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At San Diego Comic Con we came across the works of Shelley Daniels Lekven and her new book Lily Pond. Here’s what her web site says about it: “Elaborate illustrations and fabulous frogs fill this charming picture book about a little frog’s daydreams and hopes for her future. The scenes were created from colored modeling clay by Shelley Daniels Lekven, a character sculptor on The Nightmare Before Christmas and Toy Story and sculpting supervisor on James & the Giant Peach.” And speaking of (two of!) those movies, here’s what director Henry Selick had to say: “On the eve of her eighth birthday, a young frog dreams of her future in Shelley Daniels Lekven’s new book, Lily Pond. Ms. Lekven’s remarkable illustrations – all sculpted by her hand in colored clay – are eye-opening works of wonder and imagination that should make this sweet tale a children’s book classic.” After a successful Kickstarter, Lily Pond is available from Claytown Press. The web site has a video about how the book was made, too.

image c. 2018 Claytown Press

Ocean and Kiri head over to AnthroCon 2018 and end up doing a SWS with the Independent Claws podcast! Listen in as our room of authors, editors and publishers talk about their con experience and about writing in general.

Check out the Independent Claws podcast at @ClawsPodcast

Ep 78 – SWS – The Zeppelin is Moving at AC - Ocean and Kiri head over to AnthroCon 2018 and end up doing a SWS with the Independent Claws podcast! Listen in as our room of authors, editors and publishers talk about their con experience and about writing in general.

This is a stream we did in the middle of the night while inebriated. This is the audio! If you prefer the video, that's right here - https://youtu.be/qlxsT99P9xU http://www.draggetshow.com podcast at https://soundcloud.com/the-dragget-show You can also find us on iTunes & wherever you find podcasts! Dragget Show telegram chat: https://telegram.me/draggetshow Surprisecast! - This is a stream we did in the middle of the nigh…

This cute student film has a very Le grand Méchant Renard feel to it and I approve. So cute.
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Adler caught my eye with his animation. It got a lot of sharing on Twitter and helped him build a following of 6K+ (and rising fast) because of how fun it is. Thanks to Adler for taking time for this interview. (If you like this, you might also like How furry animator Jib Kodi found his art or the interview series with many other furries.) – Patch 

Patch O’Furr:

Hi Adler! I really love your vids you have been posting, and your fursona is super memorable. That’s why I got in touch. There’s tons of furs who have cute suits, but it’s easy to lean on the suit or just one talent like good dancing. I like how you round things out like a multi dimensional character who has good stories to tell. The voice acting and performance timing are big ingredients to make things so rad and fun. You kind of remind me of a mascot who hasn’t had a cereal made just for you yet.

If someone made a cereal just for Adler what kind would it be?

Adler Eagle:

Wheat based with little hard sugar bits mixed in. Probably Called Eagle Bites. They would be good, wholesome, and contain low amount of sugar, but a high amount of family fun and value.

Patch O’Furr:

I get the idea you’re into professional animation, maybe with a few years of experience prior to doing furry stuff. And is there any pro performing experience there too?

Adler Eagle:

Ya caught me! I’m actually not a super pro, but I would say I am at a least a professional! I graduated from Ball State University in May of 2017 with a degree in Animation! I haven’t ever worked for an animation studio per-se, but I used to work at Holiday World and Cedar Point as their Digital Media producers. That was in summer of 2017. After that I started to pursue Adler Animates more, as it aligned better with the type of content and work I wanted to create!

Patch O’Furr:

How did you get into furry, and what do you think about it now? Have you only been into it since your Twitter account was made in early 2017, or does it go way farther back?

Adler Eagle:

Oh goodness, I was a closet furry for YEARS, I would say since at least 2008. HOWEVER, beyond just knowing about it and drawing my own furry comics I honestly wouldn’t describe myself as a furry then. I think in order to be a furry you kinda have to accept it first? Like I just happened to make comics in high school with animals, but never actually considered myself a furry until 2017 when my Twitter started. Blazen the Dragon (My boyfriend) was the one who kind of roped me in. He saw the animation work I was doing and suggested I join the fandom and do animation! Within the first month I had ordered my suit and started work on Adler stuff! I was also my college mascot, which helped with the acting portion and being in suit bits.



Patch O’Furr:

What’s your local fur scene like?

Adler Eagle:

Our local community is actually pretty big! Our college has a LOT of furries in it!

