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submitted by Clarke311
[link] [12 comments]

I was just wondering if I was going to see any of you all at fangcon

submitted by xargonoth
[link] [1 comment]

So I recently started my HNC in Electronics Engineering and after we got chatting about project ideas for the second year of the course I had an idea, why don't I use my arduino board to try and develop my own version of the Nekomimi ears?

Well after a quick chat with my tutor they said it's a viable idea that has enough mix of coding and electronics to be considered as an electronics based project. I'm really excited about this since I haven't had much of a chance to use my Arduino board for anything although I have no idea how I'm going to do the whole brain waves thing... More likely than not I will keep it simple and make a code that animates the ears and then afterwards try to integrate the mind controlling aspect of it so in the event that fails I still have a product I can show off.

Excited wuffs but lots of research ahead of me! =3

submitted by BalkorWolf
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submitted by fluffywulfie
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I'm in need of new artist looking for practice. Reason I say this is because I have no way of paying someone, unless we could do physical money exchange. Anyone interested just send me a message

submitted by Caec_Willins
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submitted by Adezu
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The idea that furry is a slice of ordinary society is one well worth keeping in mind. I wrote about it as my very first article on this site, even. It’s important to consider the ways in which we, as furries, are not somehow separate from the rest of the world; furry does not take place in a vacuum, as I believe I’ve said before. We are all members of our own social structures both within and without this subculture, and it’s that mixture of individualities and social ideals that belong to its members that help to make us who we are as a fandom

The very phrase ‘social structures’, however, is telling, in that that is precisely what some of us seek to escape by means of our membership to this social group: structure. For many, furry is seen as something apart from the social structures that surround them in their day-to-day lives. That has come up several times before here, of course. I wrote about leadership in a decentralized subculture, and JM and I have both written about the intersection of furry and the wider cultures to which we belong, both in terms of conformity and non-conformity. This puts us in something of an interesting – and ever-changing – space, as furries. We exist somewhat apart from the wider cultural contexts of which we are a part, though at the same time we cannot escape the connections entirely, for they inform a large portion of the way our own social group works.

This tension between conformity and non-conformity, belonging and not belonging, being a part of society or rejecting it, is a type of liminality, exiting between states, on the threshold, and certainly worth taking a moment to explore.

Let’s take a step back and figure out what liminality is, along with the closely related concept of marginality. Liminality (from the Latin word limen, meaning threshold) began as an anthropological term to describe the process of ritual, wherein those involved enter as part of the social structure, become something separate outside of but on the threshold of that structure, before returning to society. This can easily be seen in a simple ritual which has continued until today such as marriage: those who are to be married enter as separate people, and through the process of ritual, are socially, even legally, set aside from the social structure during the ceremony, before they are re-inducted back into society, this time as a single social (and often legal) unit.

I noticed this myself recently with my own civil union ceremony: JD and I entered as two separate people, and then, even though we were simply signing papers for five or ten minutes, we entered a ritual sort of liminality where we were not separate, but not together – one step removed from society – before we were welcomed back by the county clerk as a single, legally recognized couple, complete with an announcement that got a small round of applause from the few others in the room.

At that point, following Victor Turner’s definition, we were liminars: liminal entities wrapped up in the process of ritual. However, the concept of liminality has been extended beyond the idea of ritual in several ways since then. This delightful essay describes the ways in which the concept can be and has been applied outside the context of ritual. Liminal states are all around us, and a regular part of life. The author of the essay takes liminality far beyond the ritual, as have others, and elevates it to state valid in life, or even within aspects of life. There are ways in which we are betwixt and between that tie into our lives quite a bit, setting us somewhat apart from society into a sort of anti-structure.

This anti-structure, as a lack of the wider social structure, is described as communitas, which is a social anti-structure that places emphasis on humanity, equality, and togetherness rather than the hierarchies and strictures of society’s more standardized forms. This is evident in many social movements, such as feminism and the gay rights movement, where, by virtue of this status of being set apart, elements of – if not all of – social structure are set aside in favor of communitas: a sense of “we’re all in this together” and yet “we’re still all human.”

