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The crew join together once more to (maybe) treat your ears! Episode 44 - Furry, News, Podcast, Kaar

Submitted by Fred Patten, Furry’s favorite historian and reviewer.

The Passage series.

Rites of Passage, by John J. Sanders.
Seattle, WA, CreateSpace, September 2016, trade paperback, $11.00 (viii + 257 pages), Kindle $1.99.

City of Passage, by John J. Sanders.
Seattle, WA, CreateSpace, June 2017, trade paperback, $12.00 (v + 277 pages), Kindle $2.99.

Voices of Passage, by John J. Sanders.
Seattle, WA, CreateSpace, September 2017, trade paperback, $14.00 (vii + 326 pages), Kindle $3.99.

The Passage trilogy is set on Earth in the far future when humanity is turning much of it over to evolved AIs and new anthropomorphic animal clans that live like the pre-industrial native Americans.

Rites of Passage begins with the Otokononeko, the clans of the evolved lions and house cats living in the Great Sequoia Forests of West Coast North America. There are several offhand references to the humans, in San Francisco, Fresno, and other West Coast North American cities, but they are mostly offstage (at first).

“She dreamed of the dancing, songs sung, and stories told around the large fire. Dohi Aleutsi told a hilarious story about a young human male whose flying car was eaten by a Giant Sequoia tree. Her father and mother had undoubtedly heard the story before. Her father at one point in the story remarked that the car was still in the tree.” (p. 68)

The opening focus is upon Kaniko of the Otokononeko’s Anitsiskwa clan. The novel relates – or bogs down, for those who are not interested in such detail – the culture of the feline civilization in the Great Sequoia Forests. There are seven clans; the Anitsiskwa, Aniwaya, Anigilahi, Anikawi, Aniwodi, Anisahoni, and Anigalogewi. The symbol of the Anitsiskwa is bird claws; that of the Anikawi is antler-adorned leather vests; and so on. Kaniko’s parents and brothers are described, and the Otokononeko game of Stick and Rabbit is both described and played. It is around page 43 before the plot starts moving. Yet the first 42 pages are not boring. They are well-written and present the feline native civilization and characters’ personalities in great detail.

“She heard his crow calls and stopped her movement to listen to the forest. Jamel called two more times and silence. Her third-born brother, Domic, was much more patient and quiet. He was the kind of cat that would lie in wait for you to walk by before he’d pounce on you. She felt the summer breeze sweep through the trees and the tops swayed making the light in the forest dance. Still she waited for the slightest sound of movement. When she left her first-born brother on the ground, she had moved a little tangent to the point where she had heard his last call. She knew he had already moved, and she predicted he would move toward the inner parts of the arena. There the trees thinned until they opened up completely to form a loose circle around a small glade. Domic had long legs and could move faster when the trees were farther apart. They both knew this, and she knew he needed to get between him and the thinning trees,” (pgs. 18-19)

Kaniko, an Anitsiskwa adolescent (lioness), and her brothers Jamel and Domic are about to undergo their separate Rites of Passage to become Otokononeko adults. Just before the Rites, Kaniko meets Mathias, a wolf-humanoid. The felines have never seen a wolf before. Mathias has been injured in escaping whatever has captured him and his people, and the injury has given him amnesia. The Anitsiskwa decide that Kaniko’s Rite of Passage should be to go, with Mathias and with her two brothers, to find out who or what has “painfully” captured all the wolves and release them. Tomiroc and Sharri, two Otokononeko cousins from the Anikawi clan, join them.

They ask at the humans’ Institute of Synthetic Research in Fresno:

“His [Doctor Quinn] smile came back, and he asked, ‘So what can I do for you, do you need enhancements or modifications?’

A little surprised, Kaniko answered and gestured to Mathias. ‘No. We were hoping you could help us locate our friend’s origins. He has no memory of where he came from, only his name. There are no others like him near our home. His arrival is a mystery, and we thought, Fresno being the closest city, to start our search here.’

He looked at Mathias and back at the lioness that stood in front of him. He asked, ‘Hybrid or gene mod?’

