What year is it?

I actually did. No joke. My co-workers were witnesses.

I believe this means I have the right to make someone wax my car.

In memory of Athus Nadorian (1/18/82 – 10/11/11)
http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/2813220/


I didn't know Athus well at all, but being a water dragon and a big fan of his art, I did feel a kinship with him, and I'm profoundly saddened to hear that he's no longer with us. There are so many people I know who are directly affected by his passing, and I wish them all the strength they'll need during this difficult time. The love that they are expressing for him is nothing short of amazing.

Let his unexpected departure be a reminder to us:

Life's too short not to enjoy it, so make the most out of it.
We have no time to be petty, or hurtful. No time to trifle in things that don't matter.
We have no time to be ashamed of ourselves. Do what matters to you, and do it with pride.
Give love to everyone who will have it, and teach by example to everyone that will learn.

One day I shall return to the sea, like Athus has. I hope that when I do, my legacy too will live on in the love and fond memories of my friends, family, and anyone else whose life I've touched. Knowing that I'll be a part of them for the rest of their lives makes me not afraid to die.


~ ~ ~
A beautiful memorial pic by Sefeiren
http://www.furaffinity.net/view/6674386/

From the moment she message-pounced me, I knew something wasn't quite right with her.

---

(5:04:53 PM) melody hill: hiii :)

(5:05:59 PM) blackberrydragn: Hey there! What's up?

(5:06:08 PM) melody hill: Hey love Wanna chat for a little? Im bored and wanted to meet new people...

(5:07:05 PM) blackberrydragn: Ah. Honored to be chosen to alleviate your boredom... love. But first, a question. Where did you get my username?

(5:07:16 PM) melody hill: sexyrose

(5:07:54 PM) blackberrydragn: I don't know a sexyrose. Sounds like a guy who's got a thing for those singing flowers in Alice in Wonderland.

(5:07:47 PM) melody hill: Accept the invite, if you need the link again its http://www.mynawtyinv..{deleted}

(5:09:42 PM) blackberrydragn: You're not listening to me, are you?

(5:09:51 PM) melody hill: Cool... Well, my name is jenny.. Can I ask you a question?

(5:10:15 PM) blackberrydragn: Only if you promise to shoot yourself in the head over a tank full of hungry sharks.

(5:10:25 PM) melody hill: What kinda girls you in to? Are you in to BIG TITS or a BIG BOOTY? :-P

(5:11:37 PM) blackberrydragn: I'm into men who weigh over 300 pounds. Oh, and also crocodiles.

(5:11:45 PM) melody hill: lol.. I have a lot of both!! Wanna see? I have some free time now...

(5:17:31 PM) blackberrydragn: You have pics of your many fat men and crocodiles? Are they together in the same pit, or are they separated from each other? Is there bondage gear involved?

(5:17:23 PM) melody hill: http://www.mynawtyinv..{deleted}

(5:18:29 PM) blackberrydragn: I have a website too, it's called www.getthefuckoffmyinternet.com! I think you should check it out!

{no more responses}

---

Now I'm not usually this snarky at people messaging me out of the blue... I'm actually very non-confrontational with people I'm just getting to know. But I realized I wasn't actually talking to a live person near the beginning, so continuing was simply for my own amusement, just to see where and how far an automated conversation like this could go, kind of like a tame version of messing with a telemarketer or door-to-door salesperson. I was actually disappointed when she stopped responding so soon.

Now I'm in the mood to see fat guys with crocodiles in bondage gear.

Over the next couple weeks, I'll be uploading most of my FA gallery to Inkbunny. It's not a migration, since I'll continue to manage both sites.

What I can't upload here (cub porn, or what gets construed as) will go on Inkbunny, and what I can't upload on Inkbunny (human/critter porn) will go here. What I can't upload to either... I suppose will go to e621 or something. (Technically, any porn featuring Ash with a Pokemon can be argued against the AUP of both.)

I know it's been a long time since anyone's seen new art from me... and the only answer I can give is simply that art hasn't been a big priority for me lately. I didn't consciously stop, and I do plan on posting new things eventually.

So if you've got an Inkbunny account, click that watch button!
http://inkbunny.net/blackberrydragon

30 movies meme:
Think of 30 movies that you love or that really stuck with you.
Fill out the meme as fast as you can. (I did this in 3 minutes)
Order doesn't count or anything it's just 30 movies that you love!

