If more people valued home above gold, this world would be a merrier place - The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies. 🌲 ✖️ I'm going to use this opportunity to spark a little curiosity among those who read this post. At about 14:00 today, I'll be doing a massively exciting post! Can't wait. #VSCOcam #VSCOsouthafrica #ThisIsSouthAfrica #Lifeofadventure

via Instagram http://ift.tt/1zbLHI7

👨🏻Hairy mobster colab 2 ✖️ So this is the second time that @Riverleask and I have done a colab. It's such a pleasure to have River as part of the CityOf gang. He's really and awesome bloke and one heck of a photographer with a unique gallery. This is my edit on one of his rad shots. Go check him out...right now! #CityofPE #Lifeofadventure

via Instagram https://instagram.com/p/1bKu4wngnQ/

Test

via Instagram https://instagram.com/p/1bB4ybngmo/

| Colourplay🎨|I found that a concert is the best place for unique colour changes. The stage's lights amplifies each person in the crowd's individual fashion colour. I had an incredible time shooting backstage for @jeremyloops. I had hours of roaming free before his performance started. How excited do you think I was when I saw @instagram's hashtag project was #WHPcolorplay? I noticed it while at the concert. #ThisisSouthAfrica

via Instagram https://instagram.com/p/1atbZ-ngin/

 The Green Tyrant

 My assignment was to write a story about something that shouldn't have been invented. This is my first version. 

My jaw dropped at the sight of the green beast. For a brief moment I was convinced that the anti-Christ had landed. Upon regaining my mental senses I realise the full extent of the being’s purpose. It’s a car. I stepped outside to inspect this insect-like vehicle from closer quarters. It looked like a deformed platypus scouring the landscape in search of acceptance. Its colour resembled decaying moss on an Aztec ruin in some overrun rainforest.  My jaw plunged further. I suspect my appearance resembled that of a deranged whale struggling to devour distressed krill. Clad in my vividly coloured pyjamas I stood there in deafening silence. Fiat had out done themselves this time. To explain how ugly this car is would be the equivalent of flying to the moon in a Lego spaceship. My sighs echoed through the streets.

It was brutally cold on that Saturday morning. I hurried inside. The car looked even worse as I nervously peered from underneath my living room curtain. Being a man of value, I decided to write a formal letter of complaint to Fiat. My general sentiment was: they should ship the entire production to the mid-Atlantic, so they could dump them over the side. No reply was ever received. Days became weeks, which turned into months. Still that car stood there smirking at me with those narrow little eyes. I became increasingly concerned for my sanity.

One morning, while sincerely considering the sale of my house, I had an epiphany. It felt morally unacceptable for the owners to destroy my livelihood with such a deplorable car. Thus my plan of destroying the vehicle was initiated. My neighbours were set to go on a week-long French holiday and I had politely accepted the request to tend to the well-being of their property,

Such a car should never have been invented. The designer was probably a cynical tyrant plotting to destroy the eyes of man-kind. Or Fiat had asked a three year old with crayons, to design the thing. Either way, I would mend it. My justification seemed objective. It wasn’t. By this time I had accumulated a proficient knowledge in the art of explosive devices. My garage was now overrun by what seemed to be the headquarters of a terrorist organisation.

D-day arrived. Never before had a man walked in this street with a military arsenal greater than mine. In my mind I did society a service. Somehow by the destruction of my neighbour’s car I would achieve the extinction of the entire range of Fiats… ever.  I didn’t think this through. Acting without thinking wasn’t a defect that ran in my family, it was only me. I placed the C4 nonchalantly underneath the car and retreated to my makeshift bunker.

The explosion was nothing short of catastrophic. The existence of the car, along with three quarters of my neighbour’s house was in utter ruin. I had defeated my greatest foe. No! I had not only defeated the car, I had improved every trait it boasted. Victory comes to those who persist in hard work and belief. I smiled for the first time in months. I yelled in jubilation. That’s when I awoke from the sound of my own voice. I scurried from underneath my blankets and rushed outside. I was faced by the antagonist of my nightmares. The green Fiat Multipla did not have so much as a scratch. My dreams had cruelly deceived me.

