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A little while ago we made mention of Nelbert the Introvert, the first children’s book written and illustrated by Disney Animation lead character designer Shiyoon Kim (Zootopia, Big Hero 6). A recent article on Cartoon Brew said that the book is now available at Mr. Kim’s web site. In fact Mr. Kim actually went so far as to direct an animated ” teaser trailer” for the book. Inspired by the likes of Disney animator/illustrator Bill Peet, Nelbert tells the story of a shy dragon who likes to play chess. Mr. Kim created a set of custom “brushes” in Photoshop to use in the creation of his book. They’re also available for sale on his web site.

image c. 2016 by Shiyoon Kim

This week we replace CJ with a lizard and Fayroe gets distracted. That’s basically the whole episode in a sentence.

Download MP3

[No video version this week, messed up the recording. :c Whoops.]

Link Roundup:

• South African Furry Magazine
• Japanese smartphone game is furry themed
• British Embassy Twitter uses meme

News:

• Getting Serious About Funny: Psychologists See Humor As A Character Strength
• Washing to exterminate 10 percent of wolf population
• The Secret Furry Patrons Keeping Indie Artists Afloat
• Man Bathes In Hot Sauce, Immediately Questions His Life Choices
• Scientists find only one true wolf species in America
• This Dictator Accidentally Told People To Get Naked And Work. So They Did
• Naked Suspect Wakes Sleeping Man With Kiss, Finds Out He Has A Gun
• Porn Poetry

Emails:

• Ariel – “About Furries who Don’t like Hugs”
• Zachary Lycaon – Dear FurCast
• Aleseyr – “Commissions”
• Edon Baia – “Furcast Fan Email w/Donation next Saturday”
• Devin D. Parlett – “Furry and Politics”

FC-243 Underwear Masquerade - This week we replace CJ with a lizard and Fayroe gets distracted. That's basically the whole episode in a sentence.

This week we replace CJ with a lizard and Fayroe gets distracted. That’s basically the whole episode in a sentence.

Download MP3

[No video version this week, messed up the recording. :c Whoops.]

Link Roundup:

• South African Furry Magazine
• Japanese smartphone game is furry themed
• British Embassy Twitter uses meme

News:

• Getting Serious About Funny: Psychologists See Humor As A Character Strength
• Washing to exterminate 10 percent of wolf population
• The Secret Furry Patrons Keeping Indie Artists Afloat
• Man Bathes In Hot Sauce, Immediately Questions His Life Choices
• Scientists find only one true wolf species in America
• This Dictator Accidentally Told People To Get Naked And Work. So They Did
• Naked Suspect Wakes Sleeping Man With Kiss, Finds Out He Has A Gun
• Porn Poetry

Emails:

• Ariel – “About Furries who Don’t like Hugs”
• Zachary Lycaon – Dear FurCast
• Aleseyr – “Commissions”
• Edon Baia – “Furcast Fan Email w/Donation next Saturday”
• Devin D. Parlett – “Furry and Politics”

FC-243 Underwear Masquerade - This week we replace CJ with a lizard and Fayroe gets distracted. That's basically the whole episode in a sentence.

This week we replace CJ with a lizard and Fayroe gets distracted. That’s basically the whole episode in a sentence.

Download MP3

[No video version this week, messed up the recording. :c Whoops.]

Link Roundup:

• South African Furry Magazine
• Japanese smartphone game is furry themed
• British Embassy Twitter uses meme

News:

• Getting Serious About Funny: Psychologists See Humor As A Character Strength
• Washing to exterminate 10 percent of wolf population
• The Secret Furry Patrons Keeping Indie Artists Afloat
• Man Bathes In Hot Sauce, Immediately Questions His Life Choices
• Scientists find only one true wolf species in America
• This Dictator Accidentally Told People To Get Naked And Work. So They Did
• Naked Suspect Wakes Sleeping Man With Kiss, Finds Out He Has A Gun
• Porn Poetry

Emails:

• Ariel – “About Furries who Don’t like Hugs”
• Zachary Lycaon – Dear FurCast
• Aleseyr – “Commissions”
• Edon Baia – “Furcast Fan Email w/Donation next Saturday”
• Devin D. Parlett – “Furry and Politics”

[Live] Underwear Masquerade

Roo and Tugs are joined by artist and Pokésona LilChu as they discuss the world of Pokésonas. Why do these exist? Are there different rules? Is it a bleed over in the style of Bronies? Some of the answers may surprise you! Roo asks all kinds of strange questions, Tugs loses his mind, and Chu...melts. We also have a DOUBLE food review, THE GAME, Space News, and Get Psyched!



