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The first time the Caped Crusader and the Heroes in a Half Shell joined forces to save both New York and Gotham City, it was epic. That time, the story was based on the characters’ respective comic books. Now, IDW and DC Comics have hooked up once again to bring us the new Batman/TMNT Adventures 6-issue miniseries — this time, based on the current Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles CGI TV series and the famous (and influential) Batman: The Animated Series. Written by Matthew K. Manning and illustrated by Jon Sommariva, the first full-color issue hits the stands later this month. Oh, and check out Comics Alliance: They have an extensive write-up on it too.

 

image c. 2016 IDW Publishing

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Animalympics jump-starts the Furry Fandom, a Los Angeles science fiction convention moves to Orange County, and Mark and Rodney… meet.

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TOFF Episode 4

Want to know what your fellow authors do when they’re not writing their next best-selling book? They come by the Furry Writer’s Guild! Fangs and Fonts tackle the topic of the Furry Writer’s Guild, why you should join, and how you can use it to get in touch with your inner author/editor/whatever.

Send us your feedback, questions, concerns, complaints:

@FangsAndFonts

Facebook.com/FangsAndFonts

Fangs and Fonts

Click below to Listen http://www.fangsandfonts.com/FnF/Episodes/Ep71-Furry_Writers_Guild.mp3

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Ep 71 – Furry Writer’s Guild - Want to know what your fellow authors do when they’re not writing their next best-selling book? They come by the Furry Writer’s Guild! Fangs and Fonts tackle the topic of the Furry Writer’s Guild, why you should join, and how you can use it [...]

The most original creations of furry fandom.

Here’s a fun feature about the future.  But first, let me make a bold claim about fursuiting.

Mascots and costuming have been around forever. But furries are doing something new. They don’t just play with generic icons from myths and media. They add original fursonas and custom craft for everyone. It makes a subculture with personal expression beyond anything else.

Of course, many furs don’t have (or want) fursuits.  But the ones who do make a photogenic face of fandom. Other groups do art and writing like this one, but I don’t think anyone else does costuming in such a specialized and devoted way.  So there’s nothing wrong with the way the fursuiters stand out.  Everything else is imagination – they bring it to life and help to define the tactile name of “furry”.  And the quality is developing beyond anything you can buy commercially.  Some dedicated makers now have careers by fans, for fans, leading a Furry Economy with an exciting future.  Look forward to amazing things.

Pic: CanineHybrid

Looking back at the roots: the first iconic fursuits.

Further Confusion 2015 had a panel about “25 years of furry con history”. The hosts were Furry Founding Fathers, Mark Merlino and Rod O’Riley. They co-directed the first con (ConFurence 0 in 1989.)  It had two fursuiters – an unnamed bobcat, and Hilda the Bambioid (Robert Hill).  The “first iconic furry costumes” are mentioned at 47:00 in the video.

The oldest fursuit still active could be Walden, by Yippee, who says: “Walden was built before the term “fursuit” even existed!”

@DogpatchPress Walden made a surprise cameo at 25 yrs of furry cons. He's like 23 himself. http://t.co/oVKSQiZK12 pic.twitter.com/95y9IFpGWL

— ☾ Yippee Coyote ☽ (@YipCoyote) February 5, 2015

The most expensive fursuits.

$2,000 is a general going price for a full suit. Special features like electronics can raise costs to five figures. Then there’s hard-to-define personal value, like with any professional art. A patron might want to pay a lot to support the artist. High prices can show positive development of a specialized craft. Here’s a report about a $17,500 suit (keep in mind that Hollywood FX suits can add another zero.) It’s an investment not everyone can make – but we can all appreciate the results, and the door is open for anyone to build their own.

$17,500 Primal Visions Cheetah owned by Spottacus.

The furry dance movement and street fursuiting.

With growing demand and developing craft, live performance is where the rubber meets the road.  I like to call fursuiting “the theatrical soul of furry,” so I’m into new movements for it.  They could be the bleeding edges for experimental projects.