1. Disney's Robin Hood
2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
3. The Secret of NIMH
4. Spirited Away
5. Watership Down
6. City of Lost Children
7. Se7en
8. The Dark Crystal
9. The Rescuers Down Under
10. Millennium Actress
11. Ratatouille
12. Animalympics
13. The Last Unicorn
14. The Shawshank Redemption
15. Arashi no Yoru ni
16. Treasure Planet
17. The Hudsucker Proxy
18. The Plague Dogs
19. Surf's Up
20. Dancer in the Dark
21. Happy Feet
22. Stranger Than Fiction
23. Up
24. The Fifth Element
25. A Goofy Movie
26. Alien 3
27. Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
28. Princess Mononoke
29. Zathura
30. The Lion King

I'm looking to organize 15+ years of collected images. Can anyone recommend good software for that?

Ideally I'd like to be able to search and view by tags, so it would have to be something that has a quick way of applying tags to multiple images with a minimum of typing.

I just had a horrible dream.

Some arrogant dude took one of the best animated television series ever made, sucked out all the life, wonder, wit, color, and fun out of it, and turned it into a dour, brooding, awkwardly-written, woodenly-acted, incomprehensible slow-mo-fest.

I'm not chubby, or a gainer, but I loooove food, and I love eating. Most people are surprised at how much I can eat and still weigh only 130 pounds.

I got a big kick out of this article, which is an incredibly in-depth, tongue-in-cheek guide to 'Tackling A Buffet', and I'm sure a certain fatty-loving segment of my watchers here will too! Even though bordering on the ridiculous, there's some good information here, and I've utilized many of these techniques myself!

http://eatingtheroad.wordpress.com/.....-buffet-guide/

Now to find some of the article's mentioned "like minded individuals" to accompany me on my next buffet outing!

The Sheriff of Nottingham = Men frothing. Oh, fat fetish!

This makes me so happy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZdLxx5yTJfk

 lilglenndoggy directed my attention to El Arca, a classically animated Argentina/Italy co-production done in 2007 – a light-hearted and irreverent re-telling of Noah's Ark. It's wonderfully animated (except for the CG) and has lots of cute critters, and since I've been really pining for hand-drawn animation, I really wanted to find this film.

Movie Poster - Movie Trailer

There is an english version of it, but YouTube confirms that the dubbing is absolutely HORRID. I’m not sure what region the english version was made for, it’s never been released in the US, even directly to video. There's no way I'd be able to sit through that anyway, so we looked around for a subtitled version. To no avail.

Then, by happenstance, I came across a subtitle file that was essentially a transcription of the english dialogue. I knew it wasn't a faithful translation from what little spanish I could understand, and in more than a few places, dialogue was missing... and whoever timed the thing did it blindfolded with a sawed-off shotgun, but the basic idea was there. And then I thought... with only a little research, I can totally fix this.

I wrangled help from a certain  GT Skunkrat ~ LVFC to serve as a translator to help me get the script back to a more faithful rendition and fill in the blanks. We actually ended up rewriting about 40% of the lines – in many cases, the spanish dialogue is funnier and more colorful. I taught myself how to use subtitling and video-encoding programs, and after all the bad grammar, punctuation, and timing was fixed and polished to a mirror-like shine, I'm pleased to say there's actually an entertaining movie in there. Not a classic by any means, and certainly with its fair share of WTF moments, but it’s still fun. (And there's a few characters that really hit my 'squee' buttons.)

So if you're interested and have a torrent client, enjoy! Having gone through the process, I can honestly say that I do appreciate the hard work of fansub groups.

Get it here - Or here

At last, a toy commercial that is truly representative of my childhood proclivities!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjAplnlai9c

Braid - Speed Run - Full Game

Finally got myself under the 45-minute mark, for the achievement!

Fifteen measly gamerpoints seems kinda skimpy. But I feel awesome right now.




"Just flip it, stick it, and see ya later bye!"

It’s easy to pass this game up based on its short play time and its Super Mario Bros. meets Blinx: The Time Sweeper gameplay concept, but doing so would be like thinking that Hemingway’s The Old Man and the Sea is a kids’ tale about a dude in a boat.

