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We have the very exciting opportunity today to talk with Isak Wahl, the CEO of Snow Leaf Studios, developers of the newly released roguelite title, Brew! I spent time playing the demo of Brew over the Summer and absolutely adored the characters, gameplay loop, and unique story that their team is putting together. It’s clear that the direction and mission of the team is full of unique experiences and drive, as evidenced by the well-developed demo and intriguing taste of the world we now get to blast, brew, and dodge our way through. With that said, we couldn’t wait to get some additional insight into the development of this furry character-filled world.

The year is 2013. Pokémon X and Y released on Nintendo’s highly successful 3DS console and marks the first time a main series Pokémon game has been fully rendered in 3D. This is the best Pokémon has looked up to this point and it’s the start of an exciting new era. Beyond the pretty visuals however, X and Y also left a legacy of unfulfilled ideas and wasted potential. The rumored Pokémon Z never materialized and we inevitably left Kalos and Mega Evolution behind…that is, until recently. 

The time has finally come to talk about Pokémon Legends Z-A, the second entry under the Legends moniker following the success of Arceus back in 2022.  Unlike Arceus, which took place in the distant past, Z-A takes place in the future, at least as far as X and Y are concerned. This time the setting is the massive Lumiose City, crown jewel of the Kalos region.

TigerTails Radio Season 16 Episode 41 Join the Discord Chat: https://discord.gg/SQ5QuRf Join the Telegram Chat: https://t.me/+yold2C77m0I1MmM0 Visit the website at http://www.tigertailsradio.co.uk. See website for full breakdown of any song credits, which is usually updated shortly after the show. Credits: Opening music: Magic by Hedge Haiden (Double Hedge Studios) Character art: Fitzroy Fox - https://www.furaffinity.net/user/lunara-toons / https://bsky.app/profile/fitzroyfox.bsky.social Background art: Charleston Rat - https://www.furaffinity.net/user/charlestonrat / https://bsky.app/profile/charlestonrat.bsky.social 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.

TigerTails Radio Season 16 Episode 42 Join the Discord Chat: https://discord.gg/SQ5QuRf Join the Telegram Chat: https://t.me/+yold2C77m0I1MmM0 Visit the website at http://www.tigertailsradio.co.uk. See website for full breakdown of any song credits, which is usually updated shortly after the show. Credits: Opening music: Magic by Hedge Haiden (Double Hedge Studios) Character art: Fitzroy Fox - https://www.furaffinity.net/user/lunara-toons / https://bsky.app/profile/fitzroyfox.bsky.social Background art: Charleston Rat - https://www.furaffinity.net/user/charlestonrat / https://bsky.app/profile/charlestonrat.bsky.social 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.

I hope everyone had a great Furry Book Month! It’s over for another year and now we’re heading into the holidays with frightening speed.

Thanks to everyone who picked up this year’s Furry Book Bundle. We had our best year of sales yet, which helps both the guild and all the authors involved. All the money will be divided evenly among the authors, with the guild getting a share too. Authors, we’ll try to get your payments sent before December.

If you’ve been writing a lot lately and finding your energy flagging, take a break and read a book or stories written by other authors. Reading is a great remedy for burnout and stress. It helps refill your creative well! *points at all the great new books available below* If you’ve been reading a lot instead of writing, maybe it’s time to open your work-in-progress file.

I’m the last person to discover anything new, so I only just saw K-Pop Demon Hunters yesterday. I’ve been dancing around all day to the soundtrack, another stress reliever. These days we have to take joy where we can.