With the explosion of interest in cons, there comes subcultural mutations like independent dance parties.  It crosses with other scenes like dance crews.  And my favorite thing is street fursuiting.  It kicks down the doors to bring trippy, spontaneous fun to public places like street fairs. Think of their show value – how often do you see that much spectacle just walking around?

Look at this fabulous fever dream:

I’ve heard complaining that fursuit hobbies overshadow others and make art and writing just a sub-section of cosplay, or even fears of queer roots being erased through mainstreaming.  I can’t listen to that. Go to a con and look around at how socially-gluing, self-defining, and fabulously expressive the suiting is.  I think there’s never been so much furry creativity blasting off to its own space, with more artists and writers than ever along for the ride.

World’s biggest furry joke at Sydney’s LGBT Mardi Gras. Anthrocon is taking it to the streets, but their parade has no floats. Upstaged by the Ozfurs, no fucks given!

Tech features and Smart Suiting.

There’s a science fiction future for wearable tech.  If you like reading or writing about it, here it is in the fur. Think of tiny wearable computers and novel fabric embedded with electronics.  Imagine it programmed to interact with users, respond on the fly or adjust to the environment.  Furries can be a branch for this (or even a root.)  They’re super “suited” for immersive full-body tactile role-play, sci-fi/fantasy based design, and original/custom characters that are fully inhuman.

You won’t go some place to see them… they’ll be among us.  An anthro dog’s hackles rise when a cat comes near.  A sound enhanced cat purrs when you scritch her belly. A chameleon’s skin blends into the background. Everyone has animated eyes and expressions. Could real hybrids sneak in undercover?

It’s becoming possible with servo motors used in animatronics, and tiny sound and light devices. There’s 3D printing, programmable controllers like Arduino and Rasberry Pi, and developments for mobile applications and the “internet of things”. There’s biofeedback sensors beyond anything you’ve seen yet, envisioned by the Biohacking and Neurohacking movements.

Arduino kit

What could you do with this? “OpenBCI is an open source brain-computer interface platform… OpenBCI boards can be used to measure and record electrical activity produced by the brain (EEG), muscles (EMG), and heart (EKG)”…

Read more about the Ultracortex (“an adjustable, 3D-printable EEG wearable frame” headset for boards that give users access to brainwave data.) A furry pictured on this page has started many companies for biofeedback devices, and puts them to use for experimental fursuits.

Custom-fit #EEG headset design!
Introducing @Ultracortex #X1 (by @ThreeForm & @OpenBCI)
w/ @3dsystemscorp scans pic.twitter.com/JRDhDiyRBE

— ultracortex (@ultracortex) October 22, 2015

Anthropomorphic Prosthetics.

Necomimi robotic ears and tails are well known for fun. Then there’s more exotic experiments like alternative limbs (covered here in 2013, and a 2016 update.) Traditionally, losing a limb has meant losing a part of your identity, covering up and blending in. But what if you can be more than before?

Light and sound effects.

See the amazing LED-enabled suit at 1:00 in the below video from Burning Man.

Sounds were previously covered here: Enough squeaker abuse- let’s upgrade fursuit sound effects!

Scale enhancement by immersive illusion.

A blinking, sound-enhanced, life-sized dinosaur invades a mall. Think of adding more loud stomping effects… and even programming them to scale up in pitch and volume as he approaches a target!

Animatronic body parts and expressions.

Blue Mountainfox Joe has made a lot of suits with animated expressions.

See some amazing high-end TV animatronic acting from one hot fox (and here’s a little bit of behind-the-scenes detail.)

Electronic animated eyes.

From a german maker, this fursuit head has animated eyes.  (It’s a fixed loop not controlled by the user). It uses small OLED screens and a microcontroller from Adafruit, which CAN be programmed for manual control.

Adafruit visits Further Confusion in San Jose, CA.

Phil B writes about speaking to furries on the company blog (PDF’s of his panel notes are included:)

“I had the outstanding opportunity to talk about electronics in costuming… I gave two 90-minute talks, one on introductory first-time electronics for costume-makers, and a second focusing specifically on lighting effects.

