ISSUE 275
Hey everyone! Welcome back to yet another edition of Furry Weekly! Thanks so much for tuning in.
We’ve got our usual announcements to start us off, and we’re still working hard to bring in new folks to help out with Furry Weekly, so please pay attention to the ‘Recruiting’ section below. And we’re also still always looking to hear your feedback, so also check out the ‘Reader Survey’ section!
ANNOUNCEMENTS
BREAK WEEK
Our first announcement is that next week we’ll be on break! We won’t post an issue next weekend, but we’ll be back the following week, so please look forward to that! As always, we’re still working on Furry Weekly even on break, so if you want your work featured in one of our segments, be sure to submit it by reaching out to our segment hosts or using our hashtags on social media! You can find this info at the bottom of each segment, so just check out the one you want to be featured in and follow the instructions there! It’s all very simple!
RECRUITING
Below are the positions we’re currently looking for help with, so if something catches your eye, keep reading to check out the info on how to potentially help out!
- Art Corner Host
- Furry of the Week Host
- Radical Raffles Host
- Available Artists Host
- DIY Project of the Week Host
- Front End Website Developer
- Editor
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!
READER SURVEY
In addition to recruiting, we want to listen to what you, our readers, have to say about Furry Weekly! Our goal is to showcase a little bit of everything in the fandom, especially giving a small spotlight to all kinds of creators and folks in the community. So we want to know what you think about what we’re doing now as well as what you might want to see from a furry magazine. So whether you’re an avid follower of Furry Weekly, or maybe you just found us, we want to hear what you like, what you don’t like, and what you would like us to do in the future! That’s why we have a short survey on this topic. We would seriously appreciate it if you took just a few minutes to take it and give us your feedback! You can do this multiple times as well! The link is below!
Click here to take our reader survey!
DISCORD SERVER
We’re still on The Furry Social Discord server! It’s a server where artists, commissioners and furries of all kinds can hang out! 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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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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SEGMENT LINEUP
[❌] Furry of the Week
[✔] Animal of the Week
[✔] Art Corner
[❌] Writing Showcase
[❌] Art 101
[❌] Species Spotlight
[✔] Writing 101
[✔] Fursuit Focus
[❌] Photography 101
[❌] Fursuit Designing Tips
[✔] Radical Raffles
[✔] Available Artists
[❌] Character Interview
[✔] Convention Calendar
[❌] Furry Quote
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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? 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 September, and the animal group for this month are Foxes!
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail. Twelve species belong to the monophyletic "true fox" group of genus Vulpes. Approximately another 25 current or extinct species are always or sometimes called foxes; these foxes are either part of the paraphyletic group of the South American foxes, or of the outlying group, which consists of the bat-eared fox, gray fox, and island fox.
Foxes live on every continent except Antarctica. The most common and widespread species of fox is the red fox with about 47 recognized subspecies. The global distribution of foxes, together with their widespread reputation for cunning, has contributed to their prominence in popular culture and folklore in many societies around the world. The word fox comes from Old English, which derived from Proto-Germanic *fuhsaz. This in turn derives from Proto-Indo-European *puḱ-, meaning 'thick-haired; tail'. Male foxes are known as dogs, tods or reynards, females as vixens, and young as cubs, pups, or kits, though the last name is not to be confused with a distinct species called kit foxes. Vixen is one of very few words in modern English that retain the Middle English southern dialect "v" pronunciation instead of "f" (i.e. northern English "fox" versus southern English "vox"). A group of foxes is referred to as a skulk, leash, or earth.
This Week’s Species: Darwin's fox (Lycalopex fulvipes)
Characteristics
Darwin’s fox is a small and short dark furred fox. Darwin's fox displays no key differences between male and female other than the fact that the male has a broader muzzle. They tend to have more red fur around the ears and white patches on their chests.
Fun Facts
In the late Pleistocene, Chiloé Island was connected to mainland Chile by a land bridge. The land bridge was severed about 15,000 years ago when the sea level rose following the last glaciation. This created two isolated populations of Darwin's fox.
Habitat
Darwin's fox was first collected from San Pedro Island off the coast of Chile by the naturalist Charles Darwin in 1834. It was long held that Darwin's fox was a subspecies of the South American gray fox; however, the discovery of a small population of Darwin's fox on the mainland in Nahuelbuta National Park in 1990 and subsequent genetic analysis has clarified the fox's status as a unique species. In 2012 and 2013 the presence of the Darwin's fox at Oncol Park, Alerce Costero National Park and the Valdivian Coastal Reserve was confirmed through camera trapping. Darwin's fox is generally believed to be a forest obligate species found only in southern temperate rainforests. They only occur in areas of primary forest on Chiloé and on the mainland. They are most active at twilight and before sunrise. In contrast to other Lycalopex species, Darwin's fox prefers open spaces.
Diet
Darwin's fox has a vast diet. In dense forests, where it exists, the foxes hunt for mammals, reptiles, beetles, and invertebrates. Sometimes it selects fruits, berries, and seeds. Birds and amphibians to a lesser degree are also consumed. It sometimes eats carrion, but it mostly eats live animals and fruit. This makes it mostly an omnivore, sometimes a scavenger.