Here are the current open markets for your short stories:
Indecent Exposure – Deadline December 22, 2025
CLAW Vol. 2 – Deadline April 30, 2026
This Is Halloween – Deadline When Full
Children Of The Night – Deadline When Full

Please also check out the latest book releases from our members:
Dragon’s Soul, by J.F.R. Coates, Released June 7, 2025.
Two Strikes and I’m Out, by Michael H. Payne (poetry), Released June 16, 2025.
Tales from the Guild: Blood and Water, Released June 30, 2025.
A Portrait for Tomorrow, by Raynarde, Released June 30, 2025.
Winterfall, by Lauren Rivers, Released July 15, 2025.
The Bones Behind the Glass, by Renard Avec-Histoire, Released August 18, 2025.
Gravitational Pull, by Ty Fox, Released August 19, 2025.
Tikadi’s Gift, by Moth Flutterby, Released October 17, 2025.
Legend of Ahya: A Divinity Decayed [Book 5], by Matthew Colvath, Releasing Nov. 30, 2025.

Happy writing!
Kate Shaw

Monster capturing plus roguelite, turn-based battling is a combo that seems tailor-made for the current gaming landscape. With that much potential, it’s no surprise that the folks at moi rai games, developers of the popular indie hit Monster Sanctuary, would decide to bring their new game Aethermancer to Steam in an Early Access format. Luckily, the game debuts at an exceptionally playable place, and is teeming with taming goodness mixed with a deep, robust skill and gameplay loop that will benefit even more with some tinkering as the development cycle continues into their Early Access Roadmap. For now, let’s check out what’s good (and needs some work) when it comes to Aethermancer in its current state.

Good news for Sixteen South, an independent animation studio in Northern Ireland: Their CGI mystery/comedy series The Retrievers won the MIP-Junior Pitch competition this year, something that major international distributors of course pay attention to. Here’s the rundown of the show: “The series is about an extraordinary girl and her loyal dog as they tackle the most strange crimes in the city of Paris with an unusual bunch of stray animals. On her 11th birthday, she discovered she had the ability to understand and talk to animals, and that includes her police dog, Otis. This blew her mind because it would be really useful for Otis. There have been so many crimes in the city of Paris that have been going unsolved and now the dog thinks, finally, he can communicate with a human being and this might be the key to unlocking some of them.” Now we’ll see where they get to take it from here. (And oh yes: Happy Halloween!)

image c. 2025 Sixteen South

Recently we visited Lightbox, an animation industry trade show held annually in Pasadena, California. Lots of presentations by major studios, lots of how-to seminars for upcoming artists, and lots of people trying to get hired! We have a whole boatload of new and interesting projects — of the furry kind — that we learned about there. Among other things, Animation Magazine has a big list of new shows that are being marketed at this hears MIPCOM. First off, one that’s been in the works for nearly a year now: Tuiga, created by Copa Studio in Brazil. “Imagine a giraffe in a balloon making deliveries around the world, accompanied by a girl pilot, a not-so-easily impressionable flower and an enthusiastic little rock. This strange team is Tuiga, the most fun delivery service in the animal, vegetable and mineral kingdoms! Tuiga the giraffe, Amelia the girl, Nail the flower and Porridge the pebble bring their own specific qualities and very different characters as members of the balloon’s crew. An explicit diversity, starting with physical characteristics — such as sizes, shapes and colors — which also reflect personalities, moods and behaviors, offering young viewers a vivid exploration of how differences can complement one another in fun and unexpected ways.” Stay tooned to find out if this is coming to a streaming service near you soon.

image c. 2025 Copa Studio

TigerTails Radio Season 16 Episode 40 Join the Discord Chat: https://discord.gg/SQ5QuRf Join the Telegram Chat: https://t.me/+yold2C77m0I1MmM0 Visit the website at http://www.tigertailsradio.co.uk. See website for full breakdown of any song credits, which is usually updated shortly after the show. Credits: Opening music: Magic by Hedge Haiden (Double Hedge Studios) Character art: Fitzroy Fox - https://www.furaffinity.net/user/lunara-toons / https://bsky.app/profile/fitzroyfox.bsky.social Background art: Charleston Rat - https://www.furaffinity.net/user/charlestonrat / https://bsky.app/profile/charlestonrat.bsky.social 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.

