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Submitted by Fred Patten, Furry’s favorite historian and reviewer.

Danger Money, by John Van Stry
Seattle, WA, CreateSpace, March 2012, trade paperback, $7.49 (206 pages), Kindle $2.99.

Jotun is a leopard animorph. His narration depicts Danger Money as set in a future interstellar society inhabited by humans and animorphs. The morphs started out as laboratory-bred, but many are naturally freeborn now. The morphs that are lab-made are mostly trying to buy their freedom from their corporations. There is some human prejudice against the animorphs depending upon which planet they’re on, but it isn’t strong.

“At about one in the morning local time I became instantly wide-awake as my target entered the restaurant, passing through it to the bar. Using my monocular I tracked him carefully, he was in the company of a very attractive human lady, obviously not staff, with an attendant female skunk morph who just as obviously was. […]” (p. 5)

“A young squirrel walked up, smiled at her [Azelett, a leopardess], ignored me, took the keys and drove off.” (p. 12)

“I did notice two very cute ladies giving me the eye during this time. I had also been keeping a watch on the good captain as I had plans for both of them.

The first was an older black leopard who was very aggressive about letting her wants be known. When we were four hours from breakout I hacked the computer and got her schedule changed. When she got back to her room wondering why she was off duty she found me laying on her bed smiling.

We had a very enjoyable time then. […]

The other lady was a gazelle of all things! She was pretty kinky too. Most leaf eaters don’t associate with us predator types. Especially ones whose genetically based ancestors were prey of my ancestors. I think she had a pretty good suspicion of what kind of work I did for the company too.

But the strangest part was that she wanted to be tied up and dominated. […]” (p. 19)

“I flicked my tail over and batted her nose with it while giving her a smile.” (p. 31)

“I caught another whiff of her scent on the breeze. She was scared and smelled it.” (p. 53)

Jotun is an assassin. He was bred to be. It’s all that he knows. He’s the top killer in his Corporation. This future society is controlled by powerful Corporations that aren’t openly at war, but which regularly engage in covert operations against each other. When Jotun isn’t on a hit, his home base is the Palace:

“The Palace, or ‘Caesar’s Palace’ as they originally had called it because we all ‘lived like emperors’ there, isn’t that really. It’s more of a jail to those of us inside, a fortress to those outside, and a very well hidden company secret deep underground on the Earth’s moon. It’s where the Corporation keeps all of its most dangerous eggs, so it’s a strong basket. As for those of us inside, well would you want thirty some-odd trained and ruthless assassins running around loose?” (p. 29)

“‘Have you asked for a different assignment?’ she [Azelett] tried.

‘Of course, but they’re afraid to let me go. As much for my protection as theirs. I’ve seen too much, too many people would love to get their hands on me.’

‘They’re afraid of you, aren’t they?’

‘They’re afraid of us as a group. I don’t know if they’re afraid of any one of us. At least they’re letting the group shrink. When I got signed on there were one hundred of us, now it’s down to thirty three.’” (p. 31)

Jotun is used to being locked away in a pleasure-palace prison, and only called out along with a couple of wolf partners/friends when the top executives of his Corporation want somebody killed. He becomes mildly concerned when the Corporate bosses whom he is used to are all suddenly replaced, indicating company politics at the highest levels, and TV newscasts show that public opinion is turning against all the inter-Corporate mayhem.

The first half of Danger Money describes several of the assassination missions that Jotun and his partners go on, other scenes of violence that Jotun is involved in, and who his few friends are. Then everything goes to Hell. All the morphs that Jotun knows are killed or disappear, and the Palace on the moon is destroyed. He alone escapes.

“Now I’m sure you’ve all seen the rescue balloons before, probably in some deep space disaster movie. They’re just a round globe that holds one, sometimes two, people. It has no arms or legs, and while tough, is extremely cheap to make. They had been designed over a hundred years ago by the now defunct NASA for their space program. The low price made them ideal back then, and kept them popular now. Also I think rescuers liked the idea of having the accident victims all nicely wrapped up. Less trouble that way.

