Hello everyone. This might be my last journal as Neolatios because I am going to create a new one. Don't worry, I won't get rid of this one until I have switched everything over and added those friends I want to keep. I truly enjoyed being a Latios but I have matured as a fursona and so I want to reflect that for all of you. Love you all and see you soon as my new self <3

Well, it has been some time since I've done one of these lol. I'm still around, even though I don't get on here too much. I hope everyone is doing well.

“Highly sensitive people are too often perceived as weaklings or damaged goods. To feel intensely is not a symptom of weakness, it is the trademark of the truly alive and compassionate. It is not the empath who is broken, it is society that has become dysfunctional and emotionally disabled. There is no shame in expressing your authentic feelings. Those who are at times described as being a 'hot mess' or having 'too many issues' are the very fabric of what keeps the dream alive for a more caring, humane world. Never be ashamed to let your tears shine a light in this world.”
― Anthon St. Maarten

I don't know how many believe in Empaths, but I am one and this hits hard for me. For a long time I had to learn to differentiate between my own feelings and others and growing up, that was not an easy task. I did learn, however, and I actually utilize it to specific needs in my life like writing.

I learned never to empty the well of my writing, but always to stop when there was still something there in the deep part of the well, and let it refill at night from the springs that fed it. - Ernest Hemingway

Yes, it is back; the Quote of the Day. This is a great quote for me because I'm the kind of writer who only writes when I'm in the mood and I write 'by the seat of my pants' as the saying goes. I like it this way because I never get bored of my writing and I never know what will happen next with my writing because I haven't thought of it. Downside to this is that I can never do commissions because I don't know if I will actually be incline to do a story based on someone's idea or not. I think that is why I used to love to RP a lot because I didn't have to think about it, I could just imagine myself as the character and go with it and it would always be interesting to me because I never knew where it would lead.

Well, it has been ages since I've been around and I do apologize for that. I've been slowly plugging away at my book and ever since my sisters died last year, I just really have never felt like getting back on. I hope I haven't been forgotten lol but I am hoping to be more active.

It has been a long time since I have been around and for that I am truly sorry. A lot has happened since I have been away; I have had family members pass away and my laptop stopped working right (I am on my ps4). On amore cheerful note, I am almost done with my first book but for the moment am taking a break (which is to say I need to get a new laptop first) but hope to have it finished in time for winter holidays.

It is possible and very common to overcome and manage a mental illness. - Madchen Amick

To me, this is very true because I do it every day. I'm not saying everyone can do it of course; I know those who use it as an excuse to manipulate and do as little as possible through life. Mental illness, just like most things, isn't 'black and white' and comes in different degrees and while some of those must be dealt with professionally, most I see can be handled with the right frame of mind and learning techniques. I truly pity those who aren't willing to try to understand what is really wrong with them and instead they will lie and run away from their problems; usually throwing someone under the bus in the prosses. Don't allow people like that to use you for their selfish desires and don't allow them to make you feel so sorry for them that you are willing to bail them out because it doesn't help you and it allows them to continue their mental immaturity. Try to get them the help they need but if they refuse to get that help, you need to decide to let them crash and burn on their own because sometimes the only way for someone to finally grow up is to let them see what the world is truly like on their own.

I don't think of myself as a role model for others, but I like to live my life by my own integrity. So, in that sense, I might be a positive influence. I do believe you should get over your insecurities and just try to be the best you can. - Lily Cole

People who fail to use their emotional intelligence skills are more likely to turn to other, less effective means of managing their mood. They are twice as likely to experience anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and even thoughts of suicide.
- Travis Bradberry

Love the giver more than the gift. - Brigham Young

I saw this quote and it reminded me how lucky I am to have been given such a gift of art considering my sight. Every time I do anything, I always give thanks for allowing me to show the true miracles that can be given and I am always humbled when I finish because I always am amazed at the finished project because by all rights I should not be able to do anything close to what I do.

I know that some people shy away from what I say. They think it is too blunt, but when you don't give people that, they feel like you are being fake and you're not telling the truth. So it's like, you want me to tell the truth, but when I do, it's too much for you. - Missy Elliott

I pride myself on being as straightforward as I can be with people because when I'm not then I start to feel guilty and eventually I have to tell the truth about who I am. A lot of people tend to not like this side of me because they themselves can't handle the truth if I speak about them but I am okay with that because, in my experiences, that just shows how dishonest they are with themselves. I think that is one reason why I shy away from critiquing people, especially online because most of the time people just want to have their egos stroked and don't care about hearing how they could make themselves better. Even when I used to RP I would hold myself to a certain amount of truthfulness because if I didn't, I would only be subjecting myself to guilt and it would lead to me telling the truth of myself.

Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind. To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom and the guidance of virtue.

Buddha

To run away from trouble is a form of cowardice and, while it is true that the suicide braves death, he does it not for some noble object but to escape some ill. - Aristotle

I write this because my Nephew once again tried (and failed) committing suicide. I do not tolerate this because while I understand life has a way of throwing us curve balls, there is always going to be someone who's life is a thousand times worse then what you think yours is. I have tried helping him over the years but I finally quit because his mental immaturity was too stressful for me and my fiancee and was putting a strain on our own relationship. My dad (and I use that word very loosely) committed suicide after taking the money he and mom (again, used loosely) saved up and moved out. After that I vowed to help those that needed it but with my Nephew I have found out that you can only help those who wish to help themselves and that sooner or later you have to allow them to live their lives no matter what that might end up being because everyone has their own path to walk and it might sound cruel but some peoples' paths are a dead end.

Never be afraid of the storms that come in life; walk through them with your head held high. Let every lightning strike remind you of your inner power and every raindrop remind you that a rainbow will be waiting for you when all is said and done. - Me

I normally don't allow myself to get self-centered in my posts but when I have to deal with people who intelligent yet do the dumbest things then I just have to vent a bit. I'm not trying to brag when I say I have borderline genius intelligence; I'm saying this because it's hard for me to understand how someone else with above average intelligence can be so stupid. I'm not saying I don't do those but I DO learn from those experiences and learn to correct them or understand that they are not important to worry about. I do apologize for venting like this but sometimes it helps to just write things out.

Here's a question for everyone (just for curiosities sake). What do you think makes a great writer? When you read do you expect to see an expansive vocabulary or do you like it simple? What do you expect when reading about characters?

For me, I have to be an emotional writer and let that reflect in my work; when you read my characters you can feel their experiences as if they were your own. It took me a long time to learn how to do this and sometimes that makes me critical of others if I don't feel that in their work but I think that has made me a great writer because I expect so much. I did the same with my art because I believe you can either do it or you can't; there are basic things in any kind of art that you can't learn and if you can't do them then you can't be a true artist in my eyes. Of course that is my personal (and professional) opinion.

Good writing is supposed to evoke sensation in the reader - not the fact that it is raining, but the feeling of being rained upon. - E. L. Doctorow