"You are the Dead"
The Protomen, Act I: VI: Sons of Fate
"[...]a hero is just a man, who knows he's free."
The Protoment, Act I: VI: Sons of Fate
...
...
What is a person who does not choose to be free, like he know he is? The answer is simple, and well put by one of my favourite bands of all time. The man is dead. Not physically, mind you. But he is as good as dead. He will mill about in his life, never knowing what is out there if he just tries to break out of the box that society has put him in.
...
"We are the Dead" is still one of the most disturbing, and effective commentaries that any band has ever made on humanity, and how they flock together like sheep. No, not like sheep, like Zombies. They try to find 'heroes' amongst their ranks, because they are too afraid to fight their own battles. And when the hero falls, falters, or some other short coming, the dead weep and moan loudly, while not daring to step out of line, for fear of upsetting something that doesn't exist.
...
Now, in the albums that I am talking about, there was a real threat in that world. An oppressive dictator who was always watching like big brother and used storm trooper like robots to carry out his will. But, in this world, there is no such thing. The only thing the dead of this world fear is being branded as an outcast and living in a social exile. I find this fear, disruptive to being an actual person, instead of another number, another zombie, another sheep, following mindlessly trying to be exactly like the one before least they upset the herd.
...
I once thought that was the way it was meant to be, a long time ago. Everyone just conforming to what was natural. Yet as soon as I was in 5th grade, I realized that I couldn't just blindly conform or follow someone's limits, because they claimed they existed. I wasn't ready to give up on something fun that I had, because they said it was part of growing up.
...
And, thus, I was exiled out into the cold social wasteland of the uncool for middle school. When I entered High school on the other hand. I realized something. I didn't care for what they said was cool, or uncool, or even what was. I decided what I was going to be, and not let any other social pressure tell me otherwise. I was loud, obnoxious, and I was one of the very few furries at my high school, there were others, but still. I stood up to anyone who said I couldn't be that while trying to be something else as well, and I told them off for trying to lecture me about it.
...
It got me a following of people who envied me enough to try to be near me, and like me. True, this also got me a fair amount of enemies, but I can say that it was unavoidable. I played by who I was, and what I felt is right. And to this day those concepts still guide me.
...
Yet, as I looked over this group of people who knew me, and considered me their friend, I realized one thing. I didn't know more then 20 of them by name. Yet, they say I am their friend. They weren't there because they liked me, or even have similar interests, but they were trying to be popular, like me. And again, I saw the correlation to how the dead would follow blindly the hero, the innovator or the tyrant, and it bothered me.
...
To this day, I try to live down that popularity in high school. Just to try to get people to stop blindly agreeing with anyone, but to think for themselves.
...
The more and more we follow like the sheep we were taught to be, the more and more we lose ourselves and the potential on what to be. Remember this: "I am not a number, I am a free man!" This statement also resounds true to this main concept. The character that dared speak out like this was constantly referred to as #6, in a village of burnt spies that were too risky to let loose. He was often offered to be released if he just let them know why he left, to see if he has been bought off by some other organization. Throughout the series (Which, saddly I cannot say I have seen all the way through) he continually tries to escape, and run, and is thrawted at every turn. But he never gave in, nor did he lose his identity as a free man to the number they assigned him.
...
People, I have a challenge for you. One day, at any given time you feel is important enough to do so, yell at the top of your lungs in a public place. "I AM A FREE MAN, AND I WILL DO WHAT I FEEL IS RIGHT!" And then, from that moment on, do so. Never yield to anyone else, least you feel it is for the good of mankind. Always travel the long and windy road towards victory. Light up the night!
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...
...
Kamden G. Blackstone
Free Tiger, Mormon, Creative
Propoganda
Arm yourself, my dear brothers and sisters. Join the ranks of the L.I.G.H.T. Brigade. Join the Protomen, and be dead no more!
http://www.protomen.com/listen.html
The Prisoner, #6, a brilliant beacon of self knowing, and never faltering as the village tried to take his identity away.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Prisoner
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Monday, January 3, 2011
A Furry Fandom Revival
*ATTENTION READER*
This post deals wit the subjects of pornography in fandoms of any such. If you want to read my official stance on porn, please scroll down to the 20th paragraph, or the last paragraph before my standard ending lines. It will save you a lot of questions here.
This is a post directed at all my fans of anthropomorphic animal cartoons. Yes, that is correct my furry brothers and sisters, I am talking to you.
