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Last year we mentioned 44 Cats, an animated TV series from Rainbow Studio in Italy. Well now according to Animation Magazine (in their preview of the upcoming Brand Licensing Europe convention) it may just have found its way into North American markets. “44 Cats, produced in collaboration with Antoniano Bologna and Rai Ragazzi, follows the daily adventures of Lampo, Milady, Pilou, and Meatball – four adorable kittens who are part of a music band named The Buffycats. From their home in the Clubhouse (Granny Pina’s garage), they set out on to creative solve problems and help others while highlighting tolerance, diversity and acceptance. The show will debut on Rai Yoyo in November, whilst other broadcasting deals have been signed with Nickelodeon (multi-territorial), Discovery Kids (Latin America) and Super RTL (Germany). Major broadcasting deals in France, Russia, UK and many other countries are also in the pipeline.” Here’s hoping. Oh, the article also features a look at Mofy, a new stop-motion animated series from Sony Creative Products. “The story centers on Mofy, a fluffy, lovable rabbit who each episode learns about the world around her, discovers and understands feelings and emotions, and learns to be kinder and braver.” The show is already a hit with the preschool set in Japan.

image c. 2018 Rainbow Studio

It's my precious! Squeek!
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Jim Benton is a comic creator known for titles like Dear Dumb Diary, It’s Happy Bunny, and other titles for younger readers with a sense of humor. Now IDW is previewing his latest graphic novel, simply titled Clyde. According to Comics Beat: “Arriving in February from IDW / Yoe Book, Jim Benton’s Clyde is an original graphic novel that follow Clyde the Bear as he moves from Cubville to Grizzly City (with an ex-juvenile delinquent butterfly) to see if The Bad Life is for him”. It’s a ways off still, but look for it in paperback next February.

image c. 2018 IDW Publications

Here is a seriously indy furry music video from Snake Oil Salesmen and this one has me sitting here wondering if these guys are in the fandom or not. There is always an occasional music video where people run out and get bad costumes from a shop that just look like bad mascots but in this case I just don't know. Anybody know these guys?
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Meet webcomic writer Leilani. She’s interested in discussing furry webcomics, experience working with them, and how furry artists can be more successful with them. We chatted together with artists ABlueDeer and Kino Jaggernov about their project.

• LeiLani’s Twitter
• Leilani’s Patreon
• TheDepthsComic.com

What is “The Depths”?

The Depths is an adults-only webcomic featuring anthropomorphic creatures in a historical alternate-Earth setting from the 1920s through the 1930s. The narrator is Leilani Perierre, a beautiful, brave, and savage sea otter. The webcomic focuses not only on Leilani’s origins growing up on a remote paradisaical island, but also her tales of romance, mystery, and epic adventure – above and below the deep blue sea. “The Depths” doesn’t just relate to the sea, it also relates to the soul. The cast includes Leilani, daughter of a tribal chieftain in the South Pacific, David (Leilani’s main love interest), Malana (Leilani’s foil), Kalea (Leilani’s BFF), Jamie (antagonist and foil to David), and Thierry as a French detective whose story is mostly unknown.

The creators say:

The Depths hit the internet in March of 2017 and generated buzz immediately. While the project is now doing regular weekly updates, it was slow going until funding was gathered for artwork. At the time Leilani, the creator and writer, was struggling with a foreclosure on her and her cousin’s home, and a lack of clientele coming forward for her other line of work, social media marketing and PR. Everything seemed to change when she joined forces with artists ABlueDeer and Kino Jaggernov. Business picked up and the Patreon, which launched this past April, now has 49 subscribers. The Depths ranks among the top 100 Most Read webcomics, based on Belfry’s comic List, and ranks in the Top 20 on Top Webcomics’ list. Not bad for only 36 pages.

Here’s a discussion with the team about The Depths, its growing success, and webcomics in general.

DP: What exactly is The Depths all about?

Leilani: Well, it started out as just a character. I had had the sea otter character for many years, and I’d written so many stories about her adventures on her own private South Pacific island. Finally, someone remarked on one particular story I did and mentioned how awesome it would look if illustrated. I’d grown up with comics all my life, in fact, my college thesis was on comic book censorship, so I got really excited about the idea. Of course, I lacked the artistic abilities.

ABlueDeer: That’s where we came in.

Leilani: Exactly. *laughs* I had known ABlueDeer for a while and we’d worked on a few comic projects already. So it was an easy choice, because he has a huge, loyal fan-base. The Depths is an erotic fantasy, but from a female point of view, and amidst the gratuitous sex and nudity, there’s drama, adventure, peril. And that’s really hard to find these days. I’ve written stories that feature sex and nudity, but they intertwine with drama, comedy, the supernatural, even horror, so I’m hoping my writing will translate well to The Depths.

