ISSUE 266
Hi you all! Welcome back to another dazzling edition of Furry Weekly! We’re here to bring you anything and everything about the furry fandom, so we hope you’re ready!
We’ve got our usual announcements as well as one extra announcement about a break we’ll be taking, so check that out below real quick before catching today’s content!
ANNOUNCEMENTS
SUMMER BREAK
This issue is live as of May 27, 2023. Furry Weekly is going on a three week break starting today, so our next edition is tentatively coming out on Friday, June 23, 2023.
We’ve got some stuff coming up for Issue 267 for when we come back, so stay tuned! And – be sure to send us your content if you want to be featured in a segment! We’re always looking for your submissions to share all the cool stuff everyone does! Remember to use our tag #furryweekly plus the tag of the segment you want to be featured in (e.g. #artcorner, #writingshowcase, #fursuitfanatics)!
We’ll be back after our break as normal though, so just hang tight while our staff enjoys a little bit of time off!
RECRUITING
We still need help filling some roles here at Furry Weekly, so if you’re interested in getting more involved in the fandom, this might be for you! Check out the roles below and see if anything seems interesting to you!
- Furry of the Week Host
- Radical Raffles Host
- Available Artists Host
- DIY Project of the Week Host
- Front End Website Developer
If you’d like to help out or if you want more info, please contact Yeshua, or Carkas. 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’re still active on The Furry Social Discord server! It’s a server where artists, commissioners and furries of all kinds can hang out and express themselves! You can find 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
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With announcements done, let’s not waste any time and check out the content for today! We hope you all enjoy! And let us know on our socials @FurryWeekly what you think!
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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
Howdy! My name’s Fizzy and I'm back to introduce two familiar faces today! Welcome back Ollie and Amira.
Pride & Kindness is back in business! They were featured as our Furry of the Week last year and so with pride month coming up, I felt it would be appropriate to bring them on again! Pride & Kindness or P&K for short is a charity event that supports LGBTQ+ charities! It all started when Ollie wanted to do something creative and interesting, and creating art for a good cause was his go-to. With the help of some friends, P&K made its debut in 2021 and raised over $4,000 USD on its first run!
How P&K works is simple! By donating a minimum of $5 USD, this guarantees yourself a piece of gift art! P&K is made up of volunteers so anyone can apply to be an artist! Regardless of skill level, so if you’re interested in doing something for a good cause, then feel free to check out P&K! You can find artist and moderation application forms, and much more information regarding P&K, including the three main charities they’re supporting this year by following this link right here!
I'm super happy to have P&K with us again this year! Good luck, everyone!
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Sadly, that’s all the time I got for today! If you have any questions regarding Furry Weekly or Furry of the Week then feel free to message myself, Danielle, or Whitehart. See y'all real soon!
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ART CORNER
How’s it going you all? Yeshua here – filling in for Multifurse and Mochi today. We’ve got a couple of neat art pieces to share with you but before we get into it, I want to remind you all that you can be featured in this segment!
If you’re an artist or know of an artist whose work you’d like us to showcase here, just use or encourage others to use the tags #furryweekly and #artcorner when posting to Twitter or Instagram! We’d love to see what you all create and just really take an in-depth look at your artwork, so we hope to see you all submit your content!
That said, let’s check out the pieces we do have today!
First up is Junekoii with an adorable near-full body!
This style is so neat! It’s a simple but colorful and lively style that’s just a delight to gaze at! The lineart is precise and defines the character and its features very well, and the colorwork completes the piece nicely! The pose and expression are also great highlights of the piece; the character looks a little shy gazing straight at the viewer, but still pulls off a nice pose that I think fits very well! And the neon-looking scribbles surrounding the character are a good touch! I especially love what look like wings right behind the character’s back.
Absolutely delightful piece; this style just looks very soft which I think makes it very pleasing to the eye. Good stuff!
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And wrapping us up today is Blacklight.tiger with an impressive bust piece!
What an eye-catching character! I think the artist really did this character justice considering how many elements make up this design! You’ve got what looks like a feline snout, scales right above the nose, big fangs, and some curved horns! I can’t quite say I’ve seen such a combination, but the artist seriously nailed the anatomy! Not only that, but the color work is sublime! Of course, we can easily highlight the hair and just how colorful it is; each color is blended fantastically and it flows throughout the hair very well. But even beyond that, the regular fur color has so much depth! And another part where I think the color work really shines is on the eyes; they just look so good! Keep at it, Blacklight, you make some superb artwork!
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That’s gonna be it this time! Apologies for the short segment, but we’ll be back next time with more! And remember, we are looking for more artwork from the community to feature, so if you’d like us to take a look at your art to showcase it and rave about it, don’t forget to use our tags #furryweekly and #artcorner on Twitter and Instagram!
Or you can reach out to your usual hosts, Multifurse and Mochi, or even myself!
Thanks again for joining! Be sure to show today’s artists some love, they’re both immensely talented! I’ll see you all next time!
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WRITING SHOWCASE
Hello, everybody! My name is Dozu, and I have for you today a sweet love story to read!
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Meet Cute Coffee Date
By PrinceThomasArt
Summary: Pince is a bug-featured Grimana who comes across a cloud themed one and she is instantly struck by love’s arrow. She invites the cloudy Grimana to have some coffee with her and he agrees! Where will this date take them? Keep reading to find out!
Highlights: This story is very well formatted, the bold letters making the piece a bit easier to read. There’s little to no spelling mistakes either, good job!
For improvement: Not much to say for improvement in this one, grammar is in check and so is formatting, even the dialogues are well separated too! Great work!
Question time! Answer in a post and tag @FurryWeekly and @DoggyDozu if it’s on Twitter!
Have you ever heard of a Grimana?
What was your first date like?
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That will be all for today folks. I hope you have enjoyed my pick!
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
Something’s sizzling on the kitchen stove, wafting the warm and comforting scent of grilled cheese throughout the adjacent living room. Tad bustles about, whisking chips and pretzels out of the pantry while the Camera observes the hawk’s work. It had seen plenty of meals prepared here by now, but for some reason, the toasted bread in the pan looked particularly delicious this afternoon.
“I see that look in your lens,” says Tad, pointing at the machine. “When machines are allowed to have food, I’ll be sure to hook you up with your own sandwich.”
If the Camera could scoff, it certainly would. Tad picks up his spatula and carefully peeks at the sandwich’s underside.
“Not quite done yet. It needs a little more heat.”
He tweaks the range dial. The blue glow under the pan strengthens ever so slightly. Tad sets the salty snacks on the dining table before returning to the kitchen to lean on the counter, hands in his pockets.
“Well… I think we got some time to kill while that sandwich cooks. How about a little education?”
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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!
This week, we’re shifting gears away from tropes in literature to take a look at literary devices. We use literary devices all the time in our writing whether we realize it or not. Rather than focus on the most common ones, as we’ve previously done for Writing 101, we’ll be looking at some tricky, often misunderstood devices.
At its core, irony depends on a story told in two layers. The first layer is the surface—the story that everyone, both aware and unaware of the full situation, appreciates. The second layer is the double meaning—the story where only those that “hear more than what meets the ear” understand and therefore appreciate the full picture.
Irony comes in many different flavors. As an introduction to irony, we can observe straightforward occurrences that happen in everyday life. For example, a stop sign that has been vandalized to read “Stop defacing stop signs” is quite ironic. The first layer of the story (the graffiti itself) is obvious. The second layer is much more amusing, for the graffiti made to vocalize the plea is written directly on the sign as well as uses the word “STOP” already on the sign. Another example is a “No Smoking” sign posted at the London Underground’s Baker Street Station. Anyone who has visited this station or at least seen pictures of it knows that it is adorned with images of Sherlock Holmes, given his strong association with Baker Street. Most of these images are wall tiles with a silhouette of Holmes smoking a pipe.