So here I was outside the airlock door with no hands or manipulator to open it. Or so one might think. There is always a work around, if you bother to look for it. I took out a long heavy glove that went up to my shoulder. At its end I had made a wide flange a long time ago. Then I got out a tube of vacuum cement, wonderful stuff actually, stays tacky until exposed to vacuum, then it seals in seconds. Trying hard not to get any on my fur, I coated the flange. Then taking my knife in m hand I slit open the side of the balloon. The rush of air pulled my arm out, and the glue quickly sealed around the base. Voila! Now I had an arm.” (pgs. 108-109)

The last half of the novel shows Jotun on the run alone. Besides trying to survive, he is determined to find out what is going on. Has another Corporation attacked his? Has his own Corporation decided that having a morph assassination squad is now a liability? Is there a power struggle in his Corporation, and which side, if any, should he support? Have any of his friends survived?

“I couldn’t stay here either. My face was being spread all over the moon, and the spotting pattern on a leopard’s face was as individual as a fingerprint. I couldn’t even risk going to buy dye at this point. Earth was out, period. For that matter so was any other place in the Solar system.

That left the colonies. Odds were that my description would not have gone out there; after all I couldn’t book passage on a ship as a morph. Our travel was highly restricted in the Earth’s system, and I didn’t even have an ID bracelet to buy a ticket. But that got me thinking, and suddenly I had an idea. And there was really one place to go of course.” (p. 115)

It’s almost non-stop action. Jotun is out for both his own survival and for revenge, against a hit squad that includes ferrets and a leopardess as deadly as he is. A major question is whether he is planning for his own survival after the revenge, or if he is on a death-&-glory suicide spree.

Danger Money (cover uncredited) is set in the same universe as Van Stry’s Children of Steel and Interregnum. Let’s hope there are more books to come.

– Fred Patten

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Welcome to the New Year! The helpful folks over at Animation Scoop have published a list of animated feature films scheduled to be released in North America this year — and of course, many of them are of particular note to Furry Fans.  Including things like… Peter Rabbit (coming out on February 9th), The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales (February 23rd), Isle of Dogs (March 23rd), Duck Duck Goose (April 20th), Smallfoot (May 11th), Hotel Transylvania 3 (July 13th), The Grinch (November 9th), and Wreck It Ralph 2 (November 21st). They also give a list of films that are expected to come out but that don’t have a solid release date yet, including Monster Family, Sgt. Stubby: An American Hero, Arctic Justice: Thunder Squad, and The Ark and the Aardvark. They did forget a couple — in fact, first out of the gate is Paddington 2 (coming out on January 12th) which is at least as “animated” as Peter Rabbit. Also there’s Animal Crackers, which has found distribution but for which we still don’t have a solid release date other than “this year”. Look for all of these films through 2018!

image c. 2018 Studio Canal

Roo, Vaos, Hiba, and Sammy get together in the studio to discuss what they're grateful for in this last year. In our annual protest against the holiday season mantra of "give me things!" they read your emails and really take a step back to remind us all of how we can strive to be more grateful. Oh, we also sneak in a surprise food review and some cast change news.





NOW LISTEN!
Show Notes
Special Thanks

Sammy Southpaw - Checkout Collared Corgi!
Hiba - for being on the show and serving in the US Armed Forces!
Dark Bunny Sauces - GO GET SOME! THEY TASTE AMAZING!
Moss the Fox
Simone the Fox
Mfalme
Anonymous
Collin
Dee
Rivet

 

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!)
Various Star Trek Themes: Captain_Meatshield. USA: YouTube.
Space News Music: Fredrik Miller – Orbit. USA: Bandcamp, 2013. Used with permission. (Buy a copy here – support your fellow furs!)
Mailbag: Eskadet – Back To Kyoto ; from the album “Solitudes” (Lemongrassmusic, 2010) – www.lemongrassmusic.de – Used under license.
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!)

 

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Next episode: Inflation, Furries, and the Nozzle. Are you into inflation? Why? What do others not know about your kink? It's time to find out! Send your emails by January 4, 2018! S7 Episode 6 – Gratitude 2017 - Roo, Vaos, Hiba, and Sammy get together in the studio to discuss what they're grateful for in this last year. In our annual protest against the holiday season mantra of "give me things!" they read your emails and really tak

January 1st ... a day when not much is going on media wise. For this I thought about looking back at animation 100 years ago and dug up this cute piece by Winsor McCay so some of the earliest furry stuff out there. It's so cute. If you are interested in longer check out this 1912 short by Ladislas Starevich: The Cameraman's Revenge Revenge, It's an early stop motion short about infidelity and privacy invasion with that new crazy media of motion film cameras. https://youtu.be/U424m8utJnA
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[Heading out of 2017, and wishing you all a happy and safe New Year in 2018. Stay Furry!]

