ISSUE 287
Hey everyone! Welcome back to another edition of Furry Weekly! We’re glad to have you!
We’ve got our usual announcements to get through and we do want to continue calling your attention to the “Recruiting” section below. We’re looking for folks to join our team to help make the magazine as best as it can be, so please check out the positions we’re looking to fill and contact us if something interests you!
ANNOUNCEMENTS
RECRUITING
Here are the roles we currently have open at Furry Weekly:
- Art Corner Host
- Furry of the Week Host
- Art 101 Host
- Species Spotlight Host
- Radical Raffles Host
- Available Artists Host
- Front End Website Developer
- Editor
- Content Migrator
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!
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That’s all our usual announcements done! 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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FURRY OF THE WEEK
Hello, everyone! This is Danielle once again coming back to shine some more positivity onto you from the furry community. We have another special feature for you this week.
Before we put the spotlight on this week’s feature, I wish to remind all of you that we’re still looking to recruit more hosts for this segment. If you like spreading positivity, then this might be for you! Feel free to message our boss, Yeshua, if you’re interested in hosting Furry of the Week.
This week, we’re here to talk about the rise of artificial intelligent (AI) art scams, and Oomanagarcha goes over just that.
With the rise of AI art, it may be no surprise that scams are developing out of it, unfortunately. Though fear not. If you were looking to purchase art, Oomanagarcha has got you covered. They go over a few signs on how to spot AI art scams such as through the hands, eyes, and texture. Some other ways you can spot AI art is by price, looking back on the artists’ prior artwork, and body markings.
If you have suspicions about a particular piece of artwork, please do not harass them if you think their art is AI until you have proof such as from speedpaints and layers. For more information, feel free to check out Oomanagarcha’s post here.
Thank you for sharing your informative post with all of us, Oomanagarcha! Hopefully this has helped others to identify AI art scams before falling for them.
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That is all for this edition of Furry of the Week.
We’re always on the lookout for candidates to feature for their amazing contributions to the community. If you have any questions about this segment or would like to send us a recommendation for a future candidate, feel free to reach out to me on any of my platforms. Tune in next time for another mystery Furry of the Week! In the meantime, please enjoy the rest of this week’s Furry Weekly issue, and I’ll see you guys again. Bye for now!
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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, donate towards wildlife rehabilitation programs, or send funds to scientists so that they can research underappreciated animal species. Join us on this fun adventure, and I hope that you, too, will fall in love with these amazing animals!
We’re finishing our series on weasels today!
Weasels are relatively small, nimble mammals that are members of the Mustelidae family, which also includes long-bodied animals such as wolverines, ferrets, badgers and certain skunk species. There are three weasel species that call North America home, the most prevalent being the long-tailed weasel. Weasels live in a variety of habitats, such as open fields, woodlands, thickets, roadsides, and farmlands. They typically thrive in environments abundant with small prey (like small rodents) and with an available source of water. Most weasels live in either abandoned burrows, or nests under trees or rock piles.
The English word "weasel" was originally applied to just one species of the genus, the European variety of the Mustela nivalis However, in technical discourse and in American usage, the term "weasel" can refer to any member of the genus, or to the genus as a whole. Of the 16 extant species currently classified in the genus Mustela, 10 have "weasel" in their common names. Among those that do not are the three species of ermine, the polecats, the ferret, and the European mink. Additionally, a group of weasels may be referred to as a “boogle”, “confusion”, “gang” or “pack”.
This Week’s Species: Haida ermine (Mustela haidarum)
Characteristics
The Haida ermine has a mouse-like head, big eyes, and a fuzzy brown summer coat that turns white in the winter. In the Haida language, this species is known as “daayáats’” in its brown summer coat and “tlag” in its winter coat.
Fun Facts
The mammal was first thought to be unique in 2013, but after examining its DNA and skull, scientists discovered that the animal is so vastly different from ermines found in other parts of the world, it is now considered to be its own species. The Haida ermine not only looks different with its elongated skull, but the mammal's DNA is also a combination of ermines found in both North America and throughout Eurasia; the result of a hybridization or interbreeding event between those two groups that occurred about 375,000 years ago.
