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What Happens Next: An anthology of sequels
Edited by Fred Patten
Cover Art by Sara Miles
424 pp., $19.95
FurPlanet Productions, July 2013

Other than annual awards collections, mainstream fantasy and science fiction anthologies have all but vanished. Furrydom, though, has an infatuation with them. We pump out several a year, nearly always of original fiction and nearly always themed: cyberpunk, Halloween, science fiction, gay erotica featuring farmboy foxes. Whether readers share this enthusiasm for anthologies with writers, though, seems murkier.

In What Happens Next, an anthology from 2013, each story connects to a published story from furry’s past. At first blush there’s a logic to this. What sells most consistently in genre fiction has long been the serial, from E.E. Doc Smith’s Lensman series through Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files. Kyell Gold‘s popularity is in no small part due to the Argaea and Dev & Lee series. Yet the chances are slim that a reader who isn’t deeply invested in stories produced by furrydom over the last quarter-century will know all or even most of the earlier works. How interested can you be in continuing adventures of characters you don’t know?

Some characters who appear here, like M.C.A. Hogarth’s Alysha Forrest or Gold’s Volyan, are likely known to many—and if not, their earlier adventures have stayed in print. Others, though, may be entirely unknown to today’s audience. I’m not sure if Elizabeth McCoy’s Kintara stories have seen in-fandom print since the demise of PawPrints, and Ken Pick’s Brigit Bunny hasn’t appeared since Yarf! #24 in May 1993. (McCoy has made both old and new Kintara stories available for Kindle.)

Fortunately, What Happens Next largely ignores the dictates of its title. Many of its eleven stories stand alone, and more than one takes place early in the continuity of related stories. This is less a collection of further adventures than simply new ones. The good news, then, is that this set of stories can serve as an introduction to these characters, authors and worlds. Those who are already fans, though, shouldn’t expect new insights or shocking revelations.

Michael Payne’s rollicking and witty contribution, “Immolation,” is a direct sequel to his Ursa-winning “Familiars” from the Ursa Major Awards Anthology, featuring the squirrel sorceress Cluny and her human familiar Crocker. “The Magi Decree” is an adventure of Chuck Melville’s Felicia, an amoral vixen sorceress, excerpted from an in-progress novel, and shares the series’ hallmarks of serious high fantasy with a cartoonlike facade. Brock Hoagland’s barbarian leopard woman Perissa checks in for “Festival of Vampires”; I confess I haven’t warmed to Perissa after the two tales of her I’ve read, but it’s a solid enough Red Sonja pastiche.

The Ursa-winning “The Monkeytown Raid” presents a dystopian tale of human vs. nonhuman gang conflict featuring—although not focusing on—the psychopathic sable Jack Salem. Roz Gibson’s inventive setting is gloriously ruinous and the violence is characteristically unsparing, but the plot is a bit paint-by-numbers. Kevin Frane’s “False Doctrine,” set in the same world as his Thousand Leaves and The Seventh Chakra, featuring the assassin Montserrat Léonide, who appeared before in the short story “Shadows of Novoprypiatsk.” Haunted, emotionally broken and unglamorized, Léonide is as heartbreaking as she is chilling.

Kristin Fontaine’s Tai-Pan story, “Reflections of Things to Come,” intertwines several slice-of-life stories on the titular merchant spacecraft; the gentle, personal dilemmas faced in the story lose some heft if your familiarity with the cast is minimal. “Second,” the only story that isn’t original to this volume, tells how Hogarth’s Alysha Forrest meets Taylitha, the woman destined to be her second-in-command. While Alysha’s archetypal combination of a relentless drive toward service and a poise far beyond her years is central to her stories, here it verges on the supernatural.

