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And this is not how much would you WANT to live.

I want you to take small bits and pieces in account (Police, FBI, you get the point :P)

I am giving myself a week. MAX

submitted by VilkoVilka
[link] [29 comments]

Illustration from Floral Frolic on Kickstarter.

You know, I think the “charm” project is our version of the minimalist wallet.

I’ve mentioned this before, but there’s a recurring project idea on Kickstarter (besides endless versions of the Werewolf card game and crowdfunded salad), and that’s the wallet–usually “minimalist wallet,” which is a sort of up-scale version of holding all your cards together with a rubber band. Like Kickstarter said in their blog, “another day, another slim wallet.”

An unavoidable fact about Kickstarter, it’s very much a popularity contest, and most new artists aren’t going to be able to get the $6,000 or however much to launch their graphic novel. So while Kickstarter is theoretically a great place to trade talent for money without the middle man, in practice, your first project is likely to crash and burn–unless it’s a modest little mini-project. Stickers and charms fit that bill really well–only a few pages of new art needed, a budget as low as $300 to run a slick print job, and a bright and colorful project to capture an audience’s attention.

Then, you come back to them for the graphic novel or webcomic. It’s a nice way to build some momentum!

Right now I’m only looking at two charms–a batch of eevies from Ashbee Illustrations, and some cuddly little cosplay alpacas from Snow-Mishibari. Unfortunately, neither is going gangbusters right now. There’s no easy way to say why–it may be that the eevee card is (heh) played out right now, or that alpacas are just too strange for a fandom that never really gets outside the world of large carnivores. So these are both kind of proving me wrong at the moment. Remember, research before ramble next time. Got it.

 

For a “complete” list of furry/fur-friendly crowdfunding projects, check out the Project Page! New Projects Children’s Products

Flora Frolic: A Foxy Fairy Tale (Ends: 6/12/2015)
Two super-adorable foxes gather flowers in a rainbow watercolor meadow. Cute foxes and a number of interesting gimmes.
Nearly to goal! But I’m concerned about all the add-ons, it looks like scope creep. Art is amazing, more at the the artist’s FA page.

Clothing/Costume

Tiny Equine Stockings (Ends: 6/8/2015)
brightly colored and obviously not trademarked stockings in the colors and and markings of the Mane Seven (six + Derpy Hoove).

Comics/Graphic Novels

Gamer Girl & Vixen #1 & 2 (Ends: 6/15/2015)
Minimally furry, but great subject: a lesbian supervillain love story in comic form, and at least one weaponized koopa shell.

SpaceRamblers (Ends: 6/29/2015)
The SpaceRamblers project returns in its colorful manga space-opera glory, with a stronger business plan and a print version.

Stickers/Charms

Cospaca! Cute Alpaca Cosplay Charms (Ends: 6/15/2015)
A miniproject of extremely floofy alpacas in costumes, from artist Snow-Mishbari.

Video Games

Cats In Space Suits (Ends: 6/12/2015)
A silly little mobile puzzler, a bit Angry Birds, but with cats and planetary gravity wells.
Minimally furry, but ?the graphics are pretty cute.

Loco the Firefox (Ends: 7/2/2015)
Iphone platformer with a bouncing, spinning red panda springing through a world of high-definition barrels

…Causes

Shiba Prom (Ends: 7/12/2015): A virtual dance party for dogs and other small mammals to raise money for Shiba Inu rescue groups and puppy mill awareness campaigns.

…Just for fun

Harris Dies on Page 32 (Ends: 6/15/2015): A collection of tweets and shorts from the world of @AwfulFantasy

…Meh

2020 AD (Ends: 6/10/2015): An incoherant project with a LOT of tame and NSFW original and fan/commission art. The graphics are good, but the writing is just not publishable, and the business plan is unclear and not a very good value ($17 for a digital comic?)

submitted by AlkseeyaKC
[link] [8 comments]

Furclubbing: “A repeat/regular nightclub event by furries for furries.”  It’s a New Thing that’s been spreading since the late 2000’s.  This kind of dance party is independent from conventions.  This builds on the growth of cons, and takes things farther.  It’s more established than events that happen once, house parties or informal meets.  Those can be inner-focused, or gather […]

A little anime, a little space opera, and a lot of epic.

 

Space Ramblers

UPDATE! The Space Ramblers webcomic has come back to Indiegogo after a hiatus with a revised business plan and a print version. Check their new Indiegogo campaign. Some of the content of this post may be out of date, check their campaign for the latest information. Campaign ends 6/29/15.