Not only is it gorgeous to look at... not only is its cello-filled score haunting and achingly beautiful... not only is every puzzle insanely clever in its design... but it’s one of the very few videogames that have challenged me both philosophically and intellectually, to the extent that I think about the experience long after I’ve finished it. Its climax is one the most moving and poignant moments I’d ever witnessed in a game, quite an amazing feat for a 2D platformer with no cutscenes.

Games that are four times the cost and ten times the length can’t manage to do what Braid does. I can only hope that games like these, such as Portal before it, continue to pave the way for projects that prize quality over quantity.

Do you think you know me? You might be surprised! ^.=.^

10 questions, and some of them can be very very tricky -- Don't feel bad if you don't do well.

http://www.quizyourfriends.com/takequiz.php?quizname=080313133628-407737&

And I'm sure answers will be discussed in this journal's comments, so DON'T look at them before taking the quiz. That's cheating! o.=.o

LIVE YOUR LIFE until love is found...

OR

Love's gonna get you DOWN.

---

Seriously!

http://www.mefeedia.com/entry/mika-.....lipop/6586810/
(better quality than you-tube)

'CAUSE I'LL BE IN WALT DISNEY WORLD, BITCHES!!!!

OMG Animal Kingdom Lodge is soooo coool.

Especially cute sexy ones that play rock guitar!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5bQH1jxaVY4

Now on YouTube!

Intro -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IU27_Eq36SA
Ep1 pt.1 -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2NWOGqzaPc
Ep1 pt.2 -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZkgclAXrGqk
Ep1 pt.3 -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YmDZxH0SaQk

I demand PORN.

You may remember the PS1/Saturn game, but apart from the general concept and some of the most basic character ideas, they're not very similar. The cartoon and the game were developed by separate teams going in different directions.

Other episodes are available there as well... I personally think the second episode is better than the first, but the first introduces all the characters.

Here's a MEME! (mostly pointless, yes...)
stolen from Jace


ANGER
1. With whom did you last get angry?
My boss! I expect this is the most common answer.

2. What is your weapon of choice?
The pen.

3. Would you hit a member of the opposite sex?
Only in self-defense.

4. How about of the same sex?
I'm an equal opportunity self-defense hitter.

5. Who was the last person who got really angry at you?
Probably someone I don't know, online somewhere, because of something I wrote or drew. In person, probably my best pal, Stitch. In either case, I don't do it intentionally.

6. What is your pet peeve?
Those who look down on fat folks because they think have less discipline, neatness, activity, and self-control than they do. Or think that heavy people eat more than thin people do. That attitude disgusts me, and I'm thin.

7. Do you keep grudges, or can you let them go easily?
I rarely keep grudges, because I think most things are not worth the emotional energy.


SLOTH
1. What is one thing you're supposed to do daily that you haven't done in a long time?
There aren't that many daily tasks... the question would probably be better if it said "routinely". I don't get my car serviced often enough, I guess.

2. What is the latest you've ever woken up?
On a regular day, 1pm. I've slept for over 15 hours once after an all-nighter.

3. Name a person you've been meaning to contact, but haven't?
My dad lives across the street, but I don't see him that much.

4. What is the last lame excuse you made?
"Oh, I didn't hear you." (When in actuality, I forgot.)

5. Have you ever watched an infomercial all the way through (one of the long ones)?
No. I can't subject myself to that kind of torture.

6. When was the last time you got a good workout in?
Workout? What's that?

7. How many times did you hit the snooze button on your alarm clock today?
Today, it's a Saturday, no need for an alarm. In the past, the most I've ever hit the snooze is about eight times.


GLUTTONY
1. What is your overpriced yuppie beverage of choice?
Blackberry italian creme soda.

2. Meat eaters: white meat or dark meat?
Dark meat, all the way. I don't like white meat. I need my fat content.

3. What is the greatest amount of alcohol you've had in one sitting/outing/event?
I've had as much as two small cups of sake. I've since found I'm allergic to alcohol, and so I don't drink at all anymore.