NOW LISTEN!

Show Notes

Special Thanks

LilChu, our guest. He's also an artist! Check him out at www.chuartdesigns.com.
KSL's Nightside Project. We miss you!
Kira the Kitsune
Cane McKeyton
Syrus Flufferbottom (aka "Super Bitch")
Dee the Otter
Dronon
Lumeo
Guardian the Lion FOR COOKIES! (Even after Tugs accidentally made him bleed!)
Timid Grizzly FOR COOKIES!

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. We used the following pieces: Inspired . Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 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!)

Next episode: Some furries use their fan names. Some furries use their legal names. Some start with one and go to the other. Names are important in our fandom, so what are your thoughts? Tell us before September 9, 2016. (NOTE: "Real name" can mean many things depending on who you ask! "Legal" and "Fan" names are terms we suggest.) S6 Episode 3 – I Like To Poke Your Mom - Roo and Tugs are joined by artist and Pokésona LilChu as they discuss the world of Pokésonas. Why do these exist? Are there different rules? Is it a bleed over in the style of Bronies? Some of the answers may surpr

Uncivilized Books have a new imprint for younger readers called Odod Books. Their first release is a hardcover graphic novel by Kickly called Musnet: The Mouse of Monet. Here’s what they say about it: “A young boy mouse travels the country side looking for work and happens upon the Monet’s garden. He takes on a job and becomes inspired to learn to paint. Will he paint in the classical ways, or in the new style of the impressionist? Which way will his brush sway? Musnet is drawn and painted in a beautiful, lush and inky style popularized by Paul Pope and French comics masters such Blutch and Christophe Blain.” Really. A review in The Guardian goes further into the plot: “This new series revolves around a painting mouse found in Monet’s famous gardens in Giverny: The nameless, orphan mouse is befriended by Mya and her mouse family, who live inside the artist’s house. Introduced to painting after he begins working for Remy, an old squirrel painter, he is enchanted by Monet’s work.” It’s available now at Amazon.

image c. 2016 Odod Books

​Dear Papabear,
 
How are you? Last year my brother tried to commit suicide. He was getting bullied in school. We have issues with our dad, and he was getting called names. I walked in on him hanging from his bed, and I nearly had a heart attack. It's been roughly a year since it happened, but I am still very nervous about leaving him by himself because I am worried that if it happens again I will not be there to save him again. I am sorry for coming to you with this because this isn't your problem [Papabear note to readers: this is why I am here! Please never apologize for “bothering” me because writing to me with your problems is what I do!], but how do I get over my fears of this happening again? I honestly cannot walk in on my brother like that again because I feel like I just might go insane. Also, is depression a hereditary problem? Because I do not want my family to go through that again.

Yours Truly,
Austin (age 17)

* * *
 
Dear Austin,
 
Please forgive the slow reply. I am behind on letters still.
 
Very sorry to hear about your troubles. I need to know a little more about this, please. Have you sought help for him? Have you checked out the government site for information and help? http://www.stopbullying.gov/get-help-now/  Is the bullying still going on or has that been stopped? Is he seeing a therapist?
 
Let me know about the above and I promise to reply promptly next time.
 
Papabear
 
* * *
 
He is seeing a therapist, and is on antidepressants. The bullying has stopped because he moved to a different school.  And it is OK for the slow response because I understand that you get likely thousands of letters a day and you are writing a new book, too.
 
* * *
 
Hi, Austin,
 
I’m glad that the bullying has stopped and that your brother is getting help. I cannot imagine the horror you felt seeing your brother trying to kill himself, and I wish I could give you a big, consoling bear hug right now.
 