Space Ramblers–soon to appear on a web browser near you–is a massively epic space opera–it’s got swords, it’s got blasters, it has dragons, it potentially has the end of the universe, and may, possibly, have strange and ancient gods. It definitely has a panda.

SR is the project of Roman Polikarpov and team, and the first five pages are up, teaser-style. Given the general structure of “Epic Space Opera” as a genre, it’s kind of like seeing Dumbledore dropping off Harry P at the Dursley’s, or the destruction of Krypton–these are events that set the motion for what’s coming next. We’re not really setting the stage for Act 1, Scene 2, so much as showing the scale and importance of what’s to come, even though the trope of the Hero of Destiny is always “start small, end global.”

I’m only saying, I’ve seen two pandas so far. One controls the universe and sent his family away in an escape pod, the other looks a bit like Lina Inverse‘s younger, slacker sister. It’s not a bad look.

The prologue does show off Polikarov’s art, which–kind of like manga, really–ranges from moody and detailed to–dang, is there a word for it when anime characters are suddenly drawn in a simple, silly way, to show that they’re being simple and silly? By and large, the art is exceptional for a webcomic, and if it can maintain a weekly page of this caliber with a small team, that’s a pretty good level of quality.

You can learn more about the various characters and some of the technology of the SpaceRamblers universe over on Polikarpov’s FA account. If you like sci-fi it’s definitely worth a +watch.

There’s a common problem in funding webcomics online. It’s kind of like the problem of kickstarting a video game: “This is going to be AWESOME when we have a final product, but the progress shots are grainy and low-rez because it’s in development!” That problem–which I’ve seen time and again–is that as you start a webcomic, you just don’t have a fan base. A basic rule of crowdfunding is that it is, at the end of the day, something of a popularity contest. You either have to have a great fan base or a really amazing product to get the dollars. Webcomics get dinged on both sides–a new webcomic doesn’t have the warm bodies and eyeballs to get the big dollars. And because artists change and grow, what it is on page one isn’t what it will become three years down the road. The art will change over time (unless, like Girl Genius, the artist has spent decades honing his style. Look at Page 1 and Page Now of Housepets, though). Or like The Furry Experience, the tone of the comic shifts as it hits its stride.

Funding a new webcomic, both for the creator and her patrons, usually ends up being a leap of faith. Thankfully you’re not dumping tons of money into a bound and printed product, but there is a lot of time that could go down the drain in terms of development. And for the patron, you can’t flip through the material and decide what it’s worth to you, because you really don’t know what it’s going to be worth to you.

That’s the principle challenge of Space Ramblers. It’s a new title by a relatively new artist. Polikarpov’s FA and DA accounts are new creations, devoted mainly to the webcomic. There is a furry scene in Russia, where Polikarpov hails from, so that’s a growth opportunity down the road, but it looks like a small community.  Now, Space Ramblers is getting an FA banner ad, and that will hugely help their exposure (those ads, they’re magic, seriously). But with the Indiegogo campaign already launched without a robust fan base, it may be too late for this trip around the merry-go-round. We’ll see.

I almost never say this, but SpaceRamblers should probably have gone flexible funding. I love all-or-nothing funding, it says “hey! I’ve got a business plan!” but webcomics are soft and squishy things. It costs very little to start one up, and while the burden of time is huge, the literal financial cost really isn’t (yes, time and money are the same thing, but only after you can make a part time job out of your passion.) That’s why an ongoing tip jar like Patreon makes a lot of sense for a content provider, it’s revenue that can slowly build as your customer base does.

So far as the Indiegogo page goes, it’s not bad. It has the hard story to tell of “fund my free, publicly-available art,” which is a difficult task in our notoriously cheap fandom. I have some issues with the content–artists are not necessarily marketers, and there’s a lot of “wow this is great!” instead of clear communication of the project’s scope, the characters, and so on, but that’s what FA is for, fleshing out the details. “Tell me that it’s fantastic” is never as compelling as telling me why it’s fantastic.

(It’s one of life’s sad truths that marketers, quite possibly the most useless creatures on board the Golgafrinchan Ark, B-Class, generally have nothing to contribute to the world but hand-waving and exclamation points–but the real creators of the world have their hands full, and really need well-placed exclamation points. After 12 years in marketing, I’ve been able to accept that, to paraphrase Milton, “they also serve who only stand and wave.”)

