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Vote now! NorCal Furries shortlisted for Best Contingent award in San Francisco Pride Parade.
UPDATE: DEADLINE EXTENDED TO AUGUST 15!
Each June, millions of people see the San Francisco Pride parade. Hundreds of thousands of attendees cheer for over 200 contingents. For 2023, five contingents are shortlisted to win the Best Overall Contingent award. Northern California Furries have the huge honor of being one of the five.
You can help win big positive recognition for furries everywhere. Spread the message and get everyone you know to vote!
Voting Poll is here: https://forms.gle/QvVoPoBd82ajMcUV9 – Don’t wait, the poll is open until August 15.
Their history in the parade goes back to 2002, and this isn’t their first recognition. They have received multiple “fabulous” and “outrageous” awards. But being shortlisted for Best Contingent is the most recognition yet.
Organizer Zoren called the 2023 event “another wonderful time. We had around 150 (or more) show up and march and had fun showing our pride. It’s also becoming fairly clear, that SF pride loves seeing us. We don’t do it for the awards and acclaim, but nonetheless, we have won awards prior years for being our fabulously outrageous selves. Thus with much excitement, I’m happy to announce that Northern California Furries has again been nominated for an award for how much Pride we show. We along with four other contingents are in the running for Best Overall Contingent in the 2023 SF Pride Parade. Yeah that’s right THE BEST. How do we win that though? Well it is a community award so it takes all of you and even more from the community voting for us.”
Zoren emphasizes that it’s about raising pride, not just awards: “we will indeed return to party again in the future. Because, that’s really what matters.”
Northern California Furries brought 150+ members to the 2023 @SFPride parade, and now they are nominated for an award for Best Overall Contingent.
Vote for NorCal Furries to help them win: https://t.co/3kXIED5ozH pic.twitter.com/6txRp7865Z
— Dogpatch Press (@DogpatchPress) July 14, 2023
Post-Pride Review
Organizers said the crowds “loved to cheer and howl back… it was deafening.” There was a migration by public transit in fursuit to reach the parade; it was “super good for morale and for people around us.” A popular afterparty was hosted by group member Relay, and access to his place was valuable in case anyone checked out during the parade.
Organizer Spottacus compared the Norcal Furries to previous furry parades apart from Pride. Spottacus said: “We stand on the shoulders of those that came before us, but whoah are we different.”
Spottacus felt that other groups “worried about what OTHER people thought more than they worried about how WE felt. It was important to act Normie, and not scare the family. It was important to blend in. It was important that very outwardly LGBT people NOT be allowed to talk to the media. It was very important to please the OGs. There were fears of what “people” thought, and rules on how furries should behave, rigorously applied by a team of leaders. After all, there were Children there (sound familiar? Think DeSantis). It was very serious business, even if that made it less fun. We were representing and no one should smear the team image. All for one. In essence: we know better, you should behave within these boundaries.
We started with strong discouragement and angry pushback from the old guard. We said: HEY! We do not care what people in Iowa think of us. Just come as you are. And we came: old and young, latex and in fur, as fembois and gender queer. And sometimes naked. We didn’t say “what will the families think?” (though we did discuss it internally). We just said: “HEY! Just Be you.”
Our parade could not have happened without other groups and for this we are thankful. Our parade couldn’t have happened without the Stonewall Protest (it was NOT a riot). We stand on these excellent shoulders. But what we have achieved is so different and so empowering. Forget gender appropriate (again, Fuck you DeSantis), we aren’t even species appropriate. And… and… they LOVE us. The kids too. I can dress as a femboi dragon, ON TV!, and they love us. We are strong, and beautiful. LOOK AT US. Be jealous. Be Proud. And if you are hateful then BE SCARED. We are numerous. We are Proud. We are furries!”
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.)
