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Just out of pure curiosity, what are your views on the whole predator/prey thing? I mean within a society whereby everyone is a furry character, what would happen to those whose species would prey on others? Opinions anyone?

submitted by jragon14
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I do not have paypal and see some amazing artists on here that I would love to have commission my fursona. Are artists only willing to do fursonas if you have a paypal? Or would there be other forms of payment?

submitted by wolfguardian72
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submitted by KiraMoo
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Boom! Studios’ Kaboom! imprint have previously presented several graphic novels for Adventure Time with Finn and Jake, but now they present the very first full-length original graphic novel (OGN) from the popular TV series The Regular Show with everyone’s favorite dopey coon and bluejay, Rigby and Mordecai. And the timing is perfect: “The summer is turning into a roast-fest and Mordecai and Rigby are desperate to find a way to cool down. But when a mystery pool suddenly appears and offers a chance to beat the heat, it’s only a matter of time before these two best bros find themselves in totally water-logged trouble.” Written by Rachel Connor (Ed, Edd N Eddy) and illustrated in full color by Tessa Stone (Bravest Warriors), Regular Show Volume 1: Hydration is available now. Find out more at Boom’s web site.

image c. 2014 Kaboom!

Hey everyone!

Before we get into it, we have some important news.  Furballd will be taking a hiatus until the end of November so Ringo and Sepko can focus on their studies.   We also want to use this time to try and improve the podcast and come back stronger and better than ever.  So if you have any suggestions or comments about how we do things, or have any topic or segment ideas, then we want to hear from you.  You can send any ideas or suggestions to furballdletters@gmail.com or post on our Facebook or Twitter pages.

This week we talk about representation of women and different sexualities in video games.  We start of by discussing the latest Anita Sarkeesian video, “Women As Background Decoration“, then move onto some studies in Queer representation that Ringo did during his degree.

In the news, we have date-rape detecting nail polish, the ACCC suing Valve over refund policies, and

Remember!  We’ll be gone for a while, but back in November, hopefully better than ever.

Bye for now, but not forever!

This week’s song is “Devastation’s Duel” by Fishy and Sole Signal.  You can find the song here on OCRemix.

Episode 77 – Representin’ The High Life - Hey everyone! - Before we get into it, we have some important news.  Furballd will be taking a hiatus until the end of November so Ringo and Sepko can focus on their studies.   We also want to use this time to try and improve the podcast and come back...

submitted by DexFenik
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submitted by Animosus5
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Hey, furries!

Unfortunately, I’m in a bit of a bad situation at the moment and need to take some emergency commissions.

However, as my situation is one that makes it so that I cannot offer my usual faire of digital art, I am offering $15 Traditional Badges! There are some examples on my FA: http://www.furaffinity.net/gallery/gypseecrush/ (The badges pictured are not traditional, but they are my most recent commissions)

The badges will be in colored pencil on cardstock, laminated, and with a badge clip, all shipped straight to you! I take payments through Paypal only.

I am able to do dragons, canines, felines, birds, ponies, nearly anything you’d like! Don’t be afraid to ask!

I have 6 open slots, so get one while you can!

Even if you cannot buy a badge, I would appreciate it if you would please pass this around a bit so that others can see this as well. Thank you!

~HodgePodge

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Has anybody heard anything about Blotch splitting up? Someone mentioned it in a thread I was reading and I wanted to know if there is any truth to it.

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Hey there big guy. How’s you? 

Well, I figured that I should finally tighten up my belt and finally ask you for some advice.

I guess to give a brief description of the present situation. My mom has been extremely sick now for about 8 years, I have graduated from college this year and have a job. 

Right around my birthday 8 years ago (I was about 16 at the time). My mom became gravely ill. At the time I believed it to only last a few weeks; weeks turned to months and months turned to years. I was home schooled since 6th grade so I was pretty much isolated except for my friends next door. For my last year of high school I was at a small Christian school and everyone pretty much isolated me there as the weirdo. Once college started I lost a really great friend, and over the years, I increasingly became tired and lonely. I had some romance but it was sadly short lived and nothing sexual. A couple dates during college mostly. My mom reached the peak of her illness when I was in my sophomore year of college when she tried to commit suicide several times and she almost died by her illness alone. I would get about 3 hours of sleep at night during that time when she would stay awake screaming in agony.

