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Good Evening, Papa Bear.

I am writing to ask your advice on what I should do regarding wishing to share my work again, but being apprehensive to. Firstly, I'm aware advice often given in this case, with all good intents, is "ignore the haters and do it anyway." That may be fine for "normal" folks, but I must share with you I suffer from C-PTSD, which caused me to also suffer from Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Persistent Depressive Disorder. (Don't worry Papa, I see a therapist weekly)

So, for me, it's not just a matter of shrugging off trolls and haters. My writing was the main thing that got me through my hellish childhood; I didn't write then but now to help me deal, and my OC's mean everything to me. It cuts me to the bone when a stranger on the net calls one a faggot (this happened) or another time "your art is frowned upon because anthro machines are for children, it's not ok that you draw this," so I left DA and even FA cause I couldn't handle all the negative attention on my dear work.

I saw a blog around this time from a person who said, essentially, "If you are this sensitive, you have no business on the net. Create a private blog to share with family and friends only." So that's what I did, Papa, and I guess it worked, but it feels sad to be run out of town, so to speak, but I also know I can't handle people's meanness cause of my issues, either.

What do YOU think, Papa Bear? I am hoping you have some familiarity with the nature of G.A.D. and understand this is not mere "wimpiness" on my part but a damaged girl truly trying her best.

Best wishes, Dear One.

-LonelyRider

* * *

Dear LonelyRider,

Over the last year and a half or so, I have become personally quite aware of PTSD and anxiety disorders because of my boyfriend. He is a Vietnam vet who was on the front lines and suffers greatly from that experience to this day.  He takes medication so that he doesn't have nightmares, yet he is very on edge much of the time during the day.  A slight thing can set him off.  He, like you, has a therapist, but the bottom line is that, even though intellectually he knows there is no reason for him to act this way in a secure and loving home, he will always be this way because he is damaged just in a way that is just as real as someone who has lost a limb in action.

Therefore, in your case, you are right. My saying, "Just ignore the haters and chase after your dream" will not alleviate your anxiety and feelings of being butthurt. Your condition leaves you as vulnerable to criticism as a diabetic is to sugar.  Unfortunately, there is no insulin-comparable drug for you, although there are some medications for depression and anxiety that might help alleviate issues a bit to make them tolerable.

It's good that you have a therapist, but you might also want to get involved in some group therapy. Has your therapist suggested this to you? Have you tried other avenues besides one-on-one therapy? One thought that springs to mind is going to a camp.  Did you know that there are special camps for people with PTSD and GAD?  The benefit of these camps is twofold: 1) you get a break from the day-to-day life and can focus on you, and 2) you can learn and share with others who share your problems, get empathy, sympathy, plus some needed social interactions.  The more social interaction you get with others, the more skills you develop that you can use when you return to daily life so you can deal better with people who rub you the wrong way.

So, my advice to you is first work on your PTSD/GAD until you feel a bit more able to manage your feelings around "regular" life situations.  Only then would I re-address how to share your art with the world.  You will never get over it entirely, but you should be able to get to a point where you can manage the stress better.

Hugs,
Papabear

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 Patreon: www.patreon.com/thedraggetshow 196 - BLFC '18 LiVE! - www.draggetshow.com Be sure to check our website…

Furclub: “A repeat/regular nightclub event by furries for furries.” The concept has been spreading since the late 2000’s. It’s a dance party independent from cons. It builds on their growth, but takes things farther. It’s more ambitious than informal meets and events that happen once. Those can stay inner-focused, but this brings partnership with new kinds of venues, and new support for what they host. It crosses a line to public space, so a stranger can walk in and discover their new favorite thing. It encourages new blood and crossover to other scenes. It makes subculture thrive. It’s a movement!

Parties that give a Q&A get a featured article. See The Furclub survey for questions and party list. Here’s Eagle Furdance in Switzerland, introduced by organizer Avalon Bluejay. Their 4th party happened on April 28, 2018.

• Wiki german: http://de.wikifur.com/wiki/Eagle_Furdance
• Website: www.eaglefurdance.com
• Twitter: @EagleFurdance

Who is involved? 

Me (Avalon or Blueavian), I founded this event back in 2014 because there were no furdances around in Switzerland. The only ones even near the country are in Germany. I’m very interested in organizing events (like Golden Leaves Con, I’m also one of the founders for that), so I did this to bring something that didn’t exist for Swissfurs before. They only have a few events, and those are the two main ones.