VR to the Next Level
We just learned about Shangri-La Frontier, a black & white manga written by Katarina and illustrated by Ryosuke Fuji. “Second-year high school student Rakuro Hizutome loves nothing more than finding so-called ‘trash games’ and beating the crap out of them. When he decides to change things up by playing a new, ‘god-tier’ VR game known as Shangri-La Frontier (a.k.a. SLF), he does what he does best: Min-maxes, skips the prologue, and jumps straight into action! Clad in nothing but shorts and a bird mask, Rakuro (player name: Sunraku) launches into the world of SLF. Things are going well at first as he takes down a goblin, a bunny, and even a python. But then Sunraku comes up against a huge, hard-hitting wolf known as Lycagon the Nightslayer. Will Sunraku’s years of ‘trash game’ experience be enough, or is he about to suffer a rude awakening just a few hours into his SLF adventure?” The series is available now from Kodansha International. What’s more, there’s already an anime adaptation series available on Crunchyroll — and YouTube has a preview.
image c. 2023 Kodansha International
The Japanese furry fandom 15 years ago w/Luca #shorts #snippets
Listen to what Luca has to say about the early Japanese furry fandom! Catch the full episode here: https://youtu.be/cfg-U4hF8k8 ---- 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
2023 FurMIT「毛斯維加斯」：沉浸式主題帶來全新獸聚體驗
文／藍風，編輯／傑克
2023 FurMIT「毛斯維加斯」 7 月 8 日至 9 日在苗栗尚順育樂世界舉辦。本次活動結合賭場、競標等元素，帶來許多在台灣獸迷聚會上未曾出現的活動，吸引全球各地的獸迷們前來參與。
活動開幕由季雪和黑犬擔任主持人。圖／藍風攝
「毛斯維加斯」在開放報名時因首次引入價格高昂的特殊報名身分而引發討論。價格高達新台幣 8,888 元的「黑鑽級」身分因提供多項優惠、紀念品等而要價不斐，曾於開放報名時在參加者間帶來不小的旋風。
除了報名身分成為焦點外，本次活動也與臺灣虛擬獸人實況主團體「TWPawsOfficial」合作宣傳，用相關活動吸引眾人目光。據官方統計，本次聚會報名人數共有 1,279 人。
活動現場。圖／藍風攝
聚會以美國知名賭城拉斯維加斯為基礎，在活動設計上添加了許多賭場的元素，提供參加者沉浸感十足的體驗。會場中除設置輪盤、拉霸機、 21 點牌桌等傳統賭場中經常出現的遊戲項目外，更設置搖獎機等機台，供參加者賺取活動積分。
活動也引入了積分機制。在本次聚會中，玩家可透過遊玩遊戲、參加 Panel 、在表演中投票等多種方式取得積分，活動結束時積分累積數量最高者除了可以獲得官方製作的紀念麻將套組外，更可讓自己的設定出現在明年活動的主視覺設計上。
主題會場活動——21點。圖／藍風攝
除了賭場遊戲、 Panel 等活動外，本次的毛斯維加斯也新增了「舞台大對決」與「競標大會」兩大活動。在舞台大對決中，參加者們將會被分成「璀璨黑桃」、「炙熱紅心」兩大隊伍輪流在台上進行才藝競賽，並在每回合結束後由台下的觀眾票選出優勝者。活動最後由璀璨黑桃勝出。而在競標大會中，參加者們可於事先提供拍賣品，由現場的參加者們競標，出價最高者即可拍得該物品。
舞台大對決第一場因系統問題改現場計票，由表演者出場拉票。圖／藍風攝
本次競標品中的毛裝。圖／藍風攝
毛斯維加斯也延續舉辦了上屆備受好評的「紙箱樂園」、「氣球派對」與旋轉木馬等活動，讓參加者們自由前往體驗。每次聚會皆會舉辦的「DJ Party」則邀請到了 Teru Fox、ICE 與日本獸圈知名 DJ SORAMI 擔任 DJ ，用節奏強勁的音樂「嗨」翻所有人。
DJ趴現場活動。圖／藍風攝
販售會現場。圖／藍風攝
今年的 Panel 活動一樣由自願者申請報名。本次聚會的 Panel 數目高達 28 個，主題從馬內、攝影到旅遊團等應有盡有，吸引了眾多參加者前往參加自己有興趣的 Panel 。
荷蘭天使龍官方見面會Panel。圖／藍風攝
主講者澍星以茶為主題的Panel。圖／藍風攝
台灣眾多實況主舉辦的互動性Panel。圖／藍風攝
今年公益抽獎同樣捐助給台灣石虎保育協會。本次的公益抽獎共募集到新臺幣 258,850 元，同時也是國內獸迷聚會首次有多顆毛裝頭套做為獎品。活動尾聲也公開明年的活動主題與主視覺——台灣金毛影展，歡迎獸迷們明年再來參與。
閉幕式活動一樣由季雪擔任主持人。圖／藍風攝
閉幕式抽獎環節。圖／藍風攝
TigerTails Radio Season 14 Episode 49
TigerTails Radio Season 14 Episode 49. 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.