Here’s an important consideration: coincidence is not irony. Some situations do fall under a more modern subcategory of irony called “situational irony,” which more closely aligns with the broad definition of disparate events listed above. It’s not ironic if you trip over a loose rug after walking under a ladder, or if a cloudburst soaks the wedding party right as you make your vows. Both of those are just rotten luck. But if you spy a fire truck racing down the street, engine alight with flames and smoke billowing out the back like it’s rolling coal, then that’s a strong case for situational irony.
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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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“Easy, right?” says Tad. “I’m sure I could make a series out of that if I wanted—”
A metallic clang outside the front door catches Tad’s attention. He glances at the microwave clock and mutters, “I bet that’s the mail.”
A few moments later, he returns holding a white envelope pressed with the DMV’s logo.
“Ha! I thought they forgot about me! They said five to seven days, but it’s been almost two weeks!”
He opens the envelope. Attached to a letter splashed with colorful graphics and the words “Welcome to Virginia!” is a brand new driver’s license.
“This is one of those fancy REAL ID cards they’ve been pushing,” says Tad, holding up for both him and the camera. A small grayscale image of himself gazes back, frozen in time.
“Heh… Looks like I still clean up good in pictures.”
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FURSUIT FANATICS
Hihi! Welcome to this week’s segment of Fursuit Fanatics! My name is tahlmorra and I’ll be your guide on another visit into the wide array of unique, and often amazing fursuits and their fursuiters. Today it’s time for flip-flops and bathing suits as we head oceanside to meet our special guest for this issue. As some of you may know, we’re roughly a month away from this year's “Shark Week,” but don’t worry about going into deeper waters. It’s my pleasure to introduce and interview Harbor, the hammerhead shark, and she would much rather make friends with you than make lunch of you. But enough with the waiting, time to jump right into the interview and get to better know our special guest.
Harbor (she/he/they) and her suiter, Cactus (they/them) come to us today from the “Evergreen State” of Washington, in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. It is interesting to note that only two shark attacks on humans have ever been recorded off the Washington State coast and neither were fatal (and neither were Harbor).
Harbor is predominantly gray and white, with accenting hot pink fin-tips, little cheek spots, claws, and gills as well as fuchsia eyes and pawpads. Should you happen to encounter her out and about, she’ll most certainly be decked out in pink of any shade, maybe a touch of black or white occasionally, but pink is very important to them and is what drew Cactus to her design from the beginning. Special suit features include a clip-on “hair” bow and magnetic eyelids along with magnetic lipstick. Of additional interest is her dorsal fin which, sporting two straps, goes on and is worn like a backpack, to which Cactus comments, “does make me have to put a hole through any shirts I want to wear with the suit, but that’s okay.” Lastly, Cactus told me they personally don’t choose to wear pink often at all but maintain a small wardrobe of clothing just for Harbor.
Purchased at auction in the summer of 2021, Harbor is Cactus’ second suit, and it’s likely to be the only version. They’ve considered getting a full suit but, as wearing clothes and playing with fashion is integral to Harbor’s character, they don’t think it very likely any time soon. Harbor was made and was sold at a livestream auction by Lemonbrat during the pandemic when cons were still being hit hard. Cactus says they particularly like Lemonbrat’s work for their colorful suits with big eyes and big noses.
Moving on to fursuiting, Cactus says they mostly wear Harbor to regular conventions. Those include Anthro Northwest which is local, their favorite, and has attended since 2019, as well as BFLC 2022 and LVFC 2023. As far as non-furry, non-convention events, they say they’d like to bring Harbor to such events, but they worry about their mobility and vision as well as the possibility of knocking over a child or worse. Even at conventions, Cactus says that although Harbor is a partial, the big tail and lack of sight make it more difficult to move around. Another reason a full suit would be difficult for them to pull off. “I just have to be careful, and I almost always have a handler. What Harbor does do is attend the dances and raves, likes walking around the main spaces, taking LOTS of pictures, and giving and receiving hugs! “I think it’s worth it!! I’m so happy with people's reactions when they see him out and about!”
When asked about future plans for Harbor, Cactus says they have plans to get her paws and arm sleeves tailored – by Lemonbrat, of course – for a better fit, noting that LB is very good when it comes to additional work on their suits. They are also considering wearing Harbor for a furry fashion show, saying “BFLC had one last year and it looked so fun!” Cactus also mentioned that they like doing the furry dance competitions, but in their other suit (Christian the (orange) Monkey) and would love to branch out into other convention events.
Moving right along, we began to explore the reasoning and circumstances that led to their becoming a furry. Cactus says that they’ve always been interested in animal-oriented fantasy and sci-fi and considers “Cats, the Musical” to be their first real foray into anything “furry.” Other influences come from such diverse books and movies such as “Winnie the Pooh,” “Alice in Wonderland,” and “The Last Unicorn.” Practically anything with talking animals they thought of as “just so cool!” Even so, it wasn’t until middle school when they got into Sonic the Hedgehog games and began reading Warrior Cats that they really considered it as when they found furries, “through the internet, of course.”
As a teen, they would often binge animated videos of Warrior Cats or peoples’ “sparkle cats” dancing in animation memes. Then they felt they wanted to contribute: “I could draw, but animation was a little too hard for me.” So instead, they made all their own furry characters, later finding videos on YouTube about furry conventions, dressing up and dancing in animal costumes and thinking it very cool.
A video about Anthrocon 2009 is what Cactus says finally hooked them on the idea of fursuits. They recall the video because it was set to a song by Prodigy, one of her favorite artists at the time. They feel fursuiting came fairly natural to them, having already been a cosplayer and having a love for dressing up for Halloween, costumes in theater, and the like. Seeing virtually no difference between those activities and fursuiting, they decided they wanted to portray a character of their own creation. And that just so happened to be a big, fuzzy animal.
Even so, it wasn’t until several years later, 2018-19, that they got their first fursuit because they had to save up for one, of course. They also chose to wait until college, when they were moved out of the house just in case their parents found it to be too weird.
I asked if they had any memorable, or possibly humorous, experiences while suiting that they might care to relate. One such encounter came at Anthro Northwest, this year: “I was walking around the con floor with my friend (I was in Harbor of course) and we passed a table for, I think the HIV screening? And the staff member there LOST HER MIND at seeing me, in a good way!! She was ELATED and took a million pictures of me; it was probably the best reaction I’ve gotten to date hehe!! She kept saying ‘YASS SHARK QUEEN!’"
Also, Cactus says they love meeting dogs while in fursuit. They always find them to be super curious and confused at the same time: “it’s so silly!!” The dogs always want to sniff them and then get shocked when the big, fuzzy toy moves!
Next, I asked for their opinion on what the most important thing to remember when interacting with a fursuiter, and their answer was quick and definite: consent! Specifically for giving hugs – other physical contact which we’ll touch on in a moment – or taking pictures. They say that some people prefer to keep their furry side private and just might not want their pictures on the internet, or maybe they just don’t like being touched. Also, Cactus recalled older days when picking up or swinging fursuiters around was more common, “especially don’t do that without permission.” Glomping in particular was something they’re glad they don’t see that much anymore. I mentioned that I’ve still seen it occasionally, but that it usually seems to happen within close groups, not random tackling of strange furs. “Oh totally! I’m fine with people picking me up or intense hugs, hehe, but I hope they ask first.”
Next I brought up the topics of social interaction and self-identity and expression while in suit, to which Cactus said, “with Harbor in particular, socializing is a tad hard, but I’m learning to manage!” There’s the previously mentioned difficulty with seeing and hearing, and they bump into people a lot, “though people do notice me more!!” They said that it was a bit of a struggle at first, getting used to Harbor. Being more feminine in appearance, most people think Harbor is just a shark girl and they had to adjust to getting called “she” fairly often. Reminding themself that they’re playing a character and that people are talking to Harbor, not misgendering them makes it easier for them to deal with it. Also, various people who know them have been surprised that they own Harbor and choose to dress the way she does because, in regular daily life, they usually dress all in black and far less flamboyantly.