DP: How did you two get into this?

ABlueDeer: Honestly, the main reason I got into this was because I wanted to help Leilani see the dream of seeing the comic become a reality. We’ve been friends for a good while already and I thought it was the least I could do to help her take the step forward. The idea of The Depths being an historical adventure in the 1920s, including mystery-solving, adventure, and some level of sexiness was very interesting to me too. I have a special weakness for stories that exist within an historical setting. And of course the share of drama that Leilani is giving the story makes it even more interesting.

KJ: Leilani and I have been friends for a long time too, and The Depths is her baby. When her comic needed a little extra help, I wasn’t going to leave her in the lurch. No way.

Leilani: A lot of people are already commenting that the webcomic reminds them of those vintage South Seas movies on television, or they equate them to the 1940s or 1970s pulp comics with a South Pacific Island setting or twist. I think that’s what’s really selling it so far, that it’s bringing the past back to life. It’s not a modern-day story, but the art really makes it look phenomenal and real and very modern.

DP: What’s your impression of the overall popularity and content so far?

KJ: It’s pretty amazing how fast it’s taken off. It’s only 36 pages old and already it’s got a pretty significant following. Leilani has worked very hard on the script, and I’m personally fueled by the drive to see this project succeed. As far as the content is concerned…well…I’ll admit, I have a fear of the ocean, of deep water. I’m terrified of it. So, you can draw your own conclusions, I think! *laughs*

Leilani: I think KJ’s been a real sport and is very courageous not to let fear distract from the art. Someone commented to me that when she views the comic, she truly feels like she’s underwater. That’s the kind of emotion I love to see, when a comic can take you to another world – even if it’s just under the sea.  That speaks highly for these two wonderful artists.

ABlueDeer: I believe any amount of attention the comic gets is well deserved. Not only because of my share of work, but of course because of Leilani’s writing and Kino Jaggernov’s incredible coloring and backgrounds. I believe the story has a lot to tell, judging by its most interesting and captivating arcs. But it is only starting, so it’s natural that there’s only potential in the future. I can only hope that it will keep running for years and years as Leilani wants it to.

Leilani: I just love seeing what I’ve written being brought to life each week in such bold, brilliant colors, and great poses and layouts. Before we even launched the project, we did a survey and managed to get responses from over 200 people. 95% thought The Depths would be a hit. So far, they’ve been right. I encourage anyone who wants to start a webcomic to first speak to a large online audience up front, at least 1,000 people, and offer a survey. Get their input, consider it, and if you love what they say, use it.

DP:   What’s your view of the webcomic industry today?

ABlueDeer: Spiky subject. I believe there’s not an industry per se right now. The Internet allows anyone to share their creations and points of view, and so it’s a very difficult market, with so much competition. But there’s probably space out there in the internet for webcomic creators to make a living from their webcomics, a bigger market that still needs to be explored and become efficient as an industry.

KJ: It’s certainly different than it was when I first started out doing comics. Back in the early 2000’s, everyone had these grand plans of being able to support themselves on their art alone. Most of them are either dead or the creators have just moved on. There’s still some awesome comics out there, but they’re a lot harder to find because I think a lot of people think, ‘Why should I spend hours of scripting and drawing each page which will be quickly read in a minute or two, when I can just play some video games badly, swear a lot, and post it to Youtube? I’ll get way more views!’ Webcomics hit a saturation point a long time ago, and the only ones left these days are the ones who don’t take it seriously or the TRULY passionate.

Leilani: I think that’s what really makes me feel good about The Depths. It IS to be taken seriously, it’s not funny, there’s not much humor to it, so if it’s doing as well as it is, it must mean there’s some passion in the story and art here. We’re in the time when, KJ’s right, you can get your fifteen minutes of fame for doing almost absolutely nothing. So if someone wants to bring a webcomic to life, it shouldn’t be for the fame, much less the fortune. There are already lines formed around the whole planet for that. You should do a webcomic because you just want to see it done, and you don’t care what John Q. Public has to say about it. I know The Depths won’t please everyone, and that’s not the aim. The Depths pleases me, and a lot of other people. That’s what’s important.

DP: What kind of future then do you see for the webcomic industry?

ABlueDeer:  Well, we’re in a new era and industries seem not to be the future. So maybe, what we’re seeing now in the world of webcomics is what there will be in the future: plenty of small places and small communities supporting themselves to survive and become better, and maybe, in the long term, become popular enough throughout the world to become a larger part of the culture of the world as a whole.

