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Very occasionally here at [adjective][species], we take a bit of time to highlight a furry artist. In this case I’d like to talk about Clair C, aka Gokart, who creates subtle and joyful art.

Clair has already contributed some art to [a][s], providing a happy purple zebra to grace a relatively inconsequential article I write about zebra domestication. It is a simple drawing, but one I found almost unfathomably delightful. Her sketch captures an essence of life in its minimalist lines, becoming something larger than the sum of its sparse parts.

Since then I have had the pleasure of exploring her art. There is a lot to explore. She is prolific, and long may that continue. Her art, largely comics and character studies, convey a kind of happy contentment or muted joy.

Purple Zebra

In our furry world, there isn’t always a clear delineation made between an artist and an illustrator. Many of our high profile artists are very skilled at creating essentially realist pictures of fictional furry characters: their drawings represent the way things might look in the real world. Such pseudo-realist art (Blotch, say) is important to furry, because it portrays a world in which anthropomorphic characters live and breathe.

There is an understandable drive towards greater realism in furry art, and many of our high-profile artists aspire to psuedo-realism. Such art is valuable and requires great skill. But realism is not required for a work of art to have value, and indeed realism can come at the expense of nuance and complexity.

Clair’s art is drawn with a simple style, yet with great skill and insight. She has an eye for small details that see her worlds and her characters exist beyond the page. I see similarities between her work and that of (Norwegian cartoonist) Jason—they both create sparse, uncluttered worlds, allowing emotion to come to the fore.

Such minimalism allows Clair to express complex ideas. Her work tends to be whimsical, and is often satirical, and so humour is rarely far from the surface. But she doesn’t deal in punchlines. She trusts the reader to read between the lines, to find small joys and small sadnesses hidden just below the surface.

There are dozens of examples I could have chosen from Clair’s recent output I could have chosen to accompany this piece. For my first, I’ve chosen a personal favourite.

Here, Clair is gently satirizing an old internet meme, the (delightful) “unicorns fart glitter” trope. She’s chosen her gross bodily function—vomiting—and made it a beautiful rainbow.

Her personal twist is to take the focus away from the fantasy of the glittery rainbow, putting it on the very real and unglamorous experience of vomiting. She brings her unicorn into the real world by making him anthro, putting him in a dingy apartment with drawn curtains and sparse furnishings, and giving him the flu. Our unicorn is poor, lonely, and sick.

The juxtaposition of the colourful rainbow vomit and the poorly unicorn evokes, in me at least, a combination of pity and laughter. We all experience a bit of magic when we do or see something exciting and new: maybe visiting a new town, or starting a new job. But the magic disappears over time and soon enough the magical new thing in our lives becomes part of our routine, the wallpaper of our life. And so it is for our unicorn: his rainbow vomit might be magical to us, but to him it’s just nausea.

Clair’s sick unicorn vignette is a perfectly pitched balance of the touching and the ludicrous. She explores the unicorn trope from many other angles in her art—it’s worth exploring her archive just for those.

For my second example of Clair’s work, I’ve chosen a page from her ongoing Harvest Moon satire.

In her comic, Claire takes us through the first few hours of Harvest Moon gameplay. Her story, while closely following the gameplay of Harvest Moon, is divorced from the unreality of the videogame universe. Her protagonist acts as an stand-in for the reader, bemused by the strange and arbitrary rules of the game, but happy enough to play along with them.

Reading her comic (titled Harvest) is closer to living, rather than playing, Harvest Moon. Clair gently shines a light on the illogic of the Harvest Moon universe, as her protagonist swaps rocks for chickens, encounters locals with lovehearts hovering above their heads, and spends all day watering a handful of seedlings. Our protagonist takes this strangeness as it comes, just like you do when you play the game, but with a hint of bemusement towards the whole experience.

Harvest succeeds where Scott Ramsoomair’s Pokemon satire (Super Effective) fails. Ramsoomair also takes the reader through the first few hours of a game that is set in an illogical universe. But instead of allowing the absurdity to shine through, he is forever reaching for a punchline. Super Effective is laboured where Harvest is delightful.

Harvest may be a satire, exploring the silliness of Harvest Moon, but it also acknowledges the fun of playing the game. Clair is clearly a fan, and her love for the game shines through. She has taken Harvest Moon—a work of art in its own right—and used it to create a valuable but very different work of art, just as great satire can do.

I asked Clair about her gaming, and she was kind enough to share a picture of her collection.

“As far as favourites go I will have to say N64, Gamecube and Dreamcast.”

