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submitted by YellowBandanaDog
[link] [1 comment]

It’s a belief demonstrated with skill by Jill, the highly demanded maker at Jillcostumes.  Her quote appears in The Fursuit of Happiness: High Fashion in Furry Fandom – an article from July 2015 at Racked (a style and beauty industry news site owned by Vox Media). The author is Sydney Parker, a journalist who previously wrote about furries for Splitsider, a news site about […]

submitted by Verok_the_Dragon
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submitted by VentKazemaru
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submitted by TakeMyKnot
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submitted by TheVloginator
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My sona has a particular look, and it's hard to find artists who draw robotics for a reasonable price. Can anyone here recommend me an artist, or shamefully advertise themselves?

submitted by Pariah_The_Pariah
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submitted by ReifuTD
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submitted by RaccoonLoon
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Everyone communicates, acknowledges others, pokes at each other, does nice things for other users. It's really interesting how you guys and girls act. People know your name, some of you are sort of popular on here like Espurra or disco or ringar. It's kinda what made me stay here, just to see what you all would do next. You guys are awesome people and I hope you understand that.

submitted by Foxes281
[link] [62 comments]

Dated October 7, here is an article by Matt Baume in The Stranger, an alternative weekly newspaper in Seattle, Washington:
http://www.thestranger.com/features/feature/2015/10/07/22972145/being-a-furry-can-change-your-life

The article relates the author's experiences at the recent RainFurrest convention, and includes interviews with MetalFox, Kyell Gold, Phin, Kappy, Kilo, and Buni.

Two weekends ago, I drove to the SeaTac Hilton and parked in a distant overflow lot. I was wondering if I was in the right place until I spotted a giant fuzzy bat standing on the sidewalk. When traffic cleared, the bat lifted its wings and scampered across the road, flapping as furiously as an actual winged creature would. There was no one else present. This was not a performance for anyone's benefit. This was a person in a head space so complete, they were no longer a person at all.

Inside, the lobby of the hotel looked like Noah's ark. Most people had at least some furry ears or a tail. They chatted in small groups, with a few on all fours, barking. Others gathered around a table, stitching costumes. There was a large room set up for game consoles, and a dealer's den where you could buy animal-shaped pillows, or furry romance novels, or snacks, or porn.

I started talking with a furry who told me his name was MetalFox. As we were waiting for the elevator, he said, "The first photo I ever had with a furry was a reindeer who visited the hospital. I had a few weeks left to live. It was Christmas."

Next to us stood a rat holding a slice of pizza, and a six-foot-tall blue jay. Neither one batted an eye at his story, and indeed they couldn't have even if they wanted to—their eyes were plastic mesh embedded in masks of synthetic fur.

Furries are people who think of themselves as animals, or at least nonhuman avatars. They might dress up in costume, or they might not; they might express themselves through role-play, they might be kinky, they might keep their furriness a secret; or they might do none of those things. Some have known they're furry since childhood, others only realized their affinity later in life. You could be a furry right now without even knowing it.

Personally, I've wondered if I harbored my own secret fur for years. As a kid, I wished my friends could be more like the frolicsome rabbit family in Disney's Robin Hood. In college, I went through a phase where I taped a drawing of a kitten over my student ID photo and said "meow" when shaking hands, until a financial-aid officer frowned and ordered me to remove the picture while he watched. Then last August, I dressed up as the Nintendo character Fox McCloud for a video-game party. I have no qualms about stripping down for underwear parties—I'm hopeless at putting together an outfit, and usually it's less embarrassing to simply wear none at all. But the thought of dressing up in furry ears and a fox tail stressed me out. I was definitely going to be made fun of, right? Well, no—as soon as I slipped into the costume, my ever-present social stress simply vanished. I felt cute. People like Fox, and when I was wearing his fur at the party, people liked me. I walked home that night with the tail still swaying at my hip, not caring who saw me, and wondering: What had I just unlocked?

Which is partly how I ended up at Rainfurrest, which drew 2,500 to the SeaTac Hilton this year. Though attendees might be human in their mundane lives, by the time they walked through the revolving door of the lobby, their ears had become pointed and their tails extended from their butts. Furry sleeves adorned their arms, and their noses had been blackened until they were foxes and Charmanders and pterodactyls and elk.

A few folks clustered by the entrance, gawking at an alpaca—a real alpaca, not a person in a costume. The convention raises thousands of dollars each year for the Cougar Mountain Zoo.

