Lot has happened since i updated nearly 2 years ago. Art laptop died, built a new art computer, and am back to knocking out my backlog of commission work. Not on here nearly as much.

Where are you staying?

Far North Dallas


What day are you getting there?

Thursday, March 28


How are you traveling?

Commuting, might take a train, otherwise by car.


Who will you be rooming with?

 beardsy


What is the best way to find you?

twitter, telegram, tumblr, instagram, or the guidebook app


Are there any panels/events you might be attending?

Sooo so many good panels, Have to hit up the Furry Psychology panel for sure


What do you look like?

http://www.furaffinity.net/view/28055738/ working on arm sleeves now.


Will you be suiting?

partial.


Do you do trades?

No.


Do you do commissions?

Yes, but I have a backlog to work thru first.


What is your gender?

Male.


How tall are you?

6'2


Can I talk to you?

Yes!


Can I touch you?

I demand ALL the hugs!!!


Can I visit your room?

You want to come to my home?!? O.O


Can I buy you drinks?

Heck yeah!


Can I give you stuff?

Wait, is this a trap?


Can I hug or snuggle with you?

It IS a Trap! And you fell for it! *steals all the hugs*


Are you nice?

I ain't a mean ol' wolf.


Do you have an artist table?

Nope!


Will you be going to parties?

Will definitely have to check em out.


Will you be performing?

Nope! No way!


If I see you, how should I get your attention?

Say "PEZ!!!" or hug me!


Where will you be most of the time during the day/s?

EVERYWHERE!!! ***FOMO INTENSIFIES*** Will try to spend some extra time at the Yingmeet 2019 with all  ZheEnclave.


Can I come with you for food and/or fun?

Company is always appreciated.


Can I look in your sketchbook?

Definitely!


Can I draw in your sketchbook?

If you can draw, then knock yourself out!


Can I take your picture?

Heck yeah!


What's your goal(s) for the con this year?

As Shakira / Gazelle said in Zootopia, "Try Everything"

SFW

https://pezwolf.tumblr.com/ 
https://twitter.com/PezWolf 
https://aminoapps.com/c/furry-amino.....1aj3Roe8eaR5rJ
https://www.instagram.com/pezwolf/
https://patreon.com/pezwolf
https://pezwolf.sofurry.com/
https://beta.furrynetwork.com/PezWolf

both SFW & NSFW (these are the ones I am most active on)

https://picarto.tv/PezWolf
http://www.furaffinity.net/user/pezwolf/
https://www.deviantart.com/pezwolf

In light of the recent mass exodus of Tumblr, I figured I may as well get on the bandwagon of announcing my various sites as well. I am not really affected by the new Tumblr policy since I made an effort to keep it SFW. Except for the Patreon account which gets updated first, all the other SFW sites are nit or miss as far as updates. I don't even know how to use Furry Network, but Posty Birb makes an occasional update there so *shrugs*. the SFW / NSFW sites I personally curate and are the best places to see my art. And if you want to reach out to me, HMU on Telegram as well.

Posted using PostyBirb

So my partner went to another court hearing today. District Attorney said he needed 2 more months, was not ready to telease evidence to our attorneys, didn't have a settlement offer, and wanted to speak with the "victims" family first. That word didn't sit well with my wife, as she IS the victim. As a final "How do you", the D.A. then demanded my wife shut down her GoFundMe, which she promptly complied with the request. Just in case anyone was wondering what happened to that.

Furry Ambassador
June 2018
Ino 89777

If you know what is a Dutch Angel Dragon , what is the first thing to come to mind? Unless you have a Dutch Angel Dragon of your own, most likely, you’ll first think of Telephone. Deanna Biesemeyer, also known as  Ino89777 (or “Ino”), is responsible for the concept of the Dutch Angel Dragon species and the creator of the iconic character "Telephone". Ino runs  skyprofursuits and is married to  DraconicArcher aka Cerros, the owner of the dragon "Radio". Ino is arguably one of the most recognizable furries in the fandom through her character Telephone. She has made appearances at various conventions over the years and has been a Guest of Honor at  azfurcon Arizona Fur Con 2013 and 2015,  confurgence ConFurgence 2015, Anthro Northwest 2017 and Texas Furry Fiesta 2018. She has also been hosting multiple panels as guest of honor at furry conventions such as Alamo City Furry Invasion 2017.

For those of you who don’t know what’s a Dutch Angel Dragon, the Dutch Angel Dragon,  angeldragons (or “DutchAD” or “DAD”), is a species of dragon created by Ino herself. According to Dutch Angel Dragons website, two things are needed to qualify a DutchAD: ”their physical appearance and their lore. They are a species of dragon that ALL have the following physical traits: horse-like anatomy, feathered wings, no genitalia or digestive tract (in fact they also lack other major organs found in earthly beings), long ears, and fur coats. As a brief summary of their lore, they are supernatural beings similar to poltergeists or ghosts. They walk among us invisible, as guardian angels. These dragons live on a higher dimensional plane of existence and manipulate energy in various ways to grant them physical capabilities such as flight or elemental powers and can use energy to allow themselves to interface with people and objects.”

Contender Category: Protect Citizens & Support Prosperity

Ino has been an avid contributor to the furry community, both through her positive & friendly attitude, and also through offering help and consolidation for people in need. An example of this occurred recently at the Biggest Little Furry Con 2018. A detailed story can be read here. Long story short, a 10-year-old girl, Emma the Tiger, was bullied for wearing a Maskimal and was made to not feel welcome. Emma’s father wanted to prove to his daughter that everyone loves her and wanted to make a video for her. Instagram user xrainbowdawnx spoke with the father and blasted #BringEmmaBack2018 on social media. Through an outpouring of fan art, invites, and kind words, Emma the Tiger was brought back by her parents to an organized photo shoot, organized by Ino specifically for Emma the Tiger, letting Emma the Tiger know that she is welcome at the convention and to have a memorable experience in the furry community.

photo (C) Twitter user Birdburrr

Ino has done a lot of work for charities. At RMFC 2013, she filled a jar in 10 minuets for a charity, Freedom Service Dogs. At MFF 13, Telephone helped  kagemushi aka Uncle Kage and 2 Griffons with the charity auction. In addition, Ino donated a Fox fursuit head to the tumblr blog F Yeah Fursuiting, for a charity raffle, with the charity being Copper’s Dream Animal Rescue. For another example of her work charity work within the community one need to look no further than Anthro New England 2017, where Telephone again walked the floors collecting donations from convention goers.

How did Ino inspire you personally with the furry fandom?

A Hollywood filmmaker and DutchAD by the name Renn is currently working on a documentary about creative souls in the furry fandom, with Ino as a star. “...she was the ray of light through the clouds for me. She’s the person who really got me started being part of the fandom. I didn’t want to be a dog or a cat or any domesticated animal. I wanted to be something unique and i also didn’t want my character to be sexualized. So the idea of making a Dutch Angel Dragon was what I wanted to do and I’m really here thanks to her.”
And in case you’re wondering, Renn’s documentary is estimated to be released at the Anthro Northwest Film Festival 2019.

When asked if Ino should or should not be a Furry Ambassador, Uncle Kage said ”Absolutely no reason why she should not, and every reason why she should.”

In Summary

Ino has made “Dutch Angel Dragon” to be arguably as widespread and as well known as “Sergal”. Ino continues to have a huge involvement in the furry community, with making suits, and attending cons both big and small. As exhausting as it may be to be that well known, we commend Ino for all the blood, sweat, and tears she has put into this fandom. Thank you for helping to make the furry fandom an awesome place for everyone!

 ShardofConfusion is an artist and creator of the web comic Chasing Bolide, found HERE.

To date, Shard has been doing all of his art for free. Shard is a Navy veteran and has been living modestly on his disability pay from Veterans Affairs. Shard has been using art as a means of self therapy. Due to a recent turn of events with the V.A. reducing his disability pay, Shard is now having to seek out alternative methods for supplementing his reduced income.

Over the years, Shard’s art has improved considerably, to the point where he is proficient enough to be able to take commissions for his work. That being said, Shard continues to use the same outdated equipment as he did when he first started. Shard of Confusion has been unable to take any commissions for his art to date, due to concerns that his outdated equipment is vulnerable to a data security breach.