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

Welcome to another episode of BFFT! All the regulars are here this episode. Taebyn, Rayne, TickTock, Cheetaro and Ziggy are all here! Since Halloween is just around the corner we decided to switch things up this episode and discuss that timeless Classic from 1974: Young Frankenstein. So,if you have nothing to do for about 90 minutes, why not tune in for another T-Riffic (that is Taebyn-Riffic) episode of BFFT! Moobarkfluff everyfur!

Please feel free to email us at: bearlyfurcasting@gmail.com 

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 S6E9 - Movie Night: Young Frankenstein

Independent developer Finite Reflection Studios has announced Mouseward, an N64-inspired Soulslike, coming to PC. Featuring a modern take on retro aesthetics, the game is "a nostalgic love letter to the golden age of 3D adventures."

Watch the Mouseward announcement trailer:

Austrian developer Everflux Games is excited to announce their debut title, Edenfall: Legacy of the First Wardens is coming to Steam in 2026. Edenfall: Legacy of the First Wardens is a single-player action-adventure set in a charming, hand-crafted environment. Players will play as Venya, a young shapeshifting heroine, on her journey through a whimsical world. Eden has been overrun by evil creatures. It's your task to drive them out and heal the world. Discover your people's past and uncover your magical abilities, including the power to transform into animals, including a wolf, raccoon, and raven.

Key Features

• Explore | Traverse a magical world in four forms: human, wolf, raccoon, and raven: each form comes with a unique movement system and combat toolset.
• C-C-Combo! | Master an intricate combat system and unlock mighty combos by chaining attacks from different forms.
• A journey of growth | Join our hero on her path to reflection and growth to find inner peace. Find magical crystals to learn new combos and complete sidequests to gain more customisation features.
• Heal the world | Cleanse parts of the world from corruption and be rewarded with the breathtaking experience of the once-corrupted land being restored.

The demo for the exciting new single player experience has just released and is available to play right here!

1. 1. What Is the Furry Fandom
   2. A Brief History of the Furry Fandom
   3. Why People Join the Furry Fandom
   4. Common Misconceptions About the Furry Fandom
   5. How the Furry Fandom Expresses Creativity
   6. Conclusion

Article Content

• What Is the Furry Fandom
• A Brief History of the Furry Fandom
• Why People Join the Furry Fandom
• Common Misconceptions About the Furry Fandom
• How the Furry Fandom Expresses Creativity
• Conclusion

What Is the Furry Fandom

The furry fandom is a worldwide community built around an interest in animals with human-like traits, such as expression, speech, and emotion. People who take part in the fandom, known as furries, use this shared interest as a way to create art, stories, and friendships that celebrate imagination and individuality.

At its core, the furry fandom is about self-expression and creativity. Many members design animal-inspired characters that reflect parts of their personality or simply explore a world they enjoy. These characters often appear in drawings, costumes, and stories that help fans bring their ideas to life.

The community thrives both online and in person. Fans connect through digital spaces like Discord groups, social media platforms, and art-sharing websites where they can showcase their work and meet others who share their interests. Offline, they gather at furry conventions and local meetups to trade art, celebrate creativity, and build lasting friendships.

The furry fandom is open to anyone who enjoys creativity and storytelling. Some people focus on drawing, others on costume building or writing, and many simply enjoy the sense of community it offers. It is a space defined by diversity, acceptance, and passion for creative freedom.

A Brief History of the Furry Fandom

The furry fandom began as a small creative niche and has since grown into one of the most expressive online communities in the world. Its roots stretch back to the late 1970s, when fans of science fiction and animation began creating stories and art featuring animals with human-like qualities.

The idea of mixing human emotion and animal design had always existed in media: from classic cartoons to early animated films, but this period marked the first time people started forming a community around it. Fans shared illustrations, created original stories, and met through small gatherings at science fiction conventions.

