Tekkō-kagi (claws)

A long, long time ago, sometimes in the eighties, martial art action movies were all the rage. Kids my age were particularly fascinated by ninjas and their weaponry. I was no exception. I was not as fanatically into ninja lore/mythos as my friends were, but I found them cool all the same. I especially enjoyed some articles of their weaponry. There is one in particular, which I only found recently the term for it: the tekkō-kagi. Metallic claws worn over the hands (yes, like a certain superhero, and also like the villain Shredder). I have always always been skeptical of its practicality, but I thought it looked cool all the same. It's one of these nasty blade weapons which I thought could be used for kick in crime or spy fiction. Anyway, be that as it may, tekko-kagi is the word of the day.

Ninja Warrior Swords

Our family went to a birthday party last Sunday. One of many, that's the good thing about being a parent: your life becomes a succession of children birthday parties. Anyway, there was a sort of clown or entertainer there who was blowing balloons into animals and objects, and he made for Wolfie and others a sword. So Wolfie got suddenly obsessed about swords. When the party was over, we went downtown and in the local toy shop, as I has promised him to go to. He spotted all sorts of toy swords and wanted them all. I did not buy any, but I intend to buy him one for his own birthday. There is one in particular that caught my attention: these ninja swords. Back when I was growing up in the 80s, martial art and ninjas were all the craze and we had many make belief games when we played ninjas. It might be fun to teach Wolfie about it. And these swords look so darn cool! Even if they are not accurate. In any case, at £3.99, they are a bargain.

Ninja Gun

Sometimes, I buy magazines to Wolfie, with toys in it. These toys are often what he asks for, Legos and more Thomas the Tank Engine toys for his railway networks. Sometimes, I buy him a random magazine with a random cheap toy. I used to like them a lot as a kid, sometimes more than fancy and expensive toysThey rarely lasted long, but I enjoyed them a lot, especially plastic guns for a reason, such as water pistols. So anyway, in one of them bought recently, there was this "ninja gun". Basically, a plastic gun with disk projectiles(they are meant to be shuriken I believe) and targets. The projectiles don't work, or rather the trigger on the gun does not. You press it and nothing happens. But it is a cool gun, it's a ninja gun. With a ninja on it. Apparently, such things do exist. Even though it does not work, it looks so cool that we'll keep it until it breaks. Which hopefully won't any time soon, as it feels quite sturdy.

The return of the ninja cat

Remember when Domino had jumped up the wardrobe? I blogged about it here. Well, apparently he is still feeling like a ninja sometimes as managed to get on top of the kitchen's cupboard. And I thought that with all the food we spoil him with and the weight he gained in the last year, he had gone too fat for this kind of venture. Well, apparently not. He is every bit the ninja cat. It's good exercise for him, if nothing else. As long as he does not do it when we are cooking...

Ninja cat

Sometimes, my wife suggests that I turn Vraie Fiction into a complete cat blog. I have no intention to do so, but being a cat lover, cats are a constant source of inspiration for me. And here is a new anecdote about Domino: he showed up to be a feline ninja cat recently: he jumped up from the bedside cabinet to the top of the wardrobe. One single jump. I have no idea why he did this, I guess he was in his exploration mode. Since he does not leave the flat anymore, he does get wild sometimes and wants to check every single spot in the house. With this particular spot, he reached a new peak, so to speak. And I have to admit, I am impressed.