Another matter that affected socializing early on was when the suit and Lemonbrat were getting lots of hate directed at them. People who didn’t like her design were being very rude on TikTok (no surprise there) and the like, so that hit them reasonably hard. Some comments said Harbor looked cringe and that Lemonbrat was going downhill and things of that nature. In response to that, Cactus says, “you can’t believe the haters. I love her and I’m having fun! Isn’t that what being a furry is all about, having fun?” That’s how they deal with non-furries that make fun of fursuiters, just having fun, not hurting anyone, and knowing that maybe, just maybe, some folks are probably just jealous.
Nearing the close of the interview, I asked Cactus what one thing they would like to change about Harbor and what one thing that they would never change. Without hesitation, they replied that they would like to change the weight of Harbor’s head. “She is only hollow in the place that I put my head into, the rest is pure foam, and it's stronger [and] thicker than upholstery foam so it's heavier too! That weight can hurt my face, neck, and shoulders after a while, so I can’t wear her for more than an hour at a time.”
Regarding the one thing they would not change, they said “one thing I would NEVER change is how she looks! She is just so cute and sassy and beautiful!” They went on to say that they loved how Lemonbrat interpreted a hammerhead shark into anthro form, “especially considering most anthro sharks are so dog-like – [which is] not a bad thing! Just not my favorite.” Their big tail is another feature they’re especially fond of. Even though it can be something of an obstacle, they think it’s probably best that way. The tail makes her easy to see and they say it’s fun to move around. “Harbor is the only hammerhead fursuit to my knowledge, which does add to their uniqueness and appeal, but I would LOVE to see more!!”
In closing, I folded up my questions and asked if there might be anything they’d like to mention that we hadn’t already touched on in the interview. “The furry fandom is so vast, much more than folks think,” they said, “but overall, I think people shouldn’t take it and themselves so seriously; we are all just silly creatures after all.” A sentiment I think we all can agree on!
For the curious, their notable likes are music (80’s pop and metal), cats and monkeys and sharks, coffee, evocative art, Star Trek, and furries (of course!). If you think you might be interested in learning more about them, or perhaps follow them, you can find them across the socials as sharksf00d, on Instagram, Twitter and Telegram, and as sharksfood on Tumblr, as well as their personal website.
Well friends, that brings us to the close of another great interview. I hope you all had as good a time reading about Harbor/Cactus as I did in interviewing them! Time to come back to shore and dry off so we’ll be all ready for the next interview. If you didn’t catch it at the beginning of the issue, Furry Weekly goes on a three-week summer break after this issue, returning on the weekend of June 24-25.
I hope you all have a lovely early summer and don’t forget, if you think you could be featured in Fursuit Fanatics or know someone who should, post your fursuit photos and vidoes with the tags #FurryWeekly and #FursuitFanatics on most major platforms and you could be in a future issue! Take care everyone, and remember, stay safe, stay well, stay furry!
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PHOTOGRAPHY 101
Hello, friends and photografurs! Welcome to this week's Photography 101! I'm your host, Jaden (Discord @ Jaden711#0663). I’m so excited to bring you this week's issue! It's a photography obsession I've had for a long time, and it encapsulates everything that I've been preaching to all of you for over a year now. I've only recently been able to indulge in this, and now I can finally bring it to all of you!
Polaroid is the most recognizable camera brand in the entire world. Everyone knows what a Polaroid is and what it does. It's an instant camera that spits out your photo instantly without the hassle of needing to go get your photos developed! That's exactly why Polaroids became so popular in the 1970s all the way through to the 1990s. Convenience. And it was this convenience that made Polaroid one of the largest brands in the world that controlled almost the entire instant camera market. They were fast, lightweight, small, convenient, incredibly easy to use, and even more user-friendly.
But their fame didn't last long. Being a brand based on convenience, it was only a matter of time before someone else invented something more convenient, and that's exactly what happened. Behold the invention of the digital camera. While Polaroid got rid of the inconvenience of needing to go out and get your film developed, digital cameras got rid of the inconvenience of needing to develop film AND the inconvenience of buying film entirely, which is also a massive money saver. Once you bought a digital camera, you were theoretically set for life. And it was this newer, shiny technology that quickly put Polaroid underwater and after releasing only a few cameras in the early 2000s they decided to give up on cameras altogether.
It wasn't until Polaroid realized how many people still kill for Polaroid cameras (people like me) that they decided to go back to their roots and started remaking their SX-70 and 600 type film for almost all of their old instant models. And it's because of that decision that I'm here today talking about this! Because I recently got my hands on a working Polaroid one-step SX-70 from the 70s that I found in a donation centre for dirt cheap. And after getting some film, I got myself familiar with the camera for a few days. So, let's finally get started!
THE PROS
I’ll start off with all the pros. These cameras are by no means an ancient collector's treasure. They are EVERYWHERE. Flea markets, antique shops, donation centres, eBay, Etsy, literally anywhere. If you dedicate a day to just “Polaroid hunting” around your town or city, you will almost always find at least one. In just one day of hunting, I found three different models, and all of them worked. And in the off chance you don't find one, there are hundreds upon hundreds online that work for very cheap, so when it comes to finding a Polaroid you are spoiled with choice!
The film is also easy to come by. You can find it in most camera stores or on the official Polaroid website, with free shipping in the US and UK and a discount if you buy the film in bundles!
Another pro is just the look of the photos. I'm serious when I say that I believe I took some of my favourite photos of all time with this camera. The look just can't be beaten in my eyes, and every photo turns out different. The feeling you get when you look at your photo after it develops and it's so drastically yet beautifully different from what you thought is amazing.
THE CONS
Now onto the cons. The first and biggest con is that the film is insanely expensive, and it's this reason that the rest of the cons are on this list. Now while they do offer free shipping on the official website that only applies in America and the UK. for other countries, even their cheapest shipping option will run you over 50 CAD, and with duty fees on top of that, my five-pack of film cost me almost 200 dollars making the film 5 dollars per shot. While you could just go to a local camera store and buy film there, they don't offer discounts for buying packs, meaning you’ll be spending about the same price anyway, this means that Polaroid film is very inaccessible for almost anyone outside America and the UK.
It's the high price of this film that brings me to my next con. The film can be very unpredictable. Out of 19 photos, I only walked away with eight that I liked and three photos that did not develop at all, leaving me with only a black square, which wouldn't be awful if those three shots didn't cost 15 dollars. The film is affected by even the smallest things, but the biggest factor I found was temperature. Even if it's slightly chilly outside, it will drastically change the way the photo will develop which isn't always the worst thing and can lead to some unique results, but I still wouldn't recommend taking photos out in the cold since you’ll walk away with a lot more bad photos than good ones.
You'll also notice at the bottom of the photo, I have white artifacts. I have no idea what caused this. While I don't mind it and think it adds some unique style to the photos, I can understand why this may be undesirable for some photographers. I wish I could provide a solution, but the amount and size of these artifacts didn't have any rhyme or reason to them. I'd do the same thing every time in the same conditions, but they seem to be completely random
Despite these cons, I still really enjoyed my experience using an old Polaroid camera, and I’d still highly recommend that you give it a shot! The photos that do turn out good are always stunning and turn even the most mundane things into captivating photos, and encapsulates everything that I preach about photography. There are no bad cameras! Only bad styling! Even just buying one pack of film will give you an experience that you'll never forget. Despite the expensive price of film, I've become an addict, and I can't see myself putting down my Polaroid anytime soon. So give it a shot, and you might just find yourself as addicted as me.
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That concludes this week's segment! If you have any questions about Polaroids, don't be afraid to shoot me (Discord @ Jaden711#0663) a message! Also, if you’d like to see more photos taken with a Polaroid, be sure to check out my Twitter and Instagram!
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FURSUIT DESIGNING TIPS
FUR QUALITY
We will be going over fur quality in this one, and shaving and brushing your fur.
There are a lot of types of fur out there, from thinner furs to dense thick fur, and from incredibly soft piles like minky, to longer piled faux fur.
See the word I'm using? ‘’Pile.’’ This refers to the texture of the fabric. Where most fabrics are smooth without too many lumps and bumps, faux fur has what's called a pile, the hairs. Other fabric with a pile (or nap) involve velvet type fabric and corduroy.