MetalFox leads Rainfurrest's charitable wing. A few years back, he told me, he realized that he'd reached all of the goals in his human life. He had a dream job (IT administrator) and a home, and he'd survived leukemia against the odds. What was left? His fursona provided an answer: giving back. "He's a character I wish I could be," MetalFox told me. "My fursona helps other people."

"So why the wings?" I asked, looking at a drawing he held of a fox hovering majestically in the clouds.

"I just love flying," he said. "After Challenge Air." That's a charity started by a pilot that takes special-needs children on flights. MetalFox had been treated to a flight while hospitalized with leukemia, and the idea of benefactors descending from the sky left such an impression that he had re-created it in his very identity.

Recently, MetalFox helped a friend overcome suicidal depression by introducing her to an informal furry social circle. Now on the mend, the friend helps other furries facing similar hardships, forming a chain of support that moves from furry to furry. As MetalFox described the community's emotional continuity, a wisp of synthetic white fur drifted between us, blown from a distant creature by the air conditioning. MetalFox plucked the tuft from the air, rubbed it between his fingers, and then released it into a breeze that carried it through a pack of lounging wolves. I felt like I was in the presence of a guru.

"Was helping her stressful for you?" I asked. He nodded, and for just a moment I saw the hesitation of the man behind the fursona.

"I was not able to take on that responsibility," the human said, then smiled, "but MetalFox was able to." He cast his gaze across the room, where a person in a dingo costume was locked in loving embrace with an inflatable dragon.

"The theme of being comfortable with who you are is something I learned about through furry fandom," Kyell Gold said. He's the author of several romance novels, including Out of Position, about a gay tiger that plays college football. Kyell's novels focus on personal exploration and coming to terms with one's true nature, a process he himself underwent: Earlier in life, he studied chemical engineering, then multinational management, and then got an MA in zoology. During that time, he started writing furry romance, and when he was laid off from a tech job in 2010, his partner—also a furry—helped him launch a writing career.

"There are a lot of people who come to this place because they don't feel welcome where they are," Kyell told me. A man in a partial raccoon suit strolled past waving giant orange feather-boa fans, eliciting friendly waves from a group of college-age boys who were busy helping each other into dog costumes. "And they can learn who they are here," Kyell finished.

What was I learning about myself? Were these my people? I certainly felt a geeky kinship. Furries are a diverse crowd, but certain interests seemed so common, they were near-universal.

Seattle might just have the rest of the world beat when it comes to those interests. In addition to Rainfurrest, we also host Emerald City Comicon, FIRST Robotics, GeekGirlCon, BrickCon (for Lego enthusiasts), Sakura-Con (anime), ZomBcon (the undead), PAX Prime (games), and the Monsters of Accordion tour. Seattle isn't home to the largest furry convention in the country—that would be Anthrocon in Pittsburgh, which draws crowds of more than 6,000. But we have the best homegrown crop of nerds, and you can bet that attendees of Rainfurrest see each other at other local geek gatherings throughout the year.

"I'm also a Brony," said Phin, as he plunged an air hose into a blue vinyl orca balloon and let it slowly inflate. He was wearing a Dr. Who shirt. "I'm also in the 501st." He just assumed that I would know that the 501st is a group of Star Wars cosplayers. He was correct.

"When you're a geek, you find yourself restraining yourself," Phin went on. "If I told my coworkers I was here, inflating animals, what do you think they'd say?" Around us, a half dozen pool toys, twice as large as a regular person, wobbled back and forth. They'd been custom-made for thousands of dollars, and there were stern admonishments to leave all sharp objects outside the room.

As he spoke, I idly stroked a bundle of fur in my jacket pocket. I'd just been to a workshop where we were supplied with patterns and materials to build our own tails. I chose a bunny pattern, and as I stitched the fabric, I flirted with a boy in a sharply tailored vest. Like me, he was thin, fair, and soft-spoken. By day, he directed maritime traffic for the coast guard. But when he's off the clock, he told me, he's a rabbit.

"I can see that," I said, and somehow I really could. Rabbits have a way of finding each other, I guess.

"I'm super shy, so friends don't always come easy," Kappy told me. She was a blue raccoon, in full costume except that she had placed her furry head on the table in front of her so she could sip coffee. Role-playing as an animal wiped away the stress of socializing, which is why she was so comfortable spending time with friends like Kilo, who sat next to her.