Kaniko shrugged, ‘I… We don’t know. My parents and Mother Lacey thought he might be like us, a new species.’” (p. 124)

They learn that Mathias is a mod-human, a human-modified into a humanoid wolf at the genetic level – so he will breed true. That is an incredibly expensive process, and something that there should be a record of – unless it’s been deliberately hidden:

“Kaniko asked, ‘Why would anyone do this?’

Doctor Quinn answered, ‘That is the million credit question here. There are several fractured pieces of broken links in his DNA. They shouldn’t cause any problems, but it suggests that whatever was being done to him was not completed.’ He looked at the wolf and asked, ‘You’re incredibly strong, aren’t you?’

[…]

‘I think Mathias was purpose built.’

With her eyebrow whiskers raised, she asked, ‘For what?’

He took on a disturbed look and said, ‘It is spoken in some darker circles that the age-old practice of pitting animal against animal for amusement and gambling has taken on a whole new level of animal cruelty. It is reflective of what Lynn Leakey discovered in her own city more than fifteen years ago.’

Kaniko’s eyes widened, ‘You mean forcing children to fight in an arena?’

He nodded.” (p. 147)

Okay, that’s a major spoiler – that these three books aren’t about rescuing a clan of wolves, but about finding who has made a single wolf morph against his will. But that has to be revealed, or this review of the rest of Passages and all of City and Voices is going to be misleading. Also, Kaniko has taken this opportunity to ask Doctor Quinn if she and Mathias are compatible; if their children would be a blend of feline and lupine, or if they would be sterile. Now it looks like their children could be anything from feline and lupine to feline and human.

This takes the plot to about halfway through Rites of Passage. There are the conclusion of Rites, and all of City and Voices to go. There are plenty more surprises in the story. The three Passage novels (covers by Leanne Roach) are a fast-paced, ever-changing drama, with far more characters than the five Otokononeko and the one Ōkaminingen who set out to find Mathias’ origins.

– Fred Patten

• Buy Book 1 on Amazon
• Buy Book 2 on Amazon
• Buy Book 3 on Amazon

Like the article? It takes a lot of effort to share these. Please consider supporting Dogpatch Press on Patreon.  You can access exclusive stuff for just $1, or get Con*Tact Caffeine Soap as a reward.  They’re a popular furry business seen in dealer dens. Be an extra-perky patron – or just order direct from Con*Tact.

Thanks to our friends at Animation Scoop, we found out about three new animated TV series that Dreamworks Animation is producing for Netflix. And guess what?  All three of them are anthropomorphic! First up is Archibald’s Next Big Thing, coming in 2019. “Inspired by the critically acclaimed children’s book from Tony Hale, Tony Biaggne, and Victor Huckabee, Archibald’s Next Big Thing follows the adventures of Archibald Strutter, a chicken who ‘yes-ands’ his way thru life. Though living in the moment often leads him astray, Archibald always finds his way back home.” Then in 2020 look for this: “Welcome to Gabby’s Dollhouse, the preschool show with a surprise inside! Created and executive produced by Traci Paige Johnson (Blue’s Clues, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood) and Jennifer Twomey (Blue’s Clues, Team Umizoomi), Gabby’s Dollhouse is a mixed media series that unboxes a surprise before jumping into a fantastical animated world full of adorable cat characters that live inside Gabby’s dollhouse.” And finally in 2020: “All aboard to DreamWorks Rhyme Time Town, where Daisy the Puppy and Cole the Kitten are ready to guide young children through a colorful and adventurous world filled with nursery rhymes and imaginative play.” Stay tooned!

image c. 2018 Dreamworks Animation

I have no idea what is going on in this Dutch bank commercial but that is a Mayfly so if the bank can help him? Still, wonderful style and ... SQUIRREL! Bonus: Here is an English commercial for ASN with a Money Badger. https://vimeo.com/201635718
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If you visit San Francisco and you like subcultural stuff, try DNA Lounge. They’re an anchor for night life that supports unusually cool shows.

It’s Sunday night and I just got back from being on stage there with Rachel Lark. She invited me because I answered her need for a furry in her music video. Rachel’s show was advertised with stuff like “sex-positive, musical theatre, stand up comedy, politically charged rock”, and that’s not even mentioning the circus performers suspended in mid air! For the low effort of jumping around and wagging my tail, I left with an invite to be in Bawdy Storytelling, another wild happening. I love when furries get welcomed like this, and it shows how much potential there is for fandom to mingle with other crowds.

