runestone is a great artist, I have looots of example in my gallery! Further information can be found here :) http://www.furaffinity.net/controls/journal/

I'm not linking to it or anything I just want to put out there that while PETA is the butt of many a joke, they are legitimately dangerous and have known terrorists on their tax-free payroll. I can't begin to say how much it disgusts me, but not much can be done about it at this point.

https://youtu.be/OoVW_NtCtBo

Is completely unphased XD I love how he just calmly answers the phone like it's just another Tuesday...it probably is for him.

Got pulled over on my way home from work last night. The sumbitch tried to say I was going a lot faster than I actually was (note: DO NOT ARGUE with the officer if they say something like that) I politely said "Sir, I was speeding but I wasn't going quite that fast." he did admit that he "clocked" me when I was just coming off the highway. So I'm going to appear and ask for the officer's logs from his equipment read outs. This is my first offense, so if I can't get it dismissed outright I'll see about doing defensive driving.

Okay so I took a delivery earlier tonight and I got there and was tipped with a winning lottery ticket (the scratch off type) worth $10. Yes, it was legit XD Whether or not a delivery driver is a "glamorous" job may vary from person to person, but it is one of the more interesting ones I've had!

So yeah this is a new one and concerning for me. Also extremely frustrating. To get right to it, there was an employee at the work place who did not like working there, made it no secret, and did whatever he could to avoid work...and he'd been there for about 2 years by the time I got hired on. He was finally fired a couple of weeks ago. However this guy is...off. Everyone's noticed it.

Despite hating the place (by his own admission), he attempted to come in to work the next day but was told to leave. And since then, he's been seen pulling into the parking lot, driving by and around the store and then leaving or pulling into a parking space and just sitting there for a few minutes. He doesn't get out or anything, he just sits there and then he leaves. Everyone has noticed it and the other night, I saw his car sitting in a parking space in front of the store.

I mentioned what I saw to the other employees and they said "Yeah, he's been doing that." with some mentioning that it was really starting to freak them out. Of course obvious step is obvious, I called the cops. I gave them a description of the fucker's car, the make, etc. (no license plate # because I didn't know it) and the fucker's name. They said they'd keep an eye out but there wasn't a lot they could do. Fuck the police.

Anyways, so...there's that. Kinda waiting around to see if something happens. I have an LTC, so at least that's something. But does anyone (in the U.S.) know of any other steps I can take before an incident might happen because of a failure by the police?

My prolapsed anus of a little brother received a final warning on his car. He had until the 17th of this month to make a large payment, or else his car would be repossessed. I'll spare y'all the suspense, he did not make the payment. With this, he is taking his twin brother in the hole with him since he was kind enough to cosign the loan for him. He doesn't care, of course. I bought some food and groceries for myself a couple of days ago, some of which he helped himself too without asking. So I told him that I was going to start putting peanut dust or oil on/in everything I eat or drink. He got pissy, or tried to, but I shut that shit right down.

The time for being nice, polite, etc. is over. I'm not keeping it a secret from him that he's effectively dead to me. On a lighter note, I'm budgeting for a trip to the zoo to give my other brother and his wife a break from things. Our parents may come as well. I will not allow Josh to join us. I won't make the planned trip a secret either to spare his feelings. I'm also not engaging in any unnecessary family functions if he's present. Not getting him things for anymore holidays, Christmas, whatever.

It's also become necessary that I might have to put some distance between myself and our parents. Despite saying several times that they would stop enabling his behavior, they have not. They've even pretty much said they won't because what they'd have to do is too uncomfortable for them (kicking him out, knowing he'll be homeless, etc.). Meanwhile he's hurting their other son in ways that could fuck him and his wife over for things that aren't there fault. And if they're not very careful, Josh will bring them down with him.

I will do things to him. Horrible things, over an extended period of time.

For those of you missing the reference, I mean Murphy as in "Murphy's Law". Anything that can go wrong will go wrong. Good news is that I had been expecting this to happen and have saved up for it and budgeted...buuuut it still comes at an unpleasant and inopportune time. Best laid plans and such...

This thought comes to me frequently, especially lately as Halloween begins to draw near (well...they've started putting candy and decorations out anyways). There are a number of horror movies, particularly haunted house type movies, that claim to be based on real events/true stories. Obviously individual religious, spiritual, etc. beliefs will vary, but there are a number of famous horror stories holding that claim that have been disputed...usually with facts that indicate that, at best, the story was an attempted (and sometimes successful) cash grab and, at worst, was a con attempt.

