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submitted by Zhinrak
[link] [6 comments]

Would anyone happen to have a link to the comic strip where it has a picture of a furry (lion bear, etc.) and text saying one of their 'faults'?

Lions were bad rpers, foxes were 'cheap' but bunnies moreso. I can't remember more details than that, but help finding it would be appreciated.

submitted by John2k12
[link] [15 comments]

submitted by sushifugu
[link] [7 comments]

Papabear,

So my boyfriend and I have been together for a whole year now and we've gone through a lot of hard situations but now we're stuck. I'm living with him and his parents. The issue is, he doesn't have a job. He lost his job in December of last year and I've been supporting us on a part time job. Recently though, I've gotten a second job. It's a full time job. He sits at home and plays Minecraft. The issue is obvious: I'm doing all the work and he's not helping me. However, we're pretty sure he has clinical depression and can't seem to motivate himself to do anything. He knows he's hurting me, he knows our life is hard because he won't get a job, he knows 90% of my stress is because of him not helping me, and he still can't and or won't do anything about it. I don't know what to do or what to say that won't make him depressed or mad at me but instead motivate him. He won't take my help with trying to help his depression. He says he wants to do it himself without meds but he's not doing a good job and it's hindering us. If there's any advice... Anything you can give me, it would be greatly appreciated :c thank you so much for your time.

Nature (age 19)

* * *

Dear Nature,

Being in a relationship with someone who is severely depressed is no picnic. And waiting for them to resolve to “make themselves feel better” is an exercise in futility. You are just empowering them to not do anything and remain depressed. This is because the person may not really understand what is going on with him and therefore cannot help himself, in addition to the fact that being severely depressed sucks all the energy and motivation out of your body. I know, believe me.

So, if you care about him, and it seems you do, it is up to you and any friends and family you can find who are willing to help to pull him out of his deep, dark hole.

To fight depression, you must first understand the cause. With your boyfriend, as with anyone, the cause could be anything from genetic to hormonal to psychological. His losing his job in December was just the trigger that set off a catastrophic reaction. The actual cause of his depression isn’t losing the job (therefore, recommending he get a new job will not help), but, rather, something else within him.

The only way to do that is to get him some help from a psychologist, psychiatrist, or, at least, a local support group. For a lot of people, sadly, money is a factor, and insurance often does not cover mental health, or provides only minimal coverage, so finding a support group may be the best option. You can visit the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance to find a local support group and read educational materials about depression. Another good organization is Mental Health America or even go to MeetUp and see if there is a group near you.

(You don’t say this, but if he is suicidal, you need to call for help write away. Assistance is available 24/7 at the National Suicide Prevention Hotline 1-800-273-8255.)

Collect some information on depression and have a talk with him about it, expressing all the while your concern and love for him. Suggest that he go to one of these groups and that you will go with him for support. See if you can get one or more of his family members to also support him in this. If he absolutely refuses, then the next strategy is to be a liaison for him. That is, go to the meetings yourself, talking to the people there and picking their brains. They might even be willing to come to your home and hold a meeting there. You might also try to locate a doctor or clergy member to visit your home and give him guidance.

Another strategy: food and exercise.

Many people don’t realize it, but diet has a profound effect on our mood. Obviously, if you are depressed, you need to avoid alcohol (by definition, a depressant), and you should also not be taking any illicit drugs. 

Other foods to avoid:

• Caffeine
• Refined sugar
• Artificial sweeteners (aspartame is the absolute worst thing you can put in your body, but other artificial sweeteners are also bad)
• Processed foods and fast foods (let’s face it, McDonald’s food is about the worst thing you can put in your mouth)
• Foods high in sodium
• Foods high in hydrogenated oils

Foods that HELP you fight depression:

• Raspberries and other berries (blueberries rock!)
• Oranges
• Asparagus
• Avocado
• Chamomile and green teas
• Cashews
• Oatmeal (not prepackaged sweetened stuff; use plain oatmeal and add berries and honey or stevia for sweetener)
• Garlic
• Walnuts
• Grain-fed beef without hormones (i.e., e.g. organic beef)
• Oysters
• and MY favorite, chocolate, especially dark chocolate!

