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submitted by stylishg33k
[link] [1 comment]

submitted by MrPete81
[link] [4 comments]

submitted by FedoraFacedShitBeard
[link] [comment]

submitted by Howlibu
[link] [7 comments]

Hello, Papabear!

I'm kind of in a bad situation. For one, I am moving to the city for my sophomore year in high school. I just got used to my school life in my town I am currently living in. I’ve been bullied ever since first grade for such a small thing that I really can't remember so well. All the bullying has finally stopped (and thank lord.) But I'm really nervous. I really want to make new friends with similar things in common. I'll give you a short list of things I really like: anime, furries, art, music, pets (mostly felines and certain canines) and cosplaying. I currently don't own a fursuit, just a fox eared hat I ordered from Etsy.

I kind of wonder if I'll be able to talk to anyone. I'm very socially awkward and keep to myself; there is no way I could just go up to anyone without feeling like, "Oh no what if they are thinking bad about me!" I'm not in any sport and I used to be in band but I'm very unskilled with my flute so I hope to work with it on my own... My parents sometimes wish I could do something, anything, other than draw and write.

Now my grades: I didn't have a good teacher-student relationship with any of my teachers, which I guess they just got bad vibes from me even though I'd listen and do all the work I could. The counselor said he really didn't have hope in the ninth grade with the passing scores. Sure enough the state tests proved a lot. I was one of the few that passed all state exams, which really shocked a few of my teachers. But trust me, I never was a high scoring student; in fact nobody really gave me that extra push to help me succeed. So what I'm really asking is I want to leave my past behind me and start off as a new Husky, to help with my confidence.

I better go feed my cat Roxy she's on my lap meowing as I type this!

Echo

* * *

Dear Echo,

Papabear cannot change who you are, nor can I tell from your letter if your social anxieties might be caused by an issue such as Aspergers syndrome.

However, I do have an idea that might help you. There are many traditions throughout many cultures of rebirth and/or renaming ceremonies. These are performed on people who are making a new start in their lives. Familiar ones would include people changing their legal names when they get married, the baptismal ceremony of either being submersed in water or having water sprinkled on you to emulate John the Baptist’s ceremony of rebirth and acceptance of Christ, and the similar Catholic christening of an infant child.

Other examples include non-Muslims dedicating themselves to Islam and giving themselves a new name (e.g. Casius Clay becoming Muhammad Ali). In Wicca, people who are undergoing initiation (or dedication) receive a new Craft Name, which is only used when among other Wiccans. Native American tribes have a tradition of naming ceremonies when a youth is old enough to understand the significance of the new name; an outsider who manages to be accepted by a native tribe might also undergo such a ceremony, though that is pretty rare.

Naming ceremonies are most typically done with newborns or the very young, but, as you see above, there are also traditions of rededicating oneself to a faith or belief through a renaming. Another example comes from African traditions in which families will give youths or even adults with European-based names may assume new African names in order to rededicate themselves to the traditions and cultures of that continent.

Papabear is not suggesting you join a faith unfamiliar to you simply to change your name, but the above examples serve as a model of what you might do for yourself to give yourself a rebirth of sorts. As a furry, you know that many furries give themselves fursona names, such as my name being Grubbs Grizzly. Psychologically, changing one’s name can have a profound effect on one’s outlook and, subsequently, even one’s behavior. Similarly, and related to this, is a rebirthing ceremony (which baptism is, of course) that renews one’s spirit.

In mythology there is an animal known as the phoenix that grows old, dies in a burst of fire, and then arises, rejuvenated, from the ashes. Without self-immolating (LOL), you might try a phoenix ceremony of your own in which you find a quiet place to yourself, dedicate yourself to a new you (the you that you wish to become) and give yourself a new name. Make it a strong, assertive name. This becomes your secret name, a name of power known only to you (if you tell others they can have power over you, so do not do so lightly or casually), and gives you your new identity.

This might seem a bit unorthodox, but it could work for you in your case.

