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Likely you’ve heard of the Ursa Major Award-winning anime called Aggretsuko, yes? Did you know that Oni Press recently started a full-color comic book version? Neither did we! “Sanrio and Oni Press join forces to bring Aggretsuko to comics for the first time! Aggretsuko, the hit Netflix show in production for season three, stars Retsuko the Red Panda, a young office worker stuck in a thankless job, whose only stress release is singing heavy metal at the local karaoke joint. With the help of her friends, can she ever find the job satisfaction she craves – – not to mention adventure, the approval of her mother, and even… love?!” It’s written by Daniel Barnes, and illustrated by DJ Kirkland and Sarah Stern. Take a look at Oni’s page — and some creepy alternate covers!

image c. 2020 Sanrio

Air Pirate Funnies was created by Dan O’Neill with the help of Bobby London, Shary Flenniken, Gary Hallgren and Ted Richards in 1971. Only 2 issues were ever printed. The first in July, the second in August of that year. Air Pirate Funnies was an underground comic (meaning it was not published by some big […]

In the world of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Jennika is a former soldier of the Foot Clan — who was transformed into a new ninja turtle herself! Well now IDW have decided that this new “fifth turtle” should have her own full-color series. “Trying to acclimate to life as a mutant, the newest turtle Jennika embarks on a solo adventure that will force her to come to terms with both her troubled past and conflicted present. Not to mention a brand new villain! Brahm Revel (Guerrillas) returns to reveal more of Jennika’s backstory from his acclaimed TMNT Universe tale ‘What is Ninja?’!” Jennika is out now and on the shelves.

image c. 2020 IDW Publishing

We started off with the normal roundup & news, then got together with more friends and played some Jackbox Games (YouTube version only.)

FurCast is sponsored by Twin Tail Creations. Use coupon codes REDWOLF or BLUEFOX to save 15% on silicone products during checkout. Free FurCast Themed Colorations are also available which can be applied as a color choice to your toy purchase.

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Link Roundup:

• Fursuits For Sale
  • Example 1
  • Example 2
  • Example 3
  • Example 4
  • Shop Mascot, possibly the original source?
• Defcon canceled due to COVID-19
• Jib’s new animation
• Neural Net spits out fake fursonas
  • The Next Web Article
  • ThisFursonaDoesNotExist.com
  • Example Paradox Liked
  • Morphing video of AI output
• VancouFur Raises Money for Charity

 

 

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Bearly Furcasting #2, Potatoes, Dad Jokes and Math

[Papabear note: I was unable to reply to this writer because it was sent to me from an email account on the Tahoma School District server, which apparently does not allow replies from friendly bears. Therefore, here's hoping the letter writer will see this page!]

PapaBear,

Hello, I've come to say... WHY AM I BULLIED AT SCHOOL?!?! I don't understand why kids at my school think I'm weird and mock me. but there's some nice people, one time, at my school, Logan, this kid said my Dinosaur mask was COOL! and asked if he could wear it (before Corona virus), so, I let him! and he was pretty nice, but also someone called me B**** at school, he got in trouble, and then this one girl was afraid of me, but no she CHILL! Anyway, I've recently Noticed that I'm being bullied, because this one dude, I was making noises at, was mocking me, like, "Raaga ghhh, yeah, shut up," and ow hes still rude to me ... and now my friends are saying when I tell them my problems, they are saying, "Well, what do you expect when you're running around like a dinosaur?"

It's just annoying to me, and I'd like advice.

Thanks!

Signed, 
Card the Wyvern

P.S my TikTok)) @dragondinosquad ))) follow me im lonely guys ;w;))

* * *

Dear Card,

Well, I notice in the form you sent that you're not a dinosaur, you're a wyvern. That's pretty awesome that you know the difference between a dragon and a wyvern and you are only 12 years old :-3.

The issue of bullying is a HUGE one, and many books have been written about it. I don't have time to write a book, so I will be brief.

First and foremost to note is this (and it seems you already understand this): if you are being seriously tormented with hate (verbal or physical), make sure that the adults in your school and your parents are aware of this and take appropriate action to stop it. There is no justification for bullying, which is a very serious act and should never be tolerated.

The second point is this: people bully for a couple of reasons. One reason is that they are insecure about themselves, and so they pick on people who are different or appear weak to feel better about themselves. Most bullies will back down if you stand up to them because, inside, they are actually cowards. The second kind of bully is just the sort of mundane who has no imagination and is fearful of those who are different, creative, unique, or more intelligent or enlightened than they are. There is IMMENSE pressure in the schoolyard of life for people to conform because they want to be accepted by society. That is human nature.

