#FOR THOSE UNAWARE YOU CAN PET THE DOG MULTIPLE TIMES DURING THE PETTING ANIMATION BY CONTINUING TO HIT E AND IT COUNTS AS A PET ON THE

[arcenergy]

ignore the death grips in the background i was fuckin jammin

anyways is your clan normal or does your friend make a macro to pet the dog indefinitely while he’s asleep so that it can show up as having 6000+ pets as an emblem triumph

[bansheeoftheforest]

OC Masterlist

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Welcome to my OC masterlist! I have a lot of ocs! I hoard them like a goblin and I will never stop! SO!!! OCS!!!! So far we got two collections of OCS; The O’Jekylls, which is Dr. Jekyll’s fam, and my very own DND character who I turned into a Lodger! <3

All OCS can be found under the tag #Banshees OCS!

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               --Lodgers--

——————Humans——————

Cederic Beumont

Cederic Beumont is a French artist (and prostitute) turned mad scientist throughout multiple events happening in his early adulthood. He is the oldest twin out of him and his sister, Cassandra, and the two of them were raised by their single father in a small village in France. After the death of their father by the age of twenty, Cederic and his sister travel around Europe until they move to America, where they lived for five years. During those five years, Cederic and Cassandra-- previously inseparable-- have a falling out which ends in Cederic storming out and leaving Cassandra to run the hotel they had set up on the coast of Florida. The falling out, combined with a lot of other stressful and dramatic things happening around him, manages to make Cederic’s mental health crumble until he practically goes insane. Previously an artist, Cederic turns to science in hopes of being able to achieve something that would make him “more” than his sister, who always has been the “smarter” one out of the two of them, which ends up in him studying Frankenstein’s life like the Holy Bible. He gets obsessed with the study of lightning and he gets obsessed with the idea to one-up God, as he previously had been born and raised Catholic, and he feels like he would be able to do everything that Frankenstein failed to do (take care of Creature, own up to the responsibilities, keep the innocent safe, etc) despite having no proof of him being able to do everything differently.

With the help of his boyfriend, Wilhelm, and Wilhelm's biology studying friends, he manages to continue his experiments. He moves between calling himself a Fulminologic Necromancer and a Necromantic Fulminologist, depending on the people he surrounds himself with, as he studies lightning as a whole and applies the knowledge to necromancy. His early experiments involves reviving dead animals with the use of electricity, although he does dabble in alchemy and chemistry when it’s needed.

Around the time he is 30 years old, he hears the word upon the street about the Society For Arcane Sciences in London, England. His boyfriend helps him scrap in enough money for a one-way ticket to London on the promise that they will still hold contact, to which Cederic immediately agrees. He travels to London by ship and marvels over how fantastically dirty and gross the entire city is, there is slums everywhere! So many animals and mythical creatures!! The moment he is within the city walls, he manages to find Sergeant Enoch Brokenshire and pleads for him to show Cederic the way to the Society. Brokenshire is, of course, very put off by this hyper-energetic bastard he can barely hear over his (normally trained away) french accent, but Brokenshire does not get paid enough to care. He basically just grabs Cederic by the collar and drags him like a stray cat over to the Society and to Dr. Henry Jekyll’s office, to which he basically dumps him on the doorstep and leaves. As Jekyll practically collects scientists, and as they already have a necromancer in the Society, Jekyll welcomes Cederic with open arms and shows him around, unaware how Cederic... is an actual mad scientist, not just using that word as a moniker.

Cederic quickly becomes friends with Sinnett and Luckett, all three of them having a knack to blow things up and play with fire. Cederic also loves to harass Tanis, the local necromancer, as he loves that they practically study the same thing and did you know this and that and wouldn’t it be cool to blow up a corpse? You know Moreau might actually have been onto something with the animals and yadeyadeyada-- Tanis does not like Cederic. Cederic thinks that they are best friends.

Cederic joins the Society sometime before the events of TGS, however, immediately jumps all over both Jasper and Frankenstein like a yappy dog excited to have new friends. He is absolutely in love with Frankenstein, much like everyone else, but quickly has a change of heart as he feels she is a wimp, because he could do this and that so much better and why would you do x y and z when you could have done a b c instead. He has a massive ‘R.I.P to them but I’m different’ complex and feels like Frankenstein can’t own up to her work and her legendary image like she should. He thinks he can one-up her, and basically tries to snatch her stuff and studies when she isn’t looking. Creature would very much like to bonk him over the head with a frying pan.

Cederic also has a pet ghost cat-- or more or less spirit cat as she has never actually been alive-- that he has had since he was a baby. He named her Adelaide-Antoinette because he is french and extra like that, and the two of them are actually inseparable, as Adelaide is connected to Cederic through a bunch of magical hijinx. Adelaide can talk to Cederic, however, no one else can hear or see her, making most people think that Cederic is genuinely insane as he is not afraid to walk around talking to himself. The only one who knows about Adelaide is Maijabi, who saw her in one of his ghost mirrors one time, but he thinks its fun to see the other Lodgers thinking that Cederic is insane, so he doesn’t say anything.

Random Trivia: Cederic is originally my DND character, played in a specific type of campaign called Scion. It takes place in the real life world, and our campaign is set during the 1960′s if WW2 had never ended. Cederic and Cassandra were originally forced to flee by the outbreak of the war and the invasions of France. Scion is also based on mythologies, were the player characters (the Scions) are children of the ancient gods. Cassandra and Cederic are children of the egyptian god Bastet, ergo, the ghost cats.

Tags: #Banshees Cederic

Art of Cederic / Original Info dump on Lodger!Cederic

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——————Animals——————

Adelaide-Antoinette

Adelaide-Antoinette is a spirit and companion cat connected to Cederic. She has been by Cederic’s side for as long as he can remember and her, her sass, and her snobbishness were many of the core influences that shaped Cederic into the person he was before his mental breakdown he is today.

Adelaide is a Birman and lives up to the snobbish reputations of such breeds. When she is particularly feisty, she likes to sit on top of Cederic’s head and use him as her steed, and also loves to call him a peasant. She is also very territorial, and very protective of Cederic too. She is basically the epitome of “No one is allowed to bully him but me”. She is also very vocal and loves to have Cederic seem like he is talking to himself. Cederic has a knack to recite Hamlet and other Shakespeare plays to her, and while it’s fun for him, Adelaide wish she could bite his tongue off after the 10th recitation. After so many years, the recites might be up in the thousands.

