November 18, 2014

Furry photo show leads to Movember cancer benefit, and “round table” talk on 11/22/14

by Patch O'Furr

Harley (bandana) and Spottacus (glowing eyes) at “Furries & Despair”

San Francisco had a series of furry events last week. Before it, I posted: “Independent shows and festivals offer new concept for furry events”. After, I posted about the enthusiastic response. The creativity and demand for more couldn’t be contained in one event. Here’s further developments that spun off from the successful gallery opening of Ron Lussier and Bobby Pin’s “Furries and Despair” photo show.

Movember Benefit:

Donate at least $25 to Ron Lussier’s cause for Movember – and receive a 5′ x 5′ Signed Furry Portrait from his ‘Furries & Despair Show’!

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November 18, 2014

Fangcon’s Draconis in hospital, Claw & Quill, Watership Down – furry Newsdump (11/18/14)

by Patch O'Furr

Here’s links, headlines and little bites of news to make your tail wag. Story tips are always welcome.

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Around Furry Fandom

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Fangcon’s Draconis / Calamity Cougar recovering from heart attack suffered shortly after the con.

Shortly before Fangcon, Draconis submitted a tip for my article about it. It was a shock to hear bad news in short order. I’m happy to see his positive video response about recovering, performing like a pro and furry all the way.

Claw and Quill: regrouping.

Watts (Chipotle’s) online publication attracted much anticipation from readers seeking smart furry magazine content, but it hasn’t put much material out. The “long-overdue” second magazine issue has been conspicuously absent. Now comes good news – a recent update from Watts explains a change from webzine format to WordPress, allowing multiple contributors to add content. (I’d sure love to see more than the handful of blogs like this.)

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November 16, 2014

“New concept for furry events” brings enthusiastic response in San Francisco.

by Patch O'Furr

Just your average San Francisco art gallery opening! pic.twitter.com/dhuUmbi2Qr
— Further Confusion (@furcon) November 8, 2014

Last week, San Francisco had a series of back to back events: a street fursuiting “crawl”, a furry photo gallery opening, a fetish party, (a private special interest thing not representing others), and Frolic dance party. The series drew more furries than my butt attracts fleas.

It was first-time fursuiting for Sketchywolf. He attended all of the events, and posted about it:

I’ve never seen so much love for furries from random strangers! So many photos! So many smiling faces! … Fursuiting turned out to be even more fun than I imagined it to be! I love the reaction of others when they see a suit. Walking over to Frolic suited, and back to the hotel and the end of the night, I was stopped by people wanting to take pictures! I danced, I partied, I hugged EVERYBODY. Oh! I had SO MUCH fun!

Before the events, I posted: “Independent shows and festivals offer new concept for furry events”. Each was organized separately, but with loose ties. They used special venues and locations to add character beyond the “sterile/consumer” vibe of a hotel (like one comment said). I called it a model for growing beyond cons, and proposed a new, free-range fair or festival concept. Judging by the enthusiastic response, the idea was more than hype. It’s a sign of a burgeoning subculture. Let’s look at how things went.

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November 14, 2014

Animated features that qualify for the 2014 Oscar: thoughts from Fred Patten

by Patch O'Furr

Oscar-related movie news: 2014 brought a wonderful new level of recognition for furries. Finsterworld was short listed for German nominee for best foreign picture. This smart, outrageous and thoughtful art-house drama was developed by consulting furries, who worked with the director to put fursuiters in the film. It may be a somewhat obscure title to North American audiences, but it makes up with quality. The movie is excellent, not just because it’s furry… it’s worth a watch for anyone who’s into smart movies.

Fred Patten, historian and mega-respected elder fan, sent in the below piece.

Twenty Animated Features Qualify for the 2014 Oscar – But How Many Are Anthropomorphic?

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November 11, 2014

Furry Night Live – ‘The Greatest Show in Fur’ – at Pacific Anthropomorphics Weekend on 11/15

by Patch O'Furr

This weekend: Pacific Anthropomorphics Weekend brings a SECOND San Francisco Bay Area convention to San Jose, CA.

The long-established Further Confusion, occurring every January, is now augmented by PAW, a new event offering more than once a year activity. It features: “Photo Shoot, Dealers Area, Gaming and Semi-quiet Social Area, Open Cash Bar During Dances, Fursuit Dance Comp, Fursuit Games… and more!”

Courtesy of Super Jayhawk, from the Bay Area Furries mailing list:

“We’d like to announce that Furry Night Live, “The Greatest Show in Fur”, will be hosting a room party this next Saturday, November 15, at the Pacific Anthropomorphics Weekend Inaugural “Paw-Raiser” Fall Festival! We’ll be there to wish the new con well and will be having a party with a fursuit photoshoot, replays of classic videos from our legacy of all 10 shows since 2005, and throwing around ideas for new projects and videos we’d like to do.

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November 11, 2014

Zootopia, ethics, fabulous Tony the Tiger, Andrew WK’s furry interview – Newsdump (11-11-14)

by Patch O'Furr

Here’s links, headlines and little bites of news to make your tail wag. Story tips are always welcome.