Jenner’s “Pick-Up at Hanging Drop,” the title an allusion to a famous Australian film, is a modern day slice-of-life story, elevated by genuine tension, Jenner’s deep experience with medicine and an unconventional writing style. “Sibling Rivalry” is a sequel of sorts to Kyell Gold’s underrrated Argaea novel Shadow of the Father. Duty and familial bonds run deeply in most tales of Argaea and this introspective story of Volyan, Lord Volle’s elder son, is no exception.

A first contact story between two alien races, McCoy’s “Blackest before the Dawn” alternates its point of view between a (supposed) primitive and one of her advanced captors; both the characterization and the exotic worldbuilding are first rate. Pick’s “Game of Fox and Rabbit” mixes sweeping alien societies with a charming retrofuturism, sadly undone by a future history that doesn’t even try to disguise moralistic harangues about What Modern America Does Wrong. James Cameron’s Avatar is a comparative model of restraint and thematic subtlety.

It’s unrealistic to expect every story in a collection such as this to appeal to every reader, but What Happens Next has a unique value despite its flaws. While the Ursa Major Awards anthology and the hard-to-find 2006 Furry! may be closer to the best of what furry has to offer, What Happens Next is arguably a better introduction to the most popular characters and settings of furrydom’s last quarter century.

submitted by Nerooxygen
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submitted by RedEau
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submitted by VMPDANDraws
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Hiya peps!

I'm a fur, who officially have been a part of the fandom for around 1 year and 4 months. I have two fursonas; a chicken/dragon/kangaroo hybrid named Mico and a red fox called Gabriel. I'm 16 years old, and I'm an artist! I draw digital and marker images. I love fursuits and is currently trying to save up for one! :D I have 1/4 of the money at the moment. Also, I love fluff!

submitted by Chickenfool
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Ya-tah!  Furballd episode 80 scores a KO with several well placed Hadokens as we discuss the wonderfully zany movie, City Hunter.  You know the Jackie Chan clip where he hallucinates that he’s in a Street Fighter game for five minutes?  Yeah, that one.  And that’s one of the more boring scenes in the movie.

We also chat about what we got up to on Christmas, as well as plenty of games and movies.  Not to mention all the great news stories sent in to us by our special mates, Xandahar and Wolfman.

Bye for now, but not forever!

This weeks song is “Lights Out” by SuperiorX.  You can find the song on OCRemix here: http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR03057

The infamous Street Fight scene: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIxETAx_61Mhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIxETAx_61M 

“Serial” podcast: http://serialpodcast.org/

The News!

MWFF chlorine attack: http://www.dailydot.com/geek/chemical-attack-chicago-midwest-furfest/

Shiny bird eggs: http://news.discovery.com/animals/endangered-species/bird-lays-shimmering-egg-that-changes-color-141209.htm?utm_source=tumblr.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=DNewsSocial

New Dinosaur: http://news.discovery.com/animals/dinosaurs/pointy-cheeked-horned-dinosaur-unearthed-in-montana-141210.htm?utm_source=tumblr.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=DNewsSocial

Methane suggests possible life on Mars: http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014/dec/16/methane-spikes-mars-fuel-speculation-life-nasa-curiosity

The Interview gets pulled after terrorism threats: http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2014/12/18/sony-cancels-interview-release-after-911-threats

‘Good’ hackers bring down ‘bad’ hackers: http://www.news.com.au/technology/online/hackers-bring-down-lizzard-squad-save-gamers-christmas/story-fnjwnj25-1227161185975

 

 

Episode 80 – City Hunter - Ya-tah!  Furballd episode 80 scores a KO with several well placed Hadokens as we discuss the wonderfully zany movie, City Hunter.  You know the Jackie Chan clip where he hallucinates that he's in a Street Fighter game for five minutes?  Yeah, that one.

Author: Dear Papabear, How have you been? Merry Christmas! I come to you with a question about an incident which has shocked me quite a lot. As you are probably already aware, this year’s MFF convention suffered what many consider to be a ‘terrorist attack’. Someone unleashed chlorine gas which caused the evacuation of the […]

Hey guys I'm looking for furries over the age of 18 and preferably no older than 25 to help make Yakima a less barren place for me socially. I never really bothered with people in high school because I always have and still plan to leave Yakima but I'm hoping to meet some people anyways since moving is a ways away. Sadly unless you're 21 or already know people there isn't much to do in crackima.