By the 1980s, the movement had developed a clear identity. Dedicated events started forming, giving artists and writers a place to connect and collaborate. These gatherings would eventually grow into the large-scale conventions that the community enjoys today.

The rise of the internet in the 1990s and early 2000s allowed the fandom to expand globally. Artists could share their creations instantly, and fans from around the world could communicate through online forums and art platforms. This period also helped define the cultural identity of the community, distinguishing it from other forms of anthropomorphic art.

Today, the furry fandom continues to thrive through online spaces, creative collaboration, and social gatherings. It remains a place where imagination and individuality are celebrated.

Why People Join the Furry Fandom

People join the furry fandom for many reasons. For some, it begins with an interest in art and storytelling. For others, it becomes a way to express themselves, meet new people, and explore identity in a creative and accepting space.

At its heart, the furry community offers a mix of creativity, friendship, and personal growth that continues to attract members from all over the world.

A Place for Creative Expression

The furry fandom gives people the freedom to create. Members design original characters, write stories, draw digital art, and perform through costume or animation. These outlets allow fans to explore ideas that may not fit into traditional creative spaces.

Many enjoy designing or commissioning artwork that brings their characters to life. This shared love for creation is one of the main reasons the fandom has continued to grow.

A Sense of Belonging

For many fans, the furry community feels like home. It is a welcoming environment where people can share their interests, make friends, and express themselves without fear of judgment.

This inclusivity has helped the fandom become one of the most positive and supportive creative communities online. People come together to celebrate art, creativity, and individuality.

Exploring Identity

Creating a character gives people a chance to express parts of themselves that might be hard to share in everyday life. Some fans build characters that reflect who they are, while others create entirely new versions of themselves through fantasy.

The process of building a fursona can lead to greater self-understanding and confidence. It can also help people express personality traits or emotions that feel more natural through their character.

The furry fandom thrives on shared enthusiasm. Whether online or at conventions, people gather to collaborate, trade art, and celebrate creativity together. 

People join the furry fandom for their own reasons, but they all share a love for creativity and expression. Whether through art, performance, or friendship, the community offers a space where imagination feels at home.

Common Misconceptions About the Furry Fandom

Like many creative subcultures, the furry fandom has often been misunderstood by people outside it. Misconceptions tend to come from a lack of information or from media portrayals that focus on the unusual rather than the everyday reality. In truth, the community is built on creativity, art, and connection.

The fandom includes artists, performers, writers, and fans from all backgrounds. Most members take part because they enjoy the artistic side of the community and the sense of belonging it provides. Still, a few common misunderstandings have shaped how outsiders view it.

Misconception 1: The Furry Fandom Is Only About Costumes

While fursuits are one of the most visible parts of the fandom, they represent only a small portion of what it is about. Most furries do not own or wear suits, and many focus instead on digital art, writing, or online roleplay. Costuming is just one of many creative outlets within the fandom.

Misconception 2: Furry Art Is Always Sexual

A common stereotype is that furry art is primarily adult-focused. In reality, the majority of the art within the fandom is not sexual at all. Most artists create wholesome character portraits, comics, or fantasy illustrations that highlight storytelling and creativity.

Like any large community, there are adult areas, but they are separate from the main fandom. Reducing the entire community to that one aspect ignores the thousands of artists who focus purely on creativity, character design, and worldbuilding.

Misconception 3: Furries Cannot Tell Fantasy from Reality

Some outsiders believe that furries think they are animals or wish to live as them. This is not true for most members. While some enjoy roleplaying or exploring animal traits through art, the majority simply use their characters as creative avatars or symbolic representations.

For many people, their fursona is a way to express identity, personality, or emotion through storytelling and design.

Misconception 4: The Fandom Is Not Inclusive

The furry community is often more inclusive than it is given credit for. It welcomes people of all ages, backgrounds, and interests who value creativity and kindness. Most community spaces focus heavily on respect, safety, and collaboration.