Adelaide also did not like all the other creatures in the Society immediately, but quickly realized that it was either them or Cederic forever, to which she quickly began to force herself to warm up to them. Her favourite is Jasper’s unicorn, who most likely share her snobbishness, but a close second is Zosi and Griffin’s cat. When she is particularly mad at Cederic, as he tends to neglect her a little once he gets caught up in his work, she likes to hang around Maijabi as he is the only other living person who can see her. Cederic also uses her to spy on the others sometimes, as she can go through walls and can’t be seen.

Tags: -

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————————————————

        --The O’Jekylls--

——————Humans——————

Collin O’Jekyll

Collin O’Jekyll is Henry Jekyll’s “paternal uncle” and also his make-shift father. Collin and Henry loved each other from day one and the two of them often spend most of their free time in the pastures with Collin’s horses. Collin is an artist, who dabbles in both writing and art, but mainly breeds and sells horses for income, despite not really needing it due to his inheritance. He has always been supportive of Henry’s scientific interests and was the one to take him out to all of the scientific plays that Henry watched as a child, as his parents were less than supportive of the boy’s interests.  While mainly breeding and raising horses, Collin also buys and takes care of every animal he can get his hands on. One of his oldest pets is a male calico Maine Coon named Paddington, who got dumped by his breeder for being male. All of Collin’s animals seem to hate everyone but him, and of course, Henry. Collin also bred and gifted Henry his own horse once he turned 15; a dapple grey Clydesdale named Mayhem, named after her fiery temper. Much like Paddington, she hates everyone but her owner.

Random Trivia: Collin has a very weak immune system and therefore always wears a scarf, no matter the season or weather. He also knows how to sword fight and taught Henry a few tricks before he left Scotland. He is mainly a very cheerful and optimistic guy but won’t hesitate to throw hands if you try to hurt those he loves.

Tags: #Banshees Collin, #Collin O’Jekyll

Art of Collin / Art of Collin and Paddington

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Douglas O’Jekyll

Douglas O’Jekyll is Henry’s “biological” father and Collin’s older brother, but dislikes his role as both father and brother. He is a policeman and known for his ruthlessness and hatred for those he deems have done wrong, and he also has a massive superiority complex. He has always disliked Collin greatly and the two of them have always had a rivalry between them, however, that rivalry got to it’s boiling point when Douglas and Collin were in an accident as kids, mainly caused by Collin unintentionally during a riding trip in the Highlands, which made Douglas earn some of his scars and bred the resentment between the two of them even more. Douglas has always been disapproving of Henry’s... Well, he has always been majorly disapproving with anything that comes to Henry. He dislikes Henry’s love for his uncle, his scientific interests, Henry’s friends, his wish to become a doctor... Douglas dislikes pretty much everything with Henry, which might have its grounds in Henry looking like and taking after a lot from his uncle. As Henry grows older, Douglas’ dislike for both him and Collin grows stronger, and Douglas starts getting outspoken of his hatred for Henry. He also gets physical every once in a while, which was one of the reasons for why Henry left Scotland completely despite Collin doing his best to protect him.

Random Trivia: His scars are either from the Accident, from his work as a policeman and also from many of Collin’s animals. He has a family pedant made out of emerald with a ‘J’ for Jekyll in it, as he is the first born and the heir of the family. He has always felt like Collin was the favourite with everything, both by their parents and by the fact that Douglas’ own son and wife likes Collin more than him, which just bred his resentment for his younger brother even more.

Tags: #Banshees Douglas, #Douglas O’Jekyll.

Digital art of Douglas / Traditional art of Douglas

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Abigail O’Jekyll (Née O’Haggins)

Abigail is Henry’s mother and Douglas’ wife. She comes from a long line of Scottish non-aristocratic nobles and she is the oldest out of six sisters, making her the main heir of the O’Haggins as she has no brothers. In her youth, she was very sought after by many bachelors, and met the O’Jekyll brothers during a ball hosted by her parents. She immediately took a liking to Collin and during the dances, they fell quite in love. However, as the first born, she was forced to marry Douglas instead due to pressuring from her parents who deemed Douglas more worthy than Collin, but she and Collin continued their relationship in secret. Both Douglas and Abigail knows that neither really loves the other all that much but they play their parts due to societal expectations, even if that doesn’t make Douglas any happier when the suspicion of Abigail’s and Collin’s relationships arise. Abigail is, too, not very supportive of Henry’s scientific interests due to all of its stigma and consequences that it can bear, not to mention that she is quite afraid of Douglas’ reactions to Henry’s continuous love for science, but she allows Henry to pursue non-harmful studies in secret to keep him happy, as his happiness is the most important thing for her. She does her best to be a good mother and succeeds in that, although everyone has their bad moments. Random Trivia: While Henry looks more like Douglas and Collin, Hyde takes after Abigail’s side of the family. She wears a locket with an ‘A’ on it with a picture of Collin and Henry inside, which needs a lock to be opened (mostly to keep Douglas from discovering the photo). While she is indifferent to most animals, she loves cats (that are well behaved, which rules out all of Collin’s cats) and she likes horses, although she will never, ever ride one ever again after she fell into a hay bail when Collin tried to get her to ride one of his horses. Tags: #Banshees Abigail, #Abigail O’Haggins.  Old Art of Abigail / Updated Art of Abigail

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——————Animals——————

Paddington

Paddington is one of Collin’s most beloved cats. He is a male, calico coated Maine Coon that got dumped by his breeder for being a male calico (therefore, sterile). He lived in the streets for a while until Collin found and adopted him, to which Paddington immediately became a little diva who hates everyone but Collin and Henry. He is the cause of some of Douglas’ scars and have torn more than one of Abigail’s dresses, but is as good as gold to Collin and Henry.

Tags: #Banshees Paddington

Art of Collin and Paddington / Written description of Paddington

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Mayhem

Mayhem is Henry’s own horse that Collin bred and helped Henry to raise. She is a dapple grey Clydesdale named after her fiery temper and knack for chaos, much like most animals that Collin has been responsible for. She is quite spoiled but very well behaved when needed to be, and she often thinks that she is the mother of those she likes, such as Henry, Paddington, Zosi and Collin. Once Henry left Scotland, she was one of the few things he took with him, and he still owns her to this day; allowing her to live her best, destruction-bringing life in London, striking terror in every stable boy in the entire city.

Tags: #Banshees Mayhem.

Written description of Mayhem

[hcneymilkks]

Christmas Prompts Requests

As this decade is coming to a close and another Holiday is creeping up, I decided to open up my request....

But with a few exceptions:

(request on my ask or pm me) 

REQUEST GUIDELINES

- Any k-pop idol, male or female (these prompts are mostly romance ones though sooo...)