By the way, the nap is the direction the hairs flow into. It's easy to remember this for your fursuit for the nicest result, and I always mark an arrow on the fabric pretty randomly so I have a visual reminder. I will explain later on why those arrows are important.
I personally always work with a knit type fur instead of woven backings. The knit ones fray less, shed less, are overall stretchier and a tad more forgiving in working with them.
To see the difference, a woven fur has a backing which looks like a lot of lines, if you pick at the side these lines will come undone whole. A knit fur has tiny lil’ V-shaped threads where when you pick at the edge minimal stuff happens; the knit one is stretchy, the woven one is not!
Now you know there are different types of fur, how do you know what's best to use?
Order samples. For the love of everything fluffy, get a sample of the fur you want to buy before buying it in bulk, see how it feels, looks, works and how the colours look together.
Look at your budget. Lower priced furs often are thinner in pile and because of that, are less thick. They can also have severe shedding issues, so they start out thicker and just lose hair like crazy. It’s normal to lose some fibers down the line and as the fabric ages it will become more delicate; look at old plushies in which bald spots form. It happens…
How much will you need? I struggle with this too but this also depends on what your end goal is. I personally always try to but more than I think I'll need in case I mess up, need to repair stuff, or think ‘’I need a second pair of paws with this character.’’
Now that you have found your fur you wanna keep it nice and fresh looking, right? For that you will have to brush your suit!
I get a lot of people who underestimate how important it is for your fursuit to be brushed, especially after washing. I’ll cover washing every item we make together after we made it, so that's something for later.
I personally always go for a detangle brush or a slicker brush, especially when you push it and don’t pull it. It will do the best job at keeping your fur in your suit and have it look nice and clean.
Brushing helps remove dirtiness from your fur and have it look pretty. After running around hugging people you will get funky spots in your fur.
This is before and after brushing. See the difference?
One looks like he just got out of a bag after travelling for 1.5 hours… the other looks comfy and cared for and way more alive!
Now onto shaving fur.
If you’re like me and have a need for different lengths of fur of the same colour, you can do two things: find a perfect match of two furs in a different pile or take matters into your own hands and start shaving fur!
Best tool for this is pet clippers, but I'm guilty of using human clippers for my suits too. To shave your fur you need a thick piled fur, otherwise you will see straight through the backing of the fur and will result in bald looking areas on your suit.
With Olivier (shown above) all his fur is originally the length of his cheek fur, so his muzzle, brow, part of his ears and his horns are shaved. To shave your fur you can either do it before sewing your pieces together or afterwards. I personally do a rough shave beforehand and once sown will go over it again. Go with the nap of the fur, never against it, go slow and practice before on some scrap fur you have lying around before you actually start shaving. I know some makers who shave the entire fabric before cutting; I personally cut and then shave. The fur you take off can be mixed with stuffing to make an extra soft fluffy stuffing for tails, and help reduce the waste you create as a fursuit maker!
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If you survived this long with me I'm proud of you! Soon I'll be talking about how to make simple four and five-fingered hand paws!
For Furry Weekly’s summer edition coming up, we will go over the importance of handlers and what you can do for them as well as what they can do for you as a suiter!
You made it to the end of the info round, see you next time with fun stuff and if you need me, you know where to find me on Instagram!
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RADICAL RAFFLES
Hello, everyone! My name’s Danielle, and I’m here to bring you the most interesting raffles. We have six raffles this week! Let’s take a look at them.
Get into the spirit with a pride raffle by Lily!
How to Enter:
-Follow and retweet.
-Comment which your character here (YCH) you’d like.
Prize:
-Pride YCH
Deadline:
-This raffle ends on June 26th. There’s lots of time left to enter!
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Become hypnotized with a hypno eye beanie raffle by user Boltie!
How to Enter:
-Follow, like, and retweet.
-Optional: Comment your favorite beanie color.
Prize:
-Hyno eye beanie
Deadline:
-This raffle ends on June 1st. There’s still a little bit of time left to enter!
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Get yourself ready for a snapshot in this pride month icon raffle by Oliver!
How to Enter:
-Follow and retweet.
-Comment a reference and flag(s) of your choice.
Prize:
-Pride icon (human, furry, or any other species)
Deadline:
-This raffle will last until the end of June. There’s lots of time left to enter!
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Celebrate with a 3k follower giveaway by user cozygh0st!
How to Enter:
-Follow, like, and retweet.
-Reply with your favorite animal.
Prize:
-Chibi (three winners)
Deadline:
-This raffle ends on June 1st. There’s still a little bit of time left to enter!
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Next up, we have a road to 200 YCH raffle by Wormie!
How to Enter:
-Follow, like, and retweet.
-Optional: Comment a reference.
Prize:
-Your character here (YCH)
Deadline:
-This raffle will end when Wormie reaches 200 and 300 followers. As of May 24th, Wormie has 113 followers. There’s still a bit of time left to enter!
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Last but certainly not least, we have a custom paw pendant raffle by Meek!
How to Enter:
-Follow and retweet.
-Comment with your favorite gemstone.
Prize:
-Three winners will receive a custom cement paw pendant with glass or genuine 6mm stones.
Deadline:
-This raffle will end when Meek reaches 1.5k followers. As of May 25th, Meek has 1,406 followers. There’s still a bit of time left to enter!
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Those are all the raffles I 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 to bring you the latest and greatest artists to commission. We have four artists this week! Let’s dive in.
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We start with Larkenox, also known as Ross. Larkenox is a furry artist who specializes in anthro and feral characters. They offer full bodies, thigh-highs, busts, headshots, chibis, and references as commission options. Ross’s art style stands out in a neat way with their bold lines and cute character expressions. I’d recommend checking out their commission options!
You can find Ross’s prices and terms of service on their Carrd. Feel free to message Larkenox if you have any questions and/or are interested in a commission.
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Next, we have Dragons_Draw, a digital illustrator and visual storyteller who has a love for anthropomorphic characters. Their art style is quite cute, and the scenery for their backgrounds are beautiful! They offer colored sketches, full body portraits, full paintings, headshot portraits, and reference sheets as commission options.
You can find Dragons_Draw’s prices on their Ko-fi. Feel free to message them if you have any questions and/or are interested in a commission.
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LehiColmillos, also known as Colmillos and Liliana, is next. Colmillos is a freelance artist who is aspiring to be a storyboard artist and character designer. They specialize in illustrations, storyboarding, and character designs that are worth checking out. Liliana works with many neat styles such as their normal art style, colored sketches, lineless art, sketches, renders/textures, and custom characters.
You can find Colmillos’s prices, terms of service, and links to their other social media on their Carrd. Feel free to message them if you have any questions and/or are interested in a commission.
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Last but certainly not least, we have Wormie, also known as Worm or Sage. Wormie is a digital and traditional artist who specializes in furry and human art. They offer headshots, half bodies, full bodies, black and white sketches (traditional and digital), reference sheets, sketch pages, and your character heres (YCHs) as commission options. All of them are worth checking out!
You can find Sage’s prices and more art examples on their Weebly site, as well as their terms of service and other social media links on their Carrd. Feel free to message them if you have any questions and/or are interested in a commission.
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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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CHARACTER INTERVIEW
Hey you all! My name is Yeshua and I’m once again happy to bring you all another edition of the Character Interview segment! If you don’t know what this segment’s about, I just find cool folks around the fandom and sit down with them to chat about what they do! So let’s have a look at who we’ve got as today’s guest!
YESHUA: This time I'm happy to welcome Moko! Thanks a bunch for joining me, I'm super excited to get to chat with you! For those who are reading about you for the first time, mind telling me a bit about you and what you do in the fandom?
MOKO: Hello! I'm Moko and I primarily create hand sewn felt plushes, and I believe that might be what I'm best known for. However I actually also love making traditional and digital art pieces. I'm fortunate in that I tend to get commissions for badges at conventions and it's given me the chance to practice and not lose that part of my work.
Within the fandom I try to bring everyone's fursonas into little travel sized plush companions, and I'm always thrilled to see my plushes being held by their life sized fursuit counterparts.
