'Professional Cosplayer' is being thrown around more than a pokèball!

So is there such a thing as a 'Professional Cosplayer'? Speaking purely for myself, I certainly believe so. I roll my eyes when I see people criticise YouTubers and Twitch streamers, telling them to get a 'real job'. Gloating that when the content creator bubble bursts, they will be sorry. Yet that could happen with any job, anyone can be made redundant at anytime and for any reason. I like to compare the content creator sector with that of the film industry when it was in its infancy. For those actors, actresses, lighting riggers and producers - they were brand new roles in the job market. However they were getting paid and more importantly, they were living their lives from the profits of working those roles. It is a similar tale for cosplay, if you are able to create a sustained living simply through making costumes, attending conventions, related events and publications then, in my eyes at least, you could say you were 'professional'. As a population, often we are scared of something new and different when older systems - mortgages, bringing up a family, nutrition etc are reliant on them. 


Few can ever make a sustainable living through making costumes alone - yet what cosplay offers are opportunities to make a little extra money as a side project. A practice that dates back far into history, with mainly women, using what skills they had to bump up the family savings. We can have stores on Etsy and Storenvy that help to pay for new equipment or run YouTube channels that show tutorials and vlogs. The heart of these need to be for the love of the hobby, they often don't pay much, can take a chunk of your time and may feel like a second job. Cosplay can also offer up opportunities to work with influential companies - as an example, due to my Lara costumes, I was part of the Square Enix PR launch for 'Lara Croft GO' in London. While I needed to act professional, I am nowhere near what could be considered a 'professional cosplayer' even though I earn money through selling cosplay items on Etsy.

There is nothing wrong with taking a professional approach to what you do or pushing yourself, and it may help further down the line - but remember why you started to cosplay in the first place. If you want to aim to be a professional, think about what you would like to do once you have that notoriety rather than to be famous for famous sake. For Yaya Han it is her fabric lines and patterns, Kamui has her book publications, Leon Chiro has worked it to increase his traditional modelling portfolio and Bill Doran has worked the other way - taking his prop building business into the world of cosplay. At the end of the day however if you are enjoying what you are doing and being polite, honest and kind while doing it, that is all that matters.

So what do you think about 'professional cosplayers'? Comment below or tweet me @Lady_Scion and remember to take pride and enjoy your hobby whatever that may be.

Could This be the Meaning Behind Lara Croft’s Necklace?



When looking at the initial design image for the reboot Lara Croft, one thing in particular stood out. That was her beautiful jade pendant; the size and placement of it suggesting that the piece of jewellery could be significant to the story. In-game, the size had been decreased, but the vivid green stood out from the blood, mud and neutral tones that was the colour palette for Lara.

While I was playing Tomb Raider 2013, I fully expected that the swirly pendant would be some kind of key or talisman. Imagine my surprise when the end credits rolled and the necklace played no significant part whatsoever. I then thought that it would be important in ‘Rise of the Tomb Raider’, and came up with the theory that because Lara interrupted Himiko’s ritual at the end of Tomb Raider, part of Himiko became trapped in the pendant. A theory that I have built into my fan fiction Tomb Raider 2013 continuation story because I believed in it so much. ‘Rise’ came around, and alas, as far as I know (as I am waiting for the PS4 version of the game) the pendant is simply just character design again.

laracroftcosplay.com
But what could it mean? During the construction of my cosplay I looked for something of a similar design in jade or faux jade glass that I could buy or take inspiration from. The actual design of Lara’s necklace, a small animal or spirit encased in a leafy style swirl, was nowhere to be found. Or at least, that specific design was absent. What I did find were pounamu necklaces, in particular, the Koru design from New Zealand.




earthboundkiwi.com
Known as the God Stone by the Maori population, pounamu has the reputation of holding spiritual powers to protect, evoke strength and prosperity, protect the owner, show love and kinship, and to depict growth and harmony. Something Lara would be very thankful to have during her time on Yamatai. It has been suggested that pounamus’ create strong connections with ancestors and the corresponding natural world - this theory is what lead me to believe that the necklace seen throughout the game will become significant during this reboot timeline.

The closest design to Lara’s is the Koru, a spiral. In Maori art, because of its fluid shape took from unfurling fern leaves, it is commonly used as a symbol of creation. Suggesting the ideology of perpetual movement, while the inner coil suggests a return to the point of origin. A metaphor for life both changing and staying the same; perfectly describing the way in which the franchise was rebooted.

The Koru can also represent new life. Taking the baby frond, it slowly unfurls as it grows before opening to a brand new leaf as the old one dies. Again, perfectly fitting for the reboot story line as Lara is thrown into her new life and grows into being a tomb raider (rather than just a very unlucky archaeologist!) as the games are released.


shopenzed.com
So it certainly seems that the necklace wasn’t just drawn to look nice; it has real world symbolism with a host of hidden meanings relating to Lara’s life and the adventures she takes. I’m still confident that the necklace will become something else, if not, you can tweet at me in a few years time!

What thoughts do you have about Lara’s necklace? Comment below or tweet me!
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