Hidden Civilisation

“Good afternoon ladies and gentleman, my name is Doctor Franz Olsen. As you well know, I’m CEO of BSE (Bureau of Space Explorations). I called upon you today, to share something of unparalleled importance. Something that would change society for ever…

Advanced technologies allowing mankind to create planets in outer space have existed for decades, yet Earth remain the only true inhabited planet. My team and I have worked on a solution for this problem, and finally after twenty five years we cracked it. We combined DNA particles from every life source on Planet Earth, to create what we term ‘ACE’: Advanced Colonizing Ecosystem. In cooperation with NASA we engendered space shuttle ‘Populate’. A craft capable of creating a sustainable ecosystem, on one of our manmade planets known as Eve. Our probes confirmed, as of yesterday Eve became an inhabitable planet. It already boasts a plethora of mountains, trees, plants, barrier reefs and countless never before seen biota.  

The presentation room filled with cheers and congratulations. Doctor Franz spoke again. “Thank you thank you, now we come to why I called upon you all... Natural Geographic contacted us asking for permission to send a five man film crew out to Eve. We’ve granted them access on one condition: They take an elite team handpicked by my organization along with them. A unit who can provide security as well as find and repair a few lost probes. You are that team ladies and gentleman, and with your consent we intend to send you on a journey into Space. On the matter of payments, don’t fret; you’ll be rewarded handsomely.

A well-built man in his fifties stood up. “G’morning Doctor, that was quite an entertaining speech. I’d like to ask a few questions, if I may?” The Doctor nodded enthusiastically. “Who will be leading the expedition and what is the potential threat level?” The doctor sternly studied the Scotsman and replied. “You would be in charge of the expedition Commander Joe McMullan. The threat level is unknown, thus as a precaution I suggest you prepare for maximum protection…”  

10 Weeks later
Onboard NASA space transport vehicle ‘Explorer13’.  Date: December 15 2098. Location: Planet Eve                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         

Day1:

The giant space shuttle landed on an open patch in a green mountainous valley; surrounded by waterfalls, plants and trees. “Orders sir?” asked the young pilot ‘Bill Vaughn’, “Prep the constructer team, we need to set up HQ. I’ll handle the protection team” Ordered Commander McMullan. “Construction team Alfa, please report to your exit compartment” commanded Vaughn over the ship intercom.

The Construction crew’s exit compartment was a gigantic area filled with heavy machinery, build materiel and all other industrial necessities. The crew were managed by Jack Collins, a man who had years of building experience. “Frank, you and your team are in charge of tree clearance, go prep your tree-dozers. Johnnie, you’re in charge of sleeping quarter construction; gather your team and move. Myp i-#.+p5,l start construction on the HQ” ordered Jack. And so began the first construction on Eve.

Day 5:

A young woman named Annie Field walked into Commander McMullan’s quarters and reported: “Sir, we received word from Jack Olsen. Camp1 is completed and ready for population. There is also a call from Doctor Franz in the coms room”. “Thank you miss Field. Please order Bill Vaughn to go ahead with inhabiting Camp1” replied Joe. “Right away sir” exclaimed Annie. Joe made his way to the coms room, where a video call from Franz Olzen awaited. The pale looking doctor did not bother greeting, instead he spoke in a rushed and concerned tone. “Ah Commander, I’m afraid that I have bad news. One of our probes was lost two hours ago, it transmitted this message minutes before it was incinerated: Man is least himself when he talks in his own person. Give him a mask, and he will tell you the truth. Can you make sense of this?

Seconds after reading the words Joe scrambled out of the room and yelled “Yes Doctor, perfect sense!” He ran straight towards the scout room and bowled an order at Mark Abrahams, a twenty five year old drone operator. “Abrahams, activate the heat signature drone”, Abrahams responded without question “Aye Sir, one moment… okay Drone’s up” ‘Good, now scan the area directly opposite the ship water supply” Said Joe.

Suddenly the drone screen flashed a warning and locked onto two approaching objects. “Sir, two invisible objects approaching at speed from the North” yelled Abrahams. “Shoot them down, shoot them down” Shouted the Commander. Mark responded in an instant and fired two heat seekers at the objects. The targets exploded into a blue cloud as the drone missiles struck.  “Water hunters, useless unless you give them the mask of invisibility. It’s then when they tell you the truth of their destructive nature” exclaimed Joe. “Never hear of them sir, what are they?” asked Mark. “They are tiny missiles designed for one purpose: To poison their enemy’s water supply without them ever knowing…”

“Sir, four ground targets spotted; I’m restoring normal optics” interrupted Abrahams. What they saw left them speechless. A couple of men wearing brown army clothing and gasmasks were carrying two other men dressed in the same apparel. “Is there supposed to be another exploration group on this planet?” Questioned the confused Drone operator. “Absolutely not” Exclaimed Joe McMullan, he continued; “send a team to pick them up, I’ll be waiting in the interrogation room.