Furries vs. goths, and furries vs. drag queens are among previous DNA Lounge shows covered here. A lot of credit for a thriving scene is due to DJ Neonbunny, founder of Frolic Party, whose activity brings recognition well outside of fandom. But since furries started flocking to Frolic in 2010, Northern California has been heating up with other crews starting new events too.

Midekai, Buster, Mr. Disk0, and Cosmo Coyote are some of the crew who talked to me about Bass Totem, their furry-led crossover with local rave events. The upcoming one is part of the monthly So Stoked party:

On October 26, Bass Totem is hosting a stage at DNA Lounge. Fursuiting encouraged, bring those positive vibes. <3 Our first Bass Totem took place in Sacramento CA, back in March 2018. It was a fursuit friendly rave party, was 18+ and smack dab in the middle of downtown Sac. We have a lovely recap video from Chatah Spots.

More about Cosmo’s organizing:

Cosmo Coyote has been a staple in the Electronic music scene in Nor Cal since 2013 – having done the opposite of what most fur DJs do. Instead of playing cons, he established connections through the nightlife industry in Nor Cal and threw events for the ravers in the area, showing that what you wear doesn’t matter as much as who you are. He persisted by getting opportunities to play under known electronic music artists such as Lumberjvck, Trollphace, Billy Kenny, Will Clarke, Taiki Nulight, Christopher Lawrence, J Phlip, DJ Dan, and Dubloadz, to name a few. Bass Totem was started for the furry community to bring a fresh element to events. As many fur events are club oriented or just centered on cons, he strives to bring furries and ravers together as communities and show there is nothing to be afraid of.

I asked @mr_disk0: What’s cool about this party? What’s it like partnering with So Stoked, and what do you think of the furry scene in Nor Cal?

This party offers a unique sound coming from artists all across the West Coast, and we showcase different DJ’s every year to keep building on that vibe. We’re blown away that So Stoked gave us this opportunity to team up with them. The furry scene here on NorCal has seen quite a jump in popularity, and we love the way it’s growing. We aim to have fun and create something magical for people to remember for years to come.

All the party details:

Bass Totem is SO STOKED to host the upstairs furr stage at DNA Lounge. This is a collaboration with PLUR Alliance, who will host the main stage downstairs.

DNA Lounge is the winner of over 60 “best of awards” featuring two stages, four dance floors, seven bars and a full-service late-night restaurant.

We are providing a suit lounge to change, and cool off in between shaking your tail. We have safe bin storage available to suiters.

The Bass Totem stage boasts hundreds of dynamic LEDs custom built to morph this venue into a vibrant one of a kind light show!

——–
Get your $15 presale tickets under the SO STOKED event page at:
https://www.dnalounge.com/calendar/2018/10-26.html
——–
FB event page:
https://www.facebook.com/events/169198237325115/
——–
MeetUp:
https://www.meetup.com/SFBayAreaFurs/events/255313011/
——–
Join Midekai’s event chat:
https://t.me/joinchat/B7DGUBJzzXhZw4hi6Ivr7A
——–

Doors at 7pm, Bass Totem stage 9pm – 3am

$25 at the door
All ages
Full bar for 21+

–FEATURING–

VYBRANT VIBES
soundcloud.com/vybrantvibes/bebe-rexha-bad-bitch-vybrant-vibes-remix

Midekai
soundcloud.com/mdkai/live-fc2017-saturday-night-freedownload

Raver Lyon
mixcloud.com/liam-tyler

Cosmo Coyote
soundcloud.com/steven-garza-1/oldschool-gangsta-bbq-party

Bvssik
soundcloud.com/bvssikofficial/bvssik-bitch

–Main Stage hosted by So Stoked!–
Eatbrain Tour ft. Jade, State of Mind, & MC Dino
Sc@r
Hartshorn
DJ Destrukshin
DJ Smokie
Pyramidhead
Average Joe

Be sure to invite your furriends!

More photos from their first event in March – credit to Chatah Spots:

Roo and Tugs are joined by the Moms of Furries in this episode where they learn how parents get into the fandom and raise furry children. We've visited the perspective of a child before and now we're looking at the other side of the coin. This is episode is powerful in so many ways, so prepare for maximum feels!





