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babybatscreationsv2 · 4 years ago

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A King on a Leash ch3

Marvel | Starker

Tony Stark is a powerful man with a beautiful husband and a loyal crime family, but it looks like he didn't keep his husband on a short enough leash. After turning Peter lose on a Cuban gang leader, Peter's life is in danger. The real trouble is that Tony now realizes that Peter is the only thing in this world that he cares about and he never meant for that to happen.

Rating: Explicit

Full Fic

A Doll on a String

Warnings under the cut*

Warnings this chapter: mentions of violence and murder

Tony at sat at the dining table and stared at the far wall caught between a daydream and a serious self-flogging. He was the fucking Boss of a motherfucking crime family and here he was pouting and daydreaming about his husband. Peter had only been gone a few hours. He'd given him a kiss and then ran off to the theater for practice. Maybe he should start going to Peter's meetings. No... no Peter deserved the time and the privacy with his friends.

Tony took a deep breath and he caught scent of Peter's skin still clinging to him. He had scratches on his back from his manicured nails. Tony could hear the echoes of his cries as he'd clung to him, near sobbing in pain and pleasure. Tony licked his lips. Fuck, the way his angel had slaughtered that whole boat for his sake. God, he was hard.

He could call him and Peter would come running home. He could grab him, strip him down, lick every inch of his skin.

He couldn't do that though. They had the trust that they did because neither of them pulled stupid shit like that. He couldn't interrupt something important because he was needy and Peter's dancing was important to him.

Tony groaned. He slapped his own face. "Get it together, Stark. There's work to do."

He pulled himself up from his chair and went to take a shower. He indulged himself a little more, thinking about Peter waiting for him in a lounge chair, splattered with their enemy's blood. He got himself off then he washed away Peter's scent from his skin. No more distractions.

Dressed in his suit, all black to balance Peter's taste for pure while, he finally went to take care of business.

He drove himself, followed loosely by a guard. They made their way into the city and down to the warehouse. Tony stepped out of the car and smoothed the lapels of his suit. He let the guard enter first to check the room before he stepped inside. The day's product was being packaged. There were the gold bars that Peter had recovered, whatever drugs Bucky was peddling, not a lot going out of the warehouse today, but that wasn't really where the money was at anyway. The money was in the casinos, Sam Wilson's jewelry shop, Steve's cafe. Legitimate businesses, until you went into the back. The casinos were rigged, Sam sold illegal and precious jewels, and Steve had his girls. That was the funny thing about Steve. He was so straight laced and caring, but he made his money in prostitutes. He treated them well though. Well enough that even Natasha never bothered him about it.

Tony strode his way into the back, ignoring the greetings of the associates on the floor. He preferred them to fear him. If they thought he was friendly, then they would be inclined to betray him. They would expect mercy where they would find none.

Rhodey was waiting for him outside the office.

"You gotta put that boy on a leash, Tony," he said, not for the first time.

Tony rolled his eyes. "Who did he kill now?" He pushed open the door and Rhodey followed him inside.

"I'm talking about Suarez."

Tony turned and raised an eyebrow at him. "That second rate gang banger?"

Rhodey closed the door and stepped further into the room. "His men are going wild trying to track Peter down. They're not stupid. They know Peter was on that boat, they know he was an outsider, and they know that their boss never came home."

"So they haven't found his body yet?" Tony sat at his desk and picked up his book. Yinsen must have been too busy to stick around this morning. Sometimes he just dropped it off.

"They will. They have divers going down there this afternoon. From the story that's circulating the boys, it's gonna be pretty damn obvious what happened."

Tony asked, pointedly ignoring him. "Did Fisk get his diamonds back?"

Rhodey stared.

Tony sighed. "What's the big deal? They don't even know Peter's last name and there's a million Peters in New York. They'll never find him. They won't come after us. And if they do, I'm sure it'll be no big deal to sweep them off the board."

"You don't get it, Tony. Your boy goes and fucks with powerful people and then we all get fucked. When they find out who did it and then come looking for trouble we're gonna lose good people. I know you don't give a damn about our soldiers, but what happens when it's one of your Capos? The people you do give a shit about? What the fuck kind of family doesn't take care of their own?"

"You're going too fucking far, Rhodes," Tony snapped. He ground his teeth. He didn't want to fight with Rhodey, not him. He was the only one that ever made sense. Only now he wasn't.

"You stay the fuck out of my husband's business. Capiche?"

Rhodey took a step back. "Right. Got it?"

"Now, did Fisk get his diamonds?"

"Yeah, he got the fucking diamonds. Sent a fucking convoy to deliver them late last night. Didn't figure he'd wanna wait until morning."

"That's a good call. He'll appreciate that."

Rhodey sighed. "Why are you trying to win his favor anyway? He's a piece of shit. Word is he's still trafficking. Kids even."

Tony hardened himself, refused to hear the truth in it, refused to let it bother him. "I need someone to back me up at the meeting this weekend."

"What's going on?"

"Toomes keeps prodding at the whole Octavius bullshit."

"What do you mean?"

"He thinks Peter should pay for killing him, despite what happened."

Rhodey gave him a very 'I told you so look'.

"What? I'm supposed to throw him to the wolves? If it hadn't been him, it would have been you and you I can't protect."

"I'm not convinced you would try."

Tony ignored that too. He had enough to deal with. "He keeps trying to cast doubts on. Make him seem disloyal. I'm inclined to cut out his tongue for how many times he's put Peter's name in his mouth."

"You can't keep killing Bosses, Tony."

"I know that. But Toomes needs to be put in his place. He's getting too bold. Having Fisk on my side helps. Everyone respects him, or fears him at least."

Rhodey didn't say what Tony knew he was thinking. 'They used to respect you.' Maybe he did need to reign Peter in a little. At least make sure he doesn't murder anymore gang leaders. Let him keep pruning the weeds among the associates. Profits had been up since Peter joined the family. Plus it made his angel happy. It gave him a way to feel like he was protecting Tony without being in harm's way. Which meant that it was exactly what he needed to be doing. And he couldn't say he didn't like watching his baby go to town on some snitch... He had to stop thinking about Peter if he was going to get the books done.

Rhodey left him alone, though he left with a grim expression on his face. Tony cleared his mind and returned to his work.

Yinsen kept detailed records of every penny that came and went. He kept up with what each Capo was doing every day and made sure that proper records were kept of money and of behavior. Any suspicious activity from any Capo or soldier was reported to Tony twice per week. Unless of course, it were more serious. That's what the book was for. Yinsen insisted on keep paper records only. Things that could be destroyed at a moment's notice and could not be simply hacked into for information. It was occasionally inconvenient, but Tony understood his reasoning. Besides, Yinsen was one of the only people Tony had genuine trust for. After all, he'd been tortured near to death for Tony's sake. That had been Obediah's doing.

The books looked fairly clean. Money was flowing exactly as it should, but Yinsen had caught wind of a solider belonging to Steve who was misbehaving. Steve had already put him in check once. That meant it was Tony's turn and if Tony couldn't get him to fall in line, then Tony would let Peter have him.

It was a good system. One that Rhodey had no business questioning. He could be so soft sometimes.

Tony tucked the book away in his safe and stepped out of the office. His guards followed behind. They drove on down the road to park in the back of Steve's cafe 'Patriot Brew'. The name drew a handful of white supremacists who Steve was quick to take out back and deal with. The thing that amused Tony was that he hadn't picked the name as a sort of trap for domestic terrorists, he was just the sort who genuinely believed in his country. If Tony admired anything about the states, it was how easy it was for organized crime to thrive, but he didn't give a fuck about patriotism.

He knocked on the backdoor and was let in after a moment. He allowed one of his guards to enter first. Steve was in the kitchen, pulling cookies out of the oven. Tony leaned against counter and plucked up a cookie that was already cooled.

"Nice mitts, soldier boy." Tony pulled a piece off of his cookie and chewed it.

Steve set down his tray and each of his star-spangled oven mitts. "Do we really have to do it like this? Mark's a good guy?"

"You couldn't get him in line so now I have to," Tony said with a mouthful of cookie.

His shoulders sagged. "Would it really be so bad if he opened his own business?"

"Do I really have to answer that?" Tony took another bite of his cookie. "We both know he's not looking to open a bakery. And with him trying to go behind your back like that? How did you punish him anyway? Make him mop the floors?"

Steve stared. It was a look that conveyed both 'I'm not going to answer that' and 'You wouldn't like the answer' yet with Steve these things were not necessarily mutually inclusive.

"If a soldier wants to open a business you make him lick your boots first and then cut you thirty percent. Keep being soft on your boys and you'll wake up with a knife in your back."

"I encourage my people to be successful and on their own terms."

