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[Rant] I don't feel like it's worth being in the fandom if I'm not an artist.

Furry Reddit - Sun 8 Feb 2015 - 23:18

Every furry I've ever encountered (including myself) has attempted some form or another of art. The problem is, I know more people who DO draw than don't, and everyone I know just seems so passionate about it, like everything is going perfectly for them and they're so talented. Why can't I do something like that and feel like I have a purpose in this fandom? It's like I'm a leech and all I do is pretend to be good at things even though I've never once contributed anything original to the furry fandom. Even making my character, almost every single piece of art of him was drawn out of the kindness of people's hearts just because they wanted to draw him. Fuck, I just want to feel like I belong here... That's all I've wanted for a few years now. I've lurked for even longer. Is there anyone else on this planet who's a furry but is not an artist?

submitted by SonderTheGriffon
[link] [46 comments]
Categories: News

Thanks, everyone

Furry Reddit - Sun 8 Feb 2015 - 23:07

I've been in kind of a bad place for a few months now. I'm always tired, stressed, and overworked. I go to bed mostly because I'm just fed up with dealing with everything, not because I'm physically tired. Along with that, my relationship is going downhill.

Anyway, I come on here and you guys make me feel Safe. At the very least, you give me a little happy break from everything. It wouldn't be near as nice if the community weren't so kind and accepting. Thank you for another small joy in my life.

submitted by Gshep1
[link] [6 comments]
Categories: News

I need hugs right now

Furry Reddit - Sun 8 Feb 2015 - 23:01

I need floofy internet hugs right now. I'm also looking to just chat with people. Hope I don't sound like a hugslut.

Edit: All of you people are amazing, thank you so much.

submitted by RGBrazberry
[link] [35 comments]
Categories: News

Been lurking around this sub for a few days now. Just figured I'd come out of the woods and introduce myself~

Furry Reddit - Sun 8 Feb 2015 - 22:31

Hello, everyone!

I'm your friendly, neighborhood, cybernetically augmented wolf. I am 23 years old and fresh out of college. I earned a BFA with a concentration in sculpture and ceramic art (I also do screen/relief printing and draw a bit, too).

Never really introduced myself in the furry community before. Been a bit timid and shy in the past, but I'd like to be a part of the community and maybe make some new friends along the way.

So again- Hello! waves frantically like an idiot

-Wasab3

submitted by Paws-Wasab3
[link] [9 comments]
Categories: News

Asimi the Kat (speedpaint).

Furry Reddit - Sun 8 Feb 2015 - 21:26
Categories: News

Met some furries in public, actually talked to them, everything went better than expected.

Furry Reddit - Sun 8 Feb 2015 - 21:17

First off, hi, I'm mawaty, long time lurker. Been a furry for a while now, but I've never been a part of the community.

Anyway, yesterday I drove my sister down to the local mall to meet a friend. I decided to hang around, grab an rp card and some food, and chill in the food court until I had to drive my sister and myself home. As I'm standing in line for food, I notice something I wouldn't have expected to see in the middle of a food court. A red (fox?) fursuit head! Of course, I get excited, and I head over to say hey. After some pretty awkward introductions, I discover that about four of the rather large group are furries. The group as a whole were all pretty cool, but I was taken away by how inviting and awesome these guys were. My first real interaction with any furry, and it went much better than I could've imagined.

Rory, Booker, and all the other guys, (if you guys are even on reddit haha) thanks for being so accepting. You guys made my day. :3

submitted by mawaty
[link] [25 comments]
Categories: News

Hey y'all! Any room for..

Furry Reddit - Sun 8 Feb 2015 - 21:16

... a self-termed 'furhag'?

Yes, I know that sounds a tad ugly, but let me explain! I'm somewhat still a bit newish to Reddit; long time lurker, but finally decided to see the world past the Front Page. What brings me here, though? I'll try to keep it short(ish); I like to chat, so forgive me if I ramble.