For a couple of examples, the Amityville Horror was written by a couple who claimed to experience paranormal activity and hauntings after buying and moving into a house where the previous owner had murdered his entire family (actually did happen). The couple claimed they were forced to leave after a number of strange and sometimes violent incidents occurred during their residence, however just about every claim they made in the book and movie has been proven false thanks to public records and such.

Two other examples would be the incidents cited in the Conjuring movies (funny enough, the same paranormal investigators, the Warrens, also investigated the Amityville house). Something I thought was particularly funny was in the second Conjuring movie, a critic says "They've never been inside a house they didn't believe was haunted!" which is a pretty accurate summary of their career. The events of the second Conjuring movie (The Enfield Haunting), was a particularly infamous incident where the "victim" was found to be committing fraud, if I remember right. The Warrens themselves assert that everything they've experienced is 100% real, no matter how fantastic the claim (one of their last memoirs/books was about how they exorcised a Werewolf Ghost...yes really. And I want that to be the subject of the third Conjuring movie).

Getting to the point: Do any of you think there's a level of harm being done in enjoying these kinds of books, movies, documentaries, etc.? Even when the stories are proven untrue, if the people making the claims are trying to sell a story to make money, do you think there's any harm done in selling a scary story? What about if, maybe, the person/people who experienced it really believe it happened but there are much more mundane explanations?

Do not write insulting shit in a notebook about your bosses and coworkers...and LEAVE IT IN THE MANAGERS' OFFICE. I didn't do this, but the dumb mother fucker who did...well if one of the managers can get caught drinking alcohol on the job and still have a job, I'm sure this guy's employment won't be terminated. But the entire god damn store hates him. He felt the tension so bad that last night he actually did his fucking job XD

Since this past Christmas and especially following my grandma's passing, I've been quickly accumulating a large collection/library of books. And something awesome has occurred to me about building a personal library: if you go to a good second-hand store/used book store and thumb through some used books that interest you (especially hardcover), you can get and give GOOD quality used books for CHEAP. Unlike movies, video games, etc. where you can't really be sure until you try it out, books can't really lie to you.

Which is worse, someone who acts maliciously? Or someone who is incompetent/stupid? Honestly, I think the latter is worse. At least with someone who's malicious, there's clear intent and you can deal with them a bit more...directly. Stupidity/incompetence? Well...that usually requires a more gentle approach.

I encountered a level of stupid today that I can only describe as "fucking retarded", literally. I mean despite how insulting that is to people who suffer mental disability, that's the only explanation that could justify the level of stupidity I witnessed. It is...incomprehensible to me. My immediate thought when I realized what I had just discovered was "You stupid fucking cunt! I will throat punch you until you stop fucking breathing, and when my date of execution comes I will put the fucking needle in myself!"

I'm starting to thing alcoholics and other addicts may have a point...

So...yeah fun stuff, there's probably about to be a sexual harassment incident at the workplace. I also really don't have any respect for the GM already because...okay well, there's being "laid back" and then there's being a limp dick who won't handle issues when they come up that affect the work place. He's been made aware of thefts that are occurring, he knows about the sexual harassment going on by one of the managers towards an underage high school girl (yeah), and other problems that he's too chicken shit to do anything about. The good news is there's a lot that can be done about the offending manager (among other things, he's a military reservist).

A note to all of you out there who are young and inexperienced: I've been trying to find jobs and workplaces where this kind of bullshit doesn't happen. There are none. So buckle up and get ready for fights.

On another issue, I am having to save up for a new bed because when you sleep on a couch for a few nights straight, then sleep in your own bed and continue to suffer debilitating back pain that you got a break from WHILE SLEEPING ON A FUCKING COUCH, it's time for a new fucking bed. Well...I should say fucking bed, as there is no fucking occurring, but I think y'all get what I mean.

On a cooler subject, my grandpa has still been in need of money as legal and medical expenses continue to present themselves. I've been able to help him out along with my parents. He was grateful enough to sell me my grandma's Walther PPK. So that's really awesome.

