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Here’s a rather unique manga we came across. You can tell just by the title: Ex-Yakuza and Stray Kitten, written and illustrated by Riddle Kamimura. “After being abandoned in the cold rain, tiny kitten Sabu should have been grateful to find a new home. But when he’s rescued by Jin, whose every atom screams ‘yakuza’, Sabu suspects he’s out of the frying pan and into the fire! Yet Jin’s scarred hands and face hide a sweet man beneath… a man who pampers kitties with baths and bottle-feedings!” Several volumes are available from Seven Seas.

image c. 2024 Seven Seas Entertainment

Graphic novels that help teach language skills to the youngest of readers? Of course you’re going to use anthropomorphics for that! Check out Worm and Caterpillar Are Friends, written and illustrated by Kaz Windness. “Worm and Caterpillar are friends—best friends. Worm loves how they are just alike, but Caterpillar has a feeling there is a big change coming. Then Caterpillar disappears for a while and comes back as Butterfly. Will Butterfly and Worm still be friends?” Well, you can find out now from Simon & Schuster.

image c. 2024 Simon & Schuster

The strange folks over at Silver Sprocket have a strange series of one-shot comics called Everything Sucks. One of the most recent is Everything Sucks: All Cats Go To Hell!, written and illustrated by Michael Sweater (creator of Please Keep Warm). “Everyone loves cats, but Noah knows the truth: They’re maliciously smart, can’t be trusted, and may actually understand how deadbolts work. Honestly, he really shouldn’t be left alone with them. Michael Sweater combines ‘90s animation nostalgia, sitcom antics, and a seasoning of stoner comedy in this hilarious new comic.” Which is available now, by the way.

image c. 2024 Silver Sprocket

TigerTails Radio Season 15 Episode 12. Join the Discord Chat: https://discord.gg/SQ5QuRf For a full preview of events and for previous episodes, please visit http://www.tigertailsradio.co.uk. See website for full breakdown of song credits, which is usually updated shortly after the show. If you like what we do and wish to throw some pennies our way to support us, please consider sending a little tip our way. https://streamlabs.com/tigertailsradio/tip * Please note, tips are made to support TigerTails Radio and are assumed as made with good faith, so are therefore non-refundable. Thank you for your support and understanding.

Dear Papabear:

My 11-year-old brother has come out to me as a gay furry.

I was pretty taken aback, I won’t lie, but I tried to be supportive/encouraging and thanked him for confiding in me. But I’m worried about his safety in the furry community, which I am completely unfamiliar with but concerned about since he is only 11 years old and has put his username as "boy kisser" on some furry website. I am worried about bad people within the community taking advantage of him. He’s at a vulnerable age and has unlimited internet access pretty much 24/7 and my parents don’t see that as an issue. I also don’t want to out him to them in case they make him feel alienated from his hobby and/or his sexuality.

It’s not my job to parent him, but how do I talk to him about safety within the furry community? How do I talk to my parents to ensure they take his safety seriously whilst being understanding of his hobby?

Kind Regards,

Sera (age 21)

* * *

Dear Sera,

You are a good sister. Although, yeah, you're not his mom, older siblings often work as surrogate parents. You are not obligated to be his parent, but you're doing great as an older sibling. 

Anyway, when it comes to supervision, that's on your parents. And it isn't just about the furry community. Being online in general--furry or not--can be dangerous for kids who are as young as your brother (or older, too, honestly). There are all kinds of criminal, unsavory, bullying, and harmful people out there. Yes, there are definitely some in the furry community (mostly, I believe, these are pedos and other nasties who aren't really furry but they infiltrate the community to prey on vulnerable innocent kids, often luring them with porn). 

I do recommend you talk to your parents, reminding them that unsupervised access to the internet leaves your brother vulnerable to predators, cyberbullies, and pedos (this is regardless of his being a furry and gay). Your parents are not alone in shirking their responsibilities in this area. As this PR Newswire story explains, about half of all American parents do not supervise their kids. That is a big mistake. Would your parents let your 11-year-old brother walk down a dark alley in a city with porn shops and adult video arcades? I doubt they would. The internet is the same thing. Make a wrong turn and you're in a dark place where you are in danger even though you're sitting at a desk, warm and comfy in your own home (see https://www.familyorbit.com/blog/the-risks-of-unsupervised-internet-access-for-kids-and-teens/).

