Just a small update to let everyone know that I now have a Weasyl account: https://www.weasyl.com/profile/tarangryph

:}

Thank you all for your support in the last couple of days. I’ve been completely overwhelmed by the number of comments, notes, text messages, and phone calls I’ve received. I had no idea my journal entry would draw this much attention; it was an outcry of frustration, not a political statement, and the response to it has taken me completely by surprise.

To set the record straight regarding a number of issues brought up in comments:

1.
I’m okay and I’m safe. I’m currently working in another city than the one known to the user harassing me, and my fursuits are stored with a member of my family, so there’s little chance my stalker will find either me or my suits even if he does show up at my home.

2.
Dragoneer has been in contact with me regarding the situation and I am hopeful the FA moderators will work to prevent the user harassing me from preying on other members of this site. However, I still feel the situation was inadequately handled.

3.
I will not be deleting this account, as it holds evidence against my stalker as well as photos of other people’s fursuits which the owners have favourited. I will, however, create an account elsewhere to post new fursuit photos when I take out Ngala and Breynz again.

4.
I apologise for mentioning my gender and the gender of my stalker in an offensive way. I realise my previous journal entry was poorly worded (as I said, it was an emotional outlet not intended to reach such a large audience) and distress caused me to generalise personal experiences; while I have only ever been threatened online with physical and sexual violence by men, I know women can and do stalk men and other women too. Please stop sending me angry messages about this.

5.
I am not leaving the furry fandom forever. I just need some time to regain my footing after everything that has happened. But while I have been disappointed with the actions of a few members of the community, my overall experience with the furry fandom has been incredibly positive, and I am very grateful for the support and kind words I have received. Thank you so much for your empathy and offers of assistance!

For now, I’ll be signing off. I’ll be fursuiting again in the future, though, and if you see me, do come and say hi. Also, feel free to post any photos of my fursuits wherever you like (but please no photos of me out of suit). Thank you. I'll be seeing you around!

I have filed a trouble ticket against the user harassing me - what do the FA mods do? Delete my journal entry and all the information contained therein for calling out a person who is by his own admission mentally ill and threatening to stalk, rape, and steal from me. I have lost all the information in that post, all the names and links posted.

And no one has even replied to my trouble ticket against him. It's been up there for a WEEK.

I am so angry and disappointed with FA's handling of this. This man is DANGEROUS to me, he has posted MY PRIVATE INFORMATION, PHOTOS OF ME, THREATS AGAINST ME, but FA decides to punish the woman, not the man. What the hell?

I have been so shaken up by this whole experience that I don't feel safe here any more. FA mods don't care about my personal safety, or the personal safety of other women with Qarrezel suits whom this man might harass.

I will be leaving FA for good. Whether I will also delete my account is up in the air, since I know some people have favourited my photos of themselves. I'll let you know before doing so.

Still. Holy crap, FA. Fuck you.

Dear friends.

Unfortunately, I must ask you to remove any photos of me posted out of fursuit. I know some of you have uploaded a few from various conventions. However, I am currently in a situation where people whom I do not want to know my physical appearance might stumble across your photos, and a recent issue brought this problem to light.

Sadly, my photo has been reposted without my permission, with my REAL NAME and my CURRENT LOCATION attached in the description. This is not only a violation of my privacy and making me rather uncomfortable, it is also outright unsafe for me.

Please remove any photos you have of me showing my face, as well as mentions of my real name, as I have removed my name from my FA, DA, LiveJournal, Facebook, etc. accounts. I have always been 'Taran' online and this is the name you all know me by; my gryphon avatar and Ngala and Breynz are my visual representations. I am these guys more than I am some random girl in a hat. Please respect my privacy and help me stay safe.

Thank you.

In the spring, summer, and autumn of 2012 I will be attending the following conventions:

Confuzzled, UK.
Desucon, Norway.
Genki, Denmark.
Eurofurence, Germany.
London Expo, UK.

.

Convention Info

How can I find you?
I will be fursuiting as Ngala or Breynz, or wearing my Rainbow Dash hat.

What is your gender?
Female.

Can I give you hugs?
If you ask me first, and if you aren't wearing body-paint.

Can I get pics with you?
Yes, I love to pose for photos!

Can I talk to you?
Yes, but preferably when I am not fursuiting. Look for the Rainbow Dash hat.

Can I hang out with you?
If I know you from the internet, chances are this will naturally happen. If not, try striking up a conversation - but please don't be disappointed if I have to leave for a panel.

Can I buy you drinks?
No.

If I see you, how should I get your attention?
Stand in front of me and wave. Say my name (Taran/Ngala/Breynz) to let me know it's me you're talking to. Introduce yourself (online name and how we know each other/where you know me from, i.e. 'hi, I'm Anon Wolf, we chatted on Qarrezel's Ustream once'). Then I will be happy to talk!

Hope to see you there!

CLOCKWORK CREATURE T-SHIRTS FOR CONVENTIONS!

Manojalpa posted this:

In preparation for AC, I have been designing Clockwork Creature t-shirts so we can all band together and show our CC colors!