But you know what? The remarkable people of the world, the people who are inventors, artists, and dreamers who make the world a better place, are never the bullies and conformists of the world. They are people like you, Card.

It is terrific you are exploring your furry side, but there is a lesson to be learned here: There is a time and a place for being furry. Wearing a reptilian mask at school and making growly noises is going to set you up for rejection, disdain, taunting, and bullying (whoever said "what do you expect?" was actually making a keen observation). Therefore, you need to keep such behavior out of school and, when you go to school, just focus on listening to the teacher, doing your lessons, and taking your tests. 

There is a lesson here to learn, and it is not a happy one: People might say they will accept you for who you are, but that is not true for many people. They say it, but they don't mean it. To protect yourself, you must learn that sometimes, especially in social settings like schools, where you do not control the situation, you have to pretend you are "one of them." 

The good news is this: There are tens of thousands (possibly hundreds of thousands) of furries in the world, and these are the people who are fine with your being a wyvern. 

Part of growing up is learning how to deal with people. You will learn, after much trial and error, who the real people are and who the fake ones are. Choose your friends carefully, and you will be much happier. Learn which people are not your friends, and those are the people to whom you do not show your real self. They don't deserve to know what a terrific person you are, so don't give them the opportunity to try and bully you and put you down.

And always remember this: If you get criticized, consider the source. If someone who is not your friend or who you do not respect criticizes you, then what do you care? Brush it off. It is of no consequence because they have not earned the right to judge you.

Big Bear Hugs,
Papabear

Once again, a cool new cartoon on Netflix — that’s only shown in countries other than the USA. From Animation Magazine: “New Brazillian animated series Tainá and the Amazon’s Guardians, produced by Hype Animation, Sincrocine, and the Viacom group, is making its streaming debut on Netflix across all of Latin America. Aimed at preschool audiences, the show follows the adventures of a young Indigenous girl named Tainá and her animal friends: The monkey Catu, the king vulture Pepe, and the little hedgehog Suri. With little heroes who are always ready to take care of the forest and their friends, Tainá and the Amazon’s Guardians brings messages of respect, friendship and care for nature to the streaming platform.” The article includes a video of the opening.

