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It was suggested by a few folks that it would be good to do a semi-regular feature on some of the wonderful art that may not follow the norm of what’s posted out there.  Today, we’re stepping away from the normal visual art, somewhat, and into the realm of theater, with Sparf’s one-man-show, “What the Fur!? Stories and Text from the Furry Fandom”

This post will differ from the previous art posts in a few ways.  Firstly, rather than providing a sample of a few images with links back to the artist’s gallery, the show as posted to YouTube is embedded below.  I very much recommend watching through the whole thing, as there is so much wonderful involved here.  If you don’t have time now, set aside about half an hour later today to watch through the whole thing.  Additionally, we were lucky enough to have the chance to interview Sparf over email in order to get some more information about the work.  Check it out!

[adjective][species]:
Tell us a little about yourself and your character.

Sparf:
I’m a 29 year old Virginia native living in the Maryland suburbs of Washington DC. I hold an Associates degree in Computer Networking from Mountain Empire Community College, a Bachelor’s in Speech/Theatre with a History minor from East Tennessee State University, and, thanks to this show and 3 years of work, a Master of Fine Arts in Acting from the Catholic University of America. I have been a furry since around 1998, but only really learned a lot about the fandom and became a participating member around 2008; that was the year that I attended my first Anthrocon.

My furry character is a wolf, but green and with some foxlike markings in addition to a black eyepatch. He shares most of my attributes and I often appear in fursuit with a Washington Capitals hockey jersey or a matching lime-green chef’s jacket, or just casual in a hawaiian shirt. He evolved from an older character of mine who had the same markings but was grey and far too serious and gloomy. I figured if I was going to make up a two-legged, walking, talking fursona, why not make him a fancy and fun color too. He embodies positive energy, which is what I really try to pour into this fandom.

The character in my show is an amalgam of myself and stories collected from fandom interviews and given to me by some fellow members of the Furry Writers Guild.

[a][s]:
What made you decide to mix furry and theater into a show like this?

Sparf:
To be honest, I needed a topic for my Master’s thesis, and I went through everything that I could possibly do to play to my strengths. In other words, the things that I was most passionate about, and I realized that one of them was Furry, and that I could help bring some of the really colorful individuals in the fandom to life on stage. And above all, I could do it in a way that would bring a positive light onto the fandom, the public knowledge of which is often a benign ignorance at best, and the occasional sensationalist television special or negative comment by a well-known geek icon at the worst. Plus, something in me wanted to get at the heart of why it is that I myself am in the fandom. What that journey was. And while some of it is fictionalized and some of it incorporates stories from other sources, the core of it, its essence, is just me.

[a][s]:
Does much of theater feel like this, or is that something that is unique to your own performance?

Sparf:
It very much depends on the actor. An actor I recently worked with finds all the mental work to be unnecessary. To him it is a matter of speaking the words as written and the character will reveal itself. I find that in most of my work I do a lot of world building. I create the character’s world in my head during rehearsals and it allows me to go on that journey with them. When it comes time to perform, all of that is reduced to instinct and reaction rather than thought. In other words, I build the structure, and then I let go, trusting it will be there to support the work. But when I am doing good work, when I know that all the pieces are in place, yes, it does feel like that.

[a][s]:
What was the genesis of the show?

Sparf:
I had been reading journals on FurAffinity and someone linked to DogBomb. I read through several journals of his, things he’d done in fursuit at the beach like helping a lost little girl find her parents (I think. Something of that nature), or bringing a smile to the face of someone in a wheelchair. I knew that sort of thing was out there. Here in Maryland/DC/NOVA there is a group called Critters for a Cause that unites folks with mascot-like characters to appear at events and do charity work. I, myself learned the power of these kinds of costumes in brightening someone’s day when I marched with my mate’s church in a local Labor Day parade last year and one of the parishoners’ daughters, maybe 3 or 4 years old at most, without question, came to me, hugged me, and held my hand almost the entire time before the parade began. Later I found out that she would talk about me and my mate (also in costume. His is a tiger), as her animal friends and how she couldn’t wait to see us again.

[a][s]:
Were you nervous at all, performing in suit in front of an audience of (I’m assuming) mostly non-furs?