"They ask permission and they pay their dues. We have a system for a reason. What happens when your boy opens up a shop across the street? Who's gonna come here when there's something hot and new nearby? We don't create competition within the family. He could have had a place where he could have gotten all ambitious, but he lied and he went behind your back. He's lucky to be getting another chance."

Steve folded his arms across his chest. "If Peter had it his way, he wouldn't get another chance."

Tony rolled his eyes. "Why is everyone so soft today? We're the fucking mob, get used to it. Now where's your boy? Mark, was it?"

Steven sighed. "Make it clear I'm not allowing him to have his own girls, I don't trust anyone else with that."

"Why couldn't you tell him yourself, Rogers? Anyone else would have had this handled."

"So, I'm soft on my guys, alright? Does that make you happy? They're all the family I have."

"Family," Tony grumbled. "We're all a family. And sometimes moms and dads have to discipline the children."

"And who disciplines us?"

"God?" Tony shrugged. He walked past the man. "Box up some cookies for Peter. He likes the blue sprinkles."

He heard Steve huff when he left the room. If he didn't know how much his men liked Peter, he would worry about the way they talked. Maybe they thought he was a little wild, but they would let themselves get caught holding the knife to protect him. If he thought otherwise, he would kill every last one of them.

#starker #marvel #mafia au #a king on a leash

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thisrosewillnotwilt · 4 years ago

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On Our Way || The Rose Sisters 09.13

There was only so much Zoe could to to prepare Marley for this flight. It wasn't too far from home, which would work in their favor. Zoe wasn't phased, but she knew Marley would be in full panic mode the entire time they were up in the air. It's exactly why she packed her sister's favorite blanket and made sure she had a playlist of her favorite songs ready for the trip. She wrapped her arm around her sister and held her close as the plane ascended into the air. As soon as the seatbelt sign was off and the plane was level, Zoe leaned in and pulled out the earplug from Marley's ear. "We're done taking off, song bird. You want something to drink? Or some of the snacks we packed?" They couldn't afford to buy anything off the plane, but they came prepared. "I think there are cookies and pretzels."

Saying that Marley was not a fan of flying was akin to suggesting that maybe scuba divers weren't fans of the bends. She was incredibly grateful that she and Zoe were sharing the flight, which was about the only thing that would get her through the short flight without exploding in a mess of panic - or worse, falling back into bad habits she'd tried so hard to break. The earplugs were a welcome distraction, and as they shook and rattled through the takeoff she leaned heavily against her sister and tried to shut her eyes to keep everything away for a while. Only when the plug was pulled from her ear did she crack an eye to look over at Zoe. They'd survived, at least so far. "Maybe just a water, please? I need to try and pop my ears, and I think swallowing is supposed to help with that."

Water was easy. Zoe would have given her much more to help her through this. She leaned back to look up the aisle and the flight attendant was still several rows up and would take forever to reach them all the way in the back so she stood up and walked up to ask for the bottle of water. When they tried to tell her to wait, she told them she wasn't going to move until she was given what she asked for. That's how Zoe Rose lived her life. She didn't wait for when it was convenient for others, she always pushed until she got what she knew she deserved. It's how you had to live when you were all the way at the bottom of the barrel. She returned with two bottles of water and handed one to Marley. "I got you a cup of ice too," she said as she pulled the tray down in front of Marley. She turned on the screen and directed her sister's attention to it. "Twenty minutes and we'll be there. Not bad, right?" Zoe asked as she wrapped her arm around Marley again. "Are you more excited or more scared about going?"

Zoe was astounding. She always had been, to Marley. Her sister did so much for her, so much with her, and never seemed put out by it. Millie loved them and they knew it, but their mother simply couldn't afford to be at home with the kids when she had to make the money that kept them fed and clothed - and so it had been Zoe who had kept Marley company. Watched Disney movies, encouraged her, helped her through whatever her problems might be. And where Marley was a wallflower, Zoe was a force of nature who could do anything in Marley's eyes. Watching around the seats, she giggled softly to herself as Zoe steamrolled the flight attendant into giving them water without having to wait. When she returned and handed Marley some water, she leaned over to plant a kiss on her cheek. "You're my hero." There wasn't an ounce of humor in the statement, it was a simple fact. Twenty minutes didn't sound bad at all, but she knew it would seem longer somehow. "I'm...probably more scared. I mean, we'll be on an island with a bunch of people who had the money to come here on their own. Being around people with money, it...doesn't usually go well for us. And we're a long way from Dr. Monroe, if...well, if I need to talk to him." She knew she didn't have to explain to Zoe what she meant. "But I do want this. To learn. To not be at home making Mom support us. You know? I'm just really glad you'll be with me."

The smile and the kiss from her sister was all she needed to know she did the right thing. She didn't give a damn about the aggressive way the flight attendant handed her the water or the looks from the people she passed on the way back to her seat. It didn't even phase her. But that was always the case. Not even her mother could phase her. The only one who had any affect on her was Marley. So it wasn't an exaggeration when she said she would do anything for her sister. It wasn't meant in a cheesy or cute way. Marley would never ask her to, but if she needed to commit a crime to make her sister happy and safe, she would do it without messing up her nails or blinking an eye. Marley was everything to Zoe. "I figured you'd be worried about that. So I set up once a week teletherapy sessions with him until we find you a doctor down here. I've already looked into which clinics take our insurance so we can look around when we're settled in." She smiled down at Marley then pressed a kiss to her forehead. "I know what you mean and I think when we get over the newness of it, you'll really like it and excel." She reached down with her free hand and moved to hold Marley's chin in between her fingers. "I don't want you to think about the scholarship or how people will perceive us. I'll handle any hecklers. You just focus on getting comfortable, hm song bird?"

Marley's jaw dropped, just a little. It should have been expected that Zoe would be a thousand steps ahead of her, looking after needs that she'd only now vocalized, but somehow it still took her by surprise. She swallowed around a lump in her throat, ducking her head a little with a blush as Zoe kissed it. "If I haven't told you in the last five minutes that you're amazing, then let me fix that now." If anyone else had taken her chin in their hand that way she'd have wriggled uncomfortably away, but when her sister did it she stayed calm and still against her. She nodded, as much as she could with fingers holding her chin. "I just don't want you to have to spend all your time fighting my battles," Marley admitted softly. "This is a whole new place, this big island to explore and new classes and you'll have Dominant things to do, you know? Be hanging out with all the cool kids and giving orders," she teased gently, even if her worries about her sister's time were very real. "I don't want to take you away from anything."

Zoe smiled, yet again, but this wasn't the reason she was did those things for Marley. Even if she received not one thank you - which was completely out of character for Marley - Zoe would be just as happy to continue looking out for her. Just knowing she was healthy, safe, and happy was enough. "You don't need to keep thanking me, Marls. I'm always going to be there for you. Until the day you don't need me anymore. I'm there. Do you understand?" Zoe's gaze was on the other's eyes until she received a confirmation. Then laid back in the seat to get more comfortable. Her water sat in her lap untouched as she wrapped both arms around the other girl. "And I don't want you to think about me getting the things I need. I'll take care of myself, I can take care of both of us without compromising a thing. Besides, who's cooler than you? Not a damn person there is cooler than you or me." She smiled in hoped it would make Marley follow suit. "You could never take me away from anything. Even if you tried. So don't you dare keep anything from me." Zoe knew how her sister could get retreating to her own corner in hopes she didn't bother anyone and Zoe refused to let that happen when she was in the same vicinity. "Which part are you most excited about? I'm excited about the housing. Free housing and food is always a plus, right?"

Marley knew exactly how lucky she was to have a sister like hers. Zoe could easily have left her behind and got in with the popular crowd, but she'd always been willing to sacrifice where Marley was concerned. "I probably will anyway, though," she confessed with a lopsided grin. It was her nature, and she wouldn't know how to not thank someone for doing so much for her. "I understand, though. I promise. And I'm always here for you too, Zoe. Always." She might not be able to do quite as much for her sister, but even if it was only singing lullabies she'd do it any day. Part of her would always worry about holding Zoe back, but she did want to try and believe that they could have it all. Giggling softly, she brushed some of her dark hair back behind one ear. "Definitely no one. I mean, we are the coolest." Marley really did plan to do her best to stay open - when she got quiet, when she retreated, that was when she did things that weren't good for her. And she never had to worry about telling her sister anything. Nodding eager agreement, she felt a welcome surge of excitement fill her voice. "Did you see the rooms? I mean, there's two bathrooms! Even in the sub rooms! It's amazing. I'm a little nervous about having a roommate, but I hope they're really friendly. And I'm actually really excited to just wander the island. I mean...you and me, on an island! Did you ever imagine?"

