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Fox and Burger Podcast #9: LIFC, Singaporean Furs + More Feat Kaiyoki & Hollud. ---- In this episode of the Fox and Burger Podcast, we're going to the Lion City, that's right Singapore! Joining us today are Hollud and Kaiyoki, both SG furs, and both furs who've had a hand at assisting Singapore's first large-scale fur con, Little Island Fur Con. Join us as we delve into the Singapore furry fandom for the first time! ---- Social Media: Fox: https://twitter.com/foxnakh Burger: https://twitter.com/L1ghtningRunner http://www.youtube.com/c/LightningRunner Kaiyoki fb.me/kaiyoki.munschky TG: @Shibaka Discord: Shibaka#6930 Hollud https://www.facebook.com/hollud https://twitter.com/Hollud Telegram: Hollud Discord: Hollud#1426 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnlbCgYvVJW2Q2-05U5v9BA Little Island Furcon https://twitter.com/LittleIslandFC Footage: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WO8Tvtakt6o https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w8oiydDEQP0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPfA7weWQVI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3_lVSrPB6w https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiYqhRb_veg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-4pGS0zYE4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCeLkBbehus https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4YIheK4oAm8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luOqVzenp20 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dRvJQyBVaQQ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMOQmpH1biw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlB8s9bEl8k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRmgUBNzkJ8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kQ9KLhDcRJw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v7xVyUNNHtU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjI8oJmyYiM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0PYdsoeCuEg https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VULqRSR2EUs https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=534DNtOswf0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jl56QRAcqYI https://twitter.com/LittleIslandFC/status/1223455934703230976?s=20

Welcome to guest Joe Strike, journalist and author of Furry Nation, the furry fandom history book. (- Patch)

It’s not the first time Jimmy Kimmel has exploited Furry for a cheap laugh or two. (Furs with long memories or prone to Wikifur browsing might remember Kimmel/The Man Show’s 2003 ConFurence controversy.)

— but Kimmel (or his writers’) anti-furry bias has resurfaced with vengeance, judging from a couple of recent throwaway Jimmy Kimmel Show gags. On May 5th Kimmel referenced the ongoing NaziFur controversy in the most trivializing/assholey manner possible:

“Twitter has a feature now that will double-check with you before you post a mean or offensive comment… some people even want to get on the list [of comments or language that should be confirmed before posting].

He then posted a screen capture of a news story comment reading “Can we get “NaziFur” added to the toxicity list? It’s used by furrys [sic] who want to demonize other furrys who they can hate and it causes them irreparable reputational harm.”

Kimmel’s “clever” comeback (perhaps inspired by that memorable Entourage episode – ):

“That’s right, it causes ‘harm’ to the reputations of those of us who like to get a handy in a squirrel costume every once in a while.”

Yes, because nothing says “funny” like comparing fascism to masturbation.

Gag can be viewed here; comment author posted as a nazifur and was banned from Furaffinity.

It’s not the first time Kimmel (or his writers) have thrown in a gratuitous “all furries do is fursuit fucking” either. On April 15th Kimmel Show ran a sketch featuring a Mark “My Pillow” Lindell look-alike broadcasting from inside his laundry room, “Lindell’s” rant is interrupted when his “fiancée” starts pounding on the door:

“Rosalinda’s gonna kill me, she’s gotta wash my rabbit costume – I got a little hot mustard on the spot where you put your dinger through.”

I have to admit visualizing Mike Lindell in a murrsuit, his “dinger” dangling in plain sight is not completely lacking in humor or disgust, or perhaps a combination of the two—and the “hot mustard” reference adds a whole new level of kink to the situation. Still, Kimmel’s Furry=fursuit sex fixation is getting kinda old, doncha think?

– Joe Strike

Like the article? These take hard work. For more free furry news, follow on Twitter or support not-for-profit Dogpatch Press on Patreon. Want to get involved? Try these subreddits: r/furrydiscuss for news or r/waginheaven for the best of the community. Or send guest writing here. (Content Policy.)