This campaign is to raise the funds to purchase a respectable machine for Shard of Confusion to not only be able to go professional as an artist and conduct business without a reasonable fear of a data breach, but also to be proactive in replacing his current equipment before it finally gives up the spirit and gives the blue screen of death.

Any help, either by donating HERE or by signal boosting would be greatly appreciated!

Edit: 2 months later and $500 of the $1500 goal was met. A check has been mailed to Shard so that he can purchase a good refurbished computer to get a machine that he can confidently use to go pro. Big shout out to  ZheEnclave for raising all of the funds!

First off, thank you so much, each and everyone of you who has donated money, donated time and or art, spread the word, and even those of you who are keeping us in your thoughts and prayers. I'm actually somewhat overwhelmed with the sheer amount of support from everybody. I would love to give each and every one of you a hug, if it were possible.

That being said, what I will be doing is giving art to everyone who has donated financially. Think of it as doubling as commissions. Those of you who have already donated, feel free to reach out to me via PM and let me know what you want. I'll add y'all to the list.

As far as an update, we were able to sell one of my wife's photography cameras to get an extra $600 to meet the $2,500 minimum requirement to get the lawyers to start working her case.

We've signed a 10 month payment plan to pay the remaining $2500 retainer fee, which comes to $250 a month. And that is if we DON'T go to trial, which could be upwards of another $5K. So that puts us right now at approximately 25% of goal.

Also, my wife has gone to a mental health counselor this last week and was diagnosed with severe Depression, severe Anxiety, and EXTREME PTSD. We've started a complete overhaul of her medications to try to get this under control, but in the meantime, she is not eating or sleeping with any regularity.

Also, the first court date of May 4th has come and passed with little to show for it, The way the lawyers explained it was basically she checks in on a monthly basis to show she is not a flight risk.

And this post would be remiss without the link.

Furry Ambassador
May 2018
NIIC the Singing Dog

If you ever walk down the streets of Philadelphia, and if you happen to spot a green and white dog singing and dancing on a stage, chances are it might be NIIC the Singing Dog.  NIIC, which is pronounced “nice”, is an anthropomorphic akita inu character created by Kyle McCarthy in early 2013. The name NIIC originated from a husky of a relative named Nicki, and the main color of green was chosen to express his own lively personality. Describing himself as a one-dog band, NIIC has made a splash in Philadelphia's music scene and has performed on several live events such as Outfest 2016 and The Cave at Temple University. In this way, NIIC is showcasing the musical creativity that is present in the furry fandom with an assortment of original songs. NIIC mainly focuses on creating Indie-pop music with a synthesized electro-rock beat and provides the songs with his own up-beat vocals.

“...Over these last three years he’s single handedly made furry an accepted culture in Philadelphia. While many of us have done what we could to help bring furries into the public light ... he literally will go and perform in fursuit at local events, bars, parties, and just general non-furry related community events where he’ll be asked by organizers to show up because he’s become such a well-known figure in Philadelphia. If it wasn’t for his constant interactions with the public I doubt if we’d be this well accepted by Philadelphia residents, and mind you this is not a small city, it’s among the largest in the country.” –  noose357 aka Ezra Robles

However, through touring and performing at furry conventions and venues across the US, NIIC has created a platform for his music that reaches further than the city of Philadelphia. Below is a transcript of NIIC when asked about what it's like being greeted by Pittsburgh at Anthrocon 2017: “I think it's fantastic... In working with these guys and bringing the city together... is all awesome. I love that the city is behind us and supporting what we're doing... all work together and make sure... we bring everyone, even outside of the fuzzy stuff [furry fandom] and bring them in on it. I think it's all gonna be fun for everyone, not just us.”

Many of the songs that NIIC performs have been written and scored by himself, as well as performed live. Some of which are created directly to the furry fandom, such as Let's Run (Flash Hound) and arguably his most famous composition Paws to the Walls. NIIC is also credited with providing the theme music for the furry themed graphic novel game Major/Minor, contributing with original and relatively complex music to the game. NIIC also takes song commissions, which lets his fans be directly involved in his song making process, and many of these are publicly available.

Regular live performances are a staple of NIIC the Singing Dog's persona, and touring across the United States has already left a mark on the music scene. This catches the attention of the crowds with his unique appearance, and keeps hold of their attention with his high energy personality. It has been proven to transfer well onto the stage, as several associates can attest to:

“I have been friends and have known him for past couple of years. NIIC is a big sweet heart, he is very active in his local community, putting on public performances and being out and about at events … He puts the fandom in a positive spot light when he is out performing, he has done events that benefit the local animal rescues and SPCAs.”

NIIC has been able to bring more acceptance to the fandom in the mainstream. Why do you think he has found success where others have tried and failed?

“I think it is because he started local and is very persistent with events … He is out all the time, sometimes multiple times a week. Last week I met up with him for a bite to eat, he had driven an 30mins [to an] hour just to perform at a telethon benefiting a local dog shelter on a Wednesday night. His work is very influential with younger furs and those new to the fandom … his personality makes him super approachable and his demeanor is that of a dog really lol he is a very happy go lucky kind of guy … He forges that bond between fur suiters/furries and the public.” -  demonlord261

“I’ve know[n] him for a long time. And he’s just a great guy in general. For a while when he did shows he was doing them for free. I don't know of many who would be willing to do that ... He does a lot of performances in Philly. Not many [people] knew what a furry was until then. Primarily, his songs are not directed at furries at all. Veryyy few songs are. But yes, NIIC really is all for his fans. I know some, okay most, popufurs, [that] are very snobbish. He’s not in the least. He will go to [great] lengths for his fans....“ -  Nebulous_Dark

“NIIC and I were both involved with furdelphia raising over $2,000 for Bella Reed Pitbull Rescue. I would imagine he's been involved with other charities as well, but I can only speak to the ones I've directly been involved with.
NIIC lives up to his name. He is not only a kind and supportive friend to all who are in the arts & music of all backgrounds. He has a talent himself that grabs you beyond his appearance...It’s time to recognize a dog in the community that has always been there for us. Showing up to my music video shoot and shows that no one else would when i first started, have stuck with me, and I know he does the same for others.
His talents are reflected by his on and offline support he has...he does differently is he's truly not afraid to be himself, but he isn't going to be in your face about it. He's respectful & patient. Not a lot of people are as well balanced and collected. He can play guitar and whatever instrument he needs while being barely able to see. If that’s not talent, then idk what is.” – Twitter user TheKenzVariety


In Summary:

Through live musical performances, locally and around the US, NIIC the singing dog is doing something very uncommon within the furry community, performing not only for furries at meets or conventions, but more importantly for the fandom's mainstream reputation, performing to the general public at events and festivities not related to the fandom. His positive, energetic, and sincere performances are a shining example of exemplary behavior in the furry fandom. This has had an obvious effect on the city of Philadelphia on how the furry fandom in general is perceived in the city.

“... NIIC brought the idea of furries among non-fur related festivities and such to people all over this city. I can walk down Broad street in fursuit and people might ask me “'Hey you know the green dog?'”. He made furry so generally accepted here and it’s truly an amazing thing. … I truly believe even though he wasn’t looking to make a huge impact, he’s single handedly the furry that made the fandom as accepted as it is in a major US [city] that doesn’t have a convention, and the closest furbowl is almost an hour away.” - Ezra Robles

With an assortment of original songs in his discography, NIIC is inspiring people within and outside the fandom with his upbeat and rock and electronic beats. His musical style is suited to influence a lot of younger furs; but while a few of his songs are directed to the furry community, a majority of his songs are written to be enjoyed by the general public.

“...People have a lot of fun with it, whether it's Philly or whether it's Anthrocon or beyond. It's a really fun thing to get everyone in on.” - NIIC the Singing Dog

NIIC is dedicated and works continuously to bring out the furry fandom's creativity to the outside world. He is showing, through his songs and performances, that there is a lot of talent for music in the fandom, which is a medium that is easy to forget among the fandom's more visual forms of expression. NIIC does fundraising for various animal related charities, as well, he is commited to and sacrifices a lot for his friends. This has made him an excellent candidate for a Furry Ambassador. We thank you for your hard work and wish you the best of luck in your future musical endeavors. Keep being awesome!