"I know." It was Zoe's way to be straight to the point. And there were so many things that were unspoken between her and Marley that it was effortless. Only with Marley could such a short response mean so much. Because whatever her sister was going to say? She truly did already know. They would often just sit in silence, not saying a single word, but communicating so much. Zoe threaded her fingers through Marley's and brought her hand up to press a small kiss to her wrist. Zoe was a pro at mimicking the feelings she's supposed to be feeling in different situations that she often did it without thinking. The excitement in her voice was her parroting the excitement Marley used when talking about a new song she wrote or about a solo she got in school. And as Marley went on about the rooms, Zoe picked up on the cue and matched her mood. "It's going to feel like a deluxe five star suite for sure. Or a resort. I don't really want to be out in the sun, you shouldn't either cause it's damaging to our skin, but the beach at night has got to be quite the sight. That's how we should spend the first night." Zoe looked over at her sister and nodded. "They're going to love you, song bird. Your roommate would be wrong not to."

When people in books or movies talked about unspoken words, Marley was one of the few lucky enough to know what they were talking about. She and Zoe had a language that required no words, no sounds at all. During the worst of her problems she'd been able to come home from therapy and walk straight into Zoe's room, curling up in her arms and never speaking a word. Marley smiled at the kiss to her wrist, one of Zoe's favorite little affectations. "Right? Like we shared one bathroom our whole lives - not that I'm complaining or anything, I wouldn't do that - and now we'll have our own. That we can go in and make our own, and just have our own space." Zoe did make a good point about the sun, and Marley nodded. "I'll be careful not to be out any more than I have to during the day. And we absolutely need to spend our first night on the beach, just...drinking it all in. I can point out the constellations and tell you stories again, and I bet we'll be able to see them way clearer out here than we could at home." She worried at her lip, hoping that Zoe was right. She'd have to spend the whole year with her roommate, and if they didn't like her she wasn't sure what she'd do.

As someone who fought for her own space her whole life, she also looked forward to being able to stretch her wings. And Zoe knew no one would match Marley in terms of company, but she at least hoped she could tolerate her roommate. If that experience was rotten, there's no way she could actually enjoy the experience. Well as much as she enjoyed things. "I do enjoy your stories a lot, Marls. Besides listening to you sing, it's my favorite sound. Are there any stories I've yet to hear from you floating around in the little head of yours?" As soon as the question slipped past her lips, the fasten seatbelt sign came back on which signaled the upcoming descent. She tightened the grip she had around her sister and smiled down at her. "Just one more landing and we'll finally be there. Put your plugs back in baby girl and put on your seatbelt."

Marley smiled. It was always nice to know that she could do things her sister enjoyed. "I've got a few," she promised. "There are lots of stories about the stars." And someone like Marley liked to know as many of them as she could. The ding of the fasten seatbelt sign made her jump a little in Zoe's arms, but her sister took control perfectly - as she always seemed to be able to do effortlessly. "I'll see you on the ground," she smiled, kissing Zoe's cheek before sliding her earplugs carefully back in. She clicked her seatbelt together and leaned against her her sister, letting her eyes shut to keep from any further worry.

And just like that, Zoe was back into full protective mode. She fastened her own seatbelt and wrapped her arm around Marley, pulling her in as close as she possibly could and covering her eyes with her free hand. The landing was as smooth as she could have asked for and as soon as they were on the ground, she uncovered Marley's eyes and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "We're here, Marls." Zoe gave her a few moments to readjust her eyes to the light, then offered a broad smile. "We're here, baby girl. You did it." Zoe stood up and retrieved their bags from the overhead compartment. "And now our adventure officially starts," she stated offering her hand.

There was something even scarier about landing than taking off - the feeling that they were hurtling toward the ground, maybe. But Marley was cocooned in her sister's arms, eyes covered and ears plugged, and so she could just focus on the warm feeling of Zoe's body against hers. There was a thud and a bounce as they hit ground, Marley's slight frame lifting out of her seat and falling again, but that was the last of the scary parts. Zoe's hand moved away and she blinked a few times before removing her ear plugs and smiling. "I did it because of you," she smiled. "My hero, like always." Accepting Zoe's hand, she stood up and prepared to start a whole new chapter of their lives.

#thread: on our way #char: zoe rose #{the sister dearest}

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megareviews · 6 years ago

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Okay I’m pretty late on this one as the Spring 2018 season is about 4/7ths finished by this point, and I could be giving excuses, or I could just get to the review. I’ll opt for the latter, so here we go for first impressions of Spring 2018, under a read more because this season is pretty massive, and I realized the first one should probably also be under a read more.

3D Kanojo (3D Girlfriend): The main character is a super otaku in high school with only one other friend who’s also an otaku dude. After being late one day he gets stuck cleaning the pool with another late student, who happens to be female. Judging her on her appearance and tardy frequency, he assumes she’s not going to come help clean. Surprise surprise, she shows up and is earnest in her work cleaning, and they end up getting along. I like the female lead, but I hate the main guy and also the concept of the show in general so that’s a no watch.

Aikatsu Friends: There’s a lot of Aikatsu and I’ve never planned on watching any of it as of this point.

Akkun to Kanojo (Akkun and His Girlfriend): A guy who’s a jerk to his girlfriend, but actually loves her very much and can’t express it well. The show is a short about a guy who’s a tsundere, but it’s pretty painful to watch for even a few minutes, especially since I’m not a big fan of the tsundere archetype in the first place.

Alice or Alice: Siscon Niisan to Futago no Imouto (Alice or Alice: The Siscon Brother and His Two Sisters): Well the title of this show is one of the largest red flags I’ve seen in a while, and it’s just about as bad as what can be expected from the title. From watching one episode it seems like the sisters are more into their brother than the other way around but that’s still pretty bad the way the show portrays any of the characters.

Amai Choubatsu: Watashi wa Kanshu Senyou Pet (Sweet Punishment: I’m the Pet of the Guards): This is pretty much a hentai that just barely sneaked by without the hentai tag. Don’t.

Amanchu! Advance: It looks pretty cool like the first season, but I have that on my plan to watch so I can’t say or watch anything about the second season.

Beyblade Burst Chouzetsu: I generally preferred playing with Beyblade toys or games rather than watching the anime is most cases, and this is the third season of Burst, so there’s really nothing I have to say on this one. Why are there so many sequel seasons at the beginning of the alphabet this year?

Binan Koukou Chikyuu Bouei-bu HAPPY KISS! (Cute High Earth Defense Club HAPPY KISS!): I was not a fan of this for the first episode of the first season, so I’m definitely not watching the second season of it.

Boku no Hero Academia 3 (My Hero Academia 3): Finally, a second (third) season that I’m actually watching and can talk about with knowledge. While the first episode was kind of pointless and more of a recap of the previous seasons, two of my favorite characters will be introduced in this season, so I’m looking forward to it.

Butlers ~Chitose Momotose Monogatari~ (Butlers x Battlers): I almost understood what was going on in this show, and then everything, including the genre, changed. Then I look up the description of the show and got even more confused, because there’s like butlers who travel through time and fight things, which wasn’t indicated at all through the first episode. I’d only suggest this for people who could be oddly curious as to what the heck will happen in the show.

Caligula: Our main character here is a psychology geek, but besides annoying his friends every so often with attempted psychology lectures, lives a normal high school life. That is, until he goes into his high school graduation ceremony and the speakers start giving entrance ceremony speeches. After that people start turning into monsters and attacking the people who are still normal. After fleeing the school, we run into a guy with a black spike running through him and a black arm holding a black gun. I really liked the character designs from the game this is based on, which I never got to play, so I’ll be watching it to see how it goes. I’m also a fan of the importance the music seems to play in the show, so bonus points there.

Captain Tsubasa (2018): Probably like the one from 1983, but in 1080p. It’s an elementary soccer anime, so there’s pretty much no reason that I’d watch it, but it’s probably fine for fans of sports anime or the original.

Cardfight!! Vanguard (2018): Another season of a card game anime. I physically own a deck of CV cards and that’s about the extent of my knowledge of the series.

Comic Girls: After ranking poorly in her magazine, a young mangaka moves to an all-female dorm for mangaka to learn from / with others. Knowing that she has issues writing high school kids despite being in high school herself due to the fact that she has no friends or communication skills, she accepts readily. After meeting her roommate and some neighbors she finds out she’s got a long way to go in the manga business, but is hopeful of the possibility of getting better with the help of her new friends. I’m a fan of many of the content creator anime, and this feels like a moe version of Bakuman., but I think I’ll just put it on hold now for other shows that I’m more interested in for this season.

Cutie Honey Universe: Another reboot of a popular Nagai Go series, I’m not sure how much information I’m supposed to have of the series before watching this iteration of it. The other series, Devilman: Crybaby, seemed much more comprehensive in how the story was told so that someone starting the series from there could understand what was going on. Either way I’m applying the same decision to this as to D:C, watch the original first, and then try this one.