Bearly Furcasting S4E14 - Hot Summer Furs
MOOBARKFLUFF! Click here to send us a comment or message about the show!
Moobarkfluff! Wow, what a lot of stuff this week. We have lots of upcoming events, we visit the Transfurmation lab, talk about some creature oddness, visit with Taebyn's honey; Tatsu, A movie review from Cheetaro, and well, that's just some of the hilarity you you expect from BFFT! Moobarkfluff all you furs!
This podcast contains adult language and adult topics. It is rated M for Mature. Listener discretion is advised.
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
Outer Space from the Ground, Up
Underground Oracle Publishing got in touch with us about Wyld Space, a new tabletop RPG they are producing. According to them, “Wyld Space is a high-adventure sci-fi setting where you take on the role of wylds fighting back against a corrupt government and the megacorps controlling them in the distant reaches of space.” We’ll let Jess Pendley of UOP explain where they’re at now: “The way our publishing model works, is we release a developing early-access pdf that we update each month with additional materials for our supporters over a six-month cycle, then we crowdfund production of the shelf-ready version of the book to sell on storefronts. During the production cycle, we provide our patrons with exclusive playtest and feedback surveys, so they have a real impact on the setting before it hits the shelves. Each of our early access pdfs contains all of the rules that you need to play (using the Cypher System), so they don’t require owning any additional books.” Got that? Currently they have not one but two special Patreon drives for Wyld Space in progress.
image c. 2023 Underground Oracle Publishing
Tips for a New Fursuiter
I am a person who's been in the fandom for at least four years and I'm now getting my very own fursuit! But- unfortunately, I do not know the proper things needed whilst having a suit and proper fursuiting etiquette. The most I know about it, is not deheading in public and needing a lanyard with a badge on it. I'd love ta know more so I can participate in an upcoming convention the right way!
Much love and bear hugs,
Benny Raspberry
* * *
Dear Benny,
Congratulations on your upcoming fursuit! And thanks for your question.
Fursuiting has changed a lot since I first started doing it over a dozen years ago. Back then, the rules (or, really, traditions, which basically arose from the fact that a lot of early fursuiters had worked at places like Disneyland) were much more rigorous. For example, most fursuiters believed you should never talk while in fursuit or reveal the fursuiter underneath the fur for any reason other than you're about to overheat if you don't dehead right away.
This is not so much the case today. I regularly see fursuiters take their heads off in public instead of in the fursuit room at cons, and there is a thing now called "poodling" that we would never have done back in the day. Poodling is when you just wear a head and paws and you allow your arms and even your legs or belly to be seen. The reason these things were frowned upon in the past is that fursuiters felt it spoiled the illusion that you were your fursona. If you ask a young fursuiter today if that is true, they will deny that it affects this illusion. Now, I understand why some people poodle because a full fursuit can be very hot. However, the problem is easily solved simply by wearing pants and long-sleeved shirts. I do feel that deheading in public and poodling are not really in the spirit of fursuiting, but since this old bear is not in charge of how fursuiters behave, I'm not going to police them. Me, I stay in full suit because I want to be 100% in character. But what you do in this regard is up to you.
There are no rules other than make sure you do not overheat and that you have access to water. All cons have a "headless room" or "fursuit room" where you should go if you need to dehead, get some water, and sit by a fan. Fursuiters and their handlers are allowed in these rooms, but not other people (this goes back to the tradition that we don't want to spoil the illusion, but also because fursuiters need a lot of room to relax and you don't want a lot of people wandering about getting in the way).
