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Good evening, Mister Papa Bear.

First of all... Thank you, thank you, thank you for running this site! It means a world to a bunch of people, not to mention that you're selflessly trying to help others... I love you, Papa Bear.
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I'll ask straight away - why do people suffer, Papa Bear :'(? Why is there so MUCH sadness, guilt, resent and discrimination? I'm naturally a very happy, positive person and also very much empathetic and compassionate, so, why? I'm doing my best to make other people feel more welcome and comfortable but it doesn't seem to work, and it bothers me, I'm not going to lie. It makes ME feel guilty for not being able to help someone in need.

I firmly believe that there's someone out there for everyone and that life is truly a blessing and a gift, but many people seem to not share the same beliefs. Sometimes, I'm unsure. Why do so many people go through life alone... rejected, bullied and discriminated all due to appearance and social status? Depressed, anxious and mentally unwell?

I'm very physically attractive and overall kind and compassionate, so I'm showered with attention (both wanted and unwanted) on a daily basis, while others to through months and even years without any positive attention at all. Why???

There's this guy in class I really like... He's shy, anxious, quiet and depressed but is still an overall kind soul. I like shy guys but they don't seem to like me due to my extroversion. He's also a curry, which makes things a lot better. I want to talk to him and get to know him better, but he's too damaged to reciprocate. He's often bullied and ridiculed. Oh, how i wish to help him, but I can't. Why is he tortured? Why is anyone tortured? Not only him, I want to help a lot of other people feel better on a daily basis, regardless of age, appearance and social status. Everyone deserves to be happy, because people are beautiful. Even the nasty ones...

Why does my optimism fail? What am I doing wrong? I want to help them, but I can't help them all...

It makes me so, so sad, I cannot express my sadness through text or words...

You should understand what I'm saying... Help me, Papa Bear, so that I'm able to help others.

Call me naive, but this is what my heart desires. 

What should I do :(?

Caramel (age 16)
 
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Dear Caramel,
 
First of all, I am blushing. You're very kind.
 
Gosh, those are HUGE questions you are asking, the kinds of questions philosophers have been asking since ancient Greece or before. Why do people suffer? What can I do to help them? Why can't people get along? 
 
Basically, three questions. I try to limit letters to one, but will do my best to concisely answer you.
 
#1 Why do people suffer? There are two fundamental reasons for this: either they bring it upon themselves, or fate deals them a bad hand. The first one is easier to address. Many people suffer because their priorities are incorrect. They think success is defined by fame and fortune, and when they cannot get these things, they feel miserable. The answer is simply to aim for goals that are more compassionate and less materialistic. But that's not really what you are asking. You're asking why do good people suffer? There are a couple explanations for that, too.
 
The first is that there is suffering so that people who are not suffering can learn compassion. For example, a family who has a child with a horrible disease that means they need constant care and medical treatment. You might think this is a terrible burden on the family. Well, it is very stressful and hard, yes, but it also teaches us to care for others not matter the cost. This is a valuable spiritual lesson, one that not only can help a family grow, but an entire community. How many times have you seen stories where a family is in desperate need because of a sick child, and they reach out to their community and a flood of help comes to their aid? Sometimes, remarkable things happen, such as perfect strangers donating an organ to save a life. Such challenges can show the true, deeper spirit of humanity. Thus, a profoundly ill or disabled child is not living a wasted life because they serve as a focal point for teaching all of us what real love is.
 
Another reason is that we live in an existence of black and white, yin and yang. You cannot have light without the darkness. You cannot understand love if there is no hate. You cannot appreciate joy if you have never known sorrow. Our life here on this tiny blue marble is a training ground of our souls. We are here to experience these things so that we may grow spiritually. This is something that would be impossible if we all lived in paradise and faced no challenges. We are here to learn.
 
Perhaps less dramatic, but no less significant, is your classmate, who is an example of the former reason for suffering. There could be many reasons why he is shy, depressed, anxious, ranging from medical and emotional reasons to his living situation at home. You don't know. So, here we have another test of your humanity. This brings us to....
 