The creator of Bird & Squirrel and Gabby & Gator is back with a new graphic novel for young readers — with a sense of adventure! “The Super-Secret Spy Service’s mission is to keep the world safe from maniacal villains. And Agent 9 is one of its best operatives. Although Nine always manages to complete the mission, there is occasionally some collateral damage (like the priceless Pigasso painting that was destroyed while foiling an art heist). So Agent 9 is now on probation. But when bumbling supervillain King Crab manages to overtake S4 headquarters, there is no one else to turn to. Nine — along with a robotic partner named FiN — is all that stands between King Crab and his diabolical plans to melt the polar ice caps and build a massive water park.” Agent 9 Volume 1: Flood-A-Geddon by James Burks is available now from Penguin. Appropriate!

image c. 2021 Penguin Random House

MOOBARKFLUFF! Click here to send us a comment or message about the show!

We are joined by Science Fiction Author KD Edwards. He talks to us about his Book Trilogy, the Tarot Sequence, and reveals what his fursona would be if he were furry.  Figs are discussed. Why? Who knows.  But we have a great time once again and bring you all the fluffs to your world.  Moobarkfluff.

Support the show

Thanks to all our listeners and to our staff: Bearly Normal, Rayne Raccoon, Taebyn, Cheetaro, TickTock, and Ziggy the Meme Weasel.

You can send us a message on Telegram at BFFT Chat, or via email at: bearlyfurcasting@gmail.com

Bearly Furcasting S2E4 - KD Edwards, Five Minute Furs, Figs, A little bit of Math and Really Bad Jokes

Renegade Games and Oni Press present Aggretsuko: Work/Rage Balance, a new card game based on the popular and award-winning anime series. “Aggretsuko is a fast-playing card game for 3-6 players, where each player takes the role of a mild-mannered office worker trying to get through their work each day. If a worker becomes frustrated, they can RAGE to let out their inner heavy-metal rock star. RAGING will provide some much-needed relief from the daily grind, but it may have consequences later on.” Interestingly, the game is illustrated by Brenda Hickey, well-known for her work on the My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic comic series. Board Game Geek have a review of the new game.

image c. 2021 Renegade Games

How does a senior furry stay relevant in the furry fandom?

Dineegla (age 67)

* * *

[Note: I personally know Dineegla, as some of my comments below may demonstrate.]
Dear Dineegla:

Great question :) My first gut reaction is that you don't need to stay "relevant." The furry fandom should be something fun and rewarding in itself without worrying about whether others see you as relevant or not. Mirriam-Webster defines relevant as "having significant and demonstrable bearing on the matter at hand." So, what you are asking is, basically, how do I keep up with the younger furs and stay in their line of vision.

If you wish to make an impact on the modern fandom, there are two main paths you could take: one is to get super involved in the administration of a furcon or furmeet. People who have been leaders in the world of cons and meets make huge contributions to keeping the fandom alive and vital; the other is to increase your presence in the media. More and more, furries who are getting noticed are those who run podcasts or have YouTube programs. I know you and your husband tried that virtual gym once (not sure if you still have that), but that is to a very specific taste. You need to do something with broader appeal if you wish to get a bigger audience.

There other ways to be relevant, though, if you are very creative. One is to be a popular fursuiter and/or musician like Telegram or Foxes and Peppers, but I have a feeling that is not up your alley. Same with such things as inventing and creating new video or board games, cartoons, feature films, graphic novels, or comic strips. But if you are so inclined toward any of those, that would certainly hold possibilities in making you a name in the fandom.

If you wish to become more relevant, in summary, the answer is to increase your involvement in fandom activities.

Hugs,
Papabear

My fellow Guild members:

I’ll get right down to it — I, Linnea Capps, will be stepping down as president of the Furry Writers’ Guild.

The Guild finds itself at a crossroads. We have launched many new initiatives over the past year, and have been planning even more, working toward formal incorporation as a 501(c)(3) non-profit (alongside new membership benefits). This would require more involvement not only from Guild members but a massive investment of my own time and energy as president.