The next thing you want to do is to have a handler, especially if you are new to fursuiting. Because visibility is a problem in most fursuits, it is easy to trip on stuff. A handler helps guide you through the hotel or wherever you might be to avoid this. Handlers can also warn off overenthusiastic people who try to hug you or pull on your suit without permission. It also helps if you familiarize yourself with your fursuit location before you suit up. Do a walk-through and get to know where tables, chairs, pony walls, and other obstacles may be. Oh, and be very careful on any stairs and escalators. When it comes to hotel elevators, remember that fursuiters are allowed to get on first (after any people with disabilities and the elderly or ill).
Next: Performance! Get into character when fursuiting! Don't just amble about like a guy in oversized SCUBA gear. Get into it. Remember to exaggerate your gestures so that they are expressive and easy to see. If you choose to talk in fursuit, maybe do so in your character's voice. If you don't talk, then it's even more important to do a physical performance. Remember, people will want to take pictures and give hugs. It's up to you whether you want to allow this, and you can politely say or gesture to them that you don't care for that if that is the case, but for me, the hugs and posing for pics are the best parts of fursuiting.
Oh, and yes, do remember to wear a con badge. That's true whether you are in suit or just a regular attendee. When you are putting on your suit, it can be easy to forget! So, don't! Put on your body first, then the lanyard, and then your head in that order.
Those are the highlights. If you have more questions, feel free to ask. Have a great con!
Hugs,
Papabear
Episode 541 - Everyone in McKinney is Dead
Local weather station said it hit 101105 in McKinney. Good thing the air didn't combust in our neck of the woods. This week we're all back, Savrin talks about their disappointment in FF16, hopes for Baldurs Gate 3, then Shiva talks about her trip to Anthrocon and assorted family travails. Very exciting~
LINKS
(3) "Bring Me To Life" by Evanescence [OTAMATONE COVER] - YouTube
Everyone in McKinney is dead : texas (reddit.com)
Telegram Fan Chat - https://t.me/+Ma4PTE0IsWVmMDQ5
The Cat of Cali
Remember when we told you about P-22, the famous “Hollywood Puma”, whom we lost in 2022? Well author Henry Hoke has a very special take on a similar urban cat in his novel called Open Throat. “A queer and dangerously hungry mountain lion lives in the drought-devastated land under the Hollywood sign. Lonely and fascinated by humanity’s foibles, the lion spends their days protecting a nearby homeless encampment, observing hikers complain about their trauma, and, in quiet moments, grappling with the complexities of their gender identity, memories of a vicious father, and the indignities of sentience. When a man-made fire engulfs the encampment, the lion is forced from the hills down into the city the hikers call ‘ellay’. As the lion confronts a carousel of temptations and threats, they take us on a tour that spans the cruel inequalities of Los Angeles and the toll of climate grief.” Find out more in this new hardcover best-seller.
image c. 2023 MacMillan Publishing
TigerTails Radio Season 14 Episode 48
TigerTails Radio Season 14 Episode 48. 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.
Enjoying Taichung local cuisine with a furry artistic touch in Taiwan
以充满毛毛艺术气息在台湾品尝台中当地美食
Bearly Furcasting S4E13 - Please Don't Eat The Ferret!
MOOBARKFLUFF! Click here to send us a comment or message about the show!
Moobarkfluff! Taebyn is back from his vacation! Rayne and Bearly discuss their July 4th experiences, Taebyn tells us about his vacation adventure, we have some jokes, we have some trivia, Bearly has trouble pronouncing city names, We are joined by Calypso the Flamingo to discuss their involvement in their home town 4th of July Parades, and of course we generally have a ridiculous time of it all. So tune in, sit back, and get ready for a furtastic ride! Moobarkfluff all you furs!
This podcast contains adult language and adult topics. It is rated M for Mature. Listener discretion is advised.
