So, during our move to the new apartment, I found a small box of some old toys. They currently reside in the basement with my workshop supplies, because after all the battles those toys and I fought... couldn't toss them. Also, to hell with giving them to some charity, I'm not greedy... but these were my -men-. And women. But mostly men, since back in the 90s, female toys were ether the one female G.I.Joe, or strange Japanese ones that my parents didn't think I was old enough for.
Currently, on my desk, is one of my toys. This guy... well, he didn't have a name when I got him. Found him at a flea market, he literally just looked too cool to pass up. He was in an Asian (can't tell the make) package, and is some sort of robot warrior I've never seen before. So, I had to develop a story for him as a child... and remembering it got me thinking about how I write, so I think I'll share it here:
To describe him when I got him, he was about six inches tall, and in a time when GIJoe were "super poseable" this guy had double jointed knees ball socket hips... he was a ninja from that point on. He was a bright, shined copper with silver highlights, with a big blood red piece in his chest. His chest was a secure mix of parts, so he wasn't just painted different, he -was- different parts. Awesome. He came with three weapons; a shield thing, a gun... and a big, fuck-off copper straightsword that could stab through triple ply cardboard. That sword also stuck nicely in the hands, so no dropping it if he fell down.
He also came with a motorcycle that turned into a robot...
Since I was nine and didn't know about anime power armor yet, I figured he was something from "The Internet" like a badass Freakazoid. I named him Cyberfox, because of his little, foxish ears and that whole internet jive.
Cyberfox had the ability to travel through electrical lines, and besides being the "guy with a sword" he was a Commander rank in my army. This man answered only to Spawn, and the White Ranger.
Currently, Cyberfox shows the wounds of his days, his color is now a faded rosegold, and all the silver is dull black, and his left arm is missing. Lost in a terrible battle in the pantry. His sword is still bright, and I take that as a metaphor for his overall spirit, since this man was the bastard son of Clint Eastwood and a Gundam.
I look at him and remember what I was like as a child; incredibly detailed with my toys. I was not Andy from Toy Story, I did not make up new things each time. I had a long, continuous plotline, filled with twists and turns and defection, betrayal and romance. I shunned playsets to build my own out of cardboard and pilfered styrofoam from the trash, so I could blow up things and punch through walls.
I also used explosives in my black ops missions, one sticks out to me:
A fright truck, carrying munitions to the enemy base in the frozen wastes (outside in the snow), barrels down the slippery highway. Spider-man, Link and Medival Spawn race along side to overtake it. Spider-man manages the jump over, his leg (broken falling down the back stairs, and glued/taped back on) slowing him, allowing the Silver Surfer to ambush him! (He was a villain... I don't know why). They fight atop it, unfortunetly Spider-mans' back up are two men from the dark ages trying to drive a all-terrain vehical, and they nearly skid out. Link clings to the bumper! Then, riding up on his cycle, comes Cyberfox! Sword held this back by a elastic, he leaps as his cycle changes, and jams an explosive (mildly illegal Black Cat firework) into the wheelwell!
The truck flies down the highway (porch roof) Link releasing and sliding to a stop on the icy road as the satchel detonates, blowing the wheels off the left side! The truck catches in the ice and starts to roll, Spider-man barely leaping free and catching hold before watching the truck, Silver Surfer still aboard, sail over the railing and crash to the mountainous abyss below...
Cyberfox picks up Link on his way to Spider-man, and asks, "You called for back up?" (I was nine, catchphrases were hard...)
With fire, real explosions, and the desire to buy and assemble a model truck simply for that... is it any wonder my toys carry battle scars? Also, most of them had costume changes, like Spider-Man's bandana to hide a knife wound (yeah...) with his sweet hat, Link's black ninja armor, and Cyberfoxes... everything.
It's also safe to say, I didn't play well with other kids... since they didn't get why my entry teams planted explosives for their exit out of the styrofoam base, in two places in case Plan A failed.
Plan A, always fails.
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