Patch O’Furr:

How did you start planning to make a fursona and a youtube presence? Did it just happen for fun, or is it part of ambition to do something bigger?

Adler Eagle:

My original fursona was a little orange dragon kid. I liked the Pokemons and the How to Train your Dragons and squished them together. BUT I had a lot of people tell me that in my normal life I naturally moved around like a bird. I was also my college mascot, who was a cardinal, so I was already used to acting like a bird!  In one of our animation classes we all had to make Animal Crossing versions of each other, and we worked together to make everyone’s. Basically we picked the species type of character, and the class worked together to make an animal that we could pick out from a big group. And they drew this for me!

I couldn’t get over it, so I decided that he would be my new character that I would draw myself as. I knew that going into this I would want to do a YouTube channel where I tell stories, and I actually made a TERRIBLE prototype which will be released someday. And this is honestly all for fun, but I would’t mind doing it for a living. The animation scene in the Midwest is not the most thriving career path, so for now I’m kind of carving my own way! My sort of end goal is to create good accessible content. I want my stuff to be furry, but also be something that anyone from any background could watch without any furry background!

Patch O’Furr:

How did you get into animation in the first place? What do you think about it so far? Where do you see it taking you?

Adler Eagle:

I actually got into animation on a whim. In high school I drew these horrid comics of my ‘sona, and fell in love with the movie How to Train your Dragon. Originally I wanted to be a music teacher, but I decided to apply for the art program at my school to see if I would even get in. I was picked for some weird reason, and then applied for the animation program, which I did NOT get into at first, I had to work hard, and re-apply about 6 months later but I finally made it in. Animation is SO REWARDING, but it takes so much time. I spend nearly 200 hours alone on one 4 minute episode of Adler Animates. I would love to see this taking me to a studio, where I can work and get paid to animate, then come home and animate more of my own stuff for fun!

Patch O’Furr:

What inspires you, and who do you work with, in fandom or out? (Are there other furry animators you’re close to?)

Adler Eagle:

The little things in life inspire me. Like the other day I saw a bird taking a bird bath in a pothole and it was so cute and innocent and using this thing that we would normally think of as a negative as a positive. That kind of nonsense. I also get a lot of inspiration from games I played when I was younger (Animal Crossing, Earthbound, Paper Mario) and from my Boyfriend Blazen, who helps me see new things everyday. I actually have a little sound team made up of @yaisor and @regdeh on twitter, and I talk to Jib Kodi a lot and Blue Wolf Studios too!

Patch O’Furr:

For the videos I’ve seen from you, I really like the freshness of seeing them use cartoon characters on live backgrounds, and, mixing cartoon art with live fursuit acting.  Do you overdub the voice acting for best results? Another thing the live stuff adds is cartoon-gag like presentation, in the editing and sound. Can you say anything about your approach? Like for the TV ad style of the funny furry underwear ad video you made?

Adler Eagle:

Yeah! The live backgrounds thing is actually a coping mechanism for my hatred of drawing backgrounds! In college, my main focus was character animation, not background or concept design, so instead of leaving the background blank I would just throw a live picture in there, and it slowly became my “Style”. During my time at Cedar Point I got REALLY GOOD at After Effects and Premiere, and incorporated those skills to making Adler and everyone else look like they are actually in the space! I script out and overdub EVERYTHING. I hate the muffled sound a lot of suits have, it takes me out of the video super quick. What I do with that is record it, cut it up shot by shot, send it to my phone and play it from a Bluetooth speaker. I have a little robot countdown before each audio piece, and then act out the line at least 6 times. I’ve never done TV work – I would say my time at Cedar Point and Holiday World were the only two true creative jobs I’ve had!

Patch O’Furr:

Want to say more about your work process? When you get an idea, how do you sit down and prepare for it? What are the steps of making it?  Do you use a lot of reference? How productive are you for getting those vids made, like is it for a regular schedule?

Adler Eagle:

I “storyboard” and time out all of the shots in Premiere, and export each shot out to put in each Toon Boom Scene. I use Toon Boom Premium for all of my animation. BUT THAT’S JUST THE ANIMATION PART. All the characters are rigged and animated there. Next, I send it into Adobe After Effects, where I do all the real life treatment, the camera shake, the lighting on the characters and the camera blurs. Finally I export that into Premiere and re-align the now animated footage. Usually it takes a really long time for me to get an idea going, because I don’t really want to waste my time on an okay idea, I want to make great ideas! I script out EVERYTHING, and if I don’t like it I re-script and re-script until I think it’s finally good! I record my own reference for hand animated shots, but for the rigged stuff I kind of just wing it now. I work another part time job, so I don’t have as much time to work on stuff as I like, but I would say I put in about 40 hours a week on Adler stuff.  I also don’t have a schedule for the whole project, but more a schedule for each part as they come up. So like first it’s “Okay this week I’m going to record audio”, and then “Okay now I need to get the live footage” and so on and so forth.