Anyway, I had been informed that I really don't 'exist'. What I mean by that is during a conversation I had with a friend who is a furry, is that as I have friends and tend to gravitate to those who are furries, I enjoy furry art (most art that is.. I've come across some that had me headtilting like o_O, but then again, to each their own), and just learning about fursonas and all, that it means that I myself have to be a closeted furry. I don't think that is true. I'm the one who responded that I was a furhag (mainly cause I'm an older woman), I'm quite sure I do not have a fursona. I have gone to many conventions, and I tend to go pretty much all Elmira over furries I run into, and, yes, I have been in a cuddle pile or two and the warm fuzzies lasted for hours after (I'm a cuddler anyway, so..)

But does that make me an -oh dear- unicorn? That I am a latent furry? Or is it true that there are others like me, who don't just simply 'tolerate' furries, but actually enjoy celebrating and supporting them?

submitted by _zorathenne_
[link] [11 comments]
Categories: News

What stereotypes are held to different species?

Furry Reddit - Sun 8 Feb 2015 - 20:30

The only one I know of is that of foxes, but what are some other ones?

submitted by Spartar3mix
[link] [41 comments]
Categories: News

The downside to not being artistic in this fandom (general rant)

Furry Reddit - Sun 8 Feb 2015 - 19:55

As in, not artistically minded whatsoever.

Someone's been working on my reference sheet for the last month. Before making the request, I made sure to have a bunch of sample art of what I was looking for, but I knew that since this was being made from scratch, it was going to be annoying for me to visualize, and therefore annoying for them to draw.

I think I've pushed their patience too much though.

The proof-of-concept sketch was surprisingly great. Just a few fixes regarding structure, and things would be looking good. I tried my best to describe those fixes, and they came back with another sketch. Well, not quite what I expected given what I said. Or, maybe I'm not envisioning things right myself.

Anyway, they asked for an A-OK from me for the front, and while I still felt something was off with the hand and feet, I couldn't visualize the corrections to be made to say no. The back view came in, and I wasn't really pleased with the tail. Again, having a hard time visualizing what would look better, so I gave general feedback. It turned out well, but I started to sense some frustration.

Today they were working on colour. Have I made it clear that I have no fucking artistic sense of mind? I gave a general colour to work on, no patterns to work with, just general guidelines. And I continued to feel like shit for leading them in a direction I eventually found I didn't want them to go.

I know reference sheets are supposed to be frustrating. But I feel like the process got a whole lot more fucking complicated when I started to interject. I mean, I feel really bad, but at the same time, I keep telling myself that if I'm not satisfied with this, it'll be a waste of time for both of us (and a waste of money on my end). I wish I could draw out what I wanted and hand it to them instead of expecting that they guess properly what I want. But it doesn't work like that.

Now that I've written this much, I feel like I'm circling around the point. I feel like this lack of creativity inherent to my head is just going to be cumbersome as long as I commission stuff. And that just zaps the fun out of all of this.

Sorry, now this post feels stupid. Just needed to write my thoughts out.

EDIT: Also, in addition to this: I have massive respect for the work they've done and what they've put up with so far, but I feel like that's not coming across. I'm really excited to see the end result when all is said and done, I just wish it was less arduous.

submitted by ericleb010
[link] [23 comments]
Categories: News

He's Gay; She's Demisexual; Can It Work?

Ask Papabear - Sun 8 Feb 2015 - 19:33
Dear Papabear,

I'm a male furry in a relationship with a non-fur and it has been going great. She accepts me for who I am, furry and all. This sounds like a great thing but here's the problem: I'm gay. I came to terms with it about a year ago and we've been together for three years. What do I do? She knows I'm more gay than straight, but I really don't think I'm straight at all. I still really like her but I don't know if I will ever feel sexually attracted to her, or love her more than I'd love a close friend. To make matters worse, she's been talking about marriage and it is making me uncomfortable... I really don't want to end it, but it just seems wrong being with a female...

Also I have this friend that I AM attracted to, and he apparently reciprocates my feelings, but neither of us will do anything about it because I'm already in a relationship.

