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Hello! Back from Further Confusion 2017 with lots to talk about. Starting off with a whole new way to get yourself a head for your anthropomorphic costume! Tetra Variations is a company started by a fan who goes by the name of Mr. T-Rex. (He’s working hard on making that Dr. T-Rex, which is a scary thought.) For now he specializes in creating geometric patterns which you can purchase for download, print out on your own stiff paper, then cut and paste into masks, puppets, toys, and other useful items. Dinosaurs are a specialty, but as you can see from his store there are lots of other animals to be found as well. Sign up for his newsletter and he’ll also let you know when new designs come out.

image c. 2016 Tetra Variations

Some people were born to adopt.
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Not a proper episode. Fayroe was so busy working on our new house he forgot to show up… Sorta. Anyway we sat around and chatted for an hour or so.

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[Live] Missing Blue

Not a proper episode. Fayroe was so busy working on our new house he forgot to show up… Sorta. Anyway we sat around and chatted for an hour or so.

Download MP3

Watch Video FC-255X Missing Blue - Not a proper episode. Fayroe was so busy working on our new house he forgot to show up... Sorta. Anyway we sat around and chatted for an hour or so.

Hello, Papabear,

I'm very unhappy. I don't know what to do. I love her so much, but still I know she can never be with me. There is no way for it to happen. Not even by a miracle. I'm crying as I write this. No one likes me. I have no friends. I get constantly bullied every day in school. I'm very unhappy and utterly confused. It hurts so much. She is amazing, gorgeous (both inside and out) in a way not a single person could imagine, a great student, extremely talented (can sing, paint, do sports well and play various instruments) ... She is so kind to everyone she meets, even to myself. She was the only one who smiled to me and not judging me or mocking me. I love her so much. I love her so much. I can't think straight. There is no way she could choose to be with someone like myself. I don't deserve her, but I can't help but love her. I don't want to come off as creepy to her. That is my worst nightmare, I can't even imagine something as stupid as that.

School is going to start again in a couple of days, I'm completely lost. I'm so scared, Papabear, please help me! I can't get anyone to help me and I lack a father figure in my life, which is a huge disadvantage. What should I do? She is the first person that I really fell in love with, I have a GIANT crush on her. I'm usually depressed and anxious but when I'm near her or when I notice her presence things change, at least a little bit.

I'm so sorry if I'm bothering you with my silly problems. I'm so sorry. I don't want to die alone!

-Silvertail (age 12)
 
* * *
 
Dear Silvertail,
 
You are not bothering me and your problem is not silly. Allow Papabear to try and give you some perspective.
 
First of all, take a deeeeeeeep breath, hold it for a few seconds, and let it go slowly. I completely get why you would fall in love for someone like this. She sounds quite remarkable. Combine that with the fact that she is kind to you when no one else seems to be, and you have a perfect formula for being head-over-heels in love. I get it. I acknowledge it. I am not going to belittle your feelings.
 
It’s good that you wrote to an older furry such as myself because you need to step back a bit and look at this with your head as much as your heart. Allow me to make a couple points here:

1. You are 12 years old. I realize that cubs are apparently reaching puberty at an earlier age these days (a topic for another column), but when I was your age, my main interest was not girls (or boys) and romance; it was playing in the street with my friends, playing board games, swimming, worrying about school, and hoping I could go see Star Wars at the Chinese Theater. I was four years away from my first date. People grow up too fast these days. It’s unhealthy. You need to spend some time treasuring your childhood before it is gone, rather than weighing yourself down with serious subjects such as romantic love.
2. You are 12 years old. This bears repeating. Even if you did successfully court this young girl, chances are you would have a few fun years together before life’s circumstances got in the way: you’d go to different colleges, find jobs in different places, decide to pursue interests that the two of you didn’t share. In short, you would grow up and grow apart. Not to mention the sheer impracticality of two people your age dating and socializing outside of school. You don’t even have a driver’s license yet.
3. First loves. It is extremely, extremely rare that a first love, especially at your age, will last a lifetime. The average person dates several people during their early years, and many people have more than one serious relationship. Your fear that you will die alone is awfully premature! Don’t panic. You’re YOUNG!

 
All that said, there is no reason at all that this couldn’t be a nice little relationship that you will look back on in years to come with a smile on your face. Such experiences are extremely valuable. You learn how to be a part of a couple, to share, to be considerate and affectionate, to be a true friend. These skills will prove valuable later in life with future relationships until you eventually find someone who becomes, hopefully, your spouse, lover, and closest friend.
 