Fun Recipe: Green Tea Ice Cream with Healthy Chocolate Sauce

Ingredients for Ice Cream

• 2 cups milk (480ml)
• 2 Tbsp green tea powder (Matcha)
• 1 cup heavy cream (240ml)
• 6 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup and 2 Tbsp sugar (120g)

Instructions

1. Place ice water in a large bowl that can hold a pot. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, add 1/4 cup of milk and green tea powder, and whisk well (the powder may not dissolve completely). Then add back to the rest of milk (1 3/4 cups) and mix.
3. Heat the milk mixture and 1/2 cup of heavy cream at medium heat, and cook until just before boiling.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk the rest of the heavy cream (1/2 cup), yolks, and sugar. Add hot milk very slowly to the egg mixture.
5. Put egg/milk mixture back to the pot and cook at medium heat stirring constantly until thick (to check the thickness, dip a wood spoon in the egg/milk mixture, and check and see if you can scrape a clear line on the back of the spoon with a finger).
6. Place the pot in the ice water and cool. Transfer to a container and chill at least 3 hours in the refrigerator.
7. Follow the direction of your ice cream machine and mix. Very soft ice cream is done after about 15-20 minutes. Freeze 3 hours before serving.
8. And, my strategy: Get frustrated and go out and buy green tea ice cream at an Asian market.

Chocolate Sauce

• 2 oz of unsweetened Baker’s chocolate
• 2 Tsp Stevia (Truvia®)
• Cream or milk to desired consistency

Break up 2 ounces of bakers chocolate and place in pyrex measuring cup. Microwave on low power (3 out of 10) for 6 minutes. Remove softened chocolate and stir. It will look like a chocolate paste. Add 2 teaspoons of Truvia® and stir. Then add milk or cream a few tablespoons at a time and stir.  Add the milk until the sauce is the consistency you like. You may add more sweetener if desired, too.

Start making him “treats” for his meals using ingredients like the above.

Next, start taking him out of the house. Go on walks together. During these walks, don’t talk or preach to him. If you do that, he’ll want to avoid the walks like the plague. No, instead, just go for a walk. Enjoy the outdoors (hopefully you don’t live in a bad area, but if you do drive out a little way and find a nice park) and just be with each other. Don’t talk about anything serious, like work or money. This should be an enjoyable time for him that he looks forward to. You have to get him away from non-stop game play. It’s not healthy, as you know.

I hope this helps! Let me know how it goes.

Hugs,

Papabear

submitted by koobaxion
[link] [6 comments]

Does anyone know where i can get any? I've googled and googled this many times but come to no conclusion, is their a site just for this? If anyone can send me a link or just some fanfiction with anthro's in it or even feral's works. I don't think they'd be even called fanfiction, or maybe they are but just stories that are on the web with anthro's as characters.

Fallout crossover would be pretty cool.

If i am posting this on the wrong sub, please let me know.

Thank you! You are all wonderful people.

submitted by Dante_The_Wolf
[link] [7 comments]

submitted by Chipflake
[link] [45 comments]

Author: Is my mind telling me I’m transgender? For the past 2 weeks I have been having serious thoughts on whether or not I’m a male in a female body. I haven’t told anyone about my feelings yet, but I plan on telling my therapist next month. He’s very open minded. For one, I’m not […]

Jason G Goldman writes for the BBC:

Researchers can now humanely peer into the electrical and chemical activities of brain cells in animals while they sleep. In 2007, MIT scientists Kenway Louise and Matthew Wilson recorded the activity of neurons in a part of the rat brain called the hippocampus, a structure known to be involved in the formation and encoding of memories. They first recorded the activity of those brain cells while the rats ran in their mazes. Then they looked at the activity of the very same neurons while they slept. Louise and Wilson discovered identical patterns of firing during running and during REM. In other words, it was as if the rats were running the maze in their minds while they were snoozing. The results were so clear that the researchers could infer the rats' precise location within their mental dream mazes and map them to actual spots within the actual maze.

This is an ongoing area of research, but from what's been observed so far, dreams are like a safe training ground simulator for other animals. Of course we shouldn't jumps to conclusion based on what we see effectively as an outside observer, looking in through frosted glass. We only have part of the picture, but nothing of what the animals thinks or sees.

I would be interested to see if similar studies have been conducted on apes and whether they are aware of the concept of a dream. Might dreams have started as a virtual reality the brain creates in order to practice essential survival skills, but then higher intelligent creatures became aware of these false reality?