Your brother is not the only one suffering in your family, clearly. Have you considered finding a therapist for yourself? This would be to help you deal with what you saw and the anxiety you must be feeling about both your brother and, apparently, your father. Perhaps start with a school counselor. People who are helpful and caring, such as yourself, often forget that their hearts need mending, too.
 
You don’t mention your brother’s age, but I’m guessing he’s younger and perhaps a teen? The teenage years are extremely difficult ones, with those in their teens and twenties attempting suicide more than most (the exception being people 65 and older), and males are five times more likely to do it than females. Bullying definitely can exacerbate the chances of suicide (though it is only one of many factors). There has also been evidence for a genetic predisposition for suicide (my second cousin and grandmother both attempted suicide). Scientists learned a few years ago that there is a gene that can increase the risk of suicide; furthermore, Johns Hopkins University scientists are working to perfect a blood test to see whether people are at risk. You don’t mention whether other family members have committed suicide or not, but if there is a lot of that in your family it is something to consider seriously. Genetics are not the only reason for suicide, but they can, indeed, be part of the problem.
 
So, without trying to oversimplify things, there are three potential factors here with your brother: his age, his genetic heritage, and the bullying. You have removed the bullying factor, and he will grow out of his teen years, so that effectively gets rid of two factors, which is good news. In addition, he is getting help, which also lowers the risk. While no one can guarantee that your brother won’t attempt it again, it is also often the case that people do not repeat the act. They learn their lesson and move on, as in my case.
 
Oh, and make sure he stays away from drugs and alcohol!
 
Okay, so, what now? One thing is to be aware of the signs that he might be suicidal again. According to Suicide Awareness Voices of Education (SAVE), these are things to look for:

• Talking about wanting to die or to kill oneself.
• Looking for a way to kill oneself, such as searching online or buying a gun.
• Talking about feeling hopeless or having no reason to live.
• Talking about feeling trapped or in unbearable pain.
• Talking about being a burden to others.
• Increasing the use of alcohol or drugs.
• Acting anxious or agitated; behaving recklessly.
• Sleeping too little or too much.
• Withdrawn or feeling isolated.
• Showing rage or talking about seeking revenge.
• Displaying extreme mood swings.

Additional Warning Signs of Suicide

• Preoccupation with death.
• Suddenly happier, calmer.
• Loss of interest in things one cares about.
• Visiting or calling people to say goodbye.
• Making arrangements; setting one's affairs in order.
• Giving things away, such as prized possessions.

 
If these warning signs are cropping up, then you need to make sure your brother is still attending his sessions, taking his meds, and so on. You can’t keep tabs on him all the time, but you can certainly be involved in his life and give him lots of love and encouragement to comfort him. Make sure he is involved in social activities, has friends, has goals and aspirations in life. Obviously, the happier he is in his social life and the more hope he has for the future, the less likely he will be to do this again.
 
The factor that is still a question mark for me is your dad. You don’t specify what the problem is with dad—is that something that is contributing to your brother’s state of mind? If so, you definitely need to address that, as well.
 
By doing the above, you can considerably lower or even eliminate the potential for another tragedy.
 
Back to you: the things you can do to help yourself include, as mentioned earlier, seeking some counseling yourself, knowing that you are doing all you can to prevent this from happening again, and, finally, understanding that you should never blame yourself if something bad happens. You can only do so much.
 
I’d like to recommend an organization: The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. They have chapters all over the country that offer counseling, not just for those who are struggling with suicide but also for their families who are trying to understand what is going on and how to cope with it. If there is not a chapter in your area, you can do some research to find a group or contact your local hospital’s mental health department for assistance.
 
Good luck!!!  HUGS!!
 
Papabear
 
* * *
 
Basically the problem with dad is that he is an abusive ass, excuse my language. He tried to hit my mother, he tried to hit my cousin, he hit me multiple times; once, when I was ten, he left a black eye. He scratched me when I was 14, he tried choking me when I was 16, and just recently he punched me in the face and nearly broke my nose. I tried pressing charges each time, but every time my mother said I deserved it.  My father also would fight and scream at the younger kids too, but he would never hit them. I think that this probably made my brother upset and stressed out, and after 11 years that is a lot of stress. I was adopted when I was 6 and he was 5.
 