KJ: The comic industry itself isn’t exactly doing well, despite the popularity of superhero movies. While there’s still a future for them, it’s a future that’s being kept alive by the truly inspired, because unlike movies or streaming video or games, the comic industry isn’t really seeing much, if any, growth. Should that passion die, the only webcomics that will be left will be small hobbyist strips, I think.

Thanks to these hard working furry artists for taking time for a chat! If you like what you see, visit Leilani’s Patreon to help make more of it.

Now we find out a bit more about Dragonkeeper, a new CGI film in development which we talked about recently. Animation Magazine just gave us an update: “London-based sales company SC Films International has snapped up international rights to Dragonkeeper, an upcoming animated family feature from Spain & China, based on the first novel of Carole Wilkinson’s series. The author is adapting her own text with director Ignacio Ferreras (Wrinkles), Rosanna Cecchini, Pablo Castrillo, and Xiamping Wang. Jianping Li is co-directing with Ferreras. [The] synopsis: In ancient China, dragons were once friends of men, but men’s greed and lust for power ended their alliance, and these wise and magical creatures were hunted down by the Empire. Years later, in a remote fortress, a young slave girl named Ping strikes up an unlikely friendship with Long Danzi, the last of the imperial dragons. Learning the power of Qi, Ping helps the dragon escape from captivity and together they journey across the Empire in order to save his lineage, chased by the Emperor’s men and pursued by even darker powers… Ilion Animation Studios, the Spanish shop behind Planet 51 and Paramount’s forthcoming Wonder Park, will handle production alongside China Film Animation and Dragoia Media.” Still no word on a planned release date, but at least we know it’s coming along. Stay tuned.

image c. 2018 Dragoia Media

Liam Lynch being his usual glammy self and looking like he is in an episode the the Mighty Boosh. Lyrics: Here comes a leopard and a raven Here comes a tiger. What’s he cravin’? There’s a spider, a coyote Creeping over, walking slowly A lion. A cheetah Laugh at darkness like a hyena The frogs sing with the crickets Be an owl an owl an owl Be an owl an owl an owl Be an owl an owl an owl Wolves prowlin’ in the night Sniff you out just to take a bite Be like an owl Awake while they howl Don’t blink til’ the daylight Some things can see you in the night Be like an owl Awake while they growl Here comes a leopard and a raven Here comes a tiger. What’s he cravin’? There’s a spider, a coyote Creeping over, walking slowly A lion. A cheetah Laugh at darkness like a hyena The frogs sing with the crickets Be an owl an owl an owl Be an owl an owl an owl Be an owl an owl an owl Be an owl an owl an owl While the bats are taking flight Hold your ground, you’ll be alright Be like an owl Be like an owl Be like an owl Here comes a leopard and a raven Here comes a tiger. What’s he cravin’? There’s a spider, a coyote There’s a viper, moving slowly A lion. A cheetah Laugh at darkness like a hyena The frogs sing with the crickets Be an owl an owl an owl Be an owl an owl an owl Be an owl an owl an owl
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Ready for a new season of furry drama and nihilism? Gotta love Mr Peantbutter:
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Submitted by Fred Patten, Furry’s favorite historian and reviewer.

Cottons [1] The Secret of the Wind, by Jim Pascoe. Maps, illustrations by Heidi Arnhold.
NYC, First Second, July 2018, hardcover, $19.99 (242 [+ 22] pages), Kindle $9.99.

Watership Down is known for its creation of a language and religion for its rabbits. Cottons, a deluxe hardcover graphic novel trilogy, has a rabbit history, religion, geography, industry, currency, and “magic”. This is mostly presented as background information in the unpaged epilogue to this first of three volumes.

The story takes place in the Vale of Industry, one of two vales in the World of Lavender (which is much less realistic for rabbits than the rabbit world in Watership Down). The Vale has two main species of inhabitants, the prey rabbits (called cottons) and the predator foxes.

The main protagonist is Bridgebelle, an apparently ordinary doe working in Wampu’s carrot factory. The Industry page explains:

“Sometime during the Tooth Age, an industrious rabbit named Rekra had a wild idea: if rabbits eat carrots for energy, then there should be a way to extract the energy out of carrots in a more pure form. After many failed experiments, he discovered a method of refining carrots into a light orange powder called cha.” (p. [255])

“Wampu Industries”, where most rabbits work, refines carrots into the cha that powers all rabbit materialism. Also rabbit art, but creating art is considered a waste of needed cha. Due to the need for more and more cha, there are less and less carrots for food, leading to a growing hunger problem. Bridgebelle would rather be free to use cha to create objects of art (called thokchas), but this gets her a reputation of being lazy, frivolous, and wasteful of cha.

