Do I see myself as being a leader? No, foxes are independent, often solitary animals. We do our own thing, and don’t operate with or out of packs.
Moreover, I lack the desire to lead. Can I lead? Absolutely, but I abhor the degree of self-surrender and the coping with internal politics that comes with leadership of a group. It is a vexation to the spirit. As a leader, you are unlikely to make all of your followers happy at the same time, yet you can exhaust yourself in trying. And if the group fails, a leader can be held responsible, even if he or she has a following of turkeys.
As someone wrote, those who refuse to lead are liable to be led by someone worse than themselves. Because of this, I have at times assumed leadership when no one else wanted to perform that function, or was capable of the role. I have done so reluctantly. My natural role in an organization appears to be in position #3, operating behind and in support of the leader and the second in command.
Those who wish to become leaders may wish to consider that power corrupts, and absolute powercorrupts absolutely. I’ve seen nice people become complete bastards when elevated to leadership positions.
The notion that monsters make the best heroes has been previously explored, for example in shows like Being Human, whose characters featured a werewolf, vampire. and ghost. The Imperfects on Netflix has a similar cast of unlikely prime characters, this time a banshee, a succubus, and my favorite, a chupacabra-shifter, who in his transformational state rather closely resembles a werewolf with the exception of external spiny projections that go from his forehead down his back…
Now Juan Ruiz, the chupacabra-shifter, essentially blacks out when he transforms, and in that transformational state has enhanced speed, razor-sharp claws and teeth, and one assumes, enhanced vision and hearing as well. He tends to eat at least part of his victims in his feral state, and when transformed back, has no recollection of how he got blood on his face or what he was doing that caused that. In all fairness, most of his victims were posing a serious threat to himself or his female companions the banshee and succubus. Just to be safe, however, those companions have been known to keep Juan bound up in situations where he is likely to be “triggered.” They’ve been known to playfully refer to him as “Chupi,” even going to far as to torment him by saying things like “cute Chupi” or “You’re a good Chupi.” “I hate you guys!,” responds Juan…
Now the show’s unlikely trio appear to be in their late teens to early twenties, prompting some to call this series a “coming of rage” show. Their condition is the result of a rogue scientist experimenting on them without their permission using stem cells, and their powers are unfortunate side effects of that experimentation. The trio spend much of the series pursuing the rogue scientist in an effort to get him to “fix” them, all the while being pursued by armed and shadowy agents intent on their control or if necessary, extermination. This in turn leads to some epic confrontations along the way. “They want monsters?,” notes the banshee, “We’ll GIVE them monsters!” With that, the banshee can blow people away with her voice, the succubus emits pheromones that can get their pursuers to fall under her control and shoot each other, and the chupacabra springs, bites, slices, and dices…
Now variations on the show’s themes as mentioned have been done before, and probably better. Still, the show has promise, which makes it unfortunate that Netflix cancelled the series after one season. Still, it remains possible that fan demand might bring the show back, since it was just finding its footing after one one season, and there are different directions that the series could go with just some tweaking…
(language and graphic violence warnings for the following clip. This ain’t Barney the Purple Dinosaur, folks…)
Everyone is someone else’s idea of a monster, so they say…so I guess that makes me one, too, at least in spirit…
Werewolves on a train? – –Well, why not…it worked for snakes on a plane, and monsters and other nasties can be even more horrifying if their victims are somehow in a confined space with less chance to run or escape…
So take a British night train out of London, have it break down in a deep, dark forest infested by werewolves, and you’re set for some claustrophobic gory fun. Being British, however, this will be a proper train, complete with a tea cart girl dispensing tea and chicken sandwiches. There is a guard on duty, working a second shift but well-attired in a dress jacket, asking passengers for tickets…
Things start to go awry when the train hits a deer which clogs under the wheels, necessitating a stop where the investigating engineer becomes victim #1. Werewolves gradually approach and then infiltrate the train, which passengers progressively barricade. As the barricades are breached, the characters of passengers are revealed, and hand-to-hand combat becomes necessary with the werewolves, which to me rather resemble Yeti with upgraded dentition…these are humanoid werewolves, with not nearly enough hair and snout. I like a werewolf with a good muzzle, so I fault the creature design…
As the Nazis discovered, you can only push Brits so far, and in one memorable scene, a well-attired book-reading gentleman goes absolutely medieval on a werewolf’s head with a fire axe! Howl is recommended for moments of black humor such as this, and you can catch this 2015 film on Netflix or Utube…
“You’re a GREAT audience, do ‘ya know that? For my next little number, I’d like to share a medley of musical standards from Sinatra!” 🐻
No, China’s Sun Bears are not escapees from a furry convention, humans in a fur suit despite allegations to the contrary!