Some resources you can recommend for them include:

• https://www.schoolsafety.gov/bullying-and-cyberbullying
• https://ojjdp.ojp.gov/sites/g/files/xyckuh176/files/jjjournal/jjjournal1598/net.html (an article about protecting kids from online sex predators)
• https://timtebowfoundation.org/protectourchildren/ (interestingly, footballer Tim Tebow started a foundation to protect kids)
• https://hanleyfoundation.org/resources/prevention/8-apps-all-parents-should-know-about/ (an article pointing out particularly dangerous apps for kids--it does not include furry sites, the #1 of which is FurAffinity, which is loaded with furporn)
• https://www.dfinow.org/for-parents/ (resources for your parents)

In summation, the important issue here is keeping your brother safe. I know you're worried about outing him as gay or a furry, but that is really secondary. Honestly, at 11 years old, your brother is still exploring who he is, so we shouldn't draw any conclusions about that. It is important that parents perform a balancing act between keeping their kids safe yet allowing them to grow as people and not restricting them so much that they feel like they are being punished or that their mom and dad don't like them. It's hard! Being a parent is hard! But they need to try their best.

Finally, here is an editorial I wrote about the whole issue: https://www.askpapabear.com/letters/my-final-word-on-minors-in-the-fandom.

Thank you for being a caring sister.

Write again if you need to, and I promise I will respond more quickly now that I have recovered from the holidays.

Bear Hugs,
Papabear

We can’t say it better than the publishers did: “Bear, Staffan Gnosspelius’s debut book, is a gorgeous visual meditation on depression. In this deeply affecting, wordless picture book for adults, a bear is maddeningly afflicted with a cone that covers his head and that he is unable to take off. He furiously stomps and yells and tears at the cone, he implores the skies and fate for relief, he is drawn to dark and wild and scary places. The depths of his sadness feel like a defeat. It’s a battle he wages until he’s mentally and physically exhausted. Then, one day, Bear hears notes of music, the humming of a friendly hare. The hare hovers nearby, concerned, sometimes driven away by Bear’s frustration and anger, more often staying close and gently offering support.” This full-color graphic novel is available in hardcover from Seven Stories Press.

image c. 2024 Seven Stories Press

On February 27, 2022, Pokémon Presents announced Pokémon Scarlet & Violet. Players were surprised as Legends Arceus had only just released a month prior in January. A few months later, the newest Pokémon games were released on November 18, to a bit of a mixed reception. The general consensus among most is that many like the games but they’re not without their share of issues. To be fair, Scarlet and Violet were by no means a perfect release. Performance bugs including lag, rendering problems etc. And a few other oddities such as the first few seconds of the Elite Four theme being stuck in a loop. These were the kinds of things players noted. Now, this isn’t anything really new for Pokémon, the original Red and Blue became infamous for their number of exploitable bugs and game breaking glitches, Diamond and Pearl had an exploitable bug that let players catch event exclusive Pokémon without the required event exclusive items. 

The DLC, collectively known as The Hidden Treasure of Area Zero was announced exactly a year later, with Part 1: The Teal Mask releasing on Sep 13 and Part 2: The Indigo Disk releasing on Dec 14 of the same year. Neither fixed all the bugs and magically made the games perfect but both brought welcome additions with new areas, new characters and new Pokémon.

国际兽视开发《政策点》，汇集其政策和准则的一站式平台

Okay, there’s no getting around it: The new Guardians of Horsa graphic novel series feels like My Little Pony meets Pixar’s Elemental. But see what you think: “Welcome to the realm of Horsa, a world of magic, wild horses, and danger. The four elemental herds of Horsa live in uncertain peace, which is to say: stay out of each other’s way and all will be fine. But when signs of a mysterious prophecy about a yearling with untold magical powers appear, four young horses from each herd are called to action. Now these elemental enemies must work together to solve the prophecy, find the yearling, and restore balance to Horsa.” Multiple volumes are available now in trade paperback, written by Roan Black and illustrated by the Glass House Graphics team.

image c. 2024 Little Simon

CassMutt jumps on for an interview on their experiences with Fursuit making! See more at: http://www.TheRaccoonsDen.com CassMutt: https://linktr.ee/cassmutt TOP DOG Studios: https://www.top-dog.studio/ FACEBOOK: http://www.Facebook.com/TheRaccoonsDen TWITTER/X: http://www.Twitter.com/TheRaccoonsDen FURAFFINITY: http://www.FurAffinity.net/user/TheRaccoonsDen INSTAGRAM: http://www.Instagram.com/TheRaccoonsDen TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@theraccoonsden #TheRaccoonsDen #TRDs9 #CassMutt

MOOBARKFLUFF! Click here to send us a comment or message about the show!

