ISSUE 253

Cover art by: @BitsyFoxy on Twitter!

Hi everyone! Thank you for joining us for yet another edition of Furry Weekly, your weekly magazine for anything and everything about the furry fandom! Before we get into the issue, we have a few announcements, but if you want to get straight into the content, feel free to scroll past this section!

ANNOUNCEMENTS


RECRUITING

As usual, we want to start by reminding you about some positions we have open. We need help to keep making this project the best it can be, so take a look at the positions below and see if anything catches your eye:

- Editor
- Art 101 Host
- Radical Raffles Host
- Available Artists Host
- Fursuit Designing Tips Host
- Cover Artist
- Front End Website Developer

If you’d like to help out or if you want more info, please contact Yeshua, or Wolfysurprise. If you want a description of the roles above, visit this document! If you have any suggestions for other roles or things we could bring into Furry Weekly, please reach out as well. We’d love to hear your ideas! We still need lots of help in general, so please do consider joining us or sharing with other friends in the fandom if you can! We’d really appreciate it!

DISCORD SERVER

We want to tell you about a Discord server we recently became active in. It's called The Furry Social! The Furry Social is a new upcoming Discord where artists, commissioners and furries of all kinds can hang out and express themselves! Discover new content and share your own!

This is not an official Furry Weekly server, but we do work with folks there! So if you're looking for a furry Discord server to interact in, whether you're looking to just hang out, show off your creations, or browse and find new people to follow, check out The Furry Social!

There are also a couple of Furry Weekly channels where we can chat about the magazine, and you could even submit some of your content there! Nevertheless, be sure to join the server if it interests you! You can join it by clicking the link below! Just make sure you have Discord open!

The Furry Social Discord

BREAK WEEK

Next week we'll be taking a break! For those of you who don't know, we take a break week after every five issues, and this issue marks the fifth since our last break. But we'll be back the following week, which will be around February 18. We'll still be looking for folks and content to feature though, so don't stop submitting your content using our tags, including #FurryWeekly! We look mostly on Instagram and Twitter, but if you have a social media you'd like us to consider for searching for content, let us know as well!

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That’s all we have for announcements, so let’s jump into today’s issue! As always, let us know on our social media what you liked the most or if you’d like to see something or someone in a future issue. We’re @FurryWeekly on both Twitter and Instagram!

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

[✔] Furry of the Week

[✔] Animal of the Week

[✔] Art Corner

[✔] Writing Showcase

[❌] Art 101

[❌] Species Spotlight

[✔] Writing 101

[✔] Fursuit Fanatics

[❌] Photography 101

[❌] Fursuit Designing Tips

[✔] Radical Raffles

[✔] Available Artists

[❌] Character Interview

[✔] Convention Calendar

[✔] Furry Quote

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FURRY OF THE WEEK

Hey you all! My name is Yeshua, and I’m here to bring you a brief segment of Furry of the Week! Though this week, we’re highlighting a group!

The Furry of the Week goes to the folks who organized and contributed to the donation total at Further Confusion!

Further Confusion (FC) is one of the biggest furry conventions in the entire world, taking place in San Jose, California. Much like most other conventions of its size, FC includes charitable benefits every time it’s held. This year in 2023, the convention benefited Muttville in San Francisco, California. Muttville is an organization that focuses on caring for senior dogs at risk as well as finding them a forever home! Muttville is the first shelter in the United States to implement a cage-free facility model, and has received multiple awards both regionally and nationally.

According to FC on its website and Twitter, the convention raised $17,479 for Muttville! That is an absolutely insane amount given the attendance of 5,388! This money was raised throughout the convention’s duration, which was from January 12 to 16.

This is a fantastic example of the charitable attitude the fandom typically has, so we wanted to take a moment to recognize it since this happened just less than a month from releasing this issue. Furry conventions don’t do these charitable actions for recognition, but it’s still worth highlighting because it shows the great things that the fandom can do! And while these actions are indeed not for recognition, they help show folks outside the fandom some positive impacts we can have!

So a big congratulations to FC for organizing the charitable work, and thanks to those organizers as well as everyone who donated! Everyone involved should feel proud for their part in raising so much money in less than a week.

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That’s all for this edition of Furry of the Week! If you have any suggestions for someone or some group in the community who you think did something great, let us know! You can reach out to me, Yeshua, or our usual FOTW hosts: Danielle and Fizzy.

Thank you all for reading! Hope to see you next time!

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ANIMAL OF THE WEEK

Hello everyone! It’s Zed Shirogane and it’s another animal of the week segment!

Animal of the week is a segment where we highlight an animal that is really cool, cute, creepy, or just plain fascinating. There will be a coloring page illustration for you all to print out and color in at home, as well as an adoptable character inspired by the animal of that week. The best part is all proceeds made by said adopt will be donated to conservation charities!

Whenever possible we do symbolically adopt the animal, but only some animals have the privilege to have that as an option unfortunately; thus we collect extra funds to donate to many different species conservation charities or send funds to scientists so that they can research underappreciated animal species, so we can in turn learn more about the world around us. Join us on this fun adventure!

It’s February, and the animal group for this month is the Doves!