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
Bok to the Future
Sometimes manga can go in marvelously strange directions. Like things go in Rooster Fighter by Shu Sakuratami. “The neighborhood cock of the walk is more than just an ordinary rooster — he’s humanity’s greatest defender! His opponents may be ten stories tall, but nothing is bigger than his stout heart and his fearsome battle cry — cock-a-doodle-doo!” You don’t say? Well that’s what Viz Media tell us anyhow! Several black & white issues are out now.
image c. 2023 Viz Media
PhiliFUR, A Community Driven Con w/Gaspy and Jethro [FABP E34]
Now preparing for its second year, PhiliFUR is the Philippines' newest fur con. In this episode, we talked with Gaspy and Jethro to tell us a little bit about themselves, what they do, the start of PhiliFUR, and their overall vision for the con. As of this writing, PhiliFUR tickets are still out. Get them while they last! ---- Timestamps: 00:00 Teaser 00:29 Intro 01:36 Guests Intro 03:47 Gaspy Intro 08:29 Jethro Intro 12:15 Getting into the fandom 16:15 Bears are cool 21:42 Growing up on video games 27:00 Living in Bulacan 32:44 Where to go in Baguio and Manila 35:32 Batanes and Ilocos 39:06 Amazing Filipino food 44:16 What inspired PhiliFUR’s creation 51:18 Getting to the event 55:33 Emphasis on roleplay and VR 1:00:31 Passionate dancing and excited children 1:04:32 Gaspy and Jethro’s roles at PhiliFUR 1:08:20 Management and avoiding disaster 1:15:24 Voting on a con mascot 1:20:19 Cosplay and mascots 1:25:39 Onlookers, old vs new 1:29:36 Future plans 1:36:33 Social media shoutout 1:38:22 Outro ---- 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 Gaspy: https://www.facebook.com/gshiroku https://twitter.com/Gaspydoggy https://www.youtube.com/@haruekuma4203 https://www.twitch.tv/haruekuma Philifur: https://twitter.com/PhiliFUR_Con https://www.facebook.com/PhiliFURCon https://www.philifur.com/ Jethro: https://twitter.com/jetburr https://www.furaffinity.net/user/jetbear https://mastodon.furrybrigade.net/@jethro ---- Footage Credit: https://pastebin.com/FkAHHBwe ---- The Fox and Burger Podcast is one segment of our production house, Fox and Burger Productions. The podcast’s goal is twofold: 1, to know more about the Asian furry fandom; and 2, compare and contrast the Asian fandom with the Western one. If you have a guest that you would like to see on the show, please PM us! We will also take questions for our guests, so don’t miss this opportunity to know some amazing furs.
They Hate Us for Being Free
I've been seeing a lot of furry hate recently on the internet, and to be honest, I am tired of people hating on us, thinking that we are all zoophiles or thermals [I think he means therians, or maybe ferals], and to see that even though we hate them (zoophiles/therians) as well, people still don't see that! I feel like the fandom is dying, and you know what? We should destroy the furry community to make a new community like it, except with thermals or zoophiles, and to not have inappropriate things like murrsuits. It should be child friendly!
Do you think we should recreate the furry fandom and have a set of rules with it? To keep everyone more safe and to stop furry hate all together?
Anonymous (age 15)
* * *
Dear Anonymous,
Wow, there's a lot of stuff in this letter to address. Let me see if I can do so in an organized and logical fashion.
- You're 15, so you are likely not familiar with furry history. Truth is, furry hate has been around for decades and is nothing new. The good news is that, overall, furries are more accepted today than they once were. The media has slowly been warming to us, and capitalist society is starting to realize that there is money in furry (hence the success of Zootopia, which was produced by people who saw dollar signs in making a totally furry movie).
- What you're proposing has already been tried in what was the Burned Furs vs. Freezing Furs debacle of the late 1990s, which was a conflict between furries who wanted to get rid of adult art (Burned Furs) and those who felt it was part of the fandom (Freezing Furs). As you can tell, the Burned Furs lost. There are a number of reasons for this ranging from the fact that those leading the Burned Furs charge were pretty much incoherent and rambling in their philosophy of why adult furry art is bad to the fact that an integral part of being a furry for many in the fandom is the freedom to explore sex and gender. An anti-porn movement has started again recently, blossoming on Twitter from a group called puriteens. Puriteens are not specific to the furry fandom, but they have been active in it and attack not only people who are okay with furporn but also zoophiles and feral furries and, I see, therians, as well. The think that feral furries are zoophiles, which of course is not at all the case.