* * *
 
Hi, Austin,
 
I’m sorry to hear this. If all you say is true, then it doesn’t matter at all if your mother defends your adopted father’s actions. I’m not sure what you mean by “I tried pressing charges.” Did you actually contact the police? Did they come over and then listen to your mother instead of you? That makes no sense to me. The authorities take child abuse very seriously.
 
Okay, what I recommend is two things: 1) contact your local Child Protective Services office and tell them what is going on. You and your brother are being physically and mentally abused by your father. A serious charge. 2) Contact Boys Town, a very helpful organization designed to help troubled youth like you and your brother, and their families.
 
You may be correct that the abuse contributed to what your brother did. Very understandable. It needs to be stopped. Can you be brave for Papabear and contact the people above? Don’t let your parents know. Your father is the abuser and your mother is on his side; telling them will prevent you from helping your brother and yourself.

Austin, I now suspect we've found the real cause here of your brother's suicide attempt. Your father's abuse probably led to depression for your brother; then, at school, kids can pick up on this; bullies spot troubled kids and target them as their victims. The combination of your father's physical abuse and your brother's peers' taunting were too much for him, and he tried to kill himself. This needs to stop.

Please keep me posted.
 
Hugs,
Papabear

According to the Human Comics web site, “Gabriel Smith is a screenwriter from Venice Beach, California.  He is the founder of Human Comics, an independent comic book publisher, which was created as a platform for Smith to exhibit his writings for a cyberpunk sci-fi series entitled Human (aka Anthropocene: The Human Saga).” More recently though, Gabriel created a “children’s comedy comic” called Bacon & Sausage, illustrated in full color by Sara Varon. Well he describes it as a children’s comic — but it does seem to have a lotta harsh language and even, um, “body humor” for kids! Oh well, modern kids, it looks like!

Image c. 2016 Sara Varon

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Today the WagzTail crew ponders uniqueness in the fandom, and if having a unique character is actually important.

Metadata and Credits Original Character, Does Anyone Care?

Runtime: 41:03m

Cast: Path, Levi, Wolfin

Editor: Levi

Format: 196kbps AAC Copyright: © 2016 WagzTail.com. Some Rights Reserved. This podcast is released by WagzTail.com as CC BY-ND 3.0.

Original Character, Does Anyone Care? - Today the WagzTail crew ponders uniqueness in the fandom, and if having a unique character is actually important.

Today the WagzTail crew ponders uniqueness in the fandom, and if having a unique character is actually important.

Metadata and Credits Original Character, Does Anyone Care?

Runtime: 41:03m

Cast: Path, Levi, Wolfin

Editor: Levi

Format: 196kbps AAC Copyright: © 2016 WagzTail.com. Some Rights Reserved. This podcast is released by WagzTail.com as CC BY-ND 3.0.

Original Character, Does Anyone Care? - Today the WagzTail crew ponders uniqueness in the fandom, and if having a unique character is actually important.

Naked Jumping Jacks (Drake's Corner #3)
Still being harassed by anonymous users, Drake fends them off with lewd exercises and abnormal fetishes. SUBMIT QUESTIONS/DARES: https://ask.fm/theraccoonsden See more at: http://www.TheRaccoonsDe... From: The Raccoon's Den Views: 1954 26 ratings Time: 04:25 More in Entertainment

Millennials killed this podcast description. Want to support the show? We have our Patreon: www.patreon.com/knotcast - every bit helps! Episode 326 - Vagenda of Manocide

Submitted by Fred Patten

The 2015 Cóyotl Awards, presented by the Furry Writers’ Guild for four categories of the Best Anthropomorphic Literature of the 2015 calendar year, were recently announced at a presentation ceremony at the Rocky Mountain Fur Con in Denver, Colorado.