Sparf:
I was not concerned about performing for non furs so much as I was concerned about performing for members of the clergy that were present as well as the older, potentially more conservative crowd that CUA has the potential to attract. But I also put aside concerns about the audience. When I step on stage my job is to embody the character. And the character harbors none of those concerns.

[a][s]:
Clergy! Wow! What sort of reactions did you get?

Sparf:
The response to my show, as well as the other two of my classmates who performed that day, was overwhelmingly positive. The priests who came were young priests, or, at least, priests of my own age or so. They were friends of classmates that they’d made during our time here. But even so, that collar can be intimidating.

[a][s]:
How do you see theater fitting in with the growing fandom?

Sparf:
I think that it’s among the next logical places for our fandom to grow into. We have a very strong literary element, with 3 major small press publishers, several more smaller ones, and a growing realization that furry literature isn’t automatically garbage. We’ve got steps into the realm of animation (see Wolf or the Out of Position Animatic), and probably more I’m not aware of. There is audio work starting to be done in the fandom now. We have musicians of almost every ilk. Theatre is just one more creative endeavor. The question is, how do we make it ours? Do we do theatre ABOUT furries as a culture, or do we write anthropomorphic characters into plays? Do we adapt old stories by our longtime favorite authors? update the old fable tropes? There’s already some theatre going on. Skits in the masquerades at various conventions, for one thing. There are also the ‘Whose Lion is it Anyway?’ improv games, which come directly or indirectly from the work of Viola Spolin, one of the great innovators of modern theatre.

It does work the other way sometimes. During rehearsals for at least two plays I have performed in my career, we were asked to envision an animal for our character and use that to inform their physicality and ways of speaking. Afterward I tended to do that for most of my roles and it usually helped create a more rounded character. That, to me, was taking furry and putting the fundamental skill of imagination at it fosters and funneling it into another endeavor.

[a][s]:
Lots of good thoughts, here. Regarding your first thought, do you think the few movies that have come out of the fandom in recent years are headed in a good direction?

Sparf:
I think absolutely. Wolf, though a very long way from being finished, is a step in the right direction for animation. Of course, who could forget the landmark film of this past year, Bitter Lake. I very much enjoyed it, and I encourage folks to pick it up to support such efforts in the fandom.

[a][s]:
Secondly, do you think that species selection has much to do with temperament, sort of as a side-effect of the imagination in the fandom?

Sparf:
I would say it does for some, but not all. Some people pick a species because of aesthetics, or because it was their favorite animal. I generally identify with wolves because of some of the similarities between their social behaviors and mine.

[a][s]:
People often say that being in suit is like a performance, and you hint at those aspects in your show. Does fursuiting ever feel like actually being on stage?

Sparf:
To me it does, quite often, feel that way. Which is why I very much try to treat it with respect. The great acting teacher Stanislavsky can be quoted as saying “Let him who does not know the threshold of the stage never cross it,” and in my way I agree with that absolutely. Part of my training in my MFA was in Neutral Mask, the basis of masked performance. We learned the physicality that has been developed from several hundred years of masked-performance tradition, beginning at least as far back as Commedia Dell’Arte. I see myself as one of those Commedia performers, known as Zanni, who were free in interacting with the crowd. But the stage is still there. Not a proscenium stage as we most often think of theatre but a living, 3 dimensional space in which I must portray the character fully. If I don’t do that or am not willing to commit, I don’t step onto the “stage” to begin with.

[a][s]:
Do you have any plans for future shows or performances involving furry?

Sparf:
I have plans to write my existing show out to an hour’s length. There is some material that I cut for time and thematic purposes. I don’t know where or when I will have a chance to perform it, but I still want to. I feel I owe it to the piece. As for other things, I do occasionally do story readings for both the Anthrodreams podcast and the Bad Dog Book Club, and have some other audio projects deep in the works. My first real interest in acting was in voice acting, and I’ve wanted to bring that passion into the fandom as well. I hope to see more theatricality develop as the fandom grows and moves forward, certainly, and I also hope to be involved with it.

submitted by inokofoxx
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Author: crossaffliction Alright, my first time at bat as an Ursa Major movie pundit worked out, as Kung Fu Panda 2‘s win put me at three for three predicting the movie awards I set out to predict. Read on for my reaction to the awards and my first guess at next year’s nominees and winner. [...]

