Hello watchers! You may have noticed that I haven't been particularly active lately. The plan is to try to draw moar over winter break...in the meantime, however, I am working on a small "webcomic" on the side, which can be found over at my other account:

I encourage you to take a look at the comic, and if you like what you see, pleeease watch the account. I have no readers ;_;

It's quite sad, indeed. Please watch...do it as a small favor for me. I'll love you forever! :3

Comic can be found here:
[link]

"Stop Inbreeding, Eliminate Drama...?"
[An Essay]
by Ash ^v^

The plan is simple: stop inbreeding, prevent furry drama. Simple? More like brilliant.

Urban Dictionary defines inbreeding as, "The breeding of two animals who are related to each other." Also, "How graduates and fans of Auburn University (a.k.a Cow College, The Barn, Bama Poly, The Silo, Redheaded step-child) procreate."

I don't think it takes a genius to realize this is an issue. Particularly the latter part. Sick.

Mind you, I am writing this for your own benefit (you know who you are*). This essay is a collaborative effort of two hours of sleep, nineteen hours without eating, and the impending stress (and subsequent apathy) that comes with the realization you have an exam in 40 minutes for a class you've been skipping all fall, and a list of 68 vocab words to memorize, in which you must first look up their respective definitions because your mindless professor neglected to do any semblance of "teaching" in the few classes you actually attended, but you felt the need to write an impromptu inspirational essay to your fellow furry friends instead of actually preparing, in mock of the inevitable agony your GPA will be feeling in two weeks when grades are released. You know what I mean. In other words, I demand your full attention. Strap yourself in and get ready for the ride**, 'cause this shit is real, yo.

Anyway, down to business.

The issue is as follows:
Inbreeding in the Furry Fandom ---> Furry Drama

Allow me to explain.
"Inbreeding," henceforth defined as the tendency of furries to only date other furries, may in fact be the primary instigator of butt-hurt furs across the nation. And possibly...the world! Here's why: furries are a tight-knit group. A kind of family, if you will. In terms of IRL connections, we can sometimes be hard to come by. Depending upon where you live, you may notice that there aren't many fellow furry friends in your area.

Because of its potentially explicit, erotic, and most definitely [uber]awesome nature, the furry fandom inherently acts a deterrent that seems to repel most 'fleshies.' As a result, it seems only natural that furs would want to date other furries...it's one less awkward conversation they have to have with their new potential mate.*** It sounds ideal.

HOWEVER! this is where the lack of IRL furries becomes an issue. Sometimes, it is difficult to track down local furs, much less furs that are proper dating material (ie. compatible enough with you that you're willing to briefly ignore your differences). At any rate, because furs in the real world are sometimes few and far between, there is a good chance you are good friends with all of them in your area. Which means your mate is most likely friends with them as well.

This is the root of the problem: when and if (following trends, it's more of a matter of "when") you should break up with your mate, chances are you'll want to date again. Your new "ex" will likely have the same train of thought. But due to the unfortunate lure of inbreeding, there is a good chance one or both of you will attempt to date another fur. The unforeseen problem is that your friends are your ex's friends, and your ex's friends are your friends. So if you date another furry, there is a good chance you'll basically be screwing your ex's best buddy, and all the while they are respectively sleeping with your own personal entourage. And what does this unchecked inbreeding, er, breed? Drama! Furry drama with friends among friends.

The solution: stop inbreeding. I'm going to elaborate upon this unfathomable fact by stating the obvious...there are other people out there you can date, not just furries *Gasp, boo, hiss!* Go figure. I'm not saying a furry relationship isn't great. I'm not saying a furry relationship isn't possible. I'm not saying I wouldn't want a furry relationship myself, but seriously people...there are more "normies" than furs out there....what makes you think that your soul mate is going to be a furry? All I'm saying is that you shouldn't be narrow-minded in this regard. Expand your horizons.