Columbidae is a bird family consisting of doves and pigeons. These are stout-bodied birds with short necks and short slender bills. They primarily feed on seeds, fruits, and plants. Pigeons and doves are distributed everywhere on Earth, except for the driest areas of the Sahara Desert, Antarctica and its surrounding islands, and the high Arctic. The family contains 344 species divided into 50 genera. Thirteen of the species are extinct. In English, the smaller species tend to be called "doves" and the larger ones "pigeons". However, the distinction is not consistent, and does not exist in most other languages. Historically, the common names for these birds involve a great deal of variation between the terms. The bird most commonly referred to as just "pigeon" is the domestic pigeon, which is common in many cities as the feral pigeon.

The wings are large, and have eleven primary feathers; doves have strong wing muscles and are among the strongest fliers of all birds. Doves have unique body feathers, with the shaft being generally broad, strong, and flattened, tapering to a fine point, abruptly. In general, the aftershaft is absent. However, small ones on some tail and wing feathers may be present. Body feathers have very dense, fluffy bases, are attached loosely into the skin, and drop out easily. Possibly serving as a predator avoidance mechanism, large numbers of feathers fall out in the attacker's mouth if the bird is snatched, facilitating the bird's escape. The plumage of the family is variable.

Image Credits: OutFloria


This Week’s Species: Rose-crowned fruit dove (Ptilinopus regina)

Characteristics

The Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove is a small, compact dove, with a short tail and rounded wings. Its name comes from the deep pink cap or forehead, which is bordered behind by a narrow yellow stripe. The upper body is bright green and the under-body orange and yellow with a rose-coloured patch. The throat and upper breast is rough gray. In flight, dark underwings contrast with the yellow body and band on the end of the tail. The female is similar, but lighter.

Image Credit: Australia Zoo


Fun Facts

They are partly migratory and partly resident, maybe with local dispersal for feeding. In eastern Australia, there is some north-south seasonal migration. The Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove is often only detected by their calls or the sound of fruit dropping to the ground, due to their nature of roosting in high canopy trees.

Habitat


The Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove is widespread in northern and eastern Australia, from the Kimberley region of Western Australia through the Top End to Cape York and the Torres Strait and to the mid-north coast of New South Wales. They also are found in Indonesia. Rose-crowned Fruit-Doves are found in coastal tall tropical and subtropical forests, particularly with dense vine growth, in monsoon rainforest and tall woodlands near rainforest with many fruiting trees. They are sometimes found in mangroves.

Image Credit: Sascha Wenninger


Diet

Rose-crowned Fruit-Doves feed in the canopy of rainforest, mainly in the morning or late afternoon. They swallow fruit whole and particularly like figs and the fruit of other species of rainforest trees, palms and vines. They also use Camphor Laurel as a food source. They feed singly or in pairs or small parties and take water from leaves or from dew, not from the ground.

Life Cycle


Rose-crowned Fruit-Doves breed in rainforests with a dense growth of vines. Courting is the typical bowing display of pigeons, tucking in the head and displaying the pink cap. The nest is a frail loosely woven cup of twigs and tendrils. Both birds incubate, but predators often take the single egg.

Image Credit: Pawblo Pugcasso


Conservation

The Rose-crowned Fruit Dove is listed as vulnerable in New South Wales, with threats including: rainforest clearing and fragmentation, logging, weeds and increased fire regimes altering habitat, and the removal of Camphor Laurel, an introduced tree that has become an important food source, without appropriate alternatives.

The rose-crowned fruit dove is a rainforest pigeon at risk. The gradual and steady ruination of rainforest is making it more difficult for the birds to locate both shelter and sustenance, according to the Tweed Valley Wildlife Carers website. As a result, the birds have no choice but to cope with the human development surrounding them, generally to their detriment.

Here are some links to articles about the conservation of the The Rose-crowned Fruit-Dove:

Climate Change Adaptation Plan for Australian Birds

HABITAT AND FOOD OF THE ROSE-CROWNED FRUIT DOVE

Very large area requirements for frugivorous birds in monsoon rainforests of the Northern Territory, Australia

Image Credit: Delia Walker


Adopt

All funds from this adopt will go to animal conservation. The goal for this month is to save up to help fund scientific research on the effects of climate change on bird species, through a donation to the National Audubon Society which requires a total of $100. This adopt will be one of 4 total created to achieve this goal and hopefully more, extra funds are pooled together to be donated to conservation research programs. It will be available for $30 at Shirogane Studios.

Coloring Page


Enjoy this coloring page made by yours truly, for you! Feel free to print it out at home to color in, or if you enjoy the design feel free to purchase it on a multitude of products.

Animal Ambassadors

-Cathlynn Dominick
-Orion the Badger


Thank you to our Animal Ambassadors: our AOTW supporters, who have helped make the world a little bit better for animals. If you wish to join us, or maybe just really like these character designs so you want to get access to some exclusive adopts, you can find our patreon for this passion project HERE.

References


Most of my information was derived from Wikipedia and supplemented from other websites such as the Australian Museum, BirdLife International and IUCN RedList.

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ART CORNER

How’s it going, everyone? This is Yeshua filling in for Multifurse this week. We still have three new pieces from talented artists in the community to share, so let’s get into it!

First up is Artemis Moore with a bust/half body of his fursona who’s really cool!