- Main character name can be your name, a made up name or just Y/N

- choose between bullet point form, drabble under 1000 words, or full-fledged imagine

- and prompt number(s) (can request more than one number)

EXAMPLE

- Got7's JB

- Name: Y/N

- bullet point

- prompt numbers 11 and 12.

<Without further or do, I present prompts taken from different tumblr blogs with full credit.> 

< these ones in bullet point form are credited to the original creators! Mine is found under the cut!> 

christmas writing prompts

winter/holiday prompts

holiday prompts

OTP christmas scenarios

[FULL WARNING: IF THE PROMPT CROSSED OUT THAT MEANS IT HAS ALREADY BEEN REQUESTED!]

1. Getting trapped in a shopping mall together during after-hours in which they were christmas shopping too hard.

2. SWEATER PAWS AND CUDDLES. “If you don’t grab me a blanket, I’m breaking up with you.” “I’m watching Barbie Nutcracker.”

3. Losing S/O at a christmas market and having to make an announcement over an intercom as to reunite them again (I’m thinking early 80’s era with fluorescent jackets and big old scarfs and brick phones that they left at home).

4. “Are you humming the Dance of the Sugarplum Fairy?” Falling asleep in front of the fire whilst their S/O is playing them ‘dance of the sugar plum fairy’ on piano. They pull a blanket over them and curl up beside them.

5. Spilling hot chocolate/coffee/a hot-fucking-beverage on the other and insisting on paying for a new drink and new clothes for them, unaware that they’re rich and very capable of buying themselves another coffee. Besides, they don’t know that this jacket is Louis Vuitton and cost more than the knock-off Gucci belt that had caught their eye in the first place (probably looking a little lower than the belt, but we digress).  “So you wanna… hot chocolate and chill?” “If you ask me that one more time, I will dump my hot chocolate on you.”

6. First christmas with their S/O and panicking to their best friend/sibling about what to get them. Somehow, a plushie didn’t seem exactly suitable when they knew the other had bought them an engagement ring.

7. Being gifted tickets to see a family member overseas, but having to leave their S/O at home for christmas, not expecting them to turn up on their doorstep on christmas morning with a bouquet of roses.

8. Buying animal-proof fairy lights, confusing their S/O, but it all makes sense when there’s an ENTIRE puppy in their living room on christmas day.

9. Falling asleep in the passenger seat whilst their S/O drives them to a family members house for christmas, but not wanting to wake them for further directions because they look so p e a c e f u l.

10. Sleeping in until midday because they just want to be in each other’s arms and it is so warm with them right here beside them.

11. Making out under the christmas tree because the lights reflecting in their S/O’s eyes just looked too ethereal for them not to kiss them until they lost their breath.

12. Falling asleep on their significant other’s chest whilst they’re wrapping christmas presents, meaning that some aren’t wrapped the next morning because the sellotape had RUN OUT.

13. Failing to get the right meat and their S/O sending them back multiple times until they end up going together and realising that they weren’t even going to the right store.

14. “Wanna go skating in Central Park?” “Who even came up with ice skating? Do you know what a terrible idea it is? Its like,,, strapping knives to your feet before getting on ice which you may or may not fall through.” Ice skating and them BOTH BEING REALLY GOOD ACTUALLY.

15. Avoiding the mistletoe at all costs, however, everyone is trying their best to get the otp there.

16. Neighbour au in which one gets drunk on mulled wine and ends up knocking at the other’s door, drunkenly trying to seduce the other and- instead- passing out in their living room

17. Crawling into their roommate’s (S/O’s) bed because it is too cold in their own and they want cuddles.

18. Person A tries to get their friends to kiss under the mistletoe, and they completely forget about their crush on Person B until they both end up under the mistletoe.

19. Person A and Person B sitting next to the fire, drinking hot chocolate, maybe even cuddling. “So you wanna… hot chocolate and chill?” “If you ask me that one more time, I will dump my hot chocolate on you.”

20. Person A stays out late one night to find the perfect gift for their partner. Does Person B scold them for being out so late?

21. Imagine them being complete fools while playing in the snow. Bonus points if they have a dog or another pet that joins them. “Let’s make snow angels!” “Are you nine?” “How can you possibly look good with snow in your hair?”

22. Person A comes home freezing, so Person B happily cuddles with them to warm them up.

23. Matching. Sweaters.

24. Person A is ready at 3 am on Christmas morning, while Person B isn't ready until 10 am.

25. Person A plays Christmas music in October, and Person B is just Done with them. “Can we PLEASE watch something else? This is the 3rd time we’ve watched elf today. And it’s November 1st.” “Nightmare Before Christmas is a Christmas movie, not a Halloween movie.” “If you turn down the Christmas music, I’ll murder you.”

26. “We made too many cookies.” “Are you sure your family can eat all these cookies?” “What? No! These are just for us!” “You burnt the holiday cookies!”

27. “You’re impossible to shop for!”

28. “Who brought the fruit cake? I just wanna talk…” “ALRIGHT, WHO SPIKED THE EGGNOG?” “Wait, that wasn’t sparkling grape juice? I drank like 5 glasses of it! No wonder everything is so funny!” “I got apple cider up my nose.”

29. “I can’t believe I got stuck on a ski lift with you, of all people.” “Listen, it isn’t my fault you broke your wrist trying to snowboard down that hill.”

30. “Who walks on an ice covered pond anymore? Don’t you know how stupid that is? You should’ve died in that pond. Natural selection.”

31. “You’re either terrible at wrapping presents, or you’re one of santa’s elves. There’s no in between.” “There’s more tape on that present then wrapping paper.”

32. “Don’t you think gingerbread houses with gingerbread men in them are kinda morbid? I mean, it’s a house made out of flesh.” “Everyone knows you’re not actually supposed to eat the gingerbread house. Those things are stale as hell.”

33. “It’s not what’s under the tree that matters, it’s those who are gathered around it.” “Shut up and give me my present.” “We all know damn well that Mariah Carry cares about the presents underneath the Christmas tree.” “You’re getting coal this year.”

34. “Christmas is so close, I can almost smell the mistletoe I’m never going to get kissed under.” “Oooo, we’re under the mistletoe!” “No No No No- mphh!”

35. “Come outside and and have a snowball fight with us.” “I don’t really feel like it…” “That’s because you know that you’ll lose…” “Don’t you dare bring that snowball in the house, DON’T YOU DARE-“

36. “Bath and Body Works was having a sale on their holiday scents so I bought twenty bottles of lotion.”