I’m not only the chair for the event, but even the Bar Manager. As a Barkeeper myself I make the highest quality cocktails we can do. The dance is sponsored by the Swissfurs Club that sponsors Golden Leaves Con and other little events too. The main staff there is Luxen, who is also crew for the bar. Many volunteers are working with us (there’s a list of them all on the website), but it started small with just a few people. One special guy I want to thank is Fendracus. He is our logistic manager, and brings the party to life, like with lighting for the whole building. Without him and other volunteers it would never get this far.

We have had DJ’s for each party like RobSqrl. He’s a more professional DJ who’s on Spotify. We gave him the first platform at a furry dance, and since then many other dances and Eurofurence have wanted him to be there to make music. Next to him we have R4MS, Trackqube, and new to our team is Asgra. He played with us for the first time at our 4th party. (You can see what they play on the website).

What kind of party:

EFD was conceived as a club socializing party. As it grew, some people wanted more activities, and because we have a kind of a bowling alley area, we decided to move the fursuit lounge somewhere else and make a second bar.  Since last year, we have had a chillout lounge bar with 3 bowling lanes.

Our belief about price is that a ticket should support the venue and some other costs. So the ticket is around 30 Swiss Franks (about 30 US Dollars), but for that price, we can keep drinks and food prices lower. Like a cocktail for 8 Swiss Franks that you get in the city for 25.

Our attendance has numbered around 80-112. For the 4th party it seemed unpredictable because we had 60 registered, but there are always last minute attendees, so we estimated around 80-90.

When is it, where, and how can people be part of it?

EFD has been around since 2014. The debut was around September/October.  2016 was the only year it didn’t happen because of problems with getting everyone together. The 2017 party was on September 23, and was a total success after a year of absence. For the 4th party we had new staff and better equipment,  and it made us look forward to how people would react.

EFD has been held since the beginning in the Disco Metropole, with additional space from the Telli Center Club, in the city of Aarau Switzerland. Most furs come from Switzerland, but we have had a few from Germany, and sometimes one or two from the UK or USA.

How to be a part of it is easy, just be interested. We always want to embrace people to do stuff that they normally can’t do, like set up the music or light system or help at the bar, handle security, and so on. It’s important for me as a chef that everybody is happy and has fun. If not we wouldn’t do it.

How did it grow? 

It can be stressful before and at the event because it’s like a real job.  But if you do it to have fun, you don’t see it as something for profit, and it lets you do stuff you never do.

As I said before, I liked to do events, and that’s the reason I got some people together and asked if we could do it. I wanted to make it a success, and I got a lot of support from all sides. At this point i lived in Aarau. I was searching for a venue that had enough space, a bar, and something extra, but it was important that we do it all ourselves. Light, Sound, Bar, everything – so we could keep the prices down, because if we rented a club nobody would come. Switzerland has expensive costs on average, and furries who enjoy cons, meets, fursuits and art usually have less pocket money.

I found out that my shopping center next door had kind of a club with many rooms, and even a disco that never really got properly used. I already had a huge supply of bar stuff at home, so I thought it was a good opportunity to try it there. The staff could sleep at my place, and it wasn’t a long walk to the venue. Everything went well, and since then, the venue asks us first when we want to do it again. So we’re loved there and that’s great. I hope we can stay there for a long time.

Vibe:

The vibe is great. Every one of our guests are chill and has fun, especially with the chillout lounge and bowling until 4 in the morning. You can dance if you want, you can chill if you want, you can even bowl or go out and sip a drink with friends outside. I think we have as much as 50% fursuiters, and they rock on the dance floor. The event starts at 4pm, and the shopping center above us is still open until 6pm, with a plaza where the fursuiters entertain children and others. The general public loves us, and the best part was last year two non-furs came in and asked if they could be a part of this party, because they think we’re awesome. We got a great review from them at the end.

Promotion:

This is always the hard part. People don’t want to decide early for an event like this, because they already have expenses with cons and other events. And because we’re not the only event, you want to make the best of it. So we try with word of mouth, flyers, trailers on youtube, going to meets, and even having a special promotion if you register by a certain time – you get some additional money on your drink & food account (usually 10 Franks). But what works best is still to get the right people to your event, and their friends will come too. So sometimes you need to go directly to those guests and convince them to come.