Moobarkfluff!  Taebyn, Bearly and Rayne are all back and in rare form.  Taebyn and Rayne give us a recap of Anthro NW, Taebyn and Bearly recap Further Confusion, We hear from Bearly and Taebyn on the road to FC.  Tell jokes, Furry News, have fun, and generally laugh a lot.  Come join us, won’t you, for this super sized flufftacular episode of BFFT! Moobarkfluff all you furs! 

 Taebyn YouTube 

Taebyn Merch at Fourthwall 

 Wild Bills Soda 

Merch at Redbubble 

Merch at Bonfire 

Merch at Fourthwall 

This podcast contains adult language and adult topics. It is rated M for Mature. Listener discretion is advised.

Support the show

Thanks to all our listeners and to our staff: Bearly Normal, Rayne Raccoon, Taebyn, Cheetaro, TickTock, and Ziggy the Meme Weasel.

You can send us a message on Telegram at BFFT Chat, or via email at: bearlyfurcasting@gmail.com

Bearly Furcasting S4E39 - Icy Cubes

One of those projects that’s not really furry per se, but it sure seems to have a lot of non-human characters in it! Hotel REM is a new full-color all-ages graphic novel, written by Zack Keller, with art by Gabriele Bagnoli and Valerio Alloro. “Rembrandt Somner is the happy-go-lucky new owner of Hotel REM, a place for all the fantastic people and creatures in our dreams to hang out when we wake up. Channeling his endless enthusiasm, Rem attempts to balance his unwieldy coworkers and wild guests in order to run a successful business that makes his parents proud. However, a demanding celebrity guest threatens to be the rude awakening that ruins everything!” The preview is up over at Dark Horse Comics.

image c. 2024 Dark Horse Comics

Lovely Muco! is a black & white manga that’s written and illustrated by Takayuki Mizushina. It’s also popular enough to have been adapted into an anime series already. “In the beautiful mountains of Akita stands Glass Studio Amato, run by Mr. Komatsu and the shiny-nosed dog who loves him — Muco!! Muco dreams of the day when Mr. Komatsu will become a dog, too, but in the meantime she spends her days chewing up towels, jumping in the pond, and inventing new games…all called ‘Komatsu’! Based on a real person, a real dog, and a real glass studio, there’s something here for everyone—even cat lovers!” And the manga’s still available from Penguin Random House.

image c. 2024 Penguin Random House

Listen to Titania talk about what furry means to her. ---- Social Media: Official FABP Twitter: https://twitter.com/foxandburger Michael: https://twitter.com/foxnakh https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK9xoFQrxFTNPMjmXfUg2cg Burger: https://twitter.com/L1ghtningRunner

Dear Papabear:

Why is "cis" considered negative/would upset people?

I've noticed that within some interactions between some people, the term "cis" is considered negative and that it would piss people off. I do not fully understand why, and I also find it a bit contradictory since the furry community is considered to be accepting. I do know that my definition of "accepting" may not align with everyone else's, as my definition is "regardless of background, creed, ethnicity, gender, and any other defining factors of a person, they are to be treated with respect and understood as another human being." Again, my definition may not align with others', and I wish to understand why "cis" is considered a negative thing and may upset people.

Aryu (age 18)

* * *

Hi, Aryu,

That is an excellent and highly germane question to ask in these tumultuous social order times, so thank you for your letter. Before I answer the question, a little background for readers because sometimes people think they know what a term means but they might get it a little — or a lot — wrong.

The term "cisgender" was coined in 1994 by Dana Defosse, who at the time was a graduate student researching trans adolescent health and wrote a post using the term on the alt.transgender discussion board (Defosse currently works at a library developing health literacy programs). She came up with the term to fill a need for a word describing people who were not trans, so she borrowed terminology used in chemistry in which atoms positioned on the same side of a molecule are designated cis versus those on opposite sides of a molecule, which are designated trans (i.e., cis-trans isomerism). It was as simple as that. Defosse was just trying to find one word to conveniently distinguish non-trans people from trans people in a way that was not awkward for readers.