"This is the only time I'm able to throw on the suit and have fun," Kilo said. "I would love to be silly all the time. But I catch myself. When I'm in a suit, I have freedom." When he's not in the suit, he studies diesel technology and welding in a small conservative Idaho town, and he goes to great lengths to ensure that no one will ever find out who he really is.

I could sympathize with their relief at finding a way to interact without anxiety. I'd had to walk past their table three times before I worked up the nerve to introduce myself.

"I discovered werewolves in the Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual when I was 9," Buni told me as we sat in the hotel courtyard. At a bench nearby, a bearded man gently stroked the rainbow mane of a unicorn with bulging chest muscles.

"The notion of not-quite-human struck a note in the same way as not-quite-male did when I was 17," Buni said. "When you look at a mirror and you see something that is not-quite-you looking back."

For most of her life, in conflicts between the head and the heart, she'd always gone with her head, resigning herself to reality as it was. For years, she had presented as male and lingered at the periphery of the furry community, quietly empathizing more with the werewolves than the heroes in horror films. Then one night, a furry friend asked her: "Are you serious about this? Or are you a hanger-on?"

"It was a shock to the system," Buni said. "Like when a kid gets caught wearing his mom's clothes for the first time." She was 19 and closeted, not even out to herself about being trans. "I had got as far as figuring out that I wasn't straight and not wholly male."

But as she began exploring online communities and flying across the country to attend meet-ups, she realized, "There are elements of self that I can control... I could transition. I got to decide what life meant."

As Buni spoke, a little girl ran around a corner, tripped on the sidewalk, and started to cry. The rainbow unicorn saw what had happened and clopped over to hug and comfort her.

Meeting a snow leopard named Keet at a furry gathering hastened Buni's transformation. At the time, Keet also presented as male, and as soon as they found each other, Buni said, they were "old friends who just met." Keet moved across the country to start a home with Buni, and they transitioned together.

"Everyone has that potential to find the furry," Buni said. "The pony. The crystal gem. It's finding the right key... finding that way of expressing that self, because we don't know we're allowed to look for it." At this point, I momentarily considered firing my therapist and asking Buni if we could set up weekly sessions.

When I got home, my partner James asked, "Did you find your people?"

"I don't know!" I said. "Maybe?" I showed him the tail I'd made, and then I noticed the mound of dishes that had accumulated in the sink during just the few hours I was away. "Are you fucking kidding me?" I exclaimed, and started to berate him about making a mess. This is my typical response to anything that triggers my cleanliness anxiety—lashing out with blame.

"What the fuck is this?" I demanded, pointing at an unwashed cheese grater.

"Uh. Hold on," he said, grabbing a clip from a bag of chips and using it to affix the bunny tail to the back of my pants.

"Oh," I said, considering. I wiggled my butt and felt the weight of it.

Suddenly, I was thinking about a peaceful woodland bunny nibbling grass, and a comforting stuffed rabbit named Buttons that I loved as a child, and that one rabbit that became internet-famous for balancing pancakes on his head. Relaxing, peaceful, tranquil thoughts. Staring at the tail, I could remember all of those images in an instant. But I couldn't remember why the dishes were worth getting in a fight over.

"Are you still stressed out?" James asked.

"No," I said. It takes a lot more than that to stress out a bunny.

So, as you all know, I posted a fun survey for you fuzz butts and I got over 270 responses. This is as of 5:45 am at my place, CTZ. Here are the results.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1rB3a58enQO2nbI6_WdXWLq_6sMZuFEbaaK2NAAdU0pU/viewanalytics

Edit: I fixed it so you all should be able to view it with the link. If you have any questions to suggest, please post them down. And I'm sorry avians, I forgot to put you down. Have a nice Wednesday!

submitted by topaz_colite
[link] [13 comments]

Or at least learn to attach that label to your interests? For a long time I could remember how I became furry myself but recently it came flooding back to me.

As a kid , I always daydreamed of being a dog or game characters like Yoshi and later Pikachu to what could probably be called an excessive extent. I'm remember drawing anthro Pikachu versions of myself in MS Paint but I still didn't know what that was, I just called them PikaPeople.

Then one day I was looking on this video game MIDI site and I found a really good MIDI Ska remix of Bust - A-Move by Cuddly Battleship Kattywampus. It was awesome and I wanted to find more so I went to her website that was listed in the MIDI file. I don't remember if her site actually had anything about furry on it or if it just led me to there from a link, but either way I found furry from there and then later things like Furcadia and VCL and stuff.