Papabear

Who's going? We should definitely meet up there and hang out!

submitted by sagaciousturkey
[link] [20 comments]

I'm a fairly new furry, well I shouldnt say new furry but new to the fandom. (Although a friend of mine is pretty involved) and I have made plans to attend the midwest furfest but as I research the fandom more there are a couple things I find alarming or disturbing. I don't want to bring them all up now cause it would probably be a shit storm but the one thing I can't figure out is peoples obsession with the "uncle kage" guy.

it really sorta weirds me out - the fact that he's called uncle for one, the fact that he seems to have anger or mental problems yet is looked up to like he's a God, how he seems to portray furries even though I know some of the things he's saying aren't true, how he seems to have control over almost all the furries and how everyone does exactly what he says, how he somehow has some sort of power to ban people (this kinda sucks for me because, yeah ill probably be shunned from the community after this)

my friend says she thinks its because a lot of people are desperate for some time of father figure and he seemed to over control everything anyway so they just gravitated towards him.

anyway, if someone could answer this I would appreciate it. It seems very strange to me and having heard some "ex-furry" stories that seem to reinforce my ideas makes me nervous about going to conventions etc. Feel free to PM me to discuss as I'm guessing this may be frowned upon to talk about in public!

and again sorry if i offended anyone, this was not my intention, my intention is to just understand so I can feel less nervous about being involved.

submitted by wormygeofox
[link] [24 comments]

submitted by stonethemonk
[link] [1 comment]

submitted by KarlPilkington
[link] [17 comments]

submitted by tori_k
[link] [2 comments]

submitted by Dark512
[link] [1 comment]

submitted by stonethemonk
[link] [7 comments]

submitted by HMNE
[link] [8 comments]

I've been doing skins for a while and would like to gift one to somebody. Just post a link to a ref or full body picture of what you would like and I'll pick one ...or two ...or three. I don't know, depends how many are interested.

If you wanna see what I can do, here and here were some furry ones that were recently commissioned. I also have an account on planet minecraft if you want to see my non furry stuff.

Or if you just wanna commission one off me you can go here.

Edit: I went to bed and yay there is finally some interest! I'll be making the skin later today :3

submitted by Adezu
[link] [12 comments]

submitted by NinjaOtters
[link] [2 comments]

I'm confused. Since I was 9 or so (plus or minus a few years, I am in college now), I frequented a site called furry-paws. Since then, I've had a fursona. I've bought art, tags, whatever. My fursona is a perfect representation of my personality traits. A thread that I just saw here in /r/furry just spurred this question as I saw other responses. Other people have fursonas for their looks, just like OCs. That is not what I was taught a fursona should be.

Back then, people only had feral fursonas. Even on sites other than furry-paws (wajas, sledzz before it shut down, cattails, sites I can't remember anymore but I know existed at some point) they were always feral. The concept of anthro fursonas was not introduced to me until, get this - earlier this year when I started coming here. I kind of felt sheltered and lied to. I am not and never have been "attracted" to the anthro characters, but at the same time I have also never been "attracted" to feral characters, either. I thought it was just the perfect way for those of us who like animals in a platonic way to get more in touch with our natural side in this world which is so overrun with humanity.

After the things I've seen here, I don't think I am a furry. I am not a therian, I do not think I am an animal. I don't really know where to go or what label to slap on myself. Can anyone explain?

submitted by LadySeneca
[link] [28 comments]

submitted by stonethemonk
[link] [24 comments]

submitted by Corrom
[link] [9 comments]

submitted by stylishg33k
[link] [13 comments]

Well now, you learn something new every day… This is from the publisher’s press release: “Walt Kelly’s Pogo, acknowledged as one of the most important and influential comic strips of all time, first appeared not in newspapers but as a feature in the Dell comic book anthology Animal Comics, in its first issue, in 1942. The complex, multi-layered, character rich world of Pogo and the Okefenokee Swamp started in these early stories. Now, fans of Pogo can experience it all from the beginning with Hermes Press’ reprint of the complete Dell Comics Pogo. Volume 1 features all of the Animal Comics Pogo stories together with complete reprints of Pogo’s appearances in Dell’s Four Color comics. With Hermes Press’ complete reprint of the Dell Comics Pogo, admirers of this ground-breaking comic feature can now witness the strip’s evolution, in an archival hardcover, digitally reconstructed to perfection.” Unfortunately you’ll need to wait for October to see Walt Kelly’s Pogo: The Complete Dell Comics, Volume 1 (in hardcover) but you can pre-order it at Barnes & Noble.

image c. 2013 Hermes Press