Patch O’Furr:

Congrats on getting good views and rapidly rising followers, based on that I’d compare you to animator furs like Jib Kodi and I think you’re well on the way to Youtube stardom. Can you say anything about promoting your work?

5K SPECIAL!

So I roller bladed 5153 feet (Basically A mile) to show just how many people that is!

Full video at https://t.co/qHyq9j1qm8

Thanks to @YaiSor for the music, to @Blazen_07 for being my rock, and you all for supporting my work!

Help Someone Smile today!

Love, Adler pic.twitter.com/ZV7lzfmJoy

— Adler the Eagle (@Adler_the_Eagle) July 20, 2018

Adler Eagle:

Thanks! It has been CRAZY the reception this stuff has received! It feels great to finally have an audience! I have an ad on FA which is HILARIOUS because all of my stuff is so pure and wholesome, and I am in the process of deciding what the best plan of action for more advertising should be. I always think cons are great place, and also word of mouth.

Patch O’Furr:

With furs like you, I sense a growing “furry animation scene.” However there can be tensions with furriness if you are working in the mainstream (even if it’s less than in the past.) Do you have any thoughts about that? Is there potential to overcome the tensions based on sheer quality and support? Or can fandom stay it’s own independent thing that also launches creators to greater things?

(A holy grail for me and maybe others, would be seeing something like a TV series or feature film, low budget or not. And I’ll tell you I HAVE seen signs it can happen, including professionally pitched projects in the crossover between Japanese “kemono” furry and TV anime. If I happened to know of furry crews already working in Hollywood, that’s for them to talk about, haha.)

Adler Eagle:

The mainstream animation community does have a very negative perception of furries, which is something I’ve known and accepted. But I believe that my work is good enough and high enough quality that people could over look that. My whole kind of goal with this is to help change that perception in the animation community. I am a hard working dude with lots of skills and talents, and I’m also a furry, and that’s cool. I hope that this fandom can help people find jobs in the real world too, it is going to take some time, but in the end I think it will all work out. There is so much raw talent in the fandom, and people would be silly not to let that shine.

Patch O’Furr:

Anything else you want to talk about?

Adler Eagle:

I get a lot of people who ask about the “Help Somebody Smile” phrase at the end of my videos. My high school band director once told us that the least we can do in our daily lives is Help Somebody Smile. We can’t MAKE anyone do anything, but we can HELP each other feel better. A smile is like a little sign of happiness, even for a moment, and it’s so simple. So my goal through all of this is to keep doing that. To help people laugh and get away from the pressures of the real world, but be able to go back to it and make it a better place.

Visit Adler the Eagle on Patreon to support his furry animation.

Happy #fursuitfriday!

much like @peppercoyote and @FoxAmoore I'm "Spreading thy Wings" and taking off!

With all the support on Patreon, and other opportunities I have been able to leave one of my jobs and do Adler Animates as a job now!

Help Someone Smile today!

Love, Adler pic.twitter.com/Km0G8274C2

— Adler the Eagle (@Adler_the_Eagle) July 27, 2018

Scruffy Puppies is a full-color science-fiction adventure come created by Brent Trembath (and friends). It’s available now on Comixology. “In the future where humans and mutant animals alike walk the earth… Armor and his pack of Scruffy Puppies are ambushed in a back alley for reasons they can’t comprehend. Power struggles and inner strife underlie the coming of an impending threat.” And that’s just the first issue! The web site has much more information.

image c. 2018 by Brent Trembath

Another illustrator we came across at San Diego Comic Con. Ash Evans is an artist and designer who refers to her work as “The Art of Happiness”. Steeped in fantasy, her paintings feature not just animals in general but special creatures like Fortuna the Cat, the Mewnicorns, the Zodicats, and the Kit-teas. (Yes, there’s a feline theme going here!) All of these are available as prints and a variety of other products you can find at her wet site.

image c. 2018 by Ash Evans

Keys and Neeko join us for a more laid back set of news and emails.

