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*fap* *fap* *fap*  oohhh sorry… yeh got a great link to a site here for your entertainment, that is if you like Asian stuff. Here is a furry Asian comic site, which houses LOTS of sexy rabbits and cute lookn’ things gettn’ it done up the tail hole etc… While most is in a language you can’t understand there is some in English pages. The other stuff you can just breeze through with visuals. Check it out and yes, you’re welcome.

 

 HERE IS THE LINK!

 

submitted by ThunderDash
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submitted by XxDarkKissxX
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Jeff Smith, the multiple-award-winning creator of Bone, has returned with a new full-color softcover children’s book from Toon Books. In Little Mouse Gets Ready, “There’s lots to do before Little Mouse is ready to go visit the barn. Will he master all the intricacies of getting dressed, from snaps and buttons to Velcro and tail holes?” According to Amazon, this book has already been given the Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Award. So how the heck did we miss this one? It came out in 2009!

image c. 2009 Toon Books

submitted by The_Fox_Cameron
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submitted by Missmillerz
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Normally, I keep myself a list of articles that I’d like to write for [a][s], and I try to space them out throughout the year so I don’t write, say, too many articles about art or conventions in the same time period. Another thing that I’ve instinctually stayed away from are seasonal posts.  It’s a little too easy, I think, to get caught up in the [season] spirit and doing so can cheapen the content of the post.  The last thing a lot of people really want to read, I think, is some ode to giving spilled out on a blog during the winter holidays.

So, I’m sorry.

The problem I’ve run into here is that this is one of those cases where inspiration for a specific topic coincided with the holiday season due to a few external events, and now I’m stuck really wanting to write an article for the first time in a long time despite habits saying otherwise.  It was a three-pronged attack, really, and so now here I am, writing for the first time in quite a while, looking into furries and giving.

The first event that nudged me toward this topic is a little personal (not that that’s gotten in my way in the past).  JM was kind enough to help take over most of the writing and much of the administrivia that goes into [a][s] over the last several weeks, and before I get too far into the topic of giving, I’d like to publicly thank him, at the risk of sounding maudlin, for being rather awesome about the whole thing while I get my head on straight*. Having someone willing to give the time and energy to help keep things rolling forward in the mean time has been quite helpful, and watching the response to the writings from JM and others has been immensely heartening.

On a less personal note, however, there’s been a few things going around on twitter that have been the more recent nudges to get me writing about this.  Firr started it, for me, when he posted that, for every retweet he received of this tweet, he would be donating fifty cents to the ASPCA (as some have mentioned, although that sounds like relatively little, Firr has over six thousand followers on twitter, and there’s the potential for the numbers to grow quite large). This struck me as a pretty good idea, and so a friend and I both agreed to match his donation after the “retweet-drive” had come to an end on December 25th**. We weren’t the only ones inspired, either; KalypsoPuppy set up something similar, but with a dollar given to the ASPCA for every retweet of his statement.  (Minor edit: another has popped up; BinaryFox donating to Red Cross.)  I’d not personally seen a retweet drive such as either of these before, but it does seem like it has the potential to be successful, especially given the way information propagates through twitter, along branching networks of relationships between individuals.

Another example of smaller-scale charitable works perpetuated through social networks are various benefit auctions, several of them ladder style, that have cropped on FA, The Dealer’s Den, and other such sites.  A good example of the like is the charity auction to raise money for the Rocky Mountain Feline Rescue, a ladder auction and donation drive that wound up pulling together over $4500 to help fund the shelter for several months.  Much of this took place over FurAffinity through journals as well as through several retweet-this style messages sent out by a bunch of individuals on twitter.  Similar auctions have been held in the past in order to help out causes both furry and non-furry.