First I’d like to highlight the linework – which looks like it’s mostly lineless! The linework that is more noticeable is very fine and light, and you can see it in places like the ears, and neck and shoulder. This approach to the linework gives the piece a very clean look. Then we have the anatomy and animal features, which I think really stand out. Artemis says this fursona is part bat, part snake, which is a combination that was executed phenomenally. The bat features like the long ears and fluffy chest look great, and the snake features like the eyes, scales, and fangs also look fantastic! Finally, everything really comes together thanks to the colorwork. The coloring is very soft and has nice depth on the face, and especially the eye. The light shading on the arm is a good touch, and the highlights on the hair make it pop nicely. This is a piece that’s incredibly pleasing to the eye. Well done, Artemis!

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Now we have a very fun bust done by Partiipops!

One of the best features of this piece is its soft appearance. The artist seriously excelled with the colorwork, giving it some nice depth throughout the character, and along with the detailing for the fur, this character just looks so soft and fluffy! The anatomy is also on point, from the paws and claws, to the ears, to the snout, and everything in between, this is a lovely anthro style. Finally, I also have to highlight how well the artist did in giving the character life. The expression is wonderful; the character conveys so much happiness and emotion! Also, the expression with the paws kinda raised helps give the character more personality as well. Even the leaf hairpin – which is what I think it is at least – is a small detail but I also think it ties in well with presenting the character with personality. Incredible work!

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Stepping up now is Wren with a superb full body!

Perspective is arguably the most notable feature in this piece, and for good reason! The artist drew the character from a high angle looking down at it, and it was executed tremendously! Pair the perspective with the pose, and you’ve got a real cool-looking piece featuring a character that looks so stylish. Not only is the perspective great, but the artist also did well to make the pose look natural. You can tell the character sways its body with its right arm to the side and holds up a peace sign with its left arm; the facial expression which mostly consists of the glare has some sort of feel I can’t quite describe, but it fits nicely with the pose and contributes to the cool appearance I keep mentioning, because again, the character just looks so cool! The way the artist portrays the character is perhaps the best part of this piece, but I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention that the linework and color work are pretty smooth, and make for quite an aesthetically pleasing style! Keep at it, Wren!

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Thank you for joining us for Art Corner this week; I hope you all enjoyed the picks for this issue! Be sure to check out the artists linked above if any of their work was particularly interesting to you!

If you’d like a chance to be featured in Art Corner, make a post using the tags #FurryWeekly and #ArtCorner when you post your art, or message our usual host, Multifurse, directly on her Instagram or DeviantArt!

Thanks again for reading, and until next time! Take care!

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WRITING SHOWCASE

Hello, everybody! My name is Dozu, and I will bring to you today a bloody story of death and maybe a little romance!

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The group of friends entered a section of the cave that was furnished like a temple, with fountains left and right, bright torches and candles, rugs on the floor and a big throne in the middle of a pedestal. It was all made of marble and gold, really a beautiful scene, sadly it was about to get wrecked in their attempt to save Dozu.

The friend in question was sitting at the throne with his loyal companion Orion at his side and his trusted staff in one hand. As if expecting them, he stood up when the team burst into the room.

"Give us back our friend or else!" Shouted Cocoa Puff, enraged. The Outcast only chuckled and prepared to launch an attack. Before he could though, Lucky commanded her murder of crows to swarm the cave, that way The Outcast couldn't see them approaching.

The plan worked like a charm, both The Outcast and Orion were blinded by the swarm of black feathers for a moment. That moment was enough for the friends to get closer. Lucky and Cocoa stomped on the ground with their staffs, vines growing out of the ground and restraining the two evil ones. The outcast realized his predicament and tried shouting out a spell, but before he could both Fizzy and Shiro played their instruments and cast a muting spell on their enemies.

Just as everything seemed to be going their way, Orion set himself free from the vines, moving his hands to cast a spell that cast the room in shadow, this time blinding the friends. All they could see was their magical auras shining different colors, except for Dozu's since his was black as night.

They could still hear well. The sound of hurried footsteps toward them was loud and clear so the group scattered.

Marrow began preparing the separation spell hiding behind a big fountain when suddenly, a hand grabbed his throat.

"Got you now."

Said the raspy voice of The Outcast inside Marrow's head.

~~~~~

Lies by TotallySomebody


Summary: This story is about dragons, an avalanche that killed the family of one of them, and the compassion of another dragon to help him recover from his injuries. While recovering, the male dagon grieves the loss of his family while the female dragon supports him as best she can with what little information she has about the situation.

Highlights: Nicely separated paragraphs make the story have an easy-to-read flow to it! Plus the characters’ body language is beautifully written and very expressive!

For improvement: Not a lot to cover here. Grammatically it’s good, and everything else from descriptions to characters body language to length of the story and paragraphs are nicely done. Good job!

Question time! Answer in a post and tag @FurryWeekly and @DoggyDozu if it’s on Twitter!

  • Do you like dragons?

  • What kind of dragon is your favorite? I like Wyverns!

~~~~~


Marrow said a quick apology to Dozu before kicking with all his might on his belly, his heavy hooves sending the poor little German shepherd flying across the room. Shiro strum some chords and the room got filled with glinting bubbles that emitted a soft light, countering Orion's darkness spell.