What really sets this group apart is the emphasis on world-building and personal characters. Also, there’s more costume electronics…and more Adafruit electronics especially…at this one convention than I’ve seen in an entire year’s worth of anime, comics and steampunk events. From custom fursuit-sized jumbo NeoPixel goggles to dragons with animated OLED eyes, these are power-users of cosplay technology!”

Personal climate control – Cooling system solutions.

Wristify is a prototype thermoelectric bracelet to control body temperature.  It was developed by four MIT students at EMBR labs.

EZwolf (builder of animatronic wolf head above) is a major fandom entrepeneur. Aside from his well-known videography, he’s creator of EZ Cooldown vests, which sell to the general public for many practical uses besides costumes.

Is your dog as cool as this dog? Have a look at our Dry Cooling Vest for Dogs and beat the heat! #dogsoftwitter https://t.co/KK39ktaAFi pic.twitter.com/is4D6wsiT1

— EZcooldown (@EZcooldown) September 22, 2016

Now build electronics into these dog vests so you can remote-control call them.  Combine the cooling vest with the LED-animated “Disco Dog” vest. (There’s LED collars like this too.)  Then make them fursuit-sized!

Big spectacle with theatrical tech experiments.

These aren’t suits, but there are rideable robotic animals that can take over the street. Here’s a robotic giraffe built by a furry who was invited to the White House Maker Faire and met President Obama (previously covered here.)

Check out this gigantic dragon by theatrical artists La Machine, who comes to life on an epic scale while spitting steam at watchers.

These are a sample of tech that could make great fursuits of the future. (Sorry to skunks for leaving out scent innovations.) What else do you know?

We knew Disney and Marvel were drawing closer together but… this? Wow! Following in the scaly footsteps of Figment, now Marvel brings us The Enchanted Tiki Room 5-issue comic book miniseries. “Welcome to the Enchanted Tiki Room, a place of legend…of fantasy…and mystery! Here, on an isolated and mysterious island, almost anything can happen. And often does! Inside the island’s Enchanted Tiki Room – an astonishing cast of birds, plants and ancient Tiki gods spring to life. As the next boat arrives carrying new visitors, what stories will unfold, what mysteries will be revealed and how are they all connected?” Written by Jon Adams and illustrated by Horacio Domingues, issue #1 is out now. Comics Beat has more. Ole’!

image c. 2016 Marvel Comics

Fun time! Thanks to all who joined us for the live stream. If you want to see the video, you can put it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6z__0VYWf40 142 - Fireside Chat Stream! - Fun time! Thanks to all who joined us for the li…

Howl of Thurston Howl Publications sends this guest review.  Thanks Howl!

REVIEW OF THE GOAT: BUILDING A PERFECT VICTIM BY BILL KIEFFER

Shock. From beginning to end. If you ever want a book to slap you in the face as hard as possible, this…this is for you.

Frank is a car worker. He is not gay. To verify this, he would not hesitate to glare you down. He would not hesitate to hit you. He would not hesitate to force you into his car. He would not hesitate to force your head on his cock and eventually force you to swallow. This is how he started to develop a relationship with Glenn.

Glenn is a cybermancer, strong with technological pseudomagic but not so great at wards like Frank. Loving the utter dominance Frank forces onto him, Glenn enters into an S&M relationship with the mechanic. However, the main story arc occurs when Glenn reveals that he is species-dysmorphic: despite being born in a human body, his natural identity is that of a goat. Unable to pass the necessary ani-mage tests, he can only dream about becoming a goat. However, Frank is a little better with magic…

This book is by NO MEANS a kinky romance. This is, as the author claims, horror erotica. Even as a Stephen King and Clive Barker fan, I was cringing so hard from the beginning and ending of the book, and I’m not sure I will fully recover in the next week. I might have to read My Little Pony fanfiction to survive in fact.

As far as constructive criticism goes, the book excels with its ability to horrify and disturb readers. As any horror aficionado will claim, the best horror is the kind that dwells under the surface of normal, everyday life and then bubbles up with an exploding pop at points. This novel thrives on that. You will fall in love with these characters, and, then, you will witness the new master of furry horror as he proceeds to not only rip your heart out, but also your intestines, your spleen, and whatever else he can find. While this book is by no means gory as my metaphor would make it seem, it is horrifying in levels that portray crueler fates than disembowelment.

