Tag: Furry

Posted on
by

Babyfur artists are getting banned en masse from FurAffinity, the largest furry art website on the internet. Nobody seems to know why or who’s responsible. I think this is concerning.

What a babyfur is

For the uninitiated, babyfur is a genre of furry art that either depicts characters as babies or young children, or depicts adults who are adult baby diaper lovers (ABDLs).

There is nothing inherently sexual or inappropriate about babyfur art. There are two different camps in the community: SFW artists whose characters are minors, and NSFW and borderline-NSFW artists whose characters are adults who engage in ageplay or costume play. As long as the two don’t overlap, there’s not anything morally objectionable about it. It’s even allowed under FurAffinity’s rules! FurAffinity’s Upload Policy 2.7 reads:

2.7 Content Involving Minors Content featuring minors is not allowed when the minor is in the presence of sexual activity, sexual objects, or nudity, though exceptions may be made for non-sexual depictions of birth and breastfeeding. Presence is defined as being in the same scene, such as sharing a comic panel, contiguous image, reference sheet, or specific section of a story where characters are engaging each other. Minors may not have detailed bulges or outlines of normal or hyper genitalia, clothed or otherwise. Minors may not be fetishized. Minors may not be depicted as pregnant. Minors are defined as real or fictional humanoids with a childlike body or younger than 18 years old, and any adolescent animals or fantasy creatures. Upload Policy — Fur Affinity [dot] net

Why you should care

SFW artists and artists who work depicts adults only are getting caught up in the wake of these bans. They aren’t breaking the rules, so why the bans?

I agree that FurAffinity shouldn’t allow NSFW art featuring children.

By FurAffinity’s own rules, art of children that’s safe and age-appropriate shouldn’t be banned.

By FurAffinity’s own rules, art of consenting adults engaged in adult activity shouldn’t be banned.

Strange things are being done to FurAffinity’s users, and we have no idea why. We don’t know when or if the content restrictions will stop. Will other genres of art be banned later? And we certainly don’t know if FurAffinity will restore the accounts of artists wrongfully banned, or how and if they plan to rebuild trust.

The current site lead, Sciggles, is recovering from personal health issues—so, meanwhile, who’s in charge? Is anyone? How do we even find out?

You saved FurAffinity. You raised over $200,000 to do it. I wrote previously about my misgivings with the lack of transparency or accountability FurAffinity was showing. Things haven’t gotten clearer or more responsive in the last month. You deserve answers. Ash Coyote put it well: “The platform owes it to the people who helped save it to be open about its direction.” Then you can decide for yourself whether you want to continue to put your money, time, and effort into it.

Posted on
by

I was offline most of last evening, so I was surprised by the hack of FurAffinity and their associated Twitter accounts. It’s shocking that someone would do this, but don’t let it throw you.

What they want is to discourage us. We are a community. We found each other and encouraged each other to explore and be our true selves, in a lot of ways that make bigots uncomfortable and scared. Stand fast. Nobody online can hurt us in a way that matters.

Don’t lose hope or back down. We’re not a website—we’re not going anywhere. We are goddamn proud of who we are and what we do, and we are right to be. People who hate furries usually hate us because we’re not straight, white, cisgender, allosexual, allistic, or because we have the gall to want more than hustle culture and capital. They consider these things unacceptable in polite society. We will continue to do our thing—and we will do it LOUDER.

I am a furry, among other things. The alt-right considers me a degenerate and a deviant. In accepting myself as I am and in finding my community, I am happy and proud. I will be happy and proud out of spite, at the very least.

Now, what we can do personally: Make sure your art is posted somewhere you control. Use social media, but keep copies somewhere safe. Consider a personal website. Use 2FA and secure passwords. Talk to your friends, check in with friends who are being quiet, help each other, and continue to create and do what brings you joy. Illegitimi non carborundum.

Posted on
by

On the edge of space, a small jumpstation watches over the wormhole that’s essential for interstellar travel. Crewed by a gaggle of misfits and rejects from more prestigious posts, Transfer Relay EBF-0218 is the last place anyone wants to be assigned.