image c. 2020 Hype Animation

Foxers or Beariefs is an erotic anthology themed around underwear. Every story puts a generally hidden undergarment at the forefront in various forms with all the inherent fixings. Smells, textures, and most importantly personality are featured heavily in this collection. Each story uses underwear as a venue to build a story around its characters; some become quiet and embarrassed while others are emboldened, even thrilled with the possibilities that lay bare before them. The collection is organized by type of underwear and near flawlessly executed.TJ Minde starts off the lineup with "Missed Feelings." An otter and rabbit couple begin at the mall, eyeing passers-by and discussing their behaviors in the bedroom. A few hints are made, and later that night the female otter roleplays as a male horse using a strap-on to give her rabbit lover a ride. It’s a tale of loyalty and the drive to do what it takes to satisfy a partner. The writing isn’t particularly complex, but it is well done and easy to follow. This tale’s strengths are its vivid characters and satisfying descriptions."Bare-Assed Broadway" is Ashe Valisca’s sequential story of a chipmunk named Ryan that dreams of making it big. As the tale usually goes, his dreams take a while to become reality. He gets on the grind, realizing that it’s harder than he thought to make it. Along the way he gets involved with a tiger aptly named Richard who has as much of an affinity for jockstraps as Ryan does. Their relationship as well as Ryan’s success grow through the years. This story features strong musk and desire alongside a relationship that is enjoyable to read about. The interactions full of innuendos between the characters are relatable and interesting to read through.A sparsely populated 24-hour gym is an excellent venue for Sisco Polaris’s "Jocks in the Gym." Richard is a husky who is forced to work late on Wednesdays causing him to go to the gym late, which happens to be the time that a muscular Doberman named Carlton is there as well. Richard is gay and becomes infatuated with Carlton’s Adonis-like form. And his used jockstraps. Which lay abandoned when Carlton goes to shower. A tale of thrilling guilty pleasures follows these fortunate circumstances. The exhibition of admiration, greed, embarrassment, and liquid catharsis are all used to build a satisfying read. The entire thing is a riveting rollercoaster of action."Getchoo" by Cedric G! Bacon is about a fox named Jay who happens upon his skunk friend’s g-string and can’t get enough of it. What starts as a mishap turns into a slight obsession for the fox. One that the skunk takes advantage of. Luckily, she has a bit of a soft spot for the fox as well. But that doesn’t mean that she lets him off easy. Not at all. This story shows domination/submission in a way that is enjoyable for both parties as well as the reader. Just like the characters, I really, really loved it."Perfection of the Visionary Courier" by Al Song gets right to the heart of what I feel is the central theme of this anthology. Milton is a coyote who lacks confidence but is smart and much more capable than he realizes. And damn he looks good in a speedo. He meets Cliff, an adopted river otter who built himself from the ground up to be a swimwear and underwear designer. Cliff helps Milton build his confidence and get more comfortable with himself and the world around him. The relationship between the two and how Cliff was able to grow as a result is a great read. Sometimes, all it takes is a little confidence and exposure to get yourself to a better place.Jaden Drackus writes about a male underwear model in "A Hint o’ Lace." Jake is specifically a model for underwear designed with athletes in mind. He’s also gay and is asked to model panties designed for guys. He takes it as a perfect opportunity to explore his more feminine side and receive rather than take. A rat named Steve gives him his chance. Even though Jake has grown comfortable with putting his masculine side on very public display, all he wants is for someone to listen and tend to his more feminine needs. I found the juxtaposition interesting. A professional model who looks “uncomfortable with his appearance.” The story serves as a good example of the several forms that discovering oneself may take. The dialogue was refreshing without being overbearing. There was a familiarity to Jack and Steve that makes them relatable to many kinds of readers. The erotic payoff is also well worth it."Silken Threads" is a futuristic story by Gre7g Luterman. An exotic tale of Tish and Kanti who enjoy a night of silky lingerie and teasing. The pair know each other very well and use it to their advantage, always riding the edge between desire and satisfaction. This story doesn’t describe too much about the biology of the characters or the setting. Instead it gave bits and pieces that, while they made the setting exotic, didn’t contribute much to the story and felt irrelevant. I found it difficult to visualize the scene due to the lack of information and as a result, the action fell short for me. One thing that was conveyed well throughout was the building desire between the two and how they reacted to each other. While I would have preferred more context about the characters and their environment, the story is interesting and has good flow."Switching Sides" by Televassi tells a story about a zebra who hasn’t been satisfied in the bedroom for a while. It is filled with analogies related to sports and football. And wearing his snow leopard girlfriend’s panties. The story does great with challenging societally generated gender roles. It also stresses the importance of communication as it takes the zebra’s hyena friend to manufacture the catalyst to get the couple to talk to each other. The action in this story was easy to follow and even slightly humorous. I also found it funny how the main character is a zebra that plays football; people also call football referees zebras. Just a small detail that, if intentional, makes the story even more endearing.A fox in a queer punk band. He hasn’t quite found his identity in the music world, but that’s what "Bottoms Up" by Miles Reaver is all about. Kevin ends up joining a band with two well-established queer punk musicians that already have their things: Jessie paints his paws, arms, and tail different colors while Dav removes his shirt and tosses it into the crowd. Eventually, Kevin frees himself physically as well as mentally by getting his underwear cut out and thrown into the crowd. He gets less concerned with just the music and starts having much more fun, allowing himself to truly enjoy his life. Enough to take his lack of underwear a little bit further. The relationships between the band members are escalated in a realistic way and how they grow closer together makes for a good read.If you’re looking for a graphically erotic choose-your-own-adventure, "Fire of my Loins" by Thurston Howl definitely fits the bill. You take the role of the Chosen, a leader that will enact one of two rituals. Several outcomes are possible and the choices you make affect which ending you get. It is a challenging type of story to write. This one has a narrative that makes sense, and there are hints along the way that make it feel like the outcomes don’t come from out of nowhere. The small interjections at the end of each story path are humorously blunt. I think that the story structure is a bit simple, but for a choose-your-own-adventure of this length, it would be a mess to make it more complex. If you want to feel like the main character in a creepy erotic tale, give this one a try.A raccoon named Cole gets a bit more than he bargained for in "The Weekend" by Whiteclaw. It was supposed to be a chill time at his friend Tyler’s house but when a drink gets spilled all over Cole, he gets prescribed a shower and a thong courtesy of Ryan, Tyler’s brother. Cole discovers that he likes thongs and that Ryan might be more helpful than originally thought. This story mostly boils down to friends having a good time and the discovery of new preferences. A simple story, but still entertaining.Fundoshi is a simple Japanese undergarment much like a loincloth. "A Cultural Exchange" by Miriam “Camio” Curzon features it prominently as an American college student named Jason debates performing in front of his peers while wearing it. His Japanese friend Tatsuya does his best to convince Jason. Not just about wearing fundoshi but also about being comfortable with his body and throwing away constrictive societal norms. Jason’s growth in confidence is evident throughout, and by the end he is able to perform without any worries. The way Tatsuya was written as a character was very satisfying and realistic, allowing the reader to relate to Jason better. I also enjoyed how music and drumming played into the story, as if the rhythm of the drums moved the story along. This tale was one of my favorites in the whole collection."A Brief Distraction" is a deliciously devious story about technologically advanced briefs by Royce Day. Melanie gives her fox husband Rolas a pair of SmartTex: underwear is controlled by a smartphone app. Melanie uses it to tease Rolas during his business meeting and then in the bedroom where he is forced to submit to her for his release. The pair have a lot of love and trust for each other which is easily apparent to the reader. Their relationship is the driving factor for the action and the buildup is written well. A worthy finisher to a great collection.Overall, Foxers or Beariefs explores several different themes alongside all of the different kinds of underwear. The stories are edited well, and the reader is told about any potentially offensive content prior to the pertinent stories. The organization of the stories by type of underwear is humorous and practical, much like the way some of the undergarments are utilized in the stories themselves. This isn’t just an anthology themed around underwear; it’s about how beneficial it can be to bare oneself before the world. The characters’ journeys illustrate this and collectively serve as examples of how communication and exploration are important to self-realization. So don’t get put off by the question of Foxers or Beariefs. Do yourself a favor and give it a read. For me, it’s 9 proudly waving undergarments out of 10.