4. Have you ever used a professional diet company?
Never had need for a diet.

5. Do you have an issue with your weight?
I sometimes feel like I don't weigh enough. I eat like a horse, too.

6. Do you prefer sweets, salty foods, or spicy foods?
Salty foods. I'm particular about my sweets.

7. Have you ever looked at a small house pet or child and thought, LUNCH?
O.o


LUST
1. How many people have you seen naked (not counting movies/family)?
In person, not too many, actually.

2. How many people have seen YOU naked (not counting physicians/family)?
Less than a dozen, probably.

3. Have you ever caught yourself staring at the chest/crotch of a member of your gender of choice during a normal conversation?
During a conversation with someone else, maybe.

4. Have you done it?
Depends on how you define "it". Some would say yes, some would say no. Surprised?

5. What is your favorite body part on a person of your gender of choice?
Belly.

6. Have you ever been propositioned by a prostitute?
No. I've been propositioned by a stripper in a club for a private show, though. She was female, so I turned her down. I was there for a friend's bachelor party.

7. Have you ever had to get tested for an STD or pregnancy?
No.


GREED
1. How many credit cards do you own?
Four.

2. What's your guilty pleasure store?
eBay. The plush category.

3. If you had $1 million, what would you do with it?
Live off the interest and work full time on my book.

4. Would you rather be rich, or famous?
Rich. You can't do much with fame alone.

6. Have you ever stolen anything?
Only things comprised of "zeroes" and "ones".

7. How many MP3s are on your hard drive?
Probably about 3000. That's counting not only MP3s, but AACs, which I prefer.


PRIDE
1. What one thing have you done that you're most proud of?
Managing to be generally happy, and taking charge to live my life the way I want to live it.

2. What one thing have you done that your parents are most proud of?
Not getting into drugs, gangs, or major trouble.

3. What thing would you like to accomplish in your life?
Finish my novel series.

4. Do you get annoyed by coming in second place?
Not at all. I'm not competitive.

5. Have you ever entered a contest of skill, knowing you were of much higher skill than all the other competitors?:
Not any that I can remember.

6. Have you ever cheated on something to get a higher score?
Not that I can remember. I sometimes cheat on video games just so I can see how the story ends.

7. What did you do today that you're proud of?
Today? I just woke up.


ENVY
1. What item (or person) of your friends would you most want to have for your own?
I want a tablet pc.

2. Who would you want to go on Trading Spaces with?
Delako. I'm not much of a home-decorator, though I am trying to keep a nautical theme to my condo.

3. If you could be anyone else in the world, who would you be?
The Pope.

4. Have you ever been cheated on?
Figuring that I haven't been "with" that many people, probably not.

5. Have you ever wished you had a physical feature different from your own?
Sometimes I wish I were bigger. (No, not that part!)

6. What inborn trait do you see in others that you wish you had for yourself?
The ability to think a little quicker would be nice.

7. Finally, what is your favorite deadly sin?
Lust.


THE SEVEN HEAVELY VIRTUES

FAITH
1. What religion do you follow?
Agnostic, with a little paganism thrown in there.

2. What religion were you raised as?
Generally Christian.

3. Do you believe that forgiveness is a religious property, or a human property?
If forgiveness is a religious property, does that mean people without religion cannot forgive?

4. Do you have your own commandments?
Not really commandments, but advices like "everything in moderation, EVEN moderation" and "allow others their faults" and such.

5. What was the last promise you broke?
Saying I'd continue to work on the "album" even after my band broke up.

6. Have you ever said the words to a prayer and not meant it?
When my family used to go to church, yes. Then my family stopped going to church... problem solved.

7. Do you believe that anyone could be perfect?
Being perfect is different things to different people. No one can be perfect to everyone.


HOPE
1. Did you get everything you wanted over the last holiday season?
I don't usually ask for anything during the holidays, but last year I recommended my whole family pool together their gift money to get me an iPod. I loves it.

2. Regarding your future, what is the best thing you could hope for?
Becoming Santa Claus's sex slave. That'd be the best thing.

3. Do you let yourself get your hopes up for something even if you know that there is a large chance of failure?
Only as much as I can handle the potential disappointment.

4. Freedom or fate?
I don't believe in fate... I believe there are things you can't control, but that's not the same thing.

5. Have you ever bought a lottery ticket?
Yes, only a couple times.

6. Do you gamble?
Yes, but only on games that I know exactly what my odds are, like craps. No slots.

7. Have you ever had something called off on account of bad weather, but then gone ahead and done it anyway?
Amusement parks are kind of interesting when it's raining.