My main critiques are with the magic system erected in the novel. It is introduced so suddenly and never really explained, although it is expanded gradually. Narratologically, the magic exists solely as a means of giving Frank the ability to control Glenn’s transformations. While the author does implement small uses of magic here and there—wards and a magical advisory board—it seems consistently too disconnected from the story Kieffer is trying to tell.

However, if you can suspend your disbelief in this system of magic, the novel will grip you—and drag you through the hell that is Frank’s twisted mind, or to put it more closely to the author’s words, Frank’s “fucked up” mind.

– Howl

Mickey Mouse’s lifetime companion (literally!) gets her artistic due in The Art of Minnie Mouse, new from Disney Book Group. “Minnie Mouse embodies a constant reminder to girls of all ages-including grown-ups!-to live confidently and express themselves. In The Art of Minnie Mouse, Disney artists, designers, illustrators, and animators from around the world re-imagine their favorite Minnie styles and portray them in a variety of mediums. Minnie’s earliest incarnation, her classic red polka-dot look, and trendy modern styles are all newly incarnated in water color, pastel, oil paint, colored pencil, mixed media, and computer graphics pieces that range from the traditional to the unconventional. The book also features a never-before-published comprehensive filmography of Minnie’s animated appearances as well as a visual timeline of her career milestones.” And it’s also available now in hardcover from Barnes & Noble.

image c. 2016 Disney Book Group

Happy Halloween, fuzzbutts! This is our annual episode where YOU write the show! In a twist, we've asked other victi--er, volunteers to help read your stories! We hope you enjoy the spoopy stories, which have had sound and music added to enhance your performa---er, the atmosphere. THANK YOU to everyone who helped by writing and voicing! We also have Space News, Get Psyched!, and the teaser for Fifty Sheds of Grey. Oh, and the mailbag gets cracked open! Happy Halloween!



NOW LISTEN!

Show Notes

Special Thanks

All our writers and readers!
Writers: Mfalme Lion, Rive the Rat, Rifka Fox, Joshua Dillon (twice), Smokescale Aquatos, D'Otter, Kuragari Inuken, Skylos, lostpanda, Ausi Kat.
Readers: Mfalme Lion, Miski, Diamondia Doodle, Zuka Zalad, Ranji, Buck Riley, Barnaby, Tenax Raccoon, Skylos, Kristian Collie, Blue.
Skylos, for the ident.
Spark the Dragon.
D'Otter.

Music

Opening Theme: Husky In Denial – Cloud Fields (Century Mix). USA: Unpublished, 2015. ©2015 Fur What It’s Worth and Husky in Denial. Based on Fredrik Miller– Cloud Fields (Radio Mix). USA: Bandcamp, 2011. ©2011 Fur What It’s Worth. (Buy a copy here – support your fellow furs!)
Some music was provided by Kevin MacLeod at Incompetech.com. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License. We used the following pieces:

Phantom from Space
 Awkward Meeting
Dance of Deception
Echoes of Time
Land of the Dead
Pop Goes the Weasel
Return of Lazarus
Static Motion
The House of Leaves
The Voices
This House
Welcome to Horrorland 1


Calcabrina Theme from Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward Soundtrack. FINAL FANTASY XIV © 2010-2016 SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD. All Rights Reserved. Used per Materials Usage License
Space News Music: Fredrik Miller – Orbit. USA: Bandcamp, 2013. Used with permission. (Buy a copy here – support your fellow furs!)
Get Psyched Music: Fredrik Miller – Universe, 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!)