Author: Fred The Cartoon Brew has the first teaser/trailer for 20th-Century Fox’s & Blue Sky’s CGI-animated Epic, which features talking mice, birds, slugs and bugs. The Brew’s readers make a lot of comparisons to FernGully. Opens May 2013. Find the full article here: flayrah – furry food for thought Creative Commons: Full post may be [...]

Hi there

Quite nervous since my friend just showed me this site. I have a few things I would like advice on actually.

1st thing is actually my past. My father ran out on me when my mother was pregnant and came back after a while I was in this world. But he was hardly around in my life. And my mother wasn't the best either. when I was 7 she virtually abandoned me for her "boyfriend". I was just a child so the first thing I did was tell my dad. Then he just walked back out the door. I tried to follow him but he told me to go back inside. But I couldn’t. I stood there crying in the rain. When I was finally taken inside I couldn't sleep for almost a week. I was exposed to drugs, on a daily basis that I learned how to roll blunts, make pipes, bongs, you name it all before I turned 8.

I moved with my grandmother since mum was "too busy" and my aunt chose to find a moment to "practice" a few things because she just got a boyfriend. I didn't know anything but a little while later I learned I was raped. My sister was 2 years old and everybody just hated me. Mother and wouldn't watch her. So I did. Then she had my brother then the same thing. I took care of them. Made sure they ate. Everything. I would starve myself to the point I was sick to make sure they ate. 
My uncle put me into several fights just because he wanted to. So I grew up fighting. Then my mother had 2 more kids and that just put me 6 feet under. I had 4 kids to take care of. I became a father by 11 basically. She was never around always out running with Rick (her boyfriend). I grew extremely defensive and very rebellious. Any time she would bring home dinner was at 2 in the morning when everyone was asleep. And leave 7 in the morning and the food would be gone. I became more worried about my brother's and sisters that I was even failing school.

Because I grew up fighting I took lessons, classes and became a mixed martial artist. (The martial arts is actually what I practice. I personally think I do it professionally but I haven't joined the competition or the league. I'm ready to so I'll just go with my best friend because he trained at my side.) Grew very soft hearted. I became a man of words, many words, enough to make a dictionary. I did what I had to do to survive even provide for my family, and I wasn't proud of stealing either, but life went on without any difference. I got protective for myself, spoke my word and would be beat because of it that my anger finally blew up and well. I protected myself.

Now my family doesn't really like me. They don't talk to me. When they do it always turns into a fight. Over he said she said shit (pardon my language). But I stopped obeying, listening, because all it did was cause more problems so I did what had to be done or what I thought right and accepted the consequences. I wasn't afraid for what ever punishment came my way. 
But there is so much more I would like advice on and such but I lost the heart to ask. I'm already crying just writing all this. I kept it in the back of my mind but it always came back on me, haunting me like some guilt. I tried meditating but I can't even do so for 30 minutes before the memories come back. But the guilt is coming from. I aim to help all, but when one person comes for help that contradicts what someone else asks for help. Its a choice on who to help but I try to help both and wind up failing one or both.

So I’m hoping you can offer any advice, feedback, or anything to say about this. all I know about myself is what people say I fear I'm losing sight of who I am. All I know of myself personally is that I'm protective, good at what I do, and a good person at heart.

Fuzzybutt

* * *

Dear Fuzzybutt,

First of all, that you survived this nightmarish childhood to become a decent human being is, to me, no less than a miracle from God. From what I understand, you took care of your siblings and managed to learn martial arts and to survive with your own moral code intact. 

One word: Bravo.

I'm not sure if there really is a question somewhere in your letter, other than about mediating disputes, but it sounded more like you just wanted to hear what I think of you. I applaud you. Your parents should bow their heads in shame for what they have done. You have nothing to be guilty about. Indeed, if I could, I would submit your name for sainthood.

I'm a bit confused, though, on one point. You say your family doesn't talk to you, yet they are asking for your help? Or are these people outside your family?