Unfortunately, I was recently diagnosed with a clinical case of burn-out. I’ll be okay with time to rest, but it has become clear I cannot continue to sacrifice my health this way. I am sorry to everyone this will disappoint, but I hope you’ll understand.

Our amazing staff (as well as many former presidents) have stepped up when needed to ensure that the Guild could continue to function. Unfortunately, with a lack of volunteer help and no other candidates for president, it is uncertain that there will be an enduring foundation for the Guild to expand its operations. It is thus infeasible to continue with these initiatives until such a foundation can be established.

With this in mind, let’s discuss what this means for the Guild going forward.

In accordance with the by-laws, we have gone through each current officer to accede to the presidency, with all declining the role. This leaves the Guild with no president and the by-laws lacking a way to deal with this situation. We have made our best effort to pass on the torch as fairly as possible. As such, beginning today, May 21st, 2021, the Furry Writers Guild will begin a special vote for an election of a president and vice president.

For a period of two weeks from May 21st, 2021 to June 4th, 2021 any Guild member may declare themself as a candidate for these positions. Candidates should announce their candidacies via the forums in the Guild Election section.

In the event that a new president is not elected, the remaining officers will form an interim committee with the intent to sustain our current services while constructing a plan for the Guild’s next steps. I will be staying on until after whatever transition takes place and am here to answer questions.

Before I close, I want to say one last thing — anyone considering running for president needs to understand the undertaking they are signing up for. Please reach out to me or other previous presidents to get an idea of what this entails. The end of our two-week period will be on June 4th, 2021. We’ll update everyone with any voting details as necessary then.

Sincerely, 

Linnea “LiteralGrill” Capps

President of the Furry Writers Guild

Guardians: Downfall is a furry military scifi novel set in the year 2776. In a time of galactic warfare, we join the story on the bridge of the UGSM Serenity, where Captain Fischer is about to launch his Goliath warship to the frontier for testing. We quickly meet a few members of the crew, learn a bit about the world and the tech, and then the ship enters a wormhole and is on its way.

Guardians throws us right into its high-tech, military-style scifi and detailed world build without too much data dumping. The writing is relatively clean and sharp, and the premise is very cool. We quickly meet some engaging, furry characters, learn that they use mechs, and get the initial setup for the story to come. The foundation for the world is pretty cool. Who wouldn’t love furries in mechas?

The characters seem like the sort a reader can easily bond with, and the dialogue is natural and entertaining. Unfortunately, the potentially cool story behind Guardians: Downfall is virtually inaccessible to all but the most determined reader. It is a shame that the story was not edited or formatted properly, but in its current shape, it is all but impossible to wade through.

The entire novel is center justified, with sporadic use of paragraph breaks so that the dialogue and the exposition are all one big block with occasional carriage returns that seem to be an afterthought rather than intentional. The punctuation use is sporadic, and the reader has to sort their way between comma splices, run on sentences, and single lines of the book with only one or two words on them interspersed with huge blocks of unbroken text.

It is almost tragic that a story with obvious potential has been lost in a tangle of formatting and editorial errors, as given a little time and organization, I think it might have been a good read. I couldn’t get very far into it, and believe me, I tried. I felt sad that a story so big, which had taken so much time to be written had not been given the same care to package it into a professional, legible format.

As far as I can tell, the story itself is worth a read, and the only complaints I had about it were a general lack of setting and description which left the reader feeling a little ungrounded. It’s quite possible, however, that the grounding in setting comes later, and I just didn’t have the stamina to get that far.

For a stalwart reader who has excellent vision and doesn’t care about putting in a lot of extra effort to access a story’s content, Guardians: Downfall might be an excellent read. I wish I could tell you for certain.

How do I explain to my children that I'm a furry? Got two of them and want to stop them from getting bullied for having a dad who dresses like a kangaroo.

Anonymous

* * *

Dear Furiend,

Apparently, your children already know you dress as a kangaroo, so how does explaining you're a furry change that? Since your kids' schoolmates already know, too, then adding that you are a furry will not stop the bullying. Indeed, it could make it more severe.