If the spreading tweets on twitter and journals on FA got me thinking about furries and giving, the final straw was researching convention charities that got me thinking about writing.  Conventions, of course, often pick a charity or charities to sponsor that year with proceeds from auctions, patron or sponsor memberships, and direct donations, either from individuals or an organization, such as that which runs the convention.  Notable this year, however, was Midwest FurFest’s total donation of more than $40,500 for their selected charity, Felines & Canines, Inc. (who certainly appreciated the donation).  Not only is that number high – very high – but according to the same post (which, I apologize, I can’t link to directly; this link will eventually age out), this donation puts the total amount donated to charities by furry conventions since 1997 over a million dollars.  That is definitely a lot of money.  The number likely originates from this entry on Wikifur, which shows the dramatic increase in funding over the last fifteen years.

I did a bit of exploring of the data for three conventions in this draft of a visualization, on the hunch that the average donation per attendee had gone up as attendance at cons had increased.  It’s clearly not quite the case: there are good years and there are bad years.  However, it is exciting to see that, in general, the amount donated per convention increased each year in pace with or greater than the pace of the increase in attendance.  There are a lot of factors that go into charity donations at conventions, it turns out.  There is, of course, the charity auction, but also portions of patron or sponsor memberships go toward the charity, as well as direct donations either through collection jars or other means.  This, I think, helps explain the variance from year to year visible in some of those charts.

So, is giving a furry thing?  Probably not.  It’s not that we’re not charitable, as we obviously are.  However, I’m not sure that being a furry necessarily makes one more giving (even if, as I’ll explain later, certain things about our subculture encourage it).

Is giving a social thing, however?  Almost certainly so.  A lot of giving takes place in a social context.  Some notable examples, of course, are tithing and zakat.  Both take place within the social context of a religious (or political, in the cases where religion and politics coincide) organization, and both are intended for charitable use.  Another example is corporate matching, where a corporation will match an employee’s donation, sometimes to a list of approved charities.  This encourages the employees to donate within the social context of their workplace.  Even the very existence of charities is a social phenomenon, where individuals with a shared will to help change the world for the better in a certain aspect group together in order to form a charitable organization.

There is a lot that goes into the idea of giving and charity beyond even the social ties involved in donating to, or even participating in some sort of act of giving, whether it’s cutting a check or retweeting something when it scrolls by on your feed.  For one, there have been several studies which have suggested that giving has a positive effect on a person’s life and sense of well-being.  Additionally, one’s identity plays a role in giving; one can identify as a donor, a volunteer, or a giver, helping to add to their sense of self (ref).  Of course, beyond donations, one can volunteer directly for a cause, as several members of our subculture do, the suiters most visibly.  These two facets, donation and volunteering, can even be played off each other in order to help benefit the cause further – asking individuals how much time they would be willing to give to a cause rather than how much money can encourage them to donate more money in the end, due to the emotional implications of volunteering being added to the financial implications of simply donating (ref).

All of this fits in well within the social context of our subculture.  The impetus of giving provided by the context itself, the effect of giving on happiness and well-being, and the emotional and financial obligations involved in giving can all be seen, in some form or another, in the way we as furries give.  Whether or not one agrees with the cause itself, the donations to Fernando Decarvalho in order to help keep his business, Fernando’s Cafe, open are a prime example of this.  The social momentum came from individuals like Kagemushi and 2, while many individuals felt good giving to a businessman to help with his debts from a failing business, and furries managed to raise $21,000 for Fernando’s Cafe.

Be it in small doses such as in the retweet campaigns, a bit more in the case of charity auctions, $40,500 from an entire convention, or even helping to run a website for a while, we give do quite a lot, in this fandom.  In other words, whether or not giving is necessarily a furry thing, we seem to do quite well at it.

* Literally; much of the reason for my absence was a motor tic in my neck that makes it hard to look straight ahead. Ha ha.

** In the process of writing this article, another person has agreed to match Firr, and two of the matchers mentioned that they are being matched by their employers, meaning that each retweet, instead of being worth $0.50, is worth $3.00, so far.  As of the last edit of this post, with 599 retweets, the total donation is nearly $1,800, with KalypsoPuppy and their matcher adding $216 to that.