Now able to see, the plant witches focused on restraining The Outcast while Shiro and Fizzy fought Orion. Marrow was scared but he tried to focus his mind on the spell at hand. He grabbed onto the bird skull hanging from his neck and made the talismans on his antlers rattle. This caused a spell circle to light up under a now struggling Outcast. He stood up and focused as hard as he could, making the spell circle grow brighter and more powerful. Finally, he uttered the words needed for the spell.

"NO!!!" Orion Yelled. He had been so distracted trying to knock out Shiro and Fizzy that he didn't realize his friends' predicament.

"NOW!!!" Yelled Cocoa Puff, hers and Lucky's vines barely able to hold back The Outcast anymore.

Marrow started the enchantment and saw how Dozu's form separated from that of the ghostly Outcast. It was working! However, just before they could cheer in their minds, the souls became two balls of light, Dozu's body laying unmoving on the ground. This would have been fine and dandy except for one little detail.

They were both black.

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That will be all for today folks. I hope you have enjoyed my pick and my story!

Let’s give our authors a round of applause for their hard work! Remember to include the tags #FurryWeekly and #WritingShowcase in your posts if you want us to see your own writing on any platform! See you all next time, and now I'll sashay away.

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WRITING 101

A plaza drenched in sunlight and bright green leaves is frozen in time. The swaying branches and long grass blades, all fluttering in time by wind pushed by digital algorithms, are still as can be. In the middle of a closely-cropped lawn sporting a checked pattern swirls pixels of all sorts. It looks like a dust devil of scrambled code. The pixels take the shape of a familiar hawk, and a second, smaller swirl forms into a gray metal shell of electronics.

The Camera is the first to form. Its lens focuses on the motionless surroundings as the hawk beside him is fully shaped.

“Woah…” exclaims Tad. “I know 3D modeling programs are powerful, but I didn’t know they’re this powerful!”

He turns his head, but it snaps straight from one position to the next. He moves his arms—they jump around at regular intervals, as if ignoring every position in between.

“What the—? Am I…? Am I lagging?”

The Camera swivels around. It too jumps around at regular intervals.

“Hang on. Maybe this will clear up with time. This is a complex model.”

Tad clears his throat. His arms and hands appear to teleport to his chest as he brushes his shirt.