NOW LISTEN!
Show Notes
Special Thanks

Carrie and Joelle - the Moms of Furries!
Miski
Cane McKeyton
Keith
Rose
FarmWolf
Kit
Baldrik

Music

Opening Theme: RetroSpecter – Cloud Fields (RetroSpecter Upbeat Mix). USA: Unpublished, 2018. ©2011-2018 Fur What It’s Worth. Based on Fredrik Miller– Cloud Fields (Radio Mix). USA: Bandcamp, 2011. ©2011 Fur What It’s Worth. (Buy a copy here – support your fellow furs!)
Potty Break: Mystery Skulls – Ghost. USA: Warner Bros Records, 2011. Used with permission.
Space News Music: Fredrik Miller – Orbit. USA: Bandcamp, 2013. Used with permission. (Buy a copy here – support your fellow furs!)
Fifty Sheds of Grey: Kevin MacLeod - Spy Glass. Licensed under Creative Commons: by Attribution 3.0. Visit Incompetech for more.
Returning from Break: Teardrops in the Rain: Nobou Uematsu from Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward Soundtrack. FINAL FANTASY XIV © 2010-2016 SQUARE ENIX CO., LTD. All Rights Reserved. Used per Materials Usage License.
Closing Theme: RetroSpecter – Cloud Fields (RetroSpecter Chill Mix). USA: Unpublished, 2018. ©2011-2018 Fur What It’s Worth. Based on Fredrik Miller – Cloud Fields (Chill Out Mix). USA: Bandcamp, 2011. ©2011 Fur What It’s Worth. (Buy a copy here – support your fellow furs!)

Patreon Love
The following people have decided this month’s Fur What It’s Worth is worth actual cash! THANK YOU!
 
Artorias Ichisake and Kit and Cody


Rifka, the San Francisco Treat!

Lokimutt and Guardian Lion and Dusky and Katchshi
Plus Tier Supporters

Skylos
Snares

McRib Tier Supporters

Hachi Shibaru
Lygris S8 Episode 2 – Mom! Mom! Mommy! Mommy! Mum! Mum! Mama! Mama! - Roo and Tugs are joined by the Moms of Furries in this episode where they learn how parents get into the fandom and raise furry children. We've visited the perspective of a child before and no

Patreon: www.patreon.com/thedraggetshow www.draggetshow.com Be sure to check our website for all Things Dragget Show! Podcasts, videos, merch and more! Also, don't forget we stream the D&D sessions Sunday at 7pm Central on YouTube! YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/DraggetShow 208 - Fur Reality LIVE! - Patreon: www.patreon.com/thedraggetshow www.drag…

New from Tokyo Pop we have the first full-color comic follow-up to Nightmare Before Christmas — and just in time for Halloween, too. In Zero’s Journey, “When Jack Skellington’s faithful pet Zero gets lost, the ghost pup must get the help of the residents of Christmas Town to find his way back. With Halloween plans on hold while Jack mounts a search, will they be reunited in time to save both holidays?” Written by D.J. Milky, this new series features art by Kei Ishiyama, Kiyoshi Arai, David Hutchison, and Dan Conner. Check it out.

image c. 2018 TokyoPop

A nice collection of news and discussion.

Download MP3

Watch Video Link Roundup:

• FYRE FESTIVAL SCAMMER BILLY MCFARLAND SENTENCED TO 6 YEARS IN PRISON
• Yiff.Life Mastodon Instance
• ANIMALS? ON A PIRATE SHIP?!? Kerfluffle 9: All Paws on Deck!
• Was Tony The Tiger Driven Off Twitter By Unbelievably Horny Furries?
• Zoofonix Podcast

News:

• A wagging finger sticking out of your mobile phone is creepy. Why?
• Passengers all evacuated after woman brings ‘emotional support squirrel’ on plane
• Philadelphia building taken over by tentacles
• ‘Intoxicated’ cockatoo survives crashing into vehicle
• Banksy Painting Self-Destructs Immediately After Being Sold For $1.4 Million
• Fans Raise Thousands For YouTuber After His Lego Collection Was Stolen
• Police seek 1,000-pound hammer sculpture in California

FC-309 Polly Want A Pint - A nice collection of news and discussion.