The winners and runners-up are:

Best Novel
Winner

• Barsk: The Elephant’s Graveyard by Lawrence M. Schoen (Tor Books, December 2015)

Runner-Up

• Forest Gods by Ryan Campbell (Sofawolf Press, September 2015)
• The Long Road Home by Rukis (FurPlanet Productions, July 2015)
• Rat’s Reputation by Michael H. Payne (Sofawolf Press)
• Windfall by Tempe O’Kun (FurPlanet Productions, July 2015)

Best Novella
Winner

• Koa of the Drowned Kingdom by Ryan Campbell (FurPlanet Productions, September 2015)

Runner-Up

• Losing My Religion by Kyell Gold (FurPlanet Productions, September 2015)

Best Short Story
Winner

• The Analogue Cat by Alice “Huskyteer” Dryden (in The Furry Future, ed. by Fred Patten; FurPlanet Productions, January 2015)

Runner-Up

• Bullet Tooth Claw by Marshall L. Moseley (in Inhuman Acts, ed. by Ocean Tigrox; FurPlanet Productions, September 2015)
• Muskrat Blues by Ianus J. Wolf (in Inhuman Acts, ed. by Ocean Tigrox; FurPlanet Productions, September 2015)

Best Anthology
Winner

• Inhuman Acts edited by Ocean Tigrox (FurPlanet Productions, September 2015)

Runners-Up

• The Furry Future edited by Fred Patten (FurPlanet Productions, January 2015)
• ROAR Volume 6 edited by Mary E. Lowd (Bad Dog Books, July 2015)

– Fred Patten

Recently at Comic Con we came across a new comic book company, Contraband Comics. Among the titles (or rather covers!) that caught our eyes was a new full-color one called Pugly, “A new comic book misadventure from writer Jon Goff (Destiny, Spawn) and artist Jim Hanna (Jack Rabbit)”. Meet Frank, a pug-dog whose only goal is to enjoy life in his huge palatial home with his loving elder mistress, Mother. Unfortunately that’s complicated when she passes away — and it only gets more complicated when she wills her entire vast fortune to him! As he explains, that’s just the beginning of Frank’s adventures in a much larger world. Take a look over at Contraband’s web site to learn more about him.

image c. 2016 Contraband Comics

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Dear Papabear,

I struggle with depression and am receiving help for it but wanted to ask you for advice about trying to change my increasingly pessimistic outlook in general.

While I've been aware of this thought process I possess for a long time now, I've struggled to change it in vain and still find myself naturally biased or focused to the negative. I think this really contributes to my mood often and has been making it harder to get motivated to do things, to feel good about myself, to trust others, and view the world in a positive way.

I would really appreciate any advice or help.

Yours,
Dyrk Prowler (age 20, Australia)
* * *
Hello, Dyrk,
 
Thank you for your letter and sorry for the delay in my reply. It would be helpful to me if you could give me a little personal history, especially if you have experienced tragedy, illness, death, or other events that may have led to your depression.
 
Hugs,
Papabear
 
* * *
Thank you for getting back to me, Papabear.

As for some history, I've been struggling with depression since about halfway through high school, since about age 14-15. Though it had been rather tidal experiencing ebbs and flows, events over the past few years influenced me to seek professional help; my grandfather's death, my once-best friend basically cutting me out of his life, a year of university which was not very good (I've dropped out), struggled and am still struggling to find steady employment, and being online friends with people I, upon reflection, should not have as they dropped and I don't know why they did.

Though I am not friendless (I do have friends good friends who’ve stood by me and supported me), and my family continues to support and care for me. I just can't seem to escape the negative thoughts that seem to be nagging at the back of my mind.  As for the help I've received, it has been a year of seeing a psychologist, following their instructions, and have been on anti-depressants for about 9-10 months.
 
Hopefully this what you were looking for.
 
* * *
This is helpful, thanks. If you feel comfortable with telling me, could you relate to me some of the things your psychologist has asked you to do? This will help me to not recommend something that's already been suggested.
 
Thanks,
pbear
 
* * *
 
Okay, we've mainly focused on the relationship of thoughts, feelings, and behavior. We have on done some thought analysis to try and identify the unfounded negative thoughts. So mainly general perspective things.
 
This is the main things I remember.
 