[gentlepanpirate]

As a friendly reminder from your resident superstore retail employee. As the holidays approach, I would like to make a small list of dos and don’ts within your run-of-the-mill superstore:

Don’t:

Run in the store. Seriously.

Sit in the shopping carts if you’re over the age of four.

Bring pets in the store*. Dogs will bark or growl at other customers, pee on the floor, and even take a dump right there on the tile. I know they’re on a leash, but keep them at home.

*This does not apply to service animals. We love those angels.

DO NOT, for the love of God, race the carts.

Play with the toys if you’re not going to buy them. Even if you are, don’t run around playing with toys because A. you can break something, B. you can hit another guest, C. we will have to clean up after you and/or D. you’re being disrespectful in a work environment; this is a store, not a playground.

Leave a mess of clothes that you so randomly wanted to try on in the middle of the isle; we have fitting rooms. Even if it’s just one shirt, the holidays mean a bigger effort in security, so we have to keep track of a lot of things you’re unaware of! Please just take a few more minutes and try on the clothes within the fitting room.

Rearrange items on the floor. I shouldn’t have to say this... but seriously... come on guys. Be better than that.

I’ll give an explanation because you may be thinking, “But Charlie! It’s for the memes! What’s the big deal?!” The big deal is that we arrange items on the floor based on a DPCI or a store sorting number. This is so we can keep track of what’s on the shelf, where it is on the shelf, where it is in the store, and how many we have in the back, on hand, or coming in on shipment. Rearranging them because you want to spell out “boobies” or something can mean that item gets easily misplaced and screws the entire system up.

EAT FOOD IN THE GROCERY SECTION! Or leave openend/eaten food in other sections of the store. If I had a nickel for every water bottle, coke can, half eaten fruit, yogurt container or Starbucks cup I’ve found during my shift, I would be paying off student loans right now.

Leave children unattended! This is a bigger problem than you think! It’s a no brainer to leave your kid, and sometimes it can get rough if you have multiple with you and you’re trying to shop, but please keep stock of your rugrats. We don’t want four year olds roaming the shoe section alone.

Do:

Remember to download apps like the Target App or the Walmart Savings Catcher App. These can give you HUGE savings throughout the holiday season! (Also have these apps/coupons ready at checkout).

Search for seasonal coupons and deals online, in the paper and on your phone (or via email)! Many seasonal cart stoppers are coming around soon!!

Bring your bags; in some states (like California) we charge 10¢ per bag, so you gotta remember to bring your reusable bags! Especially if you’ll be doing a lot of bulk shopping, the bag charge can really add up.

Know the store hours as the season approaches; retail employees have families they want to get home to as well! If you’re walking in at 10:55 when we close at 11, there’s a slim chance you’re going to find what you need (you’ll also upset some very tired employees in the making).

Keep your party to a minimum. It’s difficult keeping all the kids at home (especially the younger ones), but we all know that the bigger the party, the more you have to keep everyone together. Plus it’s less stress on you, the shopper, when you only want to pick up a few things and have to wrangle your party together.

Thank employees who help you! It’s not a lot to ask, and we would really really appreciate it! We do a lot in the store and we deal with many customers throughout the day, so a small, sincere, thank you goes a very long way!

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this! I hope you all have amazing shopping adventures, keep these in mind, and that you buy only the things you put down on your list and nothing more.

Sincerely,

Charlie. AKA; Resident Superstore Retail Employee.

[deprelawland]

Animal Rights (or the Lack Thereof)

By Annie Lee, University of Delaware Class of 2020

October 26, 2017

Everyone loves their pets—so much so that 68% of households in the United Statesnow house one or more animal companions. Among these, dogs and cats lead in popularity, with dogspresent in 60.2 million U.S. households, and cats present in 47.1 million. So why is it that animal protection laws are still lacking in some states?

Figure 1: Ranking based on: number of punishable felony penalties available, adequacy of standards regarding animals, and range of animal protections.Ranked first (best) is Illinois and ranked last is Kentucky. Delaware is ranked 15th (Animal Legal Defense Fund, 2016).

Among all five states with the worst animal protection laws (from worse to “better”: Kentucky, Iowa, Wyoming, Utah, North Dakota), there are no penalties for felony neglect, sexual assault, or abandonment of animals. Penalties that do exist only punish abuse against certain animals, and do not escalate for abuse against multiple animals. It is not even mandatory for officials to forfeit animals from their abusers upon conviction. Additionally, abusers in farms and businesses are protected by ag-gag laws, which forbid unconsented filming of premise and indirectly protect possible abusers from whistle blowers.

 Meanwhile, the top tier states do punish felony neglect, sexual assault, and abandonment of animals. Penalties apply to most animals (see case of exception below), and increase in the case of recidivism. Animals are suspended from owners in the case of abuse, and abusers must undergo counseling or psychological evaluation before they can reclaim them. While the severity of punishment for maltreatment towards animals varies from state-to-state, the consequences,in general, remain the same. Those in Delaware are as follows:

(1) General cruelty to animals

DEL. CODE ANN. tit. 11, § 1325(b)

(2) Cruelly or unnecessarily killing or injuring an animal

DEL. CODE ANN. tit. 11, § 1325(b)(4)

(Note that in Delaware the term “animals” does not encompass fish, crustacea, or molluska (DEL. CODE ANN. tit. 11, § 1325(a)(11))).

Condensed, “cruelty to animals” refers to inflicting unjustifiable and unnecessary physical pain or neglect upon an animal which includes, but is not limited to: beating, overworking, killing, confining in extreme temperatures, tormenting, abandoning without reasonable arrangements, and failing to provide proper sustenance, shelter, or veterinary care (DEL. CODE ANN. tit. 11, § 1325 (2016)). In this context, “unjustifiable” and “unnecessary” refers to any physical act against animals performed not to cease an animal’s suffering or to prevent injury of another person,

Then, the maximum penalties for offenses:

           (1) 1 year incarceration and/or $2,300 fine, restitution, or other conditions

DEL. CODE ANN. tit. 11, § 4206

(2) 3 years imprisonment and fine determined by court

DEL. CODE ANN. tit. 11, § 4205

(3) Court shall prohibit owning or possessing any animal…for five years for a misdemeanor conviction, DEL. CODE ANN. tit. 11, § 1325(c), and for 15 years for a felony conviction DEL. CODE ANN. tit. 11, § 1325(d).