Reactions:

At the moment we don’t draw media attention except from you as news. We’re too small, but the Telli Club still sees us as something amazing and cool. And of course we give them a lot of money for all the stuff we need, so coming back every year is perfect for them. We have never had a problem with authority or other people, just a little excitement as always, but you don’t need to call the police about anything you can’t talk about normally with someone. Everything has been perfect in the end.

The whole event is fully supported by furries, but also supported by our drink vendor and Telli Club of course. (So 80% furry, 20% non furries.)

Business:

EFD is a part of the Swissfurs Club. That means we’re a non-profit organization. We do it for the fandom. We have strict regulation and licensing is needed from the government, but we always have it, and because our NFC/RFID payment & regsystem worked from day one, we can start having people as young as 16 years old. If we get profit (the last two times we made 0), we donate to the Swisspawpeteers Club that does free theater shows at Golden Leaves Con and sometimes elsewhere.

The EFD at the moment has stable numbers, so business isn’t really growing or falling but we think we might grow a bit next year.

Videos/Pics:

Videos on youtube and pictures on the website speak from themselves, I would recommend to search and see what comes up.

Follow @EagleFurdance on Twitter for most updated news. Thanks to Avalon for giving great responses and organizing this for the fandom!

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.

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

The Wonderling, by Mira Bartók. Map, illustrations by the author.
Summerville, MA, Candlewick Press, September 2017, hardcover, $21.99 ([vii +] 450 pages), Kindle $9.46.

The Wonderling is a Young Adult fantasy recommended for grades 5 to 9; ages 10 to 14. It has “already been put into development for a major motion picture,” according to the blurb.

It has been compared to the novels by Charles Dickens about wretched orphans in Victorian England. Think of A Christmas Carol or Oliver Twist, with furries – or at least strange beasts.

“He looked like a young fox but stood upright like a child and had no tail to speak of. His eyes were a lovely chestnut brown and flecked with gold. But there was something about them that gave one the sense that, although he had not been in this world very long, he carried within him some inexplicable sorrow.

He was a creature with an innocent heart. What kind of creature, though, who could say? Despite his fox kit face, his snout was more dog than fox, and there was something rabbity about him too, in the way his nose twitched when he sensed danger, and how he trembled when he heard the loud clang of the orphanage bell. But the most singular thing about him was that he had only one ear.

[…]

But Number Thirteen – one-eared, nameless, and small of stature, for he never grew taller than three feet high – could not remember where he came from.” (pgs. 4-5)

Number Thirteen has been raised from infancy in Miss Carbuncle’s large Home for Wayward and Misbegotten Creatures, just outside the large “Great White City of Lumentown”. He is about 11 years old.

“On the front of the Home’s brochure was a happy-go-lucky creature with the head of a rabbit and the body of a little girl, wearing a polka-dot dress and bow, clutching a bouquet of daisies. Beneath the picture, the caption read: Have you been unexpectedly burdened by a recently orphaned or unclaimed creature? Worry not! We have just the solution for you!” (pgs. 6-7)

Miss Carbuncle is a cold-hearted villainess like the worst Dickensian orphanage masters. She can’t even be bothered to give the fox-boy a name. She calls him after his bed number, Number Thirteen.

“A damp mist swirled above the courtyard, slowly creeping into the orphans’ threadbare coats and bones. All the wayward and misbegotten creatures the orphans, the foundlings, and the street urchins doing penance for petty crimes – stood at attention. They were the “groundlings” of the world – a hybrid mix of animal and human, or of animal and animal, that, in the hierarchy of the day, inhabited a place very close to the bottom. They were skinny and squat, furry and feathered, some nearly human if not for a rat tail or jackrabbit ears, a piglet face or wings and webbed feet. Most were half human, half animal, but not all. Some appeared to be all mammal, or reptile, or bird, but for the fact that they spoke and acted like human beings.” (p. 11)

I won’t quote each description or this review would grow endlessly; but here is the orphanage bully who torments Number Thirteen:

“All of a sudden, someone pulled his ear really hard. Number Thirteen spun around to see who it was. Next to Mug and Orlick stood an imposing new arrival: a tall, gray, bristly-furred rat groundling with a long snout and two sharp incisors protruding from his mouth. He had large yellow-clawed feet and a long wiry tail. His shoulders were so scrunched up that he seemed his head was attached to them and that he had no neck at all. His eyes were small and shrunken and black as night.” (pgs. 16-17)

Most of the juvenile creatures are indifferent towards Number Thirteen or actively pick on him. The first one who becomes his friend is Trinket, whom he rescues from the Home’s bullies:

“He gently touched her head. She wasn’t covered in fur at all but in dark-brown, mud-soaked feathers. She was a Bird – a bird with no wings, just two feathery appendages sticking out from her sides, and no tail feathers either. One of her winglets was bleeding, though not too badly, considering how she had been batted about. At the end of each of her mustard-yellow feet were three long toes. Her beak was long, slender, and curved.” (pgs. 43-44)

Bartók’s illustrations show a miniature kiwi, small enough to fit into the palm on Number Thirteen’s hand – and remember, he’s pretty small himself.

Frankly, Number Thirteen is such a wimp and coward that it’s hard to sympathize with him. All of the Home’s mean human adults have names like Sneezeweed, Bonegrubber, and Bunmuncher. Carbuncle could be accepted, but this quickly becomes ridiculous. Dickens’ characters had funny names, but not completely unbelievable ones. How hard would it be for Miss Carbuncle to give Number Thirteen a name instead of a number?

Trinket gives Number Thirteen a real name – Arthur – and persuades him to escape from the Home with her to the Great White City. She gets into the Home’s files and finds out the address in Lumentown where he came from.

Arthur finds wonders in Lumentown that are as fantastic as what Alice finds in Wonderland. Many of them are animal-related, such as Quintus, another rat groundling who is Bartók’s version of Dickens’ Artful Dodger:

“The group made a semicircle around Quintus and Arthur. They were a motly crew of all shapes, sizes, and ages, although none of them looked as young as Arthur. There was a rather corpulent mole-porcupine groundling, a white weasel groundling, a groundling who was part English setter, an anteater groundling, a raccoon groundling, a stern-looking rabbit person, and a creature in a bottle-green trilby. Arthur had never seen such a peculiar-looking groundling. He had the face of an aye-aye and the body of a small hunched-over man.” (p. 193)

If you want bizarre creatures and don’t mind an imagination that sometimes descends into silliness, The Wonderling (cover by the author) is full of them.

– Fred Patten

• Buy 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.

As we regroup in our totally the same and not at all brand new studio, we churn through a massive roundup of stories we missed while away. Thank you to everyone for your continued support over these transitional months. We’re super happy to be back!

Download MP3

Watch Video Link Roundup:

• R.C. Fox commits suicide
• Pounced.org FOSTA Shutdown
  • Pounced.org offline due to sex trafficking bill
  • Motherboard: Furry dating site shuts down due to FOSTA
• Telegram’s Ups and Downs:
  • Telegram hits 200 million monthly active users
  • Iran bans Telegram
  • Russia’s Telegram ban is a big, convoluted mess
  • Russia takes further steps to restrict access to Telegram
• Blazecollie announces PawPads Beta for iOS
• FWA RFID memes
  • Link 1
  • Link 2
• SonicFox wins fighting game tournaments in fursuit
  • Kotaku Article
  • Dogpatch Press Interview
• Bucktown Tiger goes on Jeopardy!
• Califur cancels 2018
• New furry con in Indonesia
• Why is blue so rare in nature?
• MetroUSA article about Anthro New England
• Computerphile – Tanglewood Update
• Relevant XKCD 1961 to furry communication
• Daily Egyptian: Members of Saluki Furry Society feeling free with their furry personas
• Merriam Webster adds “dumpster fire” to the dictionary
• OPINION: Time to speak up before the red wolf’s last howl
• ButtPlug.io reports integrating Nintendo Joycons is feasible
• Furry.science / Rack updates
• Pirate’s Fate released on Steam
• Priscilla Frank: Alt-Right Furries Are Raging Online, And Leftist Furries Wonder What Is To Be Done
• HowToGeek Opinion: Microsoft should name Windows 10 updates after dogs
• Kickstarter for Zoion Magazine
• Zoion Media Twitter Handle
• Motherboard: Once Upon a Time, This Tech Company Actively Recruited Furries
• Cory Doctorow endorses tweet about furries in a hacker plot
• TwoFurryBros: Pros and Cons of being a furry
• Netflix Is Concerned the Internet Thinks the ‘Lost in Space’ Robot Is Hot: ‘Ya’ll Need Jesus’
• AZ state rep Kelly Townsend causes controversy on twitter with screenshots of furry art
  • Related Tweet
  • Phoenix New Times: Representative Kelly Townsend Wants to Know What a Furry Is
  • Teen Vogue: Republican Politician Rep. Kelly Townsend Asked Twitter What a Furry Is
• When You Give a Tree an Email Address
• Google Maps announces AR guidance fox
• Ontario Canada will waive fees to change birth certificate info for one year
• BLFC Directors Track