Download MP3

Watch Video Link Roundup:

• New XBN show pilot
• Super 8 Film of Anthrocon by Biogodz
• NYU Local Opinion: I Should Be Allowed To Fuck The NYU Bobcat
• Fuzzjobs: Tech jobs for the furry community
• Bigfoot Erotica affecting virginia election
  • Vox Article
• AnimalWonders: Fox as a pet?
• BGP Leak affects Telegram
  • Similar BPG leak story
• Orlando Weekly: Megaplex 2018 comes to Orlando
• Canid_canid on Twitter temps ban with fake ad on Howlr
• Daily Mail’s thirsty sensationalist headline gets basic furry fact wrong
• PinkNews writes slightly uninformed article about SonicFox5000
• SonicFox5000 asks Wendy’s what their fursona is

News:

• Two Doctors Figured Out How To Treat A Centaur Having a Heart Attack
• Movie version of “Cats” to begin shooting this year
• CDC Strongly Suggests People Not Reuse Or Wash Condoms
• Florida Man Asks Cops To Make Sure His Meth Is Up To Speed
• Man With Gun Forehead Tattoo Charged With Illegally Possessing Firearm
• Aging Headbangers Escape Nursing Home To Hit Heavy Metal Festival

Emails:

• Ziff Cackatoo – Fursuit
• Timberwulfy – Tolerance in the Fandom
• Phaex – Hey From SA

FC-303 Cardboard Computer - Keys and Neeko join us for a more laid back set of news and emails.

Keys and Neeko join us for a more laid back set of news and emails.

Download MP3

Link Roundup:

• New XBN show pilot
• Super 8 Film of Anthrocon by Biogodz
• NYU Local Opinion: I Should Be Allowed To Fuck The NYU Bobcat
• Fuzzjobs: Tech jobs for the furry community
• Bigfoot Erotica affecting virginia election
  • Vox Article
• AnimalWonders: Fox as a pet?
• BGP Leak affects Telegram
  • Similar BPG leak story
• Orlando Weekly: Megaplex 2018 comes to Orlando
• Canid_canid on Twitter temps ban with fake ad on Howlr
• Daily Mail’s thirsty sensationalist headline gets basic furry fact wrong
• PinkNews writes slightly uninformed article about SonicFox5000
• SonicFox5000 asks Wendy’s what their fursona is

News:

• Two Doctors Figured Out How To Treat A Centaur Having a Heart Attack
• Movie version of “Cats” to begin shooting this year
• CDC Strongly Suggests People Not Reuse Or Wash Condoms
• Florida Man Asks Cops To Make Sure His Meth Is Up To Speed
• Man With Gun Forehead Tattoo Charged With Illegally Possessing Firearm
• Aging Headbangers Escape Nursing Home To Hit Heavy Metal Festival

Emails:

• Ziff Cackatoo – Fursuit
• Timberwulfy – Tolerance in the Fandom
• Phaex – Hey From SA

[Live] Cardboard Computer

This looks cool but dammit I want to play the wolf.
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We don’t have this e-zine completely figured out yet, but we’re working on it!

King K. Rool is going to be on Super Smash Bros. Ultimate!
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Our recent Livestream audio of our YouTube stream! Here it is on YouTube if you prefer: youtu.be/Exhz9JwTe-A www.draggetshow.com Be sure to check our website for all Things Dragget Show! Podcasts, videos, merch and more! Also, don't forget we stream the D&D sessions Sunday at 7pm Central on YouTube! YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/DraggetShow Patreon: www.patreon.com/thedraggetshow 201 - Firecast! with Pepper Coyote - Our recent Livestream audio of our YouTube stream…

It's that time - the time where we recap the season behind us and get ready for the season ahead! Simone, our friendly Chinese fox, returns to join Roo and Tugs as they relive the memories! Don't despair, we have Space News and new Get Psyched, plus some surprises!





NOW LISTEN!
Show Notes
Special Thanks

Simone, our guest.
Mfalme and Dusky, for our ident!
Everyone who was patient with us getting into the mailbag!