If every state’s legislature paid as little attention to animals as the “bottom tier” states do, one would not be surprised to learn that there are nearly 2,000 abuse cases each year (note that only a fraction of abusive acts is ever reported). But that is clearly not the case—certain states do have strict codes in place. One would not be unreasonable, then, in surmising these 2,000 cases to be centralized in states with“bottom tier” animal abuse laws. But it happens that abusers will abuse animals regardless of current consequences (ranked as according to the Animal Legal Defense Fund from Figure 1):

Rank #15:Delaware (October 10th, 2017)

Figure 2: A survivor found at the scene of the abusive home in Seaford, Delaware (Brandywine Valley SPCA, 2017). 

Delaware Animal Services (DAS) found 43 dead dogs and an additional 32 live but neglected animals in a Delaware home. Of the 32 living animals, only five were in stable condition; the other 27 were in severe condition and required emergency care. One had to be euthanized.

Rank #8: New Jersey (October 6th, 2017)

Police found a puppy thrown out of a third story window and into the adjacent building in Trenton, New Jersey. Upon landing, the floor collapsed out under the puppy into the basement. The owner, 19, allegedly threw the puppy out of rage.

Rank #6: Michigan (January 19th, 2017)

Figure 3: Dog found with ears, nose, and tail cut off (Michigan Humane Society, 2017).

Dog found in Detroit by a Michigan Humane Society worker with ears, nose, and tail cut off, with additional laceration on his legs. The abuser is unknown.

Rank #4: California (August 5th, 2017)

           Police officers in Montclair, California found 1,000 animals, dead, and 2,000 live birds, fish, and reptiles living amongst filth of feces and garbage. There was no food or water present on site.

If even the strictest of animal protection laws won’t stop abusers from abusing, why aren’t legislators doing more? Are they just unaware? Do they think animal lives are second-rate to humans’? If this is the case, legislators must take another look.

According to a recent 2006investigation by researchers Carlisle-Frank, Frank, and Nielsen, there is a strong correlation between animal abuse and domestic violence. In this study, 48% of respondents (which consisted of battered women) reported that “animal abuse had occurred ‘often’ during the past 12 months, and another 30% reported that the abuse occurred ‘almost always.’” A 2009 study further determined that people forced to watch animal abuse are eight times as likely to become violent themselves as they age.In general, abusers misdirect their rage towards cherished pets in order to exert dominance over or intimidate their victims (“I can hurt you just as easily as I can hurt this dog”).

Evidently, people must give more attention for abused animals.Dogs and cats may lead in companion animal popularity, but this only means that they also lead in being the targets of animal abuse—57.8% of victims are dogs, while 26.9% are cats. While it may seem like there is little power in us bystanders to affect any change regarding this issue, we can stay alert, and we can raise awareness regarding the issue.

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Annie Lee is a Sophomore English major on the Pre-Law track at the University of Delaware. In her free time, she enjoys writing creative pieces and, of course, watching Netflix.

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American Pet Products Association. “Pet Industry Market Size & Ownership Statistics.” American Pet Products Association, 2017. 

<http://www.americanpetproducts.org/press_industrytrends.asp>

Animal Legal Defense Fund. 2016 U.S. Animal Protection Laws Rankings: Comparing Overall Strength & Comprehensiveness. 2017.<http://aldf.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/Rankings-Report-2016-ALDF.pdf>

Animal Legal Defense Fund. Animal Protection Laws of Delaware. 11th ed., Animal Legal Defense Fund, 2016.

<http://aldf.org/wp-content/uploads/compendium-map/2017/usa/DELAWARE.pdf>

“Animal Abuse Statistics.” Statistic Brain, Statistic Brain Research Institute, 28 Apr. 2017<http://www.statisticbrain.com/animal-abuse-statistics/>

Fox 29. “Police: Puppy thrown out of 3rd story window in Trenton.” Fox 29, Fox 29, 6 Oct. 2017.

<http://www.fox29.com/news/trenton-man-charged-with-throwing-puppy-out-of-window#/>

Levenson, Eric. “'This is an extreme': Dog found with ears and nose cut off.” CNN, CNN, 19 Jan. 2017.

<http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/19/us/maimed-dog-detroit-trnd/index.html>

Murray, Maria. “43 dead dogs found in Delaware home, 31 severely neglected animals seized.” Fox 29, 10 Oct.

2017. <http://www.fox29.com/news/local-news/43-dead-dogs-found-in-delaware-home-31-severely-neglected-animals-seized>

Phillips, A., J.D. (2014). Understanding the Link Between Violence to Animals and People. Alexandria, VA: National District Attorneys Association.<http://www.ndaa.org/pdf/The%20Link%20Monograph-2014.pdf>

Wong, Herman. “Police smelled decay. They found a Noah’s Ark of death.” The Washington Post, The Washington Post, 5 Aug. 2017.<https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/animalia/wp/2017/08/05/police-smelled-decay-they-found-a-noahs-ark-of-death/?utm_term=.efaed79479cf>

[moviesihaveseenbeforeiamdea-blog]

#1035 The Royal Tenenbaums

Released: December 14, 2001

Director: Wes Anderson

Written by: Wes Anderson, Owen Wilson

Starring: Gene Hackman, Anjelica Huston, Ben Stiller, Gwenyth Paltrow, Luke Wilson, Owen Wilson, Danny Glover, Bill Murray, Alec Baldwin

Had I Seen it Before? Yes

Animal death in a Wes Anderson movie? R.I.P. Buckley

Wes Anderson loves him an ensemble cast. I think The Royal Tenenbaums might have the most impressive ensemble cast of them all. I would never think to make Ben Stiller and Luke Wilson brothers in a movie, but Chas and Richie are good complements to one another. Anderson retains more recurrent collaborators than any director I’ve seen, even more than the Coen brothers. Just look at this cast list for Isle of Dogs, his upcoming movie. It’s huge. Is there an actor in Anderson’s Rolodex that’s not in this movie? By 2025 Wes Anderson movies will be every niche actor alive shouting simultaneously in a lavishly-decorated room scored by Alexandre Desplat. 

When I first approached the movie list I’m using for this blog, it felt like it had to have every movie I’d heard of on it, or at least close to. But going through it there are a number of movies on there that I am surprised didn’t make the cut. Anderson has multiple movies that would be worth including on the list that didn’t make the grade (Life Aquatic and Fantastic Mr. Fox being the most egregious examples), and two of the movies that are included, Tenenbaums and Rushmore, feel like they under-serve the director’s talents. 

