I have just spent the weekend at Midwest Furfest 2009, which has been my first furry convention ever. It was an absolutely fantastic, brilliant, and magical time for me.

The spirit and atmosphere and energy of it was wonderful to experience and immerse myself in for those few days, and now that it's over the rest of the world feels just a little bit less bright by comparison. Everything about being there just felt warm and accepting and fluffy and safe and happy. Life seems to have these little pieces missing from it now, holes in the shapes of fursuits, glowsticks, and complete strangers hugging each other. Everything outside is less warm and fuzzy. Less playful. There are fewer rainbows around, and more angry red 'marriage = man + woman' bumper stickers. The con felt awesome, and in a number of ways, like a little taste of what a perfect world really -should- feel like in terms of how warm and accepting and fun-loving everybody was.

I made new friends, met several online friends in person for the first time, deepened several existing friendships, saw a lot of wonderful art, bought and commissioned some for myself, went dancing, further chased off the shyness I've dealt with for most of my life, laughed more often and harder than I have for quite some time, gave money to an animal rescue charity, and attended various panels where I learned some really neat things about various animals and the sociology and history of the furry fandom itself.

Walking out to my car and taking a few last looks over my shoulder at the hotel I teared up. Watching everyone pack up and leave, watching the magical, awesome little world we'd created for ourselves for the weekend start to dissipate, and seeing us all go our separate ways dressed as 'normal' people again was hard to cope with. I guess that's what the veterans call post-con depression.

All the tails, ears, and wings, everything that makes us who we are, are still there though. They just get a little harder to see once we leave the con.

!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/.....ne/8355287.stm

We've been spotted! By the BBC no less. I'd welcome other people's thoughts but overall it feels to me like they've been pretty fair and truthful about us, and not just fallen into the trap of sensationalism that so many do. Obviously I'm not thrilled that it's a court case that brought it to light, but furs are just as much people as anybody else with all the usual failings.

Thanks to  Zelandeth for pointing me toward this.

Stolen from  loverofbalto

What name do you go by?
Doran Eirok, or just Doran for short.

What's your 'species'?
Dragon!

Are you a fursuiter?
Not as yet. Maybe someday. I do have wings and a tail though that I expect to be wearing most of the time.

Which hotel are you staying at?
Main one.

Which days are you going?
Arriving Thursday evening lateish, staying until Monday.

Where are you coming to the con from?
Iowa City, IA.

How are you getting there?
Driving myself in my awesome bright red hawtness of a car.

Are you taking part in any events or panels?
Nope, but will be attending everything I possibly can as a spectator. ^^

Single or taken?
Taken! By Sir Not Appearing In This Con though, sadly. That Atlantic Ocean thing keeps getting in the way.

Can I say hello to you?
Absolutely! I'm eager to meet new awesome people. :)

Can I follow you around?
Depending on the nature and duration of the following. I'm a con noob myself so I'll be clinging to other people and following THEM around as is, most likely.

Can I take pictures with you?
Don't see why not! Just let me know where they end up and let me see them because I'll want copies too!

Can I buy you a drink?
Unless you're somebody I already know and trust a great deal, no.

Can I pet you?
Give me a little warning and have clean paws (which is sound advice at a con regardless) but generally yes, random pets are a good way to befriend this dragon. ^^

Can I grope you?
No.

Can I pull your loincloth down or reach my paw in there?
Emphatically no.

Can I hug you?
Again, a lil warning is nice and don't have like, pizza grease paws or something, but yes. I consider myself a very huggable dragon.

Can I pick you up?
If I come back from the con with my head having been removed by a ceiling fan, you will be hunted down vengefully. I know people.

Can I go on a date you?
Date dates, no. I'm happy to make new friends though, so I would accept things along the lines of 'hey do you want to grab some lunch together?'