...
However, to those who are not part of this unique part of nerddom, I can only offer you a very rough, and very vague translation of what a furry is.
...
A furry is at the core of it all, is just a person who likes Anthropomorphic (human characteristic) animals. Often times, they create a persona of themselves using a anthropomorphic character. I, myself, prefer to persona myself as Kamden G. Blackstone, a nerdy tiger with a a knack for the mystic arts, armed combat, a big heart, and a bit of a weight problem (Well, no one is perfect), it is a wonderful way of expressing one's own self image and creativity. That being said, it is a highly creative outlet, many people add more to this simple core idea. There in begins a bit of the problem. But, for now, if you want more information on the definition, please check my reference section.
...
Today, I learned something rather interesting. I'm talking about the Golden Age of the Furry Fandom.
...
At first, I thought that this thing, the supposed "Golden Age" was a bunch of crap. Honestly, I thought it was a joke my fellow reader. Yet, as I read on, I can see how many people would view it as such.
...
Now, I'm going to do a bit of a history concerning the furry fandom, and how it changed during the rise of the internet. This being said, it is a very, apocryphal in its data, so please remember this as you go on reader.
...
The Golden Age, as it was called, was when the "Fringe" (sexually charged, differing of sexual orientations, and lifestylers) groups of the furry fandom, were virtually unknown. But as the world became more and more wired and internet driven, the more these groups came to the forefront of the furry fandom.
...
Now, reader, I have said that I am all for the rights of Gays, Lesibians, and Transsexual persons, and the furry fandom was taking a huge leap forward with openly accepting them during the 90's, a very early step in the fight for equal rights. But, there were many, many other fringe groups that sort of took over the fandom. And with their take over, a radical shift in how furry art was presented.
...
Pornography started to seep into the fandom. And as fast as you could say, "Oversexualized freaks" the fandom's once wholesome image was dragged through the dirt, and mud.
...
Now, here we are, a while after the fall of the golden age, (guh, you do not know how much that pained me to type that) and the fandom, for the most part, has learned a rather harsh lesson. We had worked hard to drag our image out of the pit and the mud, and the dirt. And yet, it is still an uphill battle with people being complete idiots about the fandom. For example, Chewfox, and I know I am bringing back drama that rightly should stay dead, but this is for the sake of making a point.
...
Chewfox was given an opportunity to take the furry image back. She was invited on the Tyra Banks Show to talk about the furry fandom. However, she instead furthered the stereotype of furries being overly sexual freaky nerds. Dear reader, that is about as far as I dare talk about that subject, mostly because I get rather sickened by the mere mention of her.
...
Honestly, I am not an overly sexual person. I am a rather well adjusted 21 year old with an opinion that refuses to be silenced. I tend to think that most people in the furry fandom are not, well, as 2 The Ranting Gryphon so, eloquently put it, gigglefaries (which I can only imagine is a horribly derogative term for people like Chewfox who don't keep it in private). And yet, when I try to find any well known subjects, they aren't there.
...
Now, here we are getting to a main point of the blog. Yes, all that information was really just history. A brief, hurried and rushed history. Which again, brings us to the current period of the furry fandom. The fandom as of now, is a lot less, open with what, well, turns them on. But it has become a norm, and as a good friend recently put it "As common as a chair, when it should be as common as a bed."
...
Dear reader, don't worry if that metaphor was lost on you. It was hard for me to get, until I thought about it. Beds, are meant for certain rooms, where chairs are found everywhere. It was his flowery and fruity way of saying that certain things should be left behind closed doors. (And honestly, I was surprised that he had that much of a poet in him)
...
My dear furry friends, and concerned readers, I think it is time for my furry people to re-think on how casually we treat the concept of sex and pornography. Instead of making it so common place, why not tried to keep it behind certain doors?
...
Now, I know, I will get reamed for taking a stand against porn. But think about it, wouldn't you love just to walk out to a complete stranger and say, "Hi, my name is Kamden Blackstone, and I am a furry" without fear of being treated like the gigglefairie people think that we are now.
...
I know, that in any fandom, there will be porn of one type or another, and if you, dear reader wish to disagree, then I challenge you to type in, Star Wars rule 34 (Rule 34 is a ubiquitous internet law that says "If it exists, there is porn of it"), and hold on tight. It will be a bumpy ride. But, that doesn't mean we should be so nonchalant about it.
...