I want my girlfriend to be happy and she's always saying how happy she is that we're together and she's demisexual so she may never find someone else that she loves this way... This makes it harder for me to even think about an end to the relationship because she's such a great person and I really don't want her to be alone for the rest of her life...

I'm sort of at a loss and any help would be appreciated... Thanks.

Kye Fox

* * *

Dear Kye Fox,

You don’t need to “end it” in terms of friendship, but you sure as heck need to stop letting her think that this is going to lead to marriage. Can you imagine what would happen if you let it get that far? All the way through the expensive ceremony? the honeymoon? ... but no kids because you don’t like her in that way. So, not only would you be deceiving her about what you could do for her as a husband, but if she ever wanted children you would be depriving her of that, as well.

Stop this charade. You are not doing her any favors by pretending this is any more than what it actually is. And don’t undervalue friendship. A good, real, binding friendship can be just as precious as a marriage in many ways.

Furthermore, if you went through with marriage with your girlfriend, you could potentially be depriving your male friend of what could actually be a romantic matehood—so that would be two people whose lives you would be wrongfully affecting because you’re afraid you’d hurt your girlfriend’s feelings.

As for her being demisexual (for readers who aren’t familiar with the word, it refers to people who can only be sexually aroused by those with whom they are emotionally bonded), you might be thinking of yourself as a little too indispensable. There are a lot of people out there who would appreciate a woman like her. So, your count is now up to three other human beings who could be hurt by this: your potential boyfriend, your girlfriend, and the guy who could be her real mate if you admit to her that the two of you getting married is a bad idea.

By now you should see where Papabear’s going with this. You might think you’re doing her a favor by hiding the truth, but you’re really not. Time to ‘fess up, hon.

Hugs,

Papabear

Sending ALL the art to Africa: Expanding Horizons

FurStarter - Sun 8 Feb 2015 - 19:10

Half the artists go on a creative quest to Botswana…a multimedia journey and collaborative story

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Expanding Horizons

Kickstarter ending 3/7/15

CreativesojurnmapBefore I get much further, I’m going to say what we must all be thinking: I would love to be on that boat.

Eleven talented artists, storytellers, researchers, travelling to Africa, to a place that in many ways symbolizes the wildness that is (or we wish was) the animal part of our hearts.