CHARITY
1. What causes do you support?
Monterey Bay Aquarium's Fish Watch

2. What causes have you given money or time to?
FA

3. Have you ever worked in a soup kitchen or done another kind of outreach for the homeless?
No.

4. Would you ever consider joining the Peace Corps, Amnesty International, or another travel?
No, I'm a homebody.

5. Do you give money to the homeless on the street?
I have, but I don't anymore. Been suckered by guilt tactics once too many.

6. Have you ever helped out a friend with basic needs, like rent or food?
Yes.

7. What's the greatest extent you've gone to help a friend in need
Managing one's finances to help get them out of debt.


FORTITUDE
1. What are you most afraid of?
Spiders. Precupices.

2. What did you do today that was really brave?
There's too much "today" in this meme. But actually, today I relocated a spider from my bathroom sink to the balcony outside. I'm still freaked out by spiders, but I no longer kill them. Unless they're in my bed.

3. Who is your favorite superhero, and why?
I'm allergic to superheroes. I can't stand empowerment fantasies, and silly costumes.

4. Would you put your life in danger to rescue someone?
Sure.

5. If you were to face the Wizard, would you want more courage, more brains, or more heart?
Brains.

6. Have you ever gotten stage fright?
Yes. But now I only get stage fright when I feel I'm not suitably prepared.

7. Do you consider yourself to be a leader or a follower?:
66% Follower. But I won't follow anything I don't feel deserves to be followed.


JUSTICE
1. Have you ever been summoned for jury duty?
Yes, but never served.

2. If they reinstituted the draft (for both genders), would you go, or would find some way out of it?
Depends on why the draft was reinstituted.

3. Do you support capital punishment (the death penalty)?
No. The system doesn't work well enough for that punishment to be valid.

4. Which should be guaranteed legal?
???

5. Do you believe that George W. is rightfully President of the USA?
Absolutely not.

6. What was your favorite media circus trial?
Ugh, I have to choose? I then choose Michael Jackson.

7. Have you ever written a letter to a politician?
No.


TEMPERANCE
1. What do you have the hardest time moderating yourself on?
Balancing creative projects. Too many things left half-done.

2. Do you collect anything?
Large plush animals.

3. Are you addicted to anything?
Sleep.

4. Have you ever put anything on layaway or used an installment plan?
Synthesizers, and major household appliances.

5. What's your preferred method of paying for things?
Credit, to accrue point benefits. I never carry a balance.

6. Tell us one thing you wish you hadn't let yourself do?
I regret very few things, but doing a certain performance on a certain stage in front of certain people was a very bad, bad idea. I will leave the particulars to your imagination.

7. Do you feel that you obsess over things?
Sometimes.


PRUDENCE
1. Who is the wisest person you know?
Not one person, but I see great wisdom in different aspects of different people I know.

2. Have you ever participated in a vigil?
No.

3. Do you take advice when it's given?
If I think it will help... What kind of question is that?

4. What area are you wisest in?
I just offer what I know and believe.

5. Do you drive defensively?
Yes. Shaving a couple minutes off your driving time by driving aggressively is not worth the risk to yourself and others.

6. What did you learn today?
Toys 'R Us is having a sale...

7. And of course, what is your favorite heavenly virtue?
Lust. I mean, temperance.

I officially declare myself no longer a pessimist regarding the state of the American animated film industry. Not since the days of The Lion King over a decade ago have I been this excited about where animation may be headed.

I've always loved animation as a medium: it allows a storyteller to go anywhere, do anything. Its limit is only bound by our own imaginations -- but in America we generally only use it for wacky family-friendly wisecrack-laden comedy/action/drama catch-alls that try to appeal to everyone at once. Most of the time I come out of animated movies shaking my head at how pandering, disjointed, and cheesy they are -- and if I enjoyed a film, it's only because the hit-or-miss elements I liked about it managed to outweigh those that I didn't.