Music

Opening Theme: Husky In Denial – Cloud Fields (Century Mix). USA: Unpublished, 2015. ©2015 Fur What It’s Worth and Husky in Denial. Based on Fredrik Miller– Cloud Fields (Radio Mix). USA: Bandcamp, 2011. ©2011 Fur What It’s Worth. (Buy a copy here – support your fellow furs!)
Backing Music: Fly Octo Fly Remix - Online Release. USA: Soundcloud, 2018. ©2018 Retrospecter. More information is available on Soundcloud. Remix used with permission. Based on Off The Hook: Ebb & Flow ~ Fly Octo Fly - Octotune. Japan: Nintendo, 2018. Original song ©2018 Nintendo.
Space News Music: Fredrik Miller – Orbit. USA: Bandcamp, 2013. Used with permission. (Buy a copy here – support your fellow furs!)
Closing Theme: Husky In Denial – Cloud Fields (Headnodic Mix). USA: Unpublished, 2015. ©2015 Fur What It’s Worth and Husky in Denial. Based on Fredrik Miller – Cloud Fields (Chill Out Mix). USA: Bandcamp, 2011. ©2011 Fur What It’s Worth. (Buy a copy here – support your fellow furs!)

Patreon Love
The following people have decided this month’s Fur What It’s Worth is worth actual cash! THANK YOU!
 
Artorias Ichisake and Kit and Cody


Rifka, the San Francisco Treat!

Lokimutt and Guardian Lion and HotSauce and Dusky
Plus Tier Supporters

Skylos
Snares
Lukar Wuff
Simone Parker

McRib Tier Supporters

Hachi Shibaru
Ilya / EpicRive
Lygris S7 Episode 18 – Season 7 Recap! - It's that time - the time where we recap the season behind us and get ready for the season ahead! Simone, our friendly Chinese fox, returns to join Roo and Tugs as they relive the memories! Don't despair, we have Space Ne

Finally a new Marvel animated series with the omega level mutant that is actually unbeatable, Squirrel Girl! Yes, she has the proportional strength, speed, reflexes, agility and leaping ability of a squirrel. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjNf34CwlC4
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Submitted by guest Duncan R. Piasecki – don’t miss his articles The Forgotten History of the Furry Musical – and Talking Animal Films In South Africa (Part 1) and (Part 2.)

As some of you might know, South Afrifur happened quite recently, the biggest one yet. Unusually for furries from this part of the world, however, was the media coverage: the convention was featured in an article in the Afrikaans magazine Huisgenoot, in their July 26th issue. Of course, being Afrikaans (quite an obscure language outside of this country) means the readership potential is limited internationally, but it’s a pretty big deal for local furries: the magazine is one of the most popular in the country.

So, for all the international furries out there, I present to you a reproduction of the print article, and then my own translation. Please keep in mind that Afrikaans and I don’t agree (it was my worst subject in high school), I’m very far from fluent in it, so this was done with Google Translate, a dictionary, and my own extrapolation. The results might not be exactly accurate, but I feel they give the general idea if not the exact translation. As you will see, some things just don’t cross-translate.

But first, a new development: furries on the radio.

A couple of the people covered in the Afrikaans article went on to one of Pretoria’s biggest radio stations to talk about being a furry (it sounded like it was because of the article, in fact), and I thought the interview went quite well (if ticking off a few of the usual boxes of annoying “but it’s a fetish, right?” questions the media loves to ask). Quite weird, this sudden boost in interest, considering everyone’s ignored this community in this country before now.

Article: https://www.jacarandafm.com/shows/scenic-drive-rian/furries-take-over-scenic-drive/

Videos of the interview:

• Part 1: https://www.facebook.com/JacaDrive/videos/2127397137291982/
• Part 2: https://www.facebook.com/JacaDrive/videos/2127441103954252/

I ripped an audio recording of the whole interview. It comes to about 24 minutes and has quite a bit more than the videos (a lot is not in English). Here’s a Google Drive folder of it, including videos from Facebook: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Rkcm6dNAIxfe0p-lMj9WdtcwzY3AuNU5

Tweets:

• https://twitter.com/JacaDrive/status/1023968799685570561
• https://twitter.com/jacarandafm/status/1023968377784754182

Now, here’s the original article as it appeared in print:

Here’s my (possibly fairly crappy) translation:

WHAT A FAIRYTALE!

Not really, because these people are serious ‘furries’, who live like an animal in cute packages.

By HILDA VAN DYK

Photos: DINO CODEVILLA and PAPI MORAKE

SHE IS not a kitten that you handle without gloves, as you will be warned immediately. Especially when she dresses her cat suit this day, because then she becomes a lion.