#2 How can I help others who are suffering? An important lesson I've learned in life is that one can only do so much. Sometimes, it is difficult to see all the misery going on in the world and not be able to do anything about it. I've often come across people in my life who are just too far gone to help--or who flatly refuse my help. The key is not to feel guilty that you can't always help. You're only one furry. When it comes to someone like your classmate, I suggest the open-door approach. This is when you make yourself available and welcoming to him without forcing him to do anything. For example, organize a little furmeet or other fun activity and extend an invitation to him. Make it fun by inviting people with a nice card with a written message inside. Another possibility is a movie. One thing about movies is that you can socialize a little before the film, but during the movie everyone is quiet and this affords a little break for him from any anxiety of being with others. Make these small gatherings so that he is not overwhelmed. During these little get togethers, make sure that you and any others who attend are completely accepting of him, do not judge him, and, most importantly, don't make him feel like a charity case. Just be very informal, have small talk, talk about things you like. Do not try to "fix him."
 
And don't be disappointed if he refuses. But, keep extending invitations on occasion. Perhaps, one day, he will accept. If not, you did what you could.
 
#3 Why can't people get along? Much of this stems from our long evolutionary background. When things were much more wild, life was constant competition for things like food and mates and territory. Despite becoming "civilized," we haven't truly evolved, for the most part. (However, I am encouraged to see an increasing number of spiritually evolving people who truly understand what life is about). Hence, everyone is in competition, and everyone who seems different (or more successful) is seen as a potential threat. This is the very basis of capitalism, which is why capitalism is doomed to implode one day: it is an unevolved economic philosophy. As Mr. Big says in Zootopia, "My child, we may be evolved, but deep down we are still animals."
 
You are one of the good ones, Caramel. Never lose sight of your compassion, but be careful not to allow yourself to become overwhelmed or consumed by other people's misery (don't forget your own happiness!) There are over 7 billion people on Earth, and we, as individuals, can only do so much. But that's okay. Your mere presence in the world makes it a better place.
 
Hugs,
Papabear ​

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

Here’s the first original short story anthology from Goal Publications, Symbol of a Nation, edited by Fred Patten.  It will be released at Anthrocon 2017 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania over the June 29-July 3 five-day weekend.  Find Goal Publications there at F19 in the dealer’s room!

Symbol of a Nation is an all-original anthology of 11 short stories and novelettes featuring the anthropomorphized official animal (or bird) symbols of nations. (The call for submissions said what counts.) This is designed to appeal to both s-f & fantasy fans, and fans of political science.

Some of them include: Belgium – lion. Namibia – oryx. Chile – Andean condor. Romania – lynx. Denmark – mute swan. Singapore – lion. Italy – wolf. Spain – bull. Malaysia – tiger. U.S.A. – bald eagle. Mauritius – dodo (extinct). Vietnam – water buffalo.

From a famous extinct animal bioengineered to new life, to animal/bird astronauts, to animals adapted to their nation’s environments, to a 19-century heraldic animal struggling to remain relevant in today’s world, these are stories that will make you think about the national animal symbols that we and some of our neighbors have adopted.

Contents

• Didus ineptus Linnaeus, by Roz Gibson
• A Poor Uncle’s Apprentice, by BanWynn Oakshadow
• Remembering the Forgotten, by H. J. Pang
• The Moon Like an Unhatched Egg, by Mary E. Lowd
• Crossroads the Namib, by Jako Malan
• Sdani White Wings, by Jennifer Sowle
• The Scent of Lantana, by Frances Pauli
• Huitaca, by Televassi
• To the Kingdom They Come, by H. J. Pang
• Bread and Butter, by Allison Thai
• The Lion of the Low Countries, by Alice “Huskyteer” Dryden

The book can be pre-ordered now from Goal Publications. It will be for sale at the Goal booth at Anthrocon, and on the Goal online catalogue after the convention. Price:  $17.50.  vii + 241 pages.  Print ISBN 978-0-99791-253-1, Digital ISBN 978-0-99791-254-8.   Wraparound cover by Jenn ‘Pac’ Rodriguez.

The digital copy will be available sometime after the convention.

– Fred Patten

So here is a bit of art for Monday. "Travelling Through Brush and Ink is a stop-motion animation of a little modern man traveling through four significant ancient Chinese paintings, transforming himself into animals and plants, and becomes part of the nature. Each painting represents four important stages of landscape art in Chinese history."
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Papabear,

So I have been dating this guy for a few months. He is amazing and so sweet. He told me he is a furry when we started dating and I have really no problem with that. However, I recently I found out this included sexual role playing online with other people. I talked to him about it and he said that they are temporary "relationships" while I am the real prize. Still I just feel so jealous I guess? He won't let me go anywhere near his phone and says it is because there are people in the community who would stop talking to him if they found out he had a girlfriend. I really love him and want to work this out. Do I have even a cause for concern? What can I do to help? 
 