The only way, that the fandom will change is if more and more people start to take this opinion about it. Yes, we do have adult artwork, but it is over there, and you'll need to show some identification to even get into the room, but that is not the only thing about the fandom. We try to be creative, and reinvent stories to make them our own, so please, keep in mind that we aren't just porn/sex obsessed freaky nerds. At the end of the day, we're people, with a specific interest, much like a person who collects Loony Toons Memorabilia.
...
I hope that this blog post really gets the message across dear reader, and you will look at me and my people in a different light. And as for you, my dear furry brothers and sisters, I hope that you can take my and many other's stance on pornography in any fandom, that yes, it will exist, but don't flaunt it about.
...
Oh, I suppose I should finalize my own personal stance on Pornography in any form. Well, dear reader, I am honestly a very staunch believer that pornography is a highly addictive substance. It is a dark, slimy, acidic ichor that eats away at a persons soul. That is to say, that I take a very LDS stance on Porn. But, I am not a person that is willing to judge another brother or sister for their sins, when I am a sinner myself. I do not condone it, nor do I condemn anyone for what they practice. It is honestly not my place. But when a friend who does view pornography asks me my opinion about it, I will tell them outright that it is a sin.
...
...
...
Yours Truly
Kamden G. Blackstone
Tiger, Mormon, Creative.
....
.....
......
(Holy crap that post was huge!)
Reference
Chewfox Drama GO
http://2-gryphon.livejournal.com/217410.html!
This is where I got the term gigglefarie. As a side note, I do like 2 Gryphon, he has some good points, but I do have some issues with the language he uses. No one is perfect, like I said.
The Golden Age of Furry Fandom
http://en.wikifur.com/wiki/Golden_Age_of_Furry_Fandom
Well, Wikifur is a great place to find anything about the apocryphal history of the furry fandom, and a slice of the internet.
A little more in depth definition of furry.
http://en.wikifur.com/wiki/Furry
I have already made my stance and definition on how I am a furry. This, is just an overview of other people's view on what furry is.
Just as a redefinition of what being a furry means to me:
I myself as a furry is a person who likes anthropomorphic animals, and I have choose to make a furry persona that represents me, though in a bit more of a fantastic way. That is my stance on it. Yes, I do identify myself as a tiger, and do think there maybe a weight to the concept of spirit guides, though I think they are more like, animal angels sent to lead and guide us. But, then, I am different from most furries, and for that matter most people. I am a Latter day saint first and foremost, a furry second.
This post deals wit the subjects of pornography in fandoms of any such. If you want to read my official stance on porn, please scroll down to the 20th paragraph, or the last paragraph before my standard ending lines. It will save you a lot of questions here.
This is a post directed at all my fans of anthropomorphic animal cartoons. Yes, that is correct my furry brothers and sisters, I am talking to you.
...
However, to those who are not part of this unique part of nerddom, I can only offer you a very rough, and very vague translation of what a furry is.
...
A furry is at the core of it all, is just a person who likes Anthropomorphic (human characteristic) animals. Often times, they create a persona of themselves using a anthropomorphic character. I, myself, prefer to persona myself as Kamden G. Blackstone, a nerdy tiger with a a knack for the mystic arts, armed combat, a big heart, and a bit of a weight problem (Well, no one is perfect), it is a wonderful way of expressing one's own self image and creativity. That being said, it is a highly creative outlet, many people add more to this simple core idea. There in begins a bit of the problem. But, for now, if you want more information on the definition, please check my reference section.
...
Today, I learned something rather interesting. I'm talking about the Golden Age of the Furry Fandom.
...
At first, I thought that this thing, the supposed "Golden Age" was a bunch of crap. Honestly, I thought it was a joke my fellow reader. Yet, as I read on, I can see how many people would view it as such.
...
Now, I'm going to do a bit of a history concerning the furry fandom, and how it changed during the rise of the internet. This being said, it is a very, apocryphal in its data, so please remember this as you go on reader.
...
The Golden Age, as it was called, was when the "Fringe" (sexually charged, differing of sexual orientations, and lifestylers) groups of the furry fandom, were virtually unknown. But as the world became more and more wired and internet driven, the more these groups came to the forefront of the furry fandom.
...
Now, reader, I have said that I am all for the rights of Gays, Lesibians, and Transsexual persons, and the furry fandom was taking a huge leap forward with openly accepting them during the 90's, a very early step in the fight for equal rights. But, there were many, many other fringe groups that sort of took over the fandom. And with their take over, a radical shift in how furry art was presented.