Life Cycle
Darwin's fox does not interbreed with the other Lycalopex species, only lives in forests, and is smaller and darker-colored than the other species. Males display no territorial behavior and aren't aggressive towards other males roaming around their territory.
Conservation
The species was previously classified as Critically Endangered by the IUCN, but in 2016 was downlisted to Endangered, as its area occurrences is apparently substantially larger than originally believed. Current estimates of the total population are still low, with an estimated minimum 227 individuals on the mainland and 412 on Chiloé Island. Fragmentation of forest adjacent to the national park and on the island is a concern for their conservation, and feral dogs may pose the greatest threat to their survival by spreading disease or directly attacking. Persecution by people who think that the foxes attack domestic fowls, though they pose little threat, is also a potential problem.
The species is often plagued by Mycoplasma haemocanis. The already endangered fox is prone to this infection because the infection's bacteria attach themselves to surface red blood cells of many mammals, and although the species is believed to be no major threat to human life it can spread to humans, dogs, cats, and other wildlife species. The bacteria also seem to spike when located close to any major habitat inhabited by humans as well as where there is a large population of wild dogs present near the species. Researchers are testing RNA subunits of RNase P gene and out of 10 foxes, nine were infected. Even though they are considered "sick", they have no external symptoms. Studies show that many foxes' risk of catching the deadly bacteria inclines as they age leaving many older foxes vulnerable. Although the disease is prevalent in this species, little to nothing is known about this disease. Here are some links to articles about the conservation of the Darwin’s fox:
A new population of Darwin's fox (Lycalopex fulvipes) in the Valdivian Coastal Range
Darwin’s Fox: A Distinct Endangered Species in a Vanishing Habitat
Adopt
All funds from this adopt will go to animal conservation. The goal for this month is to save up to symbolically adopt two foxes through a donation to Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, the two foxes currently in their care are Jade and Storm, a red fox and a marbled fox, totalling to $100 for their care. 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 USD 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
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 support this project, or maybe just really like these character designs and want to get access to some exclusive adopts and bases, 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 Canid Specialist Group.
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ART CORNER
How’s it going everyone? This is Dozu here to bring you another edition of Furry Weekly’s Art Corner! If you enjoy the art the fandom has to offer, then stick around!
Before we get into it though, I want to remind you all that we’re still looking for a permanent host for this segment. That means we’re looking for someone who is interested in writing it every week, so if you not only enjoy seeing furry art, but also maybe writing about it, this could be for you! Just hit our boss up, Yeshua if you’re interested in hosting Art Corner!
Now, let’s not waste more time and see what we’ve got today!
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FatherGrunge is going first with a spooky worm-dog boy!
This piece is very beautiful and a little creepy due to the lack of eyes of the character. The worm to dog ratio is on point for this character, making him the perfect slimy man’s best friend! The detail of the shine on the body is really pretty and it helps drive home the slight sliminess of the character.
The pose is simple, yet dynamic, the character almost looking like they’re about to reach out to you through the screen. A detail I love about FatherGrunge’s art style is the bright outlines he gives his characters, in this case a white one but sometimes they are funky with bright eye-straining colors that complement the pieces really well.
Lastly, the brushes used give the whole piece a lot of texture and make it feel almost 3-dimensional instead of flat and boring, especially in the shading department. Good job!
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Kitzuchi follows with a stunning fullbody!
Very amazing work here! The pose is really creative and really makes this piece stand out. Looking like she’s floating mid air, the character also has a cute expression of joy on her face. The colors in this piece are what captivated me the most; the deep turquoise with the lighter one, the white and a dash of brown for the hair are a great combo!
Though simple, this piece stands out due to the creativity behind it. The anatomy also works out great and nothing is broken, and that big fluffy tail! I definitely love all the fluffiness of the character. The simple background with some shade variations is not super grandiose but it doesnt need to be, it complements the piece greatly as it is, especially the color of it. Great work!
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FelisRandomis is last with an amazing dragon art piece!
This art really caught my eye for its colorful appearance. The scales on the back of the dragon are colorful and bright, something that my crow brain just couldn’t resist. The rainbow of vibrancy against the dark grays and blacks of the character’s body create such a beautiful contrast! And the pose, seeing the character from the back instead of the front, is an uncommon one for sure.
The shading, or rather the highlights in this piece, are stunning and really tie the whole design together. The stained glass look of the back with the smug smile on the character’s face and the abundant highlights make this piece unique and so gorgeous. I don’t think there’s anything more I could say to add to its beauty, the work really speaks for itself. Fantastic work!
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That will do for today’s edition of Art Corner! Thanks for checking it out and please, if you liked what you saw, go give the artists some love and give them a follow if you want to see more!
If you’d like to see your work showcased here or maybe you’d like to see a specific artist’s work featured, just let us know by reaching out on one of my boss’s socials, or if you post on Instagram or X/Twitter, just use that tags #furryweekly and #artcorner! You can also reach out to me if you want to submit your work!
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WRITING 101
Back in the beautiful world of ray-traced Minecraft, a gray and blocky Camera turns on the spot to capture the scenery around it. A tiny peninsula juts out into acres of crystal-clear water, and gravelly beaches cascade into the ocean on either side of the Camera. It’s a wonderful sight, but it’s truly a shame that the hawk who constructed this world in the first place can’t enjoy it.