Habitat
The species is found on a few islands off the coast of British Columbia and southeast Alaska. In Canada, it is found on the Haida Gwaii archipelago in Graham and Moresby islands, while in Alaska it is found on Prince of Wales Island and possibly Suemez Island. It is found in a temperate, rainforest habitat.
Diet
Haida ermines are fierce hunters. Shrews, mice, rats, squirrels, and even rabbits are part of their diet. Like all other species of ermines or stoats, they do not dig their own burrows but nest in the chambers of the rodents they’ve removed. Rodent cycling is an essential component of the tundra ecosystem and specialized predators like these are helpful for keeping populations maintained.
Life Cycle
Haida ermines mate between April and July, and females undergo embryonic diapause, meaning that the embryo does not immediately become fertilized, but rather lies dormant for a period of nine to ten months. This allows for the offspring to be born the following spring.
Conservation
The habitat for the Haida ermine has been intensively reduced over the past few centuries due to old-growth timber harvest in the Tongass National Forest, an important protected area for the species, as well as industrial-scale mining on the islands, which disproportionately affects insular endemics such as M. haidarum. Expanding human populations and increasing tourism may increase the risk of pathogen spillover to M. haidarum, including pathogens common to pets such as canine distemper and parvoviruses, which have negatively impacted other wild mustelids. Due to the rudimentary understanding of the true level of endemism in these northern archipelagos, these threats must be better quantified to protect species from them. The Pacific martens (M. caurina) inhabiting Haida Gwaii also represent a distinct lineage from other populations, indicating that the habitat of the islands may have allowed other distinct species or subspecies to evolve.
Here are some links to articles about the conservation of the Haida ermine:
Canada’s Endemic Mammals at Risk: Recent Taxonomic Advances and Priorities for Conservation
Phylogeography of endemic ermine (Mustela erminea) in southeast Alaska
Adopt
All funds from this adopt will go to animal conservation. The goal for our weasels series is to save up to symbolically adopt two ferrets through a donation to WWF and to Toodles who is part of Wildlife Adventure Time outreach and zoo of permanently injured and displaced animals. Together these total to $45 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 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. If you enjoy the design you can also purchase it on a multitude of products like shirts and stickers: links to these options can be found at Shirogane Studios.
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 iNaturalist, OneEarth, and CBC News.
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ART 101
Hae, it's Vae! Welcome back with me to Furry Weekly – I'm beyond thrilled to be here again! For those who might not know me, I was part of this awesome segment back in 2020-21 but had to take a hiatus for my other responsibilities. Now, I'm back in action! In the past 20 years, I've dabbled in experimental digital art within the furry fandom, and beyond that, I'm now an active community council chairman. Lately, my focus has been on a project called "Transforming Trauma," where we use creative outlets to help folks find inner peace. It's been incredible to witness the community healing and embracing both art and community service!
Today, as I ease back into this space, I want to lay out what the future holds here. We'll be diving deep into the captivating depths of art history, starting with the most ancient times, as we unravel distant movements and periods that have shaped the creative world. How much further could we expect to creatively advance forward by picking up from where masters before us left off?
Fursonas have always fascinated me as characters embodying unique canvases for storytelling, emotion, and mastering vast ranges of anatomy. Artwork featuring characters is, to me, the most compelling form of visual expression. So, as we venture into art history, we're doing it with anthropomorphic characters (or at least the closest we can find) at the forefront.
But before we embark on our historical journey, let's start with a simple trick I want everyone to be familiar with. This week, let's explore how to turn traditional illustrations into eye-catching, web-ready content. I stumbled upon an old drawing in my sketchpad, drew a quirky cat with a mix of tools, and now, I'll guide you through the process.
FROM SKETCHBOOK TO WEB: A BASICS TUTORIAL
I found an old drawing and drew over it with a sharpie, pen, and other tools – a silly cat, just for fun! Give it a try and hold up your completed traditional art; it's a masterpiece! For a clear shot, position that vertically in direct light. I held my sketchbook in one hand and my phone in the other under a light source from above to eliminate shadows. Now, let's dive into the process!