Patreon Love

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

Premium Supporters

Oaken Bowler Hat Supporters

Rifka 

Plus Tier Supporters

Skylos

McRib Tier Supporters

Snares
Bassblitzed
Ilya / EpicRive

Want to be on this list? Donate on our Patreon page! THANK YOU to our supporters once again!
Next episode: Do you roleplay? To what end or why? What effects do you think it's had on the fandom? Let us know by November 4, 2016! S6 Episiode 6 – Halloween - Happy Halloween, fuzzbutts! This is our annual episode where YOU write the show! In a twist, we've asked other victi--er, volunteers to help read your stories! We hope you enjoy the spoopy stories, which have had sound and musi

Down one ferret that cast discusses the weeks news Episode -20 - Throwing sharks at the wall and seeing what sticks

The mighty machine that is Pokemon carries on — and no, we don’t mean Pokemon Go either. Pokemon Adventures: Ruby & Sapphire is the latest black & white manga to hit North America; coming to us thanks to Viz Media. “Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald face a new crisis of epic proportions: a giant meteor hurtling toward the planet! Don’t miss these awesome new adventures inspired by the best-selling Pokémon Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire video games and picking up where the Pokémon Adventures Ruby and Sapphire saga left off!” Illustrated by Satoshi Yamamoto and written by Hedenori Kusaka, this new digest-sized manga is available now. Anime News Network has this and a whole lot more brand-new Pokemon stuff as well.

image c. 2016 Viz Media

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Disoriented from a late start, Fayroe distracts us from the usual flow of news and emails with a new Halloween toy he found at Walmart.

Download MP3

Watch Video Link Roundup:

• Zoology review: A tail of individuality in oppressive Russia
• A New Monogamy? A Fresh Look at Open Marriage for 2016
• Night In The Woods release date set for January
• Awoo fines given out at Furpocalypse 2016
• Furpocalypse 2016 Snuggle Police

News:

• Dogs dream of you cats dream of Death
• Vine being shut down
• How the Adams Family totally gets BSDM relationships right
• Colorado unfairly targeting wildlife refuge at swingers’ sex club, says squirrel-loving swinger proprietor
• This Lost American Tourist’s 1-Star Yelp Review of Berghain Will Go Down in Infamy
• Spider Carries A Mouse Up A Refrigerator Like It’s No Big Deal
• Spiders Can Hear You From Several Meters Away – Even Without Any Ears
• A Teen Creates Horror Lifelike Creations With Special Effects Make Up
• Why Men And Women Can’t Agree On The Perfect Temperature

Emails:

• Shayne – “Hi :3 + worried about your basement creek secret door”
• Keoshi – “Musical Inquiries”
• elof – “So Yeah…”
• Cookie Fox-Dragon – “Relationship Problem”
• Trevor – “Slowly burning”

FC-249 Slip’N Spider - Disoriented from a late start, Fayroe distracts us from the usual flow of news and emails with a new Halloween toy he found at Walmart.

Disoriented from a late start, Fayroe distracts us from the usual flow of news and emails with a new Halloween toy he found at Walmart.

Download MP3

Watch Video Link Roundup:

• Zoology review: A tail of individuality in oppressive Russia
• A New Monogamy? A Fresh Look at Open Marriage for 2016
• Night In The Woods release date set for January
• Awoo fines given out at Furpocalypse 2016
• Furpocalypse 2016 Snuggle Police

News:

• Dogs dream of you cats dream of Death
• Vine being shut down
• How the Adams Family totally gets BSDM relationships right
• Colorado unfairly targeting wildlife refuge at swingers’ sex club, says squirrel-loving swinger proprietor
• This Lost American Tourist’s 1-Star Yelp Review of Berghain Will Go Down in Infamy
• Spider Carries A Mouse Up A Refrigerator Like It’s No Big Deal
• Spiders Can Hear You From Several Meters Away – Even Without Any Ears
• A Teen Creates Horror Lifelike Creations With Special Effects Make Up
• Why Men And Women Can’t Agree On The Perfect Temperature

Emails:

• Shayne – “Hi :3 + worried about your basement creek secret door”
• Keoshi – “Musical Inquiries”
• elof – “So Yeah…”
• Cookie Fox-Dragon – “Relationship Problem”
• Trevor – “Slowly burning”

FC-249 Slip’N Spider - Disoriented from a late start, Fayroe distracts us from the usual flow of news and emails with a new Halloween toy he found at Walmart.

Disoriented from a late start, Fayroe distracts us from the usual flow of news and emails with a new Halloween toy he found at Walmart.