Nearly a month after wrapping up MFF, I've finally gotten around to converting the 97 videos put on my camera. Of the 97 videos, 30 were deemed usable. The flashes of noise and light you see here is the result http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hniAhDowTeM

submitted by Poloroid457
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submitted by MisterGkids
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Dear Papabear,

Well, not long after I joined the furry group in my country, I was approached by this charming hybrid furry online. We chatted a few times and inevitably ended up me falling for him. Well, I wasn't aware he already had a mate until it was too late when my feelings for him bloomed into something far from neutral.

I really like this guy but he already has a mate and their relationship is going great. It just hurts me inside...

I've tried many times to distract myself with drawing and reading and many various hobbies but all in vain. I lie awake every night... my mind plaguing me with thoughts of him. This may sound a bit pathetic but because of that, I start to cry. It hurts so much whenever I think of them or see them together. 

I need your help, Papabear. I'm so frustrated and confused. I can't do anything. 

This never happened to me before... I've never craved for a mate until I fell for him. He doesn't know of my feelings nor do I plan on telling him. I am afraid that by doing that I would destroy our friendship.

I can't bear to let him go. Please help.

Yours Sincerely,
Canine Dawson

* * *

Dear Canine,

Wow, this is tough. Loving someone you can’t have is about as painful an experience that the heart can endure.

So, my understanding is that you have not told this guy about your feelings for him because you respect that he is in love with his mate and their relationship is a good one. That is a very mature and wise and unselfish choice on your part, and Papabear congratulates you for it.

Now, as for your pain and heartache.... Did you ever see Disney’s “Aladdin”? In it, Genie says he can do most anything, but the three things he cannot do is grant you more wishes, raise the dead, and, lastly, make other people fall in love with you. Papabear is no genie, but one thing I cannot do, either, is make someone fall in love with you, or prevent you from falling in love with someone who is unavailable.

While it is wonderful that you want to be friends with this guy, if you wish to ease your pain you might want to consider distancing yourself from him because seeing him, especially with his mate, will only remind you of the pain you are feeling. That is just a suggestion. I don’t know how strong you are emotionally to handle this; perhaps you CAN handle it, perhaps not. But, since you can’t have him as your mate (unless he and his mate are open to polyamory, but I didn’t get that from your letter), the best thing for you to do is move on and find someone who IS available.

Papabear doesn’t subscribe to the romantic notion that there is only one soul mate for each of us in the world. This guy may be terrific, but he is not the only one on the planet for you. The absolute best thing you can do, my friend, is find someone who is both lovable and available. While you are searching for that, try getting your mind of him by distracting yourself with work, hobbies, school, friends, whatever you can to fill your days and not obsess about this.

I wish I had a magic bottle filled with potion that would ease your mind and heart, but there are some things that just are not that easy to resolve. You will need strength and wisdom to get through this.

Keep up the good fight.

Hugs,

Papabear

submitted by evilsibe
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What’s the cutest thing you’ve seen? Is it deadly? Also, is there anything that thieves won’t steal? All this and more, today, right here.

Stuff we mentioned:

• Slow Loris
• Stolen Driveway
• “Teen Doctor”

Hosts: CrimsonX, Murphy, Wolfin
Picture By: mmasnick

Daily Show: December 19, 2012 - What's the cutest thing you've seen? Is it deadly? Also, is there anything that thieves won't steal? All this and more, today, right here. - Stuff we mentioned: Slow Loris Stolen Driveway "Teen Doctor" - Hosts: CrimsonX, Murphy, Wolfin

