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Okay, so it’s called Health and Wealth: A Graphic Guide to the U.S. Healthcare System. The creators at the Center for Cartoon Studies describe it like this: “The goal of this concise and engaging 32-page comic is to provide a baseline understanding of the healthcare system so people can feel a little less intimidated by its complexity and cruelty, and more empowered to advocate for themselves and those they care for. We hope Health and Wealth will generate discussions around healthcare and healthcare reform.” So why should we especially care about it here? Well, because the creators made the decision to illustrate their comic in an obvious homage to the familiar style of author and illustrator Richard Scarry (What Do People Do All Day?).

image c. 2023 Center for Cartoon Studies

Social media plays a big part in our daily lives and the fandom as a whole. And it seems to always be changing. Sometimes it can be great. Other times not so good. Join the cast as they talk about social media and how it influences us, changed over the years, and how they manage being connected to it every day.





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MUSIC

Intro: RetroSpecter – Cloud Fields (RetroSpecter Mix). USA: Unpublished, 2018. ©2011-2018 Fur What It’s Worth. Based on Fredrik Miller – Cloud Fields (Century Mix). USA: Bandcamp, 2011. ©2011 Fur What It’s Worth.
First Break: Dubstep Sport Rock Trailer - A Shamaluev Music, Creative Commons 2022.
Second Break: High Alert - Tom Spander, Argofox, Creative Commons 2021.
Third Break: Rise - Ampyx, Argofox, Creative Commons 2021.
Closing: Cloud Fields (RetroSpecterChill Remix), USA: Unpublished, 2018. ©2011-2018 Fur What It’s Worth. Based on Fredrik Miller – Cloud Fields (Chill Out Mix). USA: Bandcamp, 2011. ©2011 Fur What It’s Worth. S10 Episode 13 – Social Media - Social media plays a big part in our daily lives and the fandom as a whole. And it seems to always be changing. Sometimes it can be great. Other times not so good. Join the cast as they talk about social media and how it in

Listen to what Pukan has to say about the growth of the Thai furry fandom! Catch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/rVvvyq52o1Q ---- 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 ---- #foxandburger #shorts #snippet #furry

Statement on Peter’s official Facebook page

The gall of these people.

Peter S. Beagle created The Last Unicorn, made millions of fans happy, then got dragged through elder abuse and had to go to court to stop it.

In his 70’s, Peter was supposed to be making his magic and enjoying the golden years. Instead he had to spend years of battling his former manager, Connor Cochran, who was found liable for financial elder abuse, fraud, breach of fiduciary duty, and defamation.

Before his disgrace, Cochran would try to sue critics for saying what he was doing, and wanted to shut me up that way. He failed when I sued him before Peter did.

Now Peter is back in control of his career. His official Beagleverse site has an FAQ about his battle with the court judgement showing the black-and-white truth.

But the Beagleverse site warns: “Unfortunately, there are still several websites controlled by Peter’s former manager. Beagleverse® is the best source for all things Peter S. Beagle.”

Peter doesn’t control a Last Unicorn Facebook page with an official check mark. It was made in 2008 before Peter sued Cochran, and is now being used to manipulate 182,000 followers.

Its anonymous managers are spreading references about Peter with evasive, tryhard, blowhard posts full of ageism. While they hide behind the official check mark from years ago, they’re also blocking the official team of Peter, the actual creator, while pretending to be a “fan” page for fair use of his creation. They’re misleading other fans who don’t know their agenda or what a court already judged.

Peter’s official statement about the page is open to comment and has hundreds of shares. Meanwhile, the latest “fan” post aiming at Peter is locked to comments and has some dozens of shares. You should see what some of the sharers are saying:

• “I’m so tired of people talking BS about Peter S. Beagle, like he’s some old man who can’t do anything or doesn’t understand. He doesn’t deserve this treatment or abuse and this isn’t the first time it happened… Stop gaslighting his fans by claiming you’re just a fan page.”
• “You don’t need to read the post below – tl;dr – deny, deflect, defend. It’s telling that this novella is in the same verbose, bloated language as when the former manager was trying to defend their defenseless position throughout the lawsuit. It’s also telling that a) no names are given on page ownership b) there’s hella ageist language being dropped here, and c) no comments are allowed…
  This is not how a fan account run by true fans of the work should behave. It’s embarrassing.”
• “That’s a lot of words for “we’re lying” lmao”

If you’re a fan of Peter and his creations, be kind to other fans and let them know the movie Facebook page is NOT to be trusted.

