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Portzebie is the Lone Ranger. Your ears are Tonto. Questions from our wonderful listeners have combined to form the horse Silver. Hi-Yo, Silver! Away! Follow us @ FA and Twitter @portzcast 12 - Me Alone

Portzebie is the Lone Ranger. Your ears are Tonto. Questions from our wonderful listeners have combined to form the horse Silver. Hi-Yo, Silver! Away! Follow us @ FA and Twitter @portzcast 12 - Me Alone

Portzebie is the Lone Ranger. Your ears are Tonto. Questions from our wonderful listeners have combined to form the horse Silver. Hi-Yo, Silver! Away! Follow us @ FA and Twitter @portzcast 12 - Me Alone - Portzebie is the Lone Ranger. Your ears are Tonto. Questions from our wonderful listeners have combined to form the horse Silver. Hi-Yo, Silver! Away! Follow us @ FA and Twitter @portzcast

submitted by PornoPichu
[link] [4 comments]

Guest post by Newfur.  Newfur is a fluffy red fox and college student who, true to his name, is relatively new to the furry fandom. He reads voraciously, writes unsteadily, loves music, mathematics, and molecular biology, and is an avid participant in Bookmarfs!

Reading through JM’s and Makyo’s posts here got me to thinking about the nature of presentation and the public face, and from there to one simple tenet I have lived by. Having lived in many ways and in many places, from my often rocky relationship with my family and cloistered visits to famously conformist South Korea, to my time in the furry fandom and in other such gloriously tolerant places, at some points I have had to live by this tenet by force, but thankfully more often, by choice:

The face we show one person need not be the face we show all people.

I know, I know, plenty of ink’s been spilled over “authenticity”, and we’re told from childhood that “honesty is the best policy”. In the end, though, only the demands of others to know all they desire about you and childhood conditioning drawing from this motivate these feelings. It is, in the final estimation, relatively easy to stay true to yourself while, in a calculated manner, making sure that some people don’t see what you don’t intend for them to see. At first blush, this may seem like a suspect notion, even one indicative of sociopathy. Think for a moment, though: does anyone really want to hear about what you had yesterday for lunch?

The telling of such lubricative lies and stories along with the careful holding-back of information is integral to this bewildering phenomenon called society, regardless of how we feel. Naturally, this sort of lie is crucial because it allows people to interact with each other without the abrasion that would result if we were as true and open as many purport to seek to be. We build up, consciously or otherwise, a public face: a mask that we show others in place of our true face. Those that fail to do so, whether through a lack of capability or desire, generally end up marginalized: out of work, shunned by others, or, occasionally, dead.

As furries, then, we find a tactic used time and again in the animal world: camouflage. Camouflage of dress, of speech, and of action. These aspects of disguise are the tools and the material with which we build the edifice that we intend others to see. They form the public face, as furries or even just as people. For if we must craft a mask just to function in society, we must craft it as best we can, rather than just letting the cards fall where they may. Hoping blindly that we’ll be accepted, no matter how awful it feels to choose to deliberately manipulate the emotional reactions of those we meet, will do us no good.

Balance is required, though. We find in ancient Greek mythology an apt picture of our dilemma: that of Scylla and Charybdis, the famed great hazards of the Strait of Messina. Scylla, it was told, was a terrible sea monster with six heads, and Charybdis, a terrifyingly deep and powerful whirlpool. And so too for us: to one side, the Scylla of too little – indiscriminately wearing and doing what we please anywhere and at any time, the wearing of collars at all times or barking at strangers – threatens us with ruin. More dangerous to my mind, though, is the Charybdis of too much, of selling your soul and losing what makes you delightfully unique, of wearing business clothes everywhere because you’ve forgotten what anything else feels like. Judiciousness is required, too. A three-piece suit would be almost as out of place at a furmeet as a collar would be at a job interview.

We draw inspiration, then, from the delicate art and subtle science of the lie. To put it poetically, a well-crafted lie is a story told about an alternate world which is easily confused with one about the real world. So too for our camouflage of word and deed : a story told in speech and movement of someone who is an ordinary member of society, about whom it cannot be said that something suspicious or untoward is going on. We must be careful, though, of Charybdis again: the lie bites both ways, and it isn’t unheard of to wind up living the lie you have accidentally convinced yourself you believe.

So what’s to gain from all this trouble taken? It seems to me that the presentation of a false face to the world is the only way to balance your true self with the demands of society, and in so doing guard yourself from society’s assimilative pull. Even better, it allows you to hide your true preferences from someone who might seek to use them against you.