“I have something interesting you may want to hear as we wait!”

~~~~~


Hello friends, and welcome to Furry Weekly’s Writing 101! I’m Bryce Griffin, here to get all you writers out there the inside scoop on literature tips and tricks. Let’s get started!


To round off our series about logical fallacies, we’ll examine one of the most common faults we may or may not realize we’re employing. Sometimes, we feel that we need to emphasize a point by adding strong and descriptive words. But what happens when those descriptors sway the bias beyond what we intend to present as a sound argument? You may be begging the claim!

Begging the Claim validates the solution within the claim itself rather than as supporting arguments.

Let’s break it down. Normally, a claim proposes a stance on a topic in one sentence, then follows up the claim with validating evidence. Begging the Claim inserts that validation (rarely with evidence) into the sentence with the claim. This severely skews the tone of the claim in favor of what the speaker wants to portray, often as a way to persuade the audience to believe the same. Evocative language with strong connotations is often the culprit.

Check out this example of a standard claim:

Wind energy should be considered instead of coal in the mountains of West Virginia.

This is a thesis that proposes a reasonable argument. It is a self-contained statement, which means that no outside influences try to further support the claim that the author is presenting. This is how a logical argument’s thesis should be shown.

Now let’s try to “beg the claim”:

Instead of burning dirty, polluting coal, these beautiful West Virginia mountains should use clean and renewable wind energy.

See how those evocative words instantly skew the argument? Sure, we want to make a point, but doing so by adding charged and emotional language only serves to taint the true thesis.

Say you want to design a character that frequently begs the claim in his arguments. They’d likely use language that is similar to the example above, especially when trying to persuade an audience. They may be a highly-opinionated individual who isn’t afraid to show how they feel about something. They may also be short-tempered or impatient—both great reasons for truncating validation into the claim itself. They don’t have time to explain why they bowled right through a crowd of people protesting a new oil pipeline’s construction. You just need to know that those lazy, tree-hugging, good-for-nothing hippies are in the way for no reason whatsoever, and you need to know it right now in a single, heated sentence!

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Want us to take a look at your work? Got a general question for Writing 101? Just shoot me a message on Discord! I’ll be happy to answer any writing questions you may have, or even critique your work.

Thanks for joining me in Furry Weekly’s Writing 101. I hope you enjoy the rest of the magazine!

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Tad looks around after he finishes speaking.

“Do I look any better?”

The Camera shakes its body in disappointment… or, at least that’s what Tad interpolates from its choppy motions.

“Darn.... The model finished loading, too.... That’s not great.”

He rests his hands on his hips.

“Y’know what? I thought our computers from the office would be able to handle this model. But I guess not.”

Tad sighs. “You know anyone that has a good graphics card for sale?”

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FURSUIT FANATICS

Hihi, everyone, and welcome to this week’s issue of Furry Weekly. I’m tahlmorra, your host for today’s segment of Fursuit Fanatics, and I hope you’re looking forward to meeting our current guest as much as I enjoyed interviewing her. It is my pleasure to introduce Anna the wolf and her suiter, Annabelle (some of you may know her as Finn, her online moniker), coming to us all the way from Contra Costa county in the golden state of California. Annabelle was most kind in allowing this interview as she happened to be traveling through the Sierras (as a passenger, don’t fret) late at night at the time I was able to reach her.

When you first see Anna, your attention will likely be drawn to her bright blue and orange peripheral markings. Paws of blue to the elbow with a pair of orange slashes across them, a big, fluffy blue tail accented with large orange diamonds and, topping it all off, a blue and orange floof upon her head between large, pink ears. Her upper body is primarily pink, having a white belly as well; her lower half is pure white down to her walnut-brown foot-paws. Looking at her smiling, friendly face, you also notice two distinct orange spikes running across her cheeks, one under each eye.

As mentioned, Anna is a wolf and is roughly Annabelle’s fifth suit. She made the first four herself, recounting that her original design was rather plain as she’d not expected Anna to progress beyond a partial. The current suit was made by More Fur Less, and it was her first big purchase at age 17. The suit is anything but plain, with its beautiful head detail and bold color palette. Anna is currently expecting to have her eyes replaced as the present ones are showing their age. She was commissioned in 2018 and completed early 2020 and as such, I just realized, this interview roughly coincides with her third birthday! Everyone feel free to send b-day wishes when you’re done here…you’ll find her socials near the end of this article.

Anna hasn’t been public suiting in a long time, aside from fur meets or conventions. She’s been to summer and winter Sacanime, Further Confusion, Pawcon, Biggest Little Fur Con, and East Bay Comicon (a small, hometown con). As for meets, she says she attends one on a monthly basis more or less. Anna says she and her boyfriend, Samiwuff (you’ll see him in a picture in a bit), have been doing a lot of traveling as of writing this to visit friends. They try to bring their heads with them and take photos whenever and wherever they can. Her favorite thing to do, in-suit, is photo shoots with friends and “..having my ADHD hyper little bursts and being able to be playful with my boyfriend and our friends..”.

Becoming a furry, initially, was very appealing because it allowed her to express all of her “hyper energy” and be happy. Having other people find her antics cute and entertaining was a welcome relief from the “normal” manner in which everyday people would expect her to behave. When asked, her reason for choosing her suit/fursona is refreshingly simple: “I’m not sure, I loved wolves to be honest.” Annabelle figures she entered the fandom sometime late 2013, making her first suit in January of 2014. She says she joined after seeing a fur named NatGrizzy on Instagram, back in its newer days, and seeing his ferret fursuit thinking, “Oh, that’s not hard to make.” Watching furry con vlogs and videos also sparked excitement within her at the beginning of her furry adventure.

I’ve mentioned a couple times now about how Annabelle made her earlier fursuits, so I should also take a moment to give a nod to her current suit making activities. Having worked on several of her own, Annabelle decided she wanted to continue the activity for other furs and take on commissions, which she does to this day. She’s amused at her initial thinking that making a fursuit would be easy but her love of art and working with her hands helped her learn and grow her skills. “[I] love to see my work come to life [and] find joy in seeing it..” make others happy, she says. You can see examples of her work at @finns_projects on Instagram and, should you find you like what you see, you can reach her for quotes at @thefinnmyster.

For favorite activities in general, she says she likes to travel to Yosemite, hike and dirt bike as well as hanging out with friends and Disney (who doesn’t!). Specific dislikes are people who spark drama and a couple things many of us can relate to: wear and tear to her fursuit and people touching without consent.

Speaking about how fursuiting influences her interactions with others as well as her own self-perspective, she says “I’m more outgoing and people approach me more because of [Anna’s] bright colors and smiling face. I’ve made more friends with having a fursuit and people come and talk to me because I'm shy and wouldn’t go up to someone. [Anna] makes me feel like I can be truly myself and not scare people. When I don’t have my suit on, I look angry and annoyed with everybody. But [in] reality, I do like talking to people..it’s not my fault I always have the ‘resting bitch’ face.” Now, from chatting with her for this interview, I will say I personally think that last bit is prolly exaggeration. Some of her favorite memories include the five best friends she’s made and the laughter they share when together..often at “... the dumbest things and losing our minds over something that’s not even remotely funny.” She also likes when people remember her from her early days in the fandom and comment on her progression in suit quality and design and noting how far along she’s come.

Coming to the end of the interview, I asked if there was anything more she’d like to add to which she replied, “Whatever makes you happy and feel happy, enjoy the people around you and make memories because it’ll be something you’ll look back at and smile when you have your down times. I mainly got close with these people when my ex left me and I was at my worst. And these people showed me my true colors and what it feels like to be happy again.” A nice, positive sentiment to close a truly enjoyable interview with, I think you’ll agree.

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Should you think you’d like to follow Anna, wish her a happy 3rd birthday, or possibly seek a commission from her, she can be found at the previously mentioned @thefinnmyster on Instagram, @Finn7701 on TikTok and @finn770123 on Twitter.

Thank you all again for spending this small bit of time today with me and our guest, I’m glad you stopped by to see us. If you think you’d like to be featured in this segment, or know someone that you think should be, you can reach us at #FurryWeekly and #FursuitFanatics on most platforms. Once again, I’m tahlmorra and I look forward to seeing you all again next issue, have a wonderful day/night..!

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RADICAL RAFFLES

Hello, everyone! My name’s Danielle, and I’m here with Dozu to bring you the most interesting raffles. Let’s take a look at them.

First, we have an icon raffle by user @Sjru_st!


How to Enter:
-Retweet and follow.
-Tag a friend; make sure they follow too!

Prize:
-Connected icons.

Deadline:
-This raffle ends on February 6th, which is a close deadline!

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Second, we have a first time raffle by user @OSDaydream!


How to Enter:
-Follow, like, and retweet; no quote retweets please.
-Comment a reference sheet!

Prize:
-1st place: full color full body
-2nd place: five stickers

Deadline:
-This raffle will end on the 20th of February; there’s still plenty of time to enter!