Devils Line: Don’t let the title fool you, this is about vampires. Vampires who get sexually aroused by human blood. The show has the main female plot device and the actual main character is a half-vampire in a police division for fighting vampires. There’s plenty of shows with similar concepts that are better than what I’m feeling from this with the amount of murder and rape alluded to as of ep 1 and the fact that there is a romance tag in the genres.

Dorei-ku The Animation (23 Slaves and Me / Slave Ward): The main object of this show is called an SCM, and what it does is let the users of It engage in duels, with the loser becoming a slave of the winner. The term duel seems to be pretty loose and left up to the users, which is pretty interesting, mostly consisting of some type of game. The show seems pretty edgy with characters being introduced with an into card of their name and them in bondage, plus the whole “slave” thing, and the implied rape scene. Since I pretty much consume any media with characters fighting each other through games, no matter how edgy (No Game No Life, Rengoku Deadroll, etc.) I will be watching this, and I’m pretty sure it’ll be interesting, if nothing else.

Duel Masters!: It’s a children’s card game anime, there’s a million of them and I have no clue what season of this it’s supposed to be. It could be the first or the fiftieth, and I would be none, the wiser, not that I care.

Fullmetal Panic! Invisible Victory: My friends all say FMP is good, so I’ll watch it… eventually. This is a sequel, so not much I can do to change people’s opinions on watching this.

Fumikiri Jikan (Railroad Crossing Time): It’s a short about conversations that people have while waiting at the crossroad for trains to pass. It looks like just a series of episodic conversations that are only slightly absurd from the description and the first episode, so you’re not losing much by trying it out.

Future Card Buddyfight X: All-Star Fight: I feel like I’m repeating myself a lot at this point, but there are so many children’s card game anime airing this season. And this one is coming in as the fifth season, so my dig at Duel Masters! Is justified as I write these all in alphabetical order.

Gegege no Kitarou (2018): A youkai child who goes around helping humans not be annihilated by other evil youkai. This is a reboot for the fiftieth anniversary of the series, and it looks pretty interesting. From the first episode, it’s probably going to be episodic and aimed in the family friendly direction, so anyone can watch it and enjoy.

Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu – Die Neue These- Kaikou (The Legend of Galactic Heroes: The New Thesis – Encounter [wow, one of the few times I can use my German and Japanese knowledge at the same time]): There sure are a lot of reboots this season too, and I’ve seen a couple of people with mixed opinions on whether you should watch this or not, whether you’ve seen the original or not, so I decided to skip this one until I make it through the original Ginga Eiyuu Densetsu.

Golden Kamui (Golden Kamuy): A war veteran of the Russo-Japanese war is trying to eke out a living during the Hokkaido Gold Rush, and hears about a hidden Ainu stash of gold with a map etched into the bodies of a bunch of prisoners as tattoos. As he starts his search for the pieces of the map he runs into an Ainu girl, who helps him survive in the wild and collect the map on the condition that she won’t kill anybody for the map. I enjoy the dynamic between the two main characters and the show has a really good balance between comedic wilderness survival sections and brutal combat scenes, so this is near the top of my watchlist.

Gundam Build Divers: I got no clue on how the Gundam Build series fit together, and maybe I never will.

Gurazeni (Money Pitch): It’s a major league baseball anime where the main character is a left-handed relief pitcher, who enjoys studying the salaries of other players in the league. The show description says that player’s performance determines their salaries, but as far as I know, that’s just how it works in America, and I don’t know if it’s a different system in Japan, or if the show just gets really focused on the money aspect of it.

High School DxD HERO: BOOOOOOSTO! (I’ve watched literally no DXD). This is the fourth season, and the studio animating the show changed for this season, from TNK to Passione, a newish studio that I’ve enjoyed how all their shows looked, if not the shows themselves.

Hinamatsuri: After a tough day of yakuza work, the main heroine drops onto the yakuza man’s head in metallic egg thing. A day later the yakuza releases her and she starts going on a psychokinetic rampage and breaking a bunch of valuable vases. After the yakuza generously decides to accept this girl into his house until further notice they just try to live together in as peacefully as possible. It’s full of a lot of goofy scenes played completely straight, which is pretty funny. The artstyle constantly reminds me of Tsuki ga Kirei, which is pretty much the only reason I’m not adding it to my watch immediately list, despite the comedy being right up my alley.

Hisone to Maso-tan (Hisone and Maso): The main character is in the Japanese Self Defense Force’s air force when she gets transferred to an assignment that very few people have been able to qualify for. This assignment involves being eaten by a dragon that can transform into an aircraft and piloting it from inside it’s digestive tract. The artstyle is pretty unique, and I can’t quite pin down a genre to call it, so I’ll say check it out, but I won’t be keeping up with it in season.

Hoozuki no Reitetsu 2: Sono ni (Hozuki’s Coolheadedness 2: Part 2): Have you watched part 1 of season 2? Then you can now watch this.

Inazuma Eleven: Ares no Tenbin: You only need to have watched the first Inazuma Eleven to understand what’s going on in this soccer anime. Unfortunately, I don’t even have that fraction of the Inazuma Eleven series watched.

Juushinki Pandora: As humanity continues to make scientific progress, accidents are going to happen. One such incident caused the world to be blanketed by a mysterious energy, that caused most life on earth to start hybridizing with machines. These hybrids then started evolving at a faster rate than humanity’s technological progress, and start destroying humanity. Various mechs are piloted by humans to protect the dwindling lands that can support humanity, and that’s where the main character steps in. A brilliant scientist on the verge of a breakthrough that will bring the mechs built by humanity up to par with the wildlife, or even stronger. While I like how the hybrid wildlife looks, that’s about the only thing I like about the show and don’t care to sit through CG mech fights for that purpose. That’s what Horizon Zero Dawn is for.

Kakurio no Yadomeshi: The main character of this show has grown up being able to see youkai, and enjoys feeding them to prevent them from harming other humans. One day a youkai shows up and brings her to an inn in the youkai world, telling her that her grandfather owes him a large debt, with her being the collateral. To this she responds with a swift “No way” and decides to work off her grandfather’s debts instead. To this end she tries to find someplace in the inn where she can help, and by the end of the episode finds a café in the yard that’s about to be closed down, so she decides to work with one of the kitsune employees to reopen the café so she can start paying off those debts. Not my cup of tea so I’ll be passing on this one.

Koneko no Chii: Ponponra Daibouken 2 (Chi’s Sweet Adventure 2): CG kittens doing CG kitten things I would assume from what I know about the series, but it’s the second season, so, even more kitten things.

Kiratto Pri☆chan: With a massively popular system for a variety of user created shows and capabilities to upload from any device, the Pri☆chan system can let anybody be a star. The two main characters decide to become an idol duo basically through a challenge, and end up doing well with their debut live show. The CG for the live show is pretty good, but I’m not really a fan of idol shows so I don’t have any plans on further watching this.

Kuroneko Monroe (Monroe the Black Cat): I have not been able to find a source on this one, which is an issue with a lot of the children’s shorts.

Ladyspo (Lady Sports): After getting about 5 minutes in, I had to give up. It was a different still image every 15~30 seconds of women on the toilet while some kind of mascot character talked to them. There is no subbed version of this so I only got the gist from listening myself, but this barely qualifies as animation.

Last Period: Owarinaki Rasen no Monogatari (Last Period: Story of an Endless Spiral): A show of magic-users called Periods fighting monsters called Spirals. Though the guild branch of the main characters suffers from the theft of everything of monetary value, and the main characters are tasked with taking quests to recover enough money to buy back their guild hall. That’s the setting at least, and as revealed later in the show, the show’s just really about making fun of gacha games while (probably) following the plot of the game it’s based off of. I think the roasting of gacha games is an untapped anime market, so I’d recommend this to anyone else who suffers on their own quests for full ☆☆☆☆☆ or UR teams.

Layton Mystery Tanteisha: Katori no Nazotoki File (Layton Mystery Detective Agency: Katri’s Case Solving File): An anime about the famous professor Layton’s daughter, solving mysteries, just like her dad. It’s a mystery show for kids, the first episode’s mystery was kinda quick and weak, but the characters are pretty interesting. I can’t think of a detective mystery show that’s come out since Kindaichi R2 finished so this show can be useful for scratching that itch, and later episodes might have more interesting mysteries.

Lostorage conflated WIXOSS: There’s so much WIXOSS and I have no idea how they are ordered, but this definitely isn’t the first season of a show, which may not be obvious to people who don’t know the series. Unlike a lot of the other card game based shows that have way too many seasons for me to understand, I do actually plan on watching this one at some point.

