April 13 - Balloon Dog: Valdr

The red beast charges, teeth bared bright,
Through iron rain and bloodstained night.
No foe shall halt its fearless tread,
For war is where this hound is bred.

~ the Latex Edda

Bound to Týr, the god of battle and justice, this hound knows no fear, no retreat - only the call of war. 

He is neither cruel nor kind, for Valdr, Dog of the God of War does not take sides. He is the march of warriors, the weight of duty, the sound of steel on bone. And when the last horn blows, when the banners fall, Valdr walks forward still, for war never ends.

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The balloon dogs of the gods are not mere creatures, but omens woven into latex and breath.  Each marks a turning, a moment when the old world tenses and the new one steps forward.  They appear not at random, but with purpose - something has changed.

(view other Balloon Dogs of the Gods)

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July 1 - Dog of War

Dogs of war and men of hate
With no cause, we don't discriminate
Discovery is to be disowned
Our currency is flesh and bone

~ Pink Floyd, Dogs of War

PlayStation is the better console.  I say this having been a die hard early adopter of all XBOX consoles, but they have rolled over and completely given up on the console exclusive content war.   It wasn't even a good fight, it was a rout.   So with PS5 looming on the horizon (zero dawn), I bit the bullet and bought a used PS4 to catch up on some of what I missed.

God of War was in a word - Epic.  In more words it was a Dark Souls-like journey into Nordic Folklore, the story of Kratos and his son Atreus taking the boys mother's ashes to the highest peak in Jotunheim.    

Game of the Year 2018 - well earned.