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Critics (and many other movie geeks) are already getting excited for the upcoming feature War For The Planet Of The Apes, coming to theaters July 14th. Before that though, BOOM! Studios have a new full-color prequel comic set to premier. According to Slashfilm.com, “War for the Planet of the Apes takes place two years after the events of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes. And to help bridge that time jump, 20th Century Fox has teamed up with BOOM! Studios to present a new comic book miniseries… The War for the Planet of the Apes comic book miniseries will be written by David F. Walker (Power Man and Iron Fist and Shaft) and illustrated by Jonas Scharf (Warlords of Appalachia).” It’s perhaps a bit confusing that the prequel comic book has the same title as the upcoming film that follows it, so remember to keep your continuity straight!

image c. 2017 BOOM! Studios

Moonstruck is a new full-color fantasy comic series coming our way later this month from Image. Here’s what they say: “A new ongoing series from Lumberjanes creator Grace Ellis and talented newcomer Shae Beagle that tells a story of monsters, romance, and magical hijinks! The first arc also includes an additional short story with artist Kate Leth! Fantasy creatures are living typical, unremarkable lives alongside humans, and barista Julie strives to be the most unremarkable of all. Normal job, normal almost-girlfriend, normal… werewolf transformations that happen when she gets upset? Yikes! But all bets are off when she and her centaur best friend Chet find themselves in the middle of a magical conspiracy. Will Julie and Chet be able to save their friends? Is Julie’s dogged determination to be normal a lost cause? Who’s going to watch the coffee shop while our heroes are out saving the world??” Find out July 19th.

image c. 2016 Image Comics

With all this talk about the ducks lately, let’s remember the mouse… IDW have collected issues #16 through #18 of their Mickey Mouse full-color comic as a new single-story-arc graphic novel called Mickey Mouse: Darkenblot. “The future is now! The high-tech city of Avantgarde has a cutting-edge robot police force – but it’s just become the Phantom Blot’s deadly private army! Can Mickey brave high-tech horrors to stop his old foe? Or will Avantgarde decide Mickey is part of the problem?” Created by Andrea Castellan, Jonathan Gray, and Lorenzo Pastrovicchio, it’s available exclusively at comic book retailers in July.

image c. 2017 IDW

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It's been ages since I put up anything with foxes so it's #FoxFriday today. Also I'm a sucker for a good mouse jump.    
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Submitted by Fred Patten, Furry’s favorite historian and reviewer. 

Plowed, edited by Andres Cyanni Halden.
Dallas, TX, FurPlanet Productions, December 2014, trade paperback $19.95 (212 pages), e-book $9.95.

This is a mature content book.  Please ensure that you are of legal age to purchase this material in your state or region. (publisher’s advisory)

The catchphrase for Plowed is “Ten Foxes – Ten Farms – Loads of Plowing”. This is an anthology of “ten saucy stories” all featuring foxes on farms with much explicit m/m sex.

The fox in “A Little Drop of Poison” by editor Andres Cyanni Halden is narrator Taslim Hajjar, a 20-year-old fennec. Since fennecs are North African foxes, it makes sense that Taslim is a Muslim. He’s the son of a rich Saudi father who is specializing in acquiring European vineyards and selling expensive wines to restaurants. (The Qur’an just says that Muslims shouldn’t drink alcohol; not that they can’t raise and sell it to unbelievers.) Tas is with his father inspecting a vineyard he intends to buy. The bored youth sneaks off to relax alone in the solitude of the vineyard’s wine cellars. He’s found there by one of the vineyard’s workers, “a very large, jet black bull setting down a wine cask beside one of the large racks.” The massive bull, Leeroy, can scent that the little fennec is very aroused by him. And Leeroy is a dom while Tas is a sub.

“‘Now,’ he said, his free paw trailing up my arm, across my shoulder, all the way up to lightly brush across one of my ears. ‘I’ve always been told fennec foxes like having their ears rubbed.’ He ran his rough finger along the edge, his touch surprisingly delicate. ‘Friend of mine told me it gets ‘em all hot and heavy.’” (p. 12)

That’s only the beginning of a very NSFW scene.