In some sense, then, liminality is very similar to marginality, and there are certainly discussions worth having on both subjects, but I think it’s important to first differentiate between marginality and liminality as outsidership. I mentioned in the previous paragraph that this often happens with social movements, and I think that this shows a good example of marginality, in a way. Those at the edges of society who, by their very existence, are set apart from society in some way experience outsidership just as those in a liminal, between state do. However, there is an important distinction to be made, and that’s one of choice. While liminality is often a something that one can choose to take part in – the author of the aforementioned article chose to accept his job in a foreign country, setting himself up in a state of not-quite-beloning to both his native, western culture as well as the Korean culture in which he was embedded – whereas marginality, as a social sciences term, generally refers to those statuses which place one outside of social structures through no choice of their own, such as race, class, sexual orientation, and so on.

Of course, I’m sure you can see where I’m going with all of this. In a way, furry itself, like many subcultures, is a form of outsidership, and thus something of a liminal space. We experience our own communitas within the fandom, and I think this is evident in a few notable ways.

The characters that we create for ourselves are, in a way, liminars – items betwixt and between the two worlds of the imaginary and the real. Yes, they are fictional constructs to many of us. There is no Makyo, per se, only Matthew Scott and this idea of Makyo. And yet they are expressed in the real world in several different ways. Art, fursuits, role-play, and even just plain talking about characters (as in the species selection and character creation panel at RMFC) is a way in which we bring them closer to what we consider real. They are on the threshold of both purely imaginary and totally real.

On a similar note, conventions are another good example, and a more complex one at that. Cons are liminal spaces, wherein we, as a subculture, experience our communitas more completely than perhaps we might outside of them. We try to build the world that we want Furry to be for a few short days, and we often do a pretty good job of it. One of the aspects of communitas that I find interesting is that, by virtue of this anti-structure, even leaders are still members, and so it is in most cases with con staff and board: they are furries there to enjoy the convention as well. And yet all of this takes place in the middle of San Jose, or Pittsburgh, or Magdeburg. All around the convention, keeping us from transitioning entirely to some other, more furry state, is the rest of a bustling city that is not partaking in this communitas (and indeed, often rejects it outright).

This applies to time as well as the space around conventions. While conventions get closer to Turner’s ritual definition of liminality, a ritual setting aside of social structures in favor of communitas, so to does the ritual of traveling to and from conventions. This year, on the way to Further Confusion, I just happened to run into a few furries by pure chance in the San Francisco airport. We even wound up on the same train down to San Jose together. This, and so many experiences like it, help to show the ritual nature of travel, the setting aside into a space not quite society, where hierarchies are blurred and you’re all just Passengers, Travelers, or Pilgrims.

As I mentioned before, however, subcultures are their own kind of outsidership. All of these things are not strictly furry, not even the conventions. Any other group that gathers around a central idea such as this has the chance to set themselves apart and yet still on the threshold, in that between space. The anime culture has their own conventions, interests, and communitas, as do so many other social groups out there.

So how has furry changed over time?

A curious question that came up in the process of researching this post is that, while it’s understandable that the difference between marginality and liminality is one of choice, how exactly that choice works. That is, are there aspects of marginality to our fandom? Is it marginal to be into something by virtue of personality, or not understand the outsidership role interest plays in our lives? This is a question that JM has touched on before, and I think it’s worth at least a look.

In some ways, geek culture as a whole, but also our furry subculture, has been making a slow shift from marginality to liminality. No small amount of words have been spilled over the topic of how nerds are in, it’s chic to be geek, et cetera ad nauseum. However, that it is so obvious is, I think, a sign of the roles that interest play in choice. Is it a choice to participate in a subculture such as this? Of course. One need not partake in the social aspects of interest to simply be interested. Is interest a choice though? That is a tougher question, I think, and I would hesitate to say so. It shows, then, that as participation increases, the liminal aspects of interest – those based around choosing outsidership – grow in their perceived importance, even as the marginal aspects – those based around having outsidership forced upon one – shrink.