In case you haven’t caught word of it yet: Trollhunters, created by none other than Guillermo Del Toro for Dreamworks TV and Netflix, is coming off a very successful and award-winning year. Now Dark Horse Comics have announced a new full-color tie-in graphic novel. Trollhunters: The Secret History of Trollkind is written by Richard Hamilton and Marc Guggenheim with art by Timothy Green II and Wes Dzioba. “Trollhunters: The Secret History of Trollkind explores Jim’s journey as the first human Trollhunter — defender of good trolls. The secrets of the great troll warriors of the past are crucial tools for the new Trollhunter, and the time has come for Jim to appreciate the battles of Kanjigar the Courageous, who through his own struggles, triumphs, and failures lead the trolls after the Battle of Killahead Bridge through unknown territory, across oceans and continents, and past fearsome foes! With his friends by his side, Jim continues the fight against the Gumm-Gumms and their allies!” SyFy Wire has a detailed article about it. Look for it this February.

image c. 2017 Dark Horse

Hey Papa Bear.

I have had a great relationship for 4 years with my boyfriend. We shared everything. We watched things together. We also like furrys. We even planned to go live together.

However. A month ago he decided to dump me. I have lots of support from my friends. But I am still so lonely and scared. Especially at night. I fear and dislike being alone. I have no one to call. No one calling me.

I believe in true love. In staying with a special someone for the rest of your life. 
But maybe I am being naive.

So my question is this:

• How can i meet new, furry friends.
  
• How can i find someone special. Like a boyfriend or soulmate?
  
• What can i do to reduce my lonelyness and fears when I am all alone? 

Thank you very much Papabear!

Just typing this has helped a little.

Anonymous in Belgium

* * *

Dear Furiend,
 
I'm so sorry for your break up. Did your former boyfriend ever give you an explanation why he left you? Understanding this would go a long way toward taking the next step in your life.
 
I understand feeling lonely and scared. When my husband died in 2015, I was alone for quite some time, but then Michael came into my life. He was already a friend when my husband was still alive (actually, my piano teacher), and about a year and a half after Jim's death, Michael decided to divorce his husband and move in with me. But that wasn't the first time I was alone. The first time was when my wife divorced me (long story from a time when I didn't realize I was gay) and I had to get by on my own. I don't really like being alone, either. After Jim died, I kept the TV on all the time, even when I wasn't watching it, because I hated the silence. The other thing to do is to try and be with people as much as possible. Socialize, visit family, even invite friends to your home for a sleepover. Anything to not be alone. 
 
That said, don't discount the value of occasionally being by yourself for a little quiet reflection. But don't be afraid to ask people to visit you. Keep the door open.
 
Meeting furries is pretty easy. I mean, you must know about social media, and there are all kinds of places to chat online.  To get some in-furson experience, if you haven't already done so, go visit your furry friends at the Belgian furcon Flüüfff in Blankenberg @FlüüfffCon. Always a great way to have fun, going to a convention.  There is also a bimonthly furmeet in Liège https://www.ouftimeet.be/ if you can travel there.
 
Now, about meeting someone special. Here, I can only speak in generalities. First of all, be genuine. Don't try to win someone over by being what you are not, because if you try to impress someone with falsehoods or change yourself to accommodate them, you can't keep it up forever. Secondly, always be kind and considerate of other people.  Third, don't allow yourself to be used by other people because you are desperate not to be alone. If you keep those things in mind, eventually, real love will appear.
 