This Fandom is being consumed by Hate. Hate for the babyfurs, Hate for the bronies, Hate your fellow fur who doesn't think like you, act like you, speak like you. The same poisons that we estabilshed this fandom to be exempt from have found their way in. Where once was kindness and gentleness there is malice and disdain. Furries blame their fellow Furries for their unhappiness, citing others indecent behavior as the source for thier personal misery. When that fails the Bronies serve as a scapegoat and are subjected to the very same flaming demonization we have endured, fought never to endure again, and swore never to impose upon another. We have lost the way. Instead of tradition, we upheld popularity. Values took a back seat to personal gratification. Fursuits became a measure of wealth not a measure of happiness. Artists stopped helping other artists, and the idea of by the fan for the fan crumbled and fell. We worried so much about impressions on the world that we forgot to uphold the good traditions of love, friendliness, and kinship that we founded ourselves on. More than good impressions we need expression, more than popularity we need fraternity. More than progress we need humanity, and unity. The former do not make you happy! Being conceited and above everyone, more important than anyone does not make you happy! Being together makes you happy! Being loved makes you happy! And when loved you will share that love. When accepted for what you are you will accept others for what they are, their indecency and their shortcomings. Fandom, don't give into Hate! Don't separate yourself from your fellow Furry because they are foolish! Don't spite them for being young and eager and mostly innapropriate! Accept them and help them grow into this Fandom, and you will find we will have all grown! This Fandom is immortal no matter what form it takes, but the content of its character is up to you. You the individual! Not the mass of what others do! Don't Hate from the dark corners, dont stick your snout higher than the clouds! We are all Furries. We are all here together. We have the power to make this Furry life a grand and wonderful adventure! Don't let it get mired down in the Hate. Love! Love your fellow Furry with all your heart and unite!

submitted by Hemms3
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Author: E-Mail Hidden (..::XANA::.. Creations) http://furcast.fm/logo.jpg I’m thinking. Usually I’m more creative… give me a few minutes. Download MP3 (Right-click, Save) Watch Video   News: U.S. government petitioned to drop drug war, create cat girls by Rakuen Growlithe Melbourne’s MiDFur to change name, dates, venue by Fred Furry porn sweeps Offbeatr; their CEO, project leads [...] FC-106 Consensual Tentacles

Author: E-Mail Hidden This week on KnotCast, the crew reads your emails, Savrin reads a naughty story, and we talk about zombies a lot. As a bonus, we read the most creepy note ever. This weeks song is a rendition of Carol of the Bells. Use our coupon code ‘knot’ at AdamEve.com for a great [...] KnotCast: Episode 204 – THE END OF THE WORLD

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submitted by CalistaF
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Taken directly from the Fursuit page on wikifur:

The Year of the Flood, a 2009 novel by Margaret Atwood, includes the passage:

Toby got a job as a furzooter: cheap day labour, no identity required. The furzooters put on fake-fur animal suits with cartoon heads and hung advertising signs around their necks, and worked the higher-end malls and the boutique retail streets. But it was hot and humid inside the furzoots, and the range of vision was limited. In the first week she suffered three attacks by fetishists who knocked her over, twisted the big head around so she was blinded, and rubbed their pelvises against her fur, makingstrange noises,ofwhichthe meows were the most recognizable. It wasn't rape - no part of her actualbodywas touched - but it was creepy.

submitted by Hemms3
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Dear Papabear,

I have been dealing with a lot of furs that I just don’t understand. Mostly of that from the Bi or gay side of the fandom (note, I have no problems with gays, it seems its the other way around).

I’m straight and I feel from other furs that aren’t, I’m looked down upon a lot at cons. No fur talks to me, they rather talk to my mate that is male, first. Even when I get a chance to talk to them it’s always short.

At cons I think I got a friend and I go to give them a hug and they go "eewwww bewbs!" Not joking, full on serious EWWWW. I’ve even done favors for these people thinking maybe it was me being rude or something maybe this will help prove that wrong ... nope they take my favor and then run off.

I cant take it anymore! I don’t get it, if gays wanted to be treated equal then why am I the one feeling put down? This bullying went so far as to ruin my AC convention making me never to return again. I did not like that con. A lot of furs did/said a lot of rude comments and gestures just and the last day at the con made me cry I just didn’t understand.