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First off: Happy New Year! Welcome to 2015. We’re happy to be here with you.

Something cool slipped by us in 2014. Doraemon: New Nobita’s Great Demon—Peko and the Exploration Party of Five (whew what a title!) is the latest anime feature starring Doraemon — a robotic cat from the 22nd century who travels back in time to assist a young boy named Nobita Nobi. Since he premiered in 1969, Doraemon has become one of the most popular anime and manga stars in Japanese history — so much so that the Japanese government tagged him as Japan’s “animation ambassador”. In this latest feature, “While out playing, Nobita meets a dog prince who has become separated from his people. Thankfully Doraemon and his magical powers are close at hand so the gang set out on an adventure to return the prince to a mysterious land known as the Bow-Wow Dog Kingdom.” Evidently this new film is a remake of the 1982 feature Doraemon: Nobita and the Haunts of Evil. Really now. Here’s hoping that someone in the vast anime import industry might see fit to distribute this new film in North America. For now, check out the trailer over on YouTube.

image c. 2014 Toho Studios

So I'm working on writing some stuff (since I've never once contributed original content to the fandom and I feel pressured to do so by myself x3) and I'm wondering how I should release it! Would you guys like it on a chapter by chapter basis? Or would you prefer chunks of 3 or 4 chapters? The full thing will be posted on my FA and Weasyl pages eventually, but I want to do a sort of rolling release cycle for the sub reddit. I'm curious what you'd like to see more. Thanks!! :3

~Pixel

submitted by ObsoletePixel
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Well...I suppose I should stop lurking so much and introduce myself to the fandom I love so dearly! My name is Lucian, but feel free to call me Lulu or whatever else tickles your fancy! My sona is a merle border collie and as such I am very much the friendly type! I quite shy but I do love making new friends and hope to make a ton of furry friends! I am 25 and have been furry since I was 16. I am a gamer as well as a lover of anime. Please feel free to PM me and I hope to be able to get to know everyone! Hugs are also very much welcome!!!

submitted by LucianShadowpaw
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So, wife and I are going to be moving into a new house here soon and would like to have some extra money to help offset the purchase of some household goods. So we are going to sell commissions. The prices are listed below.

Examples of all completed works: http://imgur.com/a/pJDRE

Badges: $5

Two-sided Ref: $8

Four-sided Ref: $10

Tails: 12in: $20 + shipping 18in: $25 + shipping 24in: $30 + shipping 30+in: $35 + shipping

Hand paws: $15 + shipping

Feet: $35 + shipping

Head: *$100+ and shipping (depending on how many colors)

Body Suit *$150+ and shipping (depending on how many colors)

Full suit: *$300+ and shipping

*Depends on how many colors needed to go into it. One to two colors would get the displayed price. After two add $5 for ever color.

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submitted by Deestraction
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Hey guys!
Long story short. After being in contact with the fandom for some time, I decided to research and discover what it really was about. It didn't take me too long to realize just how awesome you guys are! I absolutely loved the friendly and open environment! Still, I just lurked in the shadows... until now.
So, a bit about myself. I live in Brazil and already decided on a polar bear as my fursona, although I haven't designed it yet. Also, I can draw a bit , but i still need to improve a lot before I feel confident enough to call myself an artist (sorry, I rarely ever post online and have no idea how to do it properly, also, shout out to any DOtA furs!).
I don't have any furry friends, so I was hoping to make some here. I'd love to play games or chat with you guys, so feel free to PM me and add me on Steam!
Thanks for reading!
ps: Happy new year to everyone!

submitted by BEARly_Polar
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This question will keep me up at night.

Send help.

submitted by LegendaryCactus
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