Clair lists her influences as Scott Campbell (from Double Fine Productions), Steve Purcell (creator of Sam and Max), and Lewis Trondheim (who created the Dungeon series with Joan Sfar). She also recommends Jen (on Tumblr), Rory (on Tumblr), and Sloane (on Tumblr), who are the creators of Wolfen Jump.

Finally, I asked Clair to share one of her character studies.

“I liked how it turned out, plus I enjoy drawing foxes.”

Clair is, unbelievably, open for commissions. She is on Weasyl and FA. She also offers bonuses for subscribers on Patreon.

The Spring season of Harvest is available online and as a physical comic.

And I am chewing off my own arm as I have to work til than. I hate waiting.

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[Warning to My Dear Readers: The following letter has me more upset than almost any letter I have ever received. I am honestly and profoundly disturbed. It has nothing to do with sex or violence, but, rather, with a degree of selfishness I find difficult to comprehend. I try to always see good in people, but am having a hard time with this one.]

[Update August 13, 2014: After you read the original letter, keep reading. I later received emails from a furry that makes me feel a lot better]

Hey there, Papabear. How are you? 

Where to begin? Well, I've been wondering about this for a while. I'm currently staying with my grandmother in hopes of saving up for a new reliable vehicle, for my own place and to live a great stable life by myself. I love her dearly, don't get me wrong, but I feel that she may be taking advantage of me. I'm not trying to make her into a villain or anything, but I'll tell it to you like it is. 

See, my grandma (who is 62 years old) is quitting her job at the Walmart Supercenter in Ballentine, SC (part of Columbia, SC and nearly an hour away from her house) because she's just "tired" of the work load they are giving her. Granted, she had to work for 6 days a week with 1 day off 3 weeks ago, but still... And she was spending money faster than she was earning them (mainly, because of gas for the most part.) She has been trying to look for another job (or so she says), but jobs are scarce at this point. She doesn't like to work period at times and it seems that she's at the point of her life where she's tired of working all together. I had been living with her rent-free, therefore, I would have to do yard work and clean up behind myself to compensate for that. 

But recently, she wants me to help out with her bills and house expenses. I can't help but feel that she purposely doesn't want to work and purposely isn't looking for a job (but then again, jobs are scarce nowadays.). And I fear that once she runs out of money, it will lead me to be the breadwinner and pay all the expenses and pay the bills, which could result in me reaching my goals in a much slower rate. My first suspension of her taking advantaging of me was that she used a Sears Credit Card of mine (that I got from a mall) to buy Christmas presents for some of my family members when we were both unemployed (which took place last year). I advised her not to use it. I have no idea why she would do that when she knew we were both out of a job. She's currently paying the bill, but I'm worried that once she's out of money I'm stuck with the bill (when she should be paying for it). Mind you, I don't plan on living in a mobile home in a rural town all my life. Not really my thing. I don't want to stay here longer than necessary. There are times where I have had enough of her antics. That's the type of person she is. It took me a while to figure out her true colors. I didn't find out how she truly is until about 4 months ago. She's the type of woman who would say "Oh! I'm pooped. I'm tired. I can't work like this no more. But it looks like you're going to help me with these bills from now on." with a crooked smile and a little laugh afterwards. You don't know if she's just kidding or if she really means that. 

If she doesn't work for a long period of time, am I able to kick her out of the house (that she lived in for so long) that I'm paying the bills for by myself? I know the question I asked maybe a silly, ridiculous, and a far-fetched question due to my young age and inexperience in this type of situation, but I just got to know.

Anonymous (age 23)

* * *

Hi, Anonymous

I hope you will see the following as a wake-up call for you.

Okay, let me get this straight in my head. You are, I assume, working, and your 62-year-old grandmother, who works six days a week at Walmart, allows you to stay in her trailer for free and, so far, all you have done to compensate her is some yard work and the promise to clean up after your own messes. And you resent that she used your Sears card (to buy Christmas presents for the family!) and you think she is plotting to have you live there permanently to support her because, you know, she’s obviously lazy and she’s taking money from you that you want to save for a new car and to get your own place, and you feel her machinations are going to delay your plan to eventually abandon her after she gave you a place to live for free, even though, apparently, you have a paying job?

Are you effing kidding me? Are you for real?

And you’re asking me if you can kick her out of her house?

How would you like to be in your sixties and on your feet all day working for, what, minimum wage at the nastiest store chain in the country? And you don’t believe she can’t find another job? Do you know how hard it is for older people to get work in a country where businesses—although it is technically against the law—discriminate regularly against job seekers over 40?

Sounds to me that you are pissed off because you thought you found a sweet deal with your gramma and now it’s going sour on you. 