What should I not do around you?
Nothing sexual, nothing disrespectful, and generally no shouting or drama or being mean or whatnot. I'm a big dragon, if I do something to offend you I respond well to it being handled in a calm, mature manner. Like most people I assume, I'm going to MFF to have fun. So let's all keep sight of that. ^..^

Alright alright, I've been tagged by two people now so why not. ^..^ As memes go it's not too bad. I'm not tagging anyone though because I defy stuff. Rar!

So 8 true (and presumably interesting) things about myself:

1. I've lived in the US all my life but when I graduate from grad school in another year and a half or so I'm moving to the UK.
2. I'm left-handed.
3. My dad is an entomologist, meaning he studies insects. So I grew up with my family always having interesting dinner conversation topics. ^^
4. I'm a geographer, which is awesome but does NOT mean I spend all my time memorizing what the capitals of obscure countries are. That's why we make maps, so we don't HAVE to remember all that.
5. I've been drawing as far back as my memory goes, but my humble beginnings usually involved stick figures having massively intricate laser battles with each other.
6. The wacky duality of my personality is exhibited well in the fact that I collect both replica medieval swords and plushies.
7. I was a dragon and had an online presence for maybe five or six years before I even heard of the furry community.
8. I grew up in Michigan which means I don't understand why seawater has to taste so gross and salty, and that whenever I'm trying to describe a geographic location I hold up my hand and struggle to contort it into the shape of the region in question. It doesn't work so well for locations outside Michigan unfortunately.

My wonderful new icon is a commission by  Snapai and I loves it. ^..^ Full version can be seen in all its horrible cuteness here: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/2535381/

I know it's quite a ways off yet, but I am planning to attent Midwest FurFest this November and am very excited for it. It'll be my first fur con, eee! I'm really looking forward to it and wondering who else I might bump into there that I know. :)

Same-sex marriage is now legal in Iowa.

http://www.press-citizen.com/articl.....rriage%20legal

"The arc of the universe is long but it bends toward justice." --Martin Luther King Jr.

...where by 'mad' I mean 'angry.'

I'm in Las Vegas currently at the annual meeting of the Association of American Geographers. It's going well so far, if a bit awkward and lonely but I think that's true of me and professional/academic conference settings regardless of anything else. And what I'm being scientifically angry about is global change.

It's a big issue with me, I'll make that clear right now, and one of a very few that it's possible for me to get pretty worked up about. The massive gulf of perception on it between the scientific community and, apparently, the entire rest of the world continues to baffle me. I'm a scientist, I'm a graduate student, and I spent more or less every day being exposed to scientific research proving beyond any doubt in any sensible person's mind that human-caused global change is an indisputable fact. The only uncertainty remains in the details of how it will change things at local scales, how quickly and how severely.

To what feels sometimes like the rest of the world, global change remains an alarmist myth, a bunch of hysterical babbling intellectuals flailing their arms in the air trying to get attention without knowing what they're talking about. I think the reason for tthis can be traced to two things; a) the people in power who have an interest in maintaining the status quo and would be forced to change their ways (and possibly make less money) are generally the kind of people who have become very effective at spinning issues and swaying public opinion, and b) the scientific community is particularly weak against this because it generally has never done a good job of communicating effectively to the public.

Laypeople have become convinced that the uncertainty -demanded- by a valid expression of the scientifi process simply means that scientists don't know anything. They have also allowed themselves to be grossly misled about what global change (previously referred to as global warming) means. The term 'global warming' refers to worldwide average temperature increase, not a uniform increase at all locations and times. Global change instead carries predictions of a much higher degree of -uncertainty- and more extreme weather events across the planet. As such, the argument that global change can't be real because 'last winter it was really cold/snowy' represents a complete and utter failure to pay ANY attention to what's being said by scientists or attempt to correctly understand it. And I'm likely to pounce and maul the next person who lobs that piece of nonsense at me.

