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Hey there folks I'm really trying to find some nice art live stream channels but have no idea where to start. Just leave a link and I'll gladly follow it. Also I'll give you a hug....well I'll hug the monitor or something.

Edit: Shoutout to mintisaur for reminding me to put "art" in front of livestream

submitted by mishapsmajor
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submitted by griffonator
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submitted by deadlyquasar
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We're back, and in full force! We talk about AC, stock markets, waffle tacos, strange pizzas, Alkali's new workout plan, and more! BTW, don't forget you can preregister for our con, F Squared! If you do so, we greatly appreciate it! https://fsquaredcon.com Also, Xander threw up the trailer made for the con on YouTube! http://www.youtube.com/user/DraggetShow Ep. 74 - Whack Away! - We're back, and in full force! We talk about AC, stock markets, waffle tacos, strange pizzas, Al...

We're back, and in full force! We talk about AC, stock markets, waffle tacos, strange pizzas, Alkali's new workout plan, and more! BTW, don't forget you can preregister for our con, F Squared! If you do so, we greatly appreciate it! https://fsquaredcon.com Also, Xander threw up the trailer made for the con on YouTube! http://www.youtube.com/user/DraggetShow Ep. 74 - Whack Away! - We're back, and in full force! We talk about AC, stock markets, waffle tacos, strange pizzas, Al...

Guest post by Amethyst Basilisk, written as a counterpoint to JM’s article, Evidence that Furry Is Leading the Rest of the World.

One of the best benefits from participating in a creatively chaotic community such as furry is the ability to be whoever you’d like to be. It’s an important outlet for many of us – our expressions tend to come out in terms of being who we feel we’re not necessarily allowed to be from a greater cultural perspective. Most of us didn’t fit in, wherever we came from. Most of us were too geeky – too awkward, even. Too loud and boisterous, too strange or too tweaked. As a result, we’ve fled to and cultivated ourselves a safe haven from emotional treachery. The only explicit laws against fantasy in most cultures are typically put in place to prevent fraud and violence. However, there also exists a social hierarchy which takes every opportunity to reinforce one’s alleged place in its expansive machinery. A plethora of societal and financial pressures as well as generalized threats on survival are applied in order to enforce this order whenever possible. A lack of order, as the host species appears to feel, is a formula for destruction.

Furries balk at this thought. Furries pretend to be whoever the heck they want to be, regardless of what others may think of them – at least non-furries, anyway. The community attempts to shed the societal pressures; intellectual disdain; and hatred toward experimentation; to craft crafts of provocative proportions. As a result, furries are outcasts for the things they enjoy doing, allegedly hated by the rest of the world for what’s perceived as anywhere from fun to enlightenment.

One of the sad ironies of cleverly crafted utopias are their abilities to mimic and even amplify the societal sundries they’re attempting to flee. Furry is Schrödinger’s Island.

Schrödinger’s Island is a neologism piggybacking on the quantum parable of Schrödinger’s cat. Its use attempts to describe a social phenomenon wherein participants of the furry community simultaneously attempt to receive recognition from the greater culture that has allegedly rejected them and equally boast– sometimes to arrogant degrees – about how separated they are from the culture as a whole (e.g., aggressively boasting about furry pride to a group who is perhaps ignorant or just doesn’t particularly care). Essentially, on one hand, actively identifying as a furry is an emotional protest toward the arbitrary boundaries enforced on them in a culture that rejects such sense of freedom to self-identify. Without the element of societal rejection from a puritanical society, it’s very difficult to argue that furry would be what it is today. And yet on the other hand there’s this intense craving to be accepted for who we are – hence the hand-to-forehead magnetism induced by the more stereotypically vocal among us.

This psychological schism doesn’t have a tendency to exist in one person: it’s a social superposition which causes emotional projections of what brought us here in the first place, leading to bizarre circular arguments, self-fulfilling prophecies, and a naively malevolent darkness that allows for all sorts of horrible abuses to happen. To summarize: what is a hero without a villain? And what happens when the hero yearns for villains to confirm their heroic existence? Will they find villains they didn’t know of before, or will molds be formed to redefine their villainy? Let’s go with a common (and easy) villain of the puritanical mindset, as well as the reputation of the furry community as a whole: sex.

Statistics regarding the opinions on sexual psychology in the furry community make this quantum ideology stand out like a sore thumb. Frequently, when furries are polled, they feel the rest of the furry community is way more sexualized than they are personally – which is to say not very much, of course. A cynic would argue blatant hypocrisy, whereas an easy counter-argument is citing statistics regarding artistic production: there are always, on average, much more general audience productions than erotic productions on a given furry site, at a given furry art show or in a given furry artist alley. Yet, as furries, we know a dead horse when we see one, so let’s shirk the stud-shank. There’s an interesting curiosity in having sex panic in the first place. Let’s talk about sin.

Sin isn’t simply biblical. All cultures have sins. Sins are a means of social control enforced by those who feel emboldened and uplifted by their followers. What the leader deigns, the followers enforce, creating exiles in their wake and loyalists for the cause. There are many cultural sins – sex is just one of them. But sex has been used as a means of social control back before the bible, so to declare sex as a weapon of the puritan would make Ghengis Khan cackle.