Sincerely:  FurryAmbassadors

Going to be doing an art stream from 8 pm to 12 am CST on April 26th, 2018 on Picarto to see if we can drum up any more money for my wife's legal defense fund. It's going to be Pay What You Want, and I'll be willing to draw anything reasonable. Payments to be made at https://www.gofundme.com/iamthevictim1

Note:
- Adult Work depends on request
- No Animation or 3d images
- No Nazi / Alt Furry / Furry Raiders
- No NSFW characters that are minors

Friday, October 13th 2017, my wife was raped by a minor. After going to the police, he said it was consensual, so it became a he said, she said affair. In the state of Texas, when there is a report of sex with a minor, the police are compelled to seek an arrest. Even though the minor is a physically fit football player, and my wife is a disabled woman, she is not an ideal victim because she is an adult and he is a minor. As such, she has suffered from victim shaming and has had a second victimization by the police. The perpetrator is not even being investigated, much less charged.

When my wife reported the rape, she was given free counseling by the state. The counselor turned out to be a Texas Woman's University student, who basically went down the list of questions on the clip board. Not helpful. My employer also offers counseling for free for the first 3 visits, and on the first visit alone, was met by a professional who was able to provide her a number of tools and tricks to help with coping with her PTSD. My wife was also given info on free legal aid provided by the state. To date, she has yet to meet the actual lawyer from legal aid.

My wife has found an excellent lawyer who can give her a fighting chance of not only clearing her name, but also to throw the book at the perpetrator who committed the crime in the first place. But like anything around these parts, if you want something good, you have to pay. A hefty $10,000 attorney fee is beyond our ability to afford, especially after the $2,500 non refundable bail to get my wife out of jail on April 3rd when the sheriffs came by with a warrant. Yes, she is given a public defender if she cannot afford a lawyer of her own, but you get what you pay for.

My wife has started a go fund me to try to come up with the money, for lack of any better option available. It is embarrassing to put this much of our personal information out in the public realm, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

https://www.gofundme.com/iamthevictim1 Here is the link to the go fund me. Any amount that can be donated would be greatly appreciated. Even if we don't hit the lofty $10K goal, if we can at least get to $3K so that we can retain the lawyer to represent us prior to the May 4th court hearing, it's a step in the right direction. I understand not everyone can donate. A signal boost would also greatly be appreciated.

Furry Ambassador
April 2018
Dr. Sharon Roberts

How do furries go wine tasting? (71 seconds)
How do furries do yoga? (40 seconds)
How do furries park cars? (49 seconds)
How do furries go to the bathroom? (37 seconds)
How do furries go on dates? (53 seconds)
These public service announcements were brought to you by Dr. Sharon Roberts and the fine folks of the International Anthropomorphic Research Project, or IARP. FurScience.com is the IARP’s public information hub, dedicated to studying Furries, the furry fandom, increasing understanding, and decreasing stigma.

Dr. Roberts is an Associate Professor at Renison University College. Her degrees span multiple disciplines, as she currently has a Bachelor of Arts (Honors) degree in psychology, a Master of Arts degree in sociology and a PhD in sociology at the University of Western Ontario. She focuses most of her studies on the transition of youth to adulthood and what that can entail; mental health, healthcare evaluation, risk taking, identity resolution and furries.

Dr. Roberts, while a member of the IARP, is not a furry herself. She has, however, played an important role on the IARP team. Since 2012, Dr. Roberts has secured over $350,000 of funding to study furries, and she is the Principal Investigator on the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada funded project (Insight Grant). She is also a co-writer of Furscience!, where a large amount of data about the furry fandom has been collected over a 5 year period and presented in an easy to understand format, and free to access for the public.

Category Contender: Promoting Peace

Just Like You is a campaign from the researchers behind Furscience.com to inform the public about the benefits the furry subculture has for those who are part of it. After initial publication on November 30th 2016, Dr. Sharon Roberts, the executive producer of the Just Like You videos, was interviewed by the Canada Broadcasting Network (CBC). The article is titled “Researcher says furries, people who dress like animals, offer important support system”, and was posted December 7th, 2016.
Below, there are excerpts from that article we believe are worth mentioning:
“...people who turn to furry fandom often have disproportionately high rates of bullying in their past. But they feel differently when around other furries.
'They become so protective of the inclusive nature of the fandom, it becomes central to the definition of the fandom for them, in that this is a safe place where they can be who they want to be,' she said.”
Dr. Roberts then explains that around 70 per cent of the fandom are considered LGBTQ.
“...Considering that [LGBTQ] is a community where there is an elevated rate of people who die by suicide,she said it's interesting to see those who become furries feel accepted.”
She elaborates that the IARP's research has revealed that youths find that the furry fandom has provided them help to cope with issues in their lives.
“'If we found something that keeps young people safe, to me, we should learn as much about it and try to apply it, because something's working in this group that is defeating youth suicide.' she said. *To me, I'll get on top of my house and scream about that if anybody will listen.'"
Dr. Roberts then, just like the beginning of the article, addresses parents who might be confused or worried about their child's behaviour.
...”if you're a parent whose son or daughter says they've found acceptance in the furry fandom, but you're not sure what that means, just ask. Ask your child to see pictures of their fursona, show interest, maybe even attend a furry convention where there are often parent panels by experts.
What could have been another wry or sensationalistic article instead turned into an informative piece that can be used as easily digestable educational material for unsure parents of furries.
"'...if I had a child'... ” Dr. Roberts continues. “... and the worst thing they said was that they were a furry, I would consider myself home free.'”
In April of 2017, Dr. Roberts appeared on The Jenny McCarthy radio show. Analyzing the episode throughout, it stands as a prime example of how the furry fandom has been negatively interpreted through various ways. Although it also shows how curiosity and an interest in learning more about a new phenomenon can defy expectations as Dr. Roberts continued to explain the basics of the fandom to the radio host and the listeners.
McCarthy mentions that her step-son has become active in the furry fandom. Dr. Roberts then briefly mentions the history of the fandom and giving context to what McCarthy has heard about it and, to the radio host's surprise, told her that she would be happy if her children want to be furry and go to furry conventions. Dr. Roberts mentions that she is doing panels on several furry conventions where there is a platform in an environment to reach out to parents about what their children are interested in and why.

Among several notable works of Dr. Sharon Roberts, a completely new and groundbreaking study stands out: Post Con Depression. Published in 2017, by Thurston Howl Publications, Furries Among Us 2 contains the results and findings from a survey by Dr. Roberts both during a furry convention and keeping it open to replies for up to two weeks after attending said convention.
In general, during the convention, individuals reported positive feelings about their con-going experience. The aspect of escapism was also commonly reported. And less commonly, convention concerns. While there were furs reporting positive feelings, the majority of furs returning home after the convention in the survey, told of a negative experience, reporting various degrees of introspection, putting on a social mask. Some reported various degrees of depressive thoughts and, understandably, missing to hang out with their friends.
Dr. Roberts emphasizes however, that this is an exploratory survey that barely scratches the surface of what is a new and unexplored field of psychological research, but that it can form a basis for future, more extensive studies on the subject.

In Summary

Dr. Roberts has definitely made an impact within the furry fandom. From obtaining grant funding for the IARP's projects of understanding the furry fandom, to participating in research of the furry community, along with promoting it to people outside the fandom, as well as combating the stigmatization that furries face. It is clear from this that Dr. Roberts more than meets the qualifications to be a Furry Ambassador.
“Dr. Roberts is a fantastic choice, she has done a great deal of work and is the main driving force behind our FurScience website AND her intensive labors have gotten grant funding to support our research. She has unbounded enthusiasm for furry research and the fandom!”
~ Dr. Kathy Gerbasi, aka Dr. G
“I think she would make an excellent candidate for the position. She's devoted considerable time to the effort of trying to destigmatize the furry community, both through her work with the media and with papers aimed at counselors / therapists / health care workers telling them not to treat furry as something that needs to be diagnosed or "treated". She's led the charge in trying to get positive messages about furries into the public sphere, including a set of public service announcements trying to show that furries are people like everyone else. She's both a scholar who studies furries and an activist for furries, all while recognizing that furries are a fairly diverse bunch of folks from all walks of life who may all differ in what, precisely, the fandom means to them. She's taken the lead on FurScience's qualitative research, conducting focus groups with furries where she aims to truly understand the experience of individual furs beyond the numbers we get in our surveys.
For these reasons, I think Dr. Sharon Roberts would be an excellent furry ambassador.”
~Dr. Courtney “ Nuka-kitty” Plante

Because of all of this, Dr. Sharon Roberts is given the prestigious title of being a Furry Ambassador. On behalf of the furry community, we thank you for all that you have done, and keep being awesome!