Now I've graduated and sadly still living with my parents. trying to save money. Right now I'm really trying to create a life for myself. Trying to find a relationship, I've experimented with being bisexual, but I simply could not commit myself to anything of that sort. Personally I think I'm just desperate for some loving contact. I don't really admit it but I loved it a lot. And it shocked me in a bad way.

I feel that I completely missed things that I could have been. Many of my friends seem to be successfully forming lives; they have nice memories through their teen years and college. I had to be a "hospice nurse for that time." I still go back and think of everything that happened, everything that I feel I have missed and I feel like I can't build anything. I like my job but when I get home, it’s back to work, seeing my mom again and such. I never realized that it would affect me so much. I thought by this time I would be just so hardened by it all and I would just brush it off as if it were nothing. I used to be a strong Christian, but now my faith is all but gone. I really want to try and become a great furry artist, but now I can barely finish any paintings and my skills continue to not improve. I want to put this all behind me, and become a new person. All I see myself as is that weirdo isolated freak... People imply it anyway. I just don't know how to take that first step, be an awesome new person that I feel is deep deep inside me, there is just so little hope left; it’s all been drained...

Can this not be published, I feel like this is really personal, I don't mention a lot to people how I feel. I keep it bottled inside. Sorry if it is extremely long lol and I think I made it one question lol.

That Odd Wolf

* * *

Dear Odd Wolf,

I'm sorry for this very sad tale. Could you help me a bit and explain to me what your mother's illness is? 

Thank you for having the courage to write. I will ask you just once if you could have a little more courage to let me publish this letter and my reply on the website. No names or places will be used. With those out of the picture, I don't think anyone will know it's you.  If you do not agree, we'll just keep it between us, but a big part of this column is helping others who may have similar situations to yours. There may be a number of people who have had to deal with something like this that you can help. Again, I understand if you don't wish me to publish it and I will honor your wishes.

Also, about your mother's illness, is it a condition that can't be treated by in-home care? There are more programs available to those of limited income to help with in-patient service, thanks to Obamacare. My husbear has benefited from such a service, for example.

Write back soon. If I hear from you tomorrow, I will reply by no later than tomorrow night.

Thank you,

Papabear

* * *

She had Lyme disease as well as a malaria like parasite, because of it I like to educate people on the disease and such but that's for another time. As far as I know it has been treated, but the after effects of the disease are still there...

As far as it goes, insurance companies will not help with these situations or the government especially. My dad does help out a ton, and hopefully we can rap this up, but like I said it's been 8 years idk how much damage the disease did on her brain. There just isn't enough research. I have a lot of science background in my profession, so I try to think of things that could help her. Same with my dad. We have seen countless doctors, she is seeing a new one soon for a surgical procedure hopefully it works. I think, that people need to be educated about this disease and how it destroys families, you can publish it. I thought it over.  

Thanks for getting back to me quickly; thank you "lots of hugs."

* * * 

Dear Odd Wolf,

Again, I am sorry to hear about your mother. As you no doubt know by now (just writing this for the benefit of my readers), Lyme disease, in addition to causing fever, joint swelling, pain, and other symptoms, can attack the nervous system. This can lead to a wide array of psychological problems (most people don’t know about this, and I never heard it from reporters in Michigan, where Lyme disease, spread by ticks that feed of deer in the state, is a growing problem), including panic and anxiety attacks, mood swings, learning disabilities, and depression (hence, your mom’s suicide attempts). Not only that, but she also has malaria, a disease that can relapse through your entire life. You don’t specify, but if she had cerebral malaria, that could also contribute to behavioral and cognitive disorders.

I feel bad for your mother, but it’s not fair to you that her illness has affected you so profoundly. You can be supportive and loving to an ailing parent without it destroying your life, too.

My first advice to you, therefore, is to get out of the house. I know you’re staying there to save money, but the price you’re paying is more significant than money: it is your health and your sanity. Without those, you are no good to your mother or to yourself.

I admire your desire to become a new person, get a fresh start. To do so, you have to change the environment you’re in. You are 23 and employed, so you can do that. You have to start making a break from your past. Stop fretting about all the things you missed out on because you were nursing your mother. Stop carrying baggage about being a “weirdo” just because you got teased in school. Make a break. The past is in the past and you can’t do anything to change it, so why try? Not that I’m trying to sound like a song from “Frozen,” but you have to let it go. That’s very true, even if it is a quote from an animated film.

Now, I’m not suggesting you abandon your mother (or father), but you can’t live this life all the time. One sentence you wrote really struck me: “I like my job but when I get home, it’s back to work, seeing my mom again....” Helping your mom has become more work than work itself. Not a good thing. So, move out, but not so far away that you can’t help when needed.