Issue 1 of this science fiction workplace comedy comic introduces us to Zeke, Dawg, and the rest of the aliens, uplifted anthropomorphic animals, and human cyborgs who crew EBF-0218. 

Ezekiel Wilder—Zeke—wakes up from cryosleep to find out that he’s no longer a pilot, his contract has been reassigned, and his right arm and leg have both been amputated. His memory fuzzy from cryosleep, he can’t remember what happened that landed him here, but whatever it was, it was a doozy. As Zeke gets used to his new station and prosthetic limbs, he meets the rest of the crew and finds out instead of piloting ships himself, he’ll be coaching the hyperactive cargo loader pilot Dawg.

This first issue sets itself up for success from the beginning. The characters are well-defined, rounded, and likable, and are primed for deeper development as the series progresses. I can’t wait for Zeke to explore not being a pilot, and see how his new colleagues help him out.

The art is also excellent.

Scott Fabianek’s physical comedy is among the best I’ve seen in indie comics. His sense of setup, payoff, and motion between still panels calls to mind great sight-gag artists like Jeff Smith or Chuck Jones. Top that with endearing and expressive character designs and engrossing settings, and this comic’s art shines.

Scott can be found online at twitter.com/art_mutt.

Spatial Anomalies #1 was published by Fenris Publications, September 2022. 32 pp., prestige format. Buy your copy at https://www.fenrispublishing.com/order.php?s=fabianek!

Posted on
by

“Make America Great…” made me wanna trip up the apples, open a box, break open the piggy rattle, and throw some bees at Cosmik. If any of that made sense to you, just click the download link now.

This single takes the tradition of Cockney music-hall shanties and brings it to the modern day with clever lyrics and a fun conceit. It was even featured on Dr. Demento! Brief content warning for some explicit language.

Cosmik is a Florida furry musician who plays multiple instruments, sings, composes, and plays live at a number of venues including the Winter Park Playhouse and Walt Disney World. His music is classic with a modern twist, clever in the mold of Tom Lehrer and Cole Porter.

Cosmik and Rhubarb will be performing at Nordic Fuzz Con in February 2023 and Mephit Fur Meet over Labor Day. Check out Cosmik’s Patreon and Bandcamp in the links below.

https://therealcosmik.bandcamp.com/track/make-america-great

https://www.patreon.com/Cosmik

Posted on
by

Ramen Wolf & Curry Tiger, vol. 1, by Emboss. 

This is a slice of life manga set in a Japan where anthropomorphic animals and human beings live side by side without serious issue. Gourmand wolf Mita Jiro (Ramen Wolf) embodies Robert A. Heinlein’s proverb “Everything in excess! To enjoy the flavor of life, take big bites.” Contrariwise, Yanagi Kagetora (Curry Tiger, or “Currytora”) is hesitant around people and ascetic, mostly preferring solitude and bland, prepackaged meals. But they spend their days off together exploring Japan’s various ramen establishments and enjoying food in company. Their friends notice how close they’ve gotten and try to figure out what they see in each other.

This only the first volume, so the story can be a tad episodic and shallow until they get to the centerpiece and reveal how Jiro and Kagetora met. It’s disarmingly light in tone, but promises to delve into character backgrounds and motivation as more volumes release. The book also teases a romantic relationship between Jiro and Kagetora, but doesn’t make it explicit. I’d appreciate more explicit LGBTQ+ content in future volumes, and certainly hope Emboss is allowed to explore it in depth. As it stands, Volume 1 certainly worked up my appetite for more.

The art is the main course. Emboss shows solid fundamentals in anatomy, backgrounds, and layout, and throws in male eye candy without it getting in the way of story. The presence of anthropomorphic animals makes Beastars immediately spring to mind, but the art is closer in style and tone to Kiyohiko Azuma’s Yotsuba&! It’s charming and cartoonishly expressive while feeling grounded in, if not exactly realism, verisimilitude. That Emboss can make Kagetora so adorable and identifiable in a childhood flashback speaks well to their skills.

Looking forward to the next volume. If it sounds good, buy from my affiliated link below!