To proceed, do not pounce. Do not approach the girl with “I love you!” declarations while you clutch bouquets of flowers and boxes of candy as gifts. Instead, begin with friendship, which is actually how all solid relationships with strong foundations should begin. I don’t know how much you have talked to her so far, but it sounds like you have had some interactions. Now proceed to the next level. Invite her to do something fun with you, whatever that might be. She sounds like she has many interests, so hopefully you share one or more of them and could experience them together. Since you’re too young to drive her to a movie or dinner, perhaps you could share a school function together. (On the other hand, if you don’t share any of her interests, this would be a clue that she is not a promising love interest for you).
 
Start with friendship. See how that goes. If it goes well and you start to get close, that is when you go to the next level: a kiss, a hug, and, eventually, those three little words, “I love you.”
 
To some up: calm down, take it slowly, and if it doesn’t work out, don’t panic. You have a lot of living in the future to do and it’s way too early to be afraid you will die alone.
 
Good Luck!
Papabear

* * *

She has a girlfriend, she has made it known to everyone on her Facebook today..... I didn't know she's homosexual/bisexual. I'm not feeling alright right now. I don't know.

Oh, and I've never had a friend in my life. She has a ton of them. I feel like jumping off a bridge. All of my life, up to this point, has been nothing but suffering, pain and anxiety. I have NEVER felt "happy" in my life. Not even once. There was always something standing in the way.

Why me?

* * *
 
Hi, Silvertail.
 
Well, that's a twist. Kind of proves my point that first crushes don't work out, but that's with a different state of affairs. At any rate: so, okay, she's a homosexual or whatever. You still like her as a person, right? You could still be friends, maybe even great friends with her. Sounds like you need a friend, so don't dismiss the possibility of having one, even though she isn't what you expected. You say she treats you with kindness, and that is something you could really use.
 
As for never being happy a day in your life: I don't know your life history, but do your parents know? If not, they need to know. You might also have clinical depression--something that can be diagnosed and treated by a professional. Don't be afraid to ask people for help.
 
Hugs,
Papabear

Here is a short project The Animation Workshop created for a spot for the Danish NGO Verdens Skove [1]("Forests of the World"). So cute. [1] https://www.verdensskove.org/
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Yen Press have released a new black & white manga out called Reindeer Boy, written and illustrated by Cassandra Jean. According to the publishers: “The new boy is town is cute and friendly. The only problem is… he has antlers? Quincy has the same dream every year on Christmas Eve: Of finding a little boy holding a special gift for her under the tree – and every Christmas morning, she’s awoken to find a gift wrapped in tinfoil with her name on it… When school resumes after the winter break, Quincy’s class discovers they have an unusual new transfer student named Cupid. Ridiculously cute and friendly, the new boy has everyone both enamored and confused. Those antlers can’t be real…can they?? With Cupid having seemingly set his sights on Quincy, it seems she’ll be having a memorable year indeed!” [See you again after Further Confusion!]

image c. 2017 Yen Press

Ok, this has a touch of body horror but manages to have a happyish ending. I can only imagine this film came out of the frustration the animators frustration over itching. Everybody has been there once or twice. The biology in that world disturb me but the film is surprising in how well they manage to convey. This is a touch dark. "--A shy wolf tries to befriend a group of hip, party-loving bunnies but finds her body is in revolt.--"
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We could not make this stuff up if we wanted to, folks. Mickey’s Inferno. Yes: The scary portion of Dante’s Divine Comedy as re-told in full-color graphic novel format by Mickey and his friends. And Papercutz got Disney’s okay with this! It’s written by Guido Martina (who is a well-known creator of Disney material in Italy), illustrated by Angelo Bioletta, and available in softcover and hardcover editions — on the shelves right now. Gosh, is Purgatory next?

image c. 2017 Papercutz

Hello Everyone!

On this week’s show we open with a discussion on how to deal with haters. We go back over the idea of reactions versus responses, emotional retorts versus reason, and the school of stoic philosophy. This also applies to how one can handle rejection, whether it's for a friend, for a

Our main topic is on crushes. We go over how to handle having a crush, being crushed on, and how to determine whether to move forward into a relationship or let the flame fizzle out. In the furry fandom, and in the world at large, we often get the idea that having a crush must mean that a relationship needs to happen, or oftentimes confusing love for limerence. We discuss how to differentiate between the two, how to let people down easily, and how to be graceful when you are rejected by a crush. 

We close out with a question on BDSM anxiety: a young sub wants to get involved in BDSM but is afraid that they won't find someone closer to their age or someone who will treat them nice. We unpack this question and offer some advice on how to treat your elders in any community. 

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

Thanks and, as always, be well!

 

FA 053 Puppy Love - Is there a 'correct' way to handle rejection? Are crushes a thing for the youth, or will you experience them until death? Is it ageist to want a BDSM dom closer to your age? All this and more on this week's Feral Attraction!

