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submitted by electricfoxx
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War Dog & Marginalized Populations
Jane, Jill and Jasie
(Two ebooks, $2.99 each)
Stories by Malcolm Cross
Cover Art by Meesh
Bad Dog Books, July 2013

Anthropomorphic animal characters have been around as long as stories themselves, yet how to justify them–especially if they’re assumed, implicitly or explicitly, to be attractive to humans–has long been a preoccupation in furry fandom. Are they aliens? Uplifted animals? Genetic crossbreeds? Magical constructs? Do we even need to justify them, or is just showing that they’re distinct races–not merely “humans in animal costumes,” as the charge goes–enough?

Malcolm Cross’s two recent ebook-only collections, War Dog & Marginalized Populations and Jane, Jill and Jasie, seem at first glance to positively revel in worn cliché. Genetically engineered animal people created to be soldiers and sex toys. Referring to them as “furries” within the text (and without irony). It’s all the more remarkable, therefore, not only how accomplished these stories are, but how thought-provoking they turn out to be.

The first of the two contains the two stories in its title, while the second contains three stories: “Dick and Jane,” “Jill’s Forty-Ninth” and “Jasie’s New Start.” All of the stories are written in a third person tightly bound to the given viewpoint character’s voice, a style readers of Cross’s recent Ursa Major winner, “Dangerous Jade,” will be familiar with. Like “Jade,” these stories are set in the country of San Iadras, a milieu that seems to possess Dubai’s wealth and Monte Carlo’s licentiousness. The history of the furries is never spelled out, but we can infer the different species were uplifted for different purposes: dogs for the military, rabbits as personal care assistants, and thylacines–a doglike carnivorous marsupial, now extinct–as adult companions. At some point before the stories’ timeline, though, their legal status in San Iadras changed, and they’re now free citizens.

And yes, we’ve seen that rough premise before, in furry fandom at least back to Dave Bryant’s and Ken Pick’s “Wormholes” setting and in sci-fi at least back to Cordwainer Smith‘s “The Ballad of Lost C’Mell.” But we’ve most often seen these worlds through humans coming to understand that furries are people too. Cross’s viewpoint is that of the furry: designed for purposes they’re no longer subject to, adopted out to human families often ill-equipped to deal with them and now making their adult lives in a society that, while accepting, doesn’t quite understand them.

“War Dog” is the story of one of those adoptions, with a school-age child; while it’s a story of trying to fit in–nearly all stories set in school are–being a human-sized dog among human children is the least of Eschowitz’s challenges. “Marginalized Populations” follows soldier dogs a few years later, trying to find private military work. While “War Dog” is the longest of the five stories and in some ways the most complete, the stories of the thylacines–even with sex scenes which might best be called blunt rather than merely explicit–mine surprisingly emotional territory.

These stories are not morality plays of good furries and bad humans; the characters are all complex, even the ones who seem straightforward. (Often especially those ones.) There are several heartbreaking moments–often unexpectedly so, as when Jane (in “Dick and Jane”) breaks down after discovering the relationship she’s in isn’t at all what she thinks it is. Yet none of these stories are tragedies. “Jasie’s New Start” has an unreservedly happy ending. All five pieces arguably end with their protagonists in better places than where they started.

Yet the question of just what a happy ending is looms large in “War Dog” and “Marginalized Populations” and never stays far away in the thylacine stories. Each piece here explores the age-old nature versus nurture question–not to argue for one side or the other as much as to simply make us think about it. After reading these, one can’t help but acutely feel the absence of this in most other stories–and there’s a lot of them in this fandom–built on the trope of genetic engineering. You may be against war in general and very much against the notion of designing intelligent beings to be soldiers, yet freeing them doesn’t stop them from being soldiers. Jane, Jill and Jasie–and their one hundred and sixty-six other cloned sisters, all named “J” and all virtually impossible to tell apart even for one another–are engineered not for fighting but to be party girls. The reader understands more of what drives Eschowitz than he does himself very shortly into his story; the “J” sisters are likewise affected more by their programming than they–at least most of them–understand. It’s not a matter of what they want; it’s a matter of what they must. For the dogs, their design is their dilemma; for the thylacines, their design frequently creates their dilemmas. Or perhaps it’s the other way around.