FC-294 Furries In The Attic - As we regroup in our totally the same and not at all brand new studio, we churn through a massive roundup of stories we missed while away. Thank you to everyone for your continued support over these transitional months. We're super happy to be back!

As we regroup in our totally the same and not at all brand new studio, we churn through a massive roundup of stories we missed while away. Thank you to everyone for your continued support over these transitional months. We’re super happy to be back!

Download MP3

Link Roundup:

• R.C. Fox commits suicide
• Pounced.org FOSTA Shutdown
  • Pounced.org offline due to sex trafficking bill
  • Motherboard: Furry dating site shuts down due to FOSTA
• Telegram’s Ups and Downs:
  • Telegram hits 200 million monthly active users
  • Iran bans Telegram
  • Russia’s Telegram ban is a big, convoluted mess
  • Russia takes further steps to restrict access to Telegram
• Blazecollie announces PawPads Beta for iOS
• FWA RFID memes
  • Link 1
  • Link 2
• SonicFox wins fighting game tournaments in fursuit
  • Kotaku Article
  • Dogpatch Press Interview
• Bucktown Tiger goes on Jeopardy!
• Califur cancels 2018
• New furry con in Indonesia
• Why is blue so rare in nature?
• MetroUSA article about Anthro New England
• Computerphile – Tanglewood Update
• Relevant XKCD 1961 to furry communication
• Daily Egyptian: Members of Saluki Furry Society feeling free with their furry personas
• Merriam Webster adds “dumpster fire” to the dictionary
• OPINION: Time to speak up before the red wolf’s last howl
• ButtPlug.io reports integrating Nintendo Joycons is feasible
• Furry.science / Rack updates
• Pirate’s Fate released on Steam
• Priscilla Frank: Alt-Right Furries Are Raging Online, And Leftist Furries Wonder What Is To Be Done
• HowToGeek Opinion: Microsoft should name Windows 10 updates after dogs
• Kickstarter for Zoion Magazine
• Zoion Media Twitter Handle
• Motherboard: Once Upon a Time, This Tech Company Actively Recruited Furries
• Cory Doctorow endorses tweet about furries in a hacker plot
• TwoFurryBros: Pros and Cons of being a furry
• Netflix Is Concerned the Internet Thinks the ‘Lost in Space’ Robot Is Hot: ‘Ya’ll Need Jesus’
• AZ state rep Kelly Townsend causes controversy on twitter with screenshots of furry art
  • Related Tweet
  • Phoenix New Times: Representative Kelly Townsend Wants to Know What a Furry Is
  • Teen Vogue: Republican Politician Rep. Kelly Townsend Asked Twitter What a Furry Is
• When You Give a Tree an Email Address
• Google Maps announces AR guidance fox
• Ontario Canada will waive fees to change birth certificate info for one year
• BLFC Directors Track

[Live] Furries In The Attic

The start of an idea .... Will keep an eye on this.
View Video

At WonderCon we met an author named Julie Penshorn and learned about her book for young readers: The Barnyard Buddies STOP For Peace, illustrated by Jorry Keith. “The Barnyard Buddies are angry because King is taking all the space under the shelter. After they stop and breathe, and get guidance from a wise owl, they can hear how King is hurt and lonely and solve the problem. Children develop skills for anger management, empathy, and compassion… The delightful Barnyard Buddies engage everyone as they show how to use peaceful conflict resolution and dialogue for problem-solving! This rhyming, richly illustrated children’s book, for ages 3 to 8, conveys important social skills and anger management tools.” Now it’s available in paperback from Barnes & Noble.