Who is she? In her cat form, she is Sudan, her fantasy character that she created herself. When she is not in character, she is a Pretoria police officer working with serial killings. She won’t say her what her real name is.

“I have a very serious job,” she explains. “But here I can just relax. When I’m on my mask, I’m a lion. Then I’m no longer a police officer. I’m one of those bliksempies you don’t look for trouble with.”

Does it sound like a fairytale? Do not believe so, because Sudan is just one of 43 furries who recently gathered at a destination outside Pretoria. There were wolves, tigers, dragons and even a reindeer. And it’s a loving animal kingdom, because they are gently touching each other gently with their nails, paws or hooves.

Furries are an international phenomenon. It’s men and women who develop an animal personality for themselves and live it up in animal suits.

Furries are misunderstood by society, says a Johannesburg entrepreneur. In character he is Yukon (34), half-husky, half-wolf. “If you’re looking for the internet, you’ll see all the bad of the furry community first. There is a perception that they are a lot of perverse people and a community based on sex. And it’s not” he says.

As Yukon, he can enjoy daydreaming about a free, adventurous life in the wild, “like others when they imagine they are superheroes.”

Her character is not only teeth and claws, says the lioness Sudan. “I also have a soft side where I want to care for and protect my family. My character is a big part of who I am.”

***

OF the 43 furries here on the farm – where more conventional fun like birthday parties and quad bike rides are usually offered – there are seven international furries from America, Austria and Switzerland. The rest are South Africans.

Among them are lecturers, teachers, police officers, computer programmers and accountants. Some prefer not to mention their true names – just their fantasy characters.

They swing their hips when they walk so that their tails swing just like that. There’s barking and growling and howling and snorting to each mimic his animal nature. When games are played, they run around “on all fours”. Others scratch each other on the chest or back.

One exception to the “herd” is Jako Malan, (36), a computer programmer from Bellville. He walks in his bleached old army cap and smokes a pipe while watching the antics. He explains that he is of the kind of furries who do not wear animal suits. But in his spare time he writes stories in which he gives human characters human characters. He has already been honored for his work in the furry community.

“It’s hard to explain. It’s something you’re born with,” Jako says. “My wife does not get it.”

Sudan adds: “We are people who never grew up. We did not lose our childhood wonder. But like most geek hobbies, it’s not socially acceptable for adults to wear animals and have fun” she says.

“I’m 38 and I still look at comics. People do not understand you can be older and still childish.”

At the bar there is a man in a one who looks like a cross between a wolf and a fox. He sips on a beer while looking at the characters around him.

“That guy’s husky suit makes me jealous. It was the first time he made a suit and looked incredible. It makes me look very bad,” he says.

“I have 14 heads at home, heads I start making and just left because I just get it right. I’m very jealous.”

He puts his hands in the glove paws that are tied to his suit’s sleeves, take another swig of beer and makes a claw.

Sim, one of the Americans, orders a brandy and coke. His leopard tail swings behind him.

Each of the furries has a different explanation for their furry animal passion.

Ryno Lombaard (23) from Krugersdorp is fond of making the suits. He’s studying to become a chartered accountant, but when he gets the chance he is busy with the sewing machine.

“Before I saw a furry outfit for the first time, I never did sewing in my life. I wanted to have such a suit, but no one in South Africa makes it.”

He went his grandmother Lenie Booysen in the evenings to learn sewing before starting his first suit.

“Every suit has its own object and detail, and every little detail is yours. I have a mark in my right eye. My character also has such a mark in his eye.” he says proudly.

The wolf mask of Heinrich van Rooyen, (25), a chef from Pretoria, has a mark on his cheek. Just like him. He made the wolf suit was made specially in England. It’s his alter ego, says Heinrich.

“When I’m in character, I’m who I feel internally,” Heinrich says about his character, Ironwolf Tempest.

He struggled growing up, says Heinrich. He was that kid in class who nobody knew. And those who knew about him usually bullied him.

But when he dresses his wolf suit, these things are things of the past. Then he has self-confidence.

Then he is that guy who is not bothered by anything.

***

THERE were furries who did things that were not acceptable in society, acknowledged Conrad Albertyn (30), a lecturer from Johannesburg.

“But those people had issues before they became involved in the furries, and will after they’ve left the furries. When one finds someone who has a criminal intention, things are worked out,” Conrad said.

In South Africa there are about 1 000 furries. They regularly talk to online platforms about everyday things, such as the latest animation films, careers and philosophies of life.