Okay, a case could also be made for Yellowstone’s wolf park, but they have lions. And hyenas, meerkats, zebra, African wild dogs…it may not be The Lion King, but it is both Animals are Beautiful People and The Gods Must Be CrazyAnd I do love both of those films, but they’re another place, and really, another time, inaccessible, except through stories, film, and art. About that last word…art.  If there’s one thing that binds the fandom together–besides a pathological love of foxes and the way every furry I know has that one doormat–it’s art. We’re a community that builds conversations through art. It’s the world our animal sides live in between conventions. And artists–illustrators, reporters, cartoonists, journalists, and bloggers (represent, yo)–bring that world to life, and in the right circumstances, can bring that world to us.  “Expanding Horizons” began with one artist’s love of Africa. You may know her work–there’s a non-zero chance you’re wearing a piece right now. Foxfeather Zenkova believes passionately that travel and experience feeds art. Not a new idea, but a very true one. And over years, she has gone on ever more complicated trips with larger groups of companions, steering away from fancy hotels and more toward local food and day-to-day life.  “Travel is so important to an artist or writer…what we share is bred from our imagination, fed from our experiences.” In proud defiance of an artist’s lack of vacation time or living wages, Foxfeather and a collection of several other people who live somewhere near the heart of our fandom brought together the money, time, and inspiration to pursue the slightly crazy dream of a backroad trip through Botswana, a land that’s almost half wildlife reserve, a trip five years in the making.  CreativesojurnbookspreadAll of that is pretty neat, but the part where they share the journey with the fandom, as it happens–is where it turns from “pretty neat” to “this might be magic.” Enough furry and fur-friendly artists and creatives to fill a very small but exciting convention will set out this April across Botswana, sharing their stories, observations, illustrations, side quests, and the sort of lifetime stories and misadventures you get by throwing a bunch of very different people into an unfamiliar, challenging environment. Lensed through the sidewise words of Ursula Vernon, the luminous art of Balaa, the passion of Utunu and Kikivuli. Lensed through our friends. Part old-school, turn-of-the-last-century travelogue, part blog, part nature journalism, and perhaps just a bit of buddy-flick, “Expanding Horizons” is a journey into the natural world, and, hopefully, a return (although this is the first Kickstarter I’ve seen with “may be eaten by lions” in the “Risks and Challenges” section, so…who knows…)  “Travel power-levels us. It fills us to the brim with exciting new things and we rocket back to our studios TO MAKE THINGS with flames bursting from our hands.” I’m going to close this with a look at the people and/or creatures who are taking this mad visionquest, but first a brief look at the Kickstarter itself. The core product here is the book, “A Creative Sojourn”, loaded with sketches, ramblings, stories…Jackal hair? That’s probably a misprint…and the joy of the journey. Each person making a gift of any real size, $5, gets access to the group’s travel blog on Tumblr. After that, there’s a number of customized rewards–art by Foxfeather, Laura Garabedian, Vantid, given the crew a number of personalized touches would almost have to be on the itinerary. All solid offerings and at pretty reasonable prices, considering the context. Everything here is solid–while this is at heart a “fund the dream” sort of project, the goal is actually quite reasonable for a book of this scope, and the price points are about what you’d expect from talented artists.  The goal of the kickstarter is modest, only $3,500–the single biggest expense of all this–the travel–is already bought and paid for. For the most part, the funds of the kickstarter are dedicated to the production cost of the book, with any overage going to reduce the burden of cost on the artists. Now, who’s on that boat…I do know how to count to 11, but Foxfeather is keeping a few guests as surprises. CreativesojurnFoxfeather Foxfeather R. Zenkova lives, graphically speaking, at Foxloft Studios, with more art on FA, and her tagua pendants are pretty much a required part of the furry uniform (I keep coming back to those, but I really like them!). Her travel agenda: surviving scuba diving with sharks, and looking for EVERY BIRD. Creativesojurnlaurag Laura Garabedian, of FairyTaleswithTails (or on FA), is a watercolor artist out of Colorado. She’ll be livening the book up with sketches and paintings and more than a little storytelling. Creativesojurnmbala Roman Zenka posts an ongoing series of comical whimsy as “Mbala” on FA. According to Foxfeather, he has a bit of a zebra obsession, so is clearly going to the right place. He will be contributing comics, photographs, and Czech. Creativesojurnursula Ursula Vernon is a talented fantasist and writer, cartoonist and illustrator. You can have much of the Ursula experience at Red Wombat Studio, although you may enjoy being weirded out by her quirky bite-sized podcast, “The Hidden Almanac,” or the epic webcomic, Digger. The “Expanding Horizons” project will keep her mostly journaling and keyboarding, but…we’ll see. Creativesojurnbalaa Balaa’s glowing art is just impossible to describe–rich, luminous fantasies. And so many cats.Check her gallery, I can’t do her justice here. You can get a teaser for her long-term graphic novel here, and the “Horizons” trip should be powerful inspiration for her art. CreativesojurnvantidVantid, check her art on FA or AmberHillArt, is a specialist in amazingly realistic wildlife fantasy illustration, with a strong grounding in animal painting and anatomy. Expect to see her filling the role of naturalist, with anatomical studies, movement, bird sketches–and lots and lots of notes on the local food.Creativesojurnherrell

 It is distinctly possible that Edwin and Jenine Herrell, alias Utunu and Kikivuli, are the most +favorited couple in the fandom. Both are talented writers, and will be sharing their words, photography, and passion for African wildlife–including their own personal quest to photograph the elusive African wild dog–the four-legged kind, though we may see the couple in their natural habitat. Utunu has also promised to bring me back a hyena, if he can fit one in his luggage, and I’m holding him to this one.
Categories: News

Sleepy Novashi

Furry Reddit - Sun 8 Feb 2015 - 18:28
Categories: News