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submitted by Sat-AM
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submitted by Ellen-Natalie
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submitted by AlkseeyaKC
[link] [3 comments]

submitted by Trevor_Fox
[link] [9 comments]

submitted by Fuel-Injected
[link] [16 comments]

submitted by vxd2k7
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submitted by vxd2k7
[link] [6 comments]

well when i saw a ace attourney vid i wanted to see the actual music video and i didn't expect it to be both a awesome song and to contain furs in the same go. it's a nice listen and view! ^

submitted by kitestar
[link] [1 comment]

I feel out of place. The world is just so boring and I feel like I am in the wrong place. I play a lot of video games and watch anime because I enjoy those world more. They interest me. I don't want to be here. kmn

edit since some of you were wondering ya I am seeing doctors and stuff I have depression and anxiety

submitted by Ookami82
[link] [14 comments]

submitted by sircarp
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Dear Papa Bear,

I am a 12th grader and I hold many responsibilities at my school. I am an excellent (B+) student, I am the coordinator of all the clubs, I make sure my classmates get the lesson, and I am president of 12th grade and supervisor of 11-9th grade.

I know I will always have the respect of (most) of my classmates and maybe admiration of others? But my hormones are kicking in, and since I have a talent in drawing, I can’t let it go to waste. I get unpleasant looks whenever someone peeks at what I am busy drawing when I am free. I am doing everything into a sketchbook that I have. (I already showed it to a few that I can absolutely trust, and they don’t care about the weirdness, they still like what I can do).

But with all my responsibilities, I want to "come out" as being a furry. I might not lose face with other students, and I don't mind name-calling, but I am pretty sure word can easily get out to teachers, and with them, I am always breaking rules here and there (skipping home works. being dismissed half the day...etc.).

I love responsibility, and you cant imagine how much I love it! My father still fixes my plate when we are at lunch! I am not even allowed to walk to a store that's 3 KM away!

I don't want to ruin my "mask," and I don't want to throw it out either. I know my teachers will think I am very peculiar and will even try contacting my own father. I just don't feel as normal discussing this topic with someone that is either way older or much younger than I am, so what are some words I can replace if I get "caught" (I know they will get into my sketchbook and call blasphemy. or even research about the furry fandom). Any good vocabulary I can use? any good quotes/comebacks or sentences or even a book I can get information out of to steer things in my favor?

One other thing... I am certain the French teacher is gay (oh, the stereotypes!) last year and the year before, I would just draw innocent stuff, and mostly not related to anthros and show it off to anyone, including him. This year he keeps catching me drawing, but he has never seen the contents yet (and he is curious). But most of this sketchbook is filled with nudes. 

There is only 4 other people in my class I know for certain are gay, and I am excited in showing off this stuff, but is it really that okay for a teacher to see these things from a student?

Things in UAE are very ... what's the word? Unorthodox? The schools director won’t punish me for carrying nudes that I can draw (but my dad might break my head in with a hammer if he finds out). In fact, people here lack talent and would actually appreciate talents, no matter how it is put to use.

You make a lot of sense, so I am counting on your experience and knowledge for an answer that can relief me. THANKS!!!

William (age 17)

* * *

Dear William,

Hmm, your thinking here is a bit muddled, but I will try to unravel all the things you touch on. You are concerned, it sounds like, that being “caught” as a furry will ruin the status (academic and social) that you have at school. And you wish to “come out” as a furry (but not as gay? You don’t mention coming out as gay, just furry).

The common sense first piece of advice I can give you is that if you don’t want to be caught drawing naked furries, don’t draw them in public and don’t carry around a sketch book full of porn to your classes and other school-related activities. Draw that stuff and leave it at home or some secure place. I could get psychological on you and suggest that you are doing this because you want to be caught, saving you the trouble of “coming out” in a more formal way. I’m surprised by your comment that the director at your school wouldn’t be upset by your nude drawings (I figured the UAE would be more conservative than that), but your dad would be (explaining, perhaps, why you don’t draw at home).

Anyway, you are stuck between your desire to keep your responsibilities and admiration at school (guessing you don’t get this at home, judging by your comments about your father) and wanting to be yourself as a gay furry. You’re apparently under the impression that Papabear can feed you the “secret words” to use so that you can reveal your true identity and everyone will somehow be fine with that because of the way you phrase it, not because of the facts you reveal.

I’m sorry, but no such magical words exist. People have asked me this question before because they are hoping beyond hope that there is a way to have their cake and eat it too (cf. http://www.askpapabear.com/letters/his-love-for-a-man-is-forbidden-in-the-unite-arab-emirates). Your choices are either: 1) continue as you are doing, keeping your drawings and gay identity to yourself; or 2) come out as a gay furry and risk being a target of prejudice and discrimination and possible prosecuteion (in the UAE) while (on the upside) knowing that  you are no longer living a lie.

Some people you may tell will be okay with who you are, but, inevitably, there will be people who are not okay with it. You will lose them as friends, peers, mentors, family, any one of whom could betray you in the dangerous game you are playing. This is one reason why so many LGBT people bristle when conservatives declare that being homosexual is a “choice.” Who would choose to live a life in which you are discriminated against, hated, and feared? Nobody, that’s who.

William, you are 17 and soon to be leaving your high school, I’m sure. Papabear says now is not the time for you to make such a choice. There is no rush for you to “come out.” Instead, finish school, move out of your father’s home, get a job, and then you can talk about being a furry and being gay from a position of strength in which your future does not hang from the judgment of others who could harm you (preferably while living in another country).