So here’s my hope for SpaceRamblers. With its low goal, it’s possible that it could make goal after its FA banner ad goes online, but that’s going to be challenging. It has the advantage of being one of the top projects on Indiegogo’s “Comics” page, which usually only fills two or three screens anyway, so it’ll maintain its visibility through the campaign if it gets a few tweets and outside links and the artist posts a lot of updates (Indiegogo tip: posting updates increases your “gogo factor.” I bet FurAffinity links aren’t helpful here since FA hides itself from Google, but I have no way to test that.)

Anyway, my hope would be that the SpaceRamblers campaign is a soft launch for Polikarpov’s comic, and that its funding level without an established fan base is not a reflection of what it could be down the road, after six months of material, an FA banner ad, and maybe a convention table or two. It’s challenging for an unknown artist to raise money, but every artist started out as an unknown.

Follow @furstarter on twitter for the latest fur-friendly crowdfunding projects!

submitted by MRjarjarbinks
[link] [43 comments]

submitted by Argarath
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I was practicing driving today and some guy pulled past me. His vehicle had a bunch of paw prints on it and a drawing of a fursona near his license plate. Glad to know I'm not the only floof in South Carolina.

submitted by Akpil
[link] [30 comments]

Alright, Lets do this.... For all you Fuzzbutts who don't think of yourselfs as artists. Show me your best attempt at drawing!

Here is mine, It was supposed to be a wolf -_-.

submitted by AlexThatShepard
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submitted by Ghostlupe
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How do you deal with depression? Ive tired illicit substances but they don't help and I just feel empty inside.

Edit: it's not just a moment of "I'm feeling down, I've though about suicide everyday for the last two years. I started cutting my arms recently to see what it feels like... It doesn't hurt

submitted by RanninWolf
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submitted by Terwin94
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After what seems like a long long time, this past March Yen Press finally released Kingdom Hearts: The Novel as a single black & white collected manga. Just one that happens to be over 300 pages long! “On the Destiny Islands, three children–Sora, Riku, and Kairi–are living out their peaceful, carefree lives while yearning for whatever lies beyond the great ocean. But one night, an unexpected disaster takes place, and the three are torn from each other and their island home. Meanwhile, at Disney Castle, Donald Duck and the other castle residents are in an uproar upon discovering King Mickey has suddenly gone missing. When fate brings them together, Sora, Donald, and Goofy set out on a grand Disney adventure to find their friends!” Find it over at the Yen Press web site. It’s written by Tomoco Kanemaki and illustrated by Shiro Amano, based on the original game concept by Tetsuya Nomura.

image c. 2015 Yen Press

submitted by KaynoDragon
[link] [11 comments]

Hi there, Papa!

Getting straight to the point would probably be the best thing. This is my first letter to you, so I'm sorry if I do something wrong!

Recently, I've found myself a mate. A really sweet guy. I've known him for roughly a year, had a crush on him for about half a year, and we've been together for about a quarter of a year.

We've talked, video chatted, and have plans to meet up soon, as he's not that far away. My problem's gonna sound kinda funny, but hear me out, please.

Now, I've never been in love, or even liked someone as much as I do. You can probably tell by my age. I don't know how to handle liking someone like this, and it's kinda scary. Will I do something wrong? What if I mess up and say something very contradicting to his beliefs, and he doesn't like me anymore? I don't know how to lead something like this, or even take a back seat and let him lead it.

Second, emotions this strong are messing me up. I'm normally a pretty unemotional person, but now I'm finding myself daydreaming about a future with him like a dumb middle school girl and her boy band singer. We haven't even met up in real life once, and I'm already acting like this! I don't know how to handle it. Is it weird, for a high schooler to be acting this whimsical? I know perfectly well this whole thing we have going could flop, but dang, try telling my imagination that.

What do I do to try and keep a healthy relationship? How do I quit fantasizing these impossible things? Is it weird? So many questions. I'm so new to this.

Thanks in advance. I love the work you do here, and I WILL be purchasing your furry book. 

Your fennec, Genesis (age 15) 

* * *

Dear Genesis,

What you’re going through is very normal for a girl your age. Since I don’t know the guy you’ve fallen for, and since you don’t describe him or say what about him attracts you, this letter will be about young love in general.