YESHUA: Hand sewn plushes, huh? I'm definitely interested in hearing more about those! But I'd also love to chat about your artwork as well at some point. Let's start with the plushes for now though. You say you make fursona plushes that are travel sized; how would you describe the style of your plushes?
MOKO: I'd say they're certainly more chibi-fied in style, they have larger heads, more simplified body types and button eyes. My older plushes used to have more simplified markings as well but over the years, I've strived to create more and more detailed pieces. As a matter of fact, here's an old photo of my very first plush commission. I received this off of Furry Amino, where I got my start.
I still remember being so excited and terrified with being given the chance to create a 3D product of a 2D image. I'm entirely self taught so I pretty much treated the project as a new adventure and tried different methods as I went. During this time I was also very new to creating hair, and one thing I tried to avoid is to create a flat hair piece. Being so new to plush making, I actually just stuffed the hair piece with poly-fil, which created the desired effect, but looking back now it sort of feels humorously silly.
YESHUA: That's your very first plush?? Holy heck, that's, honestly quite impressive! And being completely self-taught? Seriously, major props to you. It sounds like you really dove head-first into the craft, and your efforts really paid off! Do you happen to have a photo of your most recent plush perhaps? I think it'd be really cool to see a comparison of your very first and very latest plushes!
MOKO: Absolutely! Here's one of my most recent plushes that I'm particularly fond of. This customer was amazing and even added on a whole suite of props. This project includes one of my most favorite props to make which are miniature backpacks. They're fully functional and usually hide little miniature sketchbooks!
Also thank you so much! I had extremely limited experience with plush making before, I think I've only made a handful before I even took on commissions. I believe I had started with some basic Eeveelutions, so the fact that this customer wanted to give me a chance was such a thrill.
YESHUA: Awh that's adorable! And the props too, yeah! Not only does everything look phenomenal, but the fact the backpacks are functional is so neat.
That's truly impressive though, that you were able to take on commissions so quickly after starting!
I gotta ask, as you have made more plushes and gained experience doing so, are there any aspects of plush making that you feel you've especially improved on?
MOKO: It's honestly rather well spread out as the more I practice the more I get to learn, however if I had to pick a particular aspect for significant improvement, I'd say it has to be hairdos and fur on plushes. I knew that I didn't want to create flat hairdos when I first started but I didn't have the knowledge of how, however due to all of the amazing people with such a wide variety of styles in characters, I was able to really grow in that area.
For example, this particular piece is still by far one of my favorites where I got to really play with the medium and achieve the shape and dynamic that I wanted for such a cute pup.
YESHUA: I see what you mean, especially with that plush! Lots of characters in the fandom do have some great and unique hairstyles, so I'm glad you feel that's allowed you to improve that aspect of your plushes.
In the fandom, fursuit making is very common, and while I have seen a fair share of plush makers, I think the craft is still a little hard to come by. You did mention you enjoy seeing your plushes with their fursuit counterparts, but for those who don't have suits, how do you feel about being able to deliver something as unique as a customized plush of someone's fursona to those who commission you for it? It seems like it's still a very special and meaningful project!
MOKO: Oh it's absolutely amazing! Most of my customers don't have fursuits to match their plushes, and it really makes me happy to know that I'm bringing their sonas to life in a more portable way.
One of my absolute favorite things to receive are pictures from plushes that I've made traveling the world. I've seen some go to the beach, check out new cafes, go to theme parks and even some have gone overseas! It's like seeing them come to life and living real little adventures.
Obviously all of these characters belong to their owners, but by spending days creating each one, I feel like a tiny part of me goes into them. Whenever I ship each one out, I wish them a good life and to be happy, and I worry about them until I know they've gotten home safely.
YESHUA: I love that so much! I can only imagine how great it must feel to see your creations all around the world! And I can totally understand that bit of attachment when and after you make them; I can certainly tell you put a lot of love into each plush!
MOKO: It's a big rush when I can finalize each plush, sometimes I daydream on ways to create a tiny robotic core so that maybe one day I can see them wandering around my tabletop, but of course that's just a fun fantasy!
YESHUA: Awh that is indeed a fun fantasy! But either way, it's awesome that you are able to create something so special! Tell me a little bit about the reactions you've gotten for your plushes. I know you said folks wanted to commission you pretty quickly after you first started making them. Once you started showing off these creations, what was the reception like?
MOKO: It was like a whirlwind when it first started, as I said I had started on Furry Amino, I hadn't known that I could branch elsewhere – like Instagram or Twitter – and I just tried it on a whim. The first significant influx of commissions started after I was featured on their front page and commissions pretty much flooded in like a huge wave. I was so thrilled and overwhelmed that I could hardly sleep during those first six months.
It was a very heady thing as I started getting featured on their main page more often, and thus getting more and more commissions. It was like getting swept away and I grew exponentially, but as all good things it did come with a slight issue where people started disliking that I was featured so often. I started feeling guilty as I didn't want to take the chance away from someone else to be featured, so I tried my hand on larger platforms like Instagram and Twitter. It was a much bigger struggle as the pond was much larger, but the thing I love about the furry community is that there will always be supportive and loving people. The growth wasn't as quick, but I was still met with an overwhelmingly positive reception by most, and for every negative experience there were a hundred positive ones to overtake it.
YESHUA: Ah, the good ol' days when being featured on the front page of Furry Amino got folks a good bit of attention. I'm happy that was able to help you get your talent seen! Honestly, there's a high chance I probably saw your work there, heh.
I am sorry to hear some people started disliking you being featured so often, but it's awesome you have still been able to grow on these bigger platforms!
What about going forward? Got any plans or any direction for your plushes? Or are you pretty content with how you're making them?
MOKO: At the moment my main focus is to try and get my queue under control, during the pandemic I had a few months where I imagine a lot of folks were trying to find some sort of comfort in such a crazy time. Once I can finally get it into a more manageable size, I have several paths I'd like to take. It might be ambitious to attempt them all but I'd like to try.
Firstly, I would actually love to create larger posable plushes with armatures and more accurate proportions. I love the chibi style but I'd like to challenge myself with creating more in depth paws and such.
Secondly, I also have a huge line of personal designs that I've been dying to do. My dream is to be able to create every single one and have them as adoptables for both online and convention exclusive creations. I'd love to create a line of designs that have some lights worked into them, for a while I was able to create a lot of interactive designs and they were so much fun.
Thirdly, I once created an in depth scenery piece to accompany my plushes, this direction has endless possibilities and it still excites me just to daydream about. Here's an example of once I've made before!
Lastly, I would also love to branch out and try my hand at making fursona puppets. I've actually had the chance to make a few and it's been amazing! However that's certainly a larger venture
YESHUA: Wow, just like you said, those sound like ambitious avenues but honestly? I am very confident you'll reach all of those. The larger plushes with more accurate proportions sound very intriguing since it seems like they could bring a slightly more realistic and sleek look to the characters!
As for your personal designs, I think you definitely deserve to spend some time on them, being completely original characters that you're passionate about! And incorporating lights sounds so interesting!
The scenery? I am absolutely blown away! You're combining two different forms of art and the endless possibilities are no doubt such an intriguing prospect!
And fursona puppets? I will say, here at Furry Weekly we've got one staff member who'd love to chat with you about that, hahah. Still, that's very interesting as well!
All of these projects just sound fantastic, heck!
MOKO: Oh my gosh thank you so much! I'm super eager for every single one and I'm really hoping that my puppets might be something that more people would be interested in! It's like a different way to express yourself, I imagine it would make a fun way to make video content as well for those who would like to maintain a certain level of anonymity. Plus there's just something fun about having a puppet recreate the Kermit freak out.
Here are some examples of one of my favorite ones!
I think there's also a small side venture I'd like to take with my plushes, and while it's not the highest in my list of desires, it's certainly one that always comes back around in my mind. I'd actually love to do a few fanart pieces just for myself. One of my most favorite pieces I've ever created was actually Kass from Breath of the Wild, and while I would love for my own creations to be appreciated, I'd also love to get the chance to recreate some of these amazing characters and really push my limits. Video game characters in particular have such intricacies that it makes me yearn to create all of their accessories as accurately as I can.