Tad blinks into existence, briefly startling the Camera. He quickly glances around to take in the exact same scene.
“Ah! Yes! I’m in!” he says excitedly. He takes a few steps, coarse sand tickling his tough talons. “That’s a good first—”
Tad disappears just as quickly as he arrived. A tiny message pops up in the corner of the frame the Camera is capturing:
“Player Tad was disconnected due to keepalive timeout!”
After a few seconds of silence, the same hawk reappears in the exact same spot.
“Shoot! I thought I fixed it. Hmm… I might have to make some adjustments—”
“Player Tad was disconnected due to keepalive timeout!”
The Camera can’t help but chitter in amusement.
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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!
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Let’s continue our discussions about clauses. Last week, we covered the adjective clause—a dependent clause that serves as an adjective and modifies a noun in the independent clause. This week’s topic will follow the trend of dependent clauses serving different functions depending on its diction and location in the sentence. Please welcome… the adverbial clause!
Let’s look at an example sentence:
“I walked down my icy driveway to get the mail.”
This sentence is perfectly fine—it shows us what the narrator is doing and why they’re doing it, all in one sentence. However, even though “walked” is a reasonable verb in this situation, it isn’t quite strong enough to show how someone would actually navigate a frozen driveway. We can modify this verb with an adverbial clause, like so:
“I walked as quickly as I dared down my icy driveway to get the mail.”
We modified “walked” with an adverbial clause to better describe the narrator’s actions. They’re clearly exercising caution while not traveling at glacial pace (we’d probably use “tiptoe” instead of walk in that case). Many of us would mind our step on a slippery driveway while also moving at a reasonable pace; thus, our adverbial clause adds these details to clarify a small but important detail.
Note that the adverbial clause must have both a subject and a verb. Else, it is considered an adverbial phrase.
Here’s another example:
“The steward waved the yellow flag.”
Pay attention to the adverbial phrase that modifies the verb “waved”:
“The steward waved the yellow flag with gusto.”
“With gusto” is only an adverbial phrase because it lacks both a subject and a verb. The subject “the steward” is already defined earlier in the sentence, and “gusto” is an adjective. We can rewrite the same adverbial phrase into a dependent adverbial clause like our other example by adding a subject and a verb:
“The steward waved the yellow flag with his signature flamboyant motions.”
The phrase “with his signature flamboyant motions” now contains a subject (“his”) and a verb (“motions”) needed to make it an adverbial clause. However, see that the new clause is not as fluid as the phrase “with gusto.” Different situations call for different treatments, so it is up to you to recognize what works best for your needs as well as the story’s needs.
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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 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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“This is getting frustrating—”
“Player Tad was disconnected due to keepalive timeout!”
At this point, the Camera simply awaits the next time Tad will pop back into existence. At least plenty of gorgeous scenery, including puffy clouds and golden rays basking the ocean before it, keep the Camera occupied as it records its surroundings.
A new message appears in the corner of the Camera’s frame:
/paper player.keepalive.timeout set 60
“Server keepalive timeout has been changed to 60 seconds.”
“Player Tad is joining the server...”
Once more, the hawk appears.
“Okay,” he says, clearly a little exasperated. He runs his fingers through the feathers on his head. “I think I fixed it. If this doesn’t work, then I need to read up on the literature for these servers. There are still a couple things that I don’t quite understand yet—”
“Player Tad was disconnected due to keepalive timeout!”
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FURSUIT FOCUS
Hihi, and welcome to Furry Weekly and yet another installment of Fursuit Focus, the place to be if you’re looking for interesting fursuits and the suiters who wear them! I’m your host, tahlmorra, and I apologize for my absence a couple issues back, but I’m here again with a great, new interview!
In today’s segment, we head back down to Southern California - home of sun, beaches, and Disneyland - to meet this week’s guest; fursuiter and prolific suit maker Lucius Goat.
Lucius (he/they, for both suit and suiter) is a regular goat and is currently a partial; a head, paws with arm sleeves, feet paws and a tail. He’s mostly grey and white with hooves and horns of black and friendly bright blue eyes. He’s been made entirely by Lucius with the head finished in July of 2021 and the rest completed in January 2023 in time for that year’s Further Confusion. His fullsuit has already been started on (and it’s going to have pockets!) with the intent to have it finished around August or September of 2023 so that he can wear it to a FurBQ, though I haven’t caught up with him to see if that worked out. Lucien is not the first suit he’s made for himself, but it is the first suit and first version of the character. Special features include curly hair, because he has curly hair in real life, and wanted to have his fursona look somewhat like him. His horns were made with oven bake clay, which turned out to be a bit too heavy, and he plans to have them 3D printed for the next version. Also, he has no polyfill in his construction, being made completely of foam shaped with scissors and hot-glued together.