Lupin III: Part V: Part 5?!

Mahou Shoujo Ore (Magial Girl Ore): There’s just… so much going on. The basic premise is a comedic magical girl show, except the transformation is into a buff dude. As of episode 1 it is a series of absurd comedy skits leading up to this reveal, and the show can go literally anywhere from here. Being a fan of absurdist humor is the main reason to watch this show.

Mahou Shoujo Site (Magical Girl Site): And now, the complete opposite, a psychological horror magical girl show. We spend the first half of episode 1 watching the main character get brutally bullied, then she becomes a magical girl through one of the creepiest ways possible, and then accidentally exacts revenge. The show finishes introducing another magical girl who seems to have her schtick down a bit better than the main character. I really like most of the visual aspects of the show, and am a big fan of dark magical girl series in general so this was a no-brainer watch for me.

Major 2nd: It’s a baseball show about a kid who’s father casts a large shadow of baseball greatness on his son. You get to watch the kid play baseball with his team.

Megalo Box: While this show was created for the 50th anniversary of Ashita no Joe, this show is unlike the reboots and alternate series of this season as this show is completely unique and separate from the old show. An underground boxer who makes a living throwing matches who wants to compete for real is given a goal of a countrywide boxing tournament called Megalonia. There are many issues with a nameless man with no citizenship trying to get into such a tournament, but a fight with the number one ranked boxer sparks a fierce desire within the main character. In addition to the show looking amazing, the boxing is also upgraded in the future that the show takes place in, with mechanical boxing gear that increases the offensive and defensive capabilities of each boxer.

Neko Neko Nihonshi 3rd Season (Cat’s Japanese History 3rd Season): Another short this season about cats, but now they’re teaching Japanese history. It’s the third season, so there’s about 12 hours of the show to catch up on if you want to watch this season.

Nil Admirari no Tenbin (The Scales of Nil Admirari): This story is about books which become infested with negative emotions to the point of causing readers to injure themselves. The main character’s brother nearly committed suicide due to one such book, and the experience caused the main character to see these negative emotions in books. Due to this ability she gets scouted for a secret branch of the government that deals with these books. I honestly can’t figure out how to make the show interesting with the way the story is set up now, so I might actually watch more of this to see what happens.

Nobunaga no Shinobi: Anegawa Ishiyama-hen (Ninja Girl & Samurai Master: Anegawa and Ishiyama Arc): The third season of ninja comedy shorts.

Omae wa Mada Gunma wo Shiranai (You Don’t Know Gunma Yet): As the main character is moving to the Gunma prefecture, he texts one of his old classmates that moved there before, telling him about the move. An immediate warning to not to is the response, but as he gets it, the mood on the train suddenly darkens and he can’t get off the train. Overall the show seems like a weird comedy with factoids about the Gunma prefecture, if you want to learn about it for some reason.

Oretacha Youkai Ningen G (We Are Youkai People G): I literally cannot find anything about this show, and the image provided is kinda terrifying to be honest. It seems to be related to the series with the same name minus the G, but they don’t look anything alike. Hopefully I can purge knowledge of this show from my mind after writing this.

Oshiri Tantei (Butt Detective): Another short that I cannot find any traces of online, even though it seems to be something Crunchyroll picked up and was supposed to air sometime this month. I’m just gonna go ahead and say it’s probably a lot of butt puns while vaguely following some mystery.

Persona 5 The Animation: An anime of Persona 5, just like it says in the title. The show seems to follow pretty closely to the game, so this looks like it might be a good way to get the story of the game without a lot of the grinding battles and relationships. It will be 24 episodes, so the entirety of the show is about 10 hours, rather than the game’s 60+, though whether this is a good or bad thing will only be known after the show is well on it’s way.

Piano no Mori (TV): This show is about two pianist children who meet each other in elementary school. One is the son of a prostitute who lives in the forest and plays an abandoned piano he found there, and the other is from a prodigious family who’s had piano lessons since he could reach the keys. I think this show could an interesting watch, except the CG used for the piano scenes is ugly as hell and keeps switching on and off depending on if a character’s fingers were on screen. CG on it’s own is fine, but the constant switching during a singular scene drives me crazy, the same issue I had with Toji no Miko last season.

Puzzle & Dragon: I cannot find subs of this version of the PAD anime, as it is completely different from PAD Cross. Now that I actually play the game it’s based on on occasion, I thought I’d check out the anime based on it.

Rokuhoudou Yotsuiro Biyori: A couple of dudes running a tea shop. That’s about it and judging from the first episode I’m going to say it seems like an episodic show focused on relaxing, both for the viewers and the characters. Probably a fine show if you’re okay spending your time watching the staff interacting with each other and learning about their individual traits and how they interact, but it’s not doing anything for me.

Saredo Tsumibito wa Ryuu to Odoru (Dances with the Dragons): The story of two bounty hunters in a world of magic and dragons. A human with offensive magic fighting with another humanoid species who fights with a sword and strengthening magic. The show’s visuals are pretty average and the story seems to be of the main characters balancing their personal lives and expenses with their abilities to defeat dragons. I wasn’t feeling like keeping up with it from the first episode, but it doesn’t look like a bad choice to watch.

Shiyan Pin Jiating (Jikken-hin Kazoku / Creature Family Days): Okay so a genius, a dog, a plant, a spider, and a psychic walk into a Chinese restaurant. This isn’t a joke, this is just what happens in the first episode. The main characters are all siblings who are exceptional in some way, the oldest four as being experiments of their parents, and the youngest child who is the genius. The story takes place some time after the parents of this family are arrested for performing illegal human experimentation, and are about the family trying to live the most normal life they can. I like the characters and their mix of supernatural traits, and it’s a pretty cute show overall. It’s a bit shorter than a normal show, but longer than a short, and airs with both Japanese and Chinese audio, so there’s a lot of oddities mixed into the show in many ways.

Shokugeki no Souma: San no Sara – Tootsuki Ressha-hen (Food Wars: Third Plate – Totsuki Train Arc): I still gotta catch up on the third season of this, but I’ll finally be able to see Rindo animated, so that’s great.

Souten no Ken: REGENESIS (Fist of the Blue Sky: REGENESIS): The second season to the prequel to Hokuto no Ken (Fist of the North Star), I think?

Steins;Gate 0: The Science Adventure Series will eventually be watched by me, as people keep yelling at me to watch it.

Sword Art Online Alternative: Gun Gale Online: I can’t watch this until I fulfill both conditions of finishing the main SAO series and another project I’m working on, so it might be a while before I get to this. The author for this story is completely different from the main series writer, and I’ve heard that this is a vast improvement.

Tachibanakan to Lie Angle (Love to Lia Angle): After moving from her hometown as a child, the main character returns to a student dorm to start high school. Soon after finding it her dreams of a high class dorm are shattered, but at least there are plenty of other friendly girls living there, and two of them were friends from back when she used to live in her hometown. Other than that, the main premise seems to be related to the residents chilling in various states of undress, so I’m planning on just skipping this short.

Tada-kun wa Koi wo Shinai (Tada Can’t Fall in Love): After saving a foreign girl from the rain by bringing her to his family’s café, the main character learns that she came to Japan and even learned Japanese almost exclusively because of an old samurai anime. That’s all I really remember, and it’s a romance show where none of the characters really resonated with me, so I can’t vouch for it, and my reason to not watch is that I couldn’t find a reason to watch it.

To Be Heroine: A sequel to To Be Hero, which I couldn’t finish, so I couldn’t start this. The art looks pretty good from what I saw when searching for a screenshot.

Tokyo Ghoul:re: I don’t understand the order and relations between the Tokyo Ghoul series, so I’m still stuck somewhere in season 2.

Uchuu Senkan Tiramisu (Space Battleship Tiramisu): The show follows the ace of humanity’s alien defense fleet, one of the youngest men fighting to protect Earth. This age difference causes the main character to not get along well with any of his teammates, and he usually just ends up isolating himself in his mech’s cockpit for some peace and quiet. But things never go as smoothly as he likes, and the show is just watching this poor man struggle to relax in space, which has been pretty funny as of so far.

Uma Musume Pretty Derby (Horse Girls Pretty Derby): A show where we got racehorses, but instead of actual horses they are anime girls. I was somewhat dubious of this as an idea for a show, and watching made me realize how wrong I was to doubt this show. It’s pretty funny and while the main character doesn’t enter a race, one of the other main characters does race, and it looked pretty good. There’s plenty of factors coming together to make this into a promising show from the first episode, like the writing, the animation (90% of the time), and the fact that it’s exactly like an actual sport, but not actually.