* * *
 
Hi, Dyrk,

Thanks for all the additional information. Negative thoughts and depression, while not the same thing, are often related, as in your case. If your therapist is saying your negative thoughts are “unfounded,” I think I see some problem with their not validating your emotions. That “unfounded” comment fails to recognize that there is always a cause for your feelings. That cause could be anything from biological imbalances to emotional and psychological issues to just having problems dealing with the tragedies and stresses of normal life.

When it comes to depression, you’ve come to the right place. From my attempted suicide at 18 to my divorce to the recent loss of my mate, I know what it is like to experience deep depression, sadness, and loss. I have read books, sought professional counseling, talked with friends who have experienced similar losses, and taken the antidepressants. I know about the five stages of grieving, and have discovered a couple others no one told me about.

Not to make light of your experiences of losing a grandfather, a friend, college life, and so on, but there are far worse things people endure in life and manage to survive. Naturally, these things that have happened to you can be depressing, but what you need now is to learn to keep things in perspective and to broaden that perspective.

Before I continue, I would like to note some things you can do to help yourself using diet and exercise because, when you think of it, depression and cynicism can be a physiological response to one’s environment. Here are some things that really help me and can help you as well:

• Avoid sugars—especially processed sugar—as much as possible; and especially avoid high fructose corn syrup, which is known to cause diabetes (I give a middle finger to food industry deniers on this one). Watch out, because they are trying to rename this substance to trick people.
• Avoid processed foods in general (boxed and canned) and eat fresh (frozen is not bad) foods as much as possible. Organic if you can (be cautious as there are no regulations as yet regarding strict labeling of what defines “organic.”
• Avoid alcohol (a powerful depressant) and drugs not prescribed by a doctor.
• Avoid anything with the artificial sweetener aspartame. Many doctors and American food industry shills will say that aspartame is harmless. I beg to differ. It is, actually, a form of neurotoxin, and I have seen its effects on people I know. Aspartame affects the mood, can cause panic and anxiety attacks, and in women has been shown to negatively affect menstrual cycles. It was, in fact, initially rejected by the FDA until, obviously, someone gave officials there enough money to approve it.
• Exercise regularly! Regular—especially cardio—exercise will not only improve your health it will also improve your mood. It doesn’t have to be excessively rigorous. Walking is great. Swimming is great. Tai chi is great, meditation too. You don’t have to run marathons.
• Reconnect to nature. Experiencing the wonders of a walk in the woods, the desert, along a coastline soothes the spirit and nourishes the soul. This includes interactions with animals. Do you have a pet? Having a dog or cat can really be a benefit.

​So, those things help the physiological side of depression and a sour attitude. Now let’s look at the more mental side of it.

Everyone faces challenges in their lives. Unless you die at a very young age (a tragedy in itself) you’re going to face loss, pain, and hardships in your life. This cannot be avoided. The key here is how you deal with bad events in your life after they have happened. This is not easy, and I will be the first person to tell you that. After about 10 months I am just getting to the point, after losing Jim, where I can console my heart by honestly saying how lucky I was to have him in my life at all, and I am grateful for the things he taught me and how he enriched my life. Yes, I would have loved it if he had stayed on Earth longer, but if he had to die young I am truly grateful that he spent those last years with me. I am a better person for his being in my life.

All clouds, as they say, can have a silver lining. You lost your grandfather, and that’s sad, but some people never get to meet their grandfathers, for one reason or another. His loss obviously hurt you, which means that you cared about him and will miss him. Think, then, of the blessing he was in your life.
Your friend abandoned you. Well, maybe he wasn’t such a good friend after all, then. You have noted that you have other friends who are still with you. Take this opportunity to appreciate their friendship, and let them know that you are happy you are friends; do something nice for them on occasion. And learn from what happened with the other guy. Think back on it; were their signs about how he acted that, in retrospect, were cues he wasn’t a worthy of friend? Make note of them and learn from that. The more you learn from friendships, both successful and not, the better friend you will be to others.

As for online friends, that’s a whole nuther kettle of fish. Most online friends would fall under what I categorize as “mere acquaintances.” It’s nice to chat with them and learn about them, but they don’t fall under true friend categories. Some do, of course. And those will usually be the ones with whom you hit it off so well that you will make the effort to meet them in person and strike up a more solid relationship.