A nice collection of news and discussion.

Download MP3

Link Roundup:

• FYRE FESTIVAL SCAMMER BILLY MCFARLAND SENTENCED TO 6 YEARS IN PRISON
• Yiff.Life Mastodon Instance
• ANIMALS? ON A PIRATE SHIP?!? Kerfluffle 9: All Paws on Deck!
• Was Tony The Tiger Driven Off Twitter By Unbelievably Horny Furries?
• Zoofonix Podcast

News:

• A wagging finger sticking out of your mobile phone is creepy. Why?
• Passengers all evacuated after woman brings ‘emotional support squirrel’ on plane
• Philadelphia building taken over by tentacles
• ‘Intoxicated’ cockatoo survives crashing into vehicle
• Banksy Painting Self-Destructs Immediately After Being Sold For $1.4 Million
• Fans Raise Thousands For YouTuber After His Lego Collection Was Stolen
• Police seek 1,000-pound hammer sculpture in California

[Live] Polly Want A Pint

Quite frankly, the publisher explains this better than we ever could! “In this hilarious graphic novel, the roles of cats and humans are reversed, putting humanoid felines in charge of tiny, dimwitted little man-pets. Manfried is a stray taken in by Steve Catson, a slacker with a dead-end job and nonexistent love life. Soon Manfried becomes the Garfield to Steve’s Jon Arbuckle: Lazy, selfish, and sometimes maddening in his weird human behavior. Yet the pair depends on each other to get through life’s troubles. When Manfried runs away, Steve musters his meager resources to find his best man-friend and bring him home safe.” Manfried the Man (written by Caitlin Major and illustrated by Kelly Bastow) is out now.

image c. 2018 Quirk Books

So for Friday we have some of that classic French electronic puppet music of Mr Oizo (Quentin Dupieux).
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I like Colin but he mostly bangs on about toilet paper. He does not get along with The Charmin Bears.
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The Dragonsbane Saga by Madison Keller is a four-book series of humorous fantasy romance novellas. The books are short and easily digestible, although of substantially increasing length as the series progresses. I was finished with book 1 after only an evening of reading, and the full series took barely a week to complete.(SPOILERS AHEAD)The first book, The Dragon Tax, has a premise worthy of Sir Terry Pratchett. Sybil Dragonsbane, a dragonslayer of some renown, is hired by the king of Thima to deal with his kingdom's resident dragon. However, he doesn't want it slain per se; rather, he wants it to pay taxes. To make sure the dragon, Riastel the Scourge of the Eastern Sea, takes her seriously, the king gives her an enchanted dagger to stab him with. Much to their surprise, the dagger turns Riastel into a human, and an assassin attempts to kill Sybil. After some fighting, the two come to an accord and work together to escape the kingdom. I thought this one made a decent start to a series, though the romance between Sybil and Riastel seems a bit rushed. Mere hours after their life and death struggle is cut short by transformation, they’re doing the “who gets the bed?” routine except that they’re each making a case for themselves taking the bed. Then, their heated passions turn to sex, and the next day Riastel is able to resist supernatural compulsions for Sybil’s sake. Aside from that point, the story works well. I liked seeing Riastel’s reactions to everyday human situations as mundane as ordering food.Book 2, Dragons Ahoy, has Sybil and Riastel, still stuck in human form, journeying to a wizard's college that may be able to remove his curse. But, short on funds they stop in a port city looking for work. Sybil takes a job as a bodyguard to a shady merchant, while Riastel proves to be fluent in a dozen languages and gets work as a scribe for the local wizard in exchange for magic lessons. However, the city's resident pirates have a bit of a dragon problem they want Sybil to deal with, or so they think, and they're not about to accept "no" for an answer. This one is pretty well-written, though you can see the twist ending coming from halfway through the short novel. We see Riastel continuing to adjust to human life, and learning that knowledge in some areas doesn’t guarantee proficiency in others: apparently, writing is difficult with fingers if you’re used to talons.Dragon Fried Cheese picks up further along in Sybil and Riastel's journey as they stop in a village for a cheese festival. Unfortunately, Riastel turns out to be allergic to cheese, and a bounty hunter Sybil used to date turns up looking for her. Things get even more complicated when a man is murdered with one of Sybil's daggers. Honestly, I found it more than a bit frustrating when nothing Sybil or Riastel did could prove their innocence, even though the sheriff believed them over the ex-boyfriend bounty hunter, and the guy was caught with a golem-controlling amulet on his belt.The final book, Silence of the Dragon, starts in media res. Riastel, lacking Sybil, his cursed bracelet, and his voice for mysterious reasons, is attempting to sneak into his sister's lair. All while inwardly cursing some unicorn who screwed him over and attempting to fend off slime monsters without speaking spells. In the next two-thirds of the book, we learn how he ended up in this situation. In media res is a difficult starting point to write from, but if you pull it off well, as Madison Keller did here, you get the reader intrigued by how the characters could have ended up in such a situation. Keller even threw in a few red herrings in the intervening chapters to keep the mystery going. The series also avoids the usual "shapeshifted lover" ending where the non-human elects to remain human or they break up.(SPOILERS CONCLUDED)The world of Dragonsbane is very clearly inspired by Dungeons & Dragons, almost to parody levels: there's even a scene where they're in a tavern full of adventurers meeting with quest-givers. Riastel is written believably for a fire-breathing lizard trapped in a pink ape's body, addressing not only the physical differences between humans and dragons but also the psychological and ethical distinctions as well. Most adult humans would understand why you can't just take what you want or take it personally when your mentor turns out to be a criminal mastermind, but not Riastel.In all, I would recommend the Dragonsbane Saga to lovers of comedic fantasy and atypical transformation romances. At the very least I'd suggest picking up the ebook of Dragon Tax as it's available for less than a dollar on most sites.

