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Pretty cool depending on how you read it
Categories: News
Uh... slightly NSFW (*slightly*) personal issue
I, uh... kinda have a... major fursuit fetish. This has caused me a fair amount of stress for a number of reasons. Negative reception from other furries, concern I'm never going to be able to find someone else I can explore it with, feeling neverous about potentially spending $1k+ on something I might not even like, promoting stereotypes (which I hate doing), general embarrassment, and a few other things. Does anyone have any advice on any of those?
submitted by ColeYote[link] [28 comments]
Categories: News
He's Not Sure If He's Gay
Dear Papabear,
With high school starting soon, I've slowly been drifting out of the social staleness I've adopted over the course of summer. I've started texting friends more often, being friendlier and generally preparing for the overbearing social situation of school. With me texting more, I came across the name of a crush that I have. His name is Matt.
Might seem simple to most people. Text him, develop a relationship. I wish it was that easy. Wanna make the situation a little more complicated. My name is James.
Want to make it even more complicated? I've yet to come out to my parents and dating another guy while my parents still think I'm straight is a rather hairy situation. I've told a few close friends and they've been supportive.
One of my main problems is doubting if I actually have an interest in males. I keep telling myself that it could be hormones or teenager impulse or something else associated with teenship that I could blame this one, and I keep imagining a scene where I'm in my boyfriend’s embrace and I realize I'm not gay. That would be one of the worst scenes I could imagine. A simple "Just Kidding" wouldn't defuse that situation.
What should I do? Thank you Papabear.
~James
* * *
Dear James,
You don’t disclose how old you are, but I will assume that you are a young male probably in your late teens or thereabout. That is a tough time for everyone when you really begin to solidify who you are, and part of that discovery is your sexuality.
First of all, you must rid yourself of the notion that sexuality is black and white, hetero vs. homo. Human sexuality is far more complex than that, with most people falling somewhere in between. It is, actually, quite normal for men who later settle into a heterosexual relationship to have experimented in some fashion with a homosexual one. In fact, the famous Kinsey Report makes note that somewhere between 40 and 50 percent of males have, at some point in their life, had a homosexual experience of some kind. This did not mean that they were strictly homosexual, just that they had an erotic experience with another man. Sometimes this was an isolated occurrence, sometimes not.
If it weren’t for the pressures that society puts upon us to be straight, such freedom of sexual expression would be much more common and we would be less neurotic about it. As the Report notes:
If homosexual activity persists on as large a scale as it does, in the face of the very considerable public sentiment against it and in spite of the severity of the penalties that our Anglo-American culture has placed upon it through the centuries, there seems some reason for believing that such activity would appear in the histories of a much larger portion of the population if there were no social restraints. The very general occurrence of the homosexual in ancient Greece ... and its wide occurrence today in some cultures in which such activity is not as taboo as it is in our own, suggests that the capacity of an individual to respond erotically to any sort of stimulus, whether it is provided by another person of the same or of the opposite sex, is basic in the species [emphasis mine].
Alfred Kinsey developed what is called the Kinsey Scale to illustrate sexuality in a spectrum, as follows:
0: Exclusively heterosexual
1: Predominantly heterosexual, only incidentally homosexual
2: Predominantly heterosexual, but more than incidentally homosexual
3: Equally heterosexual and homosexual
4: Predominantly homosexual, but more than incidentally heterosexual
5: Predominantly homosexual, only incidentally heterosexual
6: Exclusively homosexual
X: Nonsexual
Later, a psychiatrist named Fritz Klein continued this work and developed the more elaborate Klein Sexual Orientation Grid, an explanation of which can be found here: http://www.bisexual.org/kleingrid.html.
ANYWAY, the reason I note all of the above is to validate your inner questioning about your sexuality. Some people are lucky and realize for certain that they are gay or straight at an early age and can proceed with their lives accordingly. Others, like you and me, struggle more with this identification for a longer period of time before we figure it out.
Papabear’s advice to you, James, is that you do not enter into a serious, sexual relationship with Matt until you have resolved this question within you one way or another because it is unfair to both Matt and you. Stay friends, but refrain from sex until you are sure what you want. Once you do figure it out, though, don’t be surprised if your sexuality lies somewhere in the grey area between gay and straight and that you do, indeed, want to explore a romantic relationship with Matt. Along the way, be sure that Matt understands what you are doing and what your motivation is by communicating with him.