The scientific truth, which thank you very much has been arrived at and continues to be arrived at by a structured, empirical, and logical process of thinking and discovery, is that global change will happen, is happening, is in part a natural process but is being significantly and dangerously exacerbated by human activity, and is already beginning to manifest notable changes to our world. The strong possibilities are that our ways of life and especially those of our children and grandchildren are going to have to change to adapt, and the sooner we as a society can get our heads around that the better we'll be able to cope with it. What infuriates me is that we already have the solutions to these problems, we know what needs to be done to adapt to, prepare for, and mitigate the effects of our changing world, but we won't because our heads are stubbornly stuffed in the sand. Firmly enough that I'm beginning to worry more and more just how hard reality is going to have to bite us in our exposed and unguarded rear before we start paying attention. As alarming as the predictions and cascading effects of global change are, they don't scare half as much as human stubbornness and apathy. It is this that's the real problem, the real danger.

As a scientist (and a fluffy I'm-OK-you're-OK idealist) I hold on to a kind of nervous hopefulness that the human spirit and potential will win out and we'll get shaken up a little but ultimately pull together and adapt and get through it all just fine. But at the same time as more and more people tell me it can't be a problem because they got a lot of snow last winter, I'm also left with a feeling of grim resignation that all I can do is my best as a scientist and try to spread and advance knowledge a little, while otherwise sitting back and watching and waiting to see how much the world will need to burn before people can admit it's getting a bit warm.

Reposted from  blotch's journal. Seemed like a good thing to spread the word about!

The Snow Leopard Trust (www.snowleopard.org) is hosting a fundraiser to benefit snow leopards and you can help too! All you have to do is sign up (http://www.snowleopard.org/news/cur.....-snow-leopards) for their eNews letter--simple, right? For every person who signs up, $2 will be donated from the Kearsley Fund to the Snow Leopard Trust, for a maximum of 3,000 new subscribers! What does that mean? By simply signing up and spreading the word, you can do a small part to get $6000 donated to the Snow Leopard Trust, which has been working to preserve these animals in the wild for over 25 years.

The number of subscribers has recently doubled from 400 to 800, due to a large part of people spreading the message over DeviantArt, but you know what? I bet here on FA we can double that number again. So, spread the word and sign up for the news letter! There's no cost to you!
In exchange for a few moments of your time, an email address and hopefully telling a friend, you can help the Snow Leopard Trust!

Snow Leopards are a large and secretive cat native to the mountain ranges of Central Asia. There are an estimated wild population of 4,000 to 7,500 animals left, and in 1972 the Snow Leopard was placed on the Red List as Endangered. They are still illegally poached and their habitat is slowly diminishing, but they are a good candidate to survive if steps are taken. The Snow Leopard Trust works to help the big cats by protecting their environments and involving local communities in this effort, while also researching snow leopards. They believe the best conversation starts with good science, and through understanding this elusive predator, we can do better to save them.

So donate $2 for free! Make a journal post and spread the word! This is an easy way to make a serious difference!

(http://www.snowleopard.org/news/cur.....-snow-leopards)

1. Being Gay Is Not Natural

And real Americans always reject unnatural things like eyeglasses, polyester, and air conditioning, tattoos, piercings and silicon breasts...

2. Gay Marriage Will Encourage People To Be Gay

In the same way that hanging around tall people will make you tall.

3. Legalizing Gay Marriage Will Open The Door To All Kinds Of
Crazy Behavior

People may even wish to marry their pets because a dog has
legal standing and can sign a marriage contract. Lamps are next.

4. Straight Marriage Has Been Around A Long Time And Hasn't Changed At All

Hence why women are still property, blacks still can't marry whites, and divorce is still illegal.

5. Straight Marriage Will Be Less Meaningful If Gay Marriage Were Allowed

And we can't let the sanctity of Britney Spears' 55-hour just-for-fun marriage be destroyed.

6. Straight Marriages Are Valid Because They Produce Children

So therefore, gay couples, infertile couples, and old people shouldn't be allowed to marry because our population isn't out of control, our orphanages aren't full yet, and the world needs more children.

7. Obviously Gay Parents Will Raise Gay Children

Since, of course, straight parents only raise straight children.