First of all, if your kids are being bullied, make sure the school administrators know. I hope it is not violent bullying that causes physical harm, but even psychological bullying is cruel and damaging. Either way, bullying should not be tolerated in any way.

The schoolyard functions much like a wolf pack. There are alpha wolves and there are omega wolves. The wolves at the bottom get picked on by the top wolves to maintain a social hierarchy. Such hierarchies exist in both the animal kingdom and human society. If your children were not being picked on for having a dad who dresses as a kangaroo, odds are they would get picked on for something else because I'm guessing they aren't jocks or on the top of the social cliques.

You are, therefore, asking the wrong question. The solution is not so much about telling them you're a furry (although it is related; see below); the solution is to teach your children how to stick up for themselves. Schools are not just places to learn math and English; they are places where children learn to navigate difficult social and relationship situations.

You need to teach your children assertiveness, and step one is to be a model of assertiveness to them. Actually, your not telling them you are a furry is a bad lesson to them, so you are correct that you should tell them. By telling them you are a furry and what it means to you, you are demonstrating that you are not ashamed to be yourself. Next, you should explain that they should not be ashamed of who they are. Furthermore, tell them that it is not their job to defend their father. Next time a bully gets in their faces about their kangaroo dad, tell them they should invite those bullies to your house, dress up as a kangaroo, and entertain them for a while. Ask your guests if they have ever pretended to be someone or something they are not, and encourage them to join in on a game of imaginative play. During the imaginative play, you can act out scenarios in which you or one of your kids bullies the bully, but use it as a lesson, such as, "When Mary calls you a fat ass, how do you feel about that? How do you think it made her feel when you called her that?"

There are many strategies in dealing with bullies. The three main ones are to be assertive and confident (not defensive), don't be afraid (most bullies are cowards), and ignore/show no reaction to their bullying. Bullies, like online trolls, thrive on knowing they have somehow hurt you. If you show them their words don't affect you in the least, the bully withers and slinks away.

This page offers more instructions and strategies to help you and your kids: https://www.ahaparenting.com/parenting-tools/safety/helping-bullied-child.

Hope this helps!

Papabear

TigerTails Radio Season 13 Episode 12 Join the Discord Chat: https://discord.gg/SQ5QuRf For a full preview of events and for previous episodes, please visit http://www.tigertailsradio.co.uk. See website for full breakdown of song credits, which is usually updated shortly after the show.

Cartoon Brew pointed us at something we had not heard of. Thanks! “Inspector Sun and the Curse of the Black Widow, a family-oriented animated thriller from Spain, has entered production… Set in a world where humans and insects co-exist, the story unfolds on a seaplane journey from Shanghai to San Francisco in the 1930s. It centers on the spider detective Inspector Sun and his nemesis the Red Locust, paying homage to the detective stories of Agatha Christie and the fictional Charlie Chan. The script, by Rocco Pucillo, won the prestigious students-only Samuel Goldwyn Award in 2013. The film is a co-production from The Thinklab Media and Gordon Box. It is directed by Julio Soto Gúrpide, who helmed the Goya-nominated 2017 feature Deep.” Currently Inspector Sun is set for release in the summer of 2022. We’ll certainly find out.

image c. 2021 Thinklab Media

We return to the patio for returns to normalcy, questionable drugs, yummy roadside food, real life Pokemon fighting, and a really easy decision made over at SoFurry.

Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/Southpawscast

LINKS-
24 Hours of Buc-ee's- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3OUkya1qEc&t=2s
Telegram Fan Chat - https://t.me/joinchat/P2iJg8tyj-KNGaci 

Episode 491 - Not Going 2 Jail 4 U - We return to the patio for returns to normalcy, questionable drugs, yummy roadside food, real life Pokemon fighting, and a really easy decision made over at SoFurry.Patreon! https://www.patreon.com/Southpawscast LINKS-

We’re quoting this one direct from the source — because they say it so well. “Deep in the library is a book that tells of giants and elves, woffs and deer foxes, and all manner of creatures from the Wilderness to the center of Trolberg. Those who wish to learn will glean all the knowledge they need from Hilda’s own copy of this fascinating compendium of beasts and spirits… For fans of Netflix’s hit animated Hilda series, this gorgeous guide to creatures from tiny to giant will keep young adventurers spellbound, with a behind-the-scenes bestiary that teaches Hilda fans everything they’ll want to know about the fauna of Trolberg, featuring trivia and brand new art!” Written by Emily Hibbs and illustrated by Jason Chan, Hilda’s Book of Beasts and Spirits is available now in hardcover.

image c. 2021 Flying Eye Books

MOOBARKFLUFF! Click here to send us a comment or message about the show!

Cassidy Civet returns to the show and talks about her projects and how she has become so famous in just one year! Can you put cake in a Tortilla? We discuss all the fruit varieties (You won't believe number 5!) that have come out of the Taebyn Horticultural Labs to date.  A Black Footed Ferret from Chile joins us on Five Minute Furs. Are Penguins dangerous? Where is Bearly's prehensile tail? We learn more about the English language, world geography, and moving bodies of water.  So join us won't you? Moobarkfluff!

Support the show

Thanks to all our listeners and to our staff: Bearly Normal, Rayne Raccoon, Taebyn, Cheetaro, TickTock, and Ziggy the Meme Weasel.

You can send us a message on Telegram at BFFT Chat, or via email at: bearlyfurcasting@gmail.com

Bearly Furcasting S2E3 - Cassidy Civet, Taebyn Definitions, Storytime, Taebyn Fruits

Last month, Equestria Daily warned about blowback to fans: The Indianapolis FedEx Mass Shooter Was Apparently A Brony, and Obsessed with Applejack. The 19 year old shooter carried it out after posting online that he hoped to see the cartoon character in the afterlife. “Brony” stands out by the Man Bites Dog rule, but there’s more details. Previously he had a gun seized, and got confined for threats after visiting white supremacist websites. Half of those killed were Sikhs. (I REALLY hate that, because of learning about this at the birthday of a Sikh friend. Every one I’ve met is a sweetheart.)

Rolling Stone asked: “Do Bronies have a Nazi problem?” They say fandom isn’t inherently problematic, but it faces infiltration by problems. Being a fan of cartoons isn’t a threat, but there’s threats coming out of fandom. Maybe giving a heads up about negativity should also say…

1: It’s not the only incident.

• (2020): In Texas, Daniel Perry killed a protester after tweeting about how to kill protesters. His FurAffinity page got far-right gloating.
• (2020): Furry in Ohio shot up a school, thankfully just hitting the building and nobody was hurt.
• (2017): Randy Stair, a Brony who made animated fan videos, did a mass shooting at his workplace that was predicted by his creations.
• (2016:) 3 killed in Fullerton CA by 3 furries, they all mingled at furry events and might not have met without them.

Maybe this isn’t more frequent than in general society, but do they share context? And isn’t one shooting too many?

Last summer, a right-wing extremist with furry fan background drove into a crowd and shot a protester. He was let go by police and his Furaffinity page was used for extremist hate support. Now the incident is being considered for charges. https://t.co/Kpx9NzGwjr https://t.co/hJPCTbDfjo

— Dogpatch Press (@DogpatchPress) April 18, 2021

 

2: People tend to reject bad news by reflex.

(Maybe if it involved Jedi afterlife.)

I hear reflexes like these all the time:

• (Community defenders): We’re always facing haters, and the problem is giving them too much attention.
• (Con runners): This looks bad for filling hotel rooms, so let’s not mention a surprise lone wolf nobody could have predicted.
• (Sunshine McFluffy): Our fandom is for hugs and fun, so that person wasn’t a true member.
• (Puritans): Who needs reasons, they’re brainwashed by their sick fandom. They need Jesus!
• (Gun nuts): Shooter threats are all around… Shoot them first, no problem.

3: Then context gets lost.