In a world where there is so much hate, prejudice, and misunderstanding, it is sad that we still fear loving other people just because they do not fit societal norms. We have progressed somewhat in the areas of race and religion here in America (although there is still a lot of prejudice here), but we have a long way to go when it comes to homosexuality. Wouldn’t it be great if we could love someone just for the spirit that resides inside them, regardless of what is on the outside? Then, you could love Matt openly, James, without these types of worries because you love the person that is Matt, regardless of whether or not he has a penis, not fretting about your own sexual orientation because it would be a nonissue.
But we live in a world where we are hung up about sex. You and Matt live in that world, too, and it is rife with land mines that could explode if you are not careful. Take some time, James, to figure out where to tread, and once you do, I hope you will take Matt’s paw in yours and walk together.
Bear Hugs,
Papabear
With high school starting soon, I've slowly been drifting out of the social staleness I've adopted over the course of summer. I've started texting friends more often, being friendlier and generally preparing for the overbearing social situation of school. With me texting more, I came across the name of a crush that I have. His name is Matt.
Might seem simple to most people. Text him, develop a relationship. I wish it was that easy. Wanna make the situation a little more complicated. My name is James.
Want to make it even more complicated? I've yet to come out to my parents and dating another guy while my parents still think I'm straight is a rather hairy situation. I've told a few close friends and they've been supportive.
One of my main problems is doubting if I actually have an interest in males. I keep telling myself that it could be hormones or teenager impulse or something else associated with teenship that I could blame this one, and I keep imagining a scene where I'm in my boyfriend’s embrace and I realize I'm not gay. That would be one of the worst scenes I could imagine. A simple "Just Kidding" wouldn't defuse that situation.
What should I do? Thank you Papabear.
~James
* * *
Dear James,
You don’t disclose how old you are, but I will assume that you are a young male probably in your late teens or thereabout. That is a tough time for everyone when you really begin to solidify who you are, and part of that discovery is your sexuality.
First of all, you must rid yourself of the notion that sexuality is black and white, hetero vs. homo. Human sexuality is far more complex than that, with most people falling somewhere in between. It is, actually, quite normal for men who later settle into a heterosexual relationship to have experimented in some fashion with a homosexual one. In fact, the famous Kinsey Report makes note that somewhere between 40 and 50 percent of males have, at some point in their life, had a homosexual experience of some kind. This did not mean that they were strictly homosexual, just that they had an erotic experience with another man. Sometimes this was an isolated occurrence, sometimes not.
If it weren’t for the pressures that society puts upon us to be straight, such freedom of sexual expression would be much more common and we would be less neurotic about it. As the Report notes:
If homosexual activity persists on as large a scale as it does, in the face of the very considerable public sentiment against it and in spite of the severity of the penalties that our Anglo-American culture has placed upon it through the centuries, there seems some reason for believing that such activity would appear in the histories of a much larger portion of the population if there were no social restraints. The very general occurrence of the homosexual in ancient Greece ... and its wide occurrence today in some cultures in which such activity is not as taboo as it is in our own, suggests that the capacity of an individual to respond erotically to any sort of stimulus, whether it is provided by another person of the same or of the opposite sex, is basic in the species [emphasis mine].
Alfred Kinsey developed what is called the Kinsey Scale to illustrate sexuality in a spectrum, as follows:
0: Exclusively heterosexual
1: Predominantly heterosexual, only incidentally homosexual
2: Predominantly heterosexual, but more than incidentally homosexual
3: Equally heterosexual and homosexual
4: Predominantly homosexual, but more than incidentally heterosexual
5: Predominantly homosexual, only incidentally heterosexual
6: Exclusively homosexual
X: Nonsexual
Later, a psychiatrist named Fritz Klein continued this work and developed the more elaborate Klein Sexual Orientation Grid, an explanation of which can be found here: http://www.bisexual.org/kleingrid.html.
ANYWAY, the reason I note all of the above is to validate your inner questioning about your sexuality. Some people are lucky and realize for certain that they are gay or straight at an early age and can proceed with their lives accordingly. Others, like you and me, struggle more with this identification for a longer period of time before we figure it out.