Incorporating 3D printed parts and making my plushes into a multimedia piece was super satisfying.
YESHUA: The folks I've talked to about puppets definitely share the same mindset; it's definitely a unique but very fun way of expression that lets them keep a solid level of anonymity, yes! I think it'd be very cool seeing what you could do with them!
As for doing fanart pieces, I think many people will also be interested in what you do there, because just like you, folks just love video game characters! Myself included! And wow, that piece of Kass is just marvelous! I seriously can't express how lovely it looks; I know some folks in Furry Weekly as well who would seriously appreciate it!
It sounds like you have a plate full of ideas for the future, so I hope all you readers are keeping tabs because all of this is totally worth keeping tabs! Anything else you'd like to share about your plushes at all, Moko?
MOKO: I think the main thing I'd like to share is mostly my gratitude for everyone who's supported me, I really couldn't have done this if it weren't for those that had the confidence in me to turn their sonas into plushes. I hope to continue doing this as long as there are those that want them, and to continue growing my little plush community. We're a small but fierce bunch!
I look forward to taking on more ideas, more challenges and I can't wait to try even more new things. It's been so much fun talking with Furry Weekly and recounting how everything got started, it's been a while since I got to look at all these OG plushes.
YESHUA: I have no doubt there will continue being people who want a plush from you! And hey, definitely keep it up! I know you all can keep growing, plushes are a delightful craft!
MOKO: Thank you so much!!
YESHUA: We've talked about your plushes which you've no doubt devoted a ton of time and effort into, but you mentioned you also do art! Both traditional and digital. Tell me about that if you would!
MOKO: Drawing has certainly been the core of my being ever since I was in elementary school. It's pretty much been my driving force throughout my entire life and has kept me calm through hard times.
Even though plushes have certainly been the thing that's set me apart and helped put my work in the eyes of the public more easily, drawing both digitally and traditionally helps to scratch a certain itch that sewing can't always reach.
It's certainly a much faster medium as I won't have to spend days on a single piece and I can practice different aspects such as understanding anatomy and fluid motion. Plus I've always loved drawing animals, and the furry community has an endless supply of creative designs to work with.
YESHUA: It's great that drawing has such a profound meaning for you! I bet it's great having two artistic interests that you can enjoy and use to let your creativity flow. Sounds like you also offer your artwork for folks in the fandom, much like your plushes?
MOKO: Yep! Although due to the time constraints, I don't get the chance to offer plushes for conventions as often. Therefore I primarily get drawn commissions through that avenue.
YESHUA: Ah, so just to make sure I understand, you typically get more art commissions during or for conventions? Is that what you mean?
MOKO: Yep! Online my primary commissions are plushes, in person I tend to get art commissions as I rarely get time to create designs to bring to cons. That's definitely high on my list once I get my queue under control.
YESHUA: Gotcha! What kinds of commissions do you typically offer for your artwork?
MOKO: My most common pieces are your usual options such as bust and full body badges, however I have a personal favorite type which has really grown over the years. I've dubbed them as "Hanging Out" copic badges, and I never thought that by having them be in similar poses would allow me to really play with the rest of a character's features such as manes and whatnot.
I also have a copic style piece called "Floral Winds", where it's a full body piece and the customer can choose any type of florals to adorn the piece.
YESHUA: Moko, your style is just lovely! And I love both of those styles! I gotta say, I don't see copic pieces often anymore, so it's so nice to see such high quality work from you! Anything else you'd like to share about your artwork? Before I spend hours just complimenting it? Heh.
MOKO: Aw you're too kind! I absolutely love working with copics, it gives such a soft fluid feel that I haven't been able to achieve with other mediums. I think the main thing is that I love that my work is always changing as I'm always given wonderful challenges through commissions. I'm eager to learn new mediums and I'm excited to see where my work will venture.
YESHUA: Happy to hear you do enjoy it! And I'm sure you'll go super far with any medium you pick up!
You did mention something that also piqued my interest when I first came across you: vending! I saw that at the very least you were a vendor at Furry Weekend Atlanta -- which I wish I had known while I was there! But I wanted to ask more about your vending! Do you do it often, or are you perhaps newer to it?
MOKO: I've been vending for years, of course the pandemic knocked that schedule off course for a while but I'd say I average about five to six conventions a year. I first started at Onicon, a little anime convention in Galveston, TX, and I actually met a few furry vendors there that were absolutely amazing. They encouraged me to try furry conventions as my work was entirely animal based and I've never looked back. There are certainly times where I still feel new to the game but looking back now, I've realized I've actually gotten more accustomed to the lifestyle.
YESHUA: Holy heck, five to six cons a year? That's impressive! You definitely are a regular vendor, hahah. Glad those furs at your first con were able to give you that nudge into vending at furry cons! I'm sure you're looking forward to much more vending in the future, then, huh?
MOKO: Absolutely! This year's FWA was my very first time attending, and I'll be attending DenFur for the first time this year as well.
YESHUA: Oh heck yeah! I hope you enjoyed your first FWA and that you enjoy your first DenFur! I myself am slowly going to more cons -- not to vend of course -- and it's just very nice experiencing each one! Anything special plans you have for your upcoming vending, or nothing super crazy right now?
MOKO: On a smaller scale, I'm hoping to start creating dakimakuras for sale, on a much larger scale I'd actually love to create a character and turn them into a puppet for a con only availability. That way it can bring some excitement for those attending that you can't achieve online, I hope people will enjoy it!
YESHUA: Dakis are pretty popular, I'm sure you'd get tons of folks interested in them! And a puppet for con-only? Interesting! Like I said, one staff member here at FW loves puppets and I'm just immediately thinking they'd be all over it! Hahah. That's really awesome though, I hope you can bring those goals to reality, but I'm confident you will!
MOKO: I really hope so! It's so much fun to make and it really let's me stretch my pattern making muscles.
YESHUA: I love the attitude you have; you've got your sights set on tons of really cool things, and I'm just certain you'll reach them all!
Moving into the final topic I'd like to chat about now; really, I'm just curious to hear more about how you feel about being in the fandom! What attracted you about it at first, and what attracts you now? Got other things in the fandom that you enjoy?
MOKO: The funny thing is that I didn't realize I was a furry for most of my life. I knew that I preferred animal characters over humans ever since I was a kid, I loved Lion King and the fox version of Robin Hood way more than any of the princesses and such. I didn't know there was a term for this until well after college, it was a fellow student who reached out after graduation that led to my understanding of what a furry was.
While the definition of what a furry truly is can vary depending on who you ask, I at first didn't think I was one because I didn't truly have an OC. I didn't have a fursuit and I didn't have an understanding of what it meant to be a furry. However, that very friend pointed out that I drew tigers constantly, and I drew a little orange tiger to represent myself for decades. I even assigned animals to friends just for fun, and it was then that I realized "Oh heck, I guess I really am, huh".
This realization came with a huge sense of excitement as I was suddenly introduced to an incredible group of people who liked everything that I always liked, things I never really got to share on that level until now. I think fundamentally, this fandom makes me feel accepted and seen. Things I used to think were odd about me are suddenly completely normal, like wanting to wear ears and a tail, or drawing myself as an animal. I was suddenly not only completely accepted, but I got to see an even larger community with people who have even more to offer and to expand on. In short, the furry fandom feels like a safe place.
YESHUA: That's such a great story! I will say, I'm impressed you went all the way through college before finding out what a furry was and discovering the fandom; most people I talk to about this usually got involved around their school years! But it seems like you've fully embraced this hobby and no doubt have you participated in it in very cool ways! Anything in particular you especially enjoy in the community at all?
MOKO: I love the creativity, before I came into the fandom I always drew standard animals, which of course is still great, but now it's like there's no limit to creativity. I also love how everyone truly cares about their OCs, they're not just a character, it's an extension of themselves and it's such a wonderful feeling to be a part of that.