This inclusivity has helped the fandom grow into one of the most diverse and supportive creative communities online.

Understanding the truth behind these misconceptions shows what the furry fandom really is — a community based on imagination, friendship, and expression. It thrives because people support one another and celebrate creativity in all its forms.

How the Furry Fandom Expresses Creativity

Creativity is at the heart of the furry fandom. The community thrives because its members are always finding new ways to bring imagination to life. Every person contributes something unique, whether through art, writing, music, or costume design. This variety of expression is what keeps the fandom vibrant and welcoming.

Art and Illustration

Art is one of the most recognisable parts of the fandom. Thousands of artists draw original characters, comics, and portraits that bring fursonas and stories to life. These artworks connect people from around the world and form the visual identity of the community.

Digital tools have made it easier than ever for artists to collaborate and share their work. Some focus on stylised character art, while others experiment with 3D models, digital painting, or animation. For many, art is both a hobby and a way to build friendships within the community.

Writing and Storytelling

Writing is another cornerstone of creativity within the fandom. Many furries create stories that explore their characters’ personalities or entire fictional worlds. Some use writing as a way to express emotions, develop character backstories, or explore themes of identity and belonging.

Fan fiction, webcomics, and collaborative storytelling groups all play a big role in keeping the community active and inspired.

Costuming and Performance

Costume creation, known as fursuiting, combines craftsmanship with performance. Each suit is designed to match a character’s personality and appearance, and wearing it allows fans to perform and interact in character.

Fursuiters often take part in photoshoots, parades, and meetups where they perform for others or express themselves in playful, creative ways. It takes a mix of sewing, sculpting, and imagination to bring these characters to life.

Music and the Furry Rave Scene

The furry fandom has a strong and growing connection to electronic music. Many conventions host late-night dance events known as furry raves, featuring DJs and producers from within the community. These events combine lighting, visuals, and sound to create an atmosphere of energy and freedom where attendees can perform or dance as their characters.

The music itself often blends electronic subgenres such as house, trance, drum and bass, and synthwave. Some artists write original songs that reflect themes of transformation, freedom, or emotion, ideas that resonate deeply with the community.

Furry music producers frequently share their work online, sometimes using their fursona as their stage identity. This has led to a small but passionate music scene where furry DJs and composers collaborate, remix each other’s work, and perform at conventions across the world.

Community Collaboration

Creativity in the fandom often happens through collaboration. Artists, musicians, and writers work together on themed projects, charity events, and digital showcases. These group efforts have helped raise funds for animal charities, support small creators, and even launch professional careers that began inside the fandom.

This spirit of teamwork keeps the community connected and ensures that creativity continues to evolve in new and exciting directions.

The furry fandom’s creative range goes far beyond art and costume design. From digital illustration to live DJ sets, it continues to grow as technology and artistic trends change. At its core, the fandom remains a celebration of imagination, performance, and the shared joy of creating something meaningful together.

Conclusion

Drawing furry poses and proportions might feel challenging at first, but with practice and a solid understanding of anatomy, you’ll start to see real progress. Whether your fursona walks on two legs or runs on all fours, the balance between human and animal features will become second nature as you continue to draw. Remember to keep experimenting with expressions, body language, and poses to make your characters truly unique.

Most importantly, enjoy the process. Your fursona is a reflection of your creativity and personality, so don’t stress about getting everything perfect right away. With time, you’ll develop your own style, and your characters will come to life in ways you never imagined.

Happy drawing, and keep creating!

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Author

Xege Kheiru

Jennifer is an ex-costume designer turned fursuit maker, better known by her fursona's name Xege Kheiru. Under this alias she has written extensively for the Fursonafy blog and many others on the topic of fursuit making and general information about the furry fandom.

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The post What Is the Furry Fandom? Everything You Need To Know appeared first on Fursonafy.