Lucius has made several suits, starting with Ozzie the Rabbit which was entirely hand sewn because he had no sewing machine yet. That suit was finished April 14, 2019 – with a new pair of eyes being made later than that. Ozzie was Lucius’ first suit – made or owned – made to replace a neighborhood costume used for the Easter Bunny. Next, he finished making the fullsuit, feet paws and tail for a character named Fang on June 12, 2020. Next up was Spruce the deer. This was a refurbishment in which he cut off the old fur and re-furred it with new markings and hair, with the head base and ears having been made by littlezaricat, all of which he finished on June 23, 2021. As with all his other commissions, it came with a fursuit care guide and progress tracking sheet as well as a ‘swatch paper,’ a box with a drawing of the ‘sona, an additional piece of art, and optional candy – such as chocolate coins. Next up is Splitento, 100% made by Lucius, and finished on June 24, 2021, which was mostly finished while he was working on Spruce and another commission. Last on the list is Karl the dog, which is another complete fursuit made solely by Lucius, finished June 25, 2021. Coming in as an honorable mention, he made a set of handpaws for @_anchorblue with a bit of experimenting on removable lining – which is something he says he probably won’t do again, having not worked out to his satisfaction. The paws were made using kloofsuits paw pattern, which is the only pattern by someone else that Lucius uses. Everything else, he makes himself. You can see these, and all the other suits mentioned in the picture below.
After all the above, he finally started on Lucius version 2. The suit’s head base is mostly complete; Lucius is holding off on gluing the ears until he sees how heavy they’ll be and how much he can crease them. Coming soon will be the horns, eyes, gums, and teeth. He posts updates on the suit on his personal account @luciusgoat, so you can see art of what he’ll eventually look like.
When it comes to public suiting, Lucius says he definitely prefers to do so with a friend or two. “At meets we get called less names (lol) but public suiting in public places with a few friends is still really fun.” He says kids love the character costumes and “a ton” of random people love them as well. He says cars honk and people in them cheer as they drive by and that the positive public response definitely outweighs the negative in SoCal. He loves to go into places where and when no-one is around so he can make silly videos; Lucius says that’s his favorite thing to do.
Lucius hopes to always keep his character and use him frequently as well as keep making new versions of him. However, he says he knows that people change and grow out of characters so he might one day choose not to continue, “who knows!”
Moving from the topic of general public suiting to that of meets and conventions, Lucius is well-traveled. He’s gone to some SoCal meets like Oasis, MAW, Sunset Beach Bonfire, and the Golden Bear Furmeet. He also attended Further Confusion 2023 and planned on attending FurBQ in August 2023, Sunset Beach Bonfire, and FC 2024.
Lucius says he decided to make his suit because he’s wanted a fursona and fursuit since around 2014/15, so that’s what he did and created a fursona. Never having had enough money to buy a fursuit, he began making them, eventually making a suit of his fursona after a few years of planning and prioritizing other life aspects. When asked about his choice of a goat, he says he always thought that they were neat, particularly the ear shape that they, and other hooved animals, have. Also, he says he always thought horns were neat. Mentioning that he is an ex-Catholic, he recounts that it was around the time he was coming out as LGBT that he realized the Church would not love him as he was. It was then that he began to use the symbolism of the goat more and more often since it too had been rejected by the Church; used in parables to symbolize something that they didn’t like. He says he felt bad for the goat and wanted to be there for it like he wished they were there for him. He began making goat-themed art and even made a goat-themed ceramic mug with a crying goat face: “ … the edgy teenage years hit me, but at least I made some interesting stuff!”
Stepping back a bit, we talked about what led him to become a furry in the first place. He always loved playing dress up, including as animals, and making up stories. He also had dogs and cats all his life and he also attended humane society and farm summer camps as a kid. When playing ‘house’ with others, he would choose to be the family dog. He’d also play wolf pack and Warrior Cats (a common thread for many of us) with his friends. They would act things out until they could draw and write, and then they would write in journals and pass them from person to person as their characters interacted with each other. Then came computers and they switched from writing to typing the stories out to each other online.
He finally ran across furry content in 2013, but its bad reputation preceded itself and it took until 2018 before he really considered himself a furry. It was through Telephone the Dutch Angel Dragon’s videos on YouTube and fursuit digitigrade leg-making videos that finally brought him into the fandom. Seeing photos on DeviantArt of the same type of stuff was also a big contributor between 2012 and 2015. After that came Instagram and meeting other furries online. He initially knew two furries from school, but says most furries he’s met were online or at meets. In 2015, he says he was completely obsessed with fursuits but still “in denial.” He would watch Anthrocon dance competitions – hoping to enter one someday – obsessively and it was those YouTube videos that led him to fall in love with the idea of fursuiting.
Presently in college as of late 2023, Lucius is working towards a music education BA and, as such, has only been doing one commission a year. He says he’s not currently open for commissions, but hopefully soon!
Next, we discussed how he cleans and maintains his suits. Best to let him tell it in his own words: “I brush before and after suiting with a human hairbrush or comb. After suiting, I spray down the entire inside with a 1:1 water and rubbing alcohol solution. The suit’s eyes are removable to keep the rubbing alcohol off the painted mesh. Once every few months, I give the suit a deep clean! Handpaws are hand washed with a gentle detergent, and then I rub in some human hair conditioner; this keeps the faux fur soft, look it up! Once that is done, I throw the handpaws in a pillowcase and then in the washing machine for a rinse cycle to fully rinse out all of the soap and conditioner. Then, I take it out, brush it again with a human hairbrush or comb, and hang them or lay them on a towel to dry. For the feet paws and head, I clean them with gentle detergent mixed with water in a Bissell Little Green Machine.” Lucius treats the tail the same as the handpaws. He adds, “a 1:1 ratio of water and rubbing alcohol is not always necessary. I get 70% rubbing alcohol so that’s what I do. But if you get a stronger solution, you don’t need as much rubbing alcohol. The rubbing alcohol kills bacteria to prevent the suit from getting stinky. This is just a homemade, 2 ingredient, fursuit spray with no scents or oils.”