In a lonely corner of the lunar landscape, a classic, seat-of-the-pants detective sticks out his shingle and does what he does best, solving the hard crimes no one else wants to bother with. Jove Deadly is a bloodhound, literally born and bred for this work, and he’s an instantly lovable character with a nose for trouble, a constant craving for peanut butter, and a substantial addiction to rawhide chews. Together with his otter sidekick, Jove uses his skills and contacts to unravel a pair of mysteries with all the action you could want and a few familial ties that he would happily do without. In Jove Deadly’s Lunar Detective Agency, two authors each contribute a tale of intrigue, mystery and betrayal. In part one, Jove is enlisted to find a missing person, who also happens to be his estranged brother. The high-class poodle who hired him is keeping her own secrets, and the case takes more twists and turns than a snake’s tail. Part two introduces us to Jove’s sister, and follows the loose ends left dangling in part one as Jove and his crew race to find a missing professor with information about a legendary human artifact. Both stories were strong and engaging, and they tied in well together, giving the book a strong sense of continuity even though the individual authors’ styles are quite different. Where part one has the classic noir detective feel, with slightly heavier prose and a darker tone, part two embodies the light-hearted, whimsical tone of Mary E. Lowd’s style and echoes the rest of her stories set in this universe. I thoroughly enjoyed both halves of Jove Deadly’s Lunar Detective Agency, and it is a high recommend for me to any fan of detective stories, of furry scifi, or anyone already enamored with the Otters in Space stories. My only word of warning is this: make certain you have peanut butter in the house before reading part two. You will definitely want it.

This week, we weren't feeling up to it on Thursday night, so Savrin sat down on Friday to talk a little bit about things they wanted to touch on that will be ancient history by the time next week rolls around.

Patreon! It makes us happy if you can help: https://www.patreon.com/Southpawscast

LINKS Cyberpunk 2077 ESRB rating: https://www.esrb.org/ratings/36949/Cyberpunk+2077/ Cherry Cola Salad: https://twitter.com/SavrinDrake/status/1256643815156387841

Telegram Fan Chat: https://t.me/joinchat/CGL2Zj9oiYOXkOOhQ-MT9g 

Southpaws Episodes: Savrin 01 - This week, we weren't feeling up to it on Thursday night, so Savrin sat down on Friday to talk a little bit about things they wanted to touch on that will be ancient history by the time next week rolls around. Patreon! It m

Welcome to Roz Gibson, furry artist and animator in Southern California. Roz was guest of honor at Confurence and created the Jack Salem comic character that first appeared in Rowrbrazzle in 1987. Roz is a community access guest and contents are hers. See Roz’s tag for more reviews.