- I've only been noticing this movement recently in which young (especially) furries have come to associate feral furries and therians with zoophilia, so, like you, they attack these groups. This is misguided. Therians are not a group of people favoring zoophilia. It has nothing to do with this. The same for the specific group known as lycans (lycanthropes). Also, there is a long tradition of ferals being in the fandom, and many movies (animated and live action) have anthropomorphized feral animals in them, ranging from The Incredible Journey and Charlotte's Web to Bolt and Balto. So, you need to divest yourself of this belief that therians are zoophiles and need to be banished from the fandom. (Also, therians are really not furry per se, but often share interests with furries as a kind of related subculture.) As for zoophiles, they are a tiny tiny tiny minority. No, they should not be considered "okay," but the idea they are a huge problem in the fandom is exaggerated to say the least.
- Lastly, any notions of destroying the fandom and rebuilding it are patently absurd. There are literally hundreds of thousands of furries out there indulging in their interests in anthros with absolutely no organization or structure to it. So, any attempt to control them would be like trying to herd thousands of cats from Houston to Chicago (a "cat"tle drive LOL). Cats have their own minds and don't take kindly to being penned, pushed, and pontificated at. Ain't gonna happen. They're free spirits, just like furries.
If you're looking for a subculture or fandom with rules and structure in it, the furry fandom is not where you want to be (try a Star Trek convention, maybe). It's chaotic, creative, explosive, turbulent, wild, manic, and totally counterculture. That's what makes it fun, frustrating, and amazing.
The people who hate furries hate us because we don't go by their rules. I love it. Don't let it bother you, because they only hate us because they can't control us. Kind of like Darth Vader hating the Old Republic because it didn't conform to his ideas of control.
There is a lot of pressure and hate against people who are trying to be free. Yes, it can be hard, and I understand you're upset about it, but that's a part of what being a furry is.
Bear Hugs,
Papabear
Social Dynamics in Furmeet Groups
I wanna ask how to deal with gatekeeping within the fandom and how to improve despite their differences?
For context, I have a friend who's in college and we started to chat and sharing everything since the pandemic. The problem my friend has is that he doesn't live in one of the biggest cities in Colombia but in a tourist one. That's why most of the fandom have (not everyone) start to mocking some regions, including my friend's city, with terrible jokes.
Despite I lived in the capital city (Bogotá) where concentrates the most part of the fandom, I can't believe the hipocrisy of some people, causing a lot of drama and splits to show which side of the furry fandom is the best; including the popfurs and meetups. And this bothers me when I read what happened in the past.
The funny part is I open the conversation in a group where I'm part of by typing "Hey, Divas! What's up?" to see what are the reactions.
At first, I thought that the Colombian furry fandom was open and welcomed, until I realized the live in their own bubbles. And maybe it can happen in other countries as well.
What do you think?
Gabbo the Fox (Colombia; age 30)
* * *
Dear Gabbo,
Sorry for the late reply. What you're experiencing in Colombia is something that happens in fandom groups across the world. It is human nature, sadly, for hierarchies to form in social groups. While in the broad, big-picture view of the fandom, it is true that the furry fandom will accept anyone regardless of race, sexual orientation, gender, religion, or nationality, but it is also true that this is often not the case in small meetup groups.
Why does this happen?
Simply put, it's because certain people are not happy unless they are dominating others. There are a number of reasons for this such as overcompensating for low self-esteem or because the only way they feel safe in a group is if they can control all the other members. And the best way to dominate others is to put those other people down. You can do this by mocking certain attributes (it doesn't matter what attribute so long as it can be labeled as "other" or "unacceptable.") or by gatekeeping in which the dominant person declares that certain people do not meet the requirements to be "true" to their type, whether that means you are a muggle or not a true furry.
While there is such a thing as a true leader, one who assumes the post because they are smarter or stronger or more experienced and wish to use these skills to lead their group to success and happiness, such people are typically found in times of crisis (for example, FDR during the Depression and World War II, or, closer to your home, Simón Bolívar). But when there is no crisis and the only purpose of a group is to socialize, then true leaders are not really required and what you get instead are popufurs and prima donnas. This is true whether you are in the United States, the United Kingdom, or Colombia.