Regarding the role fursuits play in the larger furry community, he simply says “they’re just fun! Same reason dressing up on Halloween is so popular, even among adults!” On a similar note, I asked how he felt that being in-suit affected his personal sense of self and interactions with others. He said he’s definitely less ashamed of dancing or being silly. Still, he says that honestly, he is just as silly and prone to dancing around people he’s comfortable with, and not as much in public. Regarding personal identity, he says that he feels like everything we do in our lifetimes makes up a part of one’s identity, so dressing up in a costume is just as much a part of who he is as is everything else he does.
Lastly, I asked about the personal challenges he’s faced as a furry, and his first comment was “learning and using the internet safely.” He finds, as a furry, that it’s so very important for him not to dwell on, or even respond to negative comments because on the internet the things you choose to interact with are the things that become your internet experience and presence. Also, as many know, showing too many parts of your face, voice, house, or places you frequent can compromise your safety online. Concerns about identity theft and doxxing are valid and can be dangerous. He specifically suggests making sure everything he posts is absent from any private, personal information. Basic internet safety stuff, he says, but it can take a surprising amount of effort to be diligent about it. Blocking and deleting negative comments has reduced the amount of negative comments he receives from many to hardly ever at all, now.
“All of my friends irl know I’m a furry and don’t have a problem with it.” He says he doesn’t want to be friends with people who don’t like furries, so he’d rather they know than hide it from them. Further, he says he’s been called names when public suiting, but nothing worse than he already gets for being LGBT: “I just walk away, ASAP, and have been safe doing that.” Good advice, to be sure.
If you’d like to get to know more about Lucius, follow him or hope to wait for a commission slot to open, you can find him on most social platforms as ‘luciusgoat’, and ‘lucius_goat’ on Discord.
And with that, we come to the end of this week’s installment of Fursuit Focus. I hope you enjoyed getting to know Lucius, in-suit and out, as much as I did with interviewing him. Be sure to come back next week when I interview another maker with a particularly unique suit.
Remember, if you think you’ve got a suit deserving of more attention, or know someone who does, you can get our attention on most major platforms by using the tags #FurryWeekly and #FursuitFocus. Who knows, you could be the next fur featured in this segment! I hope everyone has a great day and better week when the next Fursuit Focus rolls around. Remember, stay safe, stay well, stay furry!
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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 nine raffles for you this week! Let’s take a look at them.
Celebrate with a 100 follower raffle by Arais!
How to Enter:
-Follow, share the post to your story, and tag Arais in the story. New followers are welcome!
-Comment your favorite holiday or season, and tag two friends.
Prize:
-Shaded full body with a background
Deadline:
-This raffle ends when Arais reaches 100 followers or by September 30th at the latest. As of September 7th, Arais has 72 followers. There’s still a bit of time to enter!
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Next up, we have a your character here (YCH) reference raffle by user Haze!
How to Enter:
-Follow, like, and share the post to your story. New followers are welcome!
-Tag a friend in the comments.
Prize:
-YCH reference
Deadline:
-This raffle will end when Haze reaches 300 followers. As of September 7th, Haze has 184 followers. There’s still lots of time left to enter!
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Cute-ify yourself with a Littlest Pet Shop (LPS) giveaway by Niko!
How to Enter:
-Follow, like, and share the post to your story. Be sure to tag Niko in the story as well.
-Tag three friends, and comment on what your favorite LPS mold is.
Prizes:
-1st place: rendered LPS art piece with a simple background
-2nd place: rendered LPS bust
Deadline:
-This raffle will end when Niko reaches 500 followers. As of September 7th, Niko has 285 followers. There’s still a lot of time left to enter!
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Up next, we have an art raffle by Mel!
How to Enter:
-Follow, like, and share the first slide of the post on your story. New followers are welcome!
-Comment your favorite dragon media (books, movies, tv shows, or anything that involves a dragon).
Prize:
-Three winners will get to choose their choice of either a headshot, half body, or full body as their prize.
Deadline:
-This raffle ends on September 30th. There’s still a lot of time left to enter!
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Celebrate with a 500 followers raffle by Evi!
How to Enter:
-Follow, like, and post the first slide on your story. New followers are welcome!
-Comment on the raffle post.
-Extra entry: Tag up to three friends (+1 extra entry each).
Prize:
-Shaded bust (two winners)
Deadline:
-This raffle ends on September 30th. There’s still a lot of time left to enter!
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Celebrate with a first time art raffle by Alvis!
How to Enter:
-Follow, like, and retweet.
-Comment your character’s reference.