Usagi no Matthew (Matthew the Rabbit): It’s a kid’s short, and therefore, nobody has bothered ripping and subbing the show, so I can’t really say anything about it.

Wakaokami wa Shougakusei! (The Inn Mistress is an Elementary Schooler): After her parents die in a traffic accident, the main character moves into an inn run by her grandmother. Then after a few misunderstandings mostly caused by trying to talk to a ghost and real people at the same time, she ends up getting formal training to take over the inn for her grandmother. I’m not particularly interested in where the plot goes and the characters are all kind of annoying, so I’ll be passing on this show.

Wotaku ni Koi wa Muzukashii (Love is Hard for an Otaku): This is one of the few shows where I’ve read the source material before watching the show so it’ll bias me a bit, but it’s a good rom-com. The main character broke up with her former boyfriend after he learned she was an otaku, and even changed companies because of how ashamed she was, only to find an otaku friend she hadn’t seen since elementary school. They start to date each other because they’re good friends and don’t have to hide their otakuness from each other, and just go through office life balancing work and fun. I relate very strongly with the guy and how he lives his life so I will follow this show to the end of the universe.

Youkai Watch: Shadow Side: Season ??? of Youkai Watch. What else can I say at this point?

#Megareviews #first episodes #anime review #Spring 2018

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mikeyd1986 · 6 years ago

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MIKEY’S PERSONAL BLOG 109, June 2018

On Monday morning, I went down to YMCA Casey RACE for a workout on the treadmill and a spa/sauna recovery session. I was still feeling pretty sore and restless from the weekend so of course my mind was making up plenty of excuses why I shouldn’t be going to the gym (I can’t be bothered. I’m still feeling sleepy. I’d rather just stay in bed). But I was determined to push through those mental barriers regardless. Considering I had a recent breakthough with my weight dropping from 94 to 92.4 kilograms, I figured that I might as well keep going and aim to get below 90kg again. https://www.caseyrace.ymca.org.au/gym

I was pretty mindful about my workout on the treadmill this morning. I wanted to challenge myself but not push too hard at the same time. I ended up playing some of the music videos on my screen during the workout including some classics (Guns N’ Roses - Sweet Child of Mine) and some embarrassing duds (Daddy Yankee - Gasolina). My results include Total Calories = 351 Cal, Total Distance = 3.58 Km. Total Elapsed Time = 45 minutes. Average Heart Rate = 114 Bpm. Total Distance Climbed = 135 meters. https://www.lifefitness.com.au/lf-connect-app/

On Monday night, I went to my RPM class with Claire at YMCA Casey ARC in Narre Warren. Honestly I couldn’t tell you where the energy I had came from tonight especially when I knew how mentally fatigued I was feeling. I noticed that our fitness instructor Claire had a bun in the oven and I assumed she had medical clearance to still train before she inevitably goes on maternity leave. Despite being pregnant, she was still pumping everyone in the cycle studio up which was pretty impressive to see. https://www.caseyarc.ymca.org.au/gym/group-fitness

Tonight we did a mixture of tracks from RPM Release 55 which includes Listen to the Music by The Doobie Brothers, We Found Love by Miss Piper, Run With The Wolves by The Prodigy, Will I Ever by Paffendorf featuring Fara and Paradise by Coldplay. I was actually surprised with how hard I managed to push myself tonight and it felt really awesome. My results include Total Calories = 450 Cal. Distance Traveled = 24 km. Max. Speed = 29 kmh. Max. RPM = 120. Max. Resistance Level = 45%. http://www.totallylesmills.com/site/rpm

On Tuesday afternoon, Mum and I had haircuts together at Katrina’s home-based salon, Creative Hair Design in Narre Warren South. While we were waiting to be seen, we had Katrina’s gorgeous pets for company including a black 20 year old cat, a placid golden retriever named Tess and a boisterous bull terrier named Austin. It honestly doesn’t take long at all for my natural dark brown hair to grow into massive clumps.

During the appointment, the conversation turned to how easily offended we’ve become as a society. People get labelled as being racist simply for describing someone of another race. Things have also become far too politically correct when it comes to gender, race and sexuality. Recent examples include Winnie The Pooh, Noddy and Big Ears, The Jackson 5 impersonators on Hey Hey It’s Saturday and Thomas The Tank Engine. The insinuations are beyond ridiculous especially when they got so far as to cancel TV shows over it.

On Tuesday night, I went to a Body Balance class at YMCA Casey RACE in Cranbourne East. I was actually in a good headspace until around 10 minutes before the class when some comments on my Facebook post set off my overthinking. I was worrying far too much about what people were thinking of me and getting myself oversensitive. Unfortunately social media has the capacity to do that. But I tried hard to not let that ruin my class tonight.

This was my first time having an English lady named Astrid as the Body Balance instructor. Her style is very similar to that of Wendy Lynne Perrow in that she’s patient, easy to follow and focuses on what you can do rather than what you can’t. It was also a really packed class tonight and Astrid was quick to point out that I wasn’t the only male in the room (Woo!). https://www.lesmills.com/workouts/fitness-classes/bodybalance/

Tonight we did release number 78 which I’m pretty familiar with as I’ve done it a couple of times before. Some of the exercises we did include: Tai Chi Warm Up: Overhead and side sweeps, bow and arrows. Sun Salutations: Extended Mountain pose, Forward Fold, Downward Facing Dog, Crocodile, Baby Cobra/Updog, Low Lunge Twist. High Lunge with Back Bend. Standing Strength: Chair pose with Raised Heels, Warrior 2 and 3. Balance: Divers pose with Raised Heels. Tree pose with Leg Extensions. Core: Double Leg Extensions, Side Crunches, Cross Crawl, Bridge pose with Hip Thrusts. Forward Bends & Hamstrings: Staff pose with Forward Fold, Wide Legged Side Folds. https://grandnat.co.uk/feel-it-coming-track-list-for-les-mills-body-balance-release-78/

On Thursday morning, I met up with my support worker Ally Lamb at Baked Bakery Cafe and Patisserie in Casey Central. For some reason, I found myself getting easily distracted today and sensing a lot of weird glances from people walking through the shopping mall. People giving me “What are you looking at?” judgmental glares set off my anxiety like an atomic bomb and makes me feel uncomfortable in that moment. It seems really stupid to get so worked up over being looked at a particular way but I just seem to become super-sensitive to other people’s energies in my environment. https://socialanxietyinstitute.org/living-with-social-anxiety

It’s only been a day since Woolworths introduced their new initiative to stop using single-use plastic bags to pack customer’s items in. And of course there’s still a few people who are getting really snippy about it. Honestly I find the idea of someone complaining about not having their groceries placed in a plastic bag to be ridiculous. For starters, shoppers have had plenty of warning about it with signage and advertising plastered all over the stores. There are many alternative bagging options as well as simply just carrying the items by hand.

It’s obviously going to take time to adjust and also having to remember to bring your own bags when you go to the supermarket. But really it’s the customers who come off as entitled and demanding that really ruin things for others. If you’re getting irate over a store not having plastic bags or having to fork out 15 to 99 cents for a recyclable bag, then you really need to evaluate your priorities in life. https://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/supermarkets-cop-spray-from-customers-furious-at-plastic-bag-ban/news-story/7111630884dba0ccdd3ed8537f69447e

On Friday night, I did a Body Pump Express class at YMCA Casey RACE in Cranbourne East. Considering how exhausted I was feeling, I decided to do a half hour workout instead of a full hour. My eyes were literally popping out of my face but I was determined to get one more workout in before the end of the week. The fitness instructor Beata K was a Russian lady and she wasn’t exactly warm and friendly. I just wasn’t feeling the vibes from her at all, even after getting my Get Group Fit card stamped.

The other instructor on the stage Kim seemed much more engaged and easier to follow. We did a selection of tracks from Release number 77 which includes It’s My Life by Swade (Bon Jovi cover) and DJ Got Us Fallin’ In Love by Usher featuring Pitbull. The class did a mixture of rows, deadlifts, power cleans and overhead cleans plus weighted back squats, bench press, weighted crunches and elbow plank holds. http://www.totallylesmills.com/site/bodypump

“Sometimes feel like I got no friends. Can't trust a soul, like I'm Snowden...Tell me why I can get no relief (I can't get no sleep).” Post Malone - Paranoid (2018)

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roamingmom · 6 years ago

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Last Easter we visited Phuket, Thailand. Phuket is actually pronounced “poo-KET”, the h is silent. Which leaves it sounding rather unfortunate. However, I can assure you it is not!

As it was my first time in Asia – I had loads of preconceived conceptions and quite a few expectations. I had heard stories about crazy ping-pong shows, lady boys, full moon parties and cheap off the grid beach living- channel Leo DiCaprio in “The Beach”.