You are 100% correct that these furry social groups "live in their own bubbles." This is the reason for the social dynamic you have witnessed and why the leaders of such groups are typically jackasses (often--not always, but often). I hear stories like yours all the time. It's very petty and small. And it can definitely turn one off being a furry.
Don't you let it. You're furry, I assume, because you love anthro animal characters in stories and art. Don't let others take that love away from you just because they're derps. Recognize that the ones treating you like this are most likely furries with very low confidence levels who are, basically, bullies trying to gain undeserved attention and admiration.
How do you deal with it? Once you recognize these people for what they are, I have found that their personal attacks bounce right off me like bullets off of Superman's chest. Personal attacks on your character don't sting at all if you do not respect the people who are dishing it out. (My usual response to people trying to hurt my feelings is, "Ooh, ouch! That would really hurt if I cared about your opinion.")
Once people realize you cannot be hurt by their attacks, they, like all bullies, usually get bored and stop attacking you.
In short, be cool. Be calm. Be Zen. Be Bear. Bears don't take no shit from nobody, and neither should you. And they look cute doing it, too.
Hope this helps.
Stay Furry!
Bear Hugs,
Papabear
Don’t Wisk the Wath of a Wizard!
Well thank you, Amazon! They pointed us at The Wize Wize Beasts of the Wizarding Wizdoms, a black & white yaoi manga that’s written and illustrated by Nagabe. “Hidden away deep within the woods, far from the prying eyes of the world, lies the Wizdom’s School of Wizarding. There beasts of all kinds gather to live, to learn, and to love. From everyday animals to fantastical creatures, these BL stories are told with a realistic and light-hearted touch.” Somehow we missed this on its initial release, but it’s available now from Seven Seas.
image c. 2023 Seven Seas Entertainment
TigerTails Radio Season 14 Episode 47
TigerTails Radio Season 14 Episode 47. 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.
Fursuit Eye Mesh: Everything You Need To Know
- What Is Fursuit Eye Mesh?
- Can I Use Any Mesh To Make My Fursuit Eyes?
- Are There Any Good Substitutes For This Mesh?
- Where Can I Buy Mesh For My Fursuits?
- How Do You Paint On To The Eye Mesh?
- Conclusion
What Is Fursuit Eye Mesh?
As the name implies, fursuit eye mesh is the fabric that is used to make the eyes of a fursuit. It is often a relatively thin material so that it can be printed on easily while still allowing the wearer to see through it. This is because mesh has thousands of tiny holes in it that allow light to pass through. The more tightly woven a piece of mesh is, the fewer holes there are and therefore the harder it is to see through it. Not all fursuits have mesh eyes and you’ll most often see this mesh in more toony suits than anything but it’s not exclusive to them. It can also be used in realistic heads, kemono heads, and more. Because the eyes are just made with a thin fabric, it’s quite easy to glue them onto the head of the suit and there are a million tutorials you can find out there on how you can install them easily so there should be no issue if you are trying to make your own fursuit.
Can I Use Any Mesh To Make My Fursuit’s Eyes?So, as for the specifics of the mesh you want to use this is where things can get a little tricky. You don’t want to use just any old mesh because it might not give you enough vision or ink might struggle to take to it so you should be a bit more meticulous about choosing the right mesh for your fursuit. Lucky for you, we’re here to help.
If you’ve read up a little bit on fursuit eye mesh then you’ve probably had this suggested to you a million times already but, Buckram mesh fabric is your best bet for fursuit eyes. This mesh really is just the jack of all trades. It’s affordable, only costing about $3.99 for a square foot of mesh, it’s easy to work with in terms of painting or inking designed onto the mesh and it’s see-through enough that your vision won’t be massively impaired but just opaque enough that people can appreciate the designs you put on to it.
Of course, it’s not the be-all and end-all if you’re unable to get your hands on some Buckram mesh fabric it’s just what we suggest. There are plenty of equally useful alternatives to this mesh which you can find below.