As trans rights have come more and more to the forefront of public debate, the term cisgender has come under fire from both straight people and LGB people. The main objection is that they do not wish to be part of the trans nomenclature that includes such terms as well as the plethora of pronouns. It is, in essence, the fear of semantic infiltration. That is, the fear that those outside your demographic are forcing you to define yourself by their terms. The technique of semantic infiltration has been used historically in politics, such as the Russians inserting terms into debates with the West during the Cold War and then changing the usage of certain terms in order to present a more favorable opinion of their political views. The fear in the LGB and straight communities (not all people in these groups, but some) is that trans people are using words (and defining non-trans people with them) across the LGBTQIA spectrum to forcefully fit everyone into their paradigm so that trans people are not seen as "other." Also there is resentment that "normal" straight people or "normal" gay people do not need a new word to define them because they have been using "straight" or "gay" or "lesbian" for decades.

The use of cisgender has hence become embroiled in the literal battle of words in our society. Defosse finally spoke out about this in a Huff Post article dated February 18, 2023, in which she wrote: "Although I’ve not yet experienced personal attacks for being associated with its creation, it is painful when people imply it was intended to hurt others. I never believed that adding the word to the lexicon caused problems ― it only revealed them." In other words, it's not the term that's the problem; the word just reveals the underlying social unrest more poignantly. Defosse continued: "It saddens me to hear that people feel harmed by the word cisgender. Is the creation of the word to blame? No. Cisgender is just a straw man. It is easier to attack a word than to address the reasons people feel intimidated by discussions of gender identity."

I hope that answers your question. I recommend reading the entire Defosse letter for her full response.

Bear Hugs
Papabear (a cis gay bear)

Dear Papabear,

Can I fursuit at theme parks? I'm thinking Busch Gardens.

Tomax (age 13)

* * *

Hi, Tomax,

Theme parks such as Disneyland and Busch Gardens do not allow people to wear costumes "for the safety of our guests." What this means is that there is a concern that people who show up at parks with their faces disguised behind masks could pose a danger to the public. For the same reason, you are not going to be allowed into a bank or a government building wearing a mask. Also, many parks (public and private) will not allow fursuits or other identity-concealing headwear. (In case you're wondering about Disney costumed characters, all of them are employed by Disneyland, so there is no concern there.)

Before you plan to go to any public or private venue, always check with the organizers of the event to see what the dress code is. There are some exceptions to the above rule. For example, from what I've seen, a number of Renaissance Faires are fine with fursuits. So, if you have a Ren Faire near you this year, you might want to check that out, but Busch Gardens is a definite no-no.

Thanks for your question!

Papabear

I hope this message finds you well, Papabear!

I'm Bulmuc, and I've been part of the furry community for almost four years now! It's been "pawsome" hanging out with everyone online, but lately, I've been thinking about taking things a step further and going to furmeets and conventions to meet other furries in person. The thing is, I'm just twelve, and I'm not entirely sure if it's okay or safe for me to do that.

You know, I've heard some stories about younger furries feeling kinda odd or not really fitting in at these events, and it's making me a bit nervous. I really, really want to join in on all the exciting stuff, but I also want to make sure I'll be okay and not feel totally out of place. That's why I thought maybe you could help me out since you seem to know a lot about this kind of stuff.

So, considering I'm almost hitting my fourth year as a furry, I'm wondering if there are specific rules or things I should be aware of before heading to furmeets and conventions at my age. Also, there was something that happened at the 2014 Midwest FurFest, they called it "chlorine con," and it's kinda worrying me. I'm scared something like that might happen again, especially at big events like that.

I really, really want to go and meet new furry friends, but I want to make sure it's a safe and good thing for someone like me to do. I thought maybe you could give me some advice or let me know what I should keep in mind before I make any plans. Your help would mean so much to me, and it would make things a lot easier for me to understand.

Thanks a bunch for listening, Papabear! I'm super excited to hear what you have to say.