In addition, the foxes (all shown as evil villains) are trying to force the rabbits to turn the carrot factory over to them. They want the factory and the cha for different reasons: Marrow Winterborne to kill the rabbits and gain a supply of endless power; Sylvan to enslave the rabbits and use the cha to lead the foxes to the Black Sun and summon the Broken Feather King, the ruler of Empyrean, the cottons’ Hell (but it is in the sky); and Vor for the cha as an opium-like drug to which he is addicted.

Besides Bridgebelle, there is a large cast of cottons: Glee, the worker brother of the fox-killed Soozie, who was Bridgebelle’s best friend; Thom Croquet, an artist who encourages Bridgebelle irresponsibly, and Thom’ old father Jhon, a carrot farmer; Wampu the industrialist and his foreman Lavit, interested only in increasing production; Toriji, Loniji, and Samiji, three believers in the cottons’ Windist Curatus religion (they have their ears bound up); and more.

The convoluted plot is that Soozie is killed leaving a secret that her brother Glee tries to solve; Thom Croquet tries to make more thokchas in an attempt to “do something important” through his art; the foxes jockey for power among themselves – it’s all impossible to summarize; so much is going on. But it’s interesting enough that the reader is drawn to keep reading to find out what happens next.

What makes Cotton so appealing is Heidi Arnhold’s detailed, attractive art. She makes the carrot factory intriguing with all its workstations, dials, and gages. The cottons don’t wear clothes, but they do have harnesses to hold pockets, and there is a reference to their having worn clothes in the distant past. All the characters stand out sharply from each other. Both Pascoe and Arnhold are described as having experience in the comic-book industry. This trilogy is a bravura advance beyond that. The Hollywood Reporter has an animated trailer.

Cotton is described as a trilogy, so it’s not a surprise that this ends on a cliffhanger. Cotton [2] The White Carrot will be published in July 2019, and presumably Cotton [3] The Curse of the Vales is scheduled for July 2020.

– Fred Patten

• Buy on Amazon

Like the article? It takes a lot of effort to share these. Please consider supporting Dogpatch Press on Patreon.  You can access exclusive stuff for just $1, or get Con*Tact Caffeine Soap as a reward.  They’re a popular furry business seen in dealer dens. Be an extra-perky patron – or just order direct from Con*Tact.

Alexander Henderson is head of a team of animators and film-makers with experience working for Disney, Netflix, and Amazon. Their first completed short film is called Breathing Space, which you can find on YouTube — and which just happens to have some anthropomorphic interest in it too! Now they’ve created a Kickstarter campaign to help finance their new film concept. “The Rhino and the Oxpecker is an action-adventure cartoon, featuring the story of Niles, a blind mercenary rhinoceros, and Redford, his neurotic-but-trusty guide bird. With Red acting as the eyes, ears, and brains of the duo, and Niles handling the action, the two work together to survive predators, poachers, and anything else the jungle can throw at them. That is, provided they can survive each other.” They’re trying to reach their current goal before Halloween, so hurry!

image c. 2018 by Alexander Henderson

My only weakness fursuits, the golden hour [1] and 4K footage. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_hour_(photography)
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The Good Furry Award is here to spread good news! Without speaking for the award or anyone involved, here’s a message with an exclusive book excerpt.

Regular readers who come here for the pulse of the fandom know that negative news can have a lot of impact. Obviously, there’s good reasons to spread important issues and stand for the truth.

But do you ever get fed up with hearing about bad behavior by ignoramuses who can barely care for a potted plant, let alone maintain good relations with other fans? Would you rather not devote too much mental real estate to occasional stories here about:

• crooks, scammers, grifters, abusers, or puppy kickers
• trolls who raid and scheme to ruin conventions, anyone named “Fox Hitler” or anything similar, and hate groups
• suckers and Quislings who do apologism about “both sides” to cover for haters and attack caring about anything at all
• and other villains and underminers who don’t make anything better

The vast majority of furries DON’T do that:

• Creative people who have a goal to make things
• Hard working volunteers who carry out cons, meets, parties and parades
• Charity supporters and pro-active moderators who help for little in return
• and other cool people who genuinely care about things and share messages that show it

Some of them are so supportive, that they deserve a boost for recognition, a trip to Hawaii, a million dollars… and much more that’s way beyond the power of a little fandom to provide (except hugs, they’re free). But the Good Furry Award will boost their stories AND give them a thousand dollars.