Art Word of the Day: Threshold
Threshold, in photography, separates dark pixels into solid black, and lighter pixels into flat white! In Photoshop, use Image>Adjustments>Threshold. If you're on your phone, crank up contrast and brightness to the max and saturation to the lowest. Increase exposure to filter out darker shadows. Then just pop that into your coloring app!
The magic wand tool in most photo editing apps will help separate black from white. Create a fill layer, but watch out for bleeding edges (bleed is what happens when pixels are outside of your desired boundaries). Here's a quick fix:
- Extract the threshold from your photo.
- Magic wand (select) the white outside your character.
- Invert your selection.
- Make a new layer, set to multiply, and fill with a basic color. Name it “fill layer” and lock it.
- Add a stroke fx to create an outline. Set color to white and position it outside or from the center of the edge by 1-3 pixels. Usually 2 px works best!
- Magically select the white outside again, and erase the white outline, leaving the cleaned-up fill layer!
Voila! Now, you may color and detail your art while retaining the traditional line art. These steps should be accommodated by any good drawing app. I’ll always recommend Ibis X or Adobe products if you have the budget for them.
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Next time, I'll randomly select a reader or community member to feature in the next Art 101 study! To have your fursona considered, share your ref on X or Insta with the #FurryWeekly tag – post your unique character ref sheet once for an equal chance!
I'm eager to see your sketchbook to digital artwork, so comment or share on your profiles with the #FurryWeekly tag! I'm here for it, and I can't wait to support your journey. That's a wrap for now; do good, and I'll catch you soon!
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WRITING 101
Several weeks had passed—some unseasonably warm, some bitingly cold, and some riddled with slushy snow—since Writing 101 was last written. Five consecutive years of covering valuable writing knowledge led to a long and well-deserved holiday break. The familiar hawk enjoyed his time off to the fullest… though a certain large and pricey amusement device sat squarely at the front of his mind for the break’s entire duration.
Tad stands in the middle of his apartment, arms folded and talons clacking as he drums them on the hardwood floor. His eyes focus on a recess in the corner of the apartment—a byproduct of the bathroom constructed adjacent to it and a perfect void to fit a pinball machine.
“What do you think?” he asks as he turns to his trusty friend.
The Camera chirrups in mild surprise, clearly taken aback at being asked for its opinion. It glances around at the rest of the apartment, sizing up the remaining available space, then offers a whistle of approval.
“I still have some time to think about it in case I change my mind,” says Tad. “But honestly, I can’t think of a much better place. It’s the perfect space and there's a power outlet in easy reach. Only problem is that the floor is… well… a little lumpy.”
Indeed, the floor doesn’t sit completely level… perhaps a result of an improper floor installation over the old basement’s finish grade.
“But the legs will at least be adjustable. So no harm there.”
He sighs, a smile on his beak, and shakes his head. For a moment, he pauses, wondering if such a big purchase was the right move. Tad would likely have this living arrangement for the foreseeable future. Plus, the chance of him losing the entire purchase price on the machine was second to none—they typically hold high values close to the original sale price....
Tad shakes his head.
“Anyway…” he mutters to himself. He glances at the couch, where his laptop lays closed on the cushions. “I have some writing to get back into.”
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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!
Rapid Recaps - Formatting
The Rapid Recaps series is a focused and direct discussion that aims to cover simple yet important writing topics. They may be shorter than normal Writing 101 discussions, but the information covered is still critical to building good writing practices.
You could spend hours upon hours going through your work. Countless passes with a fine-tooth comb… gathering and implementing feedback from knowledgeable and trusted friends… all of it will mean little if, when you post the writing to your platform of choice, it looks ugly as sin.
Granted, not every platform is going to have basic yet useful tools such as Markdown. Sometimes you’ll just have to work with what you have. But for other sites that support text formatting functions like fonts, alignments, point size, and the like, then there’s great incentive to beautify your own work. A wonderful story deserves a wonderful presentation.