Sex is used in the furry community in a similar way – though mostly to control the perception of what others think of us. Attempting to portray an opposing opinion on the sexuality of furries…does not usually end well. Trying to enforce it as a good thing usually creates strong opinions one way or the other regarding what others will think of them. It’s rather difficult to have an intelligent discussion about sex in mixed company – and this isn’t even really a furry problem! But the push-back in talking honestly about sex touches on one of the more cardinal sins of the furry community.

Picture a parade. Fursuits and other costumes cruise through. Everything is normal. Try and picture one of the costumers striding past you while performing in character, utilizing the physical mannerisms of their costumed persona to really bring that outfit to life. Then imagine them locking eyes on you with excitement, pulling off their fursuit head and striking up a conversation with you while the parade is going on behind them. What is your perception of the crowd around you?

The first perception that comes immediately to mind is annoyance, irritation and fingered, judgmental murmurings from the rest of the crowd. This fursuiter has sinned. They ruined the fantasy.

But this sin goes beyond fiction. This sin in particular – the ruination of fantasy – has deep, deep roots that go to the core of our emotional utopia and reach further into the puritanical society we feel exiled by, even through attempts to exhume the very thing many feel furry provides as a shelter from attack. To present furry as anything potentially adult to others is a sin: that ruins the fantasy of furry being acceptable by society, and its members as acceptable by proxy. To state that public furry groupings could potentially be an unsafe place is a sin: that ruins the fantasy of furry as a safe-haven from the greater villainy we ran from. To make claim of potential malevolence, be it sexual, violent or psychologically manipulative by another furry, is a sin: that ruins the fantasy that furries are friendly and affectionate. Analogies apply equally to the puritanical society furry attempts to escape.

Yet this inability to even question the fantasies that exist within the furry community itself – combined with the Internet’s infinite appetite for being proven permanently right – allows the very abusive villainy furries fled from to flourish. As is standard in the society furry left behind, the survival response to prevent one’s self from becoming either insane or isolated becomes apathy. A cascade of anti-intellectualism occurs due to a rising desire to become the most apathetic of a given group, and from there the cycle of psychological (and, though thankfully relatively rarely, physical) abuse continues to tumble along in the darkness.

The movie Inception provides a fascinating metaphor for the horrifying phenomenon caused when one becomes consumed by the fantasy world. As the protagonists dig deeper into the dreams of their victim, they go further and further into the many layers of dreams, with limbo being the final layer. But limbo is infinity. Limbo is simultaneously everything and nothing. Limbo is exactly what you make of it. And its perfection is as much beautiful as it is horrifying. Beautiful in its ability to create exactly what you want and how you want it; horrifying from the existential stress imposed from over-pressing the dopamine depressor.

Inasmuch as we may be leaders by actively experimenting with our newfound freedom to abstractly identify ourselves, there exist strengthened and well-enforced cultural patterns from this identicraft that caused us to disobey standard social order in the first place. Yet instead of attempting to address these patterns, they are culturally shoved under the nearest rugs and dismissively declared as drama. In that regard, the furry community unfortunately follows the beat of the same oppressive drum this escapism attempts to shut out: protect the fantasy of order at all costs.

The social order of furry is founded primarily on the quality of fantasy. It is our culturally accepted vice. But what makes us followers instead of leaders in this regard is our inability to give our fantastical society a strong foundation by questioning and maintaining its fantastic structure. Leaders fight for their followers with bold and courageous tactics – not propaganda.

Dear Papa Bear, 

I am in the midst of a problem with a friend I met over Skype. She's been going through a lot of stress in her life, and I want to be able to help her, but I don't know how. At the same time, however, I'm worried about if she may be exaggerating her stress either because she's not thinking coherently or because she wants attention. Here's what I have heard from her regarding the things that have been stressing her out: 

• She has stated that her family has always pressured her into doing really well in her classes, while fawning over her younger brother. 
• She was forced to drop out of college because she lost a scholarship and her father refused to pay for her tuition. 
• She's currently living with a manipulative roommate who is nine years older than her and constantly gets emotional whenever she tries to confront him, and paints her as the bad guy while around other people in such situations. 
• She recently lost her job, meaning she has no means of getting away from her apartment. 
• While she will be moving out of the apartment in less than a month, she has stated that the roommate is essentially not giving her any freedom to do anything she wants to do, and the people maintaining the apartment complex she lives in won't do anything to help her. 

I want to be able to say something, anything to try and help her work her way out of the situation, or at least help her find a solution to the problem, but I don't know what I should say. I feel like whenever I try to talk to her I always end up stressed out, but at the same time, I also feel like I should be talking to her just to give her someone to talk to that does care about her. The question I guess I'm trying to ask is this: How am I supposed to accomplish this under these circumstances? 

Thank you for your time, and I hope to hear a response at a time that works best for you. 