Fandom makes context:

• Close connections make incidents hit harder than usual inside.
• Anti-social individuals may seek escapism communities.
• People close to them might be able to see clues and stop them.
• If a community is blamed, try standing on the victim’s side to fix that.
• Guns aren’t just used on others, and fans raise attention to help with suicide.

The Equestria Daily story shows what readers think about context. A comment says Applejack stands for conservative “core values of family and tradition”, and worries the character will be cut out for “SJW” values. (That’s a weird way of sympathizing with victim families.) Nobody mentions many victims were Sikhs. (Their tradition is doing community service, but racists mistake them for Muslims because they don’t care to try knowing more.) And Dungeons and Dragons comes up as a scapegoat of 1980’s Satanic Panic. That’s actually a good point.

4: Silence can make judgement look true.

• In the 1980’s, Satanism was blamed for teen sex, drugs and suicide.
• Teen problems weren’t new, the new thing was social shifts. Pre Civil Rights generation parents had more worldly kids.
• Or both parents now had two parents working, so kids were left home to get into things.
• Then Dungeons and Dragons or heavy metal (or furries) were convenient scapegoats.
• It made careers of conservative preaching, which led to closing comic and record stores, attacking artist careers, and arrests for obscenity.
• Without evidence, people made shit up anyways and it worked.

The supposed Satan worshipping artists didn’t stay silent, they fought or leaned in. They weren’t literally summoning demons, they were doing stories with shades of light and dark, like visions that religion is supposed to awaken. Furries raised online don’t know what this culture war was like before the net made everything easy to get. It was a big stage in fandom growth.

The fandom had low notice until the 1990’s, when self-awareness made internal conflict with puritans. Soon the media latched on to exploit it. But around 2010 (when Comic Con went mainstream,) exploitation lightened and there started to be CNN “flat-out advocacy pieces“. And maybe the media has caught up with the fandom, but the fandom hasn’t lost fear of the media, when silence can hurt itself.

5: Fearmongering isn’t as bad as you think.

How bad is it if you lean in? Someone tried the same old panic in 2020 with email/telegram raids, calling it “Operation Expose Degeneracy.” They claimed to have thousands of murrsuit porn pics to publish and show that kids are in danger. They said many news outlets wanted to talk and there would be a whole book!

After spamming, he resorted to begging for help. Have you heard of this? Look how far that went.

6: Worry also means caring.

Mass shootings might not have one cause, but this one has something we know about radicalizing in online subcultures. With nazis being where they don’t belong, their presence isn’t just opinions or sides. They do nothing good for anyone, except maybe gun sellers and their invested friends. Worrying about how to stop that is caring about everyone. It’s not just negativity to bring it up and put fandom in the headline.

I knew that furry communities had successfully combated far right assholes trying to infiltrate their circles, so I am a little disappointed that the same cannot be said for bronies.
… no, I'm not joking here, wait why are you looking at me like that?

— Dennis (@Dennisthatsit) April 18, 2021

Kaitlyn Tiffany’s Atlantic article from last year confirms the Facebook memo’s point about extremism in the community existing generally. https://t.co/nJI9ESRGK3

— southpaw (@nycsouthpaw) April 18, 2021

Since the Brony community is still grappling with it's veins of right wing violent extremists like the Indianapolis FedEx shooter it's worth revisiting the sucesses and efforts of other similar niche internet subcultures that have had success fending off neo-nazi infiltration: https://t.co/pkj07RnST7

— Deo (@DeoTasDevil) April 19, 2021

Like the article? These take hard work. For more free furry news, follow on Twitter or support not-for-profit Dogpatch Press on Patreon. Want to get involved? Try these subreddits: r/furrydiscuss for news or r/waginheaven for the best of the community. Or send guest writing here. (Content Policy.)