Beauty is certainly in the eye of the beholder. Still, many common sense practices go a long way. Think about how most novels you read are formatted. Left-aligned passages, serif fonts, reasonable font sizes and line spacing, and even choosing how a sentence bridges two pages all play significant roles in a pleasant reading experience.
It’s tough to convince somebody to read your hard work when the first thing they see is an enormous block of text. Such is also true if every single line is center-justified, if large portions of text are bold or italicized, or if everything is a weird font. Comic Sans is not the only culprit here—script fonts or header fonts contribute to the issue.
One of my favorite quotes definitely plays into today’s lesson, and I encourage you to apply it to your own work:
“Keep it simple, stupid!”
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Want me 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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Tad takes a seat on the couch and powers on his laptop. The Camera breaks away for the time being and settles on the end table not too far away from the hawk. In seconds, it becomes motionless, and a blinking green light indicates it has entered standby mode.
“Okay…” sighs Tad. He opens up his collection of Writing 101 documents and glances through them, searching for a spark of inspiration. “What to write....”
Up comes a new document, all formatted and ready for his input. He just needs to start typing. His fingers rest on the home keys, poised to begin—
BZZZT! BZZZT! BZZZT!
His phone buzzes a steady rhythm. Tad glances at it and sees a Caller ID he never thought he’d see again.
...Lawrence?
He had gracefully ceded his old job a long time ago… he even received his superior’s blessing and well-wishes to pursue his writing endeavors.... So why is he calling?
Tad briefly hesitates. He did promise the Bureau that they could always reach out if needed. His mind races as he picks up the phone.
“...Hello… this is Tad Schai speaking.”
“Hey, Tad. It’s Lawrence Smart calling. How are you doing?”
Tad pauses. This can’t be the reason his old boss is on the line. But he plays along, making small talk and catching him up on his adventures for the past couple of years.
“...Forgive me for asking, Lawrence… but is everything okay?”
“Well,” issues his sharp but buttery-smooth voice, “that’s kind of why I rang you up.”
There’s a heavy silence.
“We’ve turned over a significant number of field agents in recent months, so we’re desperately shorthanded. Duty calls… as does a significant pay increase for exceptional prior service and to cover cost of living. You would be reassigned with myself, and I need my best agents. You know I don’t take no for an answer.”
Tad stares at The Camera. Of all the things he could have anticipated for his future, a return to his former self—with his former handler, no less—never made a blip on his radar.
“Just one question.... Where did you get reassigned?”
Tad knew at once that Lawrence smiled on the other end.
“New York City.”
“...WHAT?!!?”
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FURSUIT FOCUS
Hi you all! Yeshua here! We've got a small tease for Fursuit Focus on the upcoming Issue 289! We're saving the full segment for that issue, but here's a look at who we're featuring:
Tune in for Issue 289 as we get to know Finn and Tikaani!
You won't want to miss hearing about this duo! Until then, I'm Yeshua, and I hope to see you all soon! Take care!
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FURSUIT DESIGNING TIPS
Hi everyone, olivier the space goat here with the segment on fursuit making and fursuiting in general.
For this week, I decided to let the making of stuff slide for a bit again and talk about base layers, meaning that i'll be explaining what to wear below your fursuit!
Base Layers
For hygiene and safety reasons, people often wear special clothing below their fursuits. In sports, this is often referred to as a baselayer.
I personally have an under armour shirt I wear below my suits. I asked around and most people recommended the brand, though for my legs I have normal work out leggings. I think all ‘’athletic wear’’ should be a good option for your fursuit base layer.
However, please be careful when selecting your under armour baselayer. You have two types: ones for warm weather (heat gear), and the one for cold weather (cold gear). I often hear that people choose cold gear as they think it will keep you cold.
THIS IS NOT THE CASE!
Heat gear is for warm situations, so get heat gear for your fursuit. The reason people wear these types of clothing is to stay cooler in suit. It is moisture wicking, so it keeps you dry and comfy, but know your suit will become a lil’ damp during long fursuiting sessions.