T-shirts will either be rust with black design, or black with orangey/gold design. The front will have the clockwork creature logo, and the back will say "CLOCKWORK CREATURE". Please specify which you'd prefer, but ultimately we'll only get either one or the other. So, if you ONLY want a shirt if it's black on rust, write that down, and know that you might not get a shirt if we decide on black w/ goldorange.

If we can get our order up to 30 shirts, they will be $12 each, if we can get to 15, they will be $15 dollars each.
These t-shirts would be perfect for all Clockwork Creatures to find each other out of 'suits! They probably won't be done in time for CFz, but for EF they'd be awesome! You know you want one too. ;}

Go here to order a t-shirt!

Last week was Scandinavian Halloween and my dorm held a costume party for the occasion.

Since I had to work a night-shift at the local hospital the same night, I didn't want to spend money on a full costume. So I put on Ngala's head and hoof-gloves and went to show her off for a little while.

Most people responded well, except one: The American exchange student living in my hall. His reaction when seeing Ngala: "I don't like the long hair in the back, it reminds me of a furry."

"It is a furry," I replied.

"Ew, get it away!" he yelled (!).

It actually hurt my feelings. He knows me. We've been living together in the same dorm hall for a month, I've taken time out of my schedule to help him and show him around, I show him a gorgeous mask that I love and - ew.

He's the first furry-hater I've met in person. Danes, at least, seem more tolerant - probably because they don't know what a 'furry' is. -_-

Can't wait for CF and EF. I want to be with my 'extended family' again.

Breynz got posted to FuckYeahFursuiting http://fuckyeahfursuiting.tumblr.co.....st/13015820244, went viral, and is now at 1,200+ notes. Holy crap.

And the comments... the COMMENTS. I'm not sure whether to be more horrified or fascinated watching these people watching me. This is like a real-time field study in internet sociology! I shall be following it closely. :P

Seriously, though: Thank you, tumblr, for posting, reblogging, and commenting on the photo of Breynz, my zombie werewolf fursuit. Most of you seem to like it (awesome!), some of you are apparently scared of it (well, that was kind of the intention, so also awesome), and some of you seem to dislike it, which is, uh, not so awesome. I apologise for ruining anyone’s day/week/whatever by showing up uninvited on your dash.

I’ve also loled my way through some of your comments. To answer your questions:

No, this isn’t my fursona or spirit animal. I just like zombies and wanted a different kind of costume. I wear it at conventions. No, I don’t yiff in it. Also, I am female.

Breynz the Zombie Werewolf was made by Qarrezel, who does the most awesome animal costumes ever. Whether you like furry or not, her gallery is well worth a visit.

HI PEOPLE FROM TUMBLR!

THIS IS MY GALLERY. IT DOES NOT HAVE PORN. IT DOES NOT HAVE YIFF. I AM NOT A CREEPY GUY.

THE ZOMBIE WEREWOLF IS NOT MY FURSONA OR SPIRIT ANIMAL. I JUST LIKE ZOMBIES AND WANTED A DIFFERENT KIND OF COSTUME. I WEAR IT AT CONVENTIONS. I DO NOT YIFF IN IT!

THANK YOU FOR CLICKING THE LINK AND FINDING OUT FOR YOURSELF INSTEAD OF REBLOGGING CREEPY COMMENTS ABOUT ME.

I APPRECIATE THAT.

HAVE A NICE DAY.

---

Someone submitted a photo of Breynz, my zombie werewolf fursuit, to FuckYeahFursuiting on tumblr.

Thank you to the anonymous person who submitted this photo! It feels weirdly self-promoting to submit photos of yourself, so I almost never do, but the comments make me lol... xD

Edit: Okay, weirdest comment yet:

hahaha wait furaffinity link?. is this someone's fursona. does he yiff in this. lmao.

No, this isn’t my fursona, it’s just a zombie werewolf. I like zombies and I wanted a different kind of costume. No, I don’t yiff in it, and I am female.

Edit edit:

Okay, I've gone viral now, I think. Not sure if good or bad... xD

I'm just back from an amazing Halloween weekend at the MCM London Expo 2011 - thank you to everyone who came over and said hi, and took photos, and made my first Expo an unforgettably awesome experience! And my apologies to the people I failed to meet - there were so many people there that I couldn't find all of you! We'll get to meet up next time instead. :}

I have uploaded some photos to my gallery here, mostly fursuiting photos. For awesome cosplays, please visit my DeviantArt gallery here: http://tarangryph.deviantart.com

And to see all my photos from the Expo, go here: http://s1223.photobucket.com/albums.....011/?start=all

And if you have any photos of me, please give me a shout or post them here too! <3

A quick shout-out for people going to London Expo in two weeks - I'll be there with both Breynz and Ngala, so if you see me, please do come and say hi! I love meeting people from the internet. :}

I am looking to buy a new camera - but I don't know anything about photography! D:

But since a lot of people here take AWESOME photos, I wanted to ask you guys for recommendations. :D

The camera I want should be:

...not too big or bulky; I'll probably carry it stuffed in a bag or a pocket.
...not too difficult to use; preferably not with any parts that need to be changed between shots, like lenses.
...not too expensive.