“Academic Fulfillment” by Danath is almost the opposite. The two main characters are Gerrard, a large Falkland Islands fox (extinct since 1876 in real life) often mistaken for a wolf (“Gerrard was handsome. Tall at six-foot-three, he was mostly muscle, topping in at 210 pounds. Despite the thickness of his pelt, his muscles were visible underneath […]” – p. 23), taking time out from college to work at a large North American ranch that caters to tourists; and Anthony, the bored 20-year-old, cute, openly-gay mouse son of a couple of the tourists. (“Anthony stared at the fox’s chest for a few moments before he realized he was almost drooling. Dragging his eyes away from the display, he blushed and returned to pick at the salad on his tray.” – p. 29) Gerrard and Anthony get to talking, and Gerrard invites Anthony to join some of the other genuine ranchhands. They get high smoking pot, and after the others leave, get into their NSFW romance; but as equals, not dom/sub. Gerrard decides to return to college as Anthony’s roommate.

“Aspirations” by K. M. Hirosaki also has a college fox working on a ranch. Sitka is an arctic fox interning on a ranch for the summer. But he’s afraid he’s made a mistake.

“Then, of course, there was the heat. He knew it would be uncomfortable, and he’d thought he’d braced himself for it, and he’d been wrong. Being an arctic fox in the middle of the desert was bad enough, and having to wear denim pants over his fur, and then leather chaps over the denim made him feel like he was broiling underneath all his clothes.” (p. 41)

Besides roasting and having harder labor than he’d expected, Sitka had hoped to get some m/m action with one of the handsome regular ranchhands — Checo, a coyote; Javier, a kit fox, or Greaser, another coyote. But it doesn’t look at first like any of them is gay. Boy, is he wrong! This is another dom/sub tale, with Sitka as the sub.

The protagonist of “Foxtrot” by Tym is Harold Allende, a Darwin’s fox. This is another college-student-at-a summer-job-on-a-ranch. The difference is that it isn’t entirely voluntary, and the setting is the Argentine Pampas. Harold’s grandparents came to San Francisco from Chile. He decided to see where they came from during summer vacation; took a ship to Buenos Aires and was taking a train to Santiago; was robbed partway and took a job on a ranch in the Pampas to make enough money to either finish his journey or go back to Buenos Aires and call his parents to bail him out.

Harold meets Llewellyn Sinclair, a brown horse globetrotting after being discharged (honorably) from the U.S. Army. The two English-speakers get together, and NSFW erotica ensues. After, Llewellyn leaves to continue his globetrotting, but he gives Harold enough money to return to Buenos Aires. Under other circumstances, this could be a Most Unforgettable Character I Ever Met story.

“Irony and Woodwork” by Whyte Yoté is the first real story here, rather than just an erotic incident. The setting is the rural Midwest shortly after the Civil War. The narrator is Zach, an adolescent maned wolf farmboy. Maned wolves are really tall foxes, whose visible sexual differences are so small that it’s difficult to tell the males and females apart except by a close look. Whyte Yoté takes advantage of this for his story.

“‘Sir, please,’ I protest, paws up in defense, though I’m still smiling. ‘It’s my fault you’ll be up late. Pop’s already fit to skin me if I don’t get a move on. He’d be awful pleased to find out I helped. Even more if we get done early.’ I can’t keep the double meaning from sneaking in, but no point in trying to cover it up. We both know my reputation, even if Pop’s oblivious. Thank the Lord.” (p. 79)

Other characters besides Zach are Spiller, a big black stallion, and Morgan, a bison. Will it be a threesome, or will they take turns?

“Services Rendered” by Jeeves takes advantage of modern farming, which is no longer profitable except for large, commercial farms. Dale is a late-20s bat-eared fox (fennec?) auto mechanic answering a call from Carmichael, a 41-year-old Doberman farmer. His tractor engine has died; he’s frightened tat the old engine can’t be repaired any more; he can’t afford a new engine and without his tractor he can’t save his crops… It’s lucky that the two characters are gay and can commiserate with each other.

In “Sticky” by D. J. Fahl, Charlie DeCroix is a gray fox recently hired as a cook on a Vermont farm. The farm is snowed in during winter, but the kitchen is warm and Charlie doesn’t worry while he prepares dinner. Then Tom, the farmer, comes in.

“The wolverine got closer to the fox as he growled lowly, ‘The hands are stuck in town. Road is closed down.’

‘Oh dear,’ Charlie looked at the oven. ‘Then I made way too much food for just the two of us.’

Charlie jumped as he felt a large paw land on his shoulder and squeezed. ‘You didn’t hear me right, fox boy. I said the hands are stuck in town.’

‘Uh,’ Charlie gulped a bit, feeling the wolverine pressing closer into his big bushy gray tail.” (pgs. 139-140)

Tom is a dom. It’s lucky that Charlie is a sub.