In life, you will make friends, lose friends, make other new friends. That’s what happens. As the goombah would say, fuhgetabowdit.

Okay, on to your college efforts. After a year, you dropped out. Were you attending a four-year school? Maybe that’s just not for you. You don’t have to attend university to get some further education that can be useful in a job. Take a step back and think about what you would really like to do with your life. Perhaps it is something where you can go to a technical school or a two-year college, or become an apprentice to a tradesman of some kind, and afterwards find perfectly good employment. Many people go to a four-year school because they feel it is expected of them. They spend two or more years just taking classes that don’t interest them, fulfilling core requirements, not really getting inspired.

Instead of worrying about school, take some time to think harder about what you really enjoy doing, then make your plans accordingly. They may or may not involve a bachelor’s or graduate degree, and that doesn’t matter. What does matter is finding your passion. There are many successful people out there who don’t have a college diploma.

By always focusing on the negative in life, you create a feedback loop that worsens the problem. It is like rolling a pea down a snowy hill and creating a massive snowball capable of leveling a town. The way to stop that is to not place the pea on the hill at all. Start counting your blessings and thinking about what is good in your life and try to make that your feedback loop. One way to help with this is to stop watching TV news (if you do so) because it is designed to make you feel scared so that you will watch more TV news, including the ads.

Another thing to note: don’t worry about the things you can’t change and focus on only those things you can. And don’t overwhelm yourself by thinking of all the things you need to do at one time. Tackle one problem at a time. Live in the present. Depressed people often live too much in the past; anxious people worry too much about the future. The present is the only certainty we have. Live for now.

Okay, hope none of that was too cliché for you and helped some. And, if it didn’t, at least you didn’t have to pay me :-)

Write again if you need to. If not, I hope my words helped you some and I wish you well.
​
Hugs,
Papabear

We're back! ‘Furry and Loathing in Denver’ https://t.co/gklbyUV4H1 @FingersMalloy @AsheSchow & I discuss furries, the campaign, UVA and pot.

— TLC (@TracyLConnors) August 17, 2016

On this podcast, host Fingers Malloy talks about his visit to Rocky Mountain Fur Con in Denver. It starts 20 minutes in. Thanks to Kieran for sending this.

It’s a gentle outsiders’ look.  Fingers has a pastime of making fun of politics, but furries are spared overdone mockery. (“They’re not hurting anyone”, he says).  He mentions past negativity and compares it to picking low-hanging fruit.

Enough Already is for pop culture and conservative politics. In fact it shares some serious connections to senators, governors, Fox News, etc.

There isn’t a big overlap with conservatives and furries. We talked on Twitter after the show, and they were curious to know why? I gave a very generic reason of demographics.  There’s no politics about being a talking animal and we come in all stripes.  But young and queer people tend not to be overly enamored with the right-wing or christian fundamentalists. That goes both ways.

Take this example. At World Net Daily (the fringiest of ultraconservative blogs), furries were recently bashed as deviant pedophiles by Phil Elmore, a sad oaf crying for help to detach his head from his colon. It was just ranting about moral decay from someone so repellant that nobody would want to decay him. Furs at Flayrah were not impressed by the ignorance.

Another example: in 2015, furries were mocked in a trollish article by Milo Yiannopoulos, star of the “alt-right” at Breitbart. He’s a Gamergate figurehead.  Milo criticizes identity politics, rampant cultural narcissism, and “imitation identity disorders and theatrical attention-seeking”.  He singles out “transpecies” beliefs as a symptom, mashing together the worst fringes of Tumblr, otherkin and furries.

You might call Milo an alt-right hipster for adopting gamers to cozy up with youth culture. Since he seemed to want cred with nerds, I guessed he would answer my mail. I asked him to be nicer to the misunderstood furries.  He answered:

Of course. I suspect a lot of overlap with the gamers I love so much. Perhaps I should write something.

I think this is different from garden variety out-for-a-buck media sensationalizing. When furries are a pawn for conservative points, I sense fixation on how others should live from fossilized dino-turds like Phil Elmore, and just plain manipulation from slippery players like Milo. (“Just folks” friendliness can also mask apathy about whether others can live at all, but that’s another topic.)