If I have any nitpicks–and frankly this is straining a little–it’s with how similar to our current world San Iadras seems. The train Jasie takes in her story is a maglev and Eschowitz’s story features “smartpaper,” but for the most part the pieces could take place today if we just happened to have genetically engineered animal-people about. This makes the stories more accessible than they might be if the setting were more alien, but it’s hard not to wonder if everyday life in San Iadras–especially in the echelons of high society the thylacines inhabit–shouldn’t feature a few more futuristic touches than we see.

In the works I’ve read by him, Cross shows an extremely distinctive voice, staying so much in the viewpoint character’s head that it borders on stream of consciousness. This can be unsettling or even off-putting; an uncareful reader might dismiss the thylacines as bobbleheads, and the dogs are just as focused in their own ways. But there are few genuine stylists among furry authors and even fewer this good. These five stories are quick but hardly ephemeral, and they’re more than worth their asking price.

Seeing so many different ways furries communicate and group together online lately has really got me thinking. Where do you spend the most of your time online in the furry fandom?

For me I would have to say most of my time is spent chatting with furs on Twitter or browsing Fur Affinity. (besides reddit of course!) :3

submitted by iTo
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submitted by Goliath_Gamer
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Xander and Roxas talk about all the games that go bump in the night! Five Nights at Freddy's, the sequel, Eternal Darkness, Clock Tower, Resident Evil, and more!! Plus we talk about recommended scary games, what we're playing, and all sorts of stuff. Enjoy! Fuzzy Graphics: BOO! Scary Games! - Xander and Roxas talk about all the games that go bump in the night! Five Nights at Freddy's, th...

I'm semi new here, I've been lurking around for a while but figured I would try to do that less. Anyway I'm curious about the story behind everyone's furonsa. How did you come up with it? Design, name, personality etc.

For me, after about a year of lurking around FA I could only narrow it down to a Husky and a Fox, and after browsing the artwork to see what I liked I found a certain Mint-Chocolate colored Husky up for adoption. The more i looked at it/thought about it the more I loved it.

For his personality I sort of mixed what my own personality and what I wanted to be more like, and his name is just a reflection of his overall personality.

Van, my fursona I still need to get a more detailed ref sheet done and I'm still working on the smaller details but I hope you all like it :D

submitted by QwertyClone
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submitted by RegretDesi
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submitted by Whozjama
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Hi, I don't know if this is the right place to post this, but I just got into this, and am looking for some fellow furry friends to get me introduced, and to just talk too. Preferably around my age range (14-19). Sorry if this isn't allowed, and thanks!

submitted by maybefurry123
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My friend just bought me a fox hoodie and told me to wear it when I hang out with him... I'm 15 he's 16 is that weird? ?

submitted by clevverfox
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So I don't get a new computer until Thursday and I'd like to spend the week doing some reference sheets in my sketchbook :) I'll scan them all on Friday once my computer is set up.

Sheet includes: full body front, back torso, two hairstyles, and four outfits (out, home, fancy, and swimsuit) as well as four likes and dislikes.

Examples of my art @ http://www.furaffinity.net/user/shortsweetfluffy

submitted by GardeniaBlossom
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Astrosaurs. Cows In Action. Ninja Meerkats. Spy Dog. If you happen to be under nine, you’re spoiled for choice in the anthropomorphic literature department, with a range of sci-fi, adventure and action stories starring a whole zoo of creatures. There’s even alternate history: the Spartapuss series explores a feline Rome ruled by Emperor Catligula, while Beowuff, by the same author, applies the principle to doggy Vikings.

You may already have guessed that none of these works take themselves terribly seriously. Expect an onslaught of appalling animal-related puns and silly names (the leader of the Pigs in Planes rejoices in the name of Peter Porker, while the ranks of the Space Penguins include Fuzz Allgrin and Splash Gordon). The action usually revolves around a crack squad of heroic critters saving the day with their collective abilities.