Irena Gorovaia, Aram Aslanian-Persico, and Amedeo Turturro as a young Margot, Chas, and Richie Tenenbaum

There’s nothing wrong with either of those movies, I’m a fan of both, but I don’t see why they’re the ones featured. Anderson’s signature style is pretty much unsuggested in his debut movie, Bottle Rocket, and only comes out in glimpses during Rushmore. The Royal Tenenbaums is his first movie that feels distinctly Anderson. No list of “essential” movies is going to be without issue, I knew that from the start. But no Moonrise Kingdom? Really?

I actually watched this movie a few days unaware that it was on this list, and so am writing this a few days removed. I don’t think it’s a big deal, but it is against my usual process. I don’t take notes or anything while I’m watching these movies as I’m not exactly writing a dissertation afterward, but I do like to keep them fresh in my mind when I go at it (although sometimes inspiration strikes at odd times, and I started my writeup for The Exterminating Angel at 5 am this morning). Maybe I should keep a notepad out while I’m watching these. It’d help me keep off my phone, which is goddamned impossible unless I’m watching a movie with subtitles or watching it with someone else. 

I’m not too concerned with form in these. I write them how I want them, and starting with that Vertigo one I did, I feel any sort of artificiality draining out of me, leaving me free to me as sophisticated or surface level as I feel like, depending on the movie. 

Bill Murray and Gwenyth Paltrow as Raleigh St. Claire and Margot Tenenbaum, in one of the most depressing screen couples in Anderson’s filmography, which is saying something

And I do tend to find Anderson movies more surface than substance, maybe if only because there’s so much surface it tends to drown everything else out. That’s not a knock, there’s enough of an emotional center in each Anderson movie to anchor it down, be it Steve’s grief in Life Aquatic, the disconnect between the brothers in Darjeeling, or the earnest, unaffected love between Sam and Suzy in Moonrise Kingdom. There are moments in each that cut pretty deeply, but his movies always seem to be more focused on playing the characters off of each other than proving a Grand Point (Grand Budapest Hotel being an exception, and one I’ll get more into when I watch that one for the list). 

Still, these are movies that I adore, and I don’t give a shit what that says about me. Everyone’s got their pet directors, and Anderson is one of mine. There’s not another out there like him right now, and that’s all I need to appreciate him. And, unlike someone like Tarantino or Spielberg or anyone with their own distinctive style, there seems to minimal derivatives of Anderson. I think the guy may have achieved a style that is so hopelessly idiosyncratic that emulation is doomed to be pointless. 

Final thoughts:

Next to Tarantino’s foot fetish, I think Anderson’s penchant for murdering pets and animals in his movies is one of the most bizarre trademarks of a hyper-stylized director. 

Richie’s suicide scene is one of my favorite examples of jump cuts in a movie, and that it’s soundtracked to Elliot Smith’s “Needle in the Hay” gives it a beautiful edge (if one that would be sadly prescient).

I also love how after Richie slices himself open, it gives that action cut of Dudley opening the door and goes to a very loose handheld camera shot and movement that is so against the grain for Anderson’s typically controlled and ultra-composed style. Sometimes directing is knowing when to go against type. 

That Owen Wilson, Luke Wilson’s real-life brother, was cast as a family friend and not a Tenenbaum feels deliberate. I don’t imagine the Wilson family dynamic is similar to the Tenenbaum one, and keeping Eli out of the family avoids unwarranted comparisons. 

IMDb users agree that this exchange between Richie and Chas in the hospital is gold:

Chas: Why did you try to kill yourself? Ethel: Don't press him right now. Richie: I wrote a suicide note. Chas: You did? Richie: Yeah. Right after I regained consciousness. Chas: Can we read it? Richie: No. Chas: Can you paraphrase it for us? Richie: I don't think so. Chas: Is it dark? Richie: Of course it's dark, it's a suicide note.

The are a few things in this movie that feel oddly familiar to later Anderson movies, specifically that the tent Richie and Margot lie down in appears to be the same as or very similar to the one Sam and Suzy use in Moonrise Kingdom.

Recommended: Arrested Development, which shares the dysfunctional upper-class conceit (complete with a bumbling patriarch), as well as the satirical fascination with incest. But, honestly, who is out there watching Wes Anderson movies that hasn’t heard of Arrested Development?

[holicpet-blog]

Protecting Your Dog From Hiking Hazards

New Post has been published on http://holicpet.com/2017/05/20/protecting-dog-hiking-hazards/

Protecting Your Dog From Hiking Hazards

For outdoorsy dog lovers, hiking with a canine companion is the perfect was to spend a weekend. Getting some exercise while experiencing the majestic natural world is fun on its own, but doing it with your best furry friend at your side elevates the experience to awesome. Hiking is a great way to bond with your pup, but there are plenty of hidden dangers to consider before venturing into the backcountry together.

  Bikes and Horses

Depending on the trail you choose, hiking may not be the only permitted use. You and your dog could be sharing the trail with mountain bikes, horses and riders. According to the ASPCA, hikers with dogs should move to the side of the trail and remain in a sit or stay while bikes or horses pass. If your dog is really distracted by the passersby, consider feeding a few treats to keep him or her focused. A dog who chases horses or cyclists could end up badly injured or the cause of a collision, so it’s best to keep them off the trail (or on-leash) until they have a reliable sit or stay.

  Dehydration

When hitting the trails with your furry hiking buddy, make sure to take frequent water breaks, even if your pup doesn’t seem that thirsty. Sometimes, dogs don’t want to press pause on the tree sniffing fun long enough to get a proper drink, but skipping the water bowl puts them at risk for dehydration, which can be life threatening.

If your dog begins to seem tired during a hike, get that water bowl out right away as slowing down is one of the first signs of dehydration in dogs.

  Too Much Sun

Dehydration, heat stroke and sunburns can be a trio of trouble during hot hikes. Keep the weather in mind before bringing your dog to the trail — if it’s too hot, don’t take the risk. If the heat is not extreme enough to stop you from hiking, remember to protect your dog as you would protect yourself. As your vet which sunscreen they would recommend for your pal, and keep an eye out for the symptoms of overheating. Excessive panting and difficulty breathing are a sign your dog needs to find some shade and a drink, stat.

  Contaminated Water

While you do want your dog to drink plenty of water while hiking, it should be water you’ve brought to the trail — not water he’s found. Pond, creeks, rivers and lakes can be home to diarrhea inducing parasites, from common Giardia to the more dangerous Leptospirosis, which can cause kidney and liver damage.

Proper hiking preparation is the best way to prevent your dog from picking up a waterborne parasite on the trail. Make sure your dog is up to date on their vaccinations, and train for reliable recall so you can call him back from any nasty water sources.

