Tag fandom furry disaster solutions mental furries mind cognitive distortion magnifying magnification solutions

The Furry Image

Wuffles Leave a comment

Hello fuzzbutts!

Stuff keeps making the rounds on Twitter lately so I wanted to take some time to talk about the image of furries.

It’s no secret that people outside the fandom look in on furries and see cringe. I see it too! Furries see it enough that we’re supposedly one of the hardest groups for the media to reach now. A friend of mine who spoke to the media regarding a criminal case in SoCal told me the journalist said furries are harder to get a hold of than violent gang members. Whatever the press hears about is usually negative so they report the negative and the cycle continues.

So a few things to improve the furry image.

Less cringe

First up is being less cringe-y in general. Be more social and encounter more people. Reserve yourself a bit when out in public. Recognize that people will think you’re odd right off the bat but acting insane around people will give them a negative impression. The whole “Who cares what they think?” attitude is pretty big in this fandom but at the same time they’ll complain the media is what makes us look bad. So realize that the meetups and cons aren’t as much of a bubble as you think and that your actions contribute to the outside world’s view of furries as a whole.

Engage

The media! Don’t answer anything weird (asking about zippers on fursuits) but if it’s a decent question then answer it reasonably. Considering things like CSI or MTV portrayed us like some kind of sex cult, it’s not unreasonable to think the media might be genuinely curious if that’s true. Then again, they can’t report that if you don’t actually suggest that! Remember that anyone you talk to is considering you a representative of the fandom so behave in a way that shows the rest of us in the best light. Not just the person you’re speaking to but if it’s on video, you’ll be the representative to anyone who sees the video!

Ostracize

What? Yeah. There’s too many reports lately of certain furries being very involved in the fandom who turn out they have a criminal record or engage in the worst kinds of activities. Don’t want people to think actual animals are a sexual fetish? Banish any furries who engage in it! Good grief! This is the biggest thing in the fandom that bothers me. We’re so concerned about our image but too many will rush to the defense of a popular (or even unpopular) furry who engages in something so heinous! Same with those who engage with those who are below the age of consent! Eeek! Why are they allowed to run around in our circles?! It’s not a massive fandom like comic-con where tends of thousands of people show up at once. Yet they still are allowed to show up to cons and even be volunteers for activities at the cons. No! Stop that! *Baps with newspaper*

So these are just a few things I’ve had rolling around in my head lately as I see Twitter continue to explode on some of the drama lately. If improving the fandom and the image of the fandom is one of your ongoing goals, this should help a bunch!

Good luck and stay safe, fuzzbutts!

When it all comes crumbling down

Wuffles Leave a comment

Hello fuzzbutts.

That headline alone probably hit you in the feels. That’s ok. We’ve all hit those roadblocks. Those times where our plans suddenly fall through the floor or go up in smoke. Those times when you want a little support and nobody seems to have the time or the words. Things are breaking down and you’re on the verge of panic. The rough times. The etc etc.

Often times, there’s not much you can do about it. You have a couple of straws to grasp at but they don’t give you the sense of control to help you feel better. So here’s a couple of pieces of advice.

Stop. Just stop. Take a breath and calm down. Your mind is racing and telling you that there’s no time but there is. You need to pause and take control of your thoughts. Do some free-writing on the subject and you will feel a little more calm.

Keeps the lines of communication open. People who might not have been there when it happened when you were at your lowest might be there later. Accept their support if and when it arrives.

Finally, most of these things will pass. I’ve had plenty of cases in my life where it felt like my life was being flipped upside down, grinding my teeth at night, and waking up with a sense of dread. So what happened? I don’t remember. For something to make me feel so worried and panicked, I can’t even remember now. I remember how I felt but not the event. Think back to the last time this happened to you and realize the event wasn’t so terrible or at least helped you become the fuzzbutt you are now. This is different but it’s not THAT different.

When the problem hits, establish a little sense of calm in your life. Then realize this event might be changing your life but you are in control of how you respond to it. You’ll make it, fuzzbutts. Good luck out there.

Don’t blow up your problems

Wuffles Leave a comment

Good morning, fuzzbutts!

Ever have that problem where you suddenly have an unwanted expense and you can’t help but realize that now you won’t be able to afford rent and now you’re going to be homeless and then you’re going to never recover and then you’re going to die alone? From some smaller incident, you suddenly realize your entire world is going to crash down around you? Yeah it gets to the best of us!

It’s actually pretty common. Here’s one I had gone through a while back. I had just moved out on my own and was learning how to make my way. While driving from the gym, a rock was kicked up by a truck and chipped my windshield. It was a tiny chip, like maybe 1/8th the size of a dime. My mind couldn’t help but spiral out of control. That chip has to be fixed. I have to pay to get it fixed and take time out to take it somewhere. I won’t be able to afford rent this month (without having a clue how expensive the repair would be). I made a huge mistake moving out on my own. I’m going to have to tuck my tail between my legs, lose all my money, and move back in with the folks and never recover. Oh boy. All this from what turned out to be a $35 repair and a little over an hour at a repair shop. At the time, this calamity made perfect sense because I wasn’t aware of one tool that would have helped then and still helps me now when things get rough.

First, something happens and you can feel your mind slipping into “Oh NO!” mode. When this happens, pull out a piece of paper, scrap paper or not, and then write out the catastrophe. Then, thinking as horrible and dark as you can, write one or two of the worst possible outcomes from this situation. Finally, write five more reasonable outcomes from this situation. They’re not as bad as you think. Are there any good possibilities from this situation (I’ve never had to deal with this kind of repair before so now it’s a new experience)? By the time you’re done writing the more realistic outcomes, you’re feeling a lot better. Lastly, write out something you can do in this situation (notify insurance and find repair shops).

Fuzzbutts, if you do this, you’ll find the stressful situations in life can often be less stressful, preserving your mind and your health. Give this a shot the next time the apocalypse decides to drop into your lap. Good luck out there fuzzbutts!

 

Edit: Also wanted to give a shout out to my friend BoxCat aka Boz aka BoseCat for the new icon. I commissioned a new logo for my site and business cards and they did an awesome job!