A zoo in eastern China has denied allegations that their Sun Bears are humans in costume, pointing out that a costumed human would only last a few minutes in the triple-degree heat before collapsing. Chinese zoos have also been accused of spray-painting dogs to make them look like wolves, and painting donkeys to resemble zebras…
Not all bears are big hulking menaces. The Sun Bear is the smallest bear species, and stands about 50” tall on his hind legs. From the back or side, the bear does present a rather human-like appearance, especially when it interacts with humans by waving its paws. But no, that’s not some dude in a suit…
Like many furries, I have a cheap fursuit, plus a full wearable head and a mask. They are all in shall I say the economy range, as that’s my budget. But what might be possible if you chose and could afford to throw over $15,000 into the creation of a stunningly realistic and detailed fursuit? The awesome results may be seen above…yes, that’s a suit, with a dude inside it!
The gentleman, identified only as Toko or in some locations Toco, chose to transform into a collie because of its size, the fact that it was his favorite dog, and also because he felt that a collie’s long hair would help to hide his human form.He hired the Japanese company Zeppet, known for creating sculptures and models for movies and commercials, to craft the suit. Creation of it took 40 days as numerous fittings and adjustments were made to get the best look and fit…
Now Toko-san as one might expect is somewhat limited in his movements while within the suit, and cannot move all of his limbs freely or excessively. But he is living the dream that he has had since childhood, and who are we to deny him that? The results are uncanny…
If you blended Star Trek, Alien, and Jurassic Park together, you’d probably get something like the movie 65, now available on Netflix. The title refers to 65 million years ago when that legendary asteroid impacted with Earth, affecting the planetary history forever….
Now if you were to take an ancient alien-type pilot who was transporting 35 passengers in hypersleep to an unspecified destination before an asteroid shower perforated his ship and forced it to crash land on the Earth of 65 million years ago, you’d have the basic premise of the movie. Our pilot and the only other sole survivor, a girl, must brave the perils of ancient Earth, and locate their escape craft, all before the main asteroid of 65 million years ago arrives to ruin everyone’s day. The predacious dinosaurs who attack our hero and his charge are outclassed by his laser rifle and some really neat mini-bombs, but outnumber him greatly, making this a syfy survival flick.You know they’ll survive, but get knocked around a good bit with numerous close escapes, and it’s all rollicking good funthat’s paced well, and doesn’tpretend to be more than it is…
Laser (and phaser) rifles are definitely cool! They give you so much more of a presence than just a hand phaser. James T. Kirk knew this, and looked like a boss holding one. Did you know that his phaser rifle sold for $615,000 at auction? That’s not a bad trade-in allowance considering that it was an older model compared to those seen in The Next Generation. Wouldn’t you like to own a laser rifle? ‘Fess up, now…
But I digress…Adam Driver shines as the alien but humanoid pilot, looking and reminding me a bit of Keanu Reeves in the part. You may want to catch this Dino-tastic film, because it goes quickly to the action, and future tech versus saurian hordes is a fun ride… 🦊
Allstate’s “Mayhem” personification Dean Winters is a delight, often playing animal characters in commercials without any attempt made at animal costuming. You only know what he is impersonating because he tells you what he is, and is thinking…and acts the part! Dean Winters has memorably played in Allstate commercials a cat, raccoon, and St. Bernard puppy…
“I’m a bear,” offers Winters, “coming out of hibernation after the best nap of my life. And Papa is HUNGRY!” What, you’ve never seen a bear in a suit before? He comes up through the forest to the partially opened window of an SUV, peering through it in an exploratory fashion…
Without effort, Winters/Bear rips the door off the SUV, going inside in search of food. “And while you’re hitting the trail,” he elaborates, “I’m hitting your cooler!” Foodstuff goes flying out of the vehicle, with Winers happy to find some hot dog rolls…