Animosity #4, The Walled City (graphic novel compilation of issues 14-18)
Written by Marguerite Bennet, art by Rafael De Latorre, Ornella Savarese and Elton Thomas.
Published by Aftershock Comics

The  scenario of animals suddenly developing sentience has been used recently in at least two comics (Squarriors and Animosity) and two novels (The Awareness and the Mort(e) series). Animosity  has been ongoing for several years, chronicling the journey of young human teenager Jesse, her devoted bloodhound ‘father’ Sandor, and their group of companions, including a Pallas cat, goats, a bison, a ring-tailed lemur and Kyle, an adult human who may or may not have Jesse’s best interests at heart. 

The group is traveling from New York City to San Francisco, where Jesse can hopefully find her half-brother. Sandor is eager to make the trip as quickly as possible, since he’s old and is afraid he’ll die before getting Jesse to safety. The landscape is typically post-apocalyptic, and they encounter various obstacles and allies along the way. While this is volume 4, you don’t necessarily need to be familiar with the other chapters to pick it up, since it does contain a complete story arc and there’s a helpful synopsis of ‘what has gone before’ at the beginning of the book.

During their journey Jesse and Sandor encounter groups where animals are dominating humans, animal-only enclaves, and, in this volume, a place where humans still own animals. At the end of the previous volume, Kyle has kidnapped Jesse, ostensibly to ‘save’ her from Sandor, whom he does not trust. Kyle has heard of a human-only enclave called the Walled City in the south, where he thinks Jesse will be safe. Now, in volume 4, when they arrive at the Walled City, and find the inhabitants are eager to take in any female of childbearing age—and not so interested in taking single adult men. Too bad for Kyle.

The rest of the story has Jesse trying to survive in a girl’s boarding school from hell, run by the fanatical ‘Headmistress,’ while Sandor and the rest of the group try to track her down.  In the Walled City they still keep pigs captive for meat, as well as enslaving (literally, with chains) other animals for labor. They are very big with “Humans are the superior species” philosophy, which doesn’t sit well with Jesse.

One thing to note about Animosity’s background, is that everything became sentient, including fish, insects and krill. Which makes life tough for obligate carnivores.  The problem of food shortages is covered more extensively in a side-series: Animosity: Evolution.  In the main comic it’s glossed over a bit, with the carnivore characters shown eating animals that have already been killed. But by and large the problem of carnivore diet is not dealt with.

The artwork is traditional American comic book style, inked with mostly flat colors. The artists are better at drawing the human characters than animal, but the animals are at least recognizable. The anatomy is a bit wonky, but I’ve seen plenty worse. And with the clean inks and flat colors, you can actually tell what’s going on in each panel.

Of the 4 works with animals suddenly getting intelligent, the Mort(e) series of novels is by far the best (if a rather grim read). But Animosity is a good second. Recommended for people looking for a serious story with talking animals that are not anthropomorphic.

• Buy on Comixology

Like the article? These take hard work. For more free furry news, please follow on Twitter or support not-for-profit Dogpatch Press on Patreon. Want to get involved? Share news on these subreddits: r/furrydiscuss for anything — or r/waginheaven for the best of the community. Or send guest writing here.

繪者: Kit Ray, 作者:Vintage Potatoe

翻譯:德羅布(經授權)

Welcome to Roz Gibson, furry artist and animator in Southern California. Roz was guest of honor at Confurence and created the Jack Salem comic character that first appeared in Rowrbrazzle in 1987. Roz is a community access guest and contents are hers. See Roz’s tag for more reviews.

The Snow Cat Prince
Written and illustrated by Dina Norlund
Published by Hushbird publications

The Snow Cat Prince is a gorgeous hardcover graphic novel by Scandinavian artist Dina Norlund. I received my copy through a Kickstarter campaign, but it is available from her website: Hushbird.com (and the furry book sellers would be smart if they picked this up for sale at conventions). Unlike most of the graphic novels I’ve reviewed, this is not a zillion-volume series that will never get done — story is self-contained in this one book. What a pleasant surprise that was!