Anonymous (age 19)
 
* * *
 
Dear Furiend,
 
Thank you for your letter. To begin, I want to express firmly that being furry does not necessarily mean one participates in sexual role playing. Plenty of people in the fandom are not interested in that at all. Being in the fandom simply means that you enjoy fiction (in literature, film, etc.) featuring anthropomorphized characters. Period.

But, yes, there is a lot of sexuality involved in the fandom, as well. There are many reasons for this that would take too long to explain here (but will be in my book), so let's not explore the reasons for the "why" here.

The problem isn't so much that your guy is into furry sex; the problem is he is being so secretive about it. To be frank, his explanation that "there are people in the community who would stop talking to him if they found out he had a girlfriend" is utter and complete bullshit. Do you think a horny furry doing roleplay online is going to give a crap if the person he is playing with has a girlfriend? No, because it's irrelevant who you are in real life when you RP. It's fantasy. 

However, they WOULD care he had a girlfriend if the person on the other side thought she (he?) was developing a serious relationship​ with y​​our bf​. And that's why he doesn't want you looking at any text messages (or images) on his phone.​ (If what I'm saying here isn't true, he can disprove me by showing you.)
There's nothing wrong with some occasional fun RP online, as long as the two people in the relationship know all about it and it is out in the open. My late spouse knew I was into it, and he was fine with that because our sex life was fine​ and our relationship was a good one.​

You should go to your boyfriend and tell him you are fine (I'm guessing) with some furry roleplay, but he needs to be honest about it and not have secrets. If you truly are the "real prize," anyone online he might lose for being open about his personal relationships should not be as important to him as you are (real friends would be happy for him that he has a nice girl)​. He needs to own up to that, or you need to tell him this isn't working out. You are worth more honesty than this.
​
Good luck.
 
Hugs,
Papabear

We were not familiar with the anime and manga series No Game No Life by Yuu Kamiya and Kazuya Yuizaki, but it definitely has a furry element to it. And now there’s an even-more-furry spin-off black & white graphic novel called No Game No Life, Please. It goes like this: “In a world where everything is decided by games, adorable little Izuna Hatsuse is a young Werebeast girl who wants to learn more. As she follows Sora, Shiro, and the others, what answers will she find for herself? Let the games begin!” It’s available now from Yen Press.

image c. 2017 Yen Press

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In a twist of fate, we've invited another lawyer on the show - this time the infamous Boozy Badger! Roo and Tugs ask him about his finding of the furry fandom, how he's spent his time touristing around it, and where he plans to continue taking his Furry Sightseeing Tours™. After this we read your emails and get his responses to a wide variety of Q&A. We also debut Dr. Nuka's new microphone, give you some new Space News, and an olde timey ad! It's a comedy gold mine, so get your pickax out!





NOW LISTEN!

Show Notes

Special Thanks

Boozy Badger, our guest. Check out his blog here!
Snarf, for the ident
Husky in Denial, for narrating our introduction
Mfalme Lion
Dronon
Miski
Ralley
SK Skunk
That One Guy
Rhubarb

Music

Opening Theme: Ross Bugden - Drive. USA: YouTube, 2015. ©2015 Ross Bugden. This track is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Check the original piece here.
Some music was provided by Kevin MacLeod at Incompetech.com. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License. We used the following pieces:

Spy Glass


Space News Music: Fredrik Miller – Orbit. USA: Bandcamp, 2013. Used with permission. (Buy a copy here – support your fellow furs!)
Closing Theme: Husky In Denial – Cloud Fields (Headnodic Mix). USA: Unpublished, 2015. ©2015 Fur What It’s Worth and Husky in Denial. Based on Fredrik Miller – Cloud Fields (Chill Out Mix). USA: Bandcamp, 2011. ©2011 Fur What It’s Worth. (Buy a copy here – support your fellow furs!)

SHOW BONUS!
The show had so much content we had to make another bonus! Check out some of the BEST moments Fifty Sheds of Grey so far for season 2, more chat with Boozy, your emails, and more! It's an extra 17 and a half minutes of fun!