[And with that, we’ll see you in a few days after BLFC!]

image c. 2018 Growing Communities

Ok, I'm sad now. http://en.wikifur.com/wiki/Tzup [1] [1] http://en.wikifur.com/wiki/Tzup
View Video

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

Vincent and the Dissidents, by Christopher Locke.
Los Angeles, CA, Fathoming Press, April 2018, trade paperback, $14.95 ([x +] 335 pages), Kindle $3.99.

This is The Enlightenment Adventures, Book Two. When I reviewed Book One, published in February 2015, I said: “And this is only Book One of The Enlightenment Adventures. Those who read it through to the end will not be able to resist going on to Book Two.” Now, after a three-year wait, here it is.

In Book One, Persimmon Takes On Humanity, the raccoon Persimmon leads a tiny group of North American forest animals in an apparently hopeless drama of taking on all humanity to destroy its enterprises that exploit animals: commercial meat farms, fur farms, puppy mills, and especially circuses with performing animals. Persimmon starts out as an indignant but naïve protester against all human callous exploitation of animals for profit or amusement. By the end of the novel, she is a grim militant.

“She looks directly at the Rottweilers with a stern expression. ‘Listen to me very carefully. I want to help you, but there are two of you and thousands of minks, and they’re suffering immensely. I’ve heard horrible things about what they’re forced to endure. Right now some of them have open wounds. Some don’t have any water. And some are going slowly insane because they’re trapped in stifling, barren cages. It’s unbelievably cruel, and we’re here to put a stop to it. You’re either with us or against us.’” (Persimmon Takes On Humanity, p. 146)

Vincent and the Dissidents begins with a ten-page Cast of Characters and Synopsis of Book One, so the reader can drop running into the action. The Cast of Characters says about Vincent:

“VINCENT – A cunning mink whose fur is mostly black with a hint of blue. He lived a hellish life on a fur farm before he finally escaped. He then vowed to himself that he would rescue the minks who were still trapped on the farm. A few months later, he was lucky enough to meet Persimmon and her team. They joined forces and successfully rescued most of the minks. Little did Persimmon know that after she and her team had moved on to their next mission, Vincent began gathering his own army of animals who would rescue other animals using more aggressive tactics against humans than her own.” (p. [iv])

It’s more complex than that. Persimmon originally grandiosely dubs her animal group The Uncaged Alliance. In Book One, she constantly argues with Rawly, another raccoon, as to what tactics they should use and what their next mission should be. They end up splitting, with Rawly leading the remnant of The Uncaged Alliance (including Persimmon’s younger brother Scraps), and Persimmon starting afresh with a new title, The Enlighteners. Vincent has been organizing his own group, the Dissidents.

Chapter 1 starts:

“PERSIMMON OPENS HER eyes. The room is pitch black. Where am I? The confused raccoon starts to sit up, but suddenly the room begins to spin. Dizziness overcomes her, and nausea hits her hard. She closes her eyes to collect herself. She takes a deep breath. Breathe. Breathe. With her eyes closed, her hearing becomes more acute. She can hear other animals in the room – weeping, moaning. She quickly pops her eyes back open. They’re in pain. I need to help them.” (p. 1)

(This quote exhibits a peculiarity of The Enlightenment Adventures. Both books are written in the narrative present tense, not the past tense as is most fiction.)

Chapter 2 begins: “(two weeks ago)”, in happier times. Everything up to Chapter 22 leads up to Persimmon and other animals trapped in that room. The rest of the novel is what she does about it.

Another early quote illustrates part of the problem. Persimmon has led her Enlighteners to her Aunt Adelaide and Uncle Bennett for some Rest & Relaxation:

“Aunty Adelaide […] turns back to him and says, ‘Go see if you can catch some fresh fish for them.’

‘No! No fish.’ Persimmon immediately climbs up the tree, blocking her uncle from hopping down. ‘We don’t eat fish.’

Aunty Adelaide almot falls out of the tree, she’s so flabbergasted by this statement. ‘What respectable raccoon doesn’t like fish?’

‘Actually, we do like fish,’ Persimmon explains. ‘That’s why we don’t eat them.’