Any suggestions for cameras or brands would be super nice of you!

Gnnargh, good morning, guys – it is the day after Eurofurence and when I looked in the bathroom mirror just now, I thought I was still fursuiting my zombie werewolf. It was only my face.

I am told this is normal after conventions - my eyes are blurry and stinging from excessive use of contacts, every joint aches like I suddenly gained a few extra decades, my head feels like I've been on the binge all weekend - so I did the only sensible thing and booted up my laptop in bed.

I see that a few people have already managed to track me down here on FA (hi guys!) and since more might follow, it occured to me to finally start tweaking this gallery and making a proper introduction. So here I am, the Danish gryphon - sometimes the result of a Kenyan episode of Will It Blend?, sometimes dead (well, undead). I am also occasionally a girl in a pony hat. Nice to meet you.

So – EF 17. I want to say something about this, share my experiences, but I fear my ESL vocabulary is insufficient to describe the awesomeness that was Eurofurence. It was strange and new and welcoming familiar, tons of fun and tons of stress, barely enough sleep and too little food, silly, funny, wonderful, 20% cooler, and so sad when it ended.

There are so many stories, so many anecdotes, that I can't even remember them all as I am writing this - they will come back to me eventually, by way of photos and videos and the stories we tell in the chats and on the forums.

There was the Pawpet Show and Bitter Lake, there was the phenomenon that is Uncle Kage (and his mother, whom I had the wonderful pleasure of conversing with while fursuiting as Breynz), there were the panels on fanfic-writing and drawing and Furcons 101 by Uncle Kage (and yet people still kept pressing all the buttons in the elevators and crowded the elevator so I had to climb the stairs to the 6th floor in fursuit that one time).

There was the fursuit group shot and the parade that got rained away (the only time through the weekend it actually rained during the day), and the Clockwork Creature Walks to the restaurant Alex and the mall.

There was - oh god, I shudder at the thought - the Crazy Cat Lady who rubbed her face and body all over the three Qarrezel cat suits; Zuki the furless demon heroically confused her long enough for the rest of us to escape - RUN AWAY RUN AWAY. There were the kids that cried and the kids that came over and carefully shook our paws, and the adults who all wanted photos taken with us. There were hugs and tail-yankings and fingers in mouths (the Huntress' super-realistic cat tongue discouraged many!)

There was the fursuit dance, where I made a girl scream by turning around quickly while wearing Breynz. She got her photo, but was too scared (or too ETOH-marinated?) to have me looking at her while we posed. There was the auction, where I bought the most expensive pony poster ever and donated to a wonderful sanctuary for retired big cats and other animals.

There was my awesome room-mate, Blackdragon, who was just the right person to share a room with - thank you! There were friends, some old, lots new, and meeting people I'd only previously met online. They were awesome.

There were the other Qarrezel / Clockwork Creature suits. Afsklhglhfjh words fail me. SO AMAZING! There was the photoshoot where I was late and horribly rushed and couldn't see anything because I'd only had time to put in one contact lens. I learned an important lesson that day and I will share this sage advice with you all:

ALWAYS PUT IN YOUR CONTACTS IN THE MORNING, BECAUSE YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN YOU WILL NEED TO BE IN FURSUIT IN A HURRY AND THOSE SUCKERS ARE A BITCH TO PUT IN WHEN YOU'RE RUSHED!

My second piece of furcon advice, learned from bitter experience, is this:

BRING A BIGGER SUITCASE. ALWAYS.

There were breakfasts and lots of Asian food in the mall, and speaking badly mangled German while wearing a pony hat and tail and miraculously still getting what you wanted.

There wasn't any drama. It was like coming home to the home you never knew you were homesick for.

Then there was Berlin Hauptbahnhof which almost made me ragequit Germany altogether (the central station itself is designed as an obstacle course, with escalators everywhere, and the informative signs provide an exciting treasure hunt for luggage lockers, information desks and relocated bus stops).

Now, there is Post-Con Depression.

And photos, and videos, which are the only known PCD pain reliefs (trust me, I'm a doctor).

MY VIDEOS:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RiM9Hg4GBfk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lShoCpSmMyA
More coming soon.

MY PHOTOS:
Coming soon.

PHOTOS OF ME BY OTHERS (please share links if you have any! :3 ):

'Love Act'
Photographed by  Wolf-Bold, featuring the very lovely  Charismatic1983.
The chronological sequence of the photos is opposite of the posting sequence - depending on whether the photo series is viewed 5-1 or 1-5 it's either a grieving lover reproaching the gods and miraculously seeing her lover revived, or a wronged lover killing her suitor and cursing his name to the heavens. Choose your favourite story!
--- 5: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/6362105/
--- 4: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/6362099/
--- 3: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/6362091/
--- 2: http://www.furaffinity.net/full/6362088/
--- 1: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/6362083/

Thank you, everybody, for making this such a fantastic, amazing first Eurofurence for me. I WILL be back next year, and hopefully at Confuzzled too. Take care for now, and many hugs!

~Taran.