The first four nominees are a key staffer for Morphicon/AnthrOhio, a 1980’s fandom founder, an animal caretaker and community volunteer, and a longtime event organizer and website hoster. Read about them here, from Grubbs Grizzly, founder of the award.

Speaking of getting the pulse of fandom…

If you’re a devoted member, you might be quite familiar with all the regular issues. But if you’re new and just starting to dip a paw in, you might not know where to start. For them, Grubbs Grizzly’s in-progress The Furry Book looks like a one-stop-shop to learn and get excited. I think this is something long overdue for book stores, gift occasions, or more.  Grubbs shared an exclusive excerpt and introduction.

Cover art by Charleston Rat

The Furry Book

The following excerpt is a preview from Grubbs Grizzly’s book The Furry Book: The Who, What, Where, When, Why, and How of the Furry Fandom. Kevin Hile (the mundane behind the bear) is a published author and an editor of reference books. Combining his 30 years of professional experience in the reference book field with his years as a furry (including attending furcons in Illinois, Michigan, Arizona, Nevada, and California), he has been working steadily to complete this manuscript in 2018. It is, in essence, a guidebook to the fandom aimed at helping everyone from inexperienced furries new to the fandom to their parents and other family members, and from journalists and other media professionals who seriously want to learn about furries to experienced furfans who would like a handy guide all in one book.

Kevin, who as Grubbs also writes the furry advice column “Ask Papabear,” originally began researching and interviewing for his book in 2015. Tragically that year, his mate, Jim, died unexpectedly, and for the next two and a half years he struggled just to keep his job and maintain his home and little dog, Ernie. By mid-2018, he started to feel well enough to return to his furry project.

The Furry Book covers all the bases, including some history of the fandom, of course, but also delving into the psychology behind this unique fandom that arose in the 1970s and ’80s. In addition, it is a practical guide on how to be furry, offering enough information to benefit both novice and greymuzzle alike.

Learn the answers to such questions as: What sorts of people are furries? Why are they fascinated by anthropomorphic characters in literature and film? Heck, what is an anthro? What makes the furry fandom different from other fandoms? Can anyone be a furry? Is it just a hobby or something more? What do people do at a furcon? Are there other places one can find furries besides conventions? Can you make money in the fandom? How has Japanese anime influenced furry art and culture? What’s an otherkin? What are the best online resources in furry culture? Why is Zootopia considered an important film? How does the children’s book The Wind in the Willows factor into the history of the fandom? Should parents forbid their children from being furries? And much, much more.

The following is an uncorrected sample from the “How?” section of the book….

Preparing for a Furry Convention

If you are certain you are attending a particular furry convention, the best thing to do is buy your tickets and make reservations early. Cons usually give you discounts on admission when you book early. Visit the website to see when registration begins and how long discounts are offered. Furthermore, discounts may be available for attendees under 18, and children accompanied by adults may be free, depending on the con. Online registration is by credit card or, in some cases, PayPal. If you are underage, you will, of course, need a parent’s or guardian’s permission to pay in advance. Paying at the door is always an option, naturally.

When you arrive at the convention, you will have to stand in a queue, whether or not you have preregistered (I have yet to see a convention that mails you passes to your home—would be nice, though, if, for example, QR codes could be sent to your phone like they do at other conventions; perhaps someday…). The preregistered line can often be as long as the line for those registering at the door, but once you get to the front it goes more quickly because badges and any other materials such as con books should be ready (this is not always the case; it depends on how well the con is organized).

Give yourself plenty of time to get your registration packet. At large cons, it can even be a challenge to find where registration is. I’ve been to furcons where signage was definitely lacking, and it was hard to find any staff to help. On the other paw, I’ve been to great convention that make this whole process simple. Biggest Little Furcon in Reno, Nevada, springs to mind in this case. It’s one of the best-run conventions out there, which is one reason it is also one of the fastest-growing furcons in the United States.

What should I take to a furcon?

If you have one, your fursuit, of course! (See the section on caring for your fursuit for more information regarding this.) The second obvious item is money. If you got it, bring it.

It’s more common to see furries budgeting and keeping costs low, however, than spending like someone who just won the lottery. The two areas where you can cut the most costs are the room and food. Now, con organizers typically work with hotels to reserve a block of rooms for furries at a discounted price, so you’ll automatically save money there if you can get into the main hotel (sometimes the main hotel is full, and you’ll have to find another nearby place to stay, so, again, there’s an advantage to planning early). Room sharing is common at furcons for saving more cash (check out the ConRoomies.com discussion below). If you already have furry pals who are going to the same furcon as you, you’re all set: room with them! Check hotel guidelines to see what the limit is per room, which is usually four to six (if the hotel allows a cot to be dragged in, or if you get a suite).