...
Pornography started to seep into the fandom. And as fast as you could say, "Oversexualized freaks" the fandom's once wholesome image was dragged through the dirt, and mud.
...
Now, here we are, a while after the fall of the golden age, (guh, you do not know how much that pained me to type that) and the fandom, for the most part, has learned a rather harsh lesson. We had worked hard to drag our image out of the pit and the mud, and the dirt. And yet, it is still an uphill battle with people being complete idiots about the fandom. For example, Chewfox, and I know I am bringing back drama that rightly should stay dead, but this is for the sake of making a point.
...
Chewfox was given an opportunity to take the furry image back. She was invited on the Tyra Banks Show to talk about the furry fandom. However, she instead furthered the stereotype of furries being overly sexual freaky nerds. Dear reader, that is about as far as I dare talk about that subject, mostly because I get rather sickened by the mere mention of her.
...
Honestly, I am not an overly sexual person. I am a rather well adjusted 21 year old with an opinion that refuses to be silenced. I tend to think that most people in the furry fandom are not, well, as 2 The Ranting Gryphon so, eloquently put it, gigglefaries (which I can only imagine is a horribly derogative term for people like Chewfox who don't keep it in private). And yet, when I try to find any well known subjects, they aren't there.
...
Now, here we are getting to a main point of the blog. Yes, all that information was really just history. A brief, hurried and rushed history. Which again, brings us to the current period of the furry fandom. The fandom as of now, is a lot less, open with what, well, turns them on. But it has become a norm, and as a good friend recently put it "As common as a chair, when it should be as common as a bed."
...
Dear reader, don't worry if that metaphor was lost on you. It was hard for me to get, until I thought about it. Beds, are meant for certain rooms, where chairs are found everywhere. It was his flowery and fruity way of saying that certain things should be left behind closed doors. (And honestly, I was surprised that he had that much of a poet in him)
...
My dear furry friends, and concerned readers, I think it is time for my furry people to re-think on how casually we treat the concept of sex and pornography. Instead of making it so common place, why not tried to keep it behind certain doors?
...
Now, I know, I will get reamed for taking a stand against porn. But think about it, wouldn't you love just to walk out to a complete stranger and say, "Hi, my name is Kamden Blackstone, and I am a furry" without fear of being treated like the gigglefairie people think that we are now.
...
I know, that in any fandom, there will be porn of one type or another, and if you, dear reader wish to disagree, then I challenge you to type in, Star Wars rule 34 (Rule 34 is a ubiquitous internet law that says "If it exists, there is porn of it"), and hold on tight. It will be a bumpy ride. But, that doesn't mean we should be so nonchalant about it.
...
The only way, that the fandom will change is if more and more people start to take this opinion about it. Yes, we do have adult artwork, but it is over there, and you'll need to show some identification to even get into the room, but that is not the only thing about the fandom. We try to be creative, and reinvent stories to make them our own, so please, keep in mind that we aren't just porn/sex obsessed freaky nerds. At the end of the day, we're people, with a specific interest, much like a person who collects Loony Toons Memorabilia.
...
I hope that this blog post really gets the message across dear reader, and you will look at me and my people in a different light. And as for you, my dear furry brothers and sisters, I hope that you can take my and many other's stance on pornography in any fandom, that yes, it will exist, but don't flaunt it about.
...
Oh, I suppose I should finalize my own personal stance on Pornography in any form. Well, dear reader, I am honestly a very staunch believer that pornography is a highly addictive substance. It is a dark, slimy, acidic ichor that eats away at a persons soul. That is to say, that I take a very LDS stance on Porn. But, I am not a person that is willing to judge another brother or sister for their sins, when I am a sinner myself. I do not condone it, nor do I condemn anyone for what they practice. It is honestly not my place. But when a friend who does view pornography asks me my opinion about it, I will tell them outright that it is a sin.
...
...
...
Yours Truly
Kamden G. Blackstone
Tiger, Mormon, Creative.
....
.....
......
(Holy crap that post was huge!)
Reference
Chewfox Drama GO
http://2-gryphon.livejournal.com/217410.html!
This is where I got the term gigglefarie. As a side note, I do like 2 Gryphon, he has some good points, but I do have some issues with the language he uses. No one is perfect, like I said.