Congratulations. Papabear has a very open mind, and I am sympathetic to pretty much any type of belief or behavior I have run across, but this is beyond being tolerated. You win the award for the most ungrateful, selfish, unsympathetic person I have ever come across in my life. I now have a bellyache. I am flabbergasted. I am dumbfounded. I ... I just cannot believe what I just read. 

You say you love her dearly. I, for one, do not believe you. You want to help your grandmother? Be a grandson, not a user. Maybe see if you can help her find a desk job that will be easier on her feet, and, meanwhile, start paying half the bills. Will this delay your plan. Yes, it will, so what? 

Not sure how I’ll get through the rest of my day now. I literally feel sick to my stomach. Thanks a lot.

Papabear

* * *
[Updated August 13, 2014]

Hey, PapaBear. I apologize for sounding like a jerk or a user. Please, if you can, delete my letter. I was so angry at the time I wrote that letter and my emotions got the best of me. I just don't want a bad reputation. I'm sorry to even send you that letter and I'm glad you were very honest and open minded. I'm not going to hold it against you because it's what I need.

-Thanks.

I should've not posted it during the time I was angry at her because she accused me of something I didn't do. It was immature on my part. I know this may sound hokey, but I am not a bad person at heart. The reason why I moved in with my grandmother was because I had a short-tempered and abusive father and my mother was somewhat oblivious to that. So, I had to move in with my grandmother to stay way from him. I didn't mean to get you upset, because that's not what I wanted to do. For many years, I've been trying to work on not being selfish and not have people taking advantage of me, which I had let people do to me for so long. I was always shy and never spoke up, just to avoid conflict and just to avoid getting into an argument, because of my hidden low-self esteem. Since, I'm living in her house, I will pay for any expenses that need to be paid [emphasis Papabear's]. It was a wake-up call for me. I know you are disgusted with me, but you have every right to be.

* * *

Dear Kendall,

Thank you for writing me. I can understand what is happening here, and I'm glad you wrote. Before I delete the letter, I would like to ask you if we could do a second option: keep the letter, but I will post the emails you just sent me (I can make you more anonymous by changing your name, age etc.) The reason I would like to keep it is that you have just provided an invaluable lesson on the dangers of writing or otherwise corresponding with someone when you are extremely angry. Your follow-up replies will show readers you really aren't a bad person and gain you sympathy.

If you still object to this idea, I will delete the letter in full as if it never happened.

I wish you well and hope you and your grandmother can get along and love and support one another.

Papabear

* * *

Normally, I would asked for the letter to be deleted. But since, I too, want to show that I'm not the bad person that they think I am and since I trust you, I am ok with you keeping the letter and posting the emails that I sent you. :3

Let me rephrase something: For starters, my mom's husband wasn't all that abusive, he was a little bit abusive ( which is me being generous), stubborn as an ox and has a short temper. Fusses a lot too. We have bumped heads and have gotten into physical fights in the past. So like I said, I moved into my grandmother's to get away from all of that stress. At times, I feel like I'm being used by my grandmother. But you and the individuals that commented on the letter really helped me out and I would like to thank you for that.

* * *

I wish you luck!

Papabear

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As the title suggests, net this really nice woman who ended up being Daria!

http://i.imgur.com/15cLlQL.jpg

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I just wanted to know because they hosted vincent the wolf once and it was hilarious but i can't seem to find it.

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Kitty in search of food finds hot water.

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Here is an article in the US Metro:

http://www.metro.us/boston/news/local/2014/08/03/furry-fever-boston-furry-convention-sheds-light-fandom/

It covers the weekend's Maltese Fur-Con event in Boston, Massachusetts.


Nearly 200 fiction fans met up at the Hilton Boston Logan Airport over the weekend for the first local furry convention, shining a light on a mysterious and often misunderstood subculture.

So-called “furries” are interested in fictional anthropomorphic characters, and in some cases even dress as and take on the persona of the “animal-like” creatures.

“Thirty years ago when Star Trek came out, a lot of people who followed the show were ostracized for it. Now that community is really embraced by everyone. I think our community has taken the place of Trekkies in that respect,” said Fur-Con Organizer Rourke Danyals, 31, of Haverhill, who has been embracing his furry side for 18 years.

The subculture, which is said to have sprouted at a science fiction convention in 1980, has gained notoriety for its connection to sexual fetishism that involves role playing with the suits.

“I’d be lying if I didn’t say it was a part of it,” he said. “But you’ll find there are sexual aspects to communities all over the world. It’s not the defining aspect, but it is an element of the furry community … It’s a lot broader of a community than people realize.”