High Visibility Mesh vs Standard Mesh
Image via Twitter
Are There Any Good Substitutes For This Mesh?To start, vinyl eye mesh is another great alternative to Buckram. It’s almost just as easy to work with, you can paint onto it nicely, and it’s not too hard to cut. The only problem we find with vinyl mesh is it is slightly harder to see through because it’s a bit more tightly woven than buckram fabric. However, this isn’t a massive inconvenience as you can still get by with the visibility it offers.
Apart from PVC (vinyl) however, there aren’t many alternatives you’ll find. A lot of the mesh you will find will either be PVC or buckram-based mesh as they are just the most commonplace fabric mesh.
However, be warned, all mesh comes with its pros and cons, even buckram. For one, some have complained that buckram mesh fabric often warps and weakens a little too easily with time even if it is better for painting. While on the other hand, more PVC-based mesh often clogs with paint a lot easier thus reducing visibility. As well as this they can often make designs look a little “pixelated” if drawn with a marker pen.
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Build my fursuit
OR
Draw My Fursona
Where Can I Buy Mesh For My Fursuits?
If you’re reading this article because you’re looking to make eyes for your own fursuit but you’re not entirely sure where to buy supplies from, not to worry, we’ll cover your options.
Amazon
It might sound like a bit of a no-brainer but Amazon really is the marketplace for everything and anything. You can buy yourself any color mesh in varying different sizes and even mesh that is pre-cut into circles for you. Plus, you can get all of this for less than $10. So, if you’re looking for the most convenient place to buy mesh for your fursuit eyes and a lot of the other supplies for your fursuit to be frank, Amazon is probably your safest bet.
FursuitSupplies
However, if you don’t want to put more money into Bezos’ pockets and instead want to support the furry community, you can buy from the furry-run platform fursuitsupplies.com. As you could imagine, they are a bit more in touch with the needs of furries, and their site is dedicated solely to helping fellow furries make their own fursuits and they are relatively affordable. They also offer neat little cosmetics like LED light-up collars and custom-made ones.
Etsy
Another way of supporting the furry community and knowing exactly whose pockets your money is going into is ordering supplies through Etsy. Etsy has a surprisingly big furry and fursuiting community on it. You can buy everything from full fursuits to foam bases and there’s no shortage of supplies either.
How Do You Paint On To The Eye Mesh?Given that mesh has so many tiny holes you might think that it would be challenging to paint on but it’s actually far from it. This will be a brief guide on how to paint your fursuit eyes but there are plenty of extensive guides out there that will cover a lot more than this article. Firstly, if you’re going to use paint from a bottle (as opposed to paint pens or spray paint) we strongly suggest using high-quality acrylic paint. We’ve found that this is just the easiest to layer onto the mesh and the paint that takes to the mesh the best.
Once you’ve got your paint you’re going to want to apply a thin layer of the patterns and colors you want. Let this dry and apply another thin layer. The reason you want to keep these layers relatively thin is thicker layers can cause small globs of paint to clog the holes of the mesh and therefore affect the transparency of the mesh. Another way of avoiding clogging is by using a sponge, or piece of foam to lightly dab onto the as opposed to a brush as it allows you to use your discretion a little better. Keep on applying the layers of paint until your design is clearly visible and hey presto! You have just painted your very first pair of fursuit eyes.
Some alternatives to acrylic paint that we’ve seen people have success with are paint pens, felt-tip pens, spray paint, and markers. We know acrylic paint, especially the high-quality stuff, can be pretty expensive so any of these are great options as well.
Fursuit Eyes
Image via Pinterest
ConclusionSo, to wrap things up, if you are looking to make eyes for your own fursuit and are unsure where to even start we recommend first picking a material to make the eyes out of. Our suggestion would be buckram mesh fabric but any of the alternatives mentioned below would also work. For the best quality and affordability, any of the aforementioned stores are a great option to get not just eye mesh but most fursuit supplies. Then when it comes to painting your eyes remember to watch a tutorial on it beforehand as although we’ve given you a brief rundown on how you should go about painting it, our word isn’t gospel and there are plenty of tips and tricks you can pick up from several talented fursuit makers out there.
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