Hugs,
Papabear

“A polar bear falls in love with a seal, but the seal thinks the polar bear is trying to eat it!” You can’t get a much more straight-forward explanation for A Polar Bear In Love — a new black & white manga from the artist Koromo. Now Yen Press have collected Volume 1 into a trade paperback. Long-running cartoon adventures have come from far less…

image c. 2017 Yen Press

Intimate Little Secrets (US$9.95 from FurPlanet) is an anthology of short stories written by Rechan with a cover illustration by Teagan Gavet. Originally I expected the stories to be short, erotic pieces, but this is not the case and approaching it in that way will not lead to a proper appreciation of the work. Sex plays a role in all the stories, but they are more, as the title suggests, intimate secrets where we see how different characters interact and react. The writing is excellent, particularly with regard to the characters themselves. Each one, even characters that only appear briefly, feel real and whole. In each story, we see situations where the characters' lusts, needs, and vulnerabilities are all laid bare, and you can't help but find yourself caring about the characters and wanting to know what their reasons for acting a certain way are. Occasionally, quality is let down by the editing, though. This is certainly higher quality than most of what you will read online, but that just makes the errors all the more glaring. There is a duplicated quotation mark in one story which is particularly strange as that story is also available through Rechan's SoFurry account and does not contain the error there. Another very noticeable one is when "kind've" is used instead of the correct "kind of." This one stands out for me because the incorrect and correct forms are used within five lines of each other on at least two occasions. It's not a deal breaker, but it can bring the reader out of the scene. One of the anthology's major strengths is the diversity of species and how that is worked into the stories. Amongst the more familiar species, we also encounter skunks, gazelles, minks and chipmunks. These choices have consequences for the story. Previous furry commentaries have asked questions such as whether the animal aspect plays a role in a furry story and whether there is a reason the characters are furry as opposed to being human. In this anthology, it does matter and serves the story in many cases. Sometimes, a species' strong musk means you don't have to worry about others smelling the scent of sex. In one case, we have an interspecies couple looking for a sperm donor because their species are incompatible. There's even a really good piece of world-building where one character comments that, due to their reliance on body language, wolves do not communicate well over the phone. This brings the world alive. In one case, the uncommon species choice leads to a bit of ambiguity that an editor should probably have picked up on. That is the cacomistle which I had never even heard about. That's good, I'm learning something new, but it's also referred to in the story as a ringtail. If you do a search for these terms, what you find is that ringtail refers to the ring-tailed cat (Bassariscus astutus) which is occasionally called a cacomistle, but more often cacomistle refers to the cacomistle (Bassariscus sumichrasti). Since the ring-tailed cat is the only one referred to as a ringtail and its range extends into the US, it must be what the author is referring to, but the term cacomistle is both ambiguous and being used here in its less common form. This leads to confusion when you need to look it up. I said right at the beginning that this is not erotica but there are sex scenes in almost all of the stories. These scenes are not written purely to aid pawing off, but they are more real and occasionally include things like intrusions killing the mood or a guy firing too early. With this more realistic depiction of sex, what I was glad to see was when there was a scene with an escort and client where she used a condom. It's a small thing, but it's something which has been noted as lacking in furry art and literature. The furry fandom is sexually open and very much made of personal fantasies which can be risky when taken directly into the real world. Condoms are only used in one story and mentioned one other, but that inclusion alone, along with things like HIV testing at MFF, can help create a safer furry fandom. In summary, despite a few minor missteps, this is a collection of really excellent, character-based writing. The depth of the characters that is established in a very short time is impressive, and many of the stories left me wanting more. There's a sense of frustration from that – that I wanted the stories to go on longer – but it is the good kind of frustration. My favourite of the stories would be "Missed" and "Rickety V" (They both follow the same characters and "Rickety V" builds on "Missed") which deals with BDSM, love, and polyamorous relationships. Many of the others are also really good, including one tragic one where you can really feel the strain the characters are under. I can definitely recommend it and would be very interested if Rechan does a full novel in the future.

Here is an odd greeting from Nebula Studios that appears to be working on a furry short that has a bit of a classic Tim Burton vibe. "The bunny is Lob0, the main character in Don’t Feed These Animals, a short film Nebula Studios is working on with the support of the incredible Maxon, NVidia, Redshift and Wacom. More will be coming soon in 2018."
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Well this came out of nowhere… Manosaurs Volume 1: Walk Like A Manosaur is a new full-color graphic novel for kids that’s available now from Papercutz. “Leo ‘the Doc’ Jeffries is down on his luck with his run down Dynamic Dino Display until he unearths a box of bonafide dinosaur eggs! The eggs hatch four talking dinosaurs who rapidly adapt and grow into their new environment… the twenty-first century! Now, Tri, Rex, Ptor, and Pterry must navigate life after extinction and defend their new family from forces of the dreaded Armaggedon who would like to make sure these powerful reptiles stay extinct.” Got that? It’s written by Stefan Petrucha and available in trade paperback or hardcover editions.