Patreon Love

The following people have decided this month’s Fur What It’s Worth is worth actual cash! THANK YOU!

Uber Supporters

Fido



Premium Supporters – None :c

Bride of Pinbot Supporters

Docos (Picture coming soon…when he has one! Any artists out there wanna hook him up? 🙂 )
Bowler Hat Supporters

Rifka 

Deluxe Supporter

Lokimut
Guardian Lion

Plus Tier Supporters

Skylos

McRib Tier Supporters

Snares
Kyoto Koyote
Hachi Shibaru
Ilya / EpicRive

Want to be on this list? Donate on our Patreon page! THANK YOU to our supporters once again!

Next episode: Con parties! They’re legendarily spoken of in many places, but what the hell is so magic about them? How do you get into the “private party circuit”?  And what happens inside? What memories do you have of epic con parties? Let us know by June 29, 2017. S6 Episode 17 – Gin and SovCits - In a twist of fate, we've invited another lawyer on the show - this time the infamous Boozy Badger! Roo and Tugs ask him about his finding of the furry fandom, how he's spent his time touristing around it, and where he pl

We found this recently on Animation World Network: “Malaysian animation studio Animasia and U.S. prodco Pilla-Scheetz Productions have entered into a co- production agreement to develop 2D animated concept Nine Lives of Claw into a multi- platform brand covering animated series, mobile games, and toy line merchandise. Development work has started with the appointment of Jay Lender (SpongeBob SquarePants, Phineas & Ferb) and the producers plan to showcase the pilot episode in MIP Junior 2017. The Nine Lives of Claw follows the hilarious adventures of the sarcastic superhero cat Claw; his genius (albeit high-strung) mouse sidekick Edison, and the always ambitious kitty Purrfessor Purrnelope as they battle the sinister MUTT (Malicious Unleashed Thugs and Thieves) and a slew of other villains to keep things in order in the fair city of Anonymous.” Long live 2D! We’ll let you know if this gets picked up.

image c. 2017 Animasia Studios

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We haven’t heard of NoBrow Press before, but here now they’ve brought us a new full-color graphic novel called Garbage Night. It’s written and illustrated by Jen Lee. Here’s what they say: “In a barren and ransacked backyard, a dog named Simon lives with his two best friends: a raccoon and a deer. The unlikely gang spends their days looting the desolate supermarket and waiting for the return of the hallowed ‘garbage night’ – but week after week, the bins remain empty. While scavenging one day, the trio meet Barnaby – another abandoned dog who tells them about the ‘other town’ where humans are still rumored to live. Spurred on by hunger and the promise of food, the trio joins up with Barnaby and set off into the unknown…” It’s available now in hardcover. The Comics Journal has an extensive preview too.

image c. 2017 NoBrow Press

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In front of millions at San Francisco Pride 2015! (Thanks: Chrisastro.com)

Bay Area Furries are marching in the 2017 San Francisco Pride Parade on Sunday, June 25.  It’s one of the largest and most colorful events in San Francisco and will be on TV.  There have been better and better responses each time, and 70 or more are signed up.  Get ready for the best parade ever!  (See previous announcement about how to join, and the Meetup page for RSVP and discussion.)

Here’s what you need to know:

Pic by Vincent.

Marchers: Arrive at 100-150 Main Street. Be no earlier than 9:30am and no later than 11:40.

Volunteers: Arrive at 100-150 Main Street. Be no earlier than 9:30am and no later than 11.

To arrive from BART, exit at Embarcadero Station. Go up on the Main St. / Beale St. side.

Watchers: Be anywhere along the Market Street parade route, and the parade starts at 10:30.

Parade start: 12:30pm-1pm. (Last time we were in the parade, starting was delayed by hours due to being way more busy than they planned.  Do be patient, but don’t be late. The parade doesn’t wait for latecomers.)

FURSUITING: No bins!  Please bring soft foldable bags only.  Due to space, hard fursuit bins are NOT ALLOWED on the parade float. A backpack is OK for small personal items.  There’s no “lounge” so be ready to change on the street (many do for SF events.)