Some people opt for an altered morph suit below their fursuit, as lycra also helps with keeping you cool and reduces friction from scratchy fur. There are also balaclavas, which are the ninja-looking masks you might have seen people wear below their heads. Wearing a balaclava is a good idea since a fursuit head can be incredibly hard to clean; it will soak up your sweat and is easier to wash and keep clean between wearing your suit. I personally have multiple balaclavas; I find it more comfortable to change into a clean one after I have a break, and put the dirty one in a ziplock bag to wash at home.
If you want to get into fursuiting, I highly encourage you to research into base layers as for me it definitely prolonged my suiting fun! These days there are even companies that custom print your baselayer to look like your sona!
These base layers are easily washable as they just function as all other clothing with a tag in there telling you how to clean it. If you follow those directions, you should be golden.
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I hope today’s tutorial of sorts was useful for you all.
Next time I will be talking about making tails, so be sure to come back for that! Till then! If you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out to me through Instagram or join my Discord server!
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RADICAL RAFFLES
Hello, everyone! Danielle here once again, and I’m here to bring you some fun raffles.
Before we get into the raffles, I wish to remind all of you that we’re looking to recruit more hosts for this segment. If you enjoy coming across raffles, then this might be for you! Feel free to message our boss, Yeshua, if you’re interested in hosting Radical Raffles.
Feel free to stick around because we have four raffles for you this week! Let’s take a closer look.
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Celebrate with a birthday raffle by Pillowbun!
How to Enter:
-Follow and repost.
-Comment ‘done’ and tag one other person.
-Extra entry: Enter the same raffle on Pillowbun’s Instagram post.
Prize:
-Boba charm
Deadline:
-This raffle ends on February 29th. There’s plenty of time left to enter! Feel free to wish Pillowbun a happy belated birthday as well.
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Celebrate with a road to 2k raffle by SashimiFeast!
How to Enter:
-Follow, like, and repost.
-Comment a reference.
Prizes:
-1st place: full body
-2nd place: chibi
-3rd place: teeny
-4th place: pixel icon
Deadline:
-This raffle ends when SashimiFeast reaches 2k followers. As of January 26th, Sash has 1,610 followers. There’s plenty of time left to enter!
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Get cuddly with a tail hugging YCH raffle by ArtsBVG!
How to Enter:
-Follow and repost. New followers are welcome!
-Comment a reference.
-Extra entry: Tag a friend.
Prize:
-Tail hugging YCH
Deadline:
-This raffle ends on February 18th. There’s plenty of time left to enter!
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Capture the moment with an icon raffle by Moonyfurr!
How to Enter:
-Follow, like, and repost.
-Comment your favorite Pokémon.
Prize:
-Pokémon hoodie icon
Deadline:
-This raffle ends on February 20th. 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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CONVENTION CALENDAR
Hello again, readers! I’m Shetani, your Convention Calendar segment host for this issue. There’s plenty to celebrate in February, from Black History Month to Valentine’s Day to Mardi Gras to Groundhog Day, which I’m sure all you woodchucks have been waiting for. We’ve got our own festivities happening here in the furry community! Keep reading and I’ll tell you about all the furry conventions and events happening online, around the world, and in your neck of the woods.
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AnthroExpo is at the Sheraton OKC Downtown Hotel in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA from Thursday February 1 - Sunday February 4. This year’s theme is Eight-Bit Heroes! Zero the Kangaroo, Odyssey / Eurobeat Brony, and ChappieFrog are your 2024 Guests of Honor. AnEx’s charity partner is Pivot, which provides temporary housing, food, and resources to 2SLGBT+ youth. Lock in your quests with the panel schedule, now up on AnEx’s website!