This is simple membership draw, of course, and nothing mystical, but interesting all the same, notably in the ways in which one reacts to having one’s outsidership acknowledged, or even challenged. There is a great lead into this article about what it means to have sexual orientation (a marginal state for some) acknowledged, and I think that similar reactions can be seen in furry. The ways in which we reacted to MTV’s Sex2k episode, or the Salon article are different than the ways in which we react to Maxim’s recent nod to furries, and I think that, too, is a sign of us feeling less marginal and more liminal: it’s easier to feel proud of outsidership that is freely chosen, because, to us, that outsidership is eminently enjoyable, or even a core part of our lives.

This brings me to my standard conclusion (since I’ve already tackled “is it furry?”): what does this get us? Liminality is a part of life, whether we notice it or not. Often we do not, but it does form a core of who we are: the ability to step outside, to gather in this communitas with our equals, and to set ourselves outside social structure on the threshold of real and imaginary, even if only for a time. Intentional liminality such as membership in a subculture can help or harm depending on the individual and how it’s used, of course. We all know of the trope of the furry so entrenched in the fandom that they cannot hold down a job, pay bills, or interact well in social situations outside of furry by virtue of their membership. However, furry is certainly of incredible importance to a great many of us, and the form of escapism involved in it is hardly unhealthy. We’ve created ourselves a space neither here in society at large, nor, by necessity, there, in this fictional world of our zoomorphized selves. It’s a safe space, a space of communitas, that draws us in.

Dear PapaBear,

I never would have thought I would have actually gotten the time to write you, however I read every one of your letters.... But as of right now, I'm feeling more confused than I ever have in my life.

I have always identified myself as bisexual, however I have always had a preference for men.... There's only been one woman in my life who I've ever shared an interest with and that is because she can read me like a book and is currently my best friend.

Now I've been in this on and off relationship with another man for 5 years long distance. Lately, we've just been fighting more and more over the most petty things and I feel like our love is falling apart. It's literally one of the most painful things in the world because we've always thought we would share a future together. And we can still see it, but lately I feel as if I'm the only one who's put effort into the relationship...And me bringing this up only brings more fighting to begin with, but if I let it go, he thinks I don't care any more...which naturally LEADS TO MORE FIGHTING.

Now putting all of this aside, last night ... I had the opportunity to actually sit down with my best friend. She is in an abusive relationship and we've both come to the conclusion that her boyfriend is an absolute scumbag. I don't want to get into too much detail because that's not doing anyone any good, but long story short, their lives are intertwined because of her college life+family life+bills which her family is trying to catch up on ... yadda yadda ... AKA it's just a terrible situation.

I'd go into more detail with her boyfriend, but I feel like this would drag on this letter much more than it needs to.

Last night, she wound up breaking down after she realized what an asshole her boyfriend's been lately and she cried into my chest...After about 30 minutes of talking, I wound up kissing her on the cheek before dropping her off at her house, which she didn't oppose at the time.

My question is ... what should I do? I am still madly in love with my "boyfriend" (he doesn't want to identify himself as this, but trust me ... he knows he's my boyfriend, since he's my ex and we're already confirmed to seeing each other in a matter of months.... But I've been in love with my best friend since High School and after what happened last night, I haven't been able to drop it...

I just feel ... stuck.

Perplexed Vaporeon

* * *

Dear Perplexed,

Since you have read a lot of my letters, you know my position on LDRs. You mention you are making plans to see your boyfriend, and that’s good. I don’t know whether this will be your first IRL meeting, but it’s clear to me that your relationship needs some maintenance. Oftentimes, when people in a relationship are under stress, it can cause frayed nerves, and tempers flare. My guess is that this is what is happening between you and your bf. You see, you’ve been “together” for five years and I would bet that you are both getting frustrated by your inability to be physically closer, even to consummate your relationship. Your bf is denying that the two of you are boyfriends, and I can see why: he probably looks at it the way I do in that LDRs are not true relationships; they are a bizarre anomaly of a modern world that creates the illusion of intimacy through technology.