Groggy’s van will be parked for changing and limited storage at the Moscone Center garage, 255 3rd Street. This can help those who want to drive in, use hard bins, change off-street and start with a group.  Parking is $29.  That’s mid-way between both ends of the parade, a 15 minute walk in suit each way.  Groggy will be there until 10:30am.

To coordinate with Groggy: @GroggyFox on Telegram, or @Grogginator.

Be prepared to walk in the parade. Those who start on the float, stay on the float.  Space on the float will be limited so don’t depend on riding.  Priority goes to those with mobility, vision, hearing or other issues.  Consider outdoor footpaws or partialling.  This is not a casual hang-out, it’s a show that requires exertion.  Be ready to work it for the crowd!

Refreshments: Bottled Water and Sports Drinks.  Please bring your own snacks or extra water.

Parade length: around 45 minutes – 1 hour.  Dispersal is planned for around 2pm.  (It’s been unpredictable in the past so allow lots of time.) At the drop-off on 8th Street, bags and personal items on the float will be handed back to you.  Groggy may retrieve his van and meet you, but be prepared to possibly walk back.

If you want to attend the Celebration in Civic Center after the parade until 6PM, please check the website for map and details. (No bins inside the gates.)

Pic by Vincent

Route map:  Check this handy map for all the places discussed above.

Crash space is available at Relay’s Den Saturday night and Sunday morning. You can leave stuff there. It’s near 17th and Dolores, a 10 minute walk from 16th BART.  Take BART or Uber to the assembly area around 11am. Members will meet back there about 90 minutes after the parade ends. Dinner is at Picaro on 16th afterwards (bring payment, it’s a reasonably priced Tapas place), probably around 5 or 6pm.  RSVP to @RelayRaccoon (Telegram).

See previous announcement to join, and the Meetup Event page for RSVP and discussion.

Paypal donations are still being collected by Zoren: Zorenm@gmail.com.

Conduct: San Francisco gets furries. Pride was born out of protest and some will let their freak flag fly. In rare cases we may discuss being on the side away from cameras, but we’re tame compared to others.  Organizers reserve the right to deny participation to anyone for any reason (it’s never happened, don’t test it).  Contact to ask about preparing your costume or more. The only rule is: Be nice.

Also be safe. Weird people from in AND out of the community are at large urban events and there have been incidents like fursuit thefts out of cars. Play it smart and buddy up. Riding BART in fursuit can be intense with crowds, but they love it just like crowds on the street love fursuit photos.

Contacts: (Check info before using, everyone is super busy!) Roman’s Twitter is @RomanOtter (same on Telegram and most things), Zoren has Twitter or Gmail or @ZorenManray on Telegram, or try Patch on Twitter or Gmail.

Now you’re ready to go. Tell your friends! This will be the best event ever, and be sure to bring those outdoor walking paws!

UPDATE: DJ Neonbunny sent a tip. You can coordinate for this in person at the parade: “After the parade, i’m djing a pride after party at the new parish in oakland and can get any fursuiters on the guest list, also a private room for any fursuiters. It’s a pretty fun indoor/outdoor dance party.”

It's #FursuitFriday! Looks like people *are* actually hiring furries for music videos as this doesn't look like an off the shelf mascot costume. Apparently this was @DatBlueHusky [1]. Nice! [1] https://twitter.com/DatBlueHusky
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Submitted by Fred Patten, Furry’s favorite historian and reviewer.

The Art of Cars 3. Foreword by John Lasseter. Preface by Brian Fee.
Introduction by Bill Cone and Jay Shuster.
San Francisco, CA, Chronicle Books, May 2017, hardcover $40.00 (167 [+ 1] pages), Kindle $16.19.

This is the official de luxe coffee-table art book of the Disney•Pixar animated film Cars 3, released on June 16, 2017. It presents sample storyboards, pastels, digital paintings, preliminary character designs, computer models, and more, usually in full color; plus research photographs of the actual racing cars and the Daytona Speedway that were a main inspiration for the 99-minute feature film.