I tried to have a talk with my parents concerning Josh because he's refusing to make payments on the car that he conned Nick into cosigning for (not can't, but refuses). My dad effectively shut down the conversation and said that he won't do anything about Josh...because it puts him in an uncomfortable position. Pretty much he's unwilling to kick Josh out and risk him being homeless...the cocksucker spent years lecturing all three of us how that's exactly what would happen if it became necessary. He lectured us, often times aggressively, about responsibility. All of that was horse shit.

Nick has decided to file for bankruptcy because that's really the only option he has. I'm writing a letter to Josh effectively disowning him. I'm done with him.

Yeah...my brother's probably going to jail sooner or later. I just learned he owes the IRS money aaaand he's been getting notices from them, he is aware of his debt, and he's ignoring them. His latest stunt is also trying to get on disability, which pisses me off beyond belief.

Things are already interesting. I have to go see the GM on Tuesday to investigate a discrepancy in my payout and tips because it appears that not only was my mileage not calculated, but the manager at that time also took a courtesy charge (they cancelled the payment on an order a customer wasn't happy with and gave it for free) out of my earnings which they aren't supposed to do. Thing is, I was warned on my first day that this guy was known to do that stuff. So I double checked my math and brought it up when I came in for my shift. Even more interesting? The guy who's known to be doing this is a reservist in the military. So he wants to fuck with my money, I'll definitely oblige and use that to fuck with situation too. If I can't use that, I'll find another way no prob.

Alright, so a couple of weeks ago I went to my brother's wedding (for clarification, he and his wife were already married in a small ceremony in December but wanted to have a large wedding for all family and friends). My other sibling, Josh (whom I have discussed at length before) was...being himself. He did nothing but talk shit about the bride and groom when out of earshot, and he's really just continuing being himself...which is to say he's a cunt. I didn't make this journal to bitch and moan though, because that doesn't solve the problem.

What does solve the problem is I am making and executing plans to remove myself from the situation. I have already told family and friends that I no longer want a relationship with Josh, as far as I'm concerned he is not my brother. He will not be welcome in my home, I will not help him in any way when he gets himself into trouble, whether it be another nasty divorce, financial trouble, or any kind of legal trouble. He has lied, cheated, and stolen from me, our brother, our parents, and others his whole life. So with that said, I'm going to be working on establishing a place of residence independently and other things. I have had to redirect my educational efforts on other things (rather than working on a college degree, I'm going to focus my efforts elsewhere to make money).

So I may not be as active on here, but I have no intention of leaving. I need to budget my money very carefully and get on my feet because my situation, for some time, has been unhealthy. I'm not asking for help or assistance, since as long as I act responsibly this should be pretty doable. As it stands though, my brother is going to go down hard, my parents are setting themselves up to take a huge hit and I can't go down with all of them.

I also wanted to make this journal to say to everyone who reads it that is a close family member is a toxic person, you have no obligation to maintain a relationship with that person, no matter what anyone says. If someone is abusive to you in any way, has stolen from you without remorse, has lied to you without remorse, constantly repeats destructive patterns of behavior, and shows no signs of change, you owe it to yourself to do whatever you need to do.

Well as life is wont to do, it has created difficulties for  ldoll and she needs a little help. She's selling adoptables, OCs, and YCHs to cover the cost of getting her car fixed. If you're able to spare a few bucks, please drop by and check out her stuff! Details for the repair work and what she's selling can be found here: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/8764667/

Thank you all for your time!

I'd say it's fairly routine that I get to thinking about monsters and stuff. From folklore, movies, video games, books, you name it. But I think the funnest monsters are those from mythology and folklore, because a lot of times they were used to explain certain real life things. The Will o' the Wisp, for example, while not always malicious is an interesting example. Leading traveller's in the forest or swamp astray and to their deaths, or it did the opposite and guided those who were lost to safety. Of course a couple of my favorites comes directly from Native American folklore, one being Navajo. They are the Skinwalkers (Navajo) and the Wendigo.

Any such monsters and creatures that stick out in your minds? I'd love to maybe hear about some that I'm unfamiliar with.

I just watched an editorial about the reaction to the new Thundercats series that's being produced. Fan reactions to it have been largely negative, if you watched and enjoyed the original series and/or the 2011 reboot, and then see the preview for this new series you'll understand why. Hell, Thundercats was how a lot of people I know on here got into the Furry Fandom. But this video I just watched discussing the negative reaction and such was a very negative discussion about peoples' reaction(s) to the preview, which he summed up in the description box underneath it by saying some people need to grow the hell up or get a life or most likely both. I've been coming to a point where I'm taking issue with that train of thought. In a big way.