When he’s done, our well-dressed bear whaps the mirror off the side of the vehicle, just for good measure. Now your insurance may not pay for all of this devastation, so you may wanna get Allstate to be protected from Mayhem, reminds Winters…”Like me!” He roars unconvincinglyas he walks off, his job there done…
Set in the monochrome hell of a bleak, dystopian future where artificial intelligence has driven civilization into the ground and all but eradicated humanity, three scavengers enter a warehouse in search of needed supplies to help an injured companion. They extract a box which looks promising, but hidden behind the box is a robotic guard dog…
The Robo-dog, like the creations of Skynet, is an efficient killing machine. It sprays the three humans with tracking shrapnel, and kills one swiftly with a firearm integrated into a limb. The two survivors flee to their vehicles with the Robo-dog in pursuit; this mech is relentless and merciless, and it gallops after them, smashing into one vehicle and killing the driver…
That leaves only the one woman, Bella, alive to battle the robotic horror. Fortunately she’s cut from the same cloth as Linda Hamilton and Sigourney Weaver, crashing her vehicle in an attempt to crush the metalhead but only damaging one of its limbs. That damage renders the robotic dog incapable of climbing a tree, and loss of battery power forces it to power down until it can do a solar recharge. It does so, however, and the pursuit continues…
The Robo-dog selects a knife as an alternative weapon, but the survivalist woman blinds it’s visual sensors with paint. It continues to come after her using auditory sensors, and it takes two shotgun blasts to put it down. Before being destroyed, however, the killer Robo again sprays the woman with tracking shrapnel, one of which lodges hopelessly beyond removal in her jugular.
The tales of Netflix’s “Black Mirror” seldom have happy endings, however, and more robo-dogs are on the way, far more than could be out-battled. The dark tale does, however, end with a twist, leaving the viewer dazed and dazzled…what a rush!
It looks like Mickey Mouse got char-broiled, and has certainly seen better days…I’m referring, of course to the Richmond Rat Boy, a small, seemingly-mummified object anonymously donated to the Wayne County Historical Museum in Indiana. The Rat Boy appears to sport a rodent’s head atop a humanoid body that boasts details such as claws and teeth…
Now sadly, Rat Boy was never alive, but has been determined to have been crafted of plaster of Paris and clay over an armature. Animal claws, pointed teeth, and hair were added to lend a touch of realism to the figure. A note was left with the figure saying that it was found long ago in the basement of a local hospital, and once belonged to a circus-worker friend of the donor’s late grandfather…
Now Rat Boy is thought by museum staff to have been a gaff, a cryptid fabricated as a sideshow attraction in circuses that toured America in the 1910’s to the 1930’s. A more memorable example was the notorious Fiji Mermaid once exhibited by P.T. Barnum. They might have charged you a dime to a quarter to see such draws back in the day. Nowadays we can laugh at those gullible people of an earlier time, having reality television and conspiracy theories today…
So while Rat Boy may not be real, you can still buy your very own Rat Boy T-shirt to remember him by. “Be the first one on your block,every cat in the neighborhood will be in shock,” to recall the late great Soupy Sales in his song, Do the Mouse!
I eagerly look forward to Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 released this month as it highlights and furnishes the backstory of Rocket Raccoon, who director James Gunn describes as the “secret protagonist” of the Guardians of the Galaxy movies…
Now Rocket Raccoon is an iconic character, especially to those of us who identify as furry. In this film, we see his humble beginnings as a “street raccoon,” and Rocket was perfectly happy being an animal. His forced transition to a snarky biological weapon was fraught with pain, and we are shown those Dr. Moreau-type experiments that later led the character to remark, “there ain’t nothing like me except me.” There’s a lot more to Rocket other than the master strategist, pilot, weapons-master, and space maverick that we knowand love,and we see his vulnerability and terrible aloneness here…
Fortunately, it’s a commonality of trauma that binds The Guardians together, and in this their final ride as a team they appear to be going out in fine formin a movie described as both dark and hilarious.- – Long live Rocket Raccoon! 🦝
FOXSYLVANIA 
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