8. Gay Marriage Is Not Supported By Religion

In a theocracy like ours, the values of one religion are imposed on the entire country. That's why we have only one religion in America.

9. Children Can Never Succeed Without A Male And A Female Role Model

Which is exactly why we as a society expressly forbid single parents to raise children.

10. Gay Marriage Will Change The Foundation Of Society; We Could Never Adapt To New Social Norms

Just like we haven't adapted to cars, the service-sector economy, or longer life spans.

Repost This If You Think LOVE Makes A Marriage!

---

Reposted from  min's Min's journal.


The really frustrating part is that in general, the people so firmly against any sort of gay rights and equal treatment don't feel the way they do because they actually have a logical, rational reason for it. It's all about emotion and feeling, things that make people adamantly refuse to change their mind about something no matter how many sound, logical arguments you throw at them. So all the points that they make (which are refuted one by one in this journal) are just frantic grabs for anything they can get to try and pretend they actually have some kind of defensible reason for feeling the way they do.

Snaffled from Dragonsintheattic and thought hey, been a while since I did anything with this journal so why not.

'Fursona' Name:
Doran Eirok

Sex:
Male

Sexual Preference:
Just follow my heart wherever it leads. But am taken anyway now so it's kind of a moot question. ^^

Role Preference:
Submissive

Defining Marks:
Nothing in particular that stands out beyond normal appearance.

Special Characteristics:
- Most of body is covered in fine, soft scales, except for the face, paws, and underside of tail and torso which is a soft leathery hide of the same color.
- The silver floof all down my neck and back is feathers. At my head they're long and a bit stiff, similar to a bird's wing feathers, and act as a bit of a rudder in flight. It can also be lifted or laid flat to convey emotion, usually in concert with my ears. The feathers down my neck and back are shorter and very soft, essentially downy.
- In times of great need I do sort of have a breath weapon, the ability to channel light magic into a powerful bolt of searing silvery blue energy. This pretty much never sees use though 'cause I'm a friendly dragon.
- Paws are very slightly oversized for cuteness, probably owing to some genetic heritage from an ancestor dragon from a more northerly climate. Larger paws and floof as adaptations to the snow and cold.
- There's also some ancestral lineage from water dragons though that isn't expressed physically so much.

Misc. Details:
- Green eyes
- Posable, expressive ears
- Small triangular silver tailspade
- soft black pawpads
- four horns, all with an upward angle about halfway out. Top set of horns are maybe twice as long as the lower pair.
- Small silver nose horn, adapted for use by some as a shopping bag hook (see scraps).
- lil fluffy beard tuft

Canon Forms(Canon forms are any form that your fursona can assume that they are actually capable of assuming):
Really just my usual quadropedal dragon form, which stands about 7 feet tall and 14 from nose to tailtip. The anthro form I depict myself as is something I enjoy and use for interaction with human-sized furs and anthros and the human-sized world, but if we're being technical I don't have any innate ability to transform between the two.

Non-Canon Forms(Non-Canon forms are any form that your fursona can assume that isn't actually something they can do):
Well really anything, always curious to try new forms, but the ones I actually use from time to time... first and formost, anthroDoran. There are a few pictures of me as such. For when I want to interact with human-sized people and a human-oriented world and wear clothes and serve as a parallel for things I'd actually do as a human in this life. Other forms I've been known to sometimes appear as include Doran as a faerie dragon (pictured in my gallery somewhere), Doran as a plushie, Doran as a Dragon Booster style racing dragon (also pictured), and very occassionally a gray anthro wolf when I'm feeling like trying out being a more proper 'furry.'

Fursona Origin (How you came to making them and certain differences from the original version):
The form of Doran originated out of my own mind, and I feel is really the true identity of who I am in every way beyond the physical. It's evolved some since I first envisioned myself, adapting with new ideas on what really feels right to me. At first I had dark blue spines instead of feathers, larger scales, and no paw pads. Over time I softened up my form just a little as the spines and large scales started to feel less right to me, being more of a snuggly friendly dragon and less of a rarry killingstuff one. Also from just meeting more dragons and making friends and being exposed to the great variety and diversity that dragons offer, and realizing that dragons come in more flavors than spikey and scaley. The paws being padded and slightly larger also developed out of exposure to the idea of pads on other dragons and deciding I liked them, along with generally the advent of deciding I quite liked paws and wanting mine to be just a bit special and distinctive in some subtle way.