~~~~~

Next up, we have an art raffle by user Polenie!


How to Enter:
-Follow, like, and retweet.
-Comment your furry or non-furry reference.

Prize:
-Two winners + one winner on Facebook will receive a half body.

Deadline:
-This raffle ends on March 1st, which gives you plenty of time to enter.

~~~~~

Up next is an art raffle by user Chalk!


How to Enter:
-Follow, like, and retweet.
-Comment a reference of your safe for work (SFW) sona.

Prize:
-The winner will receive a full body.

Deadline:
-This raffle ends in two weeks, which will be February 13th. There’s still a bit of time left to enter.

~~~~~

Celebrate with a valentine's YCH raffle by user Croissant Kat!


How to Enter:
-Follow and share the post as a story (tagging Croissant Kat is optional).
-Comment if you are spending Valentine’s Day with someone or not.
-Tag someone who might be interested.

Prize:
-The winner will receive a valentine your character here (YCH); any species are welcome.
-Another winner will be added if the post gets 35-40 likes.

Deadline:
-This raffle ends on February 10th, which gives you a bit of time left to enter.

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Celebrate with a 2k follower raffle by user viliphile!


How to Enter:
-Follow and share the post as a story.
-Leave a comment letting Victor know you did this.

Prizes:
-There will be three winners.
-1st place: one fully rendered lineless bust
-2nd place: one shaded headshot
-3rd place: one colored sketch headshot

Deadline:
-This raffle ends on February 16th, which gives you enough time to enter.

~~~~~

Celebrate with a 290 follower raffle by user Pine!


How to Enter:
-Follow (new followers are welcome) on Instagram and/or TikTok.
-Extra entries:
-Share the post on Instagram and/or TikTok (each account = one ticket).
-Comment your favorite fruit (one ticket).
-Tag three friends (one ticket). Each bundle of three friends you tag gives you another extra entry ticket. For example, if you tagged nine friends, you would get three extra entry tickets.

Prizes:
-Three winners will receive tier one and tier two prizes.
-1st place: artistic liberty handpaws, a custom badge, a digital icon, and an artistic liberty nub tail -2nd place: custom badge, a digital icon, and a digital chibi -3rd place: digital icon and a custom badge

Deadline:
-This raffle ends on Valentine’s Day, which is February 14th. There’s still plenty of time left to enter.

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Celebrate with a 22k follower giveaway by user Myla!


How to Enter:
-Follow, like, and retweet.
-Reply with a SFW reference (any furry species).

Prize:
-The winner will receive an artistic freedom painting of your character.

Deadline:
-This giveaway ends on February 7th, which gives you a little time left to enter.

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Next up, we have a chibi raffle by user TJ!


How to Enter:
-Follow TJ, Mads, and Setrael.
-Retweet; commenting is optional.

Prize:
-Two winners will receive a chibi.

Deadline:
-This raffle ends on February 20th, which gives you over two weeks to enter.

~~~~~

Celebrate with a road to 4k followers raffle by user Ryan!


How to Enter:
-Follow and retweet.
-Optional: Follow Ryan on their FurAffinity, and feel free to comment with a reference of your character/fursona.

Prize:
-Two winners will receive an experimental chibi.

Deadline:
-This raffle ends on February 9th, which gives you a little time left to enter.

~~~~~

Celebrate with a Valentine’s Day YCH raffle by user Fenny!


How to Enter:
-Follow and retweet.

Prize:
-The winner will receive a valentine YCH.

Deadline:
-This raffle ends on February 10th, which gives you a little time left to enter.

~~~~~


Those are all the raffles we have for you this week. There's always more out there, and we'll make sure to find them and bring them to you every week.

Make sure you use the tags #RadicalRaffles and #FurryWeekly so we can find your raffle more easily.

Thank you for taking a look at this week’s raffles! Stay tuned because more radical raffles are coming your way!

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AVAILABLE ARTISTS

Hello, everyone! My name’s Danielle, and I’m here with Dozu to bring you the latest and greatest artists to commission.

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-Price range: $5 -$20
-Payment method: PayPal, Scotia Bank, OXXO
-Medium: Digital art, furry art, human art, Sonic art, Splatoon art


We start with @RSBR. RSBR is a talented and versatile artist capable of working with characters from different fandoms such as Helluva Boss, Splatoon, Sonic, and even works with human characters. They make good quality artwork at a very affordable price, so don't forget to tip them when you go buy a commission!

You can find all their info packaged up nicely in their Carrd page!

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-Price range: £20 - £150+
-Payment method: PayPal
-Medium: Digital art, furry, humans/humanoids, fanart, scenes


Up next is Skootleskittle, also known as Skoot, an artist who likes making art of the things she likes. Skoot’s commissions come with free colored backgrounds (except for scenes) and in full color with shading. She specializes in bust, half body, full body, scenes, and spread – a commission option that resembles a character sheet with either bust, half body, full body, and chibi styles. There’s something to enjoy with each type of commission.