Website | Twitter | Telegram | Facebook | Instagram
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Avast and set sail for Get Out the Float, coming to the sunny Seaside Civic & Convention Center in Seaside, Oregon, USA! This event began as a celebrated series of annual furmeets at various locations in Oregon, and its debut as a full-fledged convention is Friday February 2 - Sunday February 4 this year. Attendees are sure to enjoy a great charity raffle, the proceeds from which benefit Sunset Parks and Recreation Foundation. GOTF promises a great weekend of shopping at the Dealer’s Den, excursions to Seaside Lasertag and the Carousel Mall, a live podcast recording, and panels galore. It just wouldn’t be GOTF without an inflatable pool party, of course, hosted at sunset on Sunday evening of the con! Proof of COVID-19 vaccination is required to attend.
Website | Twitter | Telegram | Instagram
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Scotiacon takes place Friday February 2 - Monday February 5 at the Crowne Plaza Glasgow in Glasgow, Scotland, UK. This year’s theme is Prehistoric Panic, so keep an eye out for fearsome and fascinating creatures from yesteryear! Scotiacon will have tons of panels, games, “Cave Rave” dances, an art auction, and fursuit events. Renowned fursuit maker Kloofsuits is this year’s Guest of Honor. There will be a charity auction and donation drives to raise money for Hebridean Whale & Dolphin Trust. Attendees to Scotiacon must be at least 18 years of age with photo ID.
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Furcamp is a furry camping convention located at Intervales State Park in Ribeirão Grande, São Paulo, Brazil. This year’s edition is scheduled between Saturday February 10 - Tuesday February 13. Furcamp 2024 is themed Neon Nights, featuring a Miami Vice flair with 4 gangs of street racers competing for control of the fictional city of Furtropolis. Events include a scavenger hunt, talent show, dance club, and plenty of standard furry con activities like fursuit events, vendors, and games. One would do well to pack a swimsuit - the park’s amenities include natural and artificial pools, in addition to a restaurant, guided nature trails, and caves to explore. To attend Furcamp, you must be over 18 years old, and present proof of at least 2 doses of COVID-19 vaccination.
Website | Twitter | Telegram | Facebook
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NordicFuzzCon is scheduled for Wednesday February 21 - Sunday February 25 at the Clarion Hotel Malmö Live in Malmö, Sweden. This celebrated furry convention is packed with unique and exciting opportunities, which include a maid cafe, snack exchanges, excursions to points of interest in Malmö such as parks and museums, fursuit charades, nightly dances with DJs, and a dead dog party. Visit NFC’s website to view the stunning animated trailer introducing 2024’s theme, Ragnarok! Charity auctions and a concert by The SnOwOflakes will be held to benefit UAnimals, an animal welfare organization sheltering and rehabilitating animals during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This year marks the comeback of the fan favorite NFC Party Bus, a ticketed event taking furries around the city on a Bolt-themed bus for drinks and fun. NFC attendees must be at least 18 years old and present valid photo ID.
Website | Twitter | Discord | Telegram | Mastodon | Facebook
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Furry Ski Weekend will be held at Copper Mountain, Colorado, USA from Thursday February 22 - Sunday February 25. If you’re thinking this sounds like a chance to enjoy the comfort of a snowy lodge with friends and hit the slopes in fursuit, you’d be absolutely right! FSW self-describes as a laid-back communal environment that feels like one big room party. Unlike a standard hotel convention with programming, your day is fully up to you, so attendees can tailor their experience to their own preferences and create their own fun. Breakfast and dinner meals, snacks, and unlimited drinks are included free of charge to FSW attendees. If this is your first time hearing of Furry Ski Weekend, 2024 registration is unfortunately closed, but there’s always next time! You must be 21 years old to attend. Website | Twitter
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You’ll be in a World of (Fur) Innovation at Fur Squared, from Thursday February 22 - Sunday February 25! The con returns to the Sheraton Milwaukee Brookfield Hotel in Brookfield, Wisconsin, USA. The con’s charity since its inception has been the Humane Animal Welfare Society (HAWS) of Waukesha County, and many scheduled events afford an opportunity to learn more about their mission and donate to this great cause. The schedule is chock full of excitement this year, with events ranging from basic law by Boozy Badger, recording a song in 1 hour, latex crafting, and video game Name That Tune. As you’re checking out the panels and events at Fur Squared, be sure not to miss those hosted by the Guests of Honor, Rhubarb and Cosmik. In lieu of a fursuit parade, Fur Squared will have staff photographers available for photoshoots near the headless lounge and roaming around the con floor. Tabletop and video gaming, a dealer’s den, artist alley, and night market are planned as well.