The protagonist of “The Fox Says Neigh” by Ajax B. Coriander is Layton, a chubby red fox who is steaming because “his ex decided to run off with a dumb blonde twink whore and torch three years of their life together” (p. 151), also leaving him with a reservation for a weekend of kinky sex at a farm bed and breakfast for doubles. Even though Layton is no longer part of a couple, he goes alone. “Owner” is a Saint Bernard dom with a whip who calls Layton a pony and whips him on all fours into the barn with the rest of the ponies – King, a husky, and Little Princess, a big stallion. Much NSFW BDSM horseplay ensues.

The fox in “Weekend Pass”, by Andres Cyanni Halden again, is Siberian with black and silver fur, but he’s American. His name is only “Mrs. Samson” because he’s married to Mr. Samson, a giant stallion, and he likes “Mrs. Samson” to wear a dress and play the wife of the farm. But there doesn’t seem to be any secret about “her” real sex, and when Mr. Samson, Carson, is away from the farm on business, “Mrs. Samson” runs everything – and “she’s” free to share sex with any of the farmhands, who include handsome horses, dogs, wolves, cougars, and “her” favorite, Carlos, a ram. Sometimes Mr. and Mrs. Samson have a threesome, and M. Samson lets “her” pick the third.

“Weeping Bear Valley” by Ajax B. Coriander again features Pablo, a crab fox, thrown out of his home at 19 for being gay, and Jack, a slightly older badger. Jack works on a ranch and gets Pablo a job there, too. Pablo keeps his sexuality a secret. A few years later, some missing cattle are reported seen in far-off Weeping Bear Valley, and Jack and Pablo ride out to fetch them. This story is more active than most, with Jack saving Pablo’s life, but the payoff is the same: Pablo’s gayness is revealed, Jack turns out to swing the same way, and there is a happy NSFW climax.

Okay. I don’t swing the m/m way, so Plowed (cover by Soros) isn’t meant for me. I can say that all ten stories have good writing, but the repetitive fox-on-a-farm/ranch setup becomes tiresome. This reader became more interested in seeing what type of fox and in what role he will appear in the next story. The worst aspect (to me) is that, except for Whyte Yoté’s story, they’re all just setups for extensive explicit m/m erotic scenes; often very brief setups. There’s no followup. Plowed is an anthology for those interested in lots of explicit m/m sex, rather than in stories that go anywhere.

– Fred Patten

• Buy on Furplanet
• Buy at Bad Dog Books
• Cover artist, Soro

Coming in August, Top Shelf Comix bring us this: “Spacebat, the galaxy’s greatest misfit, is pressed into service by three children to battle a mad scientist, his army of ill-mannered robots, and (worst of all) a universe-bending machine. Romp across reality in a wide-ranging escapade for all ages from acclaimed cartoonist Chris Sheridan (Motorcycle Samurai, Plants Vs. Zombies), featuring bold lines, quirky characters, outer-space adventures… and tacos.” Spacebat and the Fugitives Book One: Tacos at the End of the World (whew!) is a full-color graphic novel, available soon in softcover.

image c. 2017 Top Shelf Comix

Meh!  
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Hi Papa Bear! 

I was wondering about your stance on interspecies dating? I identify as a Blood Moon Night Fox. I recently attended a convention where I met a great person who identifies as a Tiger Shark Female. We have been communicating for several months now and I've contracted feelings for her. However, I am more on the conservative side and only believe the only kind of cross breeding can happen when ligers and mules are made. Do you think a fox like me and a shark like her can make this work or stay as friends and keep my morals and stick to land animals? I would very much appreciate your wisdom and input. Please write soon!

Furambe (male, age 23)

* * *

Dear Furambe,

I'm not going to post this on my site because my answer might be a bit blunt for you. [Note: I obviously changed my mind for reasons readers will see below].

Um... you are not really a fox and she is not really a shark, so, are you kidding me? You're both humans. If you like her, see if she will go out on a date with you.

Papabear

* * *

Excuse me but seeing as you're a very noticed character in the furry community how dare you imply I am "just human." That is seen as kinphobic and racially ignorant.  You might take your furry status as serious as a lot of us do "Kevin," but it is seen as phobic to the full extent. I trusted you but shame on you Mr. Hile. 

* * *

Hi,

Not sure why you are putting my name in quotation marks, but okay.  I am not racially ignorant or kinphobic. You are talking about things that don't exist. You are not, in reality, a fox, and she is not, in reality, a tiger shark. To assert that you are is to lose touch with reality.