That said, I would further advise you against coming out at all because of where you live. The penal code in the United Arab Emirates specifically states that sodomy, including consensual sodomy, is a crime punishable by death. Sharia law also makes being gay a crime (if you are a foreign visitor, you are subject to immediate deportation). The good news is that, so far, no gay people have been put to death in the UAE, but imprisonment has occurred.

While I appreciate your desire to come out, both as a furry and as gay, I don’t recommend it for you. I’m not sure if you draw male or female furry nudes, or both, but the furry community is often associated with the gay community because we have so many gay furries, so even if you just came out as furry, and not gay, you are putting yourself in danger.

You would be wise to stop showing off your furry and gay art. The good news is, if you wish to be an artist there is a whole universe of things out there you can draw. Art can be very fulfilling, and it certainly doesn’t have to involve porn. Don’t let your teenage hormones kidnap your intelligence and lead you into trouble. I know that this can be difficult, but try and play it smart.

Maybe, someday, we will live in a world where people are more understanding, but today you must be a realist.

Take care,

Papabear

Well since it is fursuit Friday I figure… What the hell? One more post.

Here is a music video from Eurofurence!

 

 

This is for the NPR show Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!  that is a news panel game show.   I suppose this just goes to show that at NPR the best way to get to a panelist you need a fursuit.

 

 

submitted by VixNDwnq
[link] [16 comments]

Furclubbing:   “A repeat/regular nightclub event by furries for furries.”  It’s a New Thing that’s been spreading since the late 2000’s. This kind of dance party is independent from cons.  This builds on the growth of cons, and takes things farther.  It’s more established than events that happen once, house parties or informal meets.  Those can be inner-focused, or gather […]

submitted by shibahbu
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submitted by shibahbu
[link] [2 comments]

Common Mistakes Among Writers

by Sarina Dorie

 

When we go to a job interview, we wear our best suit, come with a list of references, and might even remember to put on deodorant. At least, we do if we want the job. When we format a manuscript, self-edit a novel, or polish a book before sending it off to an agent or editor, we strive to present it as though we are professional writers who know what we are doing. At least, we do if we want to be published. Whether a seasoned writer, or someone just starting out in the writing process, there are weaknesses we don’t always recognize in our skills. We get into ruts with grammar, formatting or stylistic “rules” we learned early on in high school writing classes that are bad practices in professional writing. Learn the common mistakes so you can recognize when you make these in your writing so you can avoid them.

 

Five Common Mistakes

1. The manuscript isn’t in manuscript format

Short stories have a particular format and novels have different requirements. Additionally, some publishers have very specific variations from the standards that a submitter must be aware of. The number one cause listed on editor, agent and magazine websites for writing to be rejected is not reading the guidelines.

2. Grammar errors and inconsistencies

Sometimes a simple spell check will suffice. Other times, one needs to look up rules that are unfamiliar. Some rules of grammar are meant to be broken, but it is important to start with foundational knowledge and break a rule consistently if one chooses to do so. Classes, critique groups, peers and beta readers can help.

3. The mechanics of the story are broken

Sentence structure is unvaried, past and present tense rules are not consistently followed, or there are various typos not covered under grammatical errors that make the manuscript a chore to read. It is common to find long sections of dialogue without dialogue tags, setting information lumped together, chunks of unbroken interior monologue or sensory information in one section, and long expanses of exposition in others. The story might be all, or large sections of, telling.

4. The story itself is broken

The premise is unbelievable, the idea is trite or overdone, or the plot has no story arc. Maybe the characters are so unsympathetic the reader can’t get into the story or the writer has gotten a vital piece of information wrong that affects the story. This can be pretty important if an author is writing a paranormal romance with werewolves and the characters and plot don’t reflect accurate, wolf-like traits.

5. The story is boring

This usually means it lacks conflict. It might also be because there is no hook in the beginning, or it could be because the reader doesn’t understand or care about the characters’ motivations, feelings or situation. The reader needs to be emotionally invested. Sure, it might just be because the reader isn’t the author’s target market, but even romance readers can be persuaded to read a mystery if they care about the characters or a mystery reader can read a romance if they are invested in the plot.

 

Sarina Dorie brings to her writing background experience working as an English teacher in South Korea and Japan, working as a copyeditor and copywriter, and reading countless badly written stories. Sarina’s published novel, Silent Moon, won second place in the Duel on the Delta Contest, second place in the Golden Rose, third place in the Winter Rose Contest and third in the Ignite the Flame Contest. Her unpublished novel Wrath of the Tooth Fairy won first place in the Golden Claddagh and in the Golden Rose contests. She has sold short stories to over thirty magazines and anthologies including Fantasy and Science Fiction Magazine, Daily Science Fiction, Cosmos, Penumbra, Sword and Laser, Perihelion, Bards and Sages, Neo-Opsis, Flagship, Allasso, New Myths, Untied Shoelaces of the Mind, and Crossed Genres, to name a few.

Silent Moon is currently available as an ebook through Amazon and will be released in print next month.

For more story problems remedies, editing tips and short story writing advice, go to Sarina Dorie’s website at: www.sarinadorie.com/writing

Author: Hello, Papabear. My name is Alex and I found out about what you do a couple of weeks ago and I think it’s amazing. I’ve been reading lots of letters and even learned things about myself reading them.So here it goes. I don’t know what I want anymore. I keep telling myself that if […]

submitted by Saulthedragon
[link] [3 comments]