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.)

Sometimes just a title is going to tell you most of what you need to know. Definitely true for a title like Sgt. Werewolf, a new comic written and illustrated by Rich Woodall. “Sgt. Steve Hovatter leads a small group of U.S. Commandos to infiltrate Lichtenstein castle in Germany and recover intel on Nazi Occult operations. The Commandos are captured, and Sgt. Hovatter is executed. Hours later Sgt. Hovatter is transformed into a Werewolf, and he uncovers a much more sinister plot at Castle Lichtenstein.” It’s coming to the comic book shelves this month from Scout Comics, through their horror imprint Black Caravan.

image c. 2023 Scout Comics

This year’s IndyFurCon (IFC) started on a different note. First, they moved to their new hotel at Wyndham Indianapolis West. The nostalgia of the previous venue, Marriott Indianapolis East, still lasted among some people. New place, new start? Slightly bumpy, with some encountering issues here and there. In preparation, IFC released their schedule, fursuit parade […]

乔-斯泰克的《兽迷星》记载美国及其他地区的兽圈

Somehow we missed the Sir Ladybug stories by award-winning creator Corey L. Tabor, but now they’re out with the third volume in this series of graphic novels for young readers. Here’s what the publisher says about Sir Ladybug and the Bookworms: “Sir Ladybug — the duke of the dandelion patch, champion of truth and justice — must fulfill a most noble duty! Upon his knightly honor, Sir Ladybug vows to return his library book before it is overdue. But some diabolical creatures dare to stop this hero and his friends… Beware of the Bookworms!” All the books are available now in hardcover from Harper Collins.

image c. 2023 Balzer + Bray

We come to September, the final month before Furry Book Month and Oxfurred Comma! Preparations are going on in earnest behind the scenes, but there are still things you can all do as well! We are open for submissions for the furry book bundles and the flash fiction contest! We are also opening our call for panellists to present at Oxfurred Comma. More information on all of this below.

Oxfurred Comma Panels
Panel ideas can now be submitted! We have the option to run panels live or pre-recorded, and can be run around any manner of writing topics! Please submit your panel ideas for approval to this form: https://forms.gle/5nYCQgUQTTpS3oCv8

Oxfurred Comma will run October 21/22, so if there are any time or date preferences for running live panels, please let us know in the form. Looking forward to seeing your great ideas!

Flash Fiction Contest
The flash fiction contest is unthemed again, so your 500 word furry stories can be about anything you can imagine! Entries can be sent in with the following link: https://forms.gle/GnSdDTrneyjWsDye8

You do not need to be a FWG member to submit an entry. All entries should be kept to a PG-13 rating. Just one entry per person.

Novel Bundle
We are open for submission for two novel bundles – one adult rated and one PG-13. This one is open for FWG members only, and priority is given to those authors who were not included in last year’s bundle, and we will not consider novels that were included last year.

Both novel bundles have the same entry form: https://forms.gle/CeB2D4QNQMrZLGSYA

As with last year, the bundles will be made available on Gumroad for a pay-what-you-want (minimum price of $10), with proceeds split evenly between all contributing authors and the FWG. Please get in your entries for this before Sunday 24th, as we want the bundle to go live on October 1st.

Social Media
To update on our post last month, the FWG is now set up on both Mastodon and Bluesky. We haven’t yet started the long process of ensuring we are following all of our members, but you can join us on the two platforms with the links below.

Mastodon: https://furries.club/@furrywritersguild
Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/furrywritersguild.bsky.social

If flash fiction is a little short for you, then don’t fret! We have a few new short story openings this month.