In fact, only about 10 percent of furries actually wear the hand-crafted suits, which can run upwards of $5,000.

Danyals, like many in his community, only dons a suit a few times per year.

Typically furries socialize online at websites like Furaffinity.net, and will sometimes attend group “meet-ups” with fellow fur-fans.

But this weekend’s convention, officially named “The Maltese Fur-Con,” let furries do more than just mingle. Attendees were offered seminars on how to properly care for their fur suits – it involves Febreze – as well as games, dancing, fur pride parades, vendors, and more.

New York City resident Rebeccah Ortiz, 23, has been rocking her yellow fox suit – named “Elbi” – for about a year.

“Usually I get a very positive reaction. I make people smile, and they say, ‘Oh what a pretty costume!’ They want to take pictures and get hugs. It’s really fun,” said Ortiz.

Convention goer Jason Miclette, 27, of Connecticut said that although his alter ego “Zenfuhre” brings him joy, his favorite aspect of the fandom is its fundraisers.

“Absolutely the amount of charity work we do draws me to this community,” said Miclette, who hopes to host his own Fur-Con in the future. “I get to dress up and make a fool of myself and make other people laugh, so that’s the happy factor for me. But the other heart-warming factor is raising money as a group. The one we’re doing [at Maltese Fur-Con] is for [service animals].”

Considering the convention’s inaugural success, the Hub might see an even larger gathering next year.

“There are a few regular furry meet-ups in the Boston-area throughout the year, but I’d love to make this convention an annual event,” said Danyals.

Author: Fred This is a collection of all twelve of Stan Sakai’s Nilson Groundthumper comic-art short stories, in an attractive hardcover full-color “graphic novel” format. Sakai is most famous for his ongoing series about Miyamoto Usagi, the rabbit ronin in the early 1600s Tokugawa shogunate in an anthropomorphized-animal Japan. Most people who know about Sakai’s […]

Not books that just contain anthropomorphic characters (don't say redwall), but books written for/by the fandom (ie waterways)

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Hi guys! I'm buying some inflatable dragons of our own design and the orders are open until the end of this month. I'm not getting any profit on this order but the more orders we get, the cheaper the unit price will be. Basically it's a tall anthro dragon without wings.

You can see the web page or the FA page for more information.

</spam>

Cheers, Lisko

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Ndbag is a boogeyman, but not the scary people-eating kind. No, he’d much rather eat one of your dirty socks — usually the left one. Ndbag the Boogeyman lives in the closet clothes hamper of a little girl named Mylene. He’s made friends with her favorite plushie: A panda named Pandaman. They get along so well that Ndbag created his very own panda costume which he calls Pandabag. The little blue boogeyman is also “frenemies” with ZK, a fluffy dryer goblin who much prefers clean socks and munching on lint. Are you getting all of this? It all comes from the mind of Austrian artist E.F. Gludovacz, and you can find out more in the first Ndbag the Boogeyman book as well as the regularly-updated web comic… all at the official web site.

image c. 2014 by E.F. Gludovacz

Author: crossaffliction So, there was recently an article on Flayrah I can’t link to anymore since the author asked it be removed, but the general gist of it was that bias in criticism is bad. Not going to argue that point one way or another, but argue a side tangent; the article never really said […]

I made a promise to myself, after college that I would change and become a better person and achieve things that I wanted to improve myself. Many months later, I did not keep my promises to myself instead I just fail and give up for progress was not happening. I just felt miserable and weak, but I try to stay positive. One day, I saw the Canadian TV documentary Fanboy Confessional: Furry Edition. I was aware of the term Furries(I thought it mainly focused on bad anthropomorphic human characteristics drawing, I was totally wrong about everything), but I did not know that there was fandom of this existed, so my curious mind wanted to find out more about this fandom and this is what happened next. I heard good things about the Furry fandom that it is very accepting and welcoming to new people to the Furry Fandom. I was fascinated and interested that I wanted to look into it in person, so I actually went to a furry nightclub, but I did not try to interact with anyone for I made a plan that I should have not followed it for it got me nowhere and I also joined a furry form, but I abandon it. The reason I did those things is because I was feeling very conflicted about joining this fascinating fandom. I want to change that I going to do that and things are starting to get better and I am planning on going back to that furry nightclub, because I want to change myself and become a better person.

I am not the type of person who would do something like this because it is not what I usually do; I would mostly keep it to myself and never tell “anyone” for I would solve my problems on my own. Yet, I felt like I want to write this out because for some reason I can’t stop thinking about this fandom every day and the positive things of this fandom.

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