Take care,

Bulmuc (Colorado, age 12)

* * *

Hi, Bulmuc,

Judging by your letter, it sounds like your parents are cool with your being a furry and going to cons and meets, so that's pretty pawsome. Because you are underage, when it comes to cons you will have to be accompanied by a parent or guardian. This means they will need to be with you whenever you are in con space (I'm guessing you're considering DenFur, so I would visit their website to check about age policies). I hope you're okay with that. Most of the attendees will be in the 18-30 age range, so while they will be cool with you being there, it's not going to be any easier to mingle with them than it would be if you went to a high school dance and tried to ask a girl to dance. Age difference, doncha know. As for Furmeets, they can be even more clique-ish than cons. Contact the furmeet organizer(s), tell them who you are and your age, and see if they feel you would mix well with the attendees. Some furmeets are rather closed off to friends only, while others (Prancing Skiltaire is a primo example) are open to anyone. So, ask. 

You say that you have been fraternizing with young furries online for four years now. Do you know any of them who are going to a con or meet you are considering attending? it's always better to go to a furry event with people you already know. If you can't find any friends to go with you, another option is to start your own furmeet and invite guests to a party. You can do a game tournament or watch furry movies or maybe organize a trip to a local park. 

I hope this answers your question. If not, feel free to write again.

Stay Furry!
Papabear
​

Garden State Fur The Weekend is an upcoming furry convention set for May 3-5, 2024 in New Brunswick, New Jersey. With their launch only months away, something unusual happened. GSFTW posted an official statement about opposing hate and Nazi-fur groups.

Its come to the attention of the GSFTW Board of Directors that there has been activity within our channels by those who do not represent us or our intentions as a convention or as a fandom.

We strive to keep our sights focused on a open, safe, and fun space for our weekend. With…

— Garden State Fur The Weekend (@gardenstatefur) January 12, 2024

It was followed by an announcement of the con chair stepping down and a new one stepping up. It blames medical issues of the ex-chair, Dashing Fox. Dogpatch Press wishes good health to him. The story could end there, but unofficially, the change was forced by staff resignations. You’re seeing the aftermath of revolt behind the scenes, then getting back on track for launch. Yes, they stood up with the power of collective will to change the leadership for the better.

Attention all

It has come to the Board's attention that Dashing Foxie will be stepping down as our organization's Convention Chairperson. While this is a heavy moment for the con, we will be moving forward as the Board to review and appoint a new Con Chair as soon as possible… https://t.co/jbrAk3QH77

— Garden State Fur The Weekend (@gardenstatefur) January 13, 2024

This reporting is not to pile on, but for public interest. GSFTW’s interest is to make a nice event with good PR for its community. There’s also reading between the lines to learn about solving cross-community issues. We’ll cover the negative before looking forward to the positive.

Digging in

Let’s not beat around the bush about why staff resigned to uproot the ex-chair: He actively associated with the Furry Raiders. They are a nazifur group who wither everything they touch. Their ties to alt-right hate groups and criminal schemes could fill a book.

The public has been aware that the Furry Raiders are toxic since it became national news years ago. What was the ex-chair thinking? Some may accuse corruption. The most charitable reading would be a critical security lapse by someone who didn’t screen associates or read the room.

Not only was there internal disruption; it made a PR problem about transparency of it all. History shows it’s possible to play musical chairs without changing the music. Nobody wants to get led down the garden path or see history repeat. So let’s ask questions, even if GSFTW is truly on the path to success.

Dogpatch Press did due diligence to seek comment from numerous people involved, including the official con channel, PR, the ex-chair, and new chair. Gracious responses came from the new chair and a staffer.

The chair switch came not long after a switch to a new hotel; questions to the con found a positive reason. How about finance decisions? More questions soon…

It’s fine to weed out nazifurs, (something to just do, not do for show) but the ex-chair’s Furry Raiders activity was open for almost 4 years. Wouldn’t there be much less concern if it was nipped in the bud at the start?

Back to the start: Sowing seeds of a new con

GSFTW’s 2020 organizing plans were delayed by Covid, until late 2022, when a Wikifur page was made by the con’s then-Head of PR. The page named official GSFTW channels and groups, 23 staffers, and two Guests of Honor (Leaf Dubois and Cooper Tom). Good things were growing for fans who are under-served with full events nearby.