Regardless, as you have already found out, you can't please everyone. And you shouldn't feel guilty that you can't. Because of your childhood experience, you have grown to be a "people pleaser," meaning that, in order for you to help your siblings survive, you became so focused on helping others that it has become a central part of your character. Now, there is nothing wrong with trying to help people; that is a lovely thing, but when you do it to the point of self-destruction it becomes unhealthy.

It sounds to Papabear you are being put in the middle of other people's arguments, and that isn't fair to you. My advice to you is to stay out of such arguments entirely. Just say, "I'm sorry, but I really don't wish to get in the middle of this argument." Let them fend for themselves in this case. It is not fair for them to put you in such a difficult position.

That your family seems to hate you is a poor reflection upon their character, which isn't surprising given their lack of gratitude all these years and their mistreatment of you and the other members of your family.

Papabear has been told repeatedly by some members of his family that "blood is thicker than water" and to always stick by one's family. While one should strive to be a good son, father, brother, sister, mother, daughter, niece, nephew or whatever, there comes a point where that bond can be broken. Family is more than just genetics. Family are those who stick by you and love you no matter what. A father who inseminates a woman and then abandons the resulting child is a father in biology only. He is not a true father, nor is he a true man. You would have no obligation to such a person on moral grounds. Same for a neglectful mother. 

Fuzzybutt, you are torturing yourself over a false belief system based on what wrong-minded people expect of you. Somehow, miraculously, you have grown up to be a kind and wonderful person. Now it is time for you to define your own family, gathering around you those who truly love you, care about you, and respect you. It is time for you to go out into the world, leaving those behind who not only have abused you but completely disrespect your very existence, and find a mate to love, friends to cherish, and build your family anew. You have already started this, it seems, and now it you must continue to pursue your new life, and to not be guilty for it. You have a right to be happy.

That is my hope for you.

Papabear
* * *The Follow-Up
Papabear,
I appreciate such words. They mean a whole lot. Touching deeper than the heart itself, but reaching out and speaking words my mind, heart, and soul understand. But I am in no capable position to move yet. I had just been fired from my job, not only that I am only 17. 

With your advice on starting a family of my own, I have. With friends. They're all waiting on me to 18 to walk out the door with no questions and move into our own place. For a mate, I have one. For 2 years we've been together, despite the great distance between us (with me being in Pennsylvania and him in California). I love him with all my heart and soul. 
But I can share with you.... I have attempted suicide. With my father's own gun. I made sure it was next to fool proof, loaded, round was chambered, cocked back and safety off. I said goodbye to my friend and he called me. Talked to me as I cried for 2 hours. I told him I was sorry and pulled the trigger... Twice actually. It just clicked twice. Nothing more clicked. I checked it and there wasn't a thing wrong so I packed it away. My friend asked "was that what I think it was." I told him yes ... it didn't go off. 
And that was my only attempt. I promised myself if I lived, I would never let the thought get to me again. Shit... I can't stop crying... I just feel... Like my mate... *sigh* he admitted himself all he's done was use Me from the beginning, but it changed when I stayed for two years, now he's just threatening breaking up because my "attitude" when it only erupts when he chooses sexual relations instead of a relationship... 

I know one of the things your gonna say is seek help from a professional psychologist. I do. But I feel.. inside, better with the more people know.

* * *
Fuzzybutt,
You know what? I also survived a suicide attempt. I took an overdose of sleeping pills back in college. Problem was, I took too many and started throwing up in my sleep, waking my roommate who took me to the hospital and got my stomach pumped.

As with me, take this as a sign: you are meant to live. You have not finished your purpose yet. You have much to do still.
Talk to your mate about your sexual relationship, and relationship in general. A relationship based only on sex is not a healthy one.
I have a feeling I will hear more from you. You are welcome to write again.