It can attract friends, true ones, too: people will enjoy knowing you more if you still have the decency to treat them properly as a fellow human being even if you don’t really feel personally invested in the way you’re interacting with them. And oftentimes, those you meet out on the fringes as they sail carefully between Scylla and Charybdis, or even find some small success taking Odysseus’s famed daredevil route, will be some of the best friends you’ll ever make.

It’s hardly as bleak or as do-or-die as I’ve said here – at least, not most of the time. Society is often forgiving: in practice, people have a Somebody Else’s Problem filter for the strange and unusual, which those like us can gleefully exploit. A good example of this is the noted example of the residents of every college town whose residents have become inured to strange happenings, have seen it all, and now don’t even blink at the strangest happenings. The important thing is to keep the transgressive and the truly strange out of view, which seems to be the rather successful tack the furry community as a whole is consciously taking, and that many other subcultures have taken with varying degrees of consciousness and success in the past.

And thus in the end, it’s important not only to know the rules of the world, but also to know when you can bend or shatter them. A life lived placidly within imagined and self-imposed boundaries is barely a life lived at all. It is, after all, only in the lighting of a little non-conformist lantern that you can signal to those other interesting strangers that you’re someone worth talking to. Just don’t let it turn into a ship-consuming bonfire, of course, and you should be fine.

submitted by xandertheblue
[link] [21 comments]

o7 Space Pilots, before I start please read the whole thing before commenting and up/downvoting as I know this can be a touchy subject on subreddits and I hope you understand what I'm trying to achieve.

I was wondering if any of you would be interested in helping a fellow furry set up his own corporation? Now before I get into the details I would like to make a quick note that I am aware there are EVE and EVE recruiting subreddits however as the corp isn't actually created yet and knowing there are a fair few of you here that play EVE I was hoping you would be willing to give me a helping hand =)

To the details!

As mentioned I want to create my own corporation, why? Because I like a challenge and it seems fun however as a former recruiter I know how hard it is to get members into a newly formed, low member corporation so before I create the corp I am intended on looking for people who would be interested in joining it upon it's creation that will in turn make recruitment easier.

But that's not all!

I'm not just looking to use you guys, I want your input as well! As a founding member I will be looking to include your input on corp direction, where to live in space and even it's name! Along with a couple of other perks I may be able to think up of as a thank you for helping.

So what exactly am I looking for?

To start with, corpless people. I'm not going to ask you to leave your corp in order to help mine just because we are both furries, that would be stupid. So I'm after people who are actually interested in being part of my corporation.

Secondly, I intend on the corporation being combat oriented, anything PVE and PVP related that involves guns and space ships exploding (I'm thinking of keeping it simple to begin with and as the corp grows start to incorporate Wormhole and Incursion stuff).

Thirdly I'm after active pilots, I don't expect you to play 23.5/7 but at the same time numbers mean nothing if none of them are actually present and taking part of the corporation activities.

As a final note I am EU based and to begin with the corp probably will be as well, depending how quickly it grows I may expand to other Timezones that will at some point require directors to run them (Once we trust each other enough that is!) Also on top of that this isn't going to be a furry exclusive corp, I intend on recruiting anyone and everyone that wants to join regardless of their personal interests and what not.

o7 Thanks for reading and please don't be too harsh D= I may offer cookies as incentives.

submitted by BalkorWolf
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submitted by littleartbandit
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Author: crossaffliction Contributors this month include Bob Guthrie, crossaffliction, dronon, earthfurst, Fred, GreenReaper, Higgs Raccoon, oldhans117, Patch Packrat, Rakuen Growlithe, RingtailedFox and Sonious. read more Find the full article here: flayrah – furry food for thought Creative Commons: Full post may be available under a free license.

submitted by DarkWolf223
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submitted by darkenedzone
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submitted by fojam
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submitted by stonethemonk
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Sketching your fursona's faces, please post below and I'll get to them ASAP. Drawings in color. Edit: My drawings look better in pencil, they have more detail then. I'll do pencil for characters I don't have proper materials for, hope it's okay!

submitted by Sieeka
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submitted by furophile
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Bullying and hatred have long been part of society in general, and in turn, the fandom. It's a hot "buzzword" in the media these days, but what exactly defines bullying? How have you been bullied? How is it different within and outside of the fandom? What can you do to overcome it? Gina joins Roo and Tugs as they embark on a thorough exploration of this topic, including identifying various kinds of bullying as they read your extremely personal, powerful stories.