Have a talk with your dad and tell him how you feel. You’ve already pretty much lost out on childhood, God forbid you lose out on the prime of your life, as well. It’s simply not fair to you. If you haven’t already, you and your father should investigate all in-home care options. I find it incredible that you say no government assistance is available, especially if you are low income. In Michigan, check out the Department of Community Health. Read about the Healthy Michigan Plan to get more information on your mother’s eligibility. You could also benefit from a visit to the Mental Health America website. 

Back to you. I like your idea of starting fresh and also experimenting. It seems your experiment with bisexuality did not succeed, which would lead me to conclude you’re more comfortable being straight, which is certainly fine. You note some other areas that have been damaged in your life, including your religious life and your artistic life. These are things you should readdress in order to reassert your individuality from your mother.

Starting over is a good idea. I wrote about this last year in this letter. Sometimes ceremony can give you a whole new outlook on life. It gives you that feeling that you really are reborn.

To sum up: 1) Do whatever you can to get your mom the care she needs without you having to live in her house all the time; 2) assert your independence, even if it means struggling a bit more financially, and move out of the house; 3) put the past in the past, and put aside that self-blame and self-doubt that makes you think you’re a “weirdo”; stop putting negative labels on yourself; and 4) assert yourself as reborn and look toward your future. Don’t feel guilty about doing these things. You’re still thinking about your mother, but you should have the courage to look after yourself, too. Only then will you find relief and happiness.

Good luck!

Papabear

http://www.furaffinity.net/user/foxofgrey/

Well r/furry, what do you think of my art (note: at the time I didn't have a tablet, but now I do plus SAI)? BTW the OC is a Grey female fox.

submitted by ShadowofColosuss708
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Recently, on [a][s], I wrote about the ways in which one may interact with furry in different ways, and how these little trends with in the larger trend of furry (such as the micro/macro communities, etc.) lead to a more durable fandom overall. I stick by these words, too. As is often mentioned by countless members of our subculture, I think that the furry fandom itself gains much of its strength from the fact that it lacks a central canon. As a result, we find it easy to create our own microcosms within the microcosm of furry, and these may often flourish, sometimes despite the problems inherent in their existence.

It\’s often my habit to talk about taking a step back and looking at something from an outside point of view, and that\’s no different here. I want to take a step back and look at some of the problematic aspects of sexuality within the fandom. That the fandom intersects with sexuality in many ways is hardly surprising anymore, but the intersection between sexuality and problematic content is something that is occurs on a very fundamental level within society, and so it\’s worth taking a look at the ways in which furry sexuality can be problematic.

Someone I don't even remember following just retweeted a bunch of RL animal dicks now I know who to unfollow. Also feel kinda sick.

— Yackal (@Irid0n) September 7, 2014

The most obvious instance of the problematic within furry is that of problematic content. Zoophilia, which was tackled in this article by JM is probably one of the bigger subjects that registers as problematic to most people, as the reaction by Iridon above shows. As JM mentions in the opening line of his article, zoophilia is fairly visible within furry in a great many ways, from the art, to the members of the fandom interested in the subject. Zoophilia strikes many as problematic due in part to the issue of consent – never mind whether or not your partner issues consent, how can sex be seen as consenting when your partner is not even capable of giving consent?

Along similar lines is the proliferation of cub porn within our subculture. This also touches on consent out of the understanding that underaged characters may not understand sexuality full enough to be able to give informed consent – or to deny giving consent – when necessary. In JM\’s treatment of the subject, he bring\’s up Dan Savage\’s idea of \”gold-star pedophiles\”, as individuals who, while they enjoy the idea of sexual acts with underaged people, never act on the urges, which can be seen as a way of addressing and responding to the problematic nature of cub porn. It\’s a way to address one\’s urges without acting them out in a situation where consent cannot be assured to be given.

More general than problematic content is the idea of problemantic trends or sub-subcultures within the furry subculture. While many of these may revolve around content, I want to distinguish these as being more general: these trends may revolve around kinks, body types, or various other aspects of sexuality, and tend to be the kernel at the center of sub-subcultures within the fandom – tight- or loose-knit groups that form out of a shared interest in a particular topic.