Gays personally don’t bother me, hell all of my friends are gay =/ and I’m just fine with them and they are with me. Most of my friend that I have now I’ve only known for a month or so (new furs in the area) so it can’t be cause I don’t know them.

Why is it stranger/furs at cons that are just so mean or come off short to me? Not like I’m going "HEY I’m a furry listen to me!" I’m normally saying hello and they go talk to my mate who didn’t really say anything A LOT of the time.

I’m not a popufur. I don’t have the best made suit, so I guess in a lot of these furs fuzzy eyes I’m not worth their time. That’s how I feel.

I cant tell is it me, is it them? Maybe both sides!? Maybe it’s just a new gen thing and people are just becoming more distant cause of various reasons from technology?

I’m not saying they should be FORCED to say hello to me or even notice I’m there (though when someone says hi and you notice its kinda rude to ignore it >.>)

I’m not saying they should be nicer to me BECAUSE I’m a chick. Just saying that if people want to be equal then, why are they so one-sided and mean to others?

It confuses me cause I just can’t be mean to someone I don’t know. 

Hope it wasn’t confusing to read just a bunch of thoughts in my head about this and trying to pick one and focus on it is kinda hard for me. But this one bugs me the most cause I just don’t understand. And I have tried to see there side and STILL don’t understand.

PS: This is not to all gay furs. A lot of them are nice, I’m talking bout the hotshot furs and some random furs that give the gays a bad name =/ .

--MiaFox

* * *

Hi, MiaFox,

First of all, this is from me, a gay bear fur: (((((HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGS)))))

Judging by what you say, it is not you, hon. You are making a concerted effort to be friendly at cons and such and are getting the brush-off. And, as you say, it is not all gay men (boys) who act like this, but enough to make your AC experience unpleasant, and I am sorry to hear that.

Papabear would chalk it up to two likely things: 1) many furries are quite young and, as you might know, male teens are slower to mature than females. So, what I’m saying is they are acting very immaturely. As a 47-year-old gay man living in Palm Springs, home to many mature and older gay men, I can tell you I have never observed a grown man acting so ridiculously about “bewbs.” Would I be correct in assuming that most of those who react to you like this are younger than 20? Or, at least, younger than 25?

Not only are you dealing with immature boys, but (and, readers, please don’t get mad at me for this) you are dealing with furries. A big part of the fandom is the escape into childhood fantasy. This only enhances the possibility of immature behavior. So, what you get in many cases is teen boys made doubly immature by their escape into a fantasy world.

The above are BROAD generalizations—always dangerous territory—but at times generalizations and stereotypes apply, and I think it does in this particular case. I am not saying, by any means, that all furries, including young males, act this way, but many do. Their numbers are particularly concentrated at a furcon such as AC, and the larger the con (AC being the largest) the more anonymous one feels and the more mob mentality kicks in, which further accentuates derpy behavior.

So, what is the solution for you? Papabear would recommend you take your furry (especially young male furry) in small doses. Instead of going to ginormous furcons like AC or MFF, go to smaller furmeets or meet furries in small social gatherings of your own. Make contact with furries in your area online, get to know them and their attitudes a bit better, and then meet them for a nice dinner or a movie. Go on a double date, that sort of thing. Slowly increase your circle of furiends and, next time you go to a big con, try and attend with your furiends.

And then the tables are turned a bit. Picture this: you are at a furcon with 6 or 7 of your close furiends, pleasantly chatting and laughing about the “bewbs” incident, and you notice a single, shy furry cautiously approaching to possibly try and make friends. Welcome them and set an example of how a furry should behave by not judging them and being the friendly person you are.

The fandom needs more people like you, MiaFox. Lead by example of how proper, mature, friendly furries should behave toward one another.

I wrote recently in another letter about the difference between “childlike” and “childish.” Your negative experience was with childish people. Furry should be about childlike, joyous, innocent, fun, playful, and imaginative behavior. It should be inclusive, not exclusive. Open your furry arms and embrace it.

BEAR HUGS,

Papabear