I realize there are people who identify very closely with their fursonas. I myself feel that bear is my spirit animal. But I don't fail to recognize that we are all, including you, sweetie, Homo sapiens.

To say I am "phobic" is to say I am afraid of furries. No, I am not. 

What I am trying to say is that you are making things unnecessarily complicated with your love interest because you are both humans, like it or not. That's not phobia. That's not racism. That's reality. And you need to get a firm grip on it, hon.
....
Actually, when you think about it, your fears about whether being mates with another "species" is a problem the very definition of racial fear, is it not?

I also note that in your email response you are not actually male, but female [email not printed here, nor is the person's real name]. I am wondering, therefore, whether your original question was really not about furry species but, rather, the fact that you are a female in love with a female? Is that the real issue here? If so, then, again, I would say that you should go with your feelings and pursue the relationship.

Papabear

Dear Readers,

This is a good example of how sometimes people bury their problems in their fursonas. While having a fursona (or several) can be a fun and creative way of expressing oneself, it is worthwhile to note that sometimes getting lost in fantasy is not healthy. That is why I decided to publish this letter exchange.

I never heard back from this writer. I hope I will someday.

Hugs to all....

July 3, 9:30 PM – 2:30 AM

DNA Lounge, 375 11th St, San Francisco

Facebook event page

“Bring a dead stiff squirrel and get in free!”  Yes, that’s a real long-time promise by Death Guild. I can’t say what happens to the squirrels, but I can tell you about this legendary club night. It’s the longest running one for weird dark music in North America. That means gothic rock, industrial, darkwave, EBM and synthpop, with an ambiance like The Addams Family gone cyberpunk:

In Death Guild’s 24+ years of operation, they must have seen a lot of squirrels.  I don’t know if that ever included the patrons, but now it can because of a neat subcultural confluence. See, San Francisco isn’t just a good place for dark aesthetics. It’s also Furry Mecca with the world’s most dense population of furry fans. And furverts. Unapologetic ones who might hide a squirrel where the sun don’t shine. Kidding!!!  I’m joking about the consenting-adult patrons of Wild Things, one of the world’s only open-invite parties for furry kink. It’s usually hosted at The Citadel BDSM club, but this time gets the upstairs at DNA Lounge.

It’s just a dance party.  No wardrobe malfunctions allowed, but otherwise, go wild with costuming – from fur or latex bodysuits to rubber pup masks. “Dressing up is highly encouraged.”

Info for costume changing: Previous parties had a draped area inside. This time you’re on your own, so it’s recommended to use the Costco parking garage down the street for a bit of off-street cover.  If you’re there earlier, try a pre-dance meetup at SOMA Streatfood or Wicked Grounds kink cafe.

This mutant party happened by relationship with Gretchen Weeners, DJ at local goth clubs. Wild Things organizers are fans of the music, and acquainted with the proprietor of DNA Lounge.  The patrons might find it an odd mix… but that’s good, it’s how some of the best fun happens.

Me, having fun at DNA Lounge

Some more unlikely crossover with these subcultures.

• VNV Nation, Skinny Puppy, industrial music and furries: an inexplicable multi-nerd connection
• Freaky Furry Music – from the punk, goth and industrial underground
• The Vietnamese Mariachi Furry Drag Show Goth Club (see half way down)
• At Burning Man, here’s a furry battle in Death Guild’s Thunderdome.

Below is a fresh new tune they should play from Ghost Twin (it has cool lyrics about riding Griffins in space). Then there’s an obscure older gem from Ashtrayhead (side project of industrial band Cubanate.) And a vid from Death Guild past.

To quote flufflepuff, GASP!!!! [1]   [2] [3] [4] [1] https://furry.today/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Untitled-1-15.jpg [2] https://furry.today/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Untitled-5.jpg [3] https://furry.today/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Untitled-6-1.jpg [4] https://furry.today/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Untitled-3.jpg
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Fred Patten’s latest book, which we reviewed in our previous article, begins with a dedication to Mark Merlino and Rod O’Riley for their involvement in the furry fandom. They’re two furries from South California, who are now 64 and 52 years of age respectively. They would host furry parties at sci-fi conventions in the 80s. But once it became clear that furries needed their own separate convention, they were up to the task. And so, they went ahead and organized the first furry convention, ‘ConFurence 0’, in 1989! It was a success, and they stayed in charge of further runs until ConFurence 10 in 1999, at a point when many other cons had sprung as well.