Download MP3

Link Roundup:

• Zoology review: A tail of individuality in oppressive Russia
• A New Monogamy? A Fresh Look at Open Marriage for 2016
• Night In The Woods release date set for January
• Awoo fines given out at Furpocalypse 2016
• Furpocalypse 2016 Snuggle Police

News:

• Dogs dream of you cats dream of Death
• Vine being shut down
• How the Adams Family totally gets BSDM relationships right
• Colorado unfairly targeting wildlife refuge at swingers’ sex club, says squirrel-loving swinger proprietor
• This Lost American Tourist’s 1-Star Yelp Review of Berghain Will Go Down in Infamy
• Spider Carries A Mouse Up A Refrigerator Like It’s No Big Deal
• Spiders Can Hear You From Several Meters Away – Even Without Any Ears
• A Teen Creates Horror Lifelike Creations With Special Effects Make Up
• Why Men And Women Can’t Agree On The Perfect Temperature

Emails:

• Shayne – “Hi :3 + worried about your basement creek secret door”
• Keoshi – “Musical Inquiries”
• elof – “So Yeah…”
• Cookie Fox-Dragon – “Relationship Problem”
• Trevor – “Slowly burning”

[Live] Slip’N Spider

Papabear,

I don't know if this question really applies to you...but here ya go!

So I have depression, and occasionally I get into a very sad or mellow mood, but my friends usually think I am mad at them so they stay away from me rather than actually try to talk to me and ask me what's wrong. This happened today, when one of my friends asked me if I was mad at them and I said no, after they have proceeded to shun me the entire day. Is it because of my body language or what?

Amber (age 18)

* * *

Hi, Amber,

Thanks for your letter. I am intimately acquainted with the problems associated with depression. Quick question first: are you receiving any kind of treatment for your ailment?

Hugs,
Papabear

* * *

Yes, I am currently on Lexapro, though it's a really small dosage.

* * *

Okay, Amber, just wanted to be sure, first, that you were seeking some sort of treatment.

There are two basic causes of depression, as you may know: one is physiological, the other is caused by life events. In the former, a person becomes depressed because there is something amiss with their body chemistry. This can result from many factors: thyroid problems, adrenal gland problems, fibromyalgia, viral infections, brain tumors, stroke, Parkinson's disease, and on and on. This is why it can be important to see a good psychiatrist (rather than psychologist) who has medical training. The other cause of depression is a negative life event (death in the family, divorce, bad news about a disease, being bullied in school) or problems with one's behavior (drug or alcohol addiction, bad dietary and exercise practices, sleep deprivation, overwork, and so on).

In the former case, there is really no advice you can get from friends that will help. You have a medical condition. In the latter case, it kind of only works if a friend has been through the same thing you have. Even so, everyone reacts to bad life events in different ways, and what works for one person might not for another. For example, people kept telling me to go to group therapy for widowers, so, finally, I went. Didn't help at all. In fact, it made me feel worse, so I stopped going. 

The thing about friends and family of those suffering from depression is that most people don't know how to handle themselves around people like you and me. We make them uncomfortable because they don't know if they can comfort us or if saying something might offend us or make matters worse. Now, in your case, it sounds as if your friends misinterpret your depression for being sullen and angry. Have you actually told them you suffer from depression? Just saying, "No, I'm not angry at you," is not really enough because they still don't know what is wrong. They might think you're lying and really are angry.

So the first step is to tell your friends what your problem really is and that you have medication for it (there's no shame in this; many people are in the same boat as you). If they come up to you and ask if they can do anything, tell them that the best thing they can do to help you is to be with you, keep you company, perhaps some hugs would be nice. If you're like me and many others, getting "advice" from people who might be well-intentioned but seriously do not understand what you are going through can be very irritating and annoying. As I always say, if you don't know what you're talking about, the best thing you can do is shut up.

But you don't need their advice. What you need is some normalcy and companionship in your life. Having your friends shun you and isolate you is going to make you feel worse, as you already know. You need to reconnect to your friends.