Prize:
-Full body character illustration
Deadline:
-This raffle ends on September 15th. There’s about a week left to enter!
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Next up, we have a full body raffle by StarSuitStudio!
How to Enter:
-Follow and retweet.
-Comment your character’s reference.
Prize:
-Shaded full body
Deadline:
-This raffle ends on Tuesday, September 12th. There’s a little bit of time left to enter!
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Celebrate with a road to 60k raffle by Ryker!
How to Enter:
-Follow, like and retweet.
-Optional: Comment your character’s reference.
Prize:
-Full body
Deadline:
-This raffle will end when Ryker reaches 60k followers. As of September 7th, Ryker has 57.2k followers. There’s plenty of time left to enter!
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Last but certainly not least, we have an art raffle by Melunix!
How to Enter:
-Become a watcher, and favorite the raffle post. New watchers are welcome!
-Comment on the raffle post.
-Extra entry: Share this raffle or Melunix’s emergency commissions post as a journal. Be sure to include the journal’s link in your comment!
Prizes:
-1st place: couple art
-2nd place: single character art
Deadline:
-This raffle ends on October 7th. There’s plenty 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 two artists this week! Let’s dive in.
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We start with Gatsby, a freelance artist who specializes in human and anthro-based characters. Their detailed art style is amazing to look at and is well worth the price! Gatsby offers meme-based art (sketchy and cartoony styles), black and white sketches, basic rendered art, painterly art, illustrations, dakimakura, loose painting art, and character sheets as commission options to pick from.
You can find Gatsby’s prices and links to their other social media on their pinned tweet, as well as more art examples and their terms of service on their Google Slides presentation. Feel free to message them if you are interested in a commission and/or if you have any questions.
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Last but certainly not least, we have Eevee Universe, an artist who specializes in cute Pokémon-based art, especially of fake Eevee evolutions called, “Eeveelutions.” Eevee Universe captures the Pokémon art style very well with their Eeveelution commission options on Ko-fi! I’d definitely recommend them.
Feel free to browse their Pokémon art shop on Ko-fi as well. They would make a nice addition to your Pokémon collection! Feel free to message them if you have any questions and/or if you 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 in 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. September is here once again, and whether you’re marking the twenty-first night on your calendar or would rather just be woken up when it ends, the global furry community sure isn’t sleeping. Read on to learn about all the furry conventions and events happening online, around the world, and in your neck of the woods!
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Big Sky Camp Paw takes place at the Hellgate Campground near Helena, Montana from Thursday August 31 - Tuesday September 5. This furry camping con started way back in 2012 and grew over the years to the 6-day event it is today. Basic attendance does not include the cost of camping, of which there are a limited number of available spots at the campsite. BSCP attendees should expect to bring their own food, cooking equipment, sleeping unit, and weather-appropriate gear and attire. Be aware that the location is remote, and cell service may be spotty or unavailable. The schedule is still being finalized, so if you’re looking to go, don’t forget to check BSCP’s online platforms closer to con time. All attendees must be at least 18 years of age.
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Hold onto your tails, skunks! Mephit Fur Meet returns to the Whispering Woods Hotel and Conference Center in Olive Branch, Mississippi, USA from Friday September 1 - Sunday September 3. This year’s theme is Tropical Paradise. As in years past, MFM will host a charity auction to benefit Tiger Haven, a non-profit organization that helps big cats in need. Other events include water balloon fights, drawing games, live musical performances, a masquerade, and more.
Website | Twitter | Telegram | Facebook
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On the same weekend, just a few states away, Tails and Tornadoes Fur Con is happening in Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. The con will return to its old haunt, the Southern Hills Marriott Hotel. The 2023 theme is Wild Wild West, so make sure to polish your spurs and saddle up! The Animal Rescue Foundation, which provides adoption services, spay and neuter clinics, and shelter and care for animals in need with a primary focus on dogs and cats, returns as the featured charity this year. TTFC has invited two guests of honor: Xero as their fursuit GOH, and Michele Light as their artist GOH. Both are certain to have presence in the Dealer’s Den and panels over the course of the weekend. Keep an eye on their website and socials for more info on the schedule! Masks are required to be worn in the Dealer’s Den.
Website | Twitter | Discord | Telegram | Facebook
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Furthest North will be held Thursday September 1 - Monday September 5 at the Snow Creek Group Campground in Alberta, Canada. This anthropomorphic camping event has been going for over 20 years in the Rocky Mountains! At Furthest North, one can expect to partake in nature walks, Predator & Prey, sporting events, an MRE sampling, and Good/Bad Beer Nights. Tent and trailer spots are available to reserve for all five days. Campers must be over 18 unless accompanied by an adult parent or guardian.
Website | Twitter | Telegram | Facebook
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The largest furry convention in Europe is none other than Eurofurence. Having outgrown its longtime previous venue at the Estrel, EF 2023 will be trying out a new venue, the Congress Center in Hamburg, Germany, from Sunday September 3 to Thursday September 7. If your experience feels extra supernaturally spectacular, that may be due to the con theme, Black Magic! This year’s charity is the worthy UAnimals, which has previously championed animal rights and banning of circuses and now focuses its efforts on rescuing animals from combat zones and temporarily-occupied territories during the war on Ukraine. There will be an art auction, videogame tournament, concert, lottery, and even more attractions over the weekend where guests can donate to the charity. They will be joined by fantasy artist and art director Pechschwinge as the Guest of Honor. Of note are Eurofurence’s fun perks for fursuiters, including a personalized badge with your fursuit photo! These are limited, so make sure you submit your info ahead of time at their website. Don’t forget to grab your commemorative Eurofurence newspaper from the lobby! Attendees must be 18 years or older to attend, as is the case for all EU furry conventions.