The plot is a standard “Prince searching for an artifact so he can reclaim his kingdom.” And it is definitely an all-ages title, with minimal violence (but some threat and peril).  After a short introduction setting the background, the titular Snow Cat Prince is introduced. Syv, the youngest of seven brothers, will probably not inherit the throne, and he’s okay with that.  But his six ne’er do-well brothers are concerned because he’s popular with the human inhabitants of the city, so they decide to send him on a wild goose chase to find the lost crown.

In the introduction we’re told how the evil shapeshifting foxes stole the crown from the first, mighty snow cat king, and if the crown can be found and returned the snow cat’s city will once again flourish. Syv is kind but very naive, and doesn’t question why his more powerful brothers would send him off on this important quest. Almost as soon as he leaves the city he comes across Kit—a red-haired elfin sprite who invites herself to tag along. The rest of the story follows their adventures and perils, as Syv learns a lot about the world and the real history of what happened to the crown.

The story is straightforward and simple, so it might not appeal to readers looking for more substance.  However, the artwork is absolutely drop-dead gorgeous. Rich, vibrant colors with clean, easy-to-follow layouts. The character designs are a melding of Disney and manga — cute without being over-the-top about it. The book is definitely worth getting just for the art.  An excellent production in terms of printing and presentation.

I will eagerly look forward to anything else Dina Norlund puts out.

Like the article? These take hard work. For more free furry news, please follow on Twitter or support not-for-profit Dogpatch Press on Patreon. Want to get involved? Share news on these subreddits: r/furrydiscuss for anything — or r/waginheaven for the best of the community. Or send guest writing here.

What have we been missing? Apparently an on-line phenomenon called Fanlee and Spatzle. Well now Silver Sprocket bring us the Fanlee and Spatzle: Make Something Perfect full-color graphic novel. “Fanlee and Spätzle is a funny, emotional slice-of-life comic about a bear and a duck who are best friends, despite having very different approaches to life, relationships, and gender identity. Something Perfect collects the Twitter hit @pseudonymjones from 2014 to 2019, through adventures in creation, bad things, and being gay.” You heard it here. Now see it in softcover over there.

image c. 2020 Silver Sprocket

https://youtu.be/A8u7hrLuxoQ music: https://youtu.be/5mgYnwhM4eg If you enjoy, please throw a buck at us on Patreon! -- https://www.patreon.com/draggetshow all of our audio podcasts at https://soundcloud.com/the-dragget-show You can also find us on Spotify, Stitcher, iTunes & wherever you find podcasts! We have some great newshirts & merch from Merch Minion - https://dragget.merchminion.com/ Dragget Show telegram chat: https://t.me/draggetshow Robecast! 3DO, Jaguar, Xander's an old nerd - https://youtu.be/A8u7hrLuxoQ music: https://yout…

Hi, Papabear.

I struggle with self-worth as an artist, and find it difficult to see my art as anything other than garbage when compared to the countless amounts of art that I see out there. I'm not that good of an artist, but I like making comics. In fact, I'm currently working on a comic that I love doing, but every day, despite me working hard on it in my free time, I still feel inadequate and will never feel happy about myself. So I guess my question would be how I should approach my views on myself as an artist in the future.

Joshua

* * *

Dear Joshua,

Artistic types--whether they are painters, musicians, writers, or whatever--are often very self-critical. This is because the work they do is put out into the public sphere, making it vulnerable to criticism from the outside. Since many of us seek validation from others, criticism can hurt, and then we forget why we created the art in the first place.

Why do you create art? Why do you work on a comic book? Because, as you said yourself, you love to do it. 

You should draw and color because you love it, not because you want others to approve of you. This is only important at all if you are aiming to sell your artwork. That's when you do commissions and such, drawing or painting things that other people want to see.

As for the quality of your art, practice makes perfect. The more you draw, the better you will become. Work on your technique, perhaps take art classes (in a classroom or virtually), seek out advice from other artists, but most of all practice, practice, practice. Just like practicing a musical instrument, the more you draw and study technique and theory, the better you will be.

To answer your final query, stop comparing yourself to others and stop seeking validation from others. The only person you really need to please is yourself.  You are not put on Earth to get the approval of other people. Oh, and remember, some of the greatest, most brilliant artists ever born were criticized and even ostracized by the public.  Public taste does not equal good taste, necessarily.  In fact, public taste is often bad, dull, and insipid.

Be an artist because you love it. Draw your comic book because it makes you happy.