One of these trends was called out in a self-styled \”rant\” by the user rampack at Weasyl, and specifically called out the use of the terms \”herm\”, \”shemale\”, and \”cuntboy\” as being problematic. The trend of characters that mix both primary and secondary sexual characteristics of both classical biological sexes within furry is nothing new, and has been around at least since I joined the fandom, nearly fifteen years ago. It was enlightening for me, seeing an explanation of why something that is seen almost as commonplace within our subculture is problematic, and seeing the discussion that the post engendered. Feelings are strong on both sides of the issue.

Another instance of a trend being called out as problematic comes from furry writer Robert Baird in an excellent essay on the act of checking his own privilege when it comes to the fact that some of his stories include non-consensual or what appear on the surface to be non-consensual sex (I know that sounds weasely for me to say, but I\’m trying not to spoil some of his very well written stories; I promise it fits in well with the plot) and even things such as cheating and impregnation. The essay, in part, describes the ways in which a creator of content that follows a problematic trend must at the very least acknowledge the problematic nature of their works. The essay itself is about much, much more than just that, as I\’ll bring up later, but worth a read all the same.

A third way in which the problematic intersects with furry is that of problematic creators. This is hardly intended to be a call-out post, so I won\’t use any names; I simply want to discuss the way in which people who can be seen as problematic are seen within the fandom by their audiences, whether intended or not.

On sharing a picture that I found attractive, not too long ago, I was filled in on the story of the artist by a friend of mine. The artist, it seems, had fetishized the concept of rape, and even though not all of their art included depictions of it – a majority of their pictures did not – the idea of rape and non-consensual sex came up often in their interactions with my friend. In the end, my friend calmly and politely cut contact, but the fact of the fetishization of something they viewed to be damaging and inappropriate stuck with them, enough that they shared their thoughts with me when I posted that picture to twitter. It made me question my own enjoyment of the artist\’s subject matter

Some instances of a problematic creator are even more stark than that, however. What does one do about the creations of an artist who actually is a rapist? Or one who has been accused of domestic assault? Or of theft, or of bribery, or of racism? At what point does the artist\’s actions start to influence the art that they make, and, as a completely separate question, at what point does it start to affect one\’s enjoyment of the creations? It\’s not a simple set of questions, and the answers will vary not only by creator, but also by consumer, and factors outside the creator-consumer relationship.

So what does it mean to enjoy problematic things? As Robert Baird puts it in his essay, \”Attempting to police what people like is a fool’s errand indulged only by the recreationally irate\”. The things we like are, simply, the things we like. Our preferences are rarely consciously chosen, and may often wind up being problematic. While that\’s certainly okay – there\’s nothing wrong with liking the things you like – it raises all sorts of questions:

• Should you support the work with money? Example: Would you pay to own a copy of Chinatown, or merely watch it when it came on television?
• Do you differentiate works from different eras in the creator’s life? For example, if you have a favorite book and over time the creator turned progressively homophobic, can you cherish the work written before that transformation, or do you judge it by the author’s “final form,” as it were?
• How much weight should you give to historical context?
• How much do you care about a creator’s personal life?
• Does it matter whether the creator is living or dead?

(This list comes from an excellent essay on the subject by writer John Scalzi, and is definitely worth the read.)

Consciously chosen or not, what is needed is conscious treatment of the subject – whether it\’s a piece of media, a subject matter, or a problematic creator. Although it may be easier to simply enjoy something without thinking about the consequences of that thing in particular, it\’s important to our interaction with those around us and our place within a culture, subculture, or interest group not to treat things in so cavalier a manner. An essay puts this in an elegant three part list, which is worth reading on its own for the author\’s explanations of each of these items:

1. Acknowledge that the thing you like is problematic, and do not make excuses for it.
2. Do not gloss over issues or derail conversations about the problematic elements of the content.
3. Acknowledge other interpretations of the media you like, even if they\’re less favorable.

What this boils down to, really, is not sweeping the problematic aspects of the media, trend, or person under the rug: it needs to be acknowledged, it needs to be discussed fairly and openly, and one needs to be open to other interpretations and criticism of the thing one enjoys. It\’s sort of a way of challenging doxa, when it comes down to it. One might accept the fact that herms are just a part of the furry fandom, always have been, and always will be, but one needs to take a step back and understand that the word and the concept are problematic for a good number of people, a thing that\’s worth keeping in mind and not dismissing out of hand.

In the end, it is important to, in the words of Anita Sarkeesian, \”remember that it is both possible (and even necessary) to simultaneously enjoy media while also being critical of it’s more problematic or pernicious aspects\”. The point is never to condemn the idea of enjoying something that you find enjoyable, but simply be aware of the conversation surrounding it.