Sincerely, 

Valeyard 

* * *

Hi, Valeyard,

As you might imagine, this question is right up Papabear’s alley. Furries write to me with their problems and I respond as best I can. I do this because, like you, I want to help those in trouble. The danger lies in becoming too emotionally invested in this. Like a surgeon operating on a patient’s heart, you can use all the skills and knowledge at your disposal, and sometimes the patient still dies. This is why it is difficult for many doctors to develop a good bedside manner—they fear they might like the patient too much and become too emotional, which would affect their professional judgment.

In your situation with this young woman, there are things you can do and things you shouldn’t do. You can (but only if you really want to): help her with her job search, help her look for other living arrangements, even help her a little with school. Things you should NOT do:  offer to help her with money, invite her to be your roommate, try to get in the middle of her family issues.

If you can offer her advice that will help her, do so. Often, when people are having a difficult time and multiple things are going wrong, they have a hard time thinking clearly. You can help her with that. That’s really a large part of what I do.

But don’t feel bad if you can’t solve all her problems. It is kind of you to want to help—and we should ALL have friends like you in our lives!—but you can’t do everything, and you must remember you have your own problems to deal with and it can easily take a toll on you to assume the burdens of other people, as well. Papabear has been going through an experience like this recently. I have a friend in the UK who is having a hard time getting over a love affair. I spent a lot of time working with him, giving him options and advice, even consulting a psychologist on his behalf, but he refuses to stop obsessing about this guy who will in all likelihood never come back to him. I finally had to tell him that I didn’t want to hear him talk about it any more because I couldn’t help him and he refused to change. He has to help himself and he has to quit obsessing or he will never get over the pain.

You can’t help people who won’t or can’t help themselves. But if this woman is trying to move ahead with her life, you can encourage her, offer advice, and give her a shoulder to cry on as any good friend would, but don’t let yourself get sucked into their misery if it doesn’t help. You cannot solve the problems of the world or of all the people out there. Be content that you are a good person and have at least tried to create a bright spot in the universe. But don’t beat yourself up if you are unable to help this woman.

Thank you for being a good person.

Hugs,

Papabear

If so message me or something.

submitted by RanninWolf
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submitted by JoJoJoshua
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I've been lurking for 4 or 5 months now. This isn't exactly a coming out post, because I've seen plenty of them and their responses. But here are my issues!

1. I'm a Shiba Inu! I love their traits and everything about them. But I feel like they have about 2 to 3 standard fur patterns and 4 to 5 color patterns that make them unique. I wanna break the mold but when ever I try to see what it would look like, it seems to kinda change breed...

2. I want to contribute! I know all the ways, yet I can't find something for me. I'm okay at traditional drawing, crud at digital, and even worse at writing. I love to make things, and learn quickly with hands on stuff but I have no idea what to make and how to ship things...

3. I also want to keep an eye out for suits. I saw this list and after skimming, and I have yet to see any shiba suits. Obviously I'm not buying right away. I'm still growing at 6'1 but I'll be stopping soon and about to get a job. (like fast food or something like that)

If it helps, I'm in high school. I have some funding for any first time projects, although they would have to start paying for themselves. -sigh- Why can't everything be free?

submitted by Seiiko
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submitted by Firebellyed_Fig
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Any furs in bc, Canada :3 or more specifically , Prince George ? :D I love new people , drop me an inbox :3

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submitted by STrRedWolf
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What is better, tea or coffee? It has been a while since this came up here at WagzTail, and we are sharply divided into two camps. Can you help one side be victorious? We discuss the history of both beverages as well, and give our thoughts as always!

Metadata and Credits WagzTail Podcast 2.0 Episode 86
Runtime: 30m
Cast: Crimson X, Levi, Near, Wolfin
Editor: Levi
Format: 128kbps ABR split-stereo MP3
Copyright: © 2013 WagzTail.com. Some Rights Reserved. This podcast is released by WagzTail.com as CC BY-ND 3.0. If distributed with a facility that has an existing agreement in place with a Professional Rights Organisation (PRO), file a cue sheet for 26:00 to Fabien Renoult (BMI) 1.67%, Josquin des Pres (BMI) 1.67%, WagzTail.com 96.67%. Rights have been acquired to all content for national and international broadcast and web release with no royalties due. Podcast image belongs to Lynne Lancaster, used with permission. Tea vs Coffee - What is better, tea or coffee? It has been a while since this came up here at WagzTail, and we are sharply divided into two camps. Can you help one side be victorious? We discuss the history of both beverages as well, and give our thoughts as always!

submitted by fowlfactory
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After hearing my friends tell me how epic a time they were having at anthrocon, I decided now was a better time than ever to perhaps start seeing new people that share my interests.

I live in Austin, Texas and after a brief period of looking I really couldn't find anything that was in the area. So is there anything in the Austin Area that I can attend?

submitted by usaf2222
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submitted by TobiasAmaranth
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submitted by howelllawson
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submitted by Adezu
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Hello, I am signal boosting for the Wyoming Furs group on FurAffinity.

We're doing another furry bowling meet on July 27th.

Details here: http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/4829105/

submitted by pornographicnihilism
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