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Discord
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Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA will welcome the furries to a boogie wonderland between Friday September 8 - Sunday September 10 for Furry Migration! Any and all bell-bottoms and shiny sequins you may spot on your trip are surely from the theme, Disco Fantasy. Furry Migration is home to the Iron Pen and Iron Artist competitions, which challenge competitors to race against the clock and create an original piece of flash fiction or visual art! They’re also planning general and 18+ only nighttime dances, a fursuit dance competition and Floor Wars, tabletop and video gaming, and panels galore. The con will also feature open door room parties submitted ahead of time by fun-loving furries. While exploring everything Furry Migration has to offer, keep an eye out for their Guests of Honor - costume artist Pocket Wolf and furry lifestyler Gale Frostbane. Their charity for 2023 is Wildlife Rehabilitation and Release, which in addition to their namesake work, provides education to new and experienced rehabilitators through online and in-person classes.
Website | Twitter | Discord | Telegram | Facebook
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Furvana is splashing down from Friday September 8 - Sunday September 10 at the Ocean Shores Convention Center in Ocean Shores, Washington, USA. This year marks the third iteration of this furry con which, in its own words, welcomes “furries, artists, writers, performers, musicians, and anyone with a creative spirit.” Furvana’s halls will be graced by many guests of honor: artist Soren, performer Ash Coyote, artist Meep, and writer Kirisis "KC" Alpinus. The con proudly partners with Left Behind K-9 Rescue, a non-profit dedicated to saving the lives of homeless pets, which will be supported by a charity auction during the con. Other planned programming includes a plush sewing workshop, dance contest, midnight howl, trading post, and even sand castle building out on the gorgeous beach!
Website | Twitter | Discord | Telegram | Facebook
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West Aussie Fur Frenzy Friday is being held Friday September 8 - Sunday September 10 at the Esplanade Hotel, Fremantle, Australia. After being rescheduled thrice due to world events, it’s finally time to step right up and be amazed with their 2023 theme, Under the Big Top! Planned events and programming include a dealer’s den, fursuit walk, pub quiz, and panels. New this year is an entire schedule for the Games Zone, which can be viewed on their website. An auction will be held and funds raised for the charity Aussie Raptor Rehabilitation. WAFF’s Guest of Honor is Eight Bit Works, a digital artist and fursuit maker based in Victoria. Attendees must be 18 years old to register for WAFF, and masks are to be worn in the Dealer’s Den.
Website | Twitter | Telegram | Facebook
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Whether you know it as Episches Abfeiern Streunender Tiere or its more common abbreviation of EAST, you’re sure to have a great time at the Ringberg Hotel in Suhl, Germany. EAST has been running since 2011, and this year’s event is from Wednesday September 13 to Sunday September 17, with a cyberpunk theme. Guest of Honor Lemurr will be hosting a variety of interest panels throughout the duration of the con. From karaoke to NERF weapon battles to fursuit events, you’re sure to find exciting opportunities on the schedule, which can be downloaded from the con’s website. Keep in mind that if you want to attend EAST, you must be at least 18 years of age.
Website | Twitter | Telegram | | Facebook | Instagram
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FursonaCon takes place Thursday September 14 - Sunday September 17 at the Holiday Inn Virginia Beach Norfolk Hotel and Conference Center in Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA. Get ready for a roaring good time with their Dino Safari theme! The schedule is packed with fun for all, including dance competitions for fursuiters and non-suiters alike, a kink mingle, quiz show, Disney singalong, and even a lipsync tournament! A charity auction of art and donated prizes will be held to benefit Second Chance Wildlife, an organization that rescues, rehabilitates, and releases wildlife native to FursonaCon’s state of Virginia. HeckGeck and BusinessWolf are the Guests of Honor this year, and Action Arcade and Raptor Whisperer Tommy Whitehawk (plus friend) are also being recognized as special guests.
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This year, Megaplex is trying out a new calendar slot, Friday September 15 - Sunday September 17. The con returns to its old stomping grounds at the Caribe Royale in Orlando, Florida, USA. Traditional Megaplex programming includes Mascot Games, improv games, karaoke, live music, dances, stand-up comedy, and various panels. Megaplex's charity of choice this year is The Street Dog Coalition, an organization providing free medical care and services to pets of people experiencing or at risk for homelessness. Ash Coyote is also a guest of honor at Megaplex, and will be in great company alongside fursuit dancer Bemani and European fox artist WHSPRS. Don't miss out!