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submitted by ArgosRex
[link] [11 comments]

Hello there! I've never been to a convention (I don't really have anyone to go with, and am never aware of when they're going on), but at some point, I would love to go. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to fork over a couple thousand for a suit, and am really impressed so many people can (or are as talented as they are to make their own. I don't trust me with scissors), but I would hate to go without a suit of some sort. My question is, why don't more people take and utilize makeup? I'm sure some people are equally as skilled with makeup as making suits, yet I never see any amazing furries out there with great makeup, just suits. Does anyone do this? Again, I've never been to one, so I don't really know, but I never see any photos of them like I do fursuiters. Sorry for my lack of information, and if this is a dumb question!

submitted by lolakitten
[link] [19 comments]

Here is a nice Fursuit music video by Willion with the song Anywhere for you by John Martin.

submitted by kerespup
[link] [1 comment]

Opening paragraph from The Independent's piece about Eurofurence 2014:

This weekend 2000 self-proclaimed ‘furries’ - fans of anthropomorphic animals in cartoons, anime movies, literature and computer games - checked into a conference hotel in Berlin for Eurofurence, Europe’s largest furry fandom convention.

The Daily Mail's opening paragraph:

Grown adults dressed as sexualised cuddly toys met at a gathering for ‘furries’ in Germany at Eurofurence, Europe’s largest furry fandom convention.

Starkly different, sadly predictable on The Daily Mail's part, but a reality we better get used to as I will explain later.

To provide context for readers outside the UK: The Independent is a centre left 'broadsheet'; The Daily Mail is a middle income tabloid. The former's article is good, covering the obligatory basics such as what a furry is, what the fandom is about, its sci-fi convention origins [1], that's it's not all about sex, yet surprisingly little about the convention itself other than its past themes.

To the Mail's credit, their article is not out and out bashing us. It also introduces reader to the fandom, going as far as lifting quotes directly from their news rival. The difference is that sex was a minor talking point for The Independent, whilst for The Daily Mail it's part of the eye catching headline:

Cats wearing stockings and bears in satin corsets: 2,000 adults dress as sexualised cuddly toys at bizarre festival

By comparison The Independent headline:

Furrie invasion: 2000 fans attended Eurofeurence in Berlin to celebrate their love of anthropomorphic animals

The narrative is seen throughout The Mail's piece. Beneath the headline are three bullet points, the second says:

Event attracted 2,000 'furries' - some in stockings, tutus and corsets [emphasis mine]

There's a nice piece midway where Kathy Gerbasi talks about her interest in the fandom, however those paragraphs are wedged between two photos of a fursuiter's cleavage. It's no crime on the fursuiter's part if she chooses to go for a sexy appearance, but The Mail made an editorial decision to have the second photo be a close up.

While we deplore The Mail and would prefer articles about our fandom be like The Independent's, we're faced with the uncomfortable reality; The Mail probably makes more money from sensationalised titles than The Independent's makes from respectable news articles. Online publications rely on high volume traffic to justify the price advertisers pay, hence click bait headlines that draw you in, even if the content is mundane. Of course this is nothing new to those familiar with the tabloids, but even respectable publications are getting into the act with titles posed as questions.

Don't be surprised if you see future a loaded headline such as "Should you keep your kids away from furries?" The answer will be a well considered 'no', but that moment of curiosity will be how they get you. For the greater good of not just the fandom but the web as a whole, we should think twice before clicking a headline and not reward publishers for their baiting tactics.

[1] I would like to read an article that actually tracks down some of the proto-furry convention attendees. How often do we hear about these fable origins, yet not get some first paw accounts of those early days?

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submitted by Epicshark
[link] [2 comments]

submitted by Fenrir74
[link] [6 comments]

submitted by HappyWulf
[link] [48 comments]

If you haven’t already, you might want to make yourself familiar with Fairy Quest by Paul Jenkins (story) and Humberto Ramos (art). After selling out of their original trade paperback, Fairy Quest: Outlaws, Jenkins and Ramos ran a successful Kickstarter campaign to continue the story. And now Boom! Studios have picked up that continuation as a new full-color series, Fairy Quest: Outcasts. In the magical land of Fablewood, all the myths and legends of old must live their lives by the dictates of their Story — else the evil Think Police will wipe their minds clean. Now, Red Riding Hood and Wolf have broken the law — by becoming good friends. The first issue of Outcasts will hit the shelves this October. Check it out at Previews.

image c. 2014 Boom! Studios

submitted by VentKazemaru
[link] [9 comments]

So I have a basic idea on what my fursona should look like. The only art experience I have is art 1 back in my freshman year of high school, and I was pretty crap at it back then. Should I commission a piece of art by just describing what I have in my head or take a stab at it with my drawing skills and let someone else make a drawing based on that. I feel like my drawing would be so bad it would ruin what the idea of my fursona is. Any help is appreciated!

submitted by Fuel-Injected
[link] [5 comments]