The furries are moreover animal friends, tell the group – during their gathering, they raised R12 000 for a dog protection organization.

It’s his kind of people, says Equifox (27), a building contractor in Pretoria. Not even his parents know he’s a furry.

“Most are ordinary people of all walks of life. There are a few weirdos, but they just ignore you,” he says.

“One feels like an outsider if you’re a furry. Your character is something that is part of you. That’s something people do not understand. But among other furries you feel at home because here you are not alone. ”

And as if they want to assert his words, the characters scratch each other compassionately with their furry animal paws.

Photo captions:

Page 1:

LEFT: Heindrich van Rooyen got his wolf suit specially made in London, while Ryno Lombaard made his outfit himself.

FAR LEFT: Hendrich as his alter ego, Ironwolf Tempest.

Page 2:

MAIN PHOTO: Furries from all over the country, and even a few from overseas, recently gathered outside Pretoria for their annual assembly.

LEFT: The furries play a small pot of Uno together.

INLAY: Rags Wox (left), Vidan and Ironwolf Tempest (right) relax at the bar and enjoy a beer.

BOTTOM: The lioness Sudan should rather not be handled without gloves.

A transcript of the original text in Afrikaans is available. It’s withheld from here for copyright concern about putting it on the open web – please email to ask for it via the About page. The article author was emailed to ask for an OK to post the English translation, but there was no reply. It’s posted here as info that would not be seen without original translation work, and most likely will mainly benefit viewers who would never be in the viewership for the Afrikaans source or see it any other way.

Thanks a million to Duncan for the guest post – Patch

At San Diego Comic Con we came across an artist named Krister Eide. According to her web site, “When he’s not drawing or painting, he helps injured animals return to health at a wildlife rehabilitation center.” We like that! Her Etsy Store has several of her illustrations on cups, prints, and other items, but the web site also has illustrations from her “passion project”: An all-animal version of Jules’ Verne’s classic 20,ooo Leagues Under The Sea. Let’s “sea” where that goes…!

image c. 2018 by Krister Eide

Today we have a furry outsider music video by Ozuna [1], a Puerto Rican reggaeton and Latin trap singer. Today I Learned: Reggaeton and Latin trap. [2]     [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ozuna_(singer) [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reggaeton
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Papabear,

When I was first became a furry, I also became an artist, and the two have been inseparably linked for me. I was also bi sexual at the time. During that time I had enough male companionship, but no female companionship that I craved. I eventually chose to be hetero and met a woman. When she found out that I was previously bi, I had to swear that that part of my life was in the past. She also did not like that I was a furry, and after a year, I eventually left the furry fandom. We ended up doing the American Dream bit, getting married, graduating college, getting steady jobs, getting a house with white vinyl fence, dogs, and eventually had a kid together. My partner's health started to really deteriorate once we had a kid, to the point where she was disabled and unemployed.

After 11 years, I happened across one of my old friends from way back in the furry fandom, who had become a successful illustrator and comic book artist. With only a little encouragement, she gave me homework assignments and I started getting back into art, and pretty quickly, into the furry fandom as well. And I have to say, it felt satisfying, deep down to my soul, to be producing art again. 

Not going to lie, I didn't make the smartest of decisions. I tried to keep that a secret from my partner. Two years later I ended up checking out a local major furry convention, and I ended up getting bit by the fur suiting bug. About this point in time I started ramping up my participation in the furry fandom, and it starts spilling into other aspects of my life. I also started spending less time exclusively with my partner so that I could work on art and projects as well, and have become chronically sleep deprived. Being an artist is a funny thing. You could have spent the whole day doing things that needed to be taken care of, but if you don't put a pen to paper, the whole day feels unproductive. I digress. My partner at this time had told me that she did not want to hear _anything_ furry related for 6 months. Not my most mature decision, I tried to keep my furry passion underground during that time, and it wasn't until closer to the end of the 6 months that i realized tha t really, my partner just wanted me to spend more time with her. 

After the 6 months were up, I was starting to try to strike a balance between the two, spending time with my partner, and trying to be honest and open about my increased presence in the furry fandom. I really want to make a fursuit. But then a major life altering event occurred and my partner was the victim of a crime. My partner reported this crime, and the police then made her a victim a second time by victim blaming her. It's a great injustice my partner has suffered, but the topic itself has also become a very polarizing issue in her life. People either believe she is innocent, or that she is not the victim. 