You can find their commission prices, terms of service, and other social media on their Carrd here. By tipping two Ko-fis, you can also receive a doodle from Skoot. You can find Skoot’s Ko-fi here. Feel free to message Skoot if you have any questions.

~~~~~

-Price range: $10 - $90+
-Payment method: PayPal
-Medium: Digital art, furry, PNGTuber, Twitch stream layouts


Next we have Furrarth, a Brazilian artist who specializes in PNGTuber art and Twitch stream layouts. Furrarth also offers headshots, half bodies, full bodies, reference sheets, and avatars/icons that are worth checking out. You don’t often see Twitch stream layouts as a commission option. If you’re a beginner streamer, I’d recommend Furrarth.

You can find his commission prices on his pinned tweet here. He doesn’t have a Linktree yet, but you are welcome to find him on FurAffinity, Facebook, and Itaku. Feel free to message him if you have any questions.

~~~~~

-Price range: €35 - €65+
-Payment method: PayPal, bank transfer
-Medium: Digital art, furry, 3D bust sculpts


Last but not least, we have Pietskaa, a self-taught artist and 3D modeler. She specializes in well-crafted 3D bust sculpts. Please keep in mind that these are not meant for VRChat. She also offers headshots, half bodies, and full bodies that are finished with an amazing painterly-like style and calming scenery in the background.

