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I'm not sure what to write here or even what the response I receive will be, with that said, hello, first time writing to ya. 

I suppose I should start off at the beginning of what put me into my current situation, just a few years ago I joined the US Army, went through the training, deployed to Afghanistan once, got back to the states and did some bullshit for the next few months and eventually left the military with an honorable discharge.

After this I moved in with my folks and spent some time off just living on the money I saved up in the military, then started looking for a job, couldn't find one, money dried up, parents asked me to move out. The trailer I was living in on their property didn't have heat anyways and winter was approaching quickly, I heard of a homeless veteran shelter and moved in there.

Its not a bad place, its clean, safe and has food available, its just, still can't find a job, last couple months I've been pretty depressed about my situation, enough that I have had certain thoughts that I would prefer not to mention here but I am sure you will suggest I seek a "licensed professional."

Honestly I prefer not speaking to one, reasons being that with the current state of the country, and the fact that if one of these "licensed professionals" can legally strip me of my second amendment rights if they feel my mental state is not within a certain standard. I do not want to wake up one day with a police officer knocking on my door demanding my firearms because of some bout of depression I was treated for. I wouldn't be surprised if I am on some type of government watch list for the sole reason of serving this country.

I suppose that is all I have to write for now, maybe you have some advice for my situation.

Thanks,
Rob

* * *

Dear Rob,

I would like to start my reply by giving you a big “Thank You!” for bravely serving your country and all of us who remained at home. That was a selfless thing to do and must be acknowledged. I think it is pretty awesome that there are furries in the military (I assume you’re a furry and that’s how you found my column.)

Papabear can understand your reticence about seeking professional help. I often suggest to writers who contact me that they do such, but more important is that you reach out to someone when you are troubled. And I think it is a very good sign that you have written to me that you are thinking clearly and have not sunk so low as to be a danger to yourself or others.

It is also understandable that at this point in your life you would be depressed. Who wouldn’t be? You have put your life on the line only to come back and find yourself jobless and kicked out of your parents’ home.

It is a dirty shame that, for the most part, our federal government has fallen down on the job when it comes to helping veterans, especially when it comes to getting jobs and reestablishing themselves in mainstream society. Nevertheless, if you haven’t already done so, I would recommend you contact Veteran Affairs at http://www.va.gov/. The VA not only has medical assistance to those who need it, but also job training and job search programs. That would be a good start.

If you have already done that, then you can also look into private veteran organizations like the National Veterans Foundation (http://nvf.org/) which has chapters throughout the country. A big part of what they do is help vets find work. There is also AmVets (http://www.amvets.org/), which does have training and grant programs, though admittedly a lot of their focus seems to be on helping vets with medical and other financial problems.

On the next level, start connecting to local and war-relevant groups. Since you served in Afghanistan, you are eligible to join the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (http://iava.org) for free. The IAVA is focused on assisting with health, training, and employment of veterans of these wars.

Finally, you can search for local organizations in your state, county, or city. Search under “veterans for veterans” and see what you can locate using Google. Or, you could probably get recommendations from the IAVA if you asked their office.

Oh! And don’t forget your furiends! Connect with military furs at such places as http://militaryfurries.livejournal.com/ and http://furry4life.org/forum/topics/military-furs. This might not lead to a job, but it will give you some social support that you might need.

As you can see, Rob, getting help and reaching out doesn’t necessarily mean looking for a mental health professional. My instinct is that you are not crazy or a danger in any way; you are simply depressed because of the southward turn your life has taken. I hope that some of the information above can put you on a course toward helping you find your way out of your present situation.

Papabear Salutes You!

Ok, so here's the deal. I don't work for free. I don't do requests but I will sometimes do trades. It doesn't have to be for art. Everyone has some skill or knowledge to offer.

I have a bit of time for art today so I will be offering at least 5 sketch trade slots. First come, first serve. Will trade for most anything, art, music, stories.... tell me a really great joke or an awesome family recipe! These will mostly be face sketches, but the more effort you put into your half the more I'll put into mine.