So how about you? What's your origin story?

submitted by Zoepapillon
[link] [54 comments]

Hi r/furry! This is my first post and I wanted to introduce myself. I recently realized I am a furry and want to meet like minded creatures.

I've always had an interest in animals and animal costumes. I never really thought too much of it and never felt like expressing it to others, especially in high school when social rejection is feared so much.

I went to college to study music. I am a classical musician and love composing as well! During school I was so absorbed with the music of the past I basically fell out of pop culture for a couple years. I recently have moved to a small city in California and my life has changed dramatically.

I identify as a wolf and also have a strong connection with horses. I go riding as much as I can and love all things equestrian. I don't really know anyone else with my interests (I'm aware they are strange) and I decided to make a fursona and meet and chat with other furries!

I discovered the furry subculture recently and am really into it. It's helping me with issues in my life (depression and anxiety of social acceptance.) I have many questions though since I don't know any furries in real life and hope to chat!

Thanks for reading my rambles.

submitted by WolfgangWildcolt
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Basically, I've had a curiosity for a long time. A friend of mine is a furry, and when I first developed an interest, he gave me a few places to check out. At the time I wasn't interested, but as time went on, the curiosity came back. I can't say I would dive headlong into the fandom, like fursuit and all but the RP and the art and a lot of other things just have my attention.

My question is, if that's the part I want to start off with and explore more into it, where do I get started? What if in my mind I don't identify as "furry" but I still enjoy certain parts of it?

Sorry if I sound stupid; I'm just really confused.

submitted by AstralDelphinium
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submitted by hellowombat
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submitted by patch_ofurr
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One misbehaving attendee can ruin a convention for everyone. Just look at what happened to Oklacon. Or the latest news about RainFurrest.

Furries, we have to be on our best behavior when we are in public. We have to remember our surroundings and take care not to do something that will hurt others. Most of you are considerate, no problem, but all it takes is one moment of indiscretion.

Be careful.

Metadata and Credits WagzTail Season 3 Episode 91

Runtime: 30m

Cast: Firefoxkac, Levi, Pamiiruq, Potoroo, Wolfin

Editor: Levi

Format: 128kbps ABR split-stereo MP3 Copyright: © 2015 WagzTail.com. Some Rights Reserved. This podcast is released by WagzTail.com as CC BY-ND 3.0. If distributed with a facility that has an existing agreement in place with a Professional Rights Organisation (PRO), file a cue sheet for 30:00 to Fabien Renoult (BMI) 1.67%, Josquin des Pres (BMI) 1.67%, WagzTail.com 96.67%. Rights have been acquired to all content for national and international broadcast and web release with no royalties due.

Why Can’t We Have Nice Things? - One misbehaving attendee can ruin a convention for everyone. Just look at what happened to Oklacon. Or the latest news about RainFurrest. Furries, we have to be on our best behavior when we are in public. We have to remember our surroundings and take c...

submitted by seo-chan
[link] [2 comments]

Before I start, I'm gonna say that even though this didn't go the best, it could have gone a lot worse. And our table group dynamic is still stable and very much unchanged, so that's good.

So today I was at lunch and was remembered something one of you guys showed me. On of you beautiful fuzzbutts showed me Rob Gasser's FA, which led me to find this beauty. (Pretend the battery is higher and that it says 11:4x, I took this screenshot later in the day)

So I showed like two of the girls that screen and got some funny reactions. I joked that it was "The best picture ever" or something like that. So then I went to show it to one of the guys at the table and here's what happened:

Me: Look at this beautiful picture.

Him: Damn furries. Why are you on furaffinity?

Me: Cuz I just am.

Him: Are you a furry?

Me: Well yeah, but that's not important. Has hands on notebook with fuzzy wuzzy story in it

Him:...

Him mockingly (quizzaciously, hue hue hue): e621?

Me: No!

Him: e621?

Me: No, stop. snaps fingers and points at him

After that we didn't really bring it up again, though that was in the span of about 17 minutes. Nobody else said anything, but our table is mostly weebs/otaku (including me to some extent), so I think I'm good. I'm curious as to how he even knows what e621 is, as I only learned of it recently, despite being in the fandom for ~3 years.

On another note, the Anime Society (anime club) at my school asked for Deviantart accounts, so I put my furry, and only, account down, but I put (pls don't visit, 'tis very furry) next to it XD.

submitted by Mattorr
[link] [17 comments]