It has been acknowledged that these “art of” books featuring animated films are money-losers, subsidized by the advertising budgets for those films, made for the promotion of those films and for the morale of the artists and technical crews that produced them. The Art of Cars 3 is full of the art of the animators, layout artists, production designers, story artists, digital renderers, graphic designers, modelers, and others who created Cars 3. As usual for these “art of” books, each piece of art is identified by its artist: Paul Abadilla, Grant Alexander, Bert Berry, Bill Cone, Craig Foster, Louis Gonzales, John Hoffman, Josh Holtsclaw, Katherine Kelly, Noah Klocek, Ivo Kos, Kyle MacNaughton, Scott Morse, George Nguyen, Bob Pauley, Laura Phillips, Jerome Ranft, Xavier Riffault, Tony Rosenast, Andrew Schmidt, Jay Shuster, Garret Taylor, J. P. Vine, and others.

In addition, there are quotes from these artists. “The film opens with an exuberant burst of racing, reintroducing McQueen at the top of his game. The goal was to immerse the audience in the excitement of racing and show the camaraderie between racers. It can be bewildering to know how to begin, but having a temporary piece of music helps set the tempo. Then I’ll thumbnail, usually discarding tons of shots until it starts to flow and build in the right way.” –JP Vine, story artist. (p. 25)

The movie Cars 3 could not have existed without Cars (2006) and Cars 2 (2011). Those (and the two Planes animated movies) established the world of anthropomorphic vehicles, especially the champion racing car Lightning McQueen.

“Planned obsolescence. I grew up hearing those words frequently. Uttered by folks irate because their car was falling apart – the phrase was a catchall to express and shake a fist at the mythic (or is it?) conspiracy manufacturers employed to sell a new model annually. Centric to the story of Cars 3 is a theme of unplanned obsolescence. That is to say McQueen didn’t see it coming – until the day a sleek new breed of Piston Cup racer arrived at the track and ate McQueen’s lunch.” –Jay Shuster, Production Designer (p. 13)

The Art of Cars 3 does not give a real plot synopsis of the movie. Instead it presents the protagonist Lightning McQueen, the only major character returning from the two previous movies, a champion racing car but now ten years old. The other characters are the new cast: Natalie Certain, the female auto and romantic interest; Storm Front, McQueen’s newer and more improved rival; all the other Next-Gen racers; Sterling Dunn, sports car and McQueen’s fan and trainer; Cruz, the impish young “kid sister” racer who helps McQueen train (this book’s cover shows McQueen and Cruz training together on the beach); Miss Fritter, the comedy-relief souped-up school bus; the elderly 1950s cars who were Doc Hudson’s contemporaries. Also shown are the locales: the (real) Daytona Speedway; the (fictional) Rust-Eze Racing Center; the abandoned (fictional) town that Doc Hudson, McQueen’s mentor, grew up and trained in. For the real fans of Cars 3, there are a couple of pages of visual outtakes; reference art and conceptual drawings that didn’t get used for the movie.

The three Cars animated movies present anthropomorphic automobiles. Maybe this isn’t what most “furry fans” want, but it is anthro art & fiction. If you like the Cars movies – if living racing cars turn you on – go for it!

–Fred Patten

• Buy on Amazon

Hooray for summer! Also this raises questions.
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Thanks to Lamar for submitting. His articles on Flayrah include this recommended one: “Furry, not an obscure little fandom any more” – it’s as relevant today as in 2011.

A couple of weeks ago I put out a call via Twitter, helpfully reposted by some high profile people, to see if I could get any first hand reports of how Convention and Security staff handled issues at Conventions.

I had exactly three replies in total. One saying that they had once reported someone vaping inside the convention space. One security staffer who was unable to discuss any details but expressed that incidents of harassment do happen, and have to be handled correctly and with care. And finally, another con staffer who accused me of being on a “fishing expedition” and using rumours to ascribe bad faith.

And outside of twitter I talked to a young member of the fandom, who continues to receive targeted convention related harassment. I’m going to call him Adrian, but that’s not his real name. Adrian shared copies of the messages. They include slurs and rants, including for instance “You ATTENTION seeking c***”. Adrian received this harassment, for speaking out about what happened to him at a convention some years ago. I ask him to talk about it.

It started when he complimented someone on their fursuit at a convention.
Then some drinks.
And an invite to a hotel room to party.
And then being pressured into non-consenting sex.
Or to use the correct word, rape.

The next morning, Adrian had to leave the convention. Maybe if he’d stayed, he’d have gathered the courage to report it. But instead Adrian tried to put it behind him, after all surely it was just a mistake.

“I didn’t tell the staff because I thought the guy cared about me,” Adrian tells me, “Then after the con ended he told me that I needed to get [psychiatric] help because being trans is wrong.”