Feisty Felines and Other Fantastical Familiars – Deadline October 15th 2023
Altered States: Draconic Desire – Deadline November 30th 2023
Get Wild – Deadline December 1st 2023
Sniff – Deadline December 1st 2023
Night of the Howling Dead – Deadline December 8th 2023
Indulge – Deadline January 31st 2024
Indecent Exposure – Deadline When Full
This Is Halloween – Deadline When Full
Furry Femdom Erotica – Deadline When Full
F/F No Erotic Anthology – Deadline When Full
Isekai Me! – Deadline When Full
Children Of The Night – Deadline When Full
Furry/Lovecraftian/Erotic/University Themed Anthology – Deadline When Full
Beyond Their Pale – Deadline When Full
#ohmurr! – Deadline: Ongoing

We hope you will also check out the following upcoming and recent releases from our members.

Clade, A Post-Self Anthology, edited by Madison Scott-Clary. Released August 2nd 2023.

Werecats Convergent, by Mark J. Engels. Released August 21st 2023.

Angel, by R.A. Meenan. Released September 20th 2023.

The Prince of Thorns, by Tim Susman. Available for pre-order. Released November 14th 2023.

Commander Annie and Other Adventures, by Mary E. Lowd. Available for pre-order. Released November 14th 2023.

From all of us at the guild, we are looking forward to Furry Book Month in October. We hope you’ll join us for a great month of celebrating furry fiction.

Until then.
Happy writing.
J.F.R. Coates

Good evening,

I hope this letter finds you well. I wanted to reach out and share my thoughts and feelings regarding a situation I've been experiencing. As a freshman at THS, I am grateful for the support provided by my IEP. However, I have recently encountered some challenges that I would appreciate your advice or insight on.

In an effort to cope with my autism and ADHD, I've been carrying around a stuffed coyote that holds personal significance to me. It has become a source of comfort during the past few days. Unfortunately, I've noticed that I've become the target of mockery and ridicule from my peers. While I understand that people might not fully comprehend my coping mechanisms, the teasing has been hurtful.

I am reaching out to you in the hopes of seeking guidance on how to navigate this situation. I believe that everyone's unique qualities should be respected, and I am striving to find ways to manage my challenges in a positive and supportive environment. Any advice or explanation you could provide would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for taking the time to read my letter. Your support means a lot to me, and I look forward to your insights.

Finn (14)

* * *

Dear Finn,

Are you sure you're only 14? Because that was a very well-written letter, better than I get from some adults! But let's get down to it.

Emotional Support Plushies (ESPs) are valid tools to help emotionally sensitive people, just as Emotional Support Animals are. Since it's not too practical to bring a live dog or other pet to a school, a plushie is an excellent substitute. Clearly, it is helping you, so you shouldn't get rid of it because you are being teased. 

Why do kids tease you? As a freshman, you are a vulnerable and easy target, and older kids and bullies typically target younger people when it is noticeable that they are different somehow. That's how bullying works: they find someone they feel they can push around who is "different" in some way and then pick on them to make themselves feel better (bullies have a lot of emotional problems themselves and use this strategy to cope in a very unhealthy way).

So, first thing to do is to recognize these bullies and their toadies for what they are: shallow people looking to gain social status by putting other people down. These people do not deserve your respect, and the harsh words of people you do not respect are hollow indeed.

The first strategy in dealing with bullies and taunters is to ignore them. They can only get off on their belittling if it provokes a reaction from you. This is what I do. I have been teased and criticized for everything from this advice column to my Good Furry Awards. When I get hate mail, I simply do not reply to it. When people post nasty messages on Ask Papabear, I simply delete them. I get very little of this nowadays because bullies and haters simply don't get a reaction from me, and they totally hate that. 

Another strategy some use is humor. A number of famous comedians (Robin Williams comes to mind) survived taunting at school by becoming class clowns. Try turning around the taunts about carrying a plush coyote with stuff like this:

• I'm studying to be a taxidermist, and this is my homework
• Yeah, this is a coyote. I couldn't catch the road runner
• What do you get when you wind string around coyotes? Yo-Yotes
• What kind of luggage do coyotes take on planes? Carrion
• What do you get after an animal dinner party? Stuffed animals.