Even when someone adapts or reboots a property in a different style than the original that's objectively good, that does not guarantee success. Because, whether you like it or not, the people who grew up with the original will still have an impact on how it's received. You know, for that matter, why hasn't Speed Racer ever been redubbed? I know there's been at least one other Speed Racer series and that movie, but I'm talking redubbing the original. What about the original Voltron? And yes, that new Voltron series on Netflix kicks ass but the original, in all its camp, still has a firm grip.

When I got into all of those series, Speed Racer, Thundercats, Voltron, and others I must have been 9 or 10 years old. I watched those shows on Cartoon Network, during their original Toonami block. The one where Moltar from Space Ghost was the host, not Tom. I had transferred schools, finishing 3rd grade at one school and starting 4th at another school. It was an advanced magnet school. A lot of my classmates at my old school were very familiar, I'd known several of them since Kindergarten. It was my choice to transfer, but it was an almost surreal experience. You don't ever think about the new smells that you're going to experience, but the new school's cafeteria had an interesting smell even though they had the same kind of food my previous school had.

I started having my first encounters with bullies in school. I was also on a new medication (new for me, anyways) because my teachers thought I had ADD or something. I always had trouble with focusing on schoolwork and would daydream and all of that. Back then, ADD was the hot new mental illness, before Asperger's/ASD, and depression. The medication gave me really bad headaches. So I'd make it through school, go home, eat a snack, and watch all those shows and others on Toonami, some stuff on Nickelodeon. Didn't have to listen to people drone on anymore or read passages in textbooks, oh yeah and I can't remember being able to do much of anything at all during those few days when a neighbor on my street went all psycho on his girlfriend and her kids and became a fugitive before it was revealed he had a record of child molestation and had been molesting his girlfriend's daughter...yeah cartoons were great during that time!

Those shows were fun, but my big one? Dragon Ball Z! Gundam Wing was awesome too, and I even watched Sailor Moon (admittedly being able to watch that series while going through puberty was a lot of fun). As things do around that age, though, my world started to change. I noticed things about friends and family that I couldn't forget. My world was getting bigger than what I was ready for, so I clung to those anime and cartoons and other shows to hold onto that one piece that was still there.

Nostalgia is a remarkably bittersweet thing. I have watched interviews with voice actors who were in those shows and anime that I'd watch, like Dragon Ball Z, and one thing they frequently talk about is how every convention, they will have fans who come up to them and tell them how much an anime or whatever they did a voice in helped them through something like their parents' divorce, a loved one fighting cancer, them going through their own recoveries, etc. One that stood out to me was Steve Blum talked about how a big guy who was a lot older than the usual age range of his fans came up to him, covered in tattoos, and told him about his autistic son who was almost non-functional, and how they noticed he took to his character in Digimon Tamers, so they would all watch it together and over time they'd talk more and his son opened up more and improved greatly.

Not everyone's story is that dramatic, obviously. Dragon Ball Z had changed dubbing studios in 1999-2000 some time, and that took some getting used to, but that was the time I started noticing problems in my own home. I started noticing things like how my little brother might be a real, unbelievably selfish piece of shit who would NEVER get in trouble without taking you with him (spoiler alert, if you read some of my previous journals, he's 26 now and a piece of shit). Even more so, I was coming to realize that my dad was VERY unhappy with his life, mostly because of financial stress. I was 13-14 and still wasn't doing well in school so there were a lot of times where I was an outlet that would stop short of him getting physical with me because I was 13-14 and my brothers were 9-10 years old at that time. And I was observant enough to be able to tell it wasn't actually me he disliked so much and thought of so negatively, but that didn't help.

I'm kind of dancing around what I really want to get to here, which is why these shows are so important to older people who some would think shouldn't give a shit anymore, and why when a remake/reboot is slated to be made and it looks little to nothing like the original, the response is usually negative.

Nostalgia is a double-edged sword. It might be different for many of you, but when I watch a T.V. series, a movie, listen to a song, or whatever from back in the day and no matter how dated it may be, it takes me back and I remember friends whose names or faces I can't recall, the way the breeze felt on a particular day, feeling and emotions I experienced...and the most important thing I experience, and this is really hard on an emotional level to really express, but the person we were when we first watched those movies, those shows, listened to those songs...that person does not exist anymore, or if they do then there are usually only traces left. You have friends and family who are not in your life anymore, maybe because they've passed away. Pets, toys, clothes, blankets, sheets, any manner of things that brought you comfort are gone and even if they aren't, they are not the same either.