image c. 2017 Papercutz

"In one of the longest-running science fiction series in network TV history, FBI special agents investigate unexplained, mind-bending cases known as "Fox-Files." Though the government is convinced that the outlandish reports are false, conspiracy theorist Nick Wilde and realist Judy Hopps, for most of the series, stop at nothing to prove that "the truth is out there." Series creator Byron Howard also serves as executive producer of the thrilling pop-culture phenomenon." Ok, this one was by request and egads it turned out to be a very hard thing to do. So ... much ... photoshop. I need to lie down now. (No more editing video for the rest of the year.)
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Hello, Papabear:

So a few months ago I realized I was atheist. I haven't told my mom, but I'm getting signs that coming out could be bad.

• She makes me read verses from the Bible, yet I cannot state my opinion on religion, which makes me think she's implying that it's okay that I can decide my religion now if I'm Christian, but can't decide if I'm an atheist.
• She does Christian signs everywhere. For examples, the knocking on wood, praying before each meal, and suggesting me to try church.​

I am really worried because I have heard of cases of being thrown out, disowned, and many things. I don't really know anyone real who I can talk to about this because my entire school is Christian. One morning we were taken to this place, which no one knew where we were going, and made to pray and say Bible verses, but I just kinda stayed quiet. I've only found one person that's atheist, but their parents are atheists, so I don't know.

Mozzy (age 11)

* * *

Hi, Mozzy,

Exploring one's spiritual beliefs is a lifelong process for many people. Others allow themselves to be indoctrinated into their family's beliefs and never question them.  It is good that you are openminded and questioning what may be out there, rather than blindly following what others tell you to do.  I encourage you to continue to explore your spirit now and in the future.  Do this by reading. READ READ READ READ.  Read what atheists have to say, but also read Christian, Jewish, Muslim philosophers. Read about Zoroastrianism, Hindu, Buddhist beliefs. After a while, you will notice some consistent beliefs. There are some wise words said in every religion, but there is also a lot of intolerance.

I know people who are atheists. My sister is one. My mother is really an agnostic.  My father was Southern Baptist.  Of the philosophies I have explored, I have been most drawn to Wicca and Buddhism. In the end, I take a little bit from each philosophy and form my own conclusions as best I can.  

The danger of what your mother and your school does is that they seek to control people and not allow them to be enlightened on their own. Most people do this out of fear. The Church is good at making people fearful by threatening them with Hell and Damnation unless they do as they are told (while priests and ministers often misbehave hypocritically at the same time, you might have noticed). 

The problem is that you are 11, which means you have little power in how you lead your life right now. Now, about your fear of being kicked out if you tell Mom you are an atheist: the law is on your side here. It is illegal to abandon a child under 18 in this country. However, threatening your mother with a lawsuit or prison time does not make for a comfortable living situation.

Therefore, the wise thing to do is just do as you are told for now. Read in private as much as you can. Nod when your mother tells you her beliefs about God and Jesus, and just go along with it until you are able to leave the house and support yourself.

I know, that's not a pleasant prospect, but telling Mom you're an atheist will likely make life very unpleasant for you. In your own best interest, I advise you to just keep quiet about it as you are doing now.

Who knows what the future might bring? Heck, you might eventually decide to be a Christian again (not unheard of), and if you do, yours will be a much more genuine faith based upon your own thoughts and feelings rather than someone else's. And, if you decide to convert to another religion or just be an atheist, that's fine too because there is something in this world that is more important than what we believe or what religion we practice. What is important is how we behave.  Being kind to others and to the world and to ourselves is the best way to honor any god, or even a world without gods.

Good Luck,
Papabear

Hello Everyone!

We open this week's show with a reflection of our year. We talk about the show, areas we want to improve in the year to come, and the important highlights in our lives. We find it's important to look at the good moments and find ways to cultivate more of them moving forward, especially in a year that was difficult for many of our listeners.