If you're no good at ignoring or humoring people, you might try educating them.

• Did you know that 40% of American adults sleep with plush toys? Did you know that youth suicides in America have risen 50% in the last 20 years? Anxiety and depression are way up, too. Many psychologists and psychiatrists agree that simple tools like ESPs have proven beneficial in alleviating this crisis. My counselor suggested this for me, so I'm doing this on advice from a professional. (Here's an interesting article on that https://www.sleep.com/sleep-tech/stuffed-animals-for-adults)
• I bet you a lot of the people here in this room have plushies at home. But they might be too scared to admit it because they are afraid of being teased. It doesn't bother me, though. (Raising your voice) And if anyone here has a plushy or two at home that you like to hold, don't be ashamed. It's okay to do that.

High school is tough. Unlike middle or grade school, everyone has raging hormones and is struggling to find their place in society. This results in a lot of competition, social posturing, and plain old meanness. Recognizing the fact that all your peers--even the bullies, and, maybe, ESPECIALLY the bullies--are going through emotional and hormonal turmoil can help you recognize that they are all temporarily insane and should be regarded as such. 

When they act out against other kids, it actually has nothing to do with you and everything to do with them. If it wasn't you and your plushie, it would be the fat kid or the unathletic kid or the shy kid or the trans kid or the Muslim kid or anyone they can label as different. Heck, even me, a white boy, was targeted for being German (I got a lot of "Heil Hitlers" because my last name is Hile), and even made fun of because I was born in "a mass of two shits" (aka Massachusetts). So, you see, it doesn't matter what it is, as long as they find something--anything--different about you AND sense weakness (rather like a pack of feral dogs jockeying for status).

You can't change how others behave, but you can control how you react to it.

Be chill. Be bear. Be cool. As Nick Wilde said, "Never let them see they got to you."

Hugs,
Papabea

爱尔兰首届兽展“Anthro Irish”成功举办

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

Moobarkfluff!  Bearly and Rayne sit down with Martini and Spork the cofounders, owners, operators and marketers for Slightly Furry Beverage Company and Vulpine Taproom in Tacoma, Washington. We learn a lot about making Cider and then play some Beer/Furry/Cider Jeopardy! Come spend some time with us and learn about Cider brewing, you will be glad you did. Moobarkfluff all you furs!

 

Slightly Furry Beverage Company

Vulpine Tap Room

 

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 S4E18 - Spotlight on Martini and Spork - Cider Makers

The August edition of Digging Up Positivity covers various furry conventions and charities worldwide, a new Irish convention, new lion cubs in a Dutch safari park, animation news, and insights into the British furry fandom.

2023 FurMIT「毛斯维加斯」：沉浸式主题带来全新兽聚体验

国际兽视隆重开庆九周年

游戏中兽设在中国兽圈中引发争议

Fuzz, Savrin, and Ajax keep it light this week. Baldurs Gayte, discussions about social media, finding old stories, and the like. It's goofy.

Links
Telegram chat - https://t.me/+Ma4PTE0IsWVmMDQ5

Southpaws | creating and promoting The Queer Agenda | Patreon

Episode 543 - Cancel Time with Ajax

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

Moobarkfluff! With Taebyn at Denfur Bearly and Rayne chat about lots of things, we have a classic comedy routine, highlight upcoming events and tell some really bad jokes.  This week is is a little shorter, so come spend some time with us, you will be glad you did. 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 S4E17 - Back At It

Animation World Network recently ran an article about the upcoming slate of new animation headed to Cartoon Network this fall. Among them are new episodes of returning popular shows like Bugs Bunny Builders, Batwheels, and We Baby Bears. And one completely new show — at least to us: The Heroic Quest of the Valiant Prince Ivandoe. (Whew, long title!) ” The series tells the tale of Prince Ivandoe, a self-assured and delusional young buck, joined by his dedicated and clever squire, Bert, on a magical and hilarious hero’s quest, through kingdoms filled with swashbuckling, royal rivalries, and magical fairy tale creatures.” Prince Ivandoe will be arriving on Max this coming November.

image c. 2023 Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe

Hello, I’m Gamepopper, a British furry author of the newly released book Furtannia: The History of the Furry Fandom in the United Kingdom. Buy it at the link from Uncle Bear Publishing.