Sick of bad news? Want some good news? Here’s how to make it. Get armed with knowledge to demand better for your community. When there is injustice, getting justice starts with reporting it. Bad media likes to linger on gross details of crime, but helpful media investigates and criticizes patterns, issues, impact, policy and leadership. This public service is often requested by people who need help — especially when leaders and police don’t help — like when there’s internet activity outside their reach, or news has to reach sources they need to come forward. It’s a job for independent reporting, so it can’t be suppressed when leaders are corrupt or protecting friends. This is news by us, for us, because outsiders and bad people don’t run your community… you do.

Five stories get their own headline posts. Here’s the short versions.

(1) Tennessee furry group leaders corrupted with predators and drug death; two evidence documents. MurfreesFurs, a furry group in Tennessee with around 1000 members, was the subject of an evidence document with 30 sources alleging that organizers covered up nazis and zoophiles in their inner circle, and failed to protect the community from predators. Sources face retaliation, and Dogpatch Press was pressured for suppression before even reporting. The shocking thing is, it was only part of the problem. A second evidence document came out independently from the first, alleging more serious complicity by MurfreesFurs organizers in CSAM, drug dealing and a fentanyl death. Sources include police reports and prison records.

(2) Mephit Furmeet put one of the world’s most infamous zoophiles on stage to represent the fandom. For years, furry conventions have hosted Charles Alexander Berry, AKA Toggle Rat. He runs a podcast that launders animal molesting as identity, like NAMBLA for zoophiles, while hiding their victims offstage. In 2021 he was outed as a zoophile with his husband running a furry group in Tennessee. Many people’s effort to protect the fandom went unheard in August 2025, when despite protest, Berry was given a platform on stage at Mephit Furmeet, the furry con running since the 1990’s in Memphis, TN.

(3) UK furry event founder and outed zoosadist ring member is still running events 7 years later. A series of international furry events under the name Club Animalz (and others) has been held in Manchester and Berlin since 2017. The founder, Foxb/Foxbearance, AKA Ben Mills, was exposed as an animal rapist in the 2018 zoosadist leaks. Mills raped animals on video, in a fursuit made for him, that he kept using for years afterward. In 2025, his events are still popular and partnered with large cons in the mainstream of furry like Confuzzled.

(4) Mare Fair enabled shady crypto nazis and a zoophile organizer who preyed on horse rescues. Florida’s Mare Fair is an adults-only My Little Pony convention. It crosses fandom for a kid’s show with the edgy chanboard culture seen in The Atlantic’s article about the MLP fandom’s Nazi problem. The con is organized by 4chan users and bounced between 3 venues in 3 years while raising a reputation for hateful behavior. The management also teamed up with a zoophile, Kyle “Lightsolver” Foster, to help run Mare Fair and found a new con. Two horse rescue charity operators claimed that Foster manipulated their operations after keeping a crippled horse alive in pain for years of sex abuse. Foster’s enablers in management include Joshua “Corpulent Brony” Hope, who runs a website to host bestiality videos. Hope milks fandom with silver coin sales and his own cryptocurrency. This allegedly ties con finances to shady donors with crypto-wealth, who break charity records set by other cons — conveniently buying a PR front.

(5) Nazifur sex offender keeps going in and out of jail while misleading furries to trust him. In Colorado, Jacob Kovar was a nazifur sex offender who was convicted after his arrest warrant credited investigation by Dogpatch Press. Kovar did crimes as head of security for a furry convention, until they got tipped and fired him. After years in jail, Kovar returned to the community with friends in a regular furry group, while he was allegedly violating parole to be online. Kovar had his parole revoked and was arrested again in late 2025.

Click through to the full stories or read on for more context.

A system problem 

It’s pointless to debate about whether our groups are good or bad. The issue isn’t psychology of ordinary people with ordinary problems. It’s structural. We have internet-based subculture where users also meet in real life, but we don’t own the foundation. Social media is broken with a mountain of analysis about why. There’s so much to say about dependence on corporate internet, with unaccountable management and profit above principles. Furries rely on it for a loose and insecure network of local bubbles, but it also enables manipulators and abusers to have their own networks. Sometimes they gain influence over yours.