Anthropomorphic animals in children’s stories are nothing new, of course; it’s a tradition going back as far as the Victorians and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. The current crop is faster-paced and less subtle than the gentle, whimsical humour of classic children’s furry stories–less Wind in the Willows, more fart jokes–and aims at a slightly higher age bracket. Traditionally, talking animals who wear clothes and exhibit other human-style behaviours belong in the nursery, like old friends Winnie-the-Pooh and Peter Rabbit. The new breed of furry books, although they could of course be read aloud by a kindly adult, are designed to be consumed autonomously by kids who are already blossoming as readers. Who has a nursery these days, anyway?

If you’re not a child yourself, have none of your own, and don’t work with children, this seething mass of furry lit has probably passed under your radar. Pity.

Admittedly the plots are simple and most of the jokes are obvious, as well as groanworthy. Grown-ups might prefer something more substantial (like a reading from Dr Seuss?), but there are still chuckles to be had, and the accompanying illustrations are cute enough to be enjoyed by the discriminating furry reader. After all, a childlike sense of joy and wonder is one of the most attractive aspects of our fandom. It’s fun, too, to spot the gags put in for the adult reader, or perhaps just for the author’s personal amusement: seven-year-olds are unlikely to know why titling a chapter “Biker Bears from Ma’s” is funny. I’ll cheerfully admit to laughing out loud in my local bookshop at the Ninja Meerkats’ encounter with the Delhi Llama (can you guess his species, and where he lives?).

So much for the adults, but what about the target market? The fact that so many of these series exist, and that they run to so many volumes (kids in this age group like to know what they’re getting, and to collect books in a series) suggests that they’re doing pretty well, and this can only be good news.

Although many come to the fandom through cartoons or artwork, literature like Watership Down, the Redwall novels and the Animorphs series can claim a share of the credit too. It may be a few years before we see the effect, if any, but it’s nice to imagine young fans creating their own original characters based on the world of Beowuff or the Astrosaurs–many a first fursona has been based on a beloved book or animated film, after all. If you have small people in your own family, or your friends have started to sprog, why not seize this opportunity to get the next generation pointed in the right direction?

submitted by blackiehideaki
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submitted by FireFoxMcCloud
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Hi all,

I'm currently doing research on safe sex at conventions, and I'm aiming to get as large a sample size as I can. The purpose of the survey is to help create data that can be used to help educate convention-goers about safe sex. I hope to start by working on a panel for a convention next year based on the data and its analysis.

Everyone who has been to one or more conventions is welcome to come and respond to the poll - whether they've had sex there or not (knowing the proportion of people who even have sex at cons is important for the research). It's completely confidential and there are no questions that could identify you personally. It only has 10 questions which are all very quick to answer. At the time of writing this, I have 475 responses and am hoping for as close to 1,000 as I can get for a good sample size. If you could also pass it around to people (pardon the pun), I'd be greatly appreciative of that, too.

Thanks for your help!

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/K5GLW2B

If you have any questions, feel free to ask below. I won't be very revealing about the results of the survey until I've finished collecting data, though, so I don't bias future responses and because I'll need to analyse the data for a while first.

submitted by Xolani
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submitted by VMPDANDraws
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submitted by mayupvoterandomly
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Five Nights at Freddy’s, the well-praised point-and-click survival horror game released last summer, is coming back with a full-blown sequel.

Developed by Scott Cawthon, the original Five Night at Freddy’s had you working as a security officer for the Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza restaurant, in which you had to survive five nights of murderous malfunctioning animatronic characters by watching the cameras and closing two security doors when necessary. The game was praised by the gaming community and reviewers alike, making it one of the scariest games released in 2014.

According to the developer, various new mechanics and animatronic characters will be arriving in the new sequel. One such game mechanic is the ability to use your own Freddy Fazbear head so that you can hide from the murderous animatronic animals. No information on the new animatronic characters have been released as of yet.

A Steam Greenlight page was released on October 21st with a new teaser trailer showing off new animations and enhanced environments. The game was officially greenlit on the 24th, three days after it was put on Greenlight.

Freddy 2 has been confirmed to be released sometime in 2015.

submitted by StefoFurryStefo
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submitted by Ghast17
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