Mad Cave Studios (home of Battlecats, as you may recall) has a new science fiction comic book series we just discovered, They Fell From The Sky. The summary for issue #2 explains it pretty well: “What do you do when you find a crash landed alien in the woods? Well, if you are Tommy Murphy you take it to the vet. After getting discharged, the newly named furry creature, Orion, is ready to discover all of the luxuries this small town has to offer. Can Tommy keep him in check, or is he reaching for the stars?” Issues are available now, written by Liezl Buenaventura, with art by Xavier Tárrega and DJ Chavis.

image c. 2021 Mad Cave Studios

Welcome back to another spotlight for Asian American and Pacific Island Heritage Month! Last week, we had a lovely conversation with Robert Baird covering many topics. This week, we’ll be spotlighting Mikasi!

Mikasi is a Hainanese furry writing currently living the Republic of Singapore. During the day they work as a plastics R&D engineer. In their free time, they enjoy reading, going to museum exhibitions, and of course writing. While they began writing mostly speculative fiction, they currently focus on slice-of-life works.

With our introductions in the books, let’s get on to the interview!

FWG: What would you say makes a good story?

Mikasi: Something that makes you think about the scenes or thought it provokes when you are no longer reading it. Like when you are in the shower, or walking to work and you still think about those story/movie scenes despite no longer looking at it, it has done its job well.

A story that makes you feel, essientially.

FWG: If you could convince everyone reading this interview to read one piece of literature, what would it be?

Mikasi: For Anthologies, probably Stories of New Tibet Vol 1 and II. They show the fragility of life, and how easily it is devalued even though it takes considerable time and effort to replace. For novels, I enjoyed the Harry Potter series (up to book 6), because of vast amounts of worldbuilding which is itself hard to contemplate.

FWG: How would you say your Hainanese heritage has affected your writing?

Mikasi: I would say that in recent years, I started writing about characters from other countries who end up living in other countries. Such as the dorm student in my story “A Friend In Winter” (FANG 10), and “A Leap Forward” (Claw the Way to Victory).

There were occasions I had to live alone in other countries, such as in during my UK exchange program back in University, and I am all too aware I kind of look different I enjoy exploring this in fiction.

My Hainanese heritage also had me write stories with a taste of Chinese culture and legends, such as elements from Journey to the West (“Adversary’s Fall”, Gods With Fur)

FWG: Is that kind of “othering” (for lack of a better word) something you enjoy exploring through fiction, or is it more a way to try and emotionally sort through this difficult thing in a safe environment?

Mikasi: I try to put some of my own personal experiences where possible in my writing because it is “real” and hence will make the story relatable to those who’ve experienced the same before.

FWG: Are there any other things like themes, folklore, or other bits of your history that have made it into your stories you’d like to share?

Mikasi: I also wrote a story of a character who died, and has to experience his last 100 days on earth, based on Chinese underworld afterlife beliefs. It is during this 100 days that he discovers that despite their dedication, there is a time we have to let everything go

Singaporeans have to undergo a 22-24 month conscription process, so I have addressed conscription , and military service in both humorous (“Fathers to Sons”, Dogs of War) and less-humorous stories (“No Choice About It”, ROAR 10 and “In Better Times”, Difursity.)

FWG: The Stop Asian Hate movement has has a lot of discussion for folks in the United States. As someone who’s Asian, living in an Asian country, have you had to deal with some of the unfair and unfortunate bigotry towards certain members of the Asian community during the pandemic?

Mikasi: I have seen some bigotry in my country even before the pandemic, but most of it is due to cultural stereotypes of other ethnicities that may or may not be true for specific individuals. That said, it is unfair to judge a person on the basis of their culture or religion before knowing or understanding them.

In the UK, I have had a 7 and 9 year old sing a racist song to me and my 5 classmates, and in Canada, I had a storekeeper annoyed I asked her a product-related question, but I sometimes tell myself that I cannot use my own standards for judging people for others.

Singapore has 4 official races, but the Government’s strict laws (and penalties) against racism from anyone, even the majority race, keeps that to a minimum. Less aggressively, housing laws ensure a certain percentage of each race or ethnic group is present in every neighborhood, so no place is “Just for Race A, Just for Race B, etc.”.