 End of Part 1

Had to write a short story (between 600 - 900 words) in which two unusual or eccentric characters meet for the first time.

Crusade for the Caribbean

The meeting

January 1^st 1701, Northern Caribbean. On-board outlaw Pirate ship; ‘The Dark Mist’.  “Avast, ye blotto bunch of sea beggars!  Hoist the sails yah lazy cockroaches or I’ll be bound to toss ye Duffels down to ‘Davey Jones locker”.  The Pirate Captain was a staggering sight, built like a cannon, strong and muscular. He had an old scar, partially obscured by his dark brown beard, linearly engraved on his left cheek. Enclosing his shoulder length hair was a huge hat with a long black feather and strapped around his waist was rather worn pistol and an impressive sword with a golden handle. He darted to and fro, boldly bawling orders at his obeying crew. 

Meanwhile on-board Royal navy vessel ‘HMS St Andrew’. “Captain Hector Bellamy seems a rather unusual Pirate to say the least”, declared an elderly gentleman sitting in the corner of the dimly lit Skippers quarters.  He was known as Harris Hemmingway, a chubby red faced entrepreneur with a flamboyant cockney accent. “Can the lad be trusted James?”  A tall, well-built man moved gracefully from the window at the back of the room where he stood smoking a black pipe.  His skinny hand floated steadily upwards as he took the bowl of the pipe, hoards of white smoke blew from his mouth and pointy nostrils. His steady blue eyes met the dark brown eyes of Harris. Captain James Field spoke for the first time, “He can be trusted…you will be convinced when you finally meet him”.

The bright beam of the lengthy hot day began to fade hastily as the drowsy sun sank lazily over the horizon, the blue skies were clear the seas were calm. “Norton, get up here!” the languid deck erupted into a sudden shock as the pirate Captain summoned his first mate.  An average sized man with short brown hair, bristly beard, wild eyebrows and a black eye patch slumped up the rickety stairs from the deck to the bridge.  “Aye Captain” Norton exclaimed. “You and this ‘fine crew’ will sober up, shave and wash. Tomorrow we be in royal company. I refuse to entertain any complaints, that’ll be all”, said Hector. “Aye Sir” was Norton’s disheartened reply. “Wait” said the Captain, once again speaking to Norton; “Do tell them to purge themselves of those gaudy outfits. Norton nodded nonchalantly, masking his hindrances skilfully.  The remainder of the dull evening succumbed gradually with no outstanding acts. 

Dawn broke with a flare of fiery sunbeams penetrating the dark skies; it was a warm partly cloudy morning with a slight chilly breeze. The meeting would take place on the shores of what is now modern day Jamaica. The ambiance aboard ‘The Dark Mist’ was palpable. Who would have thought that men loyal to the crown would conspire with pirates, in a request to overthrow the British in the Caribbean?  Captain Hector allotted notice to various speculations; yet he could not fathom the motive behind the sudden request.  “I shall order all deckhands be combat ready, we cannot afford to be off guard” He mumbled solemnly.

HMS St Andrew is a 96-gun first-rate ship, born and bred to be a proud member of the Royal Navy.  The vessel looked a magnificent sight as it gracefully sailed to convene with the Pirates. “Ship to Starboard sir!” yelled a young man who continuously scoured the horizon from crow's nest above. “Drop anchor and sails lads” ordered Captain James. “I say…marvellous, marvellous. I shall hastily burden myself with the demand to prepare tea!” exclaimed Harris, in quite the peculiar conduct.

The Pirates where unawed at the sight of the gigantic British ship for their vessel was the undenied superior. Captain Hector remained suspicious of the British and instructed that all cannons be ready for combat. He summoned Norton to one side and instructed him; “One wrong move, and you see them to Davey Jones”. Norton smile broadly revealing the plethora of mostly gold teeth he possessed. “Aye aye Captain” he hollered. Hector gave him a sturdy pat on the back and instructed that he bring the boarding vessel.  

An hour went by then another. Finally, at precisely 8am Captain Hector Bellamy boarded the ‘HMS St Andrew’. He boasted his finest attires of blue, brown and white cotton pants and shirt with dark brown Pirates boots.

 “You must be Captain Hector” exclaimed Harris who had rushed with staggering haste, considering his demeanour, to meet the Captain.   “Indeed I am, you must be…” he was cut short by the old man whom could not control his joy. Yes yes, “Harris Hemingway at your service. Come now, we have plenty to discuss”.

Down they went to the Captains quarters.

End of part 1.