To do this, wait until you're in a pretty good mood and not in one of your dark moods. Talk to your friends during this time. Explain to them frankly what you are going through and give them the heads up that sometimes you may be a bit hard to deal with, but that when that happens you hope that they could come and give you a hug and try to lift your spirits by just being there for you. Tell them you don't expect them to try and solve your problems--you are working on that yourself--but you still need them in your life.

Make sense?

Good luck!!!

Papabear
​

More from Toon Books, this time on a much more serious subject. It’s a full-color comic-style book called Benny and Penny in How to Say Goodbye. “Why won’t Benny care? Penny finds a dead salamander, but her brother Benny doesn’t want anything to do with it. Is it silly to have a ceremony for Little Red, or could the loss of this tiny animal mean much more to the lovable siblings? With his unique knack for portraying children’s emotional turmoil, Geisel Award-winner Geoffrey Hayes shares this gentle tale of an early encounter with death.” The latest Benny and Penny book is available now in hardcover.

image c. 2016 Toon Books

Hello Everyone!

We open this week's show with a discussion on ways to make your polyamorous relationship more sustainable. When couples make the switch from a monogamous to a polyamorous relationship, many face feelings of fear, jealousy, and anger. We discuss an article written by one such individual and the ways that he and his partners worked through those feelings to find relationship stability and bliss.

Our main topic is on empathy. Much like our previous episode on Envy versus Jealousy, many people often use sympathy and empathy interchangeably. We discuss the differences between the two before diving into why empathy matters in your life and your relationship. Empathy forms one of the core foundations upon which a relationship stands-- too much and you find yourself burning out, too little and your partner might seek elsewhere to find emotional support. We look into how you can use empathy in a way to resolve conflicts in a non-violent fashion, and how empathy can reinforce your emotional boundaries and integrity. We also discuss the levels of empathy that we experience and ways that we have had to either raise or lower that level to keep our relationship going. 

We close this week with a question about the appropriate speed one should explore their sexual interests, especially if they are experiencing their "gay teens" later on in life. We talk safety, responsibility, and how to keep Grindr from becoming more important than your friends. 

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

Thanks and, as always, be well!

FA 042 Empathy - Are polyamorous couples more prone to fighting? How essential is Empathy in a relationship? How much sexploration is too much sexploration? All this, and more, on this week's Feral Attraction!

Ape and Armadillo Take Over the World is a new hardcover Toon Book for young readers, written and illustrated (in full color) by James Sturm. “How much fun would it be to take over the world? Armadillo is trying to come up with a plan for global domination…but with every new idea, being a bad guy seems a little less fun. Young readers will delight in star cartoonist James Sturm ‘s tender depiction of how far a true friendship can take you.” Order it over at the Toon Books site.

image c. 2016 Toon Books

Hello Papabear,

I am going to be handing out candy for Halloween and was wondering what is the safest way to go about doing this with the kids and my fursuit?

T-Lo

* * *

Hi, T-Lo,

Good question! And I better post this now since it is almost time!

Halloween is a great time to fursuit. I've done it several time, handing out candy at my house. The thing about fursuiting at night is that it can be very difficult to see. Also, it can be hard handing out little candies when you are wearing forepaws. 

So, the solution is that you should always do this with one or more non-suiters with you. It's kind of like having a handler when you are at a furcon or furmeet. In the case of Halloween, the handler will actually handle the candy and make sure you don't stumble into anything or anyone in the dark. The fursuiter doesn't worry about the candy thing and, instead, you focus on interacting with the trick or treaters.

Apply the same rules to interacting with trick or treaters as you would if you were at a convention. That is, first, do not approach little kids on your own but let them come to you if they wish to interact. Kids, especially little ones, can actually be a bit overwhelmed or even scared of a fursuit, even one that is not scary (the same way some kids freak out about Santa Claus). This is because you're very large and look strange to them. That's really the minority, though. Most kids will be delighted to see you and you will often get compliments from the adults about your cool "costume."

Other tips: keep water available (usually in plastic travel mug with long strong); if your handler has to go inside to use the restroom, go in with them because you don't want to be out there by yourself; when interacting with little ones, it can be helpful to squat down or kneel down to try and be more at their level, which makes you a bit less intimidating.

Hope this helps! Have a splendiferous Halloween!

Papabear​