‘You’re speaking in riddles, dear. I can’t understand you.’

‘All of us have vowed to be compassionate toward other animals, which includes not eating them,’ Persimmon says.

‘But you’ll die of starvation if you don’t eat other animals,’ Uncle Bennett says.” (pgs. 8-9)

Persimmon has become a militant vegan. She won’t eat any animal, nor will she allow her followers including the carnivores to do so. That’s one reason her Enlighteners and Rawly and the others in The Uncaged Alliance split. The others consider that the ‘no eating other animals’ rule should have some obvious exceptions, such as for fish or chickens, while Persimmon says that not eating animals means no animals. Persimmon also wants to rescue animals without harming humans, while The Uncaged Alliance doesn’t mind harming humans if necessary to help other animals. Both groups are horrified by Vincent’s readiness to kill humans.

Well, most of both groups. Apricot, a housecat who remains with TUA, is as much a predator as Vincent is. She and Vincent praise Rawly for being willing to harm humans when necessary. Rawly, flattered, doesn’t realize at first that “harm when necessary” means “kill whenever possible”.

Vincent and the Dissidents splits into two alternating stories: that of Vincent and his Dissidents, with the increasingly reluctant alliance with Rawly’s The Uncaged Alliance, building an army of ferocious dogs to attack and kill humans when they are unleashed; while Persimmon and her Enlighteners try to liberate the chickens on a chicken farm.

Vincent may be ruthless, but he is not amoral. He is loyal to his fellow minks, and considers that killing humans is the only way to ensure the animals’ safety.

“Vincent sighs, thinking about his family, friends and all the other minks who were murdered at the Peterson fur farm. He thinks about his brother Frestin being skinned alive right in front of him. So many memories have faded with time, but that one – that horrifying experience never fades.

Vincent stomps the dirt to knock the memory from his mind. ‘And you’re telling me that Persimmon still thinks humans are redeemable despite the fact that they murdered all those animals, including two members of your team?’

Rawly nods.

‘How dangerously naïve.’ Vincent shakes his head, bewildered.” (p. 15)

Apricot, on the other paw, just considers killing humans to be fun.

The reader can see trouble coming. Animals can’t kill humans indefinitely without other humans retaliating en masse. Persimmon allows her followers in The Enlighteners the freedom to discuss, debate, and argue over her orders, which is fine for friendship and allowing all her group to express themselves, but as anyone can tell you, is a lousy if not fatal way to run a military operation. As the back-cover blurb gives away:

“Vincent and The Dissidents are conducting their own rescue operations, but their violent tactics against humans are quickly leading to catastrophic consequences. Meanwhile, just as Persimmon and The Enlighteners are mounting their most ambitious rescue so far, a tragic incident alters Persimmon’s life forever and jeopardizes the fate of The Enlighteners.”

Vincent and the Dissidents (cover by L. A. Watson) is a fit sequel to Persimmon Takes On Humanity. It is a sometimes humorous, sometimes harrowing read:

“That’s when Persimmon sees Rasha’s face – her horrifically mangled face. All the pain that this pit bull has endured is exposed right there in her shredded ears, chipped teeth, and chewed-up nose. Persimmon can almost feel the bite marks as if she had been there herself. What kind of ruthless human could do this to another animal?” (p. 333)

Locke says in an Afterword to sign up for his newsletter to know when Book Three is published. So there will be more.

– Fred Patten

• Buy on Amazon
• Visit Christopher Locke’s Website

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.

I want to go to a heavy petting zoo.
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Submitted by Fred Patten, Furry’s favorite historian and reviewer.

Etienne Willem: Artbook Collection. Illustrated.
Geneva, Switzerland, Éditions Paquet, July 2017, hardcover, €20,00 (unpaged [94 pages]).

“Etienne Willem is a recognized cartoon author. Author of the semi-realistic crime series Vieille Bruyère and Bas de Soie, from L’épée d’Ardenois, starring animal characters in a medieval context, he is currently directing Les ailes du singe, taking the reader to a new dizzying air universe. A multi-talented author who will still amaze you in this completely new book.” (blurb, machine-translated & corrected)

Dogpatch Press reviewed volumes 3 and 4 of Willem’s 4-volume funny-animal The Sword of Ardenois, set in Medieval Europe, and the first two volumes of his funny-animal The Wings of the Monkey, set in Depression-era New York and Hollywood. (His Old Heather and Silk Stocking, a semi-serious 1920s-‘30s British detective series, isn’t anthropomorphic.)