I'm so excited to be the artist & GoH for Garden State Fur the Weekend, a New Jersey furry con coming in May 2024! I'm proud of this first piece of diner art and I'm working on more. Follow @GardenStateFur to stay tuned, and I hope to see you there! pic.twitter.com/Nk9wCNbue1

— Leaf (@LeafDubois) November 25, 2022

Nearby events had a vacancy after the departure of Fur Affinity: United from New Jersey. There’s the single-day New Years Furry Ball, and Fur The ‘More is across state lines, but New Jersey had no full convention. A plan for one in Atlantic City never launched after suffering from hate activity in 2018… Which could have been a clue to avoid perennial troublemakers, but here we go again… 

Snakes in the Grass

GSFTW’s 2024 statement against hate is vague about who was doing it in their channels. There wasn’t just one source, and it wasn’t just association without knowing who they were. Names can be named, and a chain of activity illustrates this.

There was prior knowledge by the ex-chair Dashing Fox. In a 2018 case of handling complaints, members of a local furmeet were unhappy with the presence of a nazifur zoophile named Crusader Cat. His history of being a chronic nuisance and banned from things was met with defensive denial by Dashing Fox.

In the denial, “the person who runs it is gay and in the minority” is propaganda from the Furry Raiders themselves. The term for what they do is Collaborator. Collaboration is the way systematic oppression uses cooperation from some members of targeted groups. The history of gay fascists shows it. Before WWII, there were western Jews who wanted to get rid of eastern Jews and supported Hitler. Such manipulation is behind Nazifur claims of “free expression” (for them…) Conning people to play along is how fascism works. It has no consistent position except grabbing power, and maneuvering like a chameleon for leverage. Targeted people will help them for selfish short-term benefit, and say you’ll benefit later if you help too (while they plot your destruction.)

The Furry Raiders were collaborators with alt-right figure Milo Yiannopolous in a scheme to “destroy” furry cons. Wait until you see their point person, and the tangle of ties around the Crusader Cat complaints.

"Billy the sex offender has never harassed or abused ME so I don't see what the problem is"

— Daz The Big Blue Dog (@daztoons) October 8, 2018

Eventually Dashing Fox did come around and remove Crusader Cat. So far, so good. But then 2 years later… I did nazi that coming!

Fool me once, fool me twice

In 2020, a fuse was lit when Dashing Fox went on the Furry Raiders podcast to promote the plan for GSFTW. Giving air time to a nazifur group boosted their signal while making negative PR. Their channels have no audience or purpose except to promote their propaganda, so nothing could be gained there for anyone except them. Actively associating with nazifurs is known to cost the reputation of anyone who does, so Dashing Fox made a conscious choice, especially when…

Dashing Fox is named as friend of Furry Raiders admin Richie “Aeveirra” Felitti, a self-avowed fascist who was partner with the prior-banned Crusader Cat.

The core of the story.

This isn’t just bad opinions. Aeveirra was a point person for a scheme of alt-right violence aimed at a convention.

“You have to destroy the shit they love” – the Midwest Furfest 2019 scheme

Before the 2020 podcast, Aeveirra represented Furry Raiders in a video with Milo Yiannopolous, while his nazifur group invited Milo to preach about destroying furry cons. Meanwhile, Milo ran another secret group to plan a hostile MFF visit. That’s where Milo’s nazifur collaborators and alt-right followers would welcome the Proud Boys fascist gang. On their part, Proud Boys mutually threatened to bring violence to MFF. This was collaboration with terrorists, ultimately proven by their seditious conspiracy convictions for the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol in 2021.

The MFF scheme unraveled when the con banned Milo. His secret group was leaked to prove the threat that furries faced down.

After the scheme fizzled, Dashing Fox actively associated with nazifurs known to be toxic to conventions. Ignoring this lets a pattern fester and spread. It makes even more reason to scrutinize the friendship and agenda of Aeveirra.

Aeveirra’s agenda

As an active Furry Raiders admin, Richie “Aeveirra” Felitti is the opposite of someone a well-run convention would ever want near executive power, finances, operations, or security. What would he do with influence?