Papabear’s advice to you, James, is that you do not enter into a serious, sexual relationship with Matt until you have resolved this question within you one way or another because it is unfair to both Matt and you. Stay friends, but refrain from sex until you are sure what you want. Once you do figure it out, though, don’t be surprised if your sexuality lies somewhere in the grey area between gay and straight and that you do, indeed, want to explore a romantic relationship with Matt. Along the way, be sure that Matt understands what you are doing and what your motivation is by communicating with him.
In a world where there is so much hate, prejudice, and misunderstanding, it is sad that we still fear loving other people just because they do not fit societal norms. We have progressed somewhat in the areas of race and religion here in America (although there is still a lot of prejudice here), but we have a long way to go when it comes to homosexuality. Wouldn’t it be great if we could love someone just for the spirit that resides inside them, regardless of what is on the outside? Then, you could love Matt openly, James, without these types of worries because you love the person that is Matt, regardless of whether or not he has a penis, not fretting about your own sexual orientation because it would be a nonissue.
But we live in a world where we are hung up about sex. You and Matt live in that world, too, and it is rife with land mines that could explode if you are not careful. Take some time, James, to figure out where to tread, and once you do, I hope you will take Matt’s paw in yours and walk together.
Bear Hugs,
Papabear
[adjective][species] Panel at Rocky Mountain Fur Con
This is just a reminder that [adjective][species] will be hosting a panel at Rocky Mountain Fur Con this year! Makyo, Klisoura, and Zik will be there to talk about exploring the fandom through data and introspection. Please feel free to join us in Executive B on Saturday at 11AM! For those not able to make it, we will be aiming to record the talk portion of the panel; if everything goes well, we’ll post it here.
Since you love them so much, more sergals
Categories: News
Rilin on FA is selling some legit GEDDAN icons for $10-13, do yourself a favor and get one!
Categories: News
iTunes issues
We have been made aware of some issues with our podcast listing in the iTunes store. We are working to resolve this as quickly as possible. If you’re experiencing issues, please let us know by commenting below, using as much detail as possible. We apologize for the issues and will get back to normal ASAP!
Categories: Podcasts
If anybody's still here....
I run Fred Patten's website, and have recently added a convention photo.
Judging by the badge it's almost certainly Anime Expo, but I can't get a
close enough look to tell the date. Internal evidence suggests 2002 or
2004, but it doesn't match any badges I have around here left over from
that time period. You can see the photo at:
Judging by the badge it's almost certainly Anime Expo, but I can't get a
close enough look to tell the date. Internal evidence suggests 2002 or
2004, but it doesn't match any badges I have around here left over from
that time period. You can see the photo at:
Categories: News
House Pets: Schedule Update
Author: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-MCvoogA5O6M/Tm2D_-kouBI/AAAAAAAAAGE/osI9PlSHD4s/s72-c/episode6.png There will be no HP!R for the week of October 29th (Which is projected to be Episode 9) Unless Slice wants to do a solo episode, or an episode with guest host(s). The reason for the delay is that someone very close to David and Myself (my sister) is getting married and David [...]
House Pets: Schedule Update
Categories: News
Music video: ‘Parler le Fracas’
Author: Fred The Cartoon Brew website says that Parler le Fracas, a 4:26-minute French music video created by Wasaru for Le Peuple de l’Herbe, is sort of an update of Orwell’s Animal Farm. Put the emphasis on “sort of”; fat pig capitalists oppressing other-animal workers have been a common image of communistic (as distinct from [...]
Categories: News
Didn't see this around so here you go
Categories: News
![[link]](https://pawsru.org/pawsX/f/src/130477822169.jpg){kind=link}
Yarn Tail Commission Schedule / Info (Looking to fill last August Slot)
I know not everybody keeps up with me on FA so I'm posting this here as well.
I am currently working on the raffle freebie and another commission. I expect to have them both done by or before August 26th.
At that time if the last August slot has not been claimed it will be removed. I may use that time to make a premade if I'm not busy with other things. I would really really prefer to fill this slot ASAP so I can start planning and getting materials.
For September I will be preparing for the Mists of Pandaria release on the 25th. This means I will be playing ALOT of Beta and I will only be taking two commissions.
November I will be raiding 2 to 3 nights a week and preparing for my sister's wedding so I will only be taking 1 slot. There will be no mini raffle.
For December I should be back up to 3 slots.
I will begin reserving slots for 2013 near the end of December.
For official Commission Info and slot availability please click here.
For examples of my work please see my gallery Here.
submitted by Ziaki[link] [comment]
Categories: News