 

Mark and Rod live in a furry house, a private residence where a large number of furries live or gather, with furry decorations, furry media, and furry-related activities. Their house is called The Prancing Skiltaire, after Mark Merlino’s original fictional species the Skiltaire: an intelligent weasel-like alien race he came up with in the 70s. After so many decades of actively taking part in the fandom, The Prancing Skiltaire isn’t just a home, but a library / archive of particularly valuable pre-internet era documents, some not found anywhere else. Encouraged by public interest in the history of furry, Changa Lion, another furry living at The Prancing Skiltaire, has selected and scanned almost 2000 pages (so far) of these historical documents, now open to the public at The ConFurence Archive (ConFurence.com). The digital online archive will continue to grow as he scans & uploads more interesting documents. Great news for anyone interested in the history of our community!

Mark & Rod also host the audio series Two Old Furry Fans, where they speak about their personal experiences as growing furry fans since childhood.

 

Mark Merlino, at the ConFurence 0 conbook, from The ConFurence Archive

Sonic Team announces a striking feature to their upcoming game Sonic Forces, to be released the last quarter of 2017.

How many times have you seen fanmade OCs (original characters) drawn with Sonic-like features on art websites? Maybe you’ve drawn your own! Well, next Sonic’s adventure allows you to customize the main character of the game to your liking, effectively making original characters canon within the Sonic universe!

 

This is the customization shown so far on media released to the press, the species and traits selectable:

•   Bear, blows away enemies with a homing attack.
•   Bird, flies high with double jump abilities.
•   Cat, keeps one ring after being hit.
•   Dog, restarts with five rings after the player dies.
•   Hedgehog, collects rings when getting damaged.
•   Rabbit, has longer invincible time after receiving damage.
•   Wolf, automatically draws in rings when near them.

•   Upper headgear, which includes various hats.
•   Middle headgear, which includes various styles of glasses.
•   Lower headgear, with bandanas, mouthpieces, and mustaches.
•   Gloves, there’ll be fingerless, knuckled and plain.
•   Footwear, with option for boots, and sneakers.
•   Custom body clothing, which includes various jackets, bow ties, backpacks, chains, and other items.
•   Custom body suit (options not shown in trailer).
•   Custom skin color (options not shown in trailer).

Sonic Forces will be multiplatform, available for Windows PC, and also PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. Gameplay-wise, it’ll be most similar to Sonic Generations: players will run at high speeds in levels with elements such as spring boards, boost pads, and robots and other hazards, in a 3D back view and also in 2.5D side-scrolling fashion.

Joe Strike, a first-wave furry greymuzzle (in the fandom since 1989), has taken on the mission of writing the first in-depth insider book about the fandom, to be published October this year: Furry Nation. The book will include profiles of furry artists, published authors, and craftspeople. It’s a journey through the birth of animal anthropomorphism, from prehistoric cave paintings to the modern day; a very human story that takes many forms, from the joyfully public to the deeply personal. His writing style shows to be promising so far, and in his research he’s collaborated with many furs for a quality retrospective and present view. The publisher is Cleis Press, and it’ll be available on Amazon among other book stores. At FurryFandom.es we’ll be keeping a close eye on the work, and tell you all about it when it comes out!

And soon to be announced are the winners of the Ursa Major Awards 2016. We’ll be covering the event with an article very soon. Stay furry-tuned!

Main sources: Dogpatch Press, Flayrah.

The entry News from the World (June 2017) appears first in FurryFandom.Es.

For those with an interest in one of the longest-running (and best-known) funny animal comic strips, Hermes Press have a new Garfield compilation that sure to cat(ch) your eye. According to the publisher: “Hermes Press is proud to announce their second major collaboration with Paws, Incorporated producing another unique title featuring everyone’s favorite orange cat, Garfield! Hermes and Paws have come together to treat the world to a compendium of the greatest examples of original artwork from classic Garfield daily and Sunday comic strips in their original size, including rare unpublished material, that has never been seen before… This historic archival reprint will feature hundreds of pieces of original production art from the comic strip, with an introductory essay from Jim Davis himself! If you love Garfield and want to experience the strips as they were originally drawn, this is the book for you! From the very beginning in 1979 to the last non-digital strip in 2011, this purrfect book shows you Garfield like you’ve never seen him before!” Jim Davis’ Garfield: The Original Daily and Sunday Art Archive is coming in hardcover later this summer.

image c. 2017 Hermes Press

Mei Dym performs Nandemonaiya (it's nothing) by Radwimps [1] from the anime film Your Name [2]. What an amazing performance ... especially with those paws. [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radwimps [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Your_Name
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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.
​
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)
 
* * *
 
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