Young love—particularly that first head-over-heels love—is an amazing thing. It’s like your first taste of a chocolate milkshake ever, or the first time you see a double rainbow, or the first time you ever go on a rollercoaster ride or an airplane. It’s new, it’s exciting, it gives you a rush, especially when you have your first kiss or first dance. You’ve never felt this swelling of emotions before and they can both excite and confuse you. This can also cause you to make silly mistakes, and the other potential hazard is idealizing your newfound mate and making him into something he’s not—the old knight-in-shining-armor-on-a-white-steed syndrome.

Let’s talk about mistakes first, since you brought up that fear. I’m going to both scare and reassure you here: you will make mistakes; I guarantee it. Everyone makes mistakes in relationships. And, know what? It’s okay to make mistakes. That’s how you’ll learn and grow. Interestingly, making mistakes will also help you find a true love. How? A bad match will run away from you when you eventually, inevitably, make that mistake, but a true love will forgive you and understand it was a mistake and stay by you. In return, you need to do the same for him when he makes a mistake. As long as these mistakes are honest ones and not something that is deliberately hurtful, they should be forgiven.

The other thing I mentioned was idealizing your mate. If you put him on a pedestal and think he’s a perfect angel you run the risk of thinking he can do no wrong. This can be dangerous because it can blind you to problems that should be addressed and not ignored.

To answer your questions, then: no, it’s not weird at all for you to act like this; many young people go through this romantic first love stage. Go ahead and fantasize about it if you like; there’s no harm in that as long as you recognize such daydreaming as fantasy. I’m glad you’re planning to meet your love interest. A big reason why I tell my readers that long-distance relationships are not a good plan is because virtual relationships are easier to idealize. By meeting the person in real life you will have a much better chance of seeing who he really is. Maybe not at first, not immediately, but given enough time, you’ll see him, warts and all.

A healthy relationship comes when you each see the other person for who she/he really is, and you love him/her despite the flaws that everyone has because that person has the kind of heart and soul you’re searching for.

The last thing to recognize here—in all hard fact—is that almost no one on the planet has ever fallen in love at 15 and stayed with that first love through dating, engagement, marriage, kids, retirement, till death do they part. Far more common will be for you to have several people you fall for—or think you may fall for—before you find that true partner. And, even when you do get married, there’s more than a 50% chance you won’t stay that way.

Real relationships are very hard and take a lot of work. They aren’t about just having a good time together, as I’ll bet you know already. So, as soon as you hit that first bump, recognize it for reality, and that will likely cure you of those romanticized daydreams pretty quickly. Once that sheen has worn off like the new car smell that’s been sprayed into a used automobile, you’ll either be left with a real, deeper love, or you will recognize that this guy really isn’t for you after all.

No way of telling that for sure until you take the plunge! Go ahead and meet this guy. Have fun! Go on dates. Expect to make mistakes, and don’t worry about it; just do your best to fix them after you’ve made them. As for leading or being led: the best dancing pairs complement each other, dancing equally well. I don’t know if you know who Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers were (probably not; they’re way ahead of your time), but he was one of the best dancers of his day, and Ginger was very nervous about being his dancing partner when she was selected to costar with him in their first film. Well, she stepped up to the challenge, and later she told people that, yes, Fred was amazing, and he got most of the credit, but “I did everything he did—backwards and in high heels!” 

Last word: don’t worry where this is going, dear. You are waaaaaaaaaaaay too young to be thinking about that. Instead, enjoy your youth. Nay, embrace it. You will never be 15 again. Experience love, life, and, yes, even a bit of tragedy and heartbreak. Life is intense. Don’t spoil it with worry. Just live it.

Hugs,

Papabear

The downvote button isn't for saying you disagree with something. It is supposed to be for posts that don't add anything of value to the subreddit.
I get it, some people don't like pool toys (I'm not really into it myself), and some of Noah's art is a bit fetishy, but that doesn't mean it isn't valuable content.
And this isn't just about Noah either. Just don't downvote art that you don't like, no matter who the artist is. If you don't like something, just don't upvote it.
And I realize that for the most part, I'm preaching to the choir, and it's probably a small segment of /r/furry that is doing this.
/rant

submitted by YouWantALime
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submitted by FJE11
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I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone that helped me out by buying commissions or offering emotional support! We managed to raise more than we needed and successfully made it to payday! It wouldn't have been possible without the help of this awesome community <3 I love ya'll c:

submitted by GardeniaBlossom
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submitted by iapnes
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submitted by penguins_and_hoes
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