Dogpatch Press

Fluff Pieces Every Week

Academic journal opens door on research for Furry porn

by Patch O'Furr

Gonzo-2011_1
Ahh! Close the door! Furries love to hate their porn. Sometimes furry art is purely G-rated… sometimes it’s XXX. It causes fear about image. But if it gets humanistic interest without judgement, I suspect it can reveal things about erotic imagination. Anthropomorphism has mixed with it since the dawn of history.

Here’s a question on the minds of art students who draw furries. (One asked me, and I answered “Yes and No”)…

“Does association with furry culture have negative impact on hiring? In one of my portfolio reviews, someone told me not to include my anthro art, and that was discouraging (even though it’s not sexualized or inappropriate).”

Now imagine seeking academic respect for porn of any kind. It’s easy to sense professional difficulty. But with the first Journal of Porn Studies (Spring 2014,) “finally scholars have a venue for considering the phenomenon seriously.”

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Talking animals topic betrays culture-blind critics

by Patch O'Furr

Realistic (left) and anthropomorphic (right) illustrations for research study

Frontiers in Psychology research study illustrates realistic and anthropomorphic animals

Last year, a Flayrah news article drew outsiders who had never encountered Furries.
One wrote: “You all need therapy!”
I answered: “This IS our therapy, silly!”

Friends at Flayrah just reminded me about it. Dronon posted:

Chair of the Canadian Education Committee thinks that talking animals in children’s books are detrimental to education. …Aw darnit, scratch that – It’s a fake, satirical article. Well done!

Fred answered:

Some believe that the report of the Chinese banning “Alice in Wonderland” in 1931 because “talking animals are false” is an urban legend. Nobody can find such a law as having been passed.

Rakuen Growlithe added:

Dronon, there’s actually a bit of truth underlying the satire.

The topic led me to find that, although it may be satirized… yes, it has some truth. Read the rest of this entry »

Renegade fursuiting is BEST fursuiting: chat with Sakura Fox – Part 3

by Patch O'Furr

sakura2
Continued from Part 1 and Part 2: Sakura fox tells more about “renegade fursuiting” in public. I’ve previously written about “Street fursuiting”. Sakura’s convention panels and journals about it are recommended reading (see bottom.)

Patch:
I think public suiting is way better for candid photos than conventions, because it’s outside of predictable space. I love seeing surprised bystanders, or people drawn into furriness for the first time! Do you end up with a lot of photos afterward? Do you get photos taken by people you bring, or find them from searching randomly on the web? Do you have a favorite photo moment?

Has media ever picked you as an attraction to highlight? (It seems to happen to our meets a lot when San Francisco furries do street fairs. Even just to add incidental color to a story.)

Sakura:
Agreed! Photos from public events are always very dynamic and full of surprise.
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Furry news and Snausage links of the week (5-22-14)

by Patch O'Furr

Worldwide furries: Russia and Belarus – Site losses this week – Fursuiting magic outdoors – Flayrah’s Newsbytes now added here

Do you like links and stories to come? Snausages– a regularish feature. Story tips welcome- I’d love to post yours!
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– WORLDWIDE FURRIES: Russia and Belarus
BELFURENCE 1: “The first furry convention in Belarus. We rented a couple of houses in the middle of nowhere, at Braslav Lakes National Park.”
Amazing photos! Rough translating indicates that trouble in Ukraine led to a new event in a new location.
Some of the same furries appear in this parade: Dreamflash… 5000+ people parading for hugs, positivity, bright costumes, and soap bubbles.
A super cool answer to my older article, “Questions for Russian furry fans about anti-gay oppression“. Could simply wearing a fursuit get you in trouble? Not for these.

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Renegade fursuiting is BEST fursuiting: chat with Sakura Fox – Part 2

by Patch O'Furr

sakura3

Continued from Part 1: Sakura fox tells more about “renegade fursuiting” in public. I’ve previously written about those unique experiences of “Street fursuiting”. Sakura’s convention panels and journals about it are recommended reading (see bottom.)

Patch:
Your suiting tips practically scream “go do this”, to anyone who has a fursuit and is tempted to try public suiting but hasn’t yet dared. You give an impressive list of your local Texas-based places to try it, from shows to festivals to random neighborhood exploring. You even rate them from best to worst. It shows a lot of dedication! How often do you go? Can you say more about starting- was it just doing cons with others, making plans, or did the character naturally lead you out on your own?

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Renegade fursuiting is BEST fursuiting: chat with Sakura Fox – Part 1

by Patch O'Furr

Interview series:  Artists, animation directors, DJ’s and event organizers, superfans, and more…

Left: Mercury - Right: Sakura

Left: Mercury – Right: Sakura

Sakura fox and Mercury are huge inspirations. They’re great fursuit performers, cool people, and way cute. They’re the kind of furries who make this subculture awesome. They’re Texas-based but well known around cons.

I’ve seen them present con panels about “Renegade Fursuiting.” Sakura has a series of FA journals about it that are recommended reading. Without comparing notes, we have come to similar conclusions that taking it to the street makes a unique experience beyond the usual. (I’ve called it “Street fursuiting” and the “theatrical soul of furryness”.) Whatever you call it… let’s find out how fabulous foxy friends bring the magic.

Sakura’s journals:

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Snausage links and furry news of the week (5-15-14)

by Patch O'Furr

rocket raccoonFurry culture in San Francisco news – Furfling banned on FA – Fur Con reg open, hotel 5/21 – Rocket Raccoon cosplay – And more!

Do you like links and samples of stories to come? Here’s treats of the week. Snausages: now a regular feature!
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– “FUR AND LOVING: UNZIPPING THE SF FURRY CULTURE”
We’re in San Francisco’s XPRESS magazine. (I helped author C. Genest with a little story info and interviewing.)
“The only genuine bond connecting the furry community is a common love for ‘funny animal’ characters in art.”

– FURFLING and FAKE DATING SITE CONTROVERSY
Original story updated with new comment from FA owner Dragoneer. (And a new fake site discussed there.)
“Furrymate was barred from advertising on FA given their deceptive practices.”

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Forecasting the Future of Furry

by Patch O'Furr

Reddit’s r/furry community was asked about the fandom’s future over the next 5-10 years. Visions appeared, and I slipped into a trance. (Wait… that was just my usual unhealthy internet habit). Here’s what the future holds.

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Furries to march for millions at San Francisco Pride 2014

by Patch O'Furr

San Francisco has a great tradition of LGBT culture. If you dig subculture, there’s a lesser known feature here: the world’s most dense population of Furries. On June 29, 2014, we’re joining forces for a world class parade. This may be the height of the season for furry outings that draw a lot of us to fairs and festivals. On Facebook’s Bay Area Furs, Chris posts:

I have reserved a place… THERE WILL BE A FURRY FLOAT. Yaaaaayy!

SF Pride 2013 drew 1.5 million attendees, and who knows how much media. Many furries went, but only informally for this meetup that I wrote about. It grew in size and interest from our meet at SF Pride 2012. There’s much excitement to keep the energy going, this time with a formal parade contingent. We haven’t done one in years, but in fact, furries have been involved since as far back as 2002:

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A tasty assortment of snausage links

by Patch O'Furr

Do you like links? How about samples of stories to come? Here’s some little treats. These snausages might become a regular feature.

– San Francisco’s How Weird Street Faire – 43 furries came out for fun and fursuiting. (Pic by Spark Note, and ABC News.)

The most fun legally possible to have on a public street (and other kinds too)

The most fun it’s legally possible to have on a public street (and maybe other kinds too)


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