YESHUA: Oh you're not wrong there! The range of diversity in people's characters is definitely something that makes the fandom great. And I'm with ya, my character definitely feels like an extension of myself; I don't think I've come across too many fandoms where people have such a deep connection with their characters.
Is there anything else you'd like to try, whether it's related to your crafts, or something more casual in the fandom in the future?
MOKO: Actually I'd love to branch into learning 3D modeling for myself. I don't know if I can become a master of it but I'd love to become proficient so that I can incorporate it into my work.
YESHUA: 3D modeling, huh? When you say that, do you mean like making physical sculptures? Or maybe digital 3D modeling? Or both?
MOKO: I'd love to learn 3D modeling like through Blender, and print my pieces as either stand alone pieces or as accessories for plushes. It seems like a really useful and versatile tool.
YESHUA: Ah that sounds pretty neat! Just thinking about what you could do for props based on what you've already shown me seems pretty exciting!
Well, the only other thing I'm interested in hearing about is how do you casually enjoy the fandom, if at all? Do you have friends you do things with? Do you take some time to yourself outside of vending at cons perhaps? Or anything else? Or is the fandom mainly a place for you to let your creativity loose and create things?
MOKO: I actually have an amazing group of friends who are also vendors in the furry community, so while my experience is mostly from the artist's side, they also have amazing suits and we like to try and enjoy the festivities once "work" is done.
I sadly don't have much time to actually enjoy conventions as I'd like to, but I try to carve out an hour during each con to sprint through as many booths as I can and go crazy on buying stickers. We all have our weaknesses and stickers are my own.
The fandom also allows me to spoil my own OCs, over the years I've gathered an extensive gallery of commissioned pieces from other artists throughout the world. There's something incredibly exciting about seeing other artist's versions of my own designs. I'm always eager to see who's open for commissions so that I can deepen each OC's character.
YESHUA: Aha, that's so cool! It did seem like you are mostly focused on creating which there's nothing wrong with that! I was just curious about how you handled the community when you're not working on something, you know?
As for cons, I can understand that! I did catch your sticker pulls from FWA on Twitter which was.. impressive to say the least, hahah.
And it's great to hear you find it enjoyable to commission folks; I think that's one of the beauties of the fandom, just being able to have art of a character or characters you create that mean something to you, and how others portray those characters. I personally enjoy that as well.
Before we wrap up, is there anything else at all about your work as a creator in the fandom, or just the community in general that you'd like to talk about or mention that perhaps I didn't cover or missed?
MOKO: I think we pretty much covered everything!
YESHUA: Sounds good! Well Moko, it's been incredibly enjoyable chatting with you about what you do in the fandom, you're very fun to talk to! As we close out then, do you have any final remarks at all? Or any parting words?
MOKO: I'd like to thank those in the fandom that have supported me, for my friends I've found on this journey, and I truly hope that I can continue to thrive in this community for years to come. I don't know what the future will hold but I'm excited to see it, there are so many more possibilities and connections to be made.
YESHUA: I wish ya the absolute best as you continue your path in the fandom; I'm sure you're gonna achieve much more and keep enjoying it all! Thanks so much for coming on, it's been a real pleasure!
MOKO: Thank you so much! It's been so much fun looking back and recounting the journey so far.
YESHUA: I'm happy to hear that! Once again, thanks for your time!
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And with that, we’ve reached the end of another segment! I hope you all enjoyed reading about Moko as much as I enjoyed chatting with her! If you all enjoyed what you read and saw, check out her Linktree to find out where to follow her!
And if you have any suggestions about who else I should interview here, please lemmino! I’m always on the lookout for folks to chat with. Just hit me up on one of my socials!
Thanks again for joining me today! I’ll be back along with the rest of the magazine in about three weeks, but I’ll be back with another cool guest.
Until then, take care!
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CONVENTION CALENDAR
Hello again, readers! I’m Shetani, the Convention Calendar segment host you all know and love. Not only are there tons of terrific furry conventions to anticipate in June, it’s also Pride Month! The association between the furry and LGBTQ+ communities is well known, and dates back to the founding of the modern-day “furry fandom” in the 1980s. Did you know the furry community comprises over 80% self-identified LGBTQ members? We're the only fandom with this claim to fame - now that’s something to be proud of! ¹ In furry, you define your own identity as you want to be viewed by others, and respect those of your peers, so the appeal to LGBTQ+ folks makes sense. Many furries say that furry cons and gatherings are among the only places where they can feel relaxed and free to be accepted as themselves. Read on to see what June furry conventions and events are happening online, around the world, and in your neck of the woods!
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Last issue’s readers will recall Furizon, an Italian furry convention scheduled for Tuesday May 30 - Friday June 2. As was the case in 2022, the Park Hotel Sacro Cuore in Cavalese, Italy was chosen for the venue. This year’s theme is “Furizon Beyond,” evoking whimsical flights of fancy, steampunk, and space pirates. Hotel lodging and meals for all four days are included in the price of registration. The schedule will be posted on Furizon’s website as soon as it’s available, so you can start making note of all your favorite activities. If you have a fursuit, you can register online to take part in the fursuit games. Nearly 20 dealers will be peddling their wares at Furizon, with info listed on the con’s website should you wish to take an early peek. Attendees must be at least 18 years old.
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram
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Fresh off the success of their last con in February, Furality returns for another online experience Friday June 2 - Sunday June 4. The theme for this iteration is “Furality Sylva,” centered around lush rainforests and beautiful foliage. Furality staff has been hard at work putting together breathtaking worlds to match this theme in VRChat, where the con is almost entirely held. Attendees can participate regardless of whether they use desktop mode or a VR headset and peripherals. Aside from the $10 admission fee, a computer that can run the VRChat program 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 a 3-track schedule with events, meetups, and DJ sets running concurrently, so no matter what time zone you live in (or when you choose to access the con), there’s always something fun and exciting going on! Visit their website to learn more about how to join Furality.
Website | Twitter | Discord | Telegram | Mastodon
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Furrymosa proudly presents its fifth convention on Saturday June 3 at the New Taipei City Sanchong Gymnasium in Taipei, Taiwan. Since 2016, attendees have enjoyed this fantastic furry doujinshi fair. Dozens of exhibitors are scheduled to show off their books and other wares themed only around furries, kemonos, beastmen, or whatever you prefer to call the anthropomorphic animal characters we all adore. This year’s Guest of Honor is freelance artist and costume creator Zilven. If you intend to cosplay or wear a fursuit at Furrymosa, make sure to pre-register online or on-site on the day of the event to gain access to the cosplay show and changing areas. Furrymosa requires attendees to undergo a temperature check on entry and wear a face mask at all times while within convention space.
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You’re not seeing double - Otterdance is back with another event on Saturday June 3! After the success of the previous iteration in January, the furry dance party returns with a vigor to the Roodkapje in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The event space has been expanded to accommodate up to 200 furries eager to shake their tails. Attendees can expect DJs Gothicat, Menos, Mallard, Saigai, Arkifel, Tigris, and Lynn Drumm on the turntables throughout the night. You must be 18 years old to attend Otterdance.
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Little Island Furcon (LIFC) will host an in-person event in 2023 following a string of successful online conventions. Mark your schedule for Saturday June 10 and Sunday June 11, and point your paws towards the Resorts World Sentosa Convention Centre in Singapore. With a Swords and Sorcery theme, attendees should expect lots of magical and mystical mayhem, reflected in the con’s programming and costumes worn by attendees as they mingle and enjoy the festivities. The Guest of Honor for this year’s LIFC is Daza, a fursuit maker from Indonesia. LIFC-goers can look forward to meeting him at his Dealer’s Den booth and meet and greet session during the con. Check out the schedule on their website to see what’s in store for you at LIFC, including a guitar improv panel, photography workshop, travel tips, and more. Don’t forget about the Dealer’s Den, fursuit parade, and nightly dances. You must be at least 13 years old to register for LIFC.