  Open Water

Pre-hike recall training isn’t just important for preventing your pup from drinking pond scum — it could also prevent him from drowning. Lakes and rivers require a higher level of swimming proficiency than the backyard pool, and can be hazardous to a dog who is already tired out from the trail.

Waterfalls and hots prings are beautiful and popular hiking destinations, but dogs — and their people — don’t always realize how dangerous they are. Many canine companions have tragically died after going over waterfalls, and in some cases people have plunged to their deaths while trying to save their pets. Lives have also been lost to hot springs. Multiple incidents have seen dogs unaware of the boiling temperatures dive in, and would-be rescuers killed or burned trying to save them. Cases like these are why some hiking trails, like those in Yellowstone National Park, ban dogs altogether.

  Wildlife

Yellowstone is far from the only national park to ban dogs from the trails safety’s sake. Wildlife poses as big a threat as water, and hiking through areas populated by other animals often means your dog will have to hike on leash, if they’re allowed at all.

A study of North American bear attacks suggests that although some hikers feel safer having an off-leash dog along in the backcountry, our canine companions may actually be attracting the bears they are so often credited with chasing off. To bears and other predators — including mountain lions and coyotes — your beloved pet is just prey, so it’s best to avoid taking dogs into their habitats.

  Be Prepared and Pay Attention

The recipe for a safe, dog-friendly hike is one part preparation, one part avoidance. Do your research before picking a trail to make sure it’s a good fit for you and your dog. Once you’re packed and on the trail, you may still come across hazards you hadn’t heard about. Often times signs will be posted along the trail advising hikers of potential dangers. They can be a bummer, but signs are usually posted for a reason, and it’s better to turn back than take a risk with your pup. If a trail is marked “no dogs allowed”, there’s probably a very good reason.

Are you an avid hiker? Do you have any helpful tips for others who hike with their dogs?

[tenorlss123]

10 Horrifying Facts You Really Didn’t Want to Know

While we aren’t out to paint the world as a picture of horrors, there are many things going on that you probably don’t want to know. From disgusting, to horrifying, to scary, sometimes people think they would be better off just staying in the dark. However, to be forewarned is to be forearmed, so it is important to know about even the most horrifying facts. These facts will surprise you, and some will make you think twice about the world around you.

10. There Are Many Lead Hotspots Much Worse Than Flint, Michigan

Flint, Michigan has been all over the news for a long time now. The city is a national name, and has become a well known story of how poor management on many different levels led to horribly high lead levels in the drinking supply of an already poor and struggling city. To this day the city’s water supply is still not cleaned up, even if many people have already moved on and stopped caring about it. However, what people really don’t realize is that Flint is only the tip of the iceberg.

In a study, Reuters identified 3,000 lead hotspots around the United States that were actually worse than Flint. Some of these cities have problems not so much with just water, but with crumbling infrastructure that was once built using lead paint. These structures fall apart, and young children inhale bits of paint while playing and end up with irreparable damage to their developing bodies. Overall the amount of cities that are still dealing with horrible lead issues from multiple sources is huge and the problem is mostly being ignored on a national level.

9. There Are More Slaves Right Now Than Ever In Recorded History

Most people believe that slavery is on the downslope. After all, most countries have outlawed it, and that makes it a lot more difficult to keep it around. However, some estimates still suggest that there are about 27 million people in some form of slavery today. This is easily the largest amount in recorded history, and more than double the amount taken during the transatlantic slave trade. Slavery often takes forms that aren’t as obvious as it might have been through history. People will end up working as slaves under debt, or for other, more subtle reasons, but it is still slavery. In many countries, child labor is incredibly common and the children are paid next to nothing at all.

However, for those who believed that it was already being stamped out and mostly gone, there is some hope. Some analysts believe that with countries outlawing it and getting better at enforcing it, there is hope it will be all or mostly gone within 30 years. Of course, you will never stop human nature, but the better we get at detecting it, stopping it, and helping the victims, the more we can keep the world free of slavery.

8. Rattlesnakes Are Evolving To Hide Their Rattle Sounds

Rattlesnakes are a well known fear of anyone traveling through certain parts of the country. That tell-tale rattling sound is a reminder that something very dangerous is nearby and that you should watch your step very carefully. They have become iconic for their rattle and featured on TV and other popular media. In all those situations where they have been used in movies or television, nobody ever stopped to ask what was scarier than a rattlesnake. And the answer is: a rattlesnake that doesn’t rattle. This may sound like the stuff of science fiction, or some kind of bad movie, but it is quickly becoming a reality.

Rattlesnakes are starting to evolve to no longer rattle at all. While some think it is a more direct genetic mutation in order to increase survival, even those who think somewhat otherwise still believe that it basically comes down to Darwinian survival mechanisms at play. Some rattlesnakes had a mutation where their rattle didn’t work right, and those without the rattles seemed to survive longer, which lead to more of those rattlesnakes reproducing. If this continues, the rattlesnake could evolve to no longer rattle at all, over time. At first the mechanism was used to ward off predators, but now it clearly is helping predators find it and possibly warning away prey. It may no longer be a useful feature for a rattlesnake so it is being discarded.

7. In Some Parts Of The American Southwest You Can Witness Swarms Of Mating Tarantulas

Tarantulas are one of the freakiest animals imaginable – they look like a hideous cross between a small animal and a large insect. It is for this reason that a few odd people out there like to keep them as pets, much to the chagrin of everyone around them. Tarantulas are hairy, have way too many legs, and generally freak out just about anyone who comes near one. In popular culture, despite being generally harmless, tarantulas are often described as being more poisonous than they actually are, and people go totally ballistic when they see one. Still, even knowing they are not poisonous, seeing a tarantula outside of a glass enclosure would be quite enough to get most of us running anyway.

If you really like tarantulas, though, you can visit the American Southwest during tarantula mating season. And if you really don’t like tarantulas, you should really stay away from the American Southwest during tarantula mating season. During that time of year, hundreds of tarantulas will be seen swarming all over the place and plenty end up inside people’s houses. Normally, tarantulas are very reclusive but will gladly come out to mate, and ensure the propagation of their hairy, too many-legged species. Also, when their eggs hatch, they hatch in the hundreds. Sweet dreams!

6. The Mercury Levels In Tuna Are Far More Dangerous Than Many People Realize

Many people eat tuna on a regular basis, sometimes even every day, and they probably shouldn’t – especially if they are pregnant. Many people have heard more recently about the dangers of mercury levels in tuna. Some people think it is only low-grade tuna, and others probably think that the whole thing is kind of overblown in general. However, the truth is that tuna is actually a lot more harmful than most people probably realize. Tuna is one of the larger fish, so it eats a lot of smaller fish and ends up with very high mercury levels. This is also the type of mercury that takes the longest to leave your body.