Now here is a collection of Willem’s work, from rough sketches to model sheets, to parodies of popular dramatic comic-book artists like Frank Frazetta, and one-off drawings like a poster for a comic-book festival in Bastogne, and a beer label for the 2013 Comicsmania Festival in Belfaux-Corminboeuf, Switzerland. (No, I never heard of it, either.) Only about half of these are funny-animal, but his non-animal parodies like a team-up of Doctor Who (“the eleventh Doctor – the best”) and Harley Quinn may be appreciated by some of us, too.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is a lot of steampunk-inspired art here, and some H. P. Lovecraft. A cartoon inspired by Game of Thrones combining human and animal characters. “Steampunk and funny-animal… I absolutely had to combine the two… So here is the little world of Drowningfish, a furry steampunk story set in the bayous of Louisiana after the War of Secession between the terrible carnivores of the South and the peaceful vegans of the North. Fortunately, the brilliant Professor Mole proposes to devote his intense efforts to developing a food that will let all nourish themselves without taking any lives … almost.” It sounds/looks like a cross between Jules Verne, Sherlock Holmes, Kimba the White Lion, and Pogo. I want to see more than a concept sketch!

The Belgian Willem is one of the best European funny-animal cartoonists today. His non-anthropomorphic work isn’t bad, either. He is probably most comparable to Albert Uderzo, the Astérix artist (and writer since René Goscinny died), but Uderzo doesn’t do funny-animals. Willem does. Wonderfully. You don’t have to read French to enjoy this.

– Fred Patten

• Buy 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.

One of the things that was almost impossible to miss at WonderCon this year was a huge display booth for Genesis II, a full color graphic novel by Allen Ling and Christian Boe. It’s a science fiction story about genetic experiments gone very, very strange, but that barely scratches the surface. The booth display featured three of the principle weird creations from the story in larger than life size, sculpted by none other than Stan Winston Studios. The graphic novel is available now as a hardcover book, and also as a download for purchase. The creators plan to release a softcover version later this year. Visit their web site to see what we’re talking about — and to order your copy.

image c. 2018 genesisiicomics.com

These are just harmful fennec stereotypes. Also, Bolivian catnip has many medicinal uses.
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Submitted by Fred Patten, Furry’s favorite historian and reviewer.

Not quite three years ago, I proposed a poll to pick the worst anthropomorphic movie of the 2011 to 2020 decade. I named five movies to get started.

Check out the Original Worst Movies Post from Food Fight to The Last Flight of the Champion

There are still a couple of years to go, but it seems worth re-posting this now; both as a reminder, and because Hollywood seems to have actually sorta-remade one of these.

Compare Pups United, about soccer mascots protecting a priceless soccer trophy:

With the forthcoming (May 18) Show Dogs, about the dogs in a Las Vegas dog show protecting a priceless dog show trophy:

Max, a macho, solitary Rottweiler police dog is ordered to go undercover as a primped show dog in a prestigious Dog Show, along with his human partner, to avert a disaster from happening.

Two years to go. What’s your pick for the worst anthropomorphic movie of 2011 to 2020, theatrical or direct-to-DVD?

– 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.

Many thanks to our friend KeiFox for pointing this one out to us. Here’s what we learned over at the Hollywood Reporter: “Fans of Disney’s animated 2016 hit Zootopia should prepare for a return to the animal metropolis this summer, with Dark Horse Comics releasing a brand-new graphic novel based on the movie as part of its new deal with Disney. Aimed at younger readers, Disney Zootopia: Friends to the Rescue will feature two stories spotlighting young versions of both Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde and taking place before the events of the movie. Judy has to save the day — and her friend Dinah — at the Bunnyburrow County Fair, while Nick has to put his (questionable) talents to good use to give his friend Hedy the best birthday party imaginable. Both stories are written by Jimmy Gownley, with art by Leandro Ricardo da Silva, colors by Wes Dzioba, and lettering from Chris Dickey. The 48-page title will also feature special features and story-related activities.” Look for it on September 12th.

image c. 2018 Dark Horse Publishing

This makes me sleepy.
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