Our main topic is a continuation on our yearly retrospective: journaling and self reflection. We talk about how and why we journal, and detail two different styles that are commonly used: Bullet Journaling and Emotional Intelligence Journaling. We go through the strengths of both styles and how these can be used to focus your life, focus your strengths, and aid you in living an intentional, uninhibited life.

As this is the final show of the year we at Feral Attraction wish you and those in your life a 2018 that is fulfilled with love and laughter. We will be back in Mid-January with our first episode of Season 3.

For more information, including a list of topics, see our Show Notes for this episode.

Thanks and, as always, be well!

FA 097 Journaling and Self Reflection - How can you an intentional, well-rounded life? This, and more, on this week's Feral Attraction!

Okay, so here’s this: The Disney Animal Journeys Comics Treasury, a new massive (more than 700 pages!) trade paperback from Joe Books. We got this from Previews: “Rumble through the jungle, soar through the sky, and dive into the sea with this giant comic collection of Disney animal stories! Revisiting the adventures of your favorite Disney animals – from timeless Disney Bambi, Disney The Lion King, and Disney•Pixar A Bug’s Life to Disney•Pixar Finding Dory and Disney Zootopia — this treasury will provide hours of entertainment for all ages and species!” It’s available now.

image c. 2017 Joe Books

Banana Cat should get together with Ice Cream Kitty from Ninja Turtles.
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Hello, Papabear:

I am not sure if you remember me. I wrote to you previously in regards to my issues with depression and self harm and suicide. And thank you, by the way, for answering me so thoroughly. It really meant a lot.

Apologies in advance if my letter is at all poorly worded. I am very tired as I write this. But I will do my best to communicate my thoughts.

One thing I mentioned in my previous letter was that I do not often express my emotions to others. This is due to my severe trust issues that sourced from crucial moments in my past. Today I would like to talk about this a bit.

To put it as simply as possible, my relationship with my parents as a child did not encourage emotional expression. If anything, it punished it. As such, I often feel very alone. Starved for attention, even. However, I find it very difficult to accept the sympathy of others. I think that I would like to be loved, but I would be too uncomfortable to suddenly receive it after such a long time without. My thoughts are a bit too jumbled to put into words at the moment. But I think I am afraid of love. Somehow.

It sounds ridiculous, doesn't it? But it's true. Love and being loved are the two most terrifying concepts for me. I guard my emotions so fiercely. It is frightening to imagine allowing someone to know you so personally that way. Having them dedicate a part of their lives to you, and yours to them. 

If ever I find myself caring deeply about someone, I push them away. Because I cannot handle emotional intimacy. And because I do not want to drag them down with me. Considering my current mental health state. I want to protect them from myself, and myself from the inevitable emotional intimacy.

Another part of me has become complacent with my own isolation. Which I do not believe is healthy. Most of the time I eschew personal subjects in conversation and avoid talking about my true emotions. This has all become very natural to me now. To refrain from expressing the emotions I view as weaknesses and disregard them entirely. To be untrusting in order to protect myself. If ever I make a mistake and spill my sorrows to someone, I later become wracked with regret. Wishing I had just kept my mouth shut. So, as I'm sure you can imagine, that intimacy I mentioned earlier is almost nightmarish to me. And yet a part of me craves it. Despite the major negative effect it seems to have on me. From here stems my confusion. I can assume that I am drawn to emotional intimacy due to the lack of it in my childhood. But as a result of that same lack of support I received, emotional intimacy makes me very uncomfortable. It is confusing and saddening to me. That I am somehow unable to accept something that I need most.

Truth be told, I think I'm an irredeemable pathetic excuse for a human being. And I don't even think that I deserve to be loved. But love and support seem to be two necessary factors for lessening my suicidal depression. Both of which I am severely lacking. So I am not sure what to do. At all. 

I do not exactly have any specific question for you, but rather a request for advice. I'm not sure where to begin. Any wisdom you may have would be very welcome.

Thanks.

Cobalt

* * *

Dear Cobalt,

(Sorry this is late, hon)

What you are experiencing is a direct result of the fact that your parents were emotionally distant from you. It is in our infancy and childhood that we develop our ability to bond with others by first bonding with our caregivers (usually parents). When that is not provided for any reason, it is like not being exposed to a language as a child, making it extremely difficult to learn to speak to others as an adult. Once our brains have stopped growing and establishing their synaptic connections, then we are kind of set in our ways, so to speak. Extreme forms of emotional disconnection stemming from childhood are called Reactive Attachment Disorders.