Sincerely,
 FurryAmbassadors

Furry Ambassador
March 2018
Dr. Wildlife

A conservation biologist and a furry relatively new to the fandom, Dr. Wildlife, aka Courtney Dunn (still working on her PhD), has already accomplished a number of deeds helping the furry fandom that are worth mentioning. Having her residence in the Dallas area since 2014, she has left a noticeable positive mark on the local and regional furry community. She is the founder and current continuing organizer of a monthly furcade meet, enabling furries a place to meet and interact; thus providing an excellent opportunity for furs to find new friends in a like-minded setting.

Category Contender: Promoting Peace

 pathhyena, the director of HR and an executive for Furry Fiesta, said “Dr Wildlife… does a lot of community building, with an excellent reputation. She developed a relationship with a local arcade / brewery that now hosts several hundred furries every month. She's driven by finding avenue to help furries find the fandom and give a route to interact. She herself found it later in life and wants to find ways furries can find their community sooner. If that's not the definition of a furry ambassador I dunno what is”

The Furcade meet has been an important part of building the furry community. Also, a friendly connection to the arcade/brewery has formed over time, resulting in improving the reputation for both the Dallas Furs as well as the furry fandom as a whole.

To keep track of and planning for the meets, Dr. Wildlife has created a website called dfwfurs so that everything can be kept in one place. It can see it at DFWfurs A lot of the meets she host are one-time, special meets. Dr. Wildlife has planned out a unique meet ON TOP of the regular meets each month. This means having to go to businesses first hand and explain the fandom to them to help them understand that the stereotypes are not all true.

In addition to the meets, the site also acts like a gateway to various social media sites where furs from the area are able to connect to the local fandom members with ease. The website is still a work in progress but it will eventually have education tabs for members of the public or parents of furries to find more information about our fandom.

Category Contender: Protect Citizens

Dr. Wildlife also does volunteering regularly at local charity events aimed at helping animals and children. "I'm a volunteer who cosplays as Rocket with a nonprofit called Heroes Cops and Kids We travel to hospitals, schools, and at risk communities to help bridge the gap between the police and the community. We teach anti-bullying programs as well to help inspire kids to be a superhero in their own way.”

https://www.dropbox.com/s/35bxobe4z.....9_149.jpg?dl=0

In Summary

Path Hyena mentioned “Dr Wildlife is a new addition to our social media team at Furry Fiesta. When we recruited her we realized that she was overqualified and we are pretty grateful. Within a month she's learned enough about our organization to find and supply answers to curious attendees in a way that's friendly and engaging. She doesn't make stuff up, if she doesn't know she'll find out.” As an overqualified organizer for local meet ups, staff for Furry Fiesta, AND a volunteer for local charity events, the Dallas furry community are very grateful for all the work Dr. Wildlife does, and it is definitely appreciated. For Valentines day, Dr Wildlife tweeted “The #DFWFurs completely caught me off guard last night with this amazing card. Tears WERE shed. I love this community SO much and am so grateful knowing I have been able to bring so much happiness to those in it over this past year. Helping this community grow has been honor”

https://www.dropbox.com/s/rjbqk2k3c.....33819.jpg?dl=0

Thursday I will be in a full gray business suit with 41 inch brown cat tail and canine muzzle

Friday thu Saturday (Sunday?) I will be wearing my yellow Pez shirt, possibly in a fursuit of a wolf named Almond

Pez Wolf's Patreon in preparation for TFF18

All the information you need and some you probably don't!

Where are you staying?
My own home, this one's practically in my back yard! Walked there last year!

What day are you getting there?
Friday, when it starts. Taking the day off on vacation

How are you traveling?
Taking the North Dallas Tollway south to 35

Who will you be rooming with?
My wife and son

How is the best way to find you?
Reach me on Telegram and I'll share my gps location

Are there any panels you might be attending?
YES! Welcome to Valsalia by  Tersethra  ValSalia and possibly  Shard_of_Confusion and Furry Psychology 2018 by  nuka-kitty if he's doing it again this year!

What do you look like?
Like the majority of the people there. Caucasian Male. Note: Will do face reveal at TFF18

Will you be suiting?
Only if someone has a suit to spare

Do you do free art?
Will hope to do a few sketches!

Do you do trades?
HELL YEAH

What is your gender?
XY

Can I talk to you?
Yes Please!

Can I touch you?
Yes Please!

How can I find you?
Reach me on Telegram and I'll share my gps location

Can I buy you drinks?
Yes please!

Can I give you stuff?
Yes please!

Can I hug or snuggle with you?
Yes Please!

Are you nice?
Pleasantly so!

Will you be going to parties?
Parties? What parties?

If I see you, how should I get your attention?
"PEZ!!!"

Can I come with you for food/fun/etc?
Yes Please!

Can I look in your sketchbook?
Yes Please!

Can I draw in your sketchbook?
OMG YES PLEASE!!!

Can I take your picture?
Yes Please!

Do you do commissions?
HELL YEAH! Warning: I have a month turn around time, but I give it my damned best.

What's your goal(s) for the con this year?
To show up for one full day. Icing on the cake if I can go a second!

See you there you filthy animals.

-Pez Wolf

DogPatch.Press

The Furry Fandom currently enjoys a wide array of news sources, such as  Flayrah Flayrah,  furfunding FurStarter, Furrymedia, Fur Media, Furry.Today,  adjspecies adjective species, Infurnation and Furry News Network to name a few, There is also DogPatch.Press, who made their first post on April 4th of 2012. DogPatch.Press was founded by  patch_packrat Patch O’Furr, the resident blog dog. Two main stays on DogPatch.Press that provide assistance are Fred Patten, a Furry historian and considered a main founder of the Furry Fandom, and Pup Matthias, contributor and editor. DogPatch.Press cooperates with the other furry newspapers, including those listed above, and will publish articles alongside self-generated posts.

DogPatch.Press covers a broad range of topics related to the Furry Community. The main site, has the top 10 newest stories for those who like to keep up to date with the news concerning the fandom as well as furry oriented culture and media. In addition to the main site is the Special Features and Top Articles section, which can be noted for the sheer quantity and quality of Furry articles, all organized and curated. This is broken down into 20 various topics, ranging from politics to furry trash, and everything in between. When time permits, newer articles are added, and older articles that become less pertinant are rotate out. It's a continuous work in progress.

One other page at Dogpatch.Press is the About Section with contact information and laurels. A few worth mentioning: Fred Patten, considered one of the founders of the furry fandom, has participated in the community in many ways, including being the founder of the Ursa Major Awards. Also, Dogpatch.Press won an Ursa Major Award for best Anthropomorphic Magazine for the year 2016. The page also mentions that Patch O’Furr organized a multiplex screening of Zootopia for furries, and that, in a collaboration with CollegeHumor, Patch nominated their animated series Furry Force for an Ursa Major, which CollegeHumor won.

 Arrkay of  CulturallyFd said “Dogpatch.Press has always been a source of inspiration. There was even a time where I read it daily. I’m thankful that they update as often as they do and with engaging posts that make me feel connected to the furry community. We’ve adapted their articles to video, we have been featured on the site and have been invited to be a regular feature. . . Patch has put in a lot of work to keep up to date, amassing a small team to keep the site posting regularly. Dogpatch.Press has become an invaluable resource for our community and, concurrent with Culturally F’ds own mission, those who are curious about the fandom.”