Hugs,
Papabear

your challenge: you have 5 minutes to draw at least the head of any fur.

here's my 5 minutes worth

i used paint and didnt include the words and smiley face in the 5 minutes as they were just extra bs that did nothing for the actual part that i was (half) attempting to draw good.

furries who are good with'a pencil/mouse are welcome to try the challenge to, but nothing too fancy or i might cry at my goofy scribbles >.>

submitted by Tree_Dolphin
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submitted by evilsibe
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Author: Harvi We’re rebooting the podcast! Now you can take part in the Hop Inn from the beginning! When we catch up to the current episode we’ll update our iTunes Feed to point over here instead of the old, soon to be gone, site. We’ll be adding more information and links as this site progresses [...] [Series Reboot]Live From the Hop Inn Episode 407

Author: A romp of a discussion over a fun story!  We discuss why this little gem does what it sets out to do, and ponder the sobering implications of Toonces going straight. Ciao! -Skip BDBC-030-Episode-One-More.mp3 Listen on Posterous Permalink | Leave a comment  » …read more at www.baddogbookclub.com http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/baddogbookclub/~5/MuMFYwHZj9s/BDBC-030-Episode-One-More.mp3 Find the full article here: The Bad [...] Episode 30 – “One More For Old Times” by Liddell Scribe

Over there is where all of the furry art advice goes, and it would be a lot more convenient to have it stay there where it belongs. Unfortunately, it only has 284 readers at the time of this post, and it's not very active. I know for a fact that 90% of us are fantastic artists, and they could really use our help. So help the effort in cleaning up /r/furry, subscribe to /r/FurryArtSchool and make both subreddits a better place to browse :D

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submitted by dannyman252
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submitted by Boadie_Bear
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Hey there, 

I stumbled across your advice column entirely by accident and I'm really happy I did. You see, I've been having a really rough time with life the past few years and it's been increasingly difficult to keep from dwelling on suicidal thoughts. I am scheduled to begin therapy next month but I am afraid I cannot make it that long. You see there are quite a number of problems in my life right now but in an effort to keep this from becoming a novel, I'll shorten it to the major three. 

The first is that I don't know what to do with my life (career, financially, education). I'm twenty-three years old, and I live with my parents again after losing my housing situation. It feels like I'm stagnating, I have no education beyond my GED, and I've only been able to work dead-end jobs that don't pay enough to go back to school. I've considered loans/grants but I'm ineligible for most everything due to a poor credit rating from a prior apartment eviction. Also, since I dropped out of college once before, I can't get most financial aid options.

Even then, I don't know what I'd do, I have really no exceptional talents or marketable skills. To make matters worse, I'm only into a few subjects(science, history, geography) and I usually fail at everything I'm not interested in. Thus even finding an applicable career path has been difficult. I've considered being a pilot too but the high cost of flight school has shied me away from it.  

Since I live with my parents, my bills aren't too bad but I still don't make enough to really do much else other than buy the occasional video game and go out to a hookah lounge on the weekends. I have no idea how to move forward from this point. It feels like all options lead to failure or a worse situation.

My second issue is that it's becoming increasingly difficult to deal with my real life issues due to my propensity to escape into an imagined fantasy in my mind. I won't go into extreme detail on this because I've covered it at length in a journal on my FA (http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/3377543/) but suffice it to say that I've began worrying that I'll die before I accomplish anything due to how badly I neglect my own health/hygiene/etc. in lieu of these mental escapes. 

The third thing that is a major cause of my depression ... and this is rather difficult to discuss is my certainty that I'll die alone. The reasoning might surprise you actually. It's not that I'm physically unattractive and overweight(both of which are true but not important) the problem lies with elsewhere. I've noticed over the past few years that I'm not physically nor emotionally attracted to human beings at all, either gender. I've slept with both, but I have to imagine something else for it to be enjoyable. I'm incredibly ashamed to admit that I'm a zoophile, I've never done anything in real life because fear of legal repercussions but I've found that animals are the only thing I'm attracted too. I try to like people but I just can't find anyone attractive, and it's not for lack of effort either. It just doesn't happen. 

I'm going to wrap this up for fear that I'm rambling and have gone on too long but I'm lost, and every day it seems like death is a preferable option to this existence. I just want to know why I feel these things and what to do about it. So far nothing has helped, even when I used to be in therapy and on heavy drug prescriptions. These aren't the only problems I have but they are the major ones I need to tackle before my life can move forward, at least in my mind. Any wisdom you can impart would be tremendously appreciated. 