Website | Twitter | Facebook | Telegram
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CozyCon is a fully online convention taking place Friday September 15 to Sunday September 17. Go ahead and get your game on with the Arcade theme as you experience all the conveniences of a virtual convention! CozyCon will feature online panels, meetups, workshops, games, DJs, and a talent show, not to mention an online dealer’s den packed with dozens of artists, creators, and vendors from furry and other fandom communities. The magic happens on the CozyCon Discord hub, with events and panels streaming on Twitch. For those who want to get fully interactive, CozyCon will offer a hangout space and art gallery in Minecraft, as well as virtual HQ and Dealer’s Den worlds in VRChat! You can’t get much closer to the real-life con experience.
Website | Twitter | Discord | Twitch | Telegram | Mastodon | Facebook | Instagram
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Rügen Furcon will take place from Thursday September 21 - Sunday September 24 at the Kurhaus Binz in Binz, Germany. A fursuit walk, group photo, light show, dead dog dinner, and even more are on the program this year. Dealers and artists, listed on the con website, will be peddling their wares. A list of registrants is available on their website, so you can check out who else will be there! Visit their page to find out more.
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Making its convention debut is Furnavia, scheduled for Thursday September 21 - Sunday September 24 at the Radisson Blu Caledonien hotel in Kristiansand, Norway. This event aims to be the very first furry hotel con in Norway! In a unique move, vending is handled not as a dealer’s den, but a dealer’s day, with sales taking place solely on the Friday of the con in lieu of scheduled events. Attendees who wish to buy art, merchandise, goods, and costume parts from vendors should be sure not to miss their chance. Sketchbook swaps, dances, interest groups, and swap meets are on the Furnavia schedule during the rest of the convention. A charity auction will be held as well, though at press time, the identity of the charity had not been publicized. Registration is capped at 150 attendees, but if you didn’t manage to get a ticket this year, there will surely be another chance in 2024!
Website | Twitter | Telegram | Facebook | Instagram
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Hot on the heels of a successful first year in 2022, Alfurnative will host this year’s event from Friday September 22- Sunday September 25. The Het Arsenaal hotel in Delft, South-Holland, Netherlands will once again play host to the furry fun. A dealer’s den, gaming tournaments, DJs, fursuit events, panels, and a motor furs meetup are planned. Main tickets include a spot in a hotel room, breakfast, buffet dinner and entry to the con; day passes are available too. Attendees must be 18 years old to register for Alfurnative.
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The North of England will be getting a little more wild than usual from Friday September 22 - Sunday September 25, for Wild North! As an all-inclusive con, events, food, and accommodations at the Featherstone Castle in Northumberland are included with registration. This year, their theme is the Twizell Maze, celebrating the con’s red squirrel mascot and the great live-action game shows of yesteryear. Don’t miss the Kubb Tournament, an old Viking lawn game where players battle to knock down their opponent's towers before finishing the king! This is, of course, in addition to other fan favorites including falconry sessions,outdoor excursions, panels, fursuit programming, and music jams. The charity, schedule, and guests of honor are yet to be announced, so check Wild North’s official pages closer to con time. Attendees must be over the age of 18.
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PhiliFur will next convene Saturday, September 23 at Elements at Eton Centris, Quezon City, Philippines. A medieval flair of Tails and Fables will grace the con’s second iteration. A marketplace, fursuit parade, talks, and parties have been announced, with more to come. Sseltzer and Rodgey-Kun are the guests of honor in 2023. King level registrants will be treated to a handmade plush of PhiliFur’s mascot, Kimat, as part of their contribution! What’s better than a little cuddle buddy to enjoy your con with?
Website | Twitter | Discord | Telegram | Mastodon | Facebook
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Furdance Budapest 2023 will be held Friday September 29 - Sunday October 1. This event wants to ensure you know it’s not just a furdance! Furdance Budapest has prepared an art show, quiz games, tournaments, and dance competition, along with other exciting programming. Fursuiters can choose to take part in a public suit walk, UV mini golf, and laser tag sessions, and there’s even a pancake eating contest! Some events require registration beforehand, as participation is limited, so be sure to sign up on Furdance Budapest’s website if you’re interested.
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The furries are taking over Fontana Dam, North Carolina, USA from Friday September 29 - Sunday October 1! Furry Takeover is a camping style convention first established in 2018, for those who wish to enjoy the amenities and beauty of a natural setting while fursuiting and hanging out with others in the community. Though you’re generally able to spot critters of all kinds at a furry convention, 2023’s theme is Safari Takeover, perfect for capturing rare and unique beasts - on film, of course. Prospective attendees should be aware that while wi-fi is available at the lodge and some areas around the resort, there’s little to no cell service in the mountains. However, you’ll barely miss it due to FTO’s jam-packed programming, including panels, karaoke, dance competitions, DJs, gaming, Nerf wars, a dealer’s den and artist alley - and what outdoors furcon wouldn’t be complete without nightly bonfires for roasting marshmallows and hot dogs? All attendees must be at least 13 years old, and minors under 17 require parental supervision.
Website | Twitter | Telegram | Facebook | Instagram
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This month’s calendar graphic is a self-portrait of Sunni, showing off her cowgirl flair for Tails and Tornadoes! Yeshua went to Mephit Furmeet, cover artist Shiina was at Furry Migration, and yours truly will be at CozyCon! Be sure to stop and say hi if you see any Furry Weekly staff at a con near you, we love connecting with our readers! 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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