NOW LISTEN!

Special Thanks

Rufus
Kasstrick
Lyons
Rhapsody
Oddeofreq
Kyo
Danny
Banshee
Maxxie
Orion
Smokescale
Gypsy Jack
SF77

Music & Breaks

Opening theme: Fredrik Miller – Cloud Fields (Radio Mix). USA: Bandcamp, 2011. Used with permission.  (Buy a copy here – support your fellow furs!)
Music break: NIIC - Never Gonna Catch Me. New York, New York: Independent, 2013. Used with permission. (Support your fellow furs!)
Bumpers: ZREO - Ganondorf Battle and Clock Town 3rd Day, 2010. Used according to site terms of use. (Check out Team ZREO for more music!)
Closing: Fredrik Miller – Cloud Fields (Chill Out Mix). USA: Bandcamp, 2011. Used with permission. (Buy a copy here – support your fellow furs!)

Next episode: Part 2 will be released tomorrow! Afterward....We all know there are unspoken rules in our day to day lives – for instance, letting people off the elevator before you get on. What unspoken rules exist in the furry fandom and which do people follow or not follow? We want to know! Check out how to get in on the action below and be heard on the air! S3 Episode 3 – Part 1 – Bullying & Hate in the Fandom - Bullying and hatred have long been part of society in general, and in turn, the fandom. It's a hot "buzzword" in the media these days, but what exactly defines bullying? How have you been bullied? Ho

submitted by finjopa
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submitted by Chigaru
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Hey Papa,

Back again,

I just recently lost my Grandmother, who I had been living with since mid 2011. Since her passing, I have found it awkward to stay in the home for long lengths of time. I now spend more time with my boyfriend than I do at home. I can't move in with him because his place is small and I would have to sacrifice too many of my personal belongings. I've been looking into apartments in the area and have found a nice one with no bad reviews. It seems perfect; it's within our price range, and I would even get a 5% rent discount every month because my employer is on their preferred list. 

The problem is, when I brought it up to my boyfriend, he said he "tried them and it didn't seem like a good deal." Referring to when he moved into the area. Papa, the apartment is $545 a month without the 5% discount... he currently pays over $700 a month for his place. I'm not sure what to do. We've been dating for 8 months. Is there a way to change his opinion or is it a lost cause?

Ingavar

* * *

Hi, Ingavar, and welcome back :-3

My sympathies on the loss of your grandmother. 

As for moving arrangements, a couple of options: 1) you could move in with your boyfriend and put your excess belongings in storage until a later time (I’m assuming the two of you would split the rent and utilities?), 2) if you can afford it, you can move into your own apartment by yourself and continue to date your boyfriends; then later talk about other arrangements, or 3) you could stay at your grandmother’s place.

You’ve only been dating this guy for eight months. Moving in together at this point is a bit premature, anyway. What if you did move in with him, or he moved in with you, and then you broke up for some reason? Living together is a real test of any relationship, and is often the cause of young couples breaking up before they have a chance to really get to know each other. If that happened, you would find yourself looking for a place of your own anyway. 

I’m not sure why staying in your grandmother’s home is so impossible. Is it unaffordable for you now that she is gone? That I can understand. Is it just the “creepiness” factor? If so, give it time and I’m sure you can get comfortable, again, especially if you redecorate and make the place your own.

If your boyfriend doesn’t understand the math involved with the two apartments, it could be he simply doesn’t wish to move, which demonstrates a certain resistance toward accommodating his life to better suit yours. In other words, he would rather inconvenience you and also pay more money than move into a suitable, cheaper place for the two of you. I don’t know about you, but that sets off a signal flare of warning in this bear’s mind right away.

Before making any decisions, you need to have a long chat with your boyfriend and see where he is in the relationship. Could it be you might be assuming he is okay with the two of you living together? Perhaps you are being presumptuous and he is not ready for it and is feeling pressured. Therefore, if financially feasible, Papabear recommends your looking for living arrangements elsewhere until you and your boyfriend have a more solid and committed relationship.

Let me know how it works out.

Hugs,

Papabear

So I am trying to make a reference sheet for my fursona, but I can't seem to find any anthro-cat reference sheets (preferably male).

Can anybody point me in the right direction to find some?

?

submitted by Winter_S
[link] [2 comments]