Category Contender: Protect Citizens

There are countless articles to sift through in DogPatch.Press, One in particular struck close to home for one of the FurryAmbassador writers. Literally. When Hurricane Harvey made landfall over Houston, twice, with a 12.5 ft (3.8 m) storm surge and a record 51.88 inches (1.42 m) of rainfall, this was considered a 1-in-1000 year flood event. Being the fourth largest city in the US with 6.6 million people, the property damage totaled $180 billion, second only to Hurricane Katrina. The Animal Rescues Need Your Help in the Wake of Hurricane Harvey article calling for anyone who can give support, was well timed and greatly needed. And a follow up article, Hurricane heartbreak: Dracokon’s house looks like Godzilla sat on it, was geared to help raise funds for a Houstonian furry who lost everything from the hurricane.

Category Contender: Support Prosperity

One stated claim of DogPatch.Press is “Fluff pieces every weekday!!” which, to a casual observer, may get looked over in favor of more juicy articles to read. But in all fairness, those articles, be it book submissions by Fred Patten, a kickstarter campaign, the opening of a furry themed business, or any one of the numerous guest posts, all add up. DogPatch.Press have over 5 ½ years’ worth of posts. One would be hard pressed to point out any one specific deed that qualifies DogPatch.Press for Promoting Prosperity, but rather, it is death by a million paper cuts. Those who are featured on DogPatch.Press have a marked increase in online traffic.

In Summary

Patch O’Furr, creator of Dogpatch.Press, has demonstrated time and time again a commitment to report furry related news, highlighting furries work through reviews or interviews, and organizing events in the community: Be it a furry movie viewing, a “hug in” peace rally that coincided with a church protest threat, or posting on a blog of the daily happenings of the furry fandom. We at FurryAmbassadors believe that this has the potential to help educate people, both inside, as well as outside, our subculture. Thus, Dogpatch.Press achieves the categories "Protect Citizens" and "Support Prosperity", qualifying for the title of FurryAmbassador.

 FurryAmbassadors
November 2017
Boozy Barrister Badger

Boozy Badger, known outside of the furry fandom as Boozy Barrister, is a civil litigation lawyer. He first encountered the fandom through a social media site dedicated specifically for lawyers called Lawyer Slack, and he decided to look for any special legal cases regarding furries in general, to which he found none out of the ordinary until he got a message about the Cease and Desist letter from Rocky Mountain Fur Con against DeoTasDevil. Boozy pointed out that the letter was not legitimate because of reasons including, but not limited to, the chairman issuing a lien despite not having the authority to do so, as well as defining silence to the letter as compliance; thus not following the legal requirements of a Cease and Desist letter. He explains this in this blog post on his site 'Lawyers and Liquor'.

His view on this subject made him an instant hit with many furries in the fandom, as quoted from a comment on Boozy's blog post.
“...the furries on Twitter (I count myself among them) are quickly falling in love with you. This fandom badly needs a badger lawyer, and I say that without a single trace of cynicism.” - Wolf

In another blog post, as part of his 'Furry Friday' segment, he brings up four different examples of legal cases where furries have been involved. He explains how accusers [some of which are furries themselves] use furry terms in derisive ways and exploits the stigma surrounding the fandom to their advantage. Others also used their popularity within the fandom to protect themselves from allegations. Boozy explains these four cases in a thoughtful way while providing sober commentary that invites the reader to think long and hard about the situations presented. He also notably points out that these cases are not unique to the furry fandom and occur on a regular basis.

The badger has made a large number of blog posts including one regarding Boomer the Dog's attempt to legally change his name in the US state of Pennsylvania, where he argues against the court ruling, which was based on speculation, and in Boomer's favor, referring to previous cases of name changes that have passed and that Boomer is an adult that has no crimes to his name.

Boozy's affiliations with the furry fandom has not gone unnoticed among his colleagues. Chad Murray, a lawyer operating his own law firm, posted a blog on his website 'Chad Talks Law'. It described how Boozy's afforementioned blog post peaked his interest, how he got more involved in the fandom, attended to his first furry convention and his transformation into Boozy Badger.
“...our good friend Boozy posted his brand new blog post...This post is basically patient zero for the tale (tail?) of Boozy and the Furries. Our hero Boozy wrote a post about the intersection of sovereign citizens and furries. The furry community on Twitter (I’m just going to call them “the furries”) found the post and it spread like wildfire among the community.” - Chad Murray

Bringing up this topic has had an apparent impact on Boozy's colleagues, many of whom broadening their perspectives and becoming more accepting and tolerant of the furry fandom. In Murray's post there's even a fair amount of introspection into the general mind frame of people working in legal professions.
“And you know what, I give the bastard a lot of credit. He didn’t run away from the “weirdos” on the internet—he leaned in, made some friends, and found a community. Young lawyers should take a lesson from that salty ass veteran (he’s actually been practicing like half as long as I have)—being a lawyer doesn’t have to make you a pompous ass. People are people.
Oh, and there are something like 4-5 furries in the lawyer Slack now.” - Chad Murray

Boozy is also running a podcast about law cases, personal experiences and furry-related topics. In this way he presents the furry fandom to a new audience, not from the point of a sensationalist media, but from the point of a layman whom by happenstance is a professional litigation lawyer.

On the Subwuffer ET show, Boozy has stated that he is going to host a 24 hour charity livestream on Twitch called Boozy's Brigade. All proceeds of which will be donated to The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. The stream is planned to take place on November 4th on the Extra Life website.

In Summary:
Boozy Barrister Badger has been officially nominated to Furry Ambassador of the month of November by the FurryAmbassadors project. Below will be cited the criteria that he has fulfilled to be a valid recipient of the award.
Promoting Prosperity: Through his planned livestream for charity with the aim of donating all of the revenue to The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Boozy Badger has qualified for the Promoting Prosperity critera.
Working for Peace: By sharing his introduction to the furry fandom and his first hand sincere impressions of what the fandom is to the outside world. Through his bloggs or by mouth, spreading the word about the fandom and not presenting it through a sensationalist perspective that the mainstream media has a habit of doing.
For his diligent work, Boozy Barrister Badger fulfills the categories 'Promoting Prosperity' and 'Working for Peace' and therefore qualifies as a Furry Ambassador.

External links:
An Evening with Boozy, panel at Fur the 'More 2017

A Dramatic Reading, panel at IndyFurCon 2017

Furry Ambassador
October 2017
Dr. Kathy Gerbasi

Dr. Kathy Gerbasi, aka Dr. G, was awarded a Ph.D. in Social Psychology from University of Rochester in 1976. Dr. G is a social psychologist who has conducted studies of the furry community. Since 2006, Dr. G has been conducting surveys at Anthrocon, a large American furry convention, building a research group which became known as the Anthropomorphic Research Project. Her first study of the furry fandom, "Furries From A to Z" was published in Society & Animals volume 16 number 3, in 2008.

Dr. G. learned about furries through her training in Anthrozoology, which is defined as the study of the relationships or interactions between humans and other species of animals. Anthrozoology is also called Human-Animal Studies (HAS). Dr. G was invited to become the moderator for an online HAS discussion group, obligated to answer requests for information which other members left unanswered. One year, a request came through this online group, asking if anyone knew about furries. After no response, Dr. G took to looking for an answer. Finding no useful information within peer-reviewed science literature databases, Dr G went looking on the web and came across the infamous 2001 Vanity Fair furry article. Dr. G was highly skeptical of one person's description of furries, however as a social psychologist and budding anthrozoologist, the study of furries represented the ultimate merging of her two areas of academic interest! The rest is history, still in the making.

Category Contender: Working for Peace

By conducting the first peer reviewed study about furries in 2006 there is finally solid, factual information that can be used in describing the furry fandom for people unbeknownst to this subculture. It has been used in articles, radio interviews and other media occurrences where it has cast a light on what the fandom actually is and can factually disprove misconceptions and stigma that has been plaguing the fandom; like the CSI episode 'Fur and Loathing'.

Her work in the field has broken new ground in research in social psychology and Anthrozoology by using the furry fandom as basis of her research, being the first study of its kind in this regard.