Furry J. Ackermonster of Transylvania Television ends up on the game grid ... as a very old nerd this made me laugh so much. This is so worth a quarter.
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Submitted by Fred Patten, Furry’s favorite historian and reviewer.

Do you want something different in choosing a furry persona? Are the usual anthropomorphic wolves, foxes, cats, otters, and bears too overused in your opinion, ever with bright neon fur or wings or horns? Even dragons and unicorns are too common in furrydom for you?

There are still a number of exotic fantasy animals that you can choose among that are almost or completely ignored in furrydom. Frankly, some of these are probably unused because they look so ungainly, or are too impractical to exist. Others look too much like other animals. But they’re real in the lists of mythical animals. Some are more prevalent in heraldic art.

Antlered Fish

This is on the coat-of-arms of the municipality of Inari, Finland, in far northern Lapland. The village is on the shore of Lake Inari, the largest lake in Lapland. It is known for its salmon and trout fishing. Lapland is known for its reindeer. A salmon plus a reindeer’s antlers give us this image.

This would probably be more suitable for badge art than for a fursuit. There are not any salmon in furrydom, with or without antlers.

Chakat

The chakat, a 24th-century alien feline centauroid, is the creation of Melbourne furry fan Bernard Doove. He has written several novels set in the Chakat Universe, with covers by furry artists that illustrate the four-legged cattaurs. There are also foxtaurs, skunktaurs, and others, originally created artificially but now (in the 24th-century) breeding naturally. Doove has given another fan, James R. Jordan, permission to write chakat stories. There are no chakat fursuits, but Doove’s fursona is Chakat Goldfur.

Presumably Doove, who is active in Oz fandom and usually comes to America every year for Anthrocon, will give other fans if asked to use his chakats. This is another fursona that is more practical in fan art than in fursuits. (Are there any taur fursuits?)

Enfield

Wikipedia says of this heraldic animal, “The Enfield has the head of a fox, forelegs like an eagle’s talons, the chest of a greyhound , the body of a lion, and the hindquarters of a wolf.” An enfield fursuit would probably look like a badly-designed griffin with a fox’s head. Those who have used the enfield in heraldic art have shown no agreement upon color; the enfield has been shown in scarlet, green, blue, or golden.

 

Merlion

This half-lion, half-fish may be the best-known of these, because it is a popular symbol of Singapore. It is the official mascot of Singapore, and was in fact created by Alec Fraser-Bruner for the logo of the Singapore Tourism Board in 1964. Although the merlion may look ungainly, there have been merlion characters in anime and video games, and there are merlion mascot costumes in Singapore.