Take time to browse Aeveirra’s history of befriending and defending fascists and criminally charged sex offenders, and retaliating on their behalf at people who observe their crimes. Imagine the following people gaining favor at the top… Besides Crusader Cat, people shielded by Aeveirra include:

• The Furry Raiders founder, Lee “Foxler” Miller (3 charges for child sex crimes.)
• Joshua “Kero the Wolf” Hoffman (necro-zoosadist ring member.)
• Carl “RC Fox” Kirkwood (sex offenses for trading CSAM). He admitted crime but suicided to escape impending conviction.
• Aeveirra’s shielding included retaliation at Dogpatch Press for linking mainstream news about RC Fox’s crime. It was a scapegoating attack to defend him, with a baseless truther-conspiracy theory that RC was framed.
• There was also a witness intimidation scheme on behalf of Foxler. When Dogpatch Press uncovered the scheme, it earned 8 years in jail for another admin of the Furry Raiders, Jacob Kovar, a convicted sex offender. Using a fresh fursona, Kovar convinced an upcoming convention to make him Head of Security before he was removed due to his arrest. Kovar is “Sneps” in the screenshot of Milo preaching to destroy conventions.

This police lineup of creeps is exactly what Aeveirra set out to favor with their own new convention.

The plot thickens: Aeveirra helped to fund the Free Fur All “Fashcon” with Nazifur money.

In Oklahoma, Free Fur All was founded by far-right founder Peacewolf out of spite at another convention, where Peacewolf was ousted as its Chair in 2020. (See a pattern?) Free Fur All was dedicated to welcoming nuisances banned elsewhere, earning the name “Fashcon”, but their own competing factions proved that Nazifurs wither everything they touch. Only a few dozen went in 2023 after fighting over Peacewolf’s sex scandal and the influence of Furry Raiders within.

A Free Fur All board meeting was leaked by an aggrieved insider, and it names Aeveirra as a heavy donor. Some sources claim that Aeveirra was spending an inheritance. Meanwhile in the Furry Raiders, founder Foxler claimed sponsorship, implying his money was laundered on behalf of people who don’t launder their fursuits. Whatever the source, nazifur money spreads nazifur influence.

• Foxler claim of sponsoring. — An unkempt Aeveirra in Nazifur armband. — Leak of Free Fur All board meeting with Aeveirra named funder at 47:50.

Evidence of the Furry Raiders splitting up competing nazifur factions came from sources involved in organizing for Free Fur All. The same sources went on to make similar complaints about losing favor with GSFTW.

• Free Fur All organizer discussion in 2022. — Same sources mad that “Furry Raiders speak for us” and lost them access to GSFTW.

Aeveirra’s agenda with Free Fur All was carried out in between the 2020 podcast with Dashing Fox about founding GSFTW, and GSFTW’s intended launch. It certainly was interesting timing.

Asking about influence on GSFTW

Dogpatch Press sent questions to insiders, GSFTW’s official info email, staffers, the ex-chair and the new chair. An entry level staffer “speaking solely from a personal perspective” responded to the below point.

This was a good-faith attempt to get a “No”. Good-faith effort to respond makes a difference — even if concern is barking up the wrong tree or topics can’t be discussed beyond a simple statement. For other questions, the staffer provided good PR. They asked to stay anonymous and wanted answers kept in context. For brevity, Dogpatch Press has a long chat on file and only suggests that conventions should take questions of influence seriously.

The new Chair wasn’t very familiar with the issue either, but stated “As far as I’m aware, there is no association with Aeveirra and the convention.”

Messages were traded with Dashing Fox, with days of attempts to have a fur-to-fur conversation about events here. A passed publication deadline with two extensions leave it for a future date. The other staffer who responded affirmed:

The entire convention leadership was in favor of the statement put up publicly, including Dashing Fox, and the decision to review who was present on staff and within our chats was decided by them as well.

Those present on staff have all outwardly expressed disdain for Raiders, and have zero interest in having them or anyone else in a similar vein (that being hate or discrimination) present at our events.

Behind the public statements

Credit is due to GSFTW for acting strongly to repel Nazifurs. More inside info is staying private due to feelings that the dispute was over. The concern here is that forcing change took several years, while the problem festered as a symptom of a larger one. Allowing a single Nazifur leads them to bring other ones.

A witness complaint

Nazifur groups are a tiny fringe, so they are barely separated and all mingle, but the risk is grabbing larger influence, from con operations to group leadership.

Take for example another recently-removed member of the GSFTW Telegram group, Chris “Astral” Curtis. Astral went to Free Fur All with his partner Norby, and ran his own nazifur group full of Furry Raiders, insurrectionism, and violent racist hate speech. (Evidence channel).