Some have reported eating a lot of tuna while pregnant, and then having a child with birth defects and other issues, including mental retardation. The sad truth is that many people are simply unaware of just how harmful tuna can be for pregnant women, and even for healthy people, it is not recommended to eat it more than a couple of times a week. While it is hard to prove if the mercury in tuna is truly responsible for a lot of these birth defect cases, it is definitely quite possible. In fact, a lot of people who think mercury from a vaccine cased autism may be confusing it with the mercury from fish they were eating. The mercury from a vaccine is a tiny amount and is a type of mercury that quickly and much more safely leaves the body, while the amounts in fish like tuna are much higher, and linger much, much longer.

5. The Doomsday Clock Has Been Getting Closer To Midnight Since 1991

For many years, the Atomic Scientists have been keeping an eye on something they call the “doomsday clock.” It’s a measurement they use for how close the world is to possible nuclear war and or annihilation. Right now the clock is only two and a half minutes from midnight – midnight essentially being the end of the world. And the worst part is that the clock has been steadily getting closer for some time now.

While the clock went down a tad bit very briefly in the early ’90s, and went down one minute in 2010, it has been rising pretty steadily for the past few decades. The clock measures many different factors, including the issues posed by climate change, nuclear weapons, the energy crisis and global overpopulation. They are worried that world leaders are not doing enough to work together to address all of these huge global issues, and they believe that we are in dire straits. The clock is currently a half minute away from tying with the closest the clock has ever had us to complete disaster.

4. Despite An Increase In “No Kill Shelters” Millions Of Animals Are Still Put Down Each Year

It has become an increasingly big issue, that’s gotten more attention in recent years, that the pet population is kind of out of control. Due to what people call “puppy mills” we now have tons of cats and dogs being churned out every year to satisfy the consumers’ need for fresh puppies and kitties to purchase. But people abandon pets for whatever reason, and shelters simply cannot handle them all. And these shops keep breeding and selling more and more animals in order to turn a profit. This has led to an issue where advocates for animals are now suggesting spaying or neutering your pet in order to prevent the out of control pet population from getting worse.

Many of these advocates are hoping to get things under control, because almost out of necessity, animals are being put down in huge numbers. There are simply far too many strays to be taken care of, and far too many neglected animals, with new ones being bred all the time. This has led to a “no kill” shelter movement, where shelters promise they will find homes for animals instead of killing them. Unfortunately, this is simply not always possible, and even these shelters are allowed to kill about 10% of animals they take in and still keep the designation. This means that even with this budding movement, we are still seeing millions of cats and dogs being put down every year because there are simply way too many pets out there, and not enough people that want them.

3. Our Satellite Infrastructure Is Already Dealing With Something Known As “Kessler Syndrome”

Kessler syndrome was proposed by the NASA scientist Donald Kessler decades ago, and it is currently something we are already starting to see the effects of, although it is not close to dangerous yet. Kessler Syndrome is a theory that Kessler came up with while studying meteorites, when he decided he wanted to also test his algorithms on satellites, and came up with some alarming results. What he essentially discovered was that if we continued to blanket the space around earth with satellites, we could eventually end up with collisions that could lead to satellites crashing more and more frequently until we lost all GPS and other such things that we rely on so much right now.

However, for those who are worried, Kessler does not believe we have any immediate concerns. He does not believe the collisions will really start speeding up for another 20 years or more. And he also believes that if we take the time to clean up all the junk satellites in outer space, instead of simply adding more, that we may be able to get the problem under control before it ever gets to a point where we cannot stop it. While 20 or more years may seem like a long way off, if we do not go to the proper trouble to prepare now, then when the time gets closer, it may already be too late.

2. The Egg Industry Has Been Grinding Up Baby Male Chicks In Grinders For Decades

Many of us eat meat and we accept that there is a certain level of cruelty inherent in any mass market system for butchering, sterilizing, processing, and packaging meat for millions of people. However, most of us also feel that if the process for producing food could be made more ethical and still be efficient enough then that is definitely something people should be going for. In particular, while most of us accept factory farming as a necessary evil, some people may be a bit shocked when they learn of a big part of the process required in the production of your eggs.

See, there are two main different types of chicken breeds used in commercial farming. One is for producing meat and the other is for laying eggs. For efficiency reasons, you never see one being used for the other. When hatching chicks of the egg laying breed, only the females can actually lay eggs, and the males don’t really have much use. This means that the standard practice is to toss the male chicks, while still alive, into a machine that is a basically a wood chipper and grind them up while they are still alive. Even those of us who eat meat likely find this practice pretty barbaric – at least we believe in actually eating the animals that are killed for our sustenance. Grinding up the baby male chicks is basically just cruel and wasteful. The industry has claimed they are working on technology that will allow them to solve this by knowing which eggs to hatch in the first place – knowing which ones are female to begin with, but they won’t be ready to do that until at least 2020.

In the meantime, be sure to enjoy that Easter Egg hunt!

1. Going To Space May Not Actually Be Such A Great Idea For Most People

Many people find the idea of space travel extremely romantic – it sounds incredibly cool, and almost every Sci-Fi movie is set in space in some form or another. However, as neat as it sounds, being in space is actually pretty awful. Even if you could get past all the issues of having to use vacuum tubes and other gadgets to do every basic task, you would have to deal with the fact that space will quickly eat away at your physical and mental health. See, the reason that NASA always demands people who are absolutely the most fit possible, and in totally perfect health, is that anyone else almost doesn’t even stand a chance at all of handling the rigors of space travel.

Many astronauts, due to the unique effects on their bodies, come back with permanently decreased eyesight. Sleep deprivation is common, and the mental and physical stress is very difficult to handle. After prolonged time in space, atrophy of your muscle tissue, as well as your actual bone structure, are common. This is another reason why NASA does not want any astronaut to stay in space for too long without taking a break. To make matters worse, astronauts often report seeing flashes of bright light directly in their brains. This is radiation, and is possibly doing all kinds of different damage to them that won’t be fully understood until later. Even in low earth orbit, this can be dangerous. Farther out at space, the effects could be a lot worse. On top of this, scientists have reason to believe that the immune system also doesn’t work as well in space – although this could also be due to the exposure to radiation weakening it. Either way, while space certainly sounds like a fun place to be in movies, for now, they can leave the real thing to the astronauts.