Thank you, 
Towyn 

* * *

Dear Towyn,

What concerns Papabear immediately is your thoughts of suicide. Before you do anything else, Towyn, I want you to call a suicide hotline. You can find one in your state by going here: http://suicidehotlines.com/. I am glad you are going back into therapy, but you admit here that you need help now, so please call one of these numbers. Not next week, not tomorrow—TODAY.

Next priority: start taking better care of yourself. One of the things that can make us feel bad, mentally and emotionally, is poor health. I want you to promise Papabear to start eating a healthier diet rich in fruits and vegetables and low in sugars and fats, and to start exercising. You don’t have to go to a gym, just start by walking. Increase your distance each week. Hiking alone can do wonders for you.

Next, you do not mention if you have a spiritual life at all. Life is more than money, career, health, family and hobbies. Happiness comes from a healthy spiritual life as well. Papabear will not dictate which path you choose (in my mind, there are many paths to Spirit and God, not just one) but it is a vital part of mental and emotional health that you need to add to your life.

Next, money and career. Papabear knows what it feels like to think that one has no skills (heck, I’m an English major, one of the most unappreciated skills in America) and to feel aimless. But, everyone has some interests, likes vs. dislikes, in their life. If you didn’t, you would be a cypher with no personality whatsoever. Perhaps you can take one of those interests and find some volunteer work to do in that field. Volunteer jobs can bring immense personal satisfaction—and guess what?—they can also lead to a new career. For example, when Papabear volunteered at a zoo, there were several volunteer docents there who later got jobs in administration or even as zookeepers. Another example might be theater. Do you have a community theater group near you? You could volunteer working on props, costumes, the office, or whatever floats your boat. With some experience under your belt, this could lead to a paying job, as well. Volunteer work is always a bonus on any resume.

Another option is the military. Papabear doesn’t know what your feelings on this topic might be (and I am very opposed to war and killing), but it is very true that the military can do a lot for you in terms of your character, your health, your sense of discipline, and your education. It might be worth considering in your case, but only after you have a better grip on your mental health.

Also, there are a number of government training programs you might look into for help with a career. In Michigan, for instance, there is the Michigan Works! program. If you let Papabear know what state you live in, he can help you find a similar program.

As for your fantasy life, well, this is very understandable as well. Many people retreat into a fantasy world to escape from a tough life. Fortunately, you have apparently not done so to the point where you have lost your grip on reality. You realize that fantasy is fantasy, reality is reality. Papabear feels that if you can improve the other aspects of your life, then you will need your fantasy world less and less. It is okay to have a fantasy life, but not one that takes over your life so completely.

Finally, as for your zoophilia. Zoophilia is considered a sexual deviation and, of course, is for the most part not accepted by society, and there are also many laws on the books criminalizing it. There is a minority of people who feel that zoophilia is okay and that animals can sometimes even consent to sexual intercourse with humans. While Papabear is not a zoophile, he is not going to make a judgment on you one way or the other. However, I do recommend you include a discussion of this topic with your therapist as it is clearly weighing heavily upon you.

Towyn, you are dealing with more than your fair share of issues here, and Papabear sympathizes with you. I suggest you try to not tackle everything at once, but do so in small, digestible bits, starting, of course, with your thoughts of suicide. Those take A priority.

Please write again soon and let Papabear know how you are doing. And call that hotline!!!!

Hugs,

Papabear


* * *
[Note: Towyn wrote Papabear back that day, and we continued the dialogue....]

Papabear,

I really appreciate your expedient reply, though you touch on some other issues I didn't elaborate on in my first email. 

Due to a very traumatic event when I was three I am very hesitant to try new foods, in fact I haven't eaten a fruit or vegetable since. My diet is limited to a very small handful of things I will eat. It's something I've been dealing with for the past twenty or so years. Basically what happened was that food was forced down my throat at a daycare until the worker tore my esophagus with a fork and I nearly died. Had to be flown to a hospital and spent a while in intensive care, ever since I've been terrified of eating strange foods and even being offered food provokes a fight or flight response.