Meanwhile, Astral’s partner Norby was admin of a furry group in New York, close to their friend Aeveirra in Long island. In mid 2023 a member attempted to report Aeveirra’s nazifur activity, only to have Norby lash back with an unhinged onslaught of vicious verbal abuse. The group admin retaliated on behalf of his fascist friend, subjecting people to rule by terror. It makes the point of this story.

Evidence of a festering problem. 

• 2023 admin response by Norby towards report about Aeveirra. — Norby, Astral, and Aeveirra from Furry Raiders blog about Anthrocon 2019.

These were known nuisances as long ago as Anthrocon 2015. Dogpatch Press watched in person a few feet away while Norby and Astral brought a Confederate flag to the fursuit parade, embarassing Anthrocon and forcing them to make a conduct rule about it.

Astral and Norby at Anthrocon 2015

This pattern will repeat until nazifurs are shown the door. No place is safe with them in it. Staying passive just raises the cost of acting. This culminated in GSFTW staff resignations, then getting back on track and removing Astral and more nuisances who had favor with the ex-chair. The reasonable amount of nazifurs to tolerate is zero, and the sooner that’s established, the less damage they do.

People who took action are now wishing the best for GSFTW. Only fascists would win with a con pushing up daisies and a hotel full of tumbleweeds, so let’s not lose the forest for the trees. People with good intentions want a good con.

Looking at a rosy future

Shy Matsi is the new chair who represents optimism.

Attention all!

Garden State Fur The Weekend would officially like to welcome @shy_matsi as our Convention Chairperson!

Shy has an incredible history within the fandom and will be showing us the sights and sounds of a city he knows and loves!

Stay tuned for more information! https://t.co/iindMEg8KH

— Garden State Fur The Weekend (@gardenstatefur) January 14, 2024

From the other staffer who responded:

For confidence, I can say for certain the con is shaping up to be a highly successful first year overall, and having someone like Shy at the helm who not only has experience with the local area, but also shows a great deal of consideration for the community as a whole, that makes me personally feel a lot of confidence in GSFTW.

Shy Matsi was previously the Hotel Lead, and responded to questions about the hotel switch announced in November, explaining that the space would have been too small for the convention. The change won praise, and the new hotel is part of the same chain as the old one:

We lucked out really, the hotel event manager is the same one for the New Brunswick one and they’re considered sister hotels. It’s a better location. The only tricky part was moving the reservations. They never did that before, and I didn’t want a hardship on the people who reserved rooms, but they just completed it last week, so that went well.

A need for support

Furry fandom is a grassroots community, so remember that garden is both a noun and a verb. It’s not enough to dig out problems. You also have to fill in the hole. The staffer who responded said:

With staffing and volunteers, I think it’s clear to everyone that a lot of cons, not just Garden State Fur The Weekend, are always in need of helping paws and claws. And to quote another con chair: “Many paws make light work”.

We absolutely welcome folks looking to assist, so long as folks have the drive to help and are willing to work with the con and it’s attendees to ensure everyone’s safety and well being are first and foremost.

And though it should go without saying: anyone with a hateful, ableist, bigoted, and/or discriminatory mindset or behavior is not welcome at our event nor as our volunteers.

Volunteers help make any con help function. Without volunteers, we would be struggling so much. So want to be part of the first volunteer team for GSFTW? Step right up and shoot a email to volunteer@gsftw.org with your helping hand!

— Garden State Fur The Weekend (@gardenstatefur) January 10, 2024

Thanks again to all who engaged sensitive questions with professional care.

UPDATE

Feedback on the story from sources close to GSFTW questions how much the team really is rebuilt. They sent evidence that Aeveirra was considered for staff, an astonishing risk for trust and security, thankfully opposed by other staff exercising caution lacking from the top.

Like the article? These take hard work. For more free furry news, follow on Twitter or support not-for-profit Dogpatch Press on Patreon. Want to get involved? Try these subreddits: r/furrydiscuss for news or r/waginheaven for the best of the community. Or send guest writing here. (Content Policy.)

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Savrin bravely recounts their nearly 4000-mile round trip to Further Confusion 2024 and all it entailed. 

LINKS
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Episode 550 - There And Back Again