This does NOT make you an "irredeemable pathetic excuse for a human being." It makes you a damaged person, but it is NOT your fault any more than it is the fault of someone who lost a leg in an accident or who is blind or deaf. You were not only, apparently, deprived of emotional connections as a child but, indeed, punished for being emotional. Naturally love and friendship and other forms of intimacy freak you out now! You were never taught how to be emotional and how to bond to other human beings.

Are you doomed to be like this forever? Well, while it will be a struggle for you, I do believe you can regain some of the emotional attachments and trust that you have lost. The first thing you have to do is rediscover joy in your life.  Pursue any little things that bring you happiness, such as music, movies, games, connecting to Nature, adopting a puppy or kitten.  In fact, that last one would be a very good thing for you. Although I like kitties, I would recommend a puppy. They form such loving, trusting bonds to their owners that some of that love is bound to rub off on you. You will learn to love the puppy, and that will help reestablish an emotional education for you.

Second, if you can, seek out some counseling. Now that you know what you are dealing with, you can seek some guidance in leading you back to an emotional life. Please note that expressing emotions is not a sign of weakness or unmanliness or anything like that. It is the confident person who is unafraid to show how they feel.

Third, start keeping a personal journal. In your journal, which you should work on each day, write down what happened to you on that day and then try to express how you felt about each experience. This will help you identify emotions and what triggers them. You see, what we are trying to do here is to reestablish the broken synaptic connections in your mind that, over time, will make it easier and easier to feel again and to recognize what you are feeling.

Fourth: exercise. Exercise? What's that got to do with emotions? Nothing about your body works in isolation. Mind and body are one, and a healthy body, a feeling of connection to your body, actually fosters emotional and mental health, as well.

Fifth, start putting yourself out there. You are correct that social isolation is not healthy. When you are ready (and don't push yourself), start going out, even if it is by yourself. Go to a baseball game and try to strike up a conversation with a fellow fan; go to a church and say hi to the people sitting in the pews; go to a flea market and talk to the people selling their wares. This way, you can start working on your conversation skills without much worry because, hey, they are just passing acquaintances, so no pressure.

Once you start feeling more connected to your emotions again and have worked on the art of conversation a bit, then it's time to look for a more personal interaction. Perhaps it is with a fellow furry, or perhaps someone you meet at a bookstore. Dip your toe in the water, start slowly, and work at your own pace. This will take time, but you can do it.

Hugs,

Papabear

Man, I never get to meet foxes like this.
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Papabear,

Have you ever wondered about how the future of this fandom and community will go? Naturally, I probably get mixed and very complicated feelings about it, especially when looking at it from a retrospective, a la historically & even demographically. Certainly, other parts of the world expand, and that can go for the same for furries, right? Whether it's obviously online, or actual evolution in the real world, much of it has been propelled with its arts.

Now, I'm a rising professional Illustrator, and I also have a very close knack with my painting skills (there is however a difference between an expert and a master though), but this certainly does hold well with furries also loving video games since it is a big form of art. Computers, science, and art go hand-in-hand these days so I can only wonder what kinds of new ideas would come about directly for the community.

If fursuits have established being able to wear an aesthetic, functional character to portray as, alongside furry cons, what if there were established living complexes, or perhaps stores, parks, & restaurants exclusive to that? Granted, it has been loosely looking like that especially with furries living with and amongst each other, but imagine how more concrete their roles would be in combination to their creative living.

Anyway, there's nothing too concerning from my side, but it does foster a grand set of foods for thought. Not like I'm trying to help making a furry nation come true, as way-out-there as that sounds, but I do think about these things from a more analytical & chronological point of view. Heck, here's an intriguing question for you: What was the fandom like in the '70s, '80s, & '90s?

Yours Truly,
Octazure
 
* * *
 
Hi, Octazure,
 
Yours is a question that has been of increasing concern in the furry community these days. There are two main reasons for this: 1) the Old Guard--the furries who started the modern fandom in the 1980s--are getting old and being replaced by younger furries with no connection to or understanding of the fandom's roots; and 2) the community has grown from a few dozen to tens of thousands all across the globe, making any kind of cohesion problematic.
 