Dr. G has said she is “currently studying people who call themselves furries. As far as I know, my team's first study, Furries from A to Z (Anthropomorphism to Zoomorphism) , is the first peer-reviewed journal article to explore the furry culture (fandom) by collecting data from furries. Information from the ongoing Furry Study is placed on LiveJournal. Other general research interests are in social psychological aspects of anthrozoology.”
“I was the Resource Coordinator for the Society and Animals Institute. I have developed and taught a State University of New York Social Science General Education course on the Psychology of Human-Animal Relations. I also teach Introduction to Psychology, The Psychology of Success,Social Psychology and I have taught Developmental Psychology. In 2009 I received a State University of New York Chancellor's Award for Scholarship and Creative Activities. The basis of this award was the furry research.”

Dr. G conducted the first major peer reviewed journal about furries.

Dr. G used over 2,500 participants for her study at a furry convention in 2007. This, among other goals, is to explore characteristics of the furry fandom, test the veracity of stereotypes about furries, and identify how furries see themselves. Dr. G performs the study from a social psychological perspective instead of a sensationalistic media perspective.

This, in my opinion, creates a stable foundation for factual information gathering about the fandom as well as a basis for future studies. Her study has also been a part of forming the FurScience
team, an organization of ... ”a multidisciplinary team of scientists studying the furry fandom. Asking psychological, anthropological, and sociological questions”... and … ”examines furry culture to help both furries and non-furries to better understand the furry community.”

Dr. G is also a media contact resource, and appears frequently in various articles. For example, this article on the BBC in 2009, regarding two defendants in a court case who happened to also be interested in the furry fandom. Since the article is titled “Who are the furries?” It seems like the perfect time for Dr. G to explain the concept of furry as well as explaining the sexual misconceptions about the fandom and also their member's hesitance to be a part of studies. The article describes the fandom at the time as a 'little known world'. It is a shame that the article came to light because of a court case. However we at 'Furry Ambassadors' think that Dr. G's contributions here are important because of providing and presenting the most accurate information about the fandom for the article's integrity to a wide non-furry reader base.

We reached out to IARP researcher Dr. Karlin "Troj" Bruegel for comments about Dr. G:
“My understanding is that she got interested in the fandom thanks to learning about it from some of her students, and then she happened to meet Courtney "Nuka" Plante, who also wanted to research the fandom. I reckon they saw the lack of previous formal knowledge about the fandom as an exciting challenge.”
”I'm very pleased that I've started to see more journalists, researchers, and miscellaneous people actively cite the IARP, and seek out Dr. G, Dr. Nuka, and Dr. Sharon Roberts for soundbites and clarification. It's a major improvement from the "old days," when people would base their knowledge of furries completely off of hearsay, their friends' opinions, their own assumptions, and top Internet search hits.”

”The team's research has provided an essential foundation from which one can make definitive statements about who furries generally are or aren't, and what the fandom generally is or isn't. This has empowered us to debunk and de-fang a lot of rumors and urban legends.”

”I think the team's research has also revealed that there's a lot more to the furry fandom than meets the eye, because I've certainly gained more insight into how people in general forge meaningful connections with one another, and how they construct meaningful identities and a sense of purpose in life. There's a lot the general public can learn from furries, and our research has helped to open the door.”

IARP researcher Dr. Stephen Reysen said “Kathy is a great person to be awarded Furry Ambassador. She published the first empirical paper (that I know of) on furries (Gerbasi et al., 2008). She got Nuka and I on the team about 2010, and a couple years later got Sharon on there. In other words, she brought us all together to form the team. She has shown a consistent commitment to the furry community and has worked to dispel myths and normalize the fandom. She has served as the leader of the IARP team over all those years asking probing questions and being actively engaged in all the projects that are conducted. She also has a keen eye for editing. I can't think of any reason why she wouldn't be a great candidate.”

IARP researcher Dr. Sharon E Roberts said “She is the person who has dedicated more than a decade to correcting the record on the fandom. Pretty much any research you see that makes furries look good was started by her. She's also researching and supporting the therian community. Our approach has always included elements of participatory action.”

In summary:
Is Dr. G's work an important factor in dispelling the stigmatization around the furry community? In our opinion, yes. Dr. G has provided the public her extensive research, using data from real furry individuals from furry conventions. She also uses a scientific approach to a fandom which has preciously only been met with media sensationalism which has created negative misconceptions. Dr. G's research is a much needed breath of fresh air that shows furries and non furries alike what people in the fandom thinks, and also provides facts and information used to resolve myths and fallacies that the fandom has faced over the years.

In her groundbreaking work, Dr. G fulfills the category 'Working for Peace' and therefore qualifies as a  FurryAmbassadors

Enchanted Wolf Vineyards

Chapter 0: A Taste of Things to Come

Written & © James A. West aka  PezWolf

Sergals, Nevreans, Agunders, and Gold Ring Vigilance Committee ©  Mick39 &  kiki-uma

Yinglets ©  ValSalia



It is the crack of dawn, and a 3 foot tall red furred female yinglet is wearing a red shirt as a toga. Her name is Akari Takahashi, and up until yesterday, she was a dull red young female nevrean. Everyone called her "Aka". Aka is in a clearing between a community harvesting field full of crops, and by the back alley of a few buildings on the edge of a village. All by herself, Aka is armed with a simple spear that is slightly taller than herself. Aka is on a mission, and as such, has been there for half an hour, looking around nervously. Finally, in the distance, a metallic sound can be heard, marching behind what is the media building. Then from behind the media building, a 6 & 1/2 ft tall Northern Sergal with a 7 & 1/2 foot long spear marches into view in the alley. Aka recognizes this one from his dossier. This one is Ken Yamagishi. Goes by the nickname "Brutus", possibly because of his specialty. Targets are frequently detained against their will until they agreed to do work for him, amongst other methods. Brutus is wearing medium combat armour, which is making the metallic sound with each step. Despite herself, Aka was awash with anxiety and let slip a gasp when she saw the Brutus. Brutus heard this, looked over, and saw Aka. Brutus then changes direction, marching down the alley toward Aka. When Brutus got to the end of the alley, a good 5 - 10 feet away from Aka, he licks his chops in a threatening manner. Brutus leans his spear up against the media building. Aka’s ears go from being perked up, to flat back against her head. Brutus looms over Aka. Aka is craning her neck to look up at Brutus. Aka’s thinks "OhMyGodZhatZhingIsSoHugeItCouldSquishMeOrWorseINeedMalesToProtectMeOhMyGodOhMyGodOhMyGod".



Brutus crouches down and opens his jaws, his tongue protruding a foot outside his mouth, salivating. Despite all her training, Aka dropped her spear & ran away, screaming a high pitched "Eeeeeeeeee" the entire way. Brutus then lets out a loud parrot like “SHRIEK” & pounces, catching Aka. Still going "Eeeeeeeeee", Brutus raises Aka up and pushes her head inside his mouth. Her hind legs are desperately flailing against Brutus’ armour as she tries to slow or halt her descent down the gullet, and her tail is furiously swishing. As Aka starts to disappear down Brutus' gullet, a muffled "Eeeeeeeeee" can still be heard.



In the alley, across from the media building is a repair shop. The repair shop back alley door slams open, and a trio of male yinglets run out. The small yinglet, Jorg’e is holding a 3 foot spear. The average sized yinglet, Izod, also holds a 3 foot spear. A much larger, mutation of a yinglet, with uncharacteristically sturdy arms, Leni, is holding a small sledge hammer. The trio surround Brutus, who hasn't finished swallowing Aka whole. Only Aka’s tail and hind legs sticking out of Brutus’ mouth, and we can barely hear her screaming "Eeeeeeeeee". Brutus aims and makes a well-placed kick hitting Izod in the chest, punting him like a puppy. Izod’s spear clangs onto the ground as the yinglet flies into the community harvesting ground. Jorg’e, having snuck up behind Brutus, takes the opportunity to stab the Sergal in his unarmoured hindquarters. Brutus only flinches. At the same time, Leni has swung his sledge hammer down on the Sergal’s leg, which is now parallel with the ground after punting Izod.