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In the Media…

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Disney’s upcoming animated anthro feature, Zootopia, gets March 2016 release date.

It sounds so promising – it could be the new “furriest movie ever.” And there’s a tidbit about another feature, “Moana.”

Alkenta at Fangcon.

Fangcon news: “‘Furry’ frenzy in West Knoxville through Sunday”.

I spy Alkenta Wildcat (who recently left the SF Bay Area for school,) and NIIC the Singing Dog in the slideshow from Fangcon last weekend in Tennessee.

Winnipeggers adopt ‘fursonas’ that become their second skin.

A positive article with good quotes. “Fur fandom is still very young. It hasn’t hit the mainstream level of Comic Con has enjoyed for a while. But I wouldn’t necessarily say that’s a bad thing. If it stays the same, I don’t think anybody would mind.”

The weird news story you won’t hear because Ethics.

National news and social media recently circulated a minor “weird news” story. It was about a random low-level crime. The perpetrator was the weird element. In a plot twist you’ll only hear from a furry source, the incident targeted an innocent furry who did nothing wrong… but that detail was omitted from every story, while the non-furry was considered weird. I asked for permission to link the story without names, because it seemed relevant to media attitudes. The request was turned down to let the story die. The issue appears to be settled, and I can only comment that the furry deserves a big hug.

Fabulous anthro Tony tiger ruffles fur of anti-gays. Read the rest of this entry »

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November 10, 2014

Fred Patten and Furries in FLAUNT fashion magazine

by Patch O'Furr

Historian and “elder statesman” of Furry fandom, Fred Patten, was recently asked to contribute to a high-end magazine: FLAUNT. They’re “an international award-winning arts and culture publication based in Los Angeles.” The editor’s request was for “a feature on cat people/cat culture for our upcoming NINE LIVES Issue.”

Fred sent me the below piece, adding a personal note –

I had hoped that it would contain more material about furry fandom, considering all of the material that I sent them. But considering that FLAUNT is primarily a fashion magazine, it’s probably lucky that we got as much attention as we did.

If you got it, FLAUNT it!
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November 7, 2014

North Korea’s Dear Leader Kim Jong-un got pranked with plushie sex

by Patch O'Furr

I’d save this tidbit for a “Furry Newsdump”, but why waste a perfectly good headline like that?

Here’s a story about a photo tour by North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un. It was produced by their Glorious Socialist People’s Ministry of Correct Learnings (or whatever they call their state propaganda machine). The setting is a disturbingly empty, candy-colored orphanage. I think it was supposed to make him look cuddly. (But I’m just wondering if they ate the babies?)

None of the dictator’s censors noticed that someone with steel balls had posed plushies screwing in the scene. (I just hope whoever did it made a beeline for the border.) Scroll down for delicious details.

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November 6, 2014

This week in San Francisco: Independent shows and festivals offer new concept for furry events

by Patch O'Furr

Four events are back to back in San Francisco: Fursuit crawl – Furry portrait show gallery opening – Wild Things fetish party – Frolic dance party.

On Friday 11/7/14 is the “Embarcadero Fursuit Crawl“. The street fursuiting fun will move downtown, to a grand entrance at the gallery opening for Ron Lussier’s Furry portrait show. Ron’s creative partner, Bobby Pin, shares: More Press for the upcoming ‘Furries & Despair Photography Show’!

Saturday has the “art and sex” party – Wild Things. This furry fetish and petplay party has gotten tremendous response. (It’s for a special interest and adult activity doesn’t represent furries in general.) Afterwards is Frolic dance party: the monthly “mini-con” that attracts several hundred attendees, and helped influence spin-off parties across the USA.

The San Francisco Bay Area has so much activity, that furries often have multiple events to choose from at the same time. On Halloween there was a cosplay dance party, a house party, and a street costuming meetup. Consider what it says about developing subculture.

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November 5, 2014

Howl Toronto’s Q&A for “The Furclub Survey”, from organizer Raverfox.

by Patch O'Furr

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 cons. 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 cliquish friends to only seek each other. This brings partnership with venues that aren’t hotels, and supportive interest in the kind of events they host and promote. It crosses a line to public space. A stranger may walk in off the street to discover their new favorite thing. It encourages new blood and crossover to other scenes.

See the list of parties at The Furclub survey. Any one that gives a Q&A will get their own article. Raverfox tells you more about his party…

Howl Toronto (2014 – now)

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Howl Toronto is active since summer 2014.

Mission:

For Furries, Suiters, and any other member of all fandom communities in the GTA and abroad, Howl is about giving us a place to come to and cut loose with your friends, your mates and your fandoms. Convention dances are annual events, we want to be a heartbeat throughout the year.

For Furry DJ’s, Howl is about giving those who love electronic dance music a chance to experience that thrill of playing to a crowd of shouting fans and community members. Convention dances happen once a year, and it doesn’t matter what side of the mixing board you’re on, that’s just not enough to fill the need!

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