I’ve mentioned this book on Dogpatch Press in a guest article calling for preserving the furry fandom’s history, when it was under the (admittingly cheeky) working title of Furry Kingdom. This book tells a long and multi-faceted account of that history, but this time from the perspective of British furries.

The origins of the modern furry phenomenon can be traced to America — specifically, California — and it eventually grew and spread to other countries. The United Kingdom was one of the first places outside the United States to embrace Furry, but it wasn’t just a new discovery; a lot of media that inspired the modern-day fandom originated in England.

Furtannia covers that growth from the first housecons and furmeets in the UK, to conventions like ConFuzzled, and how they differ from American furcons. Along the way it covers unique British Furry media and events.

That growth was influenced by California fandom reaching towards an international presence almost since the beginning. In 1987, Mark Merlino, Rod O’Riley, and a few American fans hosted a furry hotel party in Brighton during the 45th World Science Fiction Convention. A handful of British science fiction and comic book fans travelled to the United States or purchased imported American comics, discovered the fandom, and kept in touch with each other.

An American group-wide visit to a comics festival in France led to half a dozen furry fans meeting some of these British fans at a house in Yateley in 1992. The event led to a regular furry housecon. The British fandom grew to the point where they could produce fanzines and comics and host furmeets, and eventually, their conventions began in 2008 with ConFuzzled, the second largest furry con outside of North America with 2,661 attendees in May 2023.

Furries in the United Kingdom have been known in online spaces, from FurryMUCK to chat rooms, mailing lists, discussion boards and web forums, all before social media, not to mention all the creative talent the British scene offers in art, writing, music, fursuit creation, and even furry radio. Furtannia collects this all into one background they share.

My writing process

This book has been a passion project of mine since 2019, after having an overwhelmingly positive reception towards a talk I did at ConFuzzled on the subject. I took my current two years of research and expanded further. I talked to more furries, visited libraries and archives, and read too many articles, discussion threads, and webpages than any furry would want to admit.

While I was writing the book, I learned a lot of aspects about the fandom I wasn’t aware of back during ConFuzzled 2019, such as how the furry fandom functioned when the world wide web was yet to be mainstream, or the ways furry fans produced fanzines.

It’s also had the fortune of recording and preserving some parts of history that would have been completely lost had I not done so. In that guest article on Dogpatch Press, I talk about how Yahoo wiped away mailing lists (a popular method for local furry groups to socialise through) from their databases. I managed to recover and archive a few that aided in my research.

Meanwhile, near the end of 2019, I got to speak with Ian Curtis, the organiser of the furry houses and one of the founding fathers of the British furry fandom, at his home in Yateley. He helped give insight into how the furry housecons ran back in the early to mid-1990s and shared various comics he had in his vast collection. It would shock most when his friends posted in September 2021 that he had passed away.

I initially planned to cover events up until the end of 2019. When COVID-19 hit, the emergency lockdown rules forcefully cancelled conventions. I had to record what happened in the furry community.

Overall, I am proud of myself for working my way to this book’s release so that furries worldwide can learn and hopefully expand the ever-growing knowledge of our fandom’s history. There were some hiccups near the end, a few delays, and online storefronts taking issue with our launch. Still, Furtannia can be purchased directly on Uncle Bear Publishing’s website below.

https://www.unclebearpublishing.com/furtannia.html

The book is also available on Amazon (Kindle and Paperback), Barnes & Noble, Waterstones, and other online book retailers.

My copy of ‘Furtannia’, a history of the UK #furryfandom written by @gamepopper, has arrived!

(I spot @all_the_ears on the cover.)

Next on order will be ‘Furry Planet’, @JoeStrike‘s sequel to 2017’s ‘Furry Nation’. pic.twitter.com/3VOX7jqKAr

— Oliver (writer of ‘Komos & Goldie’) (@OliverGoldie1) August 6, 2023

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.)