Anything Else You'd Like to Add:
Not much I can think of! I like myself and I like my dragon form. It feels right to me in a deep spiritual way that my human self doesn't quite as much, though I'm content with that too for the time being. I'm happy enjoying life any way I can have it and am not one to complain. ^..^

Wooo! Very happy and excited that FA is finally back. We missed you!

The embarrassing part is that I've had kind of an art block for a while now and... haven't actually drawn anything new in all the time it's been down. I'll see if I can't fix that soon.

tagged by  maksio5

Sure I'll bite, why not. ^..^ I'll consider it penance for not drawing/posting anything in a while. Though I haven't played Brawl and dunno the exact system so it'll be a little interpretive.


-=[ Your Character in Brawl meme ]=-

Point is that you name (and explain) the Special moves and Final Smash move that your character would do if he were in brawl.


Standard Special Move(closeby): Tail Grab: Sidestep an attack and curl tail around the attacker, briefly ensnaring them and using their own momentum to pull them close and down toward the ground. Then give 'em a quick stomp with a hind paw, doing some damage before releasing them.


Side Special Move(faraway): Light Column: Leap into the air and hover a few feet off the ground, breathing a brief but intense and searing column of blue-white light at the enemy, doing a fair amount of damage but not pushing them back.

Upwards Special Move(in the air): Air Stomp: In mid-jump, aim hind paws downward and drop straight down, stomping on an opponent directly below with hind paws, doing some damage and knocking them down.


Down Special Move(crouching): Tail Whip: From a crouch, twist and lash out with tail at enemy leg level, tripping them and knocking them backward while causing damage.

Final Smash(fatality): Ultimate Stomp: Rears up on hind legs, entire body starts glowing with a blue-silver light. Grows larger, roughly doubling in size, then lifts a hind paw over opponent. Then.. stomp stomp twist grind stomp twist stomp stomp stomp stomp grind stomp twist stomp stomp.....

I just thought I should say something to this effect. Contrary to what lots of people on FA do, and what's maybe even the expected norm, I don't know, I don't tend to be a person who leaves shouts on other people's userpages thanking them for watches or favorites. To set the record straight: this does not mean I don't care or am not grateful. Mostly it just means I'm shy and am most comfortable being unobtrusive.

To everybody who's watched me or favorite'd a work of mine, I am really grateful. Thank you. :) You all make me feel welcome and appreciated and I'm very happy if I can do a work that makes other people smile and like it enough to remember it.

So to all of you, rather than shouting 'thanks for the fave!' on a bunch of different userpages, I'll just say a heartfelt thank you here and hope it gets heard by those it's for. ^..^

Where would any artist be without their inspiration? Mine has come from a lot of different places, but one that I think is particularly worthy of note is the stories that my dear friend Azakir has written. Azakir is one of my longest and closest friends and has written a number of stories, largely fantasy and science fiction. I haven't yet done any fan art specifically from his writings, but it'll probably happen sometime. In the meantime the themes and emotions he puts to paper have done much to soldify my feelings on many things in life, dragons not least.

Azakir's writings, humor, and other odds and ends can be found on Sanctuary: http://www.virkoloth.eclipse.co.uk/

I've peeked around Fur Affinity for a while now, and just decided to go ahead and join up properly and post my more recent artwork. In the first three hours or so since joining I've already been fairly overwhelmed with kind and helpful comments from various people and had several of my pieces favorited (yes, it can be a verb if I say so). I'd just like to say thank you to all of you, it's given me a warm feeling about this place and been a considerable boost to my ego to find such a friendly response. Looking forward to being here!