Go Go Meower Rangers!! I hope they do an very special episode that talks about catnip.
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Coming soon at Dogpatch Press – a Q&A with the author of Ponyville Confidential: a History of My Little Pony.

Sherilyn Connelly is a journalist local to the Bay Area Furries.  She gives them supportive notice in publications like SF Weekly. Now her first book is coming from McFarland publishing. Ponyville Confidential will dig deep into culture while being a fun read for everypony.  (I’m told there are some parts specifically about furries.) If you like the show and can give support back to Sherilyn, please visit the book’s Facebook page and give a ‘like’ right now!

I have only seen 6 or 7 episodes of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, and they were great.  Even with low experience, it makes me want to share some thoughts before the Q&A.  This is more personal than about the show or the book.

Growing up with cartoons.

When I talked with Sherilyn, she described a double standard about audience gender. It’s a thesis in the book that when My Little Pony first aired in 1986, it was disrespected as a prime example of crass commercialism. They said it was all about selling toys. By comparison, similar toy-related “boy” shows, like Transformers, got a pass. “Girly” shows had extra stigma.

It gives me curiosity about my own puppyhood in the 1980’s, but parts that were a bit outside of my consciousness.  I didn’t watch My Little Pony, and similar sparkly friendly shows like Rainbow Brite and Strawberry Shortcake. I experienced them being judged as sissy girly stuff, and they would make me do barfing noises. Instead I loved He-Man, G.I. Joe, and most of all the Transformers.

There was another kind of stigma with “boy” shows. Even if “girl” shows could be disrespected as trivial, they could still be considered inherently nice. But my favorites were judged as morally questionable.  Parents were suspicious of indulging a masculine sense of adventure and danger, even with stories about justice.  Action and “violence” would corrupt impressionable minds.  It had to be policed to keep kids pure and innocent.

I was sad to hear that He-Man was against god, because the show was called “The Masters of the Universe,” but there could only be one. When I was about five, I had a concept that bigness = godliness. So I admired Mr. T and the absurdly swole He-Man – until I compared his legs to my mom’s as a compliment, with disastrous results. I didn’t see toys denied to girls for being too girly, but some toys I wanted were called too violent. It didn’t stop me from using Legos for battles full of little yellow severed heads, though. Many lego-men gave their lives for the cause. That kind of play was going to happen no matter what.

In short, “Boy” shows were forbidden fruit. That made them more thrilling, even when I got in trouble and had to sneak around, like secretly watching the forbidden R-rated Terminator. Yay for killer robots.

Metal skin and morals.

Whether it was Arnie or Optimus Prime, it didn’t matter if the characters were good or evil. Their toughness felt positive, because their stories were cathartic for real life situations like getting beaten up by bullies. There was coping value with role models made of metal who could walk through fire.

Speaking of robots: “unnatural body-image” is criticized with girl shows, but at least those characters are human. (To be honest, I don’t like how people project eggshell-fragility that way to empower morals police).  The robot on the left is male even with no flesh, right?  A downside of steely toughness is how it isn’t realistically likely to help you with real life fights.  And I don’t know if those shows helped to develop other character, even if some of them awkwardly shoe-horned a moral in the end.

Cheesy morals were for more than pandering. They were mandated. American culture was under the sway of Pat Robertson and the Moral Majority in the Reagan years.  D&D was considered satanic, and Tipper Gore led a crusade to neuter dangerous music. Cartoon guns were replaced with soft laserbeams, and if a plane was shot down, there had to be a parachute popping out to save the pilot.

Years later I encountered TV content standards while working on a Disney show. Executives wanted my art edited because it wasn’t OK to depict children in proximity with bees (even happy friendly bees). Perhaps some kid would go play with bees, get stung and there would be a lawsuit. Isn’t that absurd? (I think healthy curiosity about nature could inspire care for the planet, but that’s beyond their scope.) Rules like that feel so fake and shallow, I can’t stand it.

If awkward moralizing is a result of stigma, shallow focus on cartoon violence (and ignoring it’s cathartic value) is a way to suppress healthy masculinity.

Furries – the third kind.

In between watching kids TV shows in the 1980’s and working on them, I got interested in seeking out and enjoying underground culture. Anything from banned books, indie zines and music, avante-garde art, to disrepected low/trash culture. Low culture can include furries, who can take pride in the independent spirit of how they exist.

Although I mentioned rejecting girly shows, that was more like fitting in and far from anything I took to heart.  That’s how it was OK to love funny animal cartoons.  They could be exciting like action shows, but also lovable for secretly “girly” qualities, covering both genders and more.  Furry characters were too soft and fuzzy for rigid roles.  They could be cute and fun but also bad-ass.  Bugs Bunny dressed like a girl to boldly mock authority, and Robin Hood fox was cuddly and full of manly confidence (with no pants). That led to my secret crushes on Robin Hood and most of the cast of the Disney Afternoon shows. It’s totally weird and silly, and how do you talk about it as a very young and inexperienced person? You don’t.