The Golden Age of Furry Fandom
http://en.wikifur.com/wiki/Golden_Age_of_Furry_Fandom
Well, Wikifur is a great place to find anything about the apocryphal history of the furry fandom, and a slice of the internet.
A little more in depth definition of furry.
http://en.wikifur.com/wiki/Furry
I have already made my stance and definition on how I am a furry. This, is just an overview of other people's view on what furry is.
Just as a redefinition of what being a furry means to me:
I myself as a furry is a person who likes anthropomorphic animals, and I have choose to make a furry persona that represents me, though in a bit more of a fantastic way. That is my stance on it. Yes, I do identify myself as a tiger, and do think there maybe a weight to the concept of spirit guides, though I think they are more like, animal angels sent to lead and guide us. But, then, I am different from most furries, and for that matter most people. I am a Latter day saint first and foremost, a furry second.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
Love
"If you want to be loved, be lovable."
-Ovid
...
Recently, I got into a conversation concerning love, and how wonderful a thing it is. I know how wonderful being in love is, and how amazing being loved back is too. But, I want to know, do we really understand what it takes to be in love enough to have a relationship?
...
As many of you have probably, well, hopefully found out, that any relationship between two people requires work. It is not handed out on a silver platter, nor is it an undertaking for a person who's heart is not in it. That being said, there will always be fight with the person/persons you love. That is a given. But more and more people are ending up breaking up/divorcing because they can't handle working out the differences or the issue that started the fight.
...
I am unceasingly amazed that near all of relationships fail. Every time I see a friend of mine with another person as a boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse, and then, a year or so later, they are separate, and not even willing to talk to the other. True, this is a basic part of young adult life, but when you see it with older and married couples, it is heartbreaking to see something that you thought was so sure, and so firm break apart because of an off day.
...
Nothing in life that is worth anything is going to be easy. That is especially true in love. You'll have to work over your difference with one another to strengthen your bonds in the relationship, or else it will fall. Also, to all the younger readers out there, which I am sure there are many, don't rush into things. Make sure you know who you are, what you want to do, and where you want to go, and what you will not compromise before you go looking for a spouse, or you will find yourself in a divorce.
...
Marriage, whether it is between a man and a woman, or any of the other combinations, is a pledge to always be there for one another. Even to work over the parts of themselves that sparks conflicts and contentions between us. This is not only an important lesson for people in love, but for everyone if we want to reach a peaceful world. Yes, the Beatles were right, All you need is love.
...
So, please reader, remember, if you want to be in love, and stay in love. You need to work at it. I hope you found this helpful.
...
...
...
Kamden G. Blackstone
Tiger, Mormon, Creative
-Ovid
...
Recently, I got into a conversation concerning love, and how wonderful a thing it is. I know how wonderful being in love is, and how amazing being loved back is too. But, I want to know, do we really understand what it takes to be in love enough to have a relationship?
...
As many of you have probably, well, hopefully found out, that any relationship between two people requires work. It is not handed out on a silver platter, nor is it an undertaking for a person who's heart is not in it. That being said, there will always be fight with the person/persons you love. That is a given. But more and more people are ending up breaking up/divorcing because they can't handle working out the differences or the issue that started the fight.
...
I am unceasingly amazed that near all of relationships fail. Every time I see a friend of mine with another person as a boyfriend/girlfriend/spouse, and then, a year or so later, they are separate, and not even willing to talk to the other. True, this is a basic part of young adult life, but when you see it with older and married couples, it is heartbreaking to see something that you thought was so sure, and so firm break apart because of an off day.
...
Nothing in life that is worth anything is going to be easy. That is especially true in love. You'll have to work over your difference with one another to strengthen your bonds in the relationship, or else it will fall. Also, to all the younger readers out there, which I am sure there are many, don't rush into things. Make sure you know who you are, what you want to do, and where you want to go, and what you will not compromise before you go looking for a spouse, or you will find yourself in a divorce.
...
Marriage, whether it is between a man and a woman, or any of the other combinations, is a pledge to always be there for one another. Even to work over the parts of themselves that sparks conflicts and contentions between us. This is not only an important lesson for people in love, but for everyone if we want to reach a peaceful world. Yes, the Beatles were right, All you need is love.
...
So, please reader, remember, if you want to be in love, and stay in love. You need to work at it. I hope you found this helpful.
...
...
...
Kamden G. Blackstone
Tiger, Mormon, Creative
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