If you need a roommate, then there are ways to connect. One good way is to register at the furcon’s website, and then see if they have a discussion board where you can post your need for a roommate. You can also see if the furcon has a Twitter or Facebook page and seek roomies there, and, finally, you can just check out various furry groups online and, again, announce your need for someone to share expenses. Lots of furries do this successfully but be careful to try and talk to and get to know the other furries you may be sharing a room with to see if you’ll be comfortable with them.

The other major expense (other than buying fun stuff at the Dealers’ Den) is food. Hotel fare is usually a bit overpriced. Many furries, therefore, go on a bit of a shopping trip before a con, which works especially well if your room has a refrigerator and/or microwave. If not, buy dry goods and other things that don’t need cooking. Bring a small ice chest to keep drinks cool if there is no fridge. For food, it depends on whether you wish to be good or bad. Many people throw all caution to the wind during what can be a party weekend and don’t worry about unhealthy snacks. I, on the other hand, think it’s a good idea to purchase some fruit, which will be fine unrefrigerated for a couple days. You can purchase cereals (or pastries, when naughty) and put a quart of milk in the fridge or ice chest. This will save you a lot of money versus buying such things at the hotel convenience store or restaurant. At one Califur I attended, a friend of mine brought bread, packaged tuna, and oatmeal (use the coffee pot in the room to heat up water). There are several dehydrated or freeze-dried products you can buy that, while not the best in flavor, will do in a pinch at a con if you are really trying to save bucks. (Note: a no-no is to bring your own hotplate—a fire hazard that hotels, of course, forbid!)

Before you attend your furcon, check out the location of the hotel and see what restaurants are nearby—if any. When I went to Midwest FurFest in Chicago, the choices were not too great within walking distance, and I ended up spending a lot for food in the hotel restaurant and at a place across the street. Back in the day that Furry Convention North was still running in Novi, Michigan, the location was great! Lots of choices—from fast food to family restaurants—were within a block or two. Keep this in mind as you make your travel plans.

Other Ways to Prepare for Your Furcon Adventure

On to other things: you might want to bring a small bag of medical supplies, including some or all of the following: bandages, Bactine®, aspirin, Tums®, Imodium®, tweezers, and sunscreen; a pocket knife can also come in handy, as well as nail clippers if you break a nail. You might also want to take Airborne® daily while at the con to help keep germs away (the infamous “con crud”; see below). Take some multivitamins, too.

If you’re a fursuiter, remember to bring a repair kit with you, including things like needle and thread, fabric glue, and, if you have them, extra fur for patching or other spare parts for replacing things that might break. Bring Gatorade (or similar drinks with electrolytes, such as Powerade, Propel, or VitaminWater) to replenish yourself after suiting.

If you have one, take a cell phone with you. Make sure numbers of family members are there in the directory on your phone to contact in case someone needs to call and you are unable to. Barring that, just in case, keep a list of contact names in your wallet or purse. This isn’t always necessary if you are with close friends who already know whom to contact in an emergency, but in a panicky situation it might be should they forget the numbers to call.

Do not take valuables with you to a con, such as expensive jewelry, lots of cash, or expensive electronics, unless you can keep them in a safe while at the hotel. And keep an eye on your fursuit; it’s not unheard of for people to be victims of fursuit theft at a con, although that’s rare. Keep cherished items you might have been considering taking (e.g., a favorite plushie with sentimental value) at home. You don’t want to risk losing something like that at a hotel.

Check the weather forecast before you leave home and make sure you pack clothes appropriate for the weather, especially if you’re going somewhere that gets very chilly at night. Take a bathing suit if the hotel has a pool (they usually do).

What if the con hotel is full?

Some of the more popular cons see their reserved floors fill up fast! For example, at BLFC 2018, when registration opened the rooms were all booked within ten minutes. But don’t despair. You can sometimes find a room to share with furries who booked a room with the idea of finding roommates later, or who had roomies but they backed out for some reason.

There’s a helpful website for that called ConRoomies.com. It is organized by convention and allows people to post if they are looking for a bed to flop on or if they have one to spare.

Some of the larger conventions also have overflow hotels, so check for that on their websites. Barring this, there is no reason you can’t stay at a non-con hotel or motel nearby—often for less money, even given the fact that furcons reserve room blocks for guests at discounted prices, but con hotels are typically high-end facilities with premium prices, so it can still cost you a hefty chunk of change.