You can find her commission prices and terms of service on her Carrd here and other social media here. If you have any questions, feel free to send her a message.

~~~~~


That is all for this edition of Available Artists.

We’re always on the lookout for amazing artists to put on the spotlight. Don’t forget to use the hashtags #AvailableArtists and #FurryWeekly so we can find you. Feel free to message me directly on any of my social media if you have any artists with open commissions you’d like us to feature.

Thank you for reading and checking out these amazing artists!

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CONVENTION CALENDAR

Hello again, readers! I’m Shetani, your Convention Calendar segment host for this issue. There’s plenty to celebrate in February, from Black History Month to Valentine’s Day to Mardi Gras to Groundhog Day, which I’m sure all you woodchucks have been waiting for. We’ve got our own festivities happening here in the furry community! Keep reading and I’ll tell you about all the furry conventions and events happening online, around the world, and in your neck of the woods.

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Starting off, we have Scotiacon! This furry convention takes place Friday February 3 - Monday February 6 at The Crowne Plaza Glasgow in Glasgow, Scotland, UK. This year’s theme is “Game On!”, so charge your controllers and get ready to party up with furries from all around the world for a fun-filled weekend. Scotiacon will have tons of panels, games, dances, fursuit events, and even a talk hosted by the artist Lapres, this year’s guest of Honor. There will be a charity auction and donation drives to raise money for the Hessilhead Wildlife Rescue Centre. Attendees to Scotiacon must be at least 18 years of age with photo ID.

Website | Twitter | Telegram

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Furry Ski Weekend will be held at Copper Mountain, Colorado, USA from Thursday February 9 - Sunday February 12. If you’re thinking this sounds like a chance to enjoy the comfort of a snowy lodge with friends and hit the slopes in fursuit, you’d be absolutely right! FSW self-describes as a laid-back communal environment that feels like one big room party. Unlike a standard hotel convention with programming, your day is fully up to you, so attendees can tailor their experience to their own preferences and create their own fun. Breakfast and dinner meals, snacks, and unlimited drinks are included free of charge to FSW attendees. If this is your first time hearing of Furry Ski Weekend, 2023 registration is unfortunately closed, but there’s always next time!

Website | Twitter

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On Saturday February 11, this year’s Furry Joining of Asia begins at the KINTEX Grand Ballroom in Goyang City, South Korea. "CyberFurry" is the theme this time around, so expect to see lots of streetwear, neon visors, and techno-gadgets. You’ll have an opportunity to meet multiple Guests of Honor at FurryJoA, including Kennyoung, ASEOL Fursuit, Jellydog, and BadBoyBunny. A dealer’s den, raffle, fursuit photoshoot, and night festival with live music await attendees. Check out FurryJoA’s website for the schedule to start planning out your adventure! Tickets are all sold out for FurryJoA 2023 and will not be offered at the door, so hopefully you already have yours!

Website | Twitter

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How about a furry convention that’s a little less physical and a little more fantastical? Enjoy all the marvels of virtual reality at Furality Luma Festival, from Friday February 17 - Saturday February 18! This online convention is hosted entirely in VRChat, but rest assured, you don’t need a VR headset or any peripherals. Aside from the $10 admission fee, a computer that can run the VRChat program in desktop mode is all you need to get started. If you’ve ever wondered about the VR furry community, this is a great opportunity to dip your toe in the waters. Furality has historically featured panels, meetups, musical performances, and games in VR, all of which you can take part in without even leaving your couch! Visit their website to learn more about how to join Furality.

Website | Twitter | Discord | Telegram | Mastodon

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FurCalvaDance returns to the Saint-Martin Party Hall in Saint-Martin-des-Entrées, France. This marks their first iteration as a three-day event, from Friday February 17 - Sunday February 19. Complimentary brunch is included with basic FCD registration. Programming and events typically consist of fursuit-optional competitive games, FurOctaGone dance battles, gaming of the video, board, and tabletop varieties, and nightly dances with DJs. An optional bowling meet will be held on Sunday evening for those who aren’t quite ready for the fun to end. Should you wish to take part in the theme this year, polish your armor and load your spears into the longboat, for 2023 is the year of Vikings at FCD!

Website | Twitter | Telegram | Facebook

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Furcamp is a furry camping convention located at Intervales State Park in Ribeirão Grande, São Paulo, Brazil. This year’s edition is scheduled between Saturday February 18 - Tuesday February 21. Do you enjoy the steampunk genre? So do Furcampers, as their convention is themed “The Machine Revolution” for 2023! One would do well to pack a swimsuit - the park’s amenities include natural and artificial pools, in addition to a restaurant, guided nature trails, and caves to explore. Plenty of standard furry con activities are planned too, like fursuit events, vendors, games, music, and dancing. To attend Furcamp, you must be over 18 years old, and you must present proof of vaccination against COVID-19 as well as influenza.

Website | Twitter | Telegram | Facebook

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NordicFuzzCon is scheduled for Wednesday February 22 - Sunday February 26 at the Clarion Hotel Malmö Live in Malmö, Sweden. This celebrated furry convention is packed with unique and exciting opportunities, which include a maid cafe, snack exchanges, excursions to points of interest in Malmö such as parks and museums, fursuit charades, nightly dances with DJs, and a dead dog party. Keep an eye on NFC’s website for updates as the schedule is finalized. Charity auctions and concerts will be held to benefit Odsherred Zoo Rescue, which rescues mistreated animals into a comfortable environment where they can retire and enjoy their lives. In addition to a typical Guest of Honor, which is the artist Berneri for this iteration, NFC acknowledges Johanna Tarkela as the Northern Light for 2023. The theme this year is Toy Town, so why not bring your favorite stuffed animals along for the fun, or take home a new plush friend from the Dealer’s Den? NFC attendees must be at least 18 years old and present valid photo ID.

Website | Twitter | Discord | Telegram | Mastodon | Facebook

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A bit further south, Melbourne Fur Con will be taking place Friday February 24 - Sunday February 26. The Jasper Hotel in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia is home to this year’s iteration of the furry convention, which is branded “Furtale” for 2023. A dealer’s den, dancing, panels, and of course fursuiting are planned. Day tickets and weekend passes are still available at the time of writing, so hurry over to MFC’s website if you’d like to join the excitement.

Website | Twitter | Telegram | Facebook

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This month’s calendar image depicts Shetani celebrating the month of love with chocolates, flowers, and a Valentine from her special someone!

Despite being the shortest month of the year, you can certainly find ways to connect with the furry community this February, no matter where in the world you live. Remember to get vaxxed and wear your face mask when meeting up with any furs in person.

Got questions or suggestions for Convention Calendar? Feel free to drop me a line on Twitter and the Fediverse, or hit me up at any of the other platforms linked on my website. If there’s an upcoming con you want to ensure we cover here on Furry Weekly, don’t hesitate to let me know. Have fun and stay safe out there!

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FURRY QUOTE

Hi everyone, Lilli here with this week’s Furry Quote!


This week, we’re talking about:


Uncertainty

“You don’t have to be positive all the time. It’s perfectly okay to feel sad, angry, annoyed, frustrated, scared, or anxious. Having feelings doesn’t make you a ‘negative person.’ It makes you human.”
~Lori Deschene


Things are a bit rough for me right now. I’m having to face down things that I knew were coming eventually, but I’m finding that I am woefully unprepared to face them. Anyone else in the same boat? If you are, I’m going to do my best to give us both some encouragement this week through our quote.

It can be all too easy to try and bury how we’re feeling under layers of “being okay.” I know that well. I did it at work this week. I didn’t want to be asked questions about what was wrong, because I knew if I started to talk about it, I’d start crying at work, and I didn’t want that to happen. So I put on a brave face and pretended like nothing was wrong. The thing is, this is actually really unhealthy. Bottling up your emotions is never a good thing, and a lot of times it might cause more problems than it solves. It increases your stress, exhausts you, and has so many other negative side effects that entirely negate the whole point of keeping everything locked away.

It’s okay to be upset over things. It’s okay to be uncertain about what the future holds, and it’s okay to cry, scream, vent, or anything else you need to do to let it out. You’re human. We all are, and emotions are very much a part of that experience of being human. Every emotion is valid. Feel them. Don’t lock them away. Remember, it’s okay to not be okay.

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That’s all for this week! Thank you for joining me to talk about uncertainty. If you have a topic you’d like me to cover or a quote you’d like them to share, feel free to reach out to me on Instagram or DeviantArt.

See you next time!

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That is all for today! Thank you for reading! If you like Furry Weekly, share it with your friends or let us know by contacting us on our social media linked below! We always appreciate your support!

Remember, to submit your content to us, make a post with the tag #FurryWeekly and the tag of the segment you would like to be featured in (e.g. #FWArtCorner, #FWWritingShowcase). These tags work regardless of what platform you're on, whether it’s Instagram, Twitter, Amino, or DeviantArt. These are the platforms we currently look at for user-submitted content!

Once again, thank you for reading and submitting content! We will see you next time!

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