Yeah, so that was totally not my trip to Thailand or like any of my experiences in Phuket.

Our resort was on the quiet west end of the Island (far away from the nightlife of Patong Beach) at The Wesin. We didn’t attend any full moon parties and I’m pretty sure I didn’t see even one lady boy. At least not one who was advertising.

Thailand – The Land of Smiles

The Thai people are deserving of their title: “The Land of Smiles” as they are generally courteous and kind.

In fact, I can’t remember one unpleasant or rude person while there. Except on arrival when clearing customs. The line up to clear was long and moved painfully slow.

Of course there were language frustrations as many of the locals in Phuket do not speak great English. However, they always greet you with a slight bow and a warm smile. The rest just seems to work itself out especially when it comes to settling on a price. They will often write the price down to be clear. You can then choose if you wish to barter.

Our taxi driver’s wife and little girl. They almost always came along for the ride.

Phuket, Thailand

Phuket is the largest Thai Island and is located in the south of Thailand on the Andaman Sea. A magnet for beach lovers and divers. It is also a great base for exploring smaller out Islands and Inlets such as: Phi Phi, Krabi and Phang Nga Bay.

The interior of the Island is filled with lush mountainous jungle which is home to monkeys, snakes and mosquitoes. Dengue Fever and Malaria are prevalent in the interior of Thailand. Care should be taken if you plan on doing any jungle trekking.

Thailand was one of the first of the Asian countries to hop on the tourist bandwagon. Unfortunately this is prevalent in many areas in and around Phuket. Unless you’re staying at a swank resort – you will not find unspoiled tranquil beaches. That said: there are loads of beautiful locations and cool experiences to be had. You just have to share or stand inline.

Elephants

If you’ve always dreamed of riding an elephant in Thailand then you might want to revisit your bucket list. The current ethically friendly way to interact with these big beauties is to bathe them. There are several Elephant Sanctuaries in Phuket where you can have loads of interaction. Just make sure you bring your bathing suit!

A bit of a climb

Yes, I’m afraid she might step on my toes!

Declan and Lola

Lola, 45 year old retiree

Lola, a 45 year old retired Asian elephant

This was a definite highlight for my 9-year-old. Above is Lola, a 45-year-old retired Asian Elephant. Note that she does not have tusks and is smaller than her African cousins. Declan did have a climb on her but she didn’t seem to mind as it didn’t really disrupt her bath.

Big Buddha

You can’ miss this dude as he’s 45 metres tall and sits atop a massive hill. The view from Big Buddha offers sweeping visits of Phuket.

The temple is a peaceful place with Dharma music playing melodically in the background. There are sarongs available for free (donation) to cover your knees and shoulders should you need them. Big Buddha is an active place of prayer so your visit should be as silent as possible.

Big Buddha Phuket, Thailand

Monks praying inside Big Buddha

Snake Show

As mentioned there are lots of dangerous and poisonous snakes in Thailand. A safe place to see these critters is in a controlled environment like a snake show. What qualifications does this guy have? Can’t say. But he’s crazy enough to play with King Cobras and the rest of this slithering aggressive bunch. Was cool to see…I guess. But really not my fave way to spend my time.

Nuts.

The start of the crazy

Phuket Town & Markets

Phuket Town is easy to navigate. It consists of about 5 main streets, some smaller streets (“sois”), and a walking street called Thalang Road. Many of the Sino-Colonial mansions (from nearly a century ago) when Phuket was a booming tin mining town are now being refurbished. Stylish coffee shops and hip restaurants are also beginning to line the store fronts.

There are many markets in around Phuket. We went to a night market to take advantage of the cooler temperatures. You could get everything there from a knock off designer bag to a bag of edible insects.

Delicious Fruit

Fried Insects anyone?

Lots of People

Night Market

Grilled meat

Phang Nga Bay

From Phuket you have to get out on the water to see the smaller outer Islands. There are many way to do this: high-speed boats, ferries, long tails, big tourist boats and private charters. We did the latter and it was worth every penny.

We didn’t book until we were in Phuket as we wanted to see what the winds would be like. Being experienced boaters we could tell that many of the southern Islands were exposed to some big bodies of water.. We found a great and easy company to deal with called Coralseekers. The boat was perfect and our Thai crew were outstanding.

On a near glass calm day we decided to head north to the gorgeous emerald waters of Phang Nga Bay. The drawback of Phang Bay is the emerald coloured water is a result of the limestone bottom. Thus you don’t get the clear blue Caribbean waters, like in the south (near Phi Phi), and you can’t see the bottom. However, you get dramatic limestone karst shooting up from the water. The result is some beautiful boating water with stunning views.

The vistas of Phang Nga Bay were made famous by “The Man with The Golden Gun”, and Koh Tapu, “Nail Island” is referred to as James Bond Island. Koh Tapu is heaving with tourists. Take your pic and get out! There is much more to see and do.

Phang Nga Bay

James Bond Island, Koh Tapu

Floating Sea Gypsy Village – Koh Panyi

Further north from Koh Tapu there is the floating village on Koh Panyi. There are about 1500 people who live here. It’s a Muslim village so cover yourself appropriately. No alcohol is permitted.

Koh Panyi, Floating Sea Gypsy Village

Longs boats in Phang Nga Bay

Floating Sea Gypsy Village

Kayaking

Heading back to Phuket Harbour we moored at a couple of quiet inlets so we could play in the water. Phang Nga bay has many Hongs, “rooms” which you can kayak through when the tide is right. There are several tour companies that serve the caves. Our charter came with kayaks so we self explored with our crew.

Kayaking near the Hongs with our Captain.

Playing Phang Nga Bay

Wat Chalong

Wats are Buddhist Temples. Most Thai people are Buddhist so it goes without saying….there are lots of Temples. Most are quite beautiful. My favourite was Wat Chalong.

Temple

inside

Wat Chalong

Food

I happen to love Thai food but I appreciate not everyone does i.e. my husband.

However the fresh seafood is delicious, the local fruit (coconut, mango, papaya, dragon fruit) is juicy and the rice is plentiful so even the picky eaters are covered.

The base of most Thai food is: coconut milk, chilies, lime, shallots/garlic, and fresh herbs (lemon grass, coriander, etc.).

If you are feeling adventurous make sure to head to one of the local markets to try out the food stalls. Don’t miss the one with the fried insects!

Tiger, a local brew

Not sure. But it was good.

Fresh coconut cocktails

Fresh Pad Thai in an egg blanket

curried crab

Thai Massage

Yes! Absolutely. But that is another post all together.

Relax

So after sparking for a nice resort. We wanted to make sure we took some time to relax and enjoy it. The weather in April was perfect. Balmy days with hardly any rain. A bit humid but just enough to make your skin feel great. Our resort had loads of activities from Yoga to Muay Thai Boxing which we took advantage of. We also took many opportunities to sit poolside with a coconut cocktail chatting with other travellers from around the world.

And more beautiful sunsets

More Coconut cocktails

Muay Thai wars

Ohmmmmmmm

watching the sunset over Phuket with my biggest dude

Other Tips:

Getting Around

Taxis and tuk-tuks are everywhere. I don’t recommend renting a moped unless you want to spend time in a Thai hospital. Make sure you secure a price per person before taking a taxi.

We found a guy on the first day and negotiated a per hour rate with him. Mr. Pong then took us where we wanted to go and did most of our negotiating when necessary. We did take a tuk-tuk once as it seemed like the thing to do.

Safety:

There are some dodgy areas in Phuket. Patong Beach and the Bangla Road offer a wild party scene. We took a walk in daylight with the kids (not kid friendly at night). It was littered with bars, restaurants, night clubs and tattoo parlours. At night, this is where you could catch a ping-pong show or other sex show and probably see a pretty lady boy or two.

Some keepsakes for sale along the Bangla Road

The infamous Bangla Road in daylight

The tacky Patong Beach sign

It’s safe to imagine that trouble could easily find you in these areas if you let your guard down. However, if you play it smart and let common sense prevail you should do just fine anywhere in Phuket. Remember, if it seems to be good true, it’s a scam. Walk away. Even if the person is smiling.

Travel safe.

Love,

Kate

Happy Days in Phang Nga Bay

Phuket – Better Than the Name Suggests Last Easter we visited Phuket, Thailand. Phuket is actually pronounced "poo-KET", the h is silent. Which leaves it sounding rather unfortunate.

#Big Buddha #elephants #Food #markets #Monkeys #Phang Nga #phuket #Phuket Town #snakes #thailand #wat chalong

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thehungrykat1 · 7 years ago

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Luxury and Nature Intertwine at Amorita Resort Bohol

Amorita Resort in Panglao, Bohol is one of the most talked about luxury resorts here in the Philippines. I often see colorful pictures of this place in magazines or travel blogs, but since I don’t travel to Bohol quite often as compared to Boracay, I wasn’t sure if I would be able visit it at all. So when I was invited to attend the recent Air Asia Santan Launch in Amorita Resort itself (Read: Air Asia Santan Offers Gourmet Meals in the Sky), I grabbed the opportunity and was left in awe of this majestic resort.