Slowly but surely, things are starting to change. More and more animated films are starting to impress me. It isn't because these movies are necessarily breaking out of the cultural boundaries of what Americans expect their animated movies to be -- we still have a long way to go in order for there to be another successful animated film that's as dark as Watership Down or The Secret of NIMH, or to even approach the storytelling breadth of Japanese animated films like Grave of the Fireflies or Millennium Actress. Rather, it's because certain American animated movies are starting to have a bit more charm and sophistication to them that I'm not as hesitant anymore to say I like animated movies. Stories are becoming more solid, less predictable, with fewer 'story-by-committee' pitfalls that plague marketing-driven projects. Characters are becoming more well-rounded, rather than simply being defined by their concept or archetype. Humor is becoming more character-based and situational rather than scattershot wisecracks and random pop-culture references. Style and dignity are returning. And it seems more film directors have learned the lesson that we don't need a joke every ten seconds in order to keep our interest.

A gang of us went to see a sneak preview of Ratatouille, and we were all pretty much blown away. I don't consider myself a Pixar fan, but I had very high expectations since I knew Brad Bird directed... and the movie exceeded them, greatly. We couldn't help ourselves cheering and clapping uncontrollably at its ingenious climax, and I'm sure many of us will definitely see it again when it opens. It put another nail in the coffin of my cynicism, and I can only hope that this trend in animation continues.

Always eager to wring as much money out of a concept as it can before leaving its lifeless body to latch onto the next popular fad, Hollywood keeps making more movies about penguins.

And I'd actually have a really good rant going here if all these penguin movies weren't all so frickin' awesomely well done!

Surf's Up is beautiful, clever, awe-inspiring, and remarkably... dignified for a movie about an eXtrEmE sport. Jeff Bridges and Shia LaBeouf do an amazing job bringing a hearfelt, realistic, and unrehearsed-sounding warmth to the two main characters, and although the story itself is similar to countless other sport-competition movies that have come before it, the film is so stylishly executed that it really doesn't matter.


... Oh, and also, there's otter wiener in it. (kind of)

In the Furry Community Art is...

... valued more for "Name" and popular content: rather than style, originality, and skill.

... something people are expected to do for less than minimum wage: unlike the real world.

... less valuable if there's no detailed "moneyshot".

... in the "content saftey zone" ninty percent of the time.

... riddled with unshared secrets: while big name industry level artists are willing to share information.

... allowed to lack any form of proper composition, anatomy, proportions, and color theory.

... often an escape that can turn into a form of torment if the artist isn't careful.

... strongly influenced by the lowest bidders and the loudest voices.

... often overlooked.

... Caged.

---

So here's a meme going around that has it's heart in the right place -- but when I saw it, I couldn't help but disagree with most of its points. I don't disagree totally... just mostly.

I can understand the frustration a lot of artists feel when they work so hard improving their craft, spending hours and hours laboring over beautifully rendered masterpieces; only to find that their artwork doesn't even generate a fourth of the response, or sell for very high compared to ink-and-marker drawings of explicit porn. However, I don't believe the reason this happens is because "furries are a bunch of perverted sex-crazed cheapskates who don't appreciate good art when they see it" -- even though that is, in fact, a true statement.

I think it has more to do with the fact that the furry fandom isn't an "art" fandom -- it's a "fantasy" fandom. When the average furry sees a piece of furry artwork, their response isn't determined by how skillfully the art is executed, but rather how well the piece as a whole resonates with their own fantasies. When you look at the fandom with this in mind, things become clearer: even though the level of craft is certainly a factor in the popularity of a piece, it's not the biggest factor. Content is.

I don't consider this a problem. Naturally I'm more apt to respond more to a quick-and-dirty sketch of a big sleazy badger than an elaborately rendered painting of a gorilla in a misty forest: I like badgers better than I like gorillas. It doesn't mean that the gorilla painting has less 'value', or that I can't appreciate it in a different way... but if I had choose between buying the two, the badger is going to 'do more' for me in the long run than the gorilla. The artists who are most popular are the ones whose works can resonate with the majority of the fandom, and at least have a competent level of skill in order to do that.