Even the series and movies that I have on DVD/Blu Ray/whatever can't ever be the same that I experienced when I was a kid. I've learned between episodes of Dragon Ball Z, whatever Gundam series was showing, and whatever other shows that came on weekday afternoons that my brother would steal and break my toys and other belongings and when I got mad and raised hell, he'd make sure I got in as much if not more trouble than him, especially because I was older and should know better and should set an example for my little brothers. I learned that when my dad doesn't have control of a situation and he doesn't know how to handle something, he will say cruel things and take it out on whoever happens to stumble across the trip wire. I learned that you will have stuff going on with you that you don't know how to describe, explain, or ask for help and nobody else will be able to do that either.

Those are all hard and difficult lessons I learned mostly from age 9 through age 15. I can't go back to how I was before those lessons and even just one or two of those lessons, that happened within a span of months, weeks, or even days, changed me into a completely different person, not always for the better, than the person I was before that lesson. Nostalgia gives me a brief, bittersweet glimpse at that person who I was and it lets me enjoy something, even the littlest thing, that I had through the best times and the worst times.

Art is not created or experienced in a vacuum. Context means everything. When you hear or see someone complain about the direction an adaption of something they enjoyed at a younger age is, the problem might not be that they need to "get a life" or "grow the hell up". The problem might actually be kind of the opposite. They were at a point where they had to grow up and they weren't just little kids anymore. Maybe they still have trouble accepting that, but for some people those actors in those anime, T.V. series, and movies were there for them more consistently than parents, other family, friends, whatever. Don't be hateful towards people who don't like what they see in a remake. And, on the flipside, if you don't like what you see in a remake you are free to complain about it and criticize it, but don't be hateful and don't threaten people over it. Life sucks enough as it is.

The video that discussed the Thundercats reboot also got me thinking about nostalgia, which made me think of this clip from the T.V. series "Mad Men". I haven't seen this series yet so I can't really say there are spoilers, but you can read the context.

https://youtu.be/DHUUyx0d7qw

The more I play this game (and I am not far into it at all), the more I notice some flaws and even possible bugs in the game play. The kicker? Those flaws actually maybe make the game better than if it was smoothed over better. This game is one that I wouldn't call a "horror" game, but a "terror" game. The only thing that's worse than knowing the xenomorph is prowling around and you're able to hear it and such is when you can't hear or see it and you don't know when or if it'll strike. Last night, I played the game for about an hour. Most of my time was spent hiding.

This game is fucking terrifying XD

Or at least, why do I (and others) like them so much? I've come to realize that a lot of my stories take place in post-apocalyptic settings. I was just thinking on some ideas and realized they would also occur in a setting where society as we know it has collapsed. So I got to wondering why. I'm sure the reasons vary between people, but one that occurred to me is that you can have characters with familiar backgrounds or familiar settings, but rewrite rules, laws, etc. as you go or even have them breakdown depending on how far into or after the collapse things are.

Just a random thought that I found neat. What about you folks? Any different reasons y'all can think of?

And this is an interesting one to me because I'm not sure there's really an answer, or at least no right answer. The question: To what extent do people have the right to be wrong?

Or something like that, it's gone through some title changes I think. This movie was based on the real life account of the "Horse Soldiers", members of an Army Special Force ODA (Operational Detachment Alpha) immediately following the terrorist attacks of 9/11. I finally saw this movie and thought it was pretty decent once it got going. My biggest gripe with it is the absolute horse shit (pun 100% intended) family drama. I seriously fucking hate when these movies try to play up the whole "family's upset because I gotta go to war" thing. I understand it's a reality for some people, but I don't appreciate the kind of cringey shit it brings to the movies.

All in all, it's a pretty serviceable movie, definitely worth a watch. My expectations of it were met well enough, which was...well, I think in the hands of a more ambitious production team (director, writer, etc.) this movie could have been another Lawrence of Arabia. Sweeping shots of landscapes, outsiders getting a very intimate look at another culture in a strange land during a time of war and seeing first hand the ugly hardships they have to face, an intermission, the works. They don't really make movies like that anymore. That really makes me sad because I think those would be great experiences with today's technology.