If you are a fursuiter, there are obvious advantages to being in the main con hotel: it is much easier to change and shower when this is the case. But if you have no choice but to stay off-site, I suggest trying to find a friend who has a con hotel room and asking them if you can borrow it to change into your fursuit and shower afterwards.

You’re at the Furcon! Now What?

There is so much to do at a furcon, but where do you start? Many first-timers tend to go a little nuts at their first con. The joy of being surrounded by furries like yourself can go to your head, and you find yourself making new friends, going to dances, hanging out in hotel rooms, shopping in the dealers’ den, watching movies, and before you know it, the furcon is over and you have to go home. Here are a couple tips….

Wikifur

The 6-2-1 Rule

Because furcons generally last only three days or so, it’s tempting to stay up all night and get in as much fun as possible while you can, snack all day and not get a decent meal, and even forego some basic hygiene. This is a recipe for what has been called “con crud.” When your body gets run down from lack of sleep and decent food, your immune system weakens and leaves you vulnerable to a cold or flu. This is why the 6-2-1 Rule became the word at furcons (some cons even hold forums about it for first-timers). What is it? Simple. Follow these guidelines:

• 6 hours of sleep a night, minimum
• 2 decent meals a day (that means, not cold pizza from last night or a pop tart as you rush out the door to see your friends)
• 1 shower or bath per day (please wash!)

Hint: if you want to make new friends at a con, it helps if you don’t reek like yesterday’s garbage. This is known as “con funk,” the stench that occurs from the buildup of bacteria on your body when you don’t wash regularly. This is particularly piquant for fursuiters, who sweat profusely. So please, take 10 minutes out of your schedule to shower.

Papabear Says….

Elevators! OMG! Elevators at a furcon can be such a hassle—almost hysterically so. I’ve seen them get so crowded that they have broken down early on, making for quite a challenge if you are a fursuiter with a 10th-floor room.

Etiquette standards quickly evolved for this reason: When boarding an elevator, preference is given (after any impaired or disabled guests) to fursuiters. The reason for this is that it is much more difficult for them to negotiate cramped spaces, and they also frequently come accompanied by a handler. In the case of an elevator going up from the lobby, too, the fursuiter may need to get to their room quickly to cool off. If you are not in fursuit, therefore, please be kind and considerate to those who are when it comes to elevators!

Are furcons safe to attend?

All well-organized furcons operate under a code of conduct (sometimes called the standard of contact on their website). That is, there are rules that you must agree to before you are allowed to register. This is a combination of what the convention administrators expect of you, as well as the hotel management. Hotels and furcon management reserve the right to, basically, kick people out of the con if they misbehave. This includes everything from rowdy behavior to being drunk and disorderly and from disrespecting other guests to not smoking (including e-cigs), no vandalism, no loud parties, no trashing of rooms, no sleeping in corridors and lobbies, and so on. If your offense is supremely … well, offensive, you may find yourself banned from the con. You might think to yourself, “Well, I’ll just attend a different con!” But con admins are known to share information about troublesome attendees with other furry conventions, so such plans by you could be thwarted.

In other words, don’t act like an idiot, and you should be fine.

To enforce the rules, there is a combination of both hotel security and security that is hired by the con management itself. You can anticipate that your room might be inspected by hotel staff, even if you put a “Do Not Disturb” sign on the door and don’t ask for room service. While most furries behave themselves, there are always a few people who act like (let’s face it) drunken fools. They can ruin it for everyone, which is why well-managed furcons have this kind of security. Everyone wants the attendees to have a good (and safe) time. This goes double for younger furries who are under 18.

Parents of minors who have not been to a furcon before have expressed concern that there may be adult material too readily accessible for their boy or girl. Standards for any adult material in the art room or dealers’ den are also long-established. An art room at a furcon is a room set aside for guests to view and appreciate paintings, sculptures, and other artworks. When there is any mature art on display, it is always put in a separate area that is clearly marked and not viewable unless you enter a designated door. Minors are not allowed in these areas. In the dealers’ den, there may be artists who have some adult work to sell, but such work is placed in closed folders or in boxes that are also clearly marked as being for 18 and over furries. The best thing for a parent to do, therefore, is to always accompany their charge when going into the art room or dealers’ den.

What about minors unaccompanied by parents or guardians? Furcon organizers will ask for a notarized parental permission form before allowing a minor to attend their convention. Read the Standards of Conduct page on your furcon’s website to learn more about what is expected of minors.

Another concern at conventions has been weaponry—not real weapons but toy weapons and props for fursuits. Some furcons I’ve been to completely forbid any weaponry props just to make things simpler, but other cons (e.g. Anthrocon), allow them to be carried for special functions such as the fursuit parade or the “Anthrocon Tonight” show. However, at all other times the props must be put away in a secured location approved by the Security Chief at the con.