Stop inbreeding, eliminate drama. SAVE THE WORLD.
~The End~
lolololol
XD
____
*If you don't know who you are, I am referring to you. As in, "you".
**That's what she said.
***Operative word being, "one"

WHAT I’M DOING

For some time now, I have wanted to compose a short documentary on the furry fandom. In light of the recent negative media reception, (the Tyra Banks incident, etc) the public has been exposed to a particularly biased, and close-minded perspective that is misguided. There is more depth to the fandom than what is being portrayed. My ultimate goal is to dive into the mind of the individual. There have been several furry related documentaries and television specials before, but in my opinion they fail to examine the human element; they explore what furries do, but never why. What is it that drives someone to be a part of the fandom? What pushes someone to put on a suit, wear a tail in public, role play, etc? These are the kinds of questions I am curious to find the answers to. I know why I participate, but I am but one person. And with some as broad as furry (where literally the word "furry" means something different to each individual), there is not going to be one universal answer. I am very excited to explore this further.

HOW YOU CAN HELP

PHOTOS, ART, and VIDEO --- This is very important for this project...I cannot complete this element on my own and I need as much help as I can get. If you are willing and able to donate any furry artwork, furry-related photos (of yourself and/or friends, events, etc), or any furry-related videos you may have shot and edited, I would greatly appreciate it. NOTE: Concerning artwork, please only send me images that YOU have drawn. Do not use the work of anyone else. If you send me anything, I will credit you in the film (unless you choose to remain anonymous). For artwork and images, post a link or send an email (see below). Contact me if you would like to submit stock video footage and we'll work something out.

ABOUT THE PROJECT

This will be the final project for my Documentary class as a junior film major. It will be approximately 10-15 minutes in length, and it WILL NOT BE RELEASED TO YOUTUBE or anywhere else online. I consider all of my projects 'art', and will not subjugate them to that. I am going to guard the distribution of this film very strictly. That said, I’m afraid the best I can do is arrange a private event/screening for furries in the Ohio area who want to watch it. I will not respond to requests asking me to post or send the film to you; I say this simply because I want to protect my film, and I don’t want it to be distributed in any way without my consent. If you participate in any way, you have the option to be listed in the credits (either as your real name, furname, or both).

CONTACT INFO
Please, please, please lend me a hand. I cannot do this alone. This project is an examination of the furry COMMUNITY, and therefore I need the community's assistance to make it work.

Email:
ashaya88@aol.com
AIM:
ashaya88


Email or private messages on DA are the quickest ways to contact me. Feel free to leave messages for me on AIM regardless if I have 'away' or 'busy' statuses posted. I will respond as soon as I am able. If you have pictures to donate, send them to my email. If you have questions, comments, or concerns, send me an email and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

DEADLINE: You have until November 8th to respond if you want to participate---responding soon is greatly appreciated! Do not wait until the last weekend if you can help it! I will continue to accept picture and video submissions until the 8th.

Thank you!
~Ash

Hey there. I apologize for my extended absence from DA. This is due largely to an excess of school projects and papers, which have occupied the majority of the time the past few months. I am currently enjoying my summer break, so hopefully I'll be able to get some more artwork done in the near future.

At any rate, I am very pleased to announce that I will be attending Anthrocon this year! I will arrive Thursday, July 2nd in the evening, and I shall be there until Sunday, July 5th. I am very excited, as this is allegedly the biggest furry convention in the nation, and quite possibly in the world. Nearly 4,000 people went last year...wow. This is my first time going, so I am really pumped for it. If any of you are going to be attending the convention, I'd love to get a chance to meet up and say hi in person. Reply to this message or send a PM if you want to arrange a meeting. Anyway, that's what I have on my horizon. Here's hoping it's every bit as exciting as I hear it is! ^_^

OMG. One week to go...Morphicon is almost here. For those of you who don't know, Morphicon is a furry convention that takes place in Columbus, Ohio. I have to admit, I'm pretty damn excited...this is going to be my first furry convention. I have been to one anime con this year (Ohayocon), but I get the feeling that I'm going to enjoy this one a whole lot more. I'm not entirely sure what to expect, but I'm really looking forward to it anyway. I should be there all day on Saturday, and [maybe] Friday night and [maybe] Sunday morning. Maybe I'll see one or two of you there...?

:3