Hidden inside the Community Harvest Grounds, a trio of Eltus are lying in wait. Sergeant First Class Toyotomi Ieyasu, an Agunder, is kneeling with a rifle. Private Koki Sato, a Southern Sergal, is in a crouching position. Miko Mifune, a female Nevrean, has her hands ready to draw her katana. The trio are a reconnaissance team on the Gold Ring Vigilance Committee, and they go by the call sign Recon 1. SFC Toyotomi taps the armoured shoulder of PVT Koki, and taps the unarmoured shoulder of Miko, then gives hand motion to move forward. Miko starts running like a velociraptor toward the Northern Sergal engaged with the remaining yinglets, passing Izod who just got back up on his feet. Scene cuts to all black, except the white silhouette of the katana being unsheathed and swung in a cutting motion, all in the same movement, with a splatter of blood in the final 2 motions. A leather strap holding in place Brutus' shoulder armour has been cut, along with his arm, which is now bleeding and hanging limply. The shoulder armour clanks on the ground. Brutus attempts to shriek in pain, but Aka is lodged in his throat preventing him from talking, much less breathing. Miko uses her forward momentum to dart beside the Northern Sergal in an attempt to dodge him and get out of reach, however Brutus had pivoted to follow Miko and successfully grabbed the base of her tail, causing him to also spin off balance toward the Nevrean.

With the sufficient distractions, Koki leaped into the fray. Koki lands feet first against the side of Brutus, knocking him down. Miko then sheaths her weapon while Koki pins Brutus to the ground on his belly. Only Aka’s fluffy tail still sticking out of his mouth. SFC Toyotomi walks up, weapon trained on Brutus. The male yinglet trio is nearby with their weapons ready for another go. SFC Toyotomi says "good takedown guys. Koki, restrain this man, Miko, get Aka out of there right now!" "Yes Sergeant" both respond. Miko then opens Brutus’ jaws and pulls Aka out. Aka immediately gasp loudly when her head is out of the Sergal. Aka's fur is damp with saliva.

Culturally F’d

Furry Ambassador: September 2017

A two man team setting up a youtube channel that mandates right from the beginning to combat stereotypes in the fandom and provide one-click resources for furries to share why they love anthro-animals is Culturally F'd.

Culturally F'd is an exploration of Anthropomorphic artwork throughout history, culture and mass media. They look for furry creatures found everywhere from roman mythology to Saturday morning cartoons; great icons like Walt Disney and Amun Ra, going every where from Anthrocon to the Legend of Zelda. They diving head first into history, archaeology, religion, anthropology, literature, art, digital media and the furry fandom to learn more about humanity's fascination with animals.
 Arrkay and  UnderbiteDragon are the driving force of  CulturallyFD, with the first upload on March 8th, 2015. Arrkay is most commonly seen in front of the camera as the host. Arrkay also fursuits as the mascot, Rusty Shacklefur, typically handling the follow up videos called F’d Up Date. Underbite Dragon is the art director, a task which includes but is not limited to being the cameraman, stage hand, and resident artist, creating images commonly used for video icons. Some outside help comes in to help with more complicated scripts or on complicated film days. For example, Episode 23: 17 Misconceptions about Furries and the furry Fandom had about 7 writers. A lot of inspiration comes from Dogpatch.Press articles. Guest writers have included:  Kanada,  da1337wolf,  Tempo321,  Badroy,  PatchPackrat, & Fletz, to name a few. Additional tech support comes from Ego Puppy, Cobalt,  ctcwired,  soldabat, and occasional on-set assistance from  Nayo.

Posting approximately once every 2 weeks, the first season started with what could be considered as an archeological review of the origins of anthropomorphism throughout history. This culminates at the end of the season with modern furries being discussed on Episode 12: Furryconomics. The theme changes, understandably so, in season 2. The episodes then take a specific topic within the broad world of furry, and discusses and educates the viewers to the subtle nuances within the specified topics. As testament of the hard work the team does, as well their success, Culturally F’d has expanded. This includes the previously mentioned F’d Up Date, Culturally F’d: After Dark, and even an ever expanding Anthro Music Video Series, as well as having guest articles published on Dogpatch.Press.

What clenched it for me that the Culturally F’d team was a Furry Ambassador was Episode 23: 17 Misconceptions about Furries and the Furry Fandom, along with the Culturally F’d: After Dark Episode: Furry, Queerness, and Coming Out. I would provide a break down of the videos, but it would either be a short blurb that would be doing a disservice to the episode, or present the readers with a wall of text. These episodes were very meaningful to myself, and I'm not the only fur who has taken notice. Culturally F'd was nominated 3 times in 2016 for the Ursa Major Award. Once for 17 Misconceptions about Furries and the Furry Fandom, once for Culturally F'd After Dark Burned Furs & How You Percieve Porn ft. Feral Attraction, and once for the channel itself. It is worth mentioning that this is the second year in a row that Culturally F'd was nominated for best anthropomorphic website, both 2015 & 2016.

 Aberguine has said "I can't think of any reason why they (Culturally F'd) shouldn't be nominated. As far as research is concerned, they blow my channel out of the water, they EARNED their Ursa Major award!"


Arrkay's heavily researched and well thought out reviews, combined by support in no small part from Underbite Dragon, has succeeded in making Culturally F'd an invaluable resource to the furry community. Now that the team is being funded through Patreon, Culturally F'd is taking more time to fully prepare each new episode. This ensures that the information being provided is accurate, presented in the best way possible, and entertaining to boot! The biggest issue I forsee Culturally F'd facing is simply running out of content. Fortunately, with as much help as the team is receiving, that day may never come to be. Stay awesome!

 Aberguine wanted to do a vlog when she purchased her fursuit, and eventually decided to review video unboxing the following day, and the following Friday she posted her first video of Furries in the Media.
When Aberguine writes her reviews, she goes by individual points brought up by the show, and determine if it falls under Information Accuracy, or Spirit of the Clip. For each category, each of the points she brings up in her review is worth one point, and is like one question on a test, it is either right or wrong. For example, under information accuracy, if a show says “All furries have fursuits”, “Furries create fursonas”, and “Furries think they are animals”, the show would get 1 of 3 correct, and would get a 33% on information accuracy. From there, Aberguine would average together the scores from both categories for the file percentage. I.e. Information accuracy 33%, Spirit of the clip 100%, total score 67%. Sometimes she will fudge a category score if the score is too harsh or lenient, but she generally tries not to rely on that if she can help it.

What clenched it for me that Aberguine is a Furry Ambassador was the cross over with  Arrkay & the rest of the  CulturallyFd team, Aberguine went on to explain Fursploitation. To quote Aberguine in the episode, “Fursploitation is a portmantua of Furry and Exploitation, in reference to exploitative media. Fursploitation can come in all forms, from relentlessly prodding interviews of members of the furry fandom to awkward stereo types acted out in rental costumes, to including anthropomorphic characters in advertising.” Aberguine later goes on to say “If a show is going to include a character who is suppose to be a member of the furry fandom, that character alone becomes the ambassador for all furries, and that holds significant weight on how it influences the audiences’ impression of the entire furry fandom. Not all portrayals of furries have to be bad to constitute being exploitation.”

Arrkay has said “Aberguine works very hard and has earned all of her subscribers. Her videos have a comprehensive breakdown of media treatment of furries and gives furries the tools and vocabulary to confront and critique false or conflated information about the fandom when they encounter it on the news or in their social circles. Not only does she deserve the title Furry Ambassador, but she enables all her viewers to become Ambassadors themselves which helps elevate the whole community. She's also a delight to work with.”

Aberguine’s thoughtful reviews in Furries in the Media highlight a number of topics, including that Furries are just like anyone else, to stay away from casting calls, be mindful of your audience #TonyTigerGate. Through education and dispelling myths related to the furry community, Aberguine has made efforts to combat the stigmatization that surrounds the furry fandom. All this is done in an entertaining to watch, well put together youtube episode that is updated on a regular basis. Also, as a fellow Texan, Aberguine has earned a shout out for her ‘Keep Austin Weird’ shirt as well. Stay awesome!