Hugs,
Papabear​

Bill Siracusa’s Overnight Shift is a bear romance with werewolves. We’ve got Dale, the big grumpy park ranger; Adam, the hunky electrician spending the night rewiring the ranger station; and Kate, the other ranger who leaves them alone until the end of the story. You can probably guess what happens next. Dale feels territorial about the interloper on his turf, on top of feeling somewhat ill; they have some tense conversations where it slips out that they’re both into guys, then they have a couple beers and make out. And then it turns out Dale is a werewolf.Bit of an adult content warning, a couple illustrations in this book show exposed male genitalia, so be careful about reading this book in public!I did appreciate that they got over the “will they/won’t they” phase so quickly, and the thing holding them back was the perfectly reasonable question of whether the other guy was even interested. It would have been nice to have some clue to how Dale got infected with lycanthropy, but the foreshadowing is well written. Dale could have had some mundane illness before he changed, and for a couple pages after he flees Adam’s kiss it seems like Adam just came on too strong to him, until Adam finds the claw marks on his arm. When the transformation sequence does come up it’s suitably graphic, and seems rather painful, in Dale’s case at least. It’s a little strange that Adam not only has a much less painful transformation, compared to the tingling after your foot falls asleep, but retains most of his mind while Dale seems barely able to speak and partially amnesiac. I will, however, dock Siracusa points for using the tired “pack dominance” trope, even after Adam notes that that theory of wolf pack dynamics is outdated in real life. Once Adam has gotten Dale-Wolf in a sleeper hold and hogtied him with spare wiring he starts to act like the sub in a BDSM scene, though it’s possible that was Dale rather than the wolf.Overall I’d say this is a pretty decent gay werewolf erotic story, if you’re into big hairy men fucking and turning into wolfmen this can kill an afternoon (in a good way).

Today, May 3rd, the FWG administration announced a series of proposed changes for which the membership was to hold a vote. It was soon made apparent that we had overlooked some significant details and that discussion and restructuring of the proposals would have to take place.

In accordance with this realization, we hereby announce a discussion period during which the finer points of the proposals may be analyzed with the care they deserve. This period will extend through May 9th, during which time all FWG members are invited to share their thoughts and concerns. A new vote will be held thereafter. Official discussion will be taking place >in this thread on our forums.

We apologize for the hasty rollout and thank you for your understanding. We look forward to hearing from you.

Hello once again FWG Members! We know there’s been a lot of guild news going on lately, but we want to get a few big things done so we can focus on more fun projects. As mentioned in a previous announcement, while we did not need votes for our guild officers this year we will still be holding a very important vote.

First we intend to explain the changes being made. A link to a form for FWG members to vote will be included at the end of this blog post so be sure to go vote if you can!

We wish to bring to a vote an update to our by-laws. You can view our current by-laws >here. While these are well written, we noticed some things needed updating such as:

• A general update to remove services we no longer offer (like a Shoutbox) and update to services we currently use
• The addition of officer positions made by the previous administration that have been excellent and effective
• A more detailed procedure for removing members of the guild if necessary
• The ability for the Cóyotl Awards Chair to be voted for (we had no actual method for choosing our chairperson previously)
• Actually have a procedure for if and when guild officers may not be able to perform their duties for how they could be replaced
• Modernize voting procedures for the future

The amended by-laws being brought up for vote can be found >here. All changes are highlighted in red.

We also wish to strengthen our Code of Conduct. Our current Code of Conduct can be found >here. We wish to make minor changes like with the by-laws to update services, but also would like to make one other large change.

We would like to add a section on unacceptable content to the Code of Conduct. We believe there are certain subjects that should never be presented within a positive light. This is in line with what we have seen from publishers within the fandom and we want our guild to reflect this as a part of our core values.

We would like to offer a general content warning as some of these things might be triggers for some within our community. >The full listing, alongside the changes we wish to make to the Code of Conduct can be found here. Changes to the Code of Conduct are highlighted in red.

Edit: Due to fantastic feedback from guild members, we have realized the previous wording for the Code of Conduct may have created problems for many members of the guild. We have changed the language within the amended Code of Conduct to reflect this. We will be accepting any re-votes from members that would like to change their vote due to these changes.

We have also now created a forum thread for discussion that you can find >here.

We would now like to bring these amendments to a vote! Voting will remain open for two weeks, from May 3rd through May 16th. The link below will take you to the official voting form.

>FWG By-Laws And Code of Conduct Voting Form

 

We want to once again thank our members for being so awesome while we get a lot of work done within the guild. We hope these changes will be able to make the guild bigger and better than ever before!