I've heard people propose an idea such as yours before—forming furry communities. That's no more viable, though, than having a Trekkie or Whovian community.  People don't form communities based on interests (hippie communes of the 1960s might have inspired this idea, but they don't last); they form based on shared religions, ethnicities, nationalities. Furries are far too diverse a group to live together in a cooperative. Even if they did, not really sure what the point would be, so let's just table that idea.
 
Instead, let's address where furries are going as a more intriguing mental exercise. There are some interesting trends I see in development right now, including:
 

1. I believe the media is warming up to the fandom somewhat. While there is still some bad reporting out there, there are also some more reports in which the journalists just see conventions as harmless fun. Why? Because they have actually taken the trouble to attend a couple and observe that it is not an exercise in perversion.
2. The public is starting to accept the fandom more for its value to businesses. Larger furry conventions such as Anthrocon, Midwest Furfest, and now Biggest Little Furcon are bringing money into local communities.
3. Zootopia was such a huge hit that, again, mundanes are seeing money to be made from the fandom, and money means acceptance to mundanes.

 
So, the growth of the fandom means that it will be seen less and less as being an underground phenomenon and more as a mainstream one. That's both good and bad, really. Good in that it will become more accepted, but bad in that money tends to poison the free spirit of a fandom.
 
Growth poses another problem, however, one that raised its nasty head at a couple of conventions recently, including Rainfurest and Rocky Mountain Furcon: Because there are so many furries now, there is also an increase in the number of people who are furry for the wrong reason. Bad eggs. These are immature little twits who do things such as destroy hotel property because they do not behave well without parental supervision. This is an issue that is probably being discussed at Furry Convention Leadership Roundtable meetings. Let's hope they come up with some proposals and suggestions for furcon organizers to prevent problems caused by furries themselves. I'd still like to see some kind of formal, worldwide furry association form (I tried to do this a while ago, but simply didn't have the time it required to pull it off) that would help bring furries together.
 
Another area of influence is technology. If you think the Internet and social media are an influence now, just wait for the next 10-15 years. Virtual reality will begin projecting itself into reality, which is going to offer an alternative to fursuiting in the form of retinal projections. Think of it as an advance in Pokemon Go. Furries will wear transponders that can send information to other people wearing them as well. Each person programs an avatar into their transponder so that people looking at them and wearing a special headset will see the furry as they wish to be seen. That is, the avatar image is projected into the other person's eyes and overlays the first person's body. Voilá! Virtual fursuiting.
 
Will this make fursuits obsolete? Not at all. As with any other new technology, it will add another option for people. Fursuits themselves may improve with the development of new, cooler fibers, new building materials, cheaper and easier to assemble electronics and pneumatic controls. Meanwhile, virtual reality at home on the computer will improve, making online roleplay and gaming more realistic, especially with the future addition of adding tactile stimulation.
 
As such technologies develop, they might afford furries employment opportunities beyond gaming and the arts, though mostly in the field of technology.
 
In short, the furry fandom is experiencing growing pains, and with growing pains come both challenges and opportunities. How those are met will depend entirely on the members of the community.
 
Papabear

[Belated, but: Merry Christmas and a Blessed Solstice to all of you!]

He may have dropped below the cultural radar as of late, but there was a time when Gumby was the superstar of stop-motion animation. Now Dynamite Entertainment have brought together the story of Gumby, his friends, and their truly unique creator, Art Clokey. Gumby Imagined: The Story of Art Clokey and His Creations is a new 300-page hardcover book compiled by Art’s son Joe Clokey and daughter-in-law Joan Rock Clokey. “Clay animated superstar Gumby has made an indelible impact on our culture and continues to enchant and entertain generations. Filmmaker Art Clokey’s personal story is one of mystical adventure, tragedy, triumph, art, and most of all, love. This lavish career-spanning retrospective explores the legendary creator’s life and complete works. All of his many creations, including Gumby and Davey & Goliath, are interwoven with a rich tapestry of rare photos and stories — the ingredients for a fascinating tale.” It’s available now from Dynamite, Amazon, and elsewhere.

image c. 2017 Dynamite Enertainment

TWEET! Merry Christmas!
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