It wasn’t till later, when Adrian felt able to talk about what had happened. And that’s when Adrian started getting defensive messages, recounting a different version of events from those Adrian remembered.

Which quickly escalated to harassment from multiple people, all aimed at trying to keep Adrian quiet. “One of their friends contacted me and harassed me, I blocked their account and they went onto a fake one to continue harassing me.”

Adrian is a victim of the circle of silence that I fear has set in to the fandom. There seems to be a great amount of social pressure on not ‘creating drama’.  What little is seen is in rumours passed around social media, and the occasional flare up when administrative action is taken against someone who made an accusation on a furry site.  It would be incredibly naive to think that there’s such a small amount of harassment to warrant not having anyone willing to go on the record with me about it. Even if I hadn’t known of Adrian’s story, or multiples like it. I am deeply concerned that the Furry Fandom has developed a toxic culture where we don’t talk about harassment, because it might make the fandom look bad.

– Lamar

Notes from Patch: 

Speaking of inaction, Lamar let me see a concept that has some attention in fandoms, the Missing Stair.

Here’s a story about BLFC 2017. It started when the below complaint got traffic on Furry Twitter and Telegram:

This is not the track record you want your convention to have, I hope. pic.twitter.com/8hVhkrRSxd

— tesco value burger (@JUNIUS_64) June 2, 2017

There was no ID but the talk led me to notice that guy in the hall, so I got the badge name that was being sought. A little while later he was wandering a public area and going slightly over the line of physical respect by smacking stranger’s butts with a ball, so security kicked him out of the room and I got video. A tip connected all that to the original complaint.

I have no idea how they handled it from there. That’s something they keep private for good reasons, I think. The guy seemed chastened by being kicked out and I would rather not do shaming by sharing video without a compelling reason (which would likely only come from people directly involved).  I’m not the police or con security, and I saw evidence of someone lacking friends or social skills. Basically, a lonely guy who wasn’t much of a threat, making its own punishment in a small way. (Same for Furry Raiders who were hiding like losers with a little gaggle of “bodyguards” to go anywhere.)

The original discussion on Twitter caused action to connect the ID and a record in case complaints repeat. I would take that as a pretty good result and a little positive sign about the goodness of the community. Be like that.

Here’s the alt-furries other side: “don’t just do something, sit there!” For the real fandom: if you see anyone acting like Adrian’s harassers, don’t let it go.

Experiences or opinions? Please comment.

And more stuff from Kingpin Books — this time something much much stranger called Ultra Pig Nipponic Roulette. It’s written by Mario Freitas and illustrated by Osvaldo Medina and Marta Lebre. Here’s what the publishers say, verbatim: “October 10, 1978. During the twinning cerimony between the Portuguese city of Aveiro and the Japanese city of Oita, the young Ultra Pig is kidnapped by three local businessmen and used as currency in a nefarious partnership with high-ranking officers of the Yakuza. Fearing for his son’s life, the illustrious Calouste Pig risks to face alone the bizarre joint-venture, but ends up getting caught in a very unusual sort of roulette. A very bizarre and very deadly game of roulette, like something out of a Tintin book, but on a cocktail of Manga influences and a ton of crazy.” It’s also coming this December in hardcover, says Previews.

image c. 2017 Kingpin Books

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Videos like this makes me want to have a service for people making music videos where they can hire a real furry.
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Hello Everyone!

This week we open with a longer discussion on Gay Pride and the overall LGBT/Queer movement. After discussions on Twitter, Telegram, and other methods with friends and fellow queer individuals, it came to our attention that a lot of the history of queer people has not been shared, taught, or found important. We talk about the importance of queer history and why we must continue to fight for rights for all individuals who share intersectionality with our community.

Our main topic is on sensual touch and erogenous zones. We talk about how to find the parts of your body that you respond to the most, and give you some ideas as to how you can explore these places by yourself or with a mate.

We close out the show with some feedback on last week's Long Distance D/s question, and have a new question from someone who does not find their partner attractive in real life, but thinks that their fursona is super hot. Is there a problem with him, and if so how should he proceed to correct it?

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

Thanks and, as always, be well!