Amorita Resort is a tranquil seaside retreat perched atop a limestone cliff on the southern edge of Bohol’s Panglao Island. Tourists and locals usually flock to Panglao because of its unspoiled beauty featuring limestones, shimmering blue waters, pristine white sand, and lush tracts of greenery. While there are numerous resorts that have opened along the popular Alona Beach, the area still retains its natural allure, which is probably a throwback of Boracay as it was 10 to 15 years ago. The magazine photos did not lie, because Amorita Resort is even more impressive in person.

We were picked up from the Tagbilaran Airport after our early morning flight courtesy of Air Asia. The ride from Manila to Bohol took one hour and thirty minutes and the shuttle ride to Panglao another thirty minutes. Amorita Resort is managed by the boutique hotel group One-Of Collection, which is also in charge of Momo Beach Club in Panglao, and two other resorts in Dumaguete and Palawan.

Amorita Resort integrates key elements of the surrounding environment to create a distinct island ambience and organic modern aesthetic. Luxury intertwines with nature as guests enjoy all the amenities and services the resort has to offer. Amorita actually means “little darling” and this boutique resort has that sophisticated charm that makes it one of the best hideaways in Bohol. It was recently awarded by Conde Nast Johansens Excellence Awards 2017 as Best in Service, while also being a regular Traveller’s Choice Awardee for Trip Advisor.

The resort has two infinity pools with stunning cliff-side views of the Bohol sea, one in front of the lobby and another near Saffron restaurant. The Cliff Deck has lounge chairs to enjoy spectacular sunset views over Alona Beach, which is just a stone’s throw away from the resort.

We checked in to our Junior Suite which can be found on the garden floor. My roommate for the trip was Yedy of Yedylicious.com, one of my fellow KTG food bloggers who joined the activity. The Junior Suite has 40 square meters of comfortable space. The interiors are minimalist but with a combination of different textures.

The suite comes with either 1 king bed or 2 double beds. I love the wooden and cement fixtures blending together with the lush greenery and natural surroundings. The design looks Asian-inspired with a wooden divider seperating the beds and bathroom. You can definitely spend idle days here and come out with a refreshed and renewed spirit.

Aside from the flat-screen cable TV and Loudbasstard sound amplifier, the room also provides a hair dryer, in-room safe, and complimentary WiFi. Rainfall shower and eco-friendly bath amenities like organic soap and shampoo are also part of its charming setting.

We were welcomed with a delicious set of fresh fruit juices and canapes inside our room which is just part of their complimentary mini bar. They also have turndown service and chocolates that will make your night even sweeter. I love all these little extras that really make vacations more enjoyable.

The Junior Suites that are located on the ground floor have their own mini patio and garden entrance seperate from the main door. This makes it very accesible going to the restaurant and beach, plus it offers a tranquil view of the garden. The suites on the higher floors, on the other hand, have a day bed and veranda.

For those that want more space, the One Bedroom Suite could be a better option. This luxurious suite has a generous 80 square meters with 1 king bed and a spacious bathroom with bath tub. It also has 2 day beds at its elegant living room which double as extra beds for 2 additional guests, plus a dining area to enjoy room service meals. Aside from the complimentary minibar, you can also find a Nespresso machine for those quick coffee fixes. A private balcony overlooks the resort’s lush tropical landscape.

But the best places to stay at Amorita Resort are their luxurious villas. The Garden Villa comes with a huge 120 square meters which includes a king-sized bed and all the amenities and creature comforts you can find in the other suites.

You can spend time relaxing inside the gorgeous marble bathroom, but the highlight of the Garden Villa is its own plunge pool and patio in the garden area. Now this is what a luxury vacation should be. Guests can wake up in the morning and head straight to the pool even before breakfast.

They also offer the Ocean Villa which is similar to the Garden Villa but with its plunge pool and patio overlooking the breathtaking Bohol Sea.

Amorita Resort offers a couple of dining options that will make any foodie happy. Saffron Restaurant is their all-day dining cafe inspired by the seasons and specialties in Bohol. It offers a thoughtful reinterpretation of Boholano heritage cuisine, alongside a wide range of Continental and Filipino favorites.

Saffron’s al fresco dining areas faces one of the resort’s picturesque infinity pools. This is also where breakfast buffet is served for guests, which starts at 6:00am and ends at 10:00am.

They have a delicious selection of cheeses, hams, breads, and pastries together with breakfast staples such as bacon, eggs, and garlic rice.

A la carte options are also available for lunch and dinner featuring local and Asian dishes.

The dinner buffet at Saffron restaurant is highly recommended, especially after a tiring and adventurous afternoon. One of my favorite items was the Twice Cooked Pork Belly with its meaty and flavorful pork.

There are many other savory dishes at the dinner buffet including Pork and Shrimp Spring Rolls, Vegetable Tempura, Chicken Pandan, Beef Bulgogi, and Gambas.

The restaurant even offers my favorite dessert, Chocolate Mousse! My foodie friends know how fond I am of this sweet treat and I always finish a lot of them, even before I am done with my main courses. Saffron also has an excellent selection of wines, signature cocktails, and gourmet beverages to pair with their buffets.

Guests and families can spend the entire day at Amorita Resort and never run out of fun activities. Children can enjoy spending time at the playground or have a round of foozball in the play area. Sea Explorers, their in-house PADI dive center, offers open-water and advanced diving certification courses, as well as dive tours to licensed scuba-divers. Amorita Resort’s Sea Tree Spa offers an exclusive range of treatments from authentic Filipino massage therapies to rejuvenating Asian healing rituals. Complimentary Yoga sessions are also offered at 7:00am every Tuesday and Saturday, while guests can also use the gym with treadmill, stationary bikes, cross trainer and weights.

The cliffside resort’s best feature is probably its proximity to Alona Beach, which can be accessed with just a few steps down the pathway. This public beach is where most of the locals and tourists gather for water sports and activities like kayaking and stand-up paddle-boarding. These activities are complimentary for Amorita Resort guests on a first-come, first-served basis.

For those who want a little more privacy, they can go to Amorita Resort’s own Secret Beach which is hidden away from the public eye. This private beach cove lets guests enjoy the waters of Bohol in a more serene and calm environment. Guests can also snorkel at the resort’s own marine sanctuary just a few meters away from the beach, which is also a great place for underwater photography. Otherwise, a side trip to Momo Beach House, Amorita’s chill sister beach resort, is also an option.

If you are looking for a little more excitement and energy, head over to Tomar Tapas x Bar located just above Saffron Restaurant. It offers classic tapas, paellas and pintxos that has been a staple of Spanish cuisine and gives it both a local and modern touch.

During one of our nights at Amorita Resort, we drank and dined at Tomar Tapas x Bar and enjoyed their selection of tapas. Some of the favorites were the Chorizo a la Vino (P250) which is cooked in wine, and the Patatas Bravas (P150), a bestseller with its deep fried potato and spicy tomato aioli.

The Paella Negra (P650) was a crowd pleaser with its shrimp, calamari, scallop and aioli topped on a mean-looking paella plate. We also tried the Paella Valenciana (P680) which is a more familiar type of paella with chicken, pork, tenderloin, chorizo, bilbao, sofrito and saffron.

Other delectable items included the Gambas (P220) with its garlic sauteed prawns with paprika and olive oil. The Chopitos (P150) were also a big hit with its batter fried baby squid, and the churros was also a great item to have on the dinner table with its chocolate sauce.

But the best way to spend the evening at Tomar is with rounds and rounds of cocktails and their carefully curated wine and whiskey selections from around the globe. We had a fabulous time drinking Sangria amidst the lovely ambiance of the resort.

I would like to thank Philipines Air Asia and Amorita Resort for organizing and providing this memorable experience in Bohol. It seemed like two nights were not enough, and I am already planning a return trip sometime soon so I can enjoy staying at their luxurious Garden Villa. So if you are thinking of going to Bohol, Amorita Resort should definitely be on the top of your travel list.

Amorita Resort

1 Ester A. Lim Drive, Barangay Tawala, Alona Beach, Panglao, Bohol

553-9549 / 856-1443 / 0917-8619441

www.amoritaresort.com

www.facebook.com/AmoritaResort

#AmoritaResort #AirAsiaXAmorita #LoveAmorita #AirAsia #AirAsiaSantanPH #Beach #Panglao #Bohol #Philippines #Travel #Vacation

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