I, for one, like the fact that technical skill isn't the overriding factor in the popularity of furry art -- and not just because that means I can make a 'name' for myself without having to draw and paint like Dark Natasha or Heather Bruton. I like it because it allows more people to actively participate creatively in the fandom and makes for a more 'accessible' community. When I discovered the fandom over a decade ago, at which time you could go to a furry con and decide to display your work in the art show that very day without a reservation, I was elated that there was a means for me to express my own furry identity, even though I wasn't an industry-level artist, and I was glad to see how others expressed their identities regardless of their skill level. This was way before the days of huge online furry art galleries -- heck, I didn't even have internet access back then. I got a lot of much needed positive feedback from those gallery showings, not necessarily because my art was crafted well, but because something there had 'connected' with viewers on a fundamentally furry level. That's what people were responding to. (And it wasn't even porn.) So I wouldn't want to impose a restriction that says, "You must be this skillful in order to display your work," because I think that goes against what furry community is about.

Because "fantasy" is what furry artists really deal in, and not "skill/originality/style", it's no wonder that furry porn is inexorably linked to the fandom. Because walking, talking, humanoid animals don't exist, only creative works of fantasy like art and writing can fulfill our basest furry desires -- it's the only way we can scratch that itch. And just like low-budget porn films will generate as much revenue as well-crafted art-house films, pictures of ejaculating furries that aren't well-drawn will generate as much response as a beautiful paintings that don't involve sex. It's simple human nature. (This would be a time where I could go on a crusade for well-crafted art-house porn and beautiful paintings of ejaculating furries, but I'll put that aside for now. At least there are instances of the latter.)

Where I think most people go wrong is that they judge all furry art with the same criteria. They determine for themselves how much value a certain piece has, by their own definitions of what art should be. (Which, all too often, is exactly the same as 'what they like.') Different pieces of art try to do different things and exist for different purposes, so you can't measure them all the same -- it's like a movie reviewer who doesn't like 'Happy Feet' because it isn't like 'Pan's Labyrinth'. (I happen to like them both the same.) So why do we compare pen-and-marker pinups and elaborate paintings when they're about different things entirely? Why do we compare the popularity of porn against non-porn? Both have their uses.

So just so I'm thorough, here's some additional comments:

... valued more for "Name" and popular content: rather than style, originality, and skill.
Artists become brand names, just like corporations do in the rest of consumer society, and that's just a symptom of consumer culture. As for the rest, I think I pretty well covered it.

... something people are expected to do for less than minimum wage: unlike the real world.
I don't expect any artist to charge less than he/she thinks their art is worth. What complicates the matter is that furrydom is mainly a "hobbyist" fandom... Lots of artists sell their wares knowing full well that they're getting pennies an hour doing it, and they do it anyway, so the "market price" of a print, sketch, etc. seems to go down. What people have to realize is that there's no real "market price" at all, only individual artists deciding how much they're willing to part with their own work.

... less valuable if there's no detailed "moneyshot".
Not 'less valuable', only 'less popular'. The furry market is like a porn-mag store sitting next to a mall-art gallery, and somebody tore down the wall between the two. Which side do you think is going to be more crowded, and how can you expect to go in there with a painting of lilies and expect the majority to respond?

... in the "content safety zone" ninty percent of the time.
I don't really know what this one is getting at... There's plenty of stuff here that seems to be outside the majority's "content safety zone," which always seems to be the subject of endless debates and flamewars.

... riddled with unshared secrets: while big name industry level artists are willing to share information.
What secrets? Why wasn't I told about these things? O.=.O

... often an escape that can turn into a form of torment if the artist isn't careful.
I'll agree... but I have no idea if my reasons are even related to the reasons the original writer intended.

... strongly influenced by the lowest bidders and the loudest voices.
That's 'cause artists are weak people. I know this from experience. Don't be weak!

To the artists who feels that the general skill level of furry art needs to be raised: Do your part and lead by example. Raise your own skill level and thusly the furry-wide average. It is on a slow rise already, and has been that way for the last 10 years, as evidenced by convention artshows (which are still unrestrictive). Since the fandom is expanding so fast, more and more top-notch artists will appear (at least the ones who can deal with us). The main reason why I've praised and purchased sub-standard furry art -- say, for instance, of badgers -- is mostly due to the fact that there really isn't a whole lot of good badger art out there to choose from! So you get it when you can. When lots of awesome artists draw big male eurasian badgers the way I like to see 'em... I could then afford to be a bit more selective.

DRAW BADGERS!

If you're being an asshole to all the other assholes on the internet... Even if they are totally and completely wrong and you are totally and completely right...

...You are, in fact, still an asshole.