Website | Twitter | Discord | Telegram | Mastodon
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Melbourne Fur Con is ready to go Friday February 23 - Sunday February 25 at the Novotel Melbourne Preston in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Let those neon lights streak past you with the con’s theme, Cyberchase! 2024 panels include a graymuzzle meetup, VR furs panel, puppet workshops, and pin trading. 8 performers and DJs are ready to put on a great show for you throughout the con weekend! A dealer’s den, dancing, and fursuit walk are planned too. This year, the MFC charity auction will support Mount Rothwell, the largest predator-free ecosystem in Victoria, which manages high conservation value species through breeding and research initiatives. Bring along proof of 2 COVID-19 vaccinations and a face mask to wear in the dealer’s den - both are required to enjoy MFC.
Website | Twitter | Telegram | Facebook | Instagram
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Gdakon 2024: A Space Odyssey blasts off from Wednesday February 28 - Sunday March 3 at the Novotel Gdańsk Marina Hotel in Gdańsk, Poland! This year brings a lot of firsts, including a dance competition, talent show, and door sign contest. Gdakon will take a break from the fursuit photoshoot, providing a photo backdrop and props instead, so you can shoot your own pics to your heart’s content! While at Gdakon, keep an eye out for representatives from their charity Help4herps, a reptile shelter in Gdansk, and donate to assist them in continuing their great work. Gdakon requires a valid COVID-19 vaccination certificate.
Website | Twitter | Telegram | Mastodon | Facebook
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This month’s calendar graphic is coming, so stay tuned for that!
Despite being the shortest month of the year, you can certainly find ways to connect with the furry community this February, no matter where in the world you live. Remember to get vaxxed and wear your face mask when meeting up with any furs in person.
Got questions or suggestions for Convention Calendar? Feel free to drop me a line on Twitter and the Fediverse, or hit me up at any of the other platforms linked on my website. If there’s an upcoming con you want to ensure we cover here on Furry Weekly, don’t hesitate to let me know. Have fun and stay safe out there!
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FURRY QUOTE
Hello, everyone! This is Danielle coming back with a surprise appearance. Welcome back to Furry Quote! Groundhog Day in the United States and Canada was celebrated on February 2nd, so let’s take the opportunity to dive into an inspirational nature quote. Let’s take a look.
“Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished.”
Groundhog Day is celebrated in the United States and Canada every year on February 2nd to see whether a groundhog sees its shadow or not after emerging from its burrow. This often signifies the seasonal change from winter to spring. Specifically, it’s a prediction of spring’s arrival. Many of us are guilty of rushing into things like going into spring. It can feel like a way our mindset works in order to protect us from danger. However, nature doesn’t work like that.
Lao’s quote encourages us to be still, quiet, and in the moment. Like nature, it’s not in a hurry to go anywhere or do anything immediately to improve the situation. It trusts in the unknown, the natural flow of things, and as a human being, that is what we must strive for as well. It’s not always an easy process, but once you put your trust in the unknown, things will start to eventually unfold. Sometimes we have to give things time to mature just like nature does.
Give yourself time to relax, breath, and meditate if desired. Yoga, journaling, being out in nature, or even enjoying something you like doing are just a few great ways to help you center your mind back to neutral while giving a fresh, positive perspective of the world around you. As Winnie the Pooh, one of Disney’s beloved characters, once said, by doing nothing, it can often lead to the very best of something.
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This concludes this week’s Furry Quote. I hope it brought you an encouraging vibe to lean into.
If you have a topic you’d like to have covered or a quote you’d like to have shared, feel free to reach out to the main host of Furry Quote: Multifurse.
Thank you for reading this far, and we’ll see you all again next time!
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