What you need to do is actually BE with your boyfriend. If I may be so crude, sounds to Old Bear like the two of you need a good mutual boffing. If you have not made love yet (and I don’t mean role play online), you will be quite amazed how the flood of endorphins will soothe both of you and make you much happier. A physical relationship is extremely important in any healthy coupling. So, go boff your bf, and then spend some time with him doing things that are fun. Really share your time together. Don’t even talk about the troubles you’ve been having; focus on sharing a part of your lives together. Then, after you have both been sufficiently primed, you can talk for a bit about more serious stuff. This will do wonders for both of you.

Now, as for your dear female friend. You are a wonderful person for being there in her time of need and giving her comfort. She has a lot to work out, and I would say that making “a move” on her and upping the ante on your relationship would really cause a lot of damage and is not a wise choice, for her or for you. For her because she already has enough on her plate trying to straighten out what is going on with her boyfriend, family, finances, etc. She doesn’t need a lover, she needs a friend, so be that friend. Also, as you said yourself, while you are bi, you prefer men, and so even if you established a closer relationship she would have to be able to deal with the fact that, at least sometimes, you’re probably going to want to play around with a male or two (I'm not saying that bi people are incapable of monogamy, but I am saying that, given what you told me, your yearning for a man will likely affect your relationship with a female because you prefer men). Can she deal with that? That’s a big question, and one that could also cause her more grief than she needs right now.

For you, it’s because what I’m seeing here is another case of transference (I’ve written about this before). You’re probably transferring your need for some physical intimacy and tenderness that you are currently unable to get from your bf onto her. Not to say that you don’t truly care for her, and, since you are bi, can’t have an intimate relationship with her, but is that really what you want? Can you imagine yourself with this girl in a committed relationship? You don’t sound very sure of this, yet you do indicate a longing to plan for a future with your boyfriend.

My recommendation would be to try and repair and heal your relationship with your boyfriend first before possibly considering a relationship with your girl buddy. Be there for her as a friend as you have been, and never underestimate the value of a good friendship; they are priceless and rare and to be cherished. But don’t complicate your gf’s life right now by adding yourself in as a love interest. That, I predict, would cause you and her both a lot of stress and grief, at least at this point.

Try that first, and get back to me if you have more questions.

Bear Hugs,

Papabear

I better see all the redditors.

submitted by way2highforthisshit
[link] [5 comments]

submitted by liskoturri
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submitted by dale_glass
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Author: GreenReaper

Been in the fandom for over 12 years, my site of choice was MSN Chat. I feel like furry has evolved exponentially since then. My question is, how long are you in the fandom, or how old are you, before you're considered a greymuzzle?

submitted by lokilullaby
[link] [14 comments]

Author: Hi Papabear, I’m a college student who’s going to join the new environment and feel the experience of first year in college this October. I’m also a traditional artist who has a deep passion on Furry. I’m going to open a small commission on my FurAffinity account, starting with a small one I made […]

http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2013/265/e/c/phoxxy_sketch_by_phoxxy232-d6nduso.jpg

I got this sketch from someone I met via Second-Life who basically saw my Avatar in the game and say "I really wanna draw you" The sketching was done, then I passed it to a friend of mine to color, I love the way the color came out. Below I'll post the sketch version with a link to the person who drew it, they are super awesome and did this free of charge for me! .^

http://d.facdn.net/art/phoxxy/1379651469.phoxxy_phoxxyfemsketch.jpg

Artist's FA: http://www.furaffinity.net/user/dontamure

submitted by Phoxxy
[link] [1 comment]

Figured I'd share this :P

Tumblr link where you can read about it It contains Music, info, and drawings, for now, Mainly of the character Damaris.(Note that yes, there are a few NSFW things pertaining to certain characters): http://damariskitten.tumblr.com/

submitted by DamarisKitten
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submitted by Andreus
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submitted by DonnytheGoat
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submitted by Twitchety
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submitted by WhyNoKinTheFu
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