If you have seen National Geographic’s Taboo episode on Furries, which can be seen here, then you may be familiar with this month’s Furry Ambassador. Yes, I am recognizing Doctor Courtney “Nuka” Plante aka  Nuka-kitty. Nuka has since obtained his Ph.D. in Psychology from University of Waterloo, in 2014. I do want to mention that it is NOT a necessity to have a Ph. D. to become a Furry Ambassador

With a doctorate in experimental psychology, Nuka does research which includes work on the role of fantasy in people's lives and the study of membership in fan groups, both approaches which contribute to his research on the furry fandom. Nuka also studies video game aggression, dehumanization and the detrimental effects of being overly nice. In Nuka’s own words “I am a doctor of psychology, I am a social psychologist. Which means I am not a clinical psychologist, which means I don’t care about your problems. I don’t get paid to.” In addition to being a social psychologist, Nuka is also a co-founder of the International Anthropomorphic Research Project.

Nuka has been collaborating with Dr. Kathy Gerbasi ("Dr. G") and several other social psychology researchers for the past several years in the scientific study of furries and the international furry fandom. Over the past six years, he as conducted research at Anthrocon, Texas Furry Fiesta, Oklacon, and Furnal Equinox. He has given talks about the furry research at numerous venues, and a number of guest lectures in university psychology and sociology courses. Nuka is a guest contributor for [adjective][species]  adjspecies and Fur What It's Worth. Nuka’s research has been published in several chapters of Furries Among Us, and has been featured in a variety of news outlets and magazines.

The free online publication of the book FurScience! A summary of five years of research from the International Anthropomorphic Research Project is an easy to read book detailing the results of years of research conducted by the members of the IARP. If, however, you want to listen to it instead with some humor added, then watch Nuka present Furry Psychology: 2017 at Texas Furry Fiesta, shown on YouTube. The information presented is significant, because The IARP’s years of research indicate that the furry fandom has literally prevented some youth from committing suicide, and yet furries occupy a disproportionately but ironically, socially acceptable stigmatized position in mainstream culture. Furries experience stigma due in part to the visually unique nature of furries in conjunction with incendiary, sensationalist media portrayals (e.g., CSI: Fur and Loathing in Las Vegas; 1000 Ways to Die; Vanity Fair etc.) which cast furries and the fandom as a deviant sexual fetish; if the fandom is about anything, it’s about friendship and community, which makes the mainstream media’s reduction of the fandom to a fetish insulting, and categorically & demonstrably inaccurate.

These inaccurate portrayals, combined with the public’s unfamiliarity with the fandom, make many furries (reasonably) fear discrimination and violence. Documented media and online incidents have stigmatized furries and made it difficult for them to “come out” or socialize for fear of negative repercussions, abuse, and ostracism. Many furries have faced emotional abuse, physical abuse, and bullying due to ignorance and intentional misrepresentations. Like other marginalized communities who have benefited from advocacy (e.g., LGBT), furries need evidence-based support to negate this pervasive stigma.

Given their prominent standing in the furry community, the team at the International Anthropomorphic Research Project has been contacted directly by the media on multiple topics. Nuka and his colleagues have continued to refute the outrageous claims received and present data in a clear and logical way in defense of furries.

Nuka loves the community and the science. He's an excellent scholar. All of the four cofounders have led the way for anthropomorphic research. The IARP is beginning to partner globally with other scholars and has made it possible to study anthropomorphic identities and be taken seriously, which is no small feat. The IARP has published over 30 papers and chapters. They’ve come a LONG way in a short time! The IARP team have dedicated a lot of blood, sweat, and tears to making a difference with the community.

Having spent years spent gathering data, reporting the facts, and showing the beneficial side of the furry community, the whole of the fandom is better off because of these efforts. Dr. Courtney “Nuka” Plante is given the prestigious title of being a Furry Ambassador. On behalf of the furry community, we thank you for all that you have done, and keep being awesome! And to use a quote from Nuka, “… share the love! The best way to counter negative press about furs is to amplify the good press!"

Hello! I have launched the Furry Ambassadors program today, and I need help from everyone to get the word out! I also need nominations of people that y'all think deserve the title of Furry Ambassador, by having made significant contributions to the furry community. I will review and research all nominees to verify they have earned the title before announcing a new furry ambassador each month. Please, any and all help is greatly appreciated!

So  introducingemy is artist of Trying Human, which is a webcomic that has given me some inspiration for the story I am currently writing, Enchanted Wolf Vineyards.

About two months ago,  introducingemy announced the start of Season 2 of Red Line Thursday and was taking submissions. I submitted My first image of Koshō for critique. Never heard back from her. Finally went and checked out her YouTube Channel today, and low & behold, Red Line Tuesday Season 2, Episode 4 is featuring Koshō the Eastern Sergal. I am absolutely STOKED! I cannot wait to try some of these tips and advice!!! Thanks  IntroducingEmy, you ROCK!

Been doing a lot of research into the furry fandom.

Read the book FurScience! A summary of five years of research from the International Anthropomorphic Research Project (aka IARP) which Dr. Courtney  Nuka-kitty Plante and his peers compiled. Or if you would rather watch it instead,  nuka-kitty also gave a presentation on this at TFF 2017.

I have also read some conversations that  boneitis has had regarding the furry fandom. One thing I found out about the Burnt Furs movement from earlier in the fandom history. Apparently the Burnt Furs goal was to give the fandom a better public image, but their methodology was... questionable, at best. It appears that the modern day equivalent is the Improved Anthropomorphics group.

The stigmatization of the furry culture appears to be the biggest hurdle against acceptance by main stream culture.

This week I found out about a movie that came out last year called Fursonas, which you can watch for free here. The first half of the movie was great, but the moment that  kagemushi was mentioned halfway through the film, the tone changed. The film makers had a bias that shows itself after the halfway point in the show, and having known nothing about  kagemushi previously, the movie has given me a negative viewpoint, despite the work he has done to promote the furry fandom. I am aware that this is unfair to him, and as such, I will make my own opinions about him when I know more about him instead of jumping to the same conclusion as the movie.

So I am trying to figure out what can I do as an individual to try to help give the furry fandom good PR. I have considered starting a furry ambassador program, but upon further research, we have a LOT of ambassadors (i.e. everyone mentioned above, excluding Burnt Furs). So perhaps I should just focus on winning over the hearts and minds of those closest to me, and just be the best furry I can to set an example. I also thought about a public relations campaign, so I did some more research.

I came across [adjective][species] articles written by JM, and found his reviews to be well written. One article in particular was about a book called Furries Among Us which is a collection of essays about the furry fandom. Of particular note, each member of the IARP contributed an essay in the end.

The review of one of the essays in particular really stood out to me, and I will provide an excerpt

Dr Roberts goes on to discuss a few public examples of furries in the media, and how furries sometimes get treated by outside groups. She contrasts this furries and furry behaviour, which she characterizes as fun, inclusive, and positive. But more interestingly, she tells the story of how she was won over by furries, starting with her first experience in late 2011.

It’s pretty obvious that over the past four years or so, Dr Roberts has become protective of furries, and has become worried about our collective welfare. She is outraged by the lazy sexualization of furries in shows like American Dad and CSI (“Almost all the inclusion of furries in media and popular culture incorporates blatant sexual activity…“); she is quick to liken the chlorine incident at last year’s MFF to terrorism (“…chlorine gas is a banned substance for use in war”); she thinks that furries are treated poorly on Second Life (“…reminiscent of the Holocaust…“); she feels that her research is trivialized by the scientific community (“I was being dismissed potentially because of the nature of the topic…“). It’s nice to feel cared for I guess, but it does feel like she senses more danger than is actually apparent. Or that she wants to give furries a big hug to keep the bad man away. Or to put it another way: it’s okay mum, we’re old enough to cross the road and play in the park on our own. But thanks for caring!

Digging further into Dr. Sharon Roberts, I was pleasantly surprised that she has already taken the initiative, with her Just Like You Campaign. My absolute favorite is This cute one! So it looks to me like I don't need to go and reinvent the wheel, but rather stand on the shoulders of giants so as to see farther. I am so glad to see the PR campaign is already going smoothly!