So I wanted to alert another user on DISQUS about my blog. Guess what... our special crybaby friend has now blocked links to my blog....

First attempt was with a URL shortener.
Second attempt was a post, which I subsequently edited, and when I edited it... it got blocked.

BusinessTech, MyBroadband's own little fake news spew website spewed some fake bullshit click-bait today.
The response to this was quite heavy

Its a very strong response, and I am keeping it here because I am sure it will be sent to the fired furnaces below the Ministry of Truth!

It just never stops, Winston... The Ministry of Truth continues unabated...

Ban incoming for that user, pretty soon....

 (oSo the local FAKE NEWS hub is hiring... and someone did point out their job advert:

As we know the business is run by a dutchman (our good friend Rudy), or more accurately nothing that became something through whichever means, probably not the ethical route as I've been told many times over the years. As I have myself worked for some of these "delightful" dutch people over the years, they rate only second to working for a boss of Middle-Eastern persuasion- they share the common trait of being bastard slave drivers - they honestly believe they are better than the people that work for them and love the sweatshop. Of course, that never did sit well with me, and hence the reason why I tend to get emotional about these issues. Anyway, from the advert:

In the post on the forum, it takes you to the link where you do the actual application. I honestly don't know whether to laugh or cry at this, as it is blatantly obvious that MyBroadband wants to pwn its employees. How disgusting!

This ad wasn't missed either by the readers on the forum, they actually called them out on it. Of course, no response. Boss of sweatshop doesn't care..

No need to guess what's happening on that date... the move is coming out on that date.
Please, for the love of all that is good, don't disappoint us like SEGA has done for decades!!

Once upon a time, I used to read James Long's blog/website about his dissatisfaction with certain American businesses that don't want to do business with customers.

So, I was happening to look up where to get comic art boards, the best ones I've seen are from Bill Cole Enterprises (these are the very ones that Archie Comics use) and its the first hit in Google...

​Unfortunately I get presented with this:

So right there folks, its 2018 and this douchebag thinks its just wild animals and 419 scammers that live in South Africa. But what this dickwad doesn't realize is that I can get to his site, just fine from Tor

So here is a company that is now BLACKLISTED in my personal list of companies who will NEVER get my business, ever. I urge you to not support these people too.

So I happened to find this site recently: weasyl.com.
I went and had a look because some other folks known to me use the site. One thing that did catch my eye was their Staff Code of Conduct page. I must admit many lulz were had reading through that. But let's bring your attention, dear reader, to the following section:

LOLWUT, do I now have to get permission from some shitty internet forum I am volunteering at, to take my prescription drugs? Not even my employer has that kind of over-arching power.

So needless to say, I won't be using a site that has such draconian (and illegal) rules.

I am really sad to say it, but, many in the South African furry scene, do not appreciate or care for satire or humour. This is pretty much like the national occupation of sport; being critical or satirical about the sport teams leads to vehement debate. Consider the following comic strip I produced:

99.9% of furries I surveyed about the above, thought it to be very funny. Unfortunately the 0.01% whom happen to be in charge of the ZAfur forums do not see it that way, and get upset. It is interesting then, that one could either draw the conclusion that these people are really serious about the fandom, in the same way that some people are about sports teams.

This however is nothing new. I have seen similar issues being experienced lately by our own Jonathan Shapiro (better known as Zapiro). The fundamental problem is not the art, or its exact message, but its misinterpretation by special snowflakes; these individuals whom are overly-sensitive to any form of critique, even. It is perhaps a miracle of modern times that these people get through school, and into the modern world, relatively unscathed, and indeed, work alongside us, without raging or being in a perpetual upset state.

However, it is not their interest in furry, or their participation that is the problem at all, moreover, it is the actual process of getting so upset, about anything, no matter how small. Blowing things out of proportion, a comparison is not sufficient; rather its blowing a bottle out of three grains of sand.

Over the December holidays I decided to devote myself to honing my art skills. The results thereof were not what I ever expected, in that I have attracted quite a following online, and in the Telegram groups and on forums of course. 

So basically I am having to start 2018 not only working hard at honing my skills, but, by degrees, having to handle so many people I don't even know, who love what I do, and want to see more of it.

After a rather pleasant weekend, I had one of those deep conversations with my wife once more.
This time we discussed the whole rationale and idea about being a "furry" and it is pretty clear that I should and must come out of the closet about it.

Let's face it, after decades of hanging with the blue hedgehog, assuming the identity of the blue hedgehog and his friends, it comes as no surprise that this is pretty natural stuff to me. From my viewpoint its merely a transition from a known character, to one of my own creation.

Now, of course, I cannot claim to be Sonic The Hedgehog. That wouldn't be right for a number of reasons, not least that SEGA-SAMMY Holdings might have a shit fit about it and send me nasty lawyer's letters. It also doesn't mean I don't like Sonic any less, it just means that its time for me to express my own sassy and artistic side via my fursona. And for this purpose, ArtyLoop the Wolf was created.

At this time I am working on the design of the character, and I am already signing my own art as my fursona. I am in the process of commissioning Nanukk Luik for the ref-sheet, from which I am going to create (make, stitch and whatever else is needed) the matching fursuit.

Dispelling some common myths (for the sake of the family and relatives who read my blog)

• This is not a business about fucking animals or having any kind of relations with them. I find the thought of that rather disgusting (and its also illegal). This has frequently been the angle taken by the media (we all know what I think of the mass media) to create sensationalist articles that sell newspapers and tabloid magazines. No, this has nothing to do with that. As everyone knows I am by degrees a cat fancier, and I have been involved in cat shelters and such.

 

• This is not some kind of gay club either. While it so happens that many of the participants in the fandom happen to be gay, its pretty much par for the course in the artistic business. One's sexual orientation should never the man (or woman) make. In short, stop fucking judging people (yes mother dear, I am talking to you)
  
  
• This is a sub-culture, and like many others (please watch a couple of episodes of Big Bang Theory to learn about geeky subcultures). My son is a Star Wars fan, and cosplays as Darth Vader. This is pretty much the same, so I get to prance around dressed as a wolf (complete with the feeling of being wrapped in a couch and sweating my lungs out)
  
  
• So I am often asked.. "But but but, what about the furry porn?" Oh you mean the "yiff"? Well. what can I say, the same sort of thing exists in other subcultures...erm.. ever heard of hentai doujinshi based on popular anime (including Sonic The Hedgehog fucking the shit out of Amy Rose)? Well there's millions of pages of tentacle sex in the anime scene (and even more weird and disgusting stuff). So the question is, what about it? I don't care about it, doesn't mean much to me, as I don't need it in my life. However I do think there's an untapped market for it in South Africa and I want to pick up that tab.
  
  
• Then there is the misconception that being a furry means dressing up, and fucking in a fursuit. Well, as Uncle Kage put it succinctly, you can attempt it and I will stand by ready to call the emergency services because you will probably need it due to getting hyperthermia within 4 minutes, straight. Sorry to disappoint (yes even you Spamcaster) but I have no desire, or find "murrsuiting" anything except some sick dream.

So let's leave a nice picture here, one of which is used in the Wikipedia articles. As can be seen, its all about roleplay, all about having fun with other people. I don't see anything untoward here.