Anyway, a year from the previous furry convention, and I'm allowed to be as involved in the furry fandom as I want to be. I end up making a group of friends who all come to attend the convention, and I have managed to make a tail by this point and attended the con with my friends. My partner, after 2 days into the 4 day convention, basically tells me that either I can continue to attend the convention and she'll divorce me, or I can miss the rest. Tough pill to swallow, but I'd rather not let a furry convention be the reason I get divorced. 

A couple weeks later, and we're out having dinner together as a date, and she mentions that she can never accept the furry fandom or me for being part of it. She has a confirmation bias that the furry fandom is all a bunch of perverts. That was basically my breaking point. I've had multiple people tell me that I am in an abusive relationship, even though my partner always tells me that I am the one who is emotionally abusive to her. Having lost our primary source of income when she became disabled, we were on a financial precipice, and at this point in time I can accept that we may finally lose the house and a lot of other stuff. She had made it very clear that if we didn't have a child together, she would have already left me long ago as well. She has repeatedly issued me an ultimatum, do I want to get back together with her or do I want to get a divorce. The first time I did say yes on the divorce, and she did _everything_ in her power to get me to change that statement. No w I simply don't have it in me to tell her that even if it is what I wanted. 

I know ultimately, the only person who can make that decision is me, stay or leave. And I know that the reason my life is in financial ruin is from that relationship, but I also know that I have my responsibilities to my child and will not just walk out on my child's life. Sorry to have to give you the whole life story, but I could really use some outside advise right about now. What is your thoughts on staying married vs getting divorced?

Anonymous

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Dear Furiend,

When it comes to the question of getting a divorce, I think you already know the answer. The issue you have come across is not about your being a furry. It is about control and lack of acceptance. You could substitute "I enjoy doing furry stuff" for many other things (e.g., "I am a fanatic about playing golf" or "I really enjoy going to Star Trek and Dr. Who conventions") and she would put an ultimatum on those things, too. Why? Because she feels you are not paying enough attention to her. One might think it is because of her bad impression of furries, but you tried showing her a convention and you have probably told her until you are blue in the face that you aren't having fursuit sex or whatever and she has not listened, has she? Again, it's about control.

Healthy relationships are not about one spouse controlling the other, but you already know that, too. Being a furry is part of who you are, and if she can't accept that then she can't accept you for being you. If that is true, then it is already over, whether or not you divorce.

Next terrible thing is how she is using your child as a weapon. This is unfair to you and it is unfair to your child. Back when I was in high school, my parents were getting ready to break up. I was told several times, "We are only staying together because of you." What a horrible thing to say to your child!  In other words, it was my fault that my parents were miserable?  If I didn't exist, they would be happily divorced?  Holy crap! This is an act of her extorting you, as well. There might be an implication here that you won't get to see your kid?

This all said, I am very sorry for her legal troubles. I believe her and you when you say she was the victim and the police are part of the problem. My sympathies. That is a different issue, however.

It is possible for you to continue to support her and to be a father to your child after a divorce. When my wife divorced me after I realized I was gay and came out to her, we had a rough time of it, yes, but we are now friends, and we still support each other as friends. And if you get divorced, you and she will always be the father and mother to your child, and you can and should always be there in the father role.

My recommendation? Find yourself the best attorney you can afford, and if you are confident in your decision, file for divorce before she does. Why? According to the Washington State law firm McKinley Irvin, there are several reasons to file papers first, according to their website:
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• You get to plan in advance and take your time selecting a lawyer, rather than having to scramble to find a lawyer to meet with you and file a Response within 30 days of being served.
• You have time to be mentally and emotionally prepared for the financial cost of divorce.
• You have the first choice of which court will hear your case. Depending on where you live, having your case heard in one courthouse over another could be a significant advantage. For example, if your spouse moved to another county, he or she could file in that county once they meet the residency requirement.
• You are in control of the timeframes.
• As the petitioner, you get the first argument at trial.
• By initiating the divorce process, you have the opportunity to start protecting community assets.
• It prevents possible stalling by the other party.

Be honest with yourself as to what you want and why, and be prepared for the legal consequences to follow. After the emotional and legal difficulties you will endure, make sure your heart is always in the right place by maintaining your rights to be a father and by trying, if you can, to remain friends with your ex. After all, there were reasons why you married her in the first place, so she can't be all bad.

Good luck!

Papabear