Website | Twitter | Telegram | Facebook | Instagram
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Hex Furry Fest, the online furry EDM festival, will have its next event June 16 through June 18. If you like house, EDM, drum and bass, or just great music in general, this is the con for you! This iteration, their sixth so far, has a Sky High theme, and you’re certain to be on cloud nine if you check it out. Hex Furry Fest is hosted in VRChat, with a Discord and Twitch stream for those who aren’t on the VRChat platform. Visit their website to preview the DJ lineup and see who’ll be spinning tunes for you throughout the event. Hex Furry Fest is completely free to attend, so check it out if you’re dying to be exposed to new tunes, or just want to support the talented furry musicians in our community.
Website | Twitter | Telegram | Discord | Mastodon
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Ground Control to furries, come in! Argentina FurFiesta is blasting off from Friday June 16 - Sunday June 18 with an out-of-this-world theme, “Moonbase ArFF.” The earthly location for this furry convention is the Abasto Hotel in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Whether you’re into panels, meetups, dance competitions, DJs, or shopping in the Dealer’s Den, you’ll find what you’re looking for at ArFF. This year, the con is hosting an “ArFFter Dark” zone with vendors, events, and programming just for adult attendees. 2023’s Guest of Honor is the talented furry artist Garoline, a personal favorite of this writer. Attendees can visit her booth in the ArFF Dealer’s Den, catch her panel during the con weekend, and see her presiding over the dance competition and during the opening and closing ceremonies of the con. The charity for 2023 had yet to be announced at press time. All tickets are sold out, so here’s hoping you bought yours already!
Website | Twitter | Telegram | Facebook | Instagram
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From Friday June 16 - Sunday June 18, the twelfth CastleCon will be held at Camping Schüttehof in Horb am Neckar, Germany. Bring your own tent and get ready for a weekend of furry fun, outdoor camping style! CastleCon has historically featured outdoor games, photo ops, a fursuit walk, and communal barbecues. In addition to the con programming, the venue offers a playground and outdoor pool which can be accessed by CastleCon registrants. Please note that almost all programming will be in German. There’s an attendee cap of 100, so if you want to attend CastleCon, don’t delay to register. Their website handily lists all the furries who have already done so, which is extra helpful for planning who you’ll see during your visit.
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Over in the USA, StratosFur takes place the same weekend, Friday June 16 - Sunday June 18. The Marriott Westchase in Houston, Texas, USA is the happy new host for this year’s event. As its name suggests, Stratosfur is a furry convention that takes advantage of the city of Houston’s unique aeronautic history. The specific theme for 2023 is Pride at the Biosphere, so get ready to paint your space helmets rainbow! The two Guests of Honor for 2023 are Chevy the artist and Hiro the content creator and Twitch streamer. Stratosfur will have a Dealer’s Den, Artist Alley, and Nite Market for all you shoppers out there, in addition to thrilling panels, meetups, a dance competition, and nightly DJs. Keep an eye on the con’s official page for announcements about the charity and finalized schedule. Stratosfur attendees will need to bring proof of COVID-19 vaccination and wear a face mask at all times while in convention space, including underneath fursuit heads.
Website | Twitter | Discord | Telegram | Instagram
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Aurawra returns to the Novotel Sydney Olympic Park Hotel in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia for the second year running. This year’s con will be themed around The Lost Empire and take place from Friday June 23 - Sunday June 25. Planned events include charity auctions and fundraisers, panels of all kinds, a Saturday night dance, a Dealer’s Den, a come-and-go Artist Alley on Sunday, and outdoor fursuit parade if the weather cooperates. Aurawra’s charity is The Gender Centre, a trans & gender diverse welfare organization providing children, parents and carers with counseling and psychological support. Guests of Honor include graphic designer, DJ, and Twitch streamer KusakiDesu as well as art director, concept artist, and illustrator WickedInsignia. Attendees to Aurawra must be at least 18 years of age, fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and wear a mask in mandatory areas.
Website | Twitter | Telegram | Facebook | Instagram
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After an online event last year, PAWAI (Party Along with Anthro Indonesia) plans their return to an in-person event from Saturday June 24 - Sunday June 25. The Malaka Hotel Bandung in Jawa Barat, Indonesia is the chosen venue for 2023. This year’s theme is Secret Garden, invoking bohemian culture and a journey far from home. Panels will be hosted by Ocaritna, furry digital artist and storyboarder, and Joseph A.K., concept artist and comic creator, both of whom are Guests of Honor at this year’s iteration. Sponsor and Supersponsor attendees also get to enter a special raffle for art by each. There will be a live concert by Wake Up, Iris!, gaming, fursuit events, and an art contest. You must be at least 14 years old to attend PAWAI.
Website | Twitter | Telegram | Facebook | Instagram
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Finally, we have Anthrocon, which begins on Friday June 30 this year and runs through Sunday July 2 at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. Anthrocon has decided on the theme “Anthropolis - Our Furry City” for this year, celebrating the unique partnership this furry convention shares with its host city of Pittsburgh. In keeping with this theme, Anthrocon forgoes choosing a 2023 guest of honor, to underline how everybody contributes to making the furry community great. Anthrocon will, however, spotlight a charity: Rabbit Wranglers, a Pittsburgh-based nonprofit that helps abused, neglected, and abandoned rabbits and educates the public to improve the lives of these companion animals. A charity auction and poker tournament are being held to benefit the organization. As the current third-largest furcon worldwide, there’s plenty to do and see at Anthrocon. In addition to classic con staples like a Dealer’s Den and Artist Alley, masquerade, games room, fursuit parade, nighttime dances with DJs, and photobooth, Anthrocon 2023 will feature multiple fursuit friendly sightseeing cruises, and more panels, meetups, and events than you can brandish a branch at. Even that doesn’t fully encompass the fun-filled schedule that awaits attendees, so be sure to check out Anthrocon’s website to get the full scope of events! Anthrocon requires proof of full COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test, and masking in specified areas of con space.
Website | Twitter | Discord | Telegram | Mastodon | Facebook | Instagram
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Check out the monthly events calendar made by Yeshua with art done by Sunni! Here we see our Staff Musician Pepper repping trans pride and Anthrocon with her cute outfit. Pepper and our Cover Artist Sevven are attending Anthrocon, so if you see either of them at the con, don’t hesitate to say hello!
Pride parades and events are integral in giving LGBTQ+ folks a safe place to freely express themselves, and connecting them with vital resources in their local community. Whether you’re participating in a parade, march, or one of the previously mentioned furry events, remember to stay safe and healthy. Get plenty of hydration before and during the event, wear a face mask, stay up to date on your vaccinations and boosters, and wear sunscreen or protective clothing if you plan to spend extended time out in the sun.
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 event 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
This week, we’re talking about:
Thriving Under Pressure
This quote honestly explains itself pretty well, but I want to take some time to discuss the story behind it. We all know life has ups and downs. We all know that things get hard for everyone. Some get a worse hand dealt in life than others. A lot of these people are put under immense pressure and just want to give up because they feel it will never let up. It is these people that are in need of lots of love and support, and it is these people that will become some of the best diamonds.
Unfortunately, these people crack under the pressure and don't have anyone to hold them up. They need help and support to get through the hard times they're going through. This is help that anyone can provide. They may only need someone to talk to or a shoulder to cry on, but they all need something that someone can provide. We just all have to be willing to help out those who are suffering.
We're all being made into diamonds together. Some of us undergo more pressure than others, and those of us that don't take as much pressure can help those that feel like they're about to crack. It doesn't matter how much you're going through. You could be dealing with a lot, or you could be having smooth sailing in your life, but everyone needs someone who will be there for them to lift them up. Strive to be that person for someone. Strive to help someone through a time when they feel like they just won't make it and want to give up. Show them love. Show them strength. Show them mercy. Guide them gently and let them know that this will all end soon.
And if you're one of the diamonds that feels like they're about to break, reach out to someone. Asking for help is not a weakness. Let someone guide you and help you. Be open to what they have to say. Talk to them. Listen and maybe try their advice. But whatever you do, don't give up.
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That’s all for this week! Thank you for joining me to talk about thriving under pressure! 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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