On spirituality...religion and I have a very strained relationship. You see, my parents divorced before I was born and my mother and father differ greatly on the topic. My dad is a fundamentalist catholic and my mother is non-religious. I grew up with my mom but when I was younger my dad convinced her to send me to a Baptist Christian school. I hated it because they based their doctrine on fear of god and subjected me to horrible things because I was a non-believer until I relented. It took me years to finally shake my faith and ever since I've been a stout atheist and very wary of any spiritual teachings. Being the science buff that I am I don't see how an all-powerful all-loving creator could make a world with so much suffering and a people who are so imperfect. I also don't see any evidence of a 'god' figure anywhere. I'm not intolerant by any stretch I just never responded well to religions after what happened to me. 

Though on the suicide topic...I've had the local hotline on speed dial for months now. I'm not in those moods all the time, but when I hit a low, it hits hard so I'm well aware of my options when I get those feelings. 

With my full time job I really don't have much time to volunteer, I need my income to pay for my car/insurance/rent/phone etc. The only real things I'm interested in are sci-fi, reading, flying, exploring, and tabletop role playing. So my career paths are limited and I'm not sure if they would financially be able to support me. I'm bothered by this because I don't want to live with my parents forever but any financial gamble to try a career path is risky. That risk is what keeps me from moving forward. If I fail I'm stuck here longer. 

My zoophilia is a whole other ball park, it bothers me horribly that I don't feel anything towards other human beings, I've never dated and I'm saddened that I'll never experience that companionship in my life. At least it seems that way. I'm also hesitant to discuss that with my therapist, it's hard enough to type, let alone speak it. So I've been bottling those feelings up.  

Thank you so much for taking the time to read this and respond, you have no idea how much it means to me. Even my parents tell me I need to "stop being a bitch" and "buck up". It seems like no one understands what I'm feeling and no one can tell me why I feel this way. 

Towyn

* * *

Towyn,

Okay, well, let’s try and tackle these one by one again. First of all, Papabear is glad you have a local hotline handy, and that kind of removes the worry that you conveyed in your first letter that you had no one to talk to until your therapy started in a month.

On the topic of religion: interesting that you and I had a similar experience. Papabear’s father was a Southern Baptist while his mother was an agnostic. I, too, came to the conclusion that organized religion actually did more to make me feel bad about myself than good.  For some people, they will still find comfort in the big religions. That is their choice. I prefer to pursue growth in my spirituality, which is a big difference. You say you are interested in science, and that is wonderful, but science and the material world are not everything. For example, a doctor can dissect your body and figure out how your blood is pumped and your synapses work, but he cannot point his scalpel and say, “Look, here lies the spark of life, that thing that animates all living things.” Not all scientists are atheists, you know.  You ask how a perfect loving God can create such a flawed world and flawed people? Well, one answer would be the concept of free will: that if god made us all perfect we would, really, have no choice but to do things perfectly. Therefore, we would have no freedom. Another explanation is that God is not perfect. Oh! Blasphemy! Don’t tell the Church I said that! What I mean by this, though, is that I believe that our universe is imbued by Spirit, and that this Spirit is evolving through states that progress from nothingness and dissolution toward perfection and enlightenment. The world is not perfect now because God isn’t done evolving yet.  There’s a lovely quote in the recent film “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” where the innkeeper says, “Don’t worry, it will be all right in the end, and if it is not all right, it is because it is not the end.” Love that.

Next topic: jobs. Okay, so you say you have no time for volunteer work, but it also seems you are held back by fear to pursue other jobs. You do not mention whether or not you tried programs in your state that help you find work and learn about training opportunities. Papabear still feels you need to look into that.

Food and Health: Papabear, of course, didn’t know about that traumatic event with the food. Okay, that is something you have to talk about with your therapist, as it is really beyond the scope of this column and Papabear’s qualifications. That said, the food issue has nothing to do with exercise, unless you have also had a traumatic experience at a gym?  Try exercise.

Zoophilia: This, too, is a subject you need to broach with your therapist. You say you are afraid to do so, but, hon, that is what the therapist is there for! Believe me, they have heard this stuff before, and probably much worse. Don’t hold back with your therapist. Everything you tell him or her is confidential, and you are preventing them from helping you by not telling them what is bothering you.

Good luck! Write again if you need to.

Papabear

I feel that I am in a rare area and kinda feel alone. Anyone want to be friends? I'm a 20 yr old male college student. I'm pretty average besides having an weird mind

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