When people meet and see one another everyday outside of school and work, they actually become more understanding and tolerant as other ethnicities don’t seem that “strange” to them.

FWG: If you could leave readers with a single piece of information about Hainanese culture or folklore, what would it be?

Mikasi: I don’t know much about specifically Hainanese culture, except Chicken Rice as a dish, but for Chinese culture in general, the epic legend Journey to the West (seems quite similar to The Wizard of Oz (one of my favorite books) by Frank Baum. They all feature characters from different backgrounds, (and species) who are seeking redemption from their previous misdeeds (Journey to the West), or looking for a higher sense of purpose (The Wizard of Oz).

This concept is actually very similar to our world. Despute everyone’s differences, in the end, ultimately, everyone is trying to pursue their own path to happiness, and whether or not we choose to help or disrupt them is entirely up to us.

And yes, we have our own holidays that draws a parallel with Western ones, such as the Dongzhi Festival (Winter Solstice Festival) which is held a few days before Christmas, and The 7th Month/Hungry Ghost Festival , which might seem similar to Day of The Dead or the traditional Halloween, though the 7th Month is a (Lunar) Month long.

This is interesting because despite all the above festivals and holidays originating from different places across the world, different cultures still make sense of personal beliefs in different yet very similar ways

FWG: Any last things you’d like to tell our readers?

Mikasi: There is a lot we can learn from stories that are very similar to real life. Because living people write stories, they put a bit of themselves and their life experiences into it. How the characters suffer, how they get past their adversities; they are all things people have all experienced at some point in history. Stories teach us we’re not alone in suffering and happiness.

They also give us a safe means to experience other people’s lives without (too) much harm. They allow us to travel to other worlds, worlds of the fantastical, of the strange, of the erotic and arcane, in futuristic cities and planets, and magical realms accompanied by angels and dragons. All this is possible, and more, just by the turn of the pages, and some willpower of reading those words written with lots of hard work.

So don’t be scared to try a book you haven’t read yet; perhaps a book you had on your cubhood bookshelf but never got round to reading. You might be surprised at what you might discover.

We would like to thank Mikasi once more for sitting down to chat with us. You can follow him on Twitter @MikasiWolf and see all of his current written works on his FurAffinity. Make sure to stay tuned for next week for another spotlight. Until next time, may your words flow like water.

Boy, here’s something we haven’t heard from in a while: The Wolf In Underpants series of graphic novels by Wilfrid Lupano and Mayana Itoiz. The latest one is The Wolf In Underpants: At Full Speed. “It’s race day in the forest—but someone has ruined the posters for the big event! When other animals ask the Wolf to investigate, he discovers a chickadee with a chip on its shoulder. After learning why the little bird feels left out, the Wolf hatches a plan to launch it to victory . . . A plan that just might involve the Wolf’s trademark striped undies.” Got that? The whole series is available now from Lerner Publishing and Graphic Universe.

image c. 2021 Lerner Publishing Group

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BIPOC FURRY EVENTS

On March 20th '21 I interviewed Gram a black, non-binary fursuit crafter and artist living their best life! As the co-owner of Furench Toast Fursuits, she's had quite the history with making fursuits and interacting with all kinds of people. It was surprising to learn that her family was supportive of their craft from the start. Not something you hear everyday to say the least. 

While Gram excels at being creative, outsiders tend to judge them before getting to know them.  Living in various places in the Midwest, you learn harsh realities earlier than others. Being singled out in furmeets and group chats tends to rub someone the wrong way, and Gram explains why it's so hurtful and the effects it can have on someone mentally. Thankfully, Gram manages to find friends in their own way, 

Thanks for listening to this episode! We're going to be going on a hiatus until June.  

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Interview With Gram - Fursuit Fanatics, Community, & Creative Drive

TigerTails Radio Season 13 Episode 11 Join the Discord Chat: https://discord.gg/SQ5QuRf For a full preview of events and for previous episodes, please visit http://www.tigertailsradio.co.uk. See website for full breakdown of song credits, which is usually updated shortly after the show.