It’s important that furry fans include a huge majority of guys as well as LGBT identities.  It seems like nobody has a good explanation for that, or more like they hold back from making connections.  (There are so many overreactions about being “just” a fan and not an identity.)  Loving furry stuff has to do with expressing things repressed by normativity.  There are even ways that’s countercultural.  There are lots of guy furries because guys can be held back in unique ways and furry fandom makes new ways to express things.

You can dress on the outside like you really feel like inside, and be more than your everyday self. That’s what furries do.

Bronies have similar reasons, although Sherilyn’s book is about much more than them. After all, the majority of fans of My Little Pony are little girls as originally intended, and now their moms. But if it’s unfair to have stigma on girls or boys, then the show is for everypony.

PART TWO – the Q&A posts soon.

SEE ALSO: Snow White vs. All Dogs Go To Heaven: A Look at How Kid’s Movies Encouraged the Founding of the Furry Fandom.

Speaking of Keenspot: Thomas Fischbach, creator of the Ursa Major Award winning on-line comic Twokinds, brings us into the creation of his realm with the release of The Art and Evolution of Twokinds — newly available in hardcover. “Deluxe full color hardcover artbook exploring the art and evolution of Twokinds, the wildly popular webcomic following the adventures of a lone mage with no memory of his past and the beautiful tiger girl that captures his heart.” Nearly 100 pages in full color. Be warned though: Keenspot says they’re going fast!

image c. 2016 Keenspot Entertainment

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Rather cute adverts for Bernard Matthews Turkey [1] in that grand tradition of cute animals advertising for their meat. These aired on Channel 4 in Britain. Yes, they are both cute and yummy. [1] http://www.bernardmatthews.com/
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Submitted by Fred Patten, Furry’s favorite historian and reviewer.

Dogs of War, edited by Fred Patten, is launching at Further Confusion 2017 in San Jose, California over the January 12-16 five-day weekend. The book can be pre-ordered from FurPlanet Productions. It will be for sale on the FurPlanet online catalogue afterwards.

Dogs of War is an all-original anthology of 23 short stories and novelettes of anthropomorphic animals (not just dogs) in military scenarios, from battle action to boot camps, on land, at sea, and in space. This is designed to appeal to both s-f & fantasy fans, and fans of military s-f.

From a rabbit army’s training camp, to a human army turned into wolves, praying mantises in spacesuits, rattlesnake troops, prejudice against uplifted rat sailors, multi-tailed fox warrior priestesses, and more; these are stories for your imagination and enjoyment.

Contents:

• Nosy and Wolf, by Ken McGregor
• After Their Kind, by Taylor Harbin
• Succession, by Devin Hallsworth
• Two If By Sea, by Field T. Mouse
• The Queens’ Confederate Space Marines, by Elizabeth McCoy
• The Loving Children, by Bill McCormick
• Strike, But Hear Me, by Jefferson P. Swycaffer
• End of Ages, by BanWynn Oakshadow
• Shells On The Beach, by Tom Mullins
• Cross of Valor Reception for the Raccoon, Tanner Williams, Declassified Transcript, by John Kulp
• Last Man Standing, by Frances Pauli
• Hunter’s Fall, by Angela Oliver
• Old Regimes, by Gullwolf
• The Shrine War, by Alan Loewen
• The Monster in the Mist, by Madison Keller
• Wolves in Winter, by Searska GrayRaven
• The Third Variety, by Rob Baird
• The Best and Worst of Worlds, by Mary E. Lowd
• Tooth, Claw and Fang, by Stephen Coughlan
• Sacrifice, by J. N. Wolfe
• War of Attrition, by Lisa Timpf
• Fathers to Sons, by MikasiWolf
• Hoodies and Horses, by Michael D. Winkle

Price: $19.95. 455 pages. Wraparound cover by Teagan Gavet.  ISBN 978-1-61450-346-0.

–Fred Patten

• Pre Order at Furplanet

The on-line comic Hunters of Salamanstra spent years on Keenspot building up a following. Now Keenspot has seen fit to finally bring out a black & white comic book version. “In the Kingdom of Salamanstra, monsters are real, and hunting them is the world’s greatest thrill. One famous hunter, The White Wolf, is not afraid to risk her life for a cause she believes in. Adrien wants to help her fight, but he has a promise to keep. A promise that could ensure the survival of The White Wolf’s fight, should she fail.” Look for issue #0 of this manga-style comic by John Joseco to arrive soon, followed by regular issues starting up in June.

image c. 2016 Keenspot Entertainment

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Ok, I just got soda up my nose. This was made by a Racoon named Ringer who seems to be a very silly person.
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