I’m sure the affable hosts of the Enough Already podcast would demur about wanting everyone to be left alone with liberty for all. And I wonder if Milo will be cozier next time he talks about furries – perhaps in his own newly minted fursona (maybe a snake or weasel.) I’ll leave it to you to think about ulterior motives when media comes to our spaces wearing big smiles, but you can keep opinions while taking curiosity and niceness at face value. Thanks are due to the podcast for real effort.

Speaking of Gamergate, they seem to have a problem with misrepresentation by the media. HMMM, SOUNDS FAMILIAR. And they seem to feel that gamers are unfairly vilified. HMMM AGAIN.

If you ask conservative minds about who could be most responsible for furries being punching-bags, like clockwork, expect complaints about Vanity Fair, MTV, CSI, etc. being “liberal media.” (But who’s buying what they sell?)

There are some alt-right and “furries for Trump”.  One furry commented on the Twitter chat about that small section being his friends.

@bubbasjetpack it is possible although not easy, to be friends with people whose politics differ from your own. @PifOtter

— TLC (@TracyLConnors) August 17, 2016

“Agree to disagree” is a nice way to be. And if you can name other places where everyone hugs everyone like when furries meet, I’d love to hear. Maybe the rest of the world should try growing tails.

I have to mention a Twitter comment from host Tracy about acceptance of furries.  She asked if the “muzzies” would open their arms to us?

They sure would. President Obama (America’s #1 muslim and the founder of ISIS) invited furries to come hang out at the White House. Our international conspiracy is everywhere. Beware of trying to fool us or use us – just be nice.

Donald Trump Accuses Obama of Inventing Furries

— Dogpatch Press (@DogpatchPress) August 16, 2016

Donald Trump's Hair Has It's Own Fursona

— Dogpatch Press (@DogpatchPress) January 26, 2016

Another Loss For Trump Campaign - Chester Cheetah Endorses Hillary

— Dogpatch Press (@DogpatchPress) August 16, 2016

pic.twitter.com/AHSGSGR58H

— FURRY FANFICTION (@FURRYFANFIC) July 2, 2015

* (Seriously, there are some muslimfurs and members in places like Iran. I also have an article in drafts about how Furry is growing with new cons in southeast asia, but not so much in Malaysia and Indonesia because Islamic customs forbid showing animals doing human things. But that’s for another time.)

(Hmm, lots of exclamation points this week. Must be more stuff from Comic Con!) Loter Studios is the creation of John Loter and his wife Shelley Loter, both of whom worked for years as Creative Directors at Disney Consumer Products. They continue to consult for Disney (and assorted animation companies) on t-shirts and other merchandising, but since 2005 they have also been creating their own line of original products based on original characters. Just this year, that expanded to include their very first full-color comic book: Supa-Rillas, created with the help of John’s brother, animation director Steve Loter (Kim Possible, American Dragon: Jake Long). Simian superheroes out to save the world — all for bananas. Check out the web site to see more of what they’ve worked on.

image c. 2016 Loter Studios

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Hello Everyone!

We open this week's show with a discussion of how one in ten youth in Britain reports a distressing sexual problem in recent times. Is Brexit anxiety to blame, or could it be a far more simpler explanation? 

Our main topic is on setting Healthy Expectations. Many people in life struggle with setting healthy expectations and this can impact how they find others to date, enter into relationships, or even their day to day decisions and ideas. Your hosts open up about our lives, our struggles, and why there is a car circling Metriko's house. 

We have a question about sexual agency and whether you can deny someone sex if they don't show you their latest STI testing results. We also have some feedback on last week's show and whether or not we can address Anal Sex from a top's perspective.

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

Thanks and, as always, be well!

FA 033 Healthy Expectations - Teenagers having sex issues. Adults having expectation issues. People having agency issues. Newcomers having topping issues. Metriko having car stalker issues. All this, and more, on this week's Feral Attraction

Tonight Unfurled is back with some news and emails..like always! Settle in and join Vox, Tal, Roland and Adam in discussing their articles and enjoying language lessons! Episode -27 - Foreign Invasion!