Our thanks to MikasiWolf, a native of Singapore, for sending us these images. (Is the merlion being cruelly used in circuses?)

The merlion is also the mascot of Svirstroy, Russia, on the Svir river; shown on its city flag.

Tikbalang

The tikbalang is a Philippine mythological demon based upon the horse. It has been depicted as everything from a horse-headed and –hoofed man to a demonic, fanged, fire-breathing black horse. It is probably based on the first-seen horses brought to the Philippines by the Spanish in the 16th century. It is a popular monster in Filipino comic books.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yale

The yale is a little-used heraldic animal, like the enfield. Wikipedia describes it as looking antelope- or goat-like, with exaggerated tusks like a boar or saber-toothed tiger, and large horns that it can rotate or swivel in any direction. The yale was first described by Pliny the Elder (23-79 A.D.), and may be based upon the ibex.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Probably the real-life markhor, the national animal of Pakistan, was too far into the East (it’s the Himalayan equivalent of the Rocky Mountains’ Big-Horned Ram) to have been an influence for the yale when it was created in Pliny the Elder’s day. Hey, there aren’t any markhors in furrydom! (Fursuits are uncomfortable enough without wearing those huge, twisty horns. But there are a few fursuits with majestic horns.)

Last month (September 2018), BBC News announced that a wild tur had escaped from an English zoo and was loose in the western English countryside (“the English Riveria”). People were warned not to get close to it, and to let the police capture it. Except it was not called a tur, doubtlessly because the English public would not know what a tur was. It was a “goat-antelope”.

And speaking of Pakistan, have you seen its Urdu-language TV cartoon masked heroine who fights crime in a burka, Burka Avenger? A burka is about as efficient a crime-fighting costume as a wedding dress would be. I give up; if people will accept burkas as crime-fighting costumes, bring on your merlion fursuits!

–Fred Patten

Like the article? It takes a lot of effort to share these. Please consider supporting Dogpatch Press on Patreon.  You can access exclusive stuff for just $1, or get Con*Tact Caffeine Soap as a reward.  They’re a popular furry business seen in dealer dens. Be an extra-perky patron – or just order direct from Con*Tact.

Eldin is a solitary prospector, living at the edge of a small town. He spends his days in the dark tunnels of an old mine, digging up precious stones and metals to support himself as he hunts for an elusive vein of gold.One day, two orphans arrive at his door. They have no idea who they are, nor where they come from. The sweet red-head he names “Vixy,” and her grey haired compatriot, he names “Spider.” For lack of a better explanation, Eldin concludes they are sisters. Attempts to reunite them with their parents prove futile, and Eldin eventually adopts them and raises them as his own.The novella follows a journey of self-discovery for these two girls, spanning approximately fifteen years. Whereas Vixy embraces her new life and father right from the outset, Spider grows distant, jealous and miserable. Evil. She gravitates towards dark magic and eventually reveals herself to be something much, much more sinister than just a little girl lost in the woods.This is a transformation story that uses rural America as a backdrop. (SPOILER ALERT): Eldin is a good father, but he remains ignorant to his daughters’ strange abilities until right at the end, when Vixy shows her mettle and uses her newfound abilities to save him from her sister’s clutches. (SPOILERS CONCLUDED)There are parts that are touching. The love and warmth between Vixy and Eldin are heartfelt and sincere. Spider is clearly evil, though. The author makes no secret of this. Only the magnitude of her evil escalates as the story unfolds.Other parts of the novella are let down by a very matter-of-fact style of writing. The fact that the story is told in the third-person present tense makes it even more difficult to smooth over these.Not without its faults, this is a solid piece of writing by a young author that manages to entertain in a nice compact package. Something to look into if you like transformation stories involving foxes, humans and... spiders!

We got New Kung Fu Panda series coming to Amazon prime. Expect it to show up on November 16th. "Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny is the newest story from DreamWorks’ Academy Award nominated and Emmy winning franchise. It follows the story of Po who faces one of his biggest challenges yet, which is to teach four panda kids how to wield their newfound chi powers in order to save the world from an evil force."
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