Please provide a ref or description. One sketch per person.

My FA- http://www.furaffinity.net/user/pariahpoet/

Will post sketches this afternoon when I am back to my computer.

[EDIT] Since it's getting later in the day I can't guarantee that any more trades will be completed today, but 2 slots still stand. :)

submitted by ChatGarou
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Author: That British ‘yote’s back again. In other words, hello. I’m stuck in a bit of a tricky situation regarding my education and its driving me mad. I train as a mechanic for a good part of my school time and if I was to assess how good I was at it, I would say […]

So I wonder if there's anyone out there with the same interrest in roleplaying as me? I've been roleplaying via text for a long while now but I haven't met anyone (that I know of) into furries as myself. So if there's anyone who would fancy trying out some roleplay, send a PM and I'll explain everything you'd like to know. It's worth a shot :)

And if it matters, I'm a female.

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UPDATE:

It looks as though the the reveal may have already been spoiled, as the resume of the english voice actor for Nanoko, Karen Strassman, has listed the games "Persona 4 Vol. 2" and "Golden 2 Persona 4". Could it be a direct sequel? Looks like we'll find out this Sunday.

 

PERSONA!

That's right everyone, Atlus is at it again with yet another Persona game in the works; at least if this teaser site is to be believed. If you go to the teaser site that went up just a little while ago called http://p-ch.jp/, you'll see a few blank boxes and a date in huge lettering reading "20:00, SUN, 11.14, 2013" along with some cities labled below.

Now if you mash you mouse button on any of the pictures, it'll reveal a shadow that, after a few seconds, show's you the real surpise. Teddy has returned, and that brings up a few questions. Persona 4 has already been released on PS2 some years ago, and it's been released on the PSVita more recently, so what does this mean? An HD revamp of Persona 4 for the PS4? A direct sequel (which would be the first time for the Persona sub series)? Is Atlus just pulling our leg? All of them are equally possible I'd imagine.

In my opinion I'd be a little bummed out if it was either of the first two ideas. Not because I don't like Persona 4, I love it quite a bit, but because I want Atlus to continue the tradition of making a completly new story with new characters and concepts with each new entry.

If anything does happen at the appointed time, we'll be sure to update this post or make a new one with whatever new information we recieve.

So I'd like to know, do you agree with me about about having completely new game each time? Or do you want a sequel to Persona 4?

Any ideas on what the teaser might be? Tell me in the comments below.

I do not mean offense to enyone in the fandom I think all art is beautiful in there own ways.

So im sorry if this sounds stupid but ... I have this friend and she is a furry I was not aware of this until a few days ago and I whould like to know if I should get educated about a sertain subject?

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As the title says I'm streaming sketching (sorry it's not digital art yet!)

The first viewer that makes an account and talks gets to tell me what to draw!

I'm streaming on Twitch Here

I'll be on for about another hour!

no longer live, I will be tomorrow!

Thanks to all that came!

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With Furaffinity and Sofurry mostly being the most common sites for uploading original art and stories (with Inkbunny gaining some traction over the past year or so) I'm curious as to which site people prefer and why? Not looking to bash any sites as it's definitely a question about opinions, and if you like both equally or like them for different things that's good too. I just wanna hear what other furs think, and what people think each site does best.

This is purely out of curiosity, and I am absolutely not looking for any hate directed at either site. Personally I prefer Sofurry's user interfeace due to how it shows the tags on each story before you click the icon and other small details, but I do prefer furaffinity when it comes to sheer amounts of work posted to it.

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I've been bored lately and have been looking for a game to sink time into, any suggestions would be helpful!

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Author: Fred Oops. This manga would be a lot funnier if not for the serious news in August of a man in Idaho being arrested for having sex with a cat. Many of Flayrah’s readers wondered how that was possible, considering the size differences of a human’s and a cat’s sex apparatus. One of the […]

submitted by the_bi_lizard
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