FA 076 - Sensual Touch and Erogenous Zones - Is queer history important? What ARE erogenous zones? Why are they important? Can you date someone you have no physical attraction to? All this, and more, on this week's Feral Attraction

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

Léonid. T. 2, La Horde, by Frédéric Brrémaud & Stefano Turconi.
Toulon, France, Soleil, May 2016, hardcover €10,95 (48 pages).

My thanks to Lex Nakashima, as usual for this French bande dessinée album.

Brrémaud is the author-artist of those French wordless “Love” animal albums that many fans collect, but in this case he is only the author. Turconi is the artist.

To repeat what I said about the first album, “The locale is the farming district of Deux-Sèvres, in central-west France. ‘Léonid is a cat, not yet an adult, but not a kitten, either. Just a young cat. He lives in a house in the district, in the midst of trees, pretty far from any city and close to a farm.’ Léonid is a young housecat, living with two other housecats (Hoa Mai, a Siamese, and Rosso, an elderly orange Pekinese) and a dog (Mirza, a toy terrier). His household is also the home of Atchi, a mouse constantly sneezing because he’s allergic to cat hairs. Léonid is allowed outside during the daytime to associate and play with the local feral cats; the female black-&-white Ba’on, and the males Bouboule (the fat one), Arsène (the nervous one), and an anonymous one (because he’s almost immediately killed). […] The Two Albinos is mostly the story of how Ba’on is kidnapped by the two albinos to be their slave, and how Léonid and Atchi, the sneezing mouse, venture outside to her rescue. They’re successful, but not really because Ba’on reveals that while she was in the albino cats’ power, they boasted that they are just the vanguard of ‘the horde’, ‘the avant-garde of the terror of Great Attila, our guide’ who will kill or enslave all the animals of the district.   Léonid, Ba’on, Aichi, Hoa Mai, Rosso, and Mirza are left wondering what to do when Attila and his horde arrive?”

In t.2, the Horde arrives. The animals in Léonid’s house – three housecats, Mirza the toy terrier, and Atchi the mouse are enjoying their daily life. Old Rosso, who is suffering erratic memory loss, sleeps most of the time. Young Léonid goes out each day to associate with the local feral cats, Bouboule, Arsène, and especially the female Ba’on. They are under the dubious protection of Zeus and Apollo, the farmer’s two large, fierce guard dogs who watch over his small flock of sheep. Before the coming of the Horde’s bloody outliers, Zeus and Apollo would tear apart any cat they could catch; but after the animals’ adventures together against the Horde’s scouts led by the two sadistic albino cats, the neighborhood pets and the guard dogs have made common cause against Attila’s coming Horde.

The action begins when a family of cats – two parents and two young kittens – comes tearing into their neighborhood, barely ahead of the Horde. Zeus and Apollo are barely dissuaded from attacking them, and Léonid and the neighborhood cats put them up in the farmer’s barn when the Horde arrives, led by the two albino cats. They will kill any other cats, but they are especially looking for Ba’on and Léonid who escaped them earlier.

Léonid has to get back and forth from the barn to his house to organize a defense. It’s too risky to go above ground, so Atchi shows them some tunnels that friendly moles have dug. It helps, but it’s not enough. The solution is provided by the cat who seems to be the weakest.

T.2 has such a happy ending that I am not sure whether this has been only a two-album series or not. The subtitle is “The Adventures of a Cat”, so if it is to continue, Brrémaud & Turconi will have to move on to a new adventure. That should be easy; Léonid is an adventurous young cat.

Léonid is an enjoyable light adventure series, in easy French for the fan who isn’t fluent in it.

–Fred Patten

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A new talent we’ve discovered thanks to Previews: Writer and illustrator Gustavo Borges, with his new full-color graphic novel Petals. (Fun fact: Mr. Borges used to compete for Brazil in several Olympic Games as a swimmer!) “During a long winter, a family of foxes struggles to survive the merciless cold. One day, one of the cubs leaves his house looking for much-needed firewood and crosses his path with a tall and peculiar bird wearing a singular top hat. A beautifully illustrated and deeply touching story of friendship and selflessness by young Brazilian prodigy Gustavo Borges and Eisner Award-nominee colorist Cris Peter.” According to Previews, Petals should be out in hardcover this December.

image c. 2017 Kingpin Books

Yes, the future *IS* fur! Oh yes, Crash Banticoot is back BTW. https://youtu.be/zH9CBm8Wj_Y
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