[Stay tuned for more!]

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You may recall that a couple years ago (!) we talked about a new animated feature based on the 1960’s Depatie-Freleng TV series called Here Comes The Grump. Well it seems that Anima Estudios just recently completed the film and released it in Mexico. What’s more, according to Cartoon Brew it’s apparently coming to the U.S. for a brief theatrical run, under the title A Wizard’s Tale. “The film is directed by Andres Couturier, who also helmed Anima’s 2015 feature Top Cat Begins. Some key American talent was involved in the development of the film, including writer Jim Hecht (Ice Age: The Meltdown) and character designer Craig Kellman (Madagascar, Samurai Jack, Hotel Transylvania). English voice cast includes Lily Collins, Toby Kebbell, and Ian McShane.” Cartoon Brew has a trailer for the film as well. Look for it!

image c. 2018 Anima Estudios

An extended and fully featured episode ranging from the usual stupid shit, to mindful political debate by the end.

Download MP3

Watch Video Link Roundup:

• Howlr Makes A Statement
• DenFur breaks record for attendance of first year
• DenFur shatters first year con record at over 2,000 attendees
• Resolume software will retweet furry gifs
• V_Werewolf’s Full Moon Club kickstarter
• Books of Monsters & Legends for IRONCLAW role-playing game Kickstarter
• Controversial poll on twitter

News:

• What’s in the box?! Three furry box subscription services
• Stealth vs blatant and the “Mouse Problem”; furry coverage in fictional media
• A Fish Has Passed The Benchmark Test Of Self-Awareness
• How to Survive Bee/Hornet or Wasps
• This Person’s Revenge Against The Impostor Using Their Email Address Is Hilariously Evil
• Sex Doll Brothel Coming to Toronto
• Sex Doll Brothel Not Coming to Toronto
• Dog owner who used pet-sitting service says he found shirtless men, lube in living room
• Florida Man Robs Krispy Kream Demands Money and their Donuts
• Thieves snatch shark from San Antonio Aquarium, wheel it out in a baby carriage

Emails:

• BBQ Skunk – Army and the fandom
• Tantroo – Settled into the area
• Wolfe – Thoughts and opinions

FC-305 Ant Shotgun - An extended and fully featured episode ranging from the usual stupid shit, to mindful political debate by the end.

An extended and fully featured episode ranging from the usual stupid shit, to mindful political debate by the end.

Download MP3

Link Roundup:

• Howlr Makes A Statement
• DenFur breaks record for attendance of first year
• DenFur shatters first year con record at over 2,000 attendees
• Resolume software will retweet furry gifs
• V_Werewolf’s Full Moon Club kickstarter
• Books of Monsters & Legends for IRONCLAW role-playing game Kickstarter
• Controversial poll on twitter

News:

• What’s in the box?! Three furry box subscription services
• Stealth vs blatant and the “Mouse Problem”; furry coverage in fictional media
• A Fish Has Passed The Benchmark Test Of Self-Awareness
• How to Survive Bee/Hornet or Wasps
• This Person’s Revenge Against The Impostor Using Their Email Address Is Hilariously Evil
• Sex Doll Brothel Coming to Toronto
• Sex Doll Brothel Not Coming to Toronto
• Dog owner who used pet-sitting service says he found shirtless men, lube in living room
• Florida Man Robs Krispy Kream Demands Money and their Donuts
• Thieves snatch shark from San Antonio Aquarium, wheel it out in a baby carriage

Emails:

• BBQ Skunk – Army and the fandom
• Tantroo – Settled into the area
• Wolfe – Thoughts and opinions

[Live] Ant Shotgun

Is it time to start thinking about the Holidays already? Evidently — Look what showed up in our in-box from Animation World Network: “U.S. distribution rights to Josh Hutcherson’s animated family feature Elliot: The Littlest Reindeer have been acquired by Screen Media, according to a Variety report, with a holiday season release set for November 30… In the film, written and directed by Jennifer Westcott, Blitzen announces his retirement on December 21, which gives Elliot, a miniature horse, only three days to travel to the North Pole, compete for the open spot and fulfill his lifelong dream of pulling Santa’s sleigh. Voice casting includes Hutcherson as Elliot and Samantha Bee as Hazel the goat, as well as John Cleese, Martin Short, Jeff Dunham, and Morena Baccarin.” Not sure if it’s a “release” to theaters or DVD, but we’ll find out!

image c. 2018 Awesometown Entertainment