I thought of getting a Scion tattooed on my upper arm someday as a symbol of eternal gratitude to Core Design. As you may or may not know, Tomb Raider was a very important part of my life; its impact on me as a person was that huge that not only it pretty much saved my life, but also helped me learn software and language skills (yes, I speak English and can do vids, 3D and Photoshop because of Tomb Raider). I even moved to the UK because of it. You can read about Tomb Raider and its role in my life in this post.

Anyway, about the bee. The bee is a symbol of Manchester as in the 1800s Manchester was awash with textile mills that were commonly described as ‘hives of activity’ and the workers inside them compared to bees. Manchester is a place that I call my home for a few years now and I can’t explain how much I feel connected with the city and its people.

As I was preparing for my big Birthday weekend, on 22 May 2017, a suicide bombing was carried out at Manchester Arena. The arena is literally behind that glassed building you see on the photo. I heard the blast and everything that came after it. But what happened in the next few days was simply incredible!

Residents and taxi companies in Manchester offered free transport or accommodation via Twitter and tattoo artists were offering tattoos of a bee with all of the profits going towards the victims and families of the bombing.

It took me a while to get a slot as the queues for bee tattoos were insane, I mean:

But I managed to get it done and happy with the way it turned out!

???

The post My Manchester Bee Tattoo is Healed and Buzzing! appeared first on Tomb of Ash.

On 22 May 2017, a suicide bombing was carried out at Manchester Arena. As we are based in the area we heard it all unfolding and we were deeply affected by this tragedy and moved by an incredible sense of community and solidarity; residents and taxi companies in Manchester offered free transport or accommodation via Twitter and tattoo artists are currently offering tattoos of a bee – an icon which has become a symbol of Manchester – with all of the profits going towards the victims and families of the bombing.Today I had my bee tattoo done. Since I consider Manchester my home now and since Tomb Raider greatly changed my life and since Manchester was the host to the largest Tomb Raider 20th Anniversary celebrations, I’ve decided to mix the two with some Tomb Raider references. Tattoo by Studio 81 – Manchester

The post Lara Croft Manchester Worker Bee Tattoo  appeared first on Tomb of Ash.

It started with terrible tragedy unfolding right on my doorstep. I live next to Manchester arena and heard the explosion and everything that happened afterwards. After initial shock and three hours of sleep I woke up to a number of requests from Russian state TV channels asking whether I will be up to go live and talk about Manchester.

It was rather surreal experience as Russian television is very biased and tend to focus on spreading hatred. It is a bit like Fox News, probably even worse to be fair. I believe I managed to portray Manchester as a city that comes together in this tragedy.

[See image gallery at www.tomb-of-ash.com] On Wednesday though, things started brightening up! I went to the airport to pick up my friends from Netherlands, Germany and the USA. They were first to arrive for my birthday weekend.

We had tons of fun touring Manchester and Trafford Centre:

On Friday Peter Connelly, the composer for Tomb Raider 4-6, came down for a day with us as well.

[See image gallery at www.tomb-of-ash.com] Unfortunately, Murti Schofield, the writer for Tomb Raider – The Angel of Darkness, was unwell this week so he could not come but he did send me this awesome card:

And so, Saturday. More friends arrived from all over the UK. We spent whole day chatting, playing LOADS of games and eating lots of takeaway food.

[See image gallery at www.tomb-of-ash.com] On Sunday, we went to the Arcade Club, two floors of retro gaming awesomeness. It was actually my first experience playing DDR.

[See image gallery at www.tomb-of-ash.com] I feel very privileged and lucky to have friends who travelled across the country and world to see me and to have people messaging, posting, tweeting their birthday wishes at me all day long.

Thank you guys, I honestly had the best birthday ever!

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