While the platforms are a fundamental problem, there’s the idea that furries are above it by being tolerant and loving. That has a dark side. Love is blind and goodwill doesn’t exclude favoritism for bad friends. Volunteerism without money doesn’t exclude predators from social influence. It makes our own work to do internally, on top of broken platforms that make complacency with the status quo.

Sometimes the community organizes to force bad leadership out. That happened in New Jersey, where the corrupt con Garden State Fur The Weekend was replaced with Furgeddaboutit. It would be nice to call such a victory the norm, but the norm is that there isn’t one. Change only happens if enough people organize to force it. It’s all too easy to settle for the status quo. In internet terms, that’s network-effect.

Corruption isn’t fate, it involves settling for it. Awareness can help, but it’s often suppressed by toxic-positivity and anti-media hostility, with a pretext about protecting the fandom by keeping it in the family. This enables more of the problem, and needs external reporting while transparency is withheld. It doesn’t have to be that way, but if it doesn’t get reported, expect soothing lies…

The lies start with good intentions. Furries love pride in community, but pride can be fair-weather and two-faced. Membership works like identity when people want to claim it, but anyone can be a furry by saying so, and then when someone behaves badly, “we don’t know them”. That includes people who have been among us for decades and run things. If we want to take pride in building and running things, that goes with media literacy and telling THE FULL TRUTH about things we’re not so proud of.

Truth or consequences

The five current stories aren’t about random bad people at random events. These involve a higher level of decisions, favor and influence at the top. When leadership fails, the community has to ask someone else for help.

All too often, selfish leaders gain power through “everyone’s welcome” enabling and negligence, even with evidence in their faces. That’s how problems go without consequences, get swept behind PR and blamed on outsiders for noticing, and become circular. PR is often used for evil this way, and deserves the same bad reputation that “the media” gets. Don’t expect any reporter to shut up and report more good news, because their job is not to be a gutless PR mouthpiece. It’s everyone’s job to make problems unwelcome if you don’t want them reported.

More attention can bring help, but independent reporting doesn’t help by itself without action. When it isn’t paid, there’s a disparity of resources and underreporting. We can’t possibly do enough after something goes wrong, compared to the need to Just. Stop. Supporting. The. Wrong. People. Stop giving them money, platforms, and excuses.

Why can’t we just have nice things by being nice and doing good? When we build community for the love of it, how do some insiders keep acting worse than made-up characters in the imaginations of hateful outsiders?

The problem is that volunteering and donation can make some people indispensable, and occasionally they take advantage of the inability to get rid of them. When someone volunteers specialized skills for free, you can’t just fire and replace them! The worst manipulators can create reliance, with cronies willing to back them with pressure or even walk out together to get what they want, like silence about abuse. Suppression starts with friends protecting friends. Twisted loyalty can be as bad as top-down authority.

It’s pretty simple to say furry events are parties and hobby fun, and there are bigger priorities. Why not just withdraw and let them die when they’re corrupt? So what if someone doubts our commitment to Sparkle Motion? What is this, a cult? The saddest part is, some people would rather have selfish power than priorities. Parties and petty power in them are the only thing they care about.

Letting problems go is self-defeating. It gives hateful outsiders the facts to say much worse than stories they can make up, handing them ammo to use against us if we don’t defuse it by transparency. Outsiders didn’t ruin our image in these stories, we already did it before they came out. That’s the truth; don’t shoot the messenger, and go organize to make better news. Even if you can’t fix broken platforms, you can demand better in real life.

This is the kind of good news we can accomplish:

Shout out to @laelaps.fyi and @heika.dog for being a guiding light of can-do community service.
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— Dogpatch Press (@dogpatch.press) October 13, 2025 at 10:53 PM

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