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

The Flower’s Fang series.
This is a colorful mixture of furry and high fantasy.

Snow Flower: Arara’s Tale, by Madison Keller.
Portland, OR, Hundeliebe Publishing, May 2016, trade paperback, $5.99 (72 pages), Kindle $0.99.

Flower’s Fang, by Madison Keller.
Portland, OR, Hundeliebe Publishing, August 2014, trade paperback, $14.99 (354 pages), Kindle $0.99.

Flower’s Curse, by Madison Keller.
Portland, OR, Hundeliebe Publishing, June 2016, trade paperback, $13.99 (238 pages), Kindle $4.99.

These three books are bibliographically complex. Flower’s Fang and Flower’s Curse are advertised as a two-volume set. The first edition of Snow Flower was published on December 21, 2014. The second edition, with proofreading errors corrected and still with Keith Draws’ cover, was published on May 16, 2016. It was reprinted with Teagan Gavet’s cover, retypeset more compactly from 126 pages to 72 pages, with the new subtitle “Prequel Novella to Flower’s Fang” added, and the city of publication changed from Seattle, WA (CreateSpace’s office) to Portland, OR (Keller’s home), on April 20, 2017. If you order it today, you’ll probably get it with Teagan’s wraparound cover.

Flower’s Fang has three listed editions, all dated August 2014. The typography of the title lettering changes, but all have the same illustration by Johnny Atomic. The third edition has two maps added.

Flower’s Curse has two editions listed, both dated June 2016. The second edition has a new cover by Idess Sherwood (the cover of the first edition is by Keith Draws), and includes the maps.

The main protagonist of all three books is Arara, a young Jegera (anthropomorphic wolf) in a fantasy world dominated by a “Kin-Jegera Empire”. The Kin are humanoid and human-sized flower fairies or elves, who wear ornate silken robes (see the cover of Flower’s Fang) and uniforms:

“‘How are you feeling?’ A melodious Kin voice asked her. The Kin hovered over Arara, her yellow petal hair framing her green face like a sun halo. The scent of the Kin’s petals reminded Arara of a sweet flower, but it was strong to the point of being overpowering.” (SF, p. 23)

The Empire is satisfactory to both, but the Kin are definitely the aristocracy and the Jegera are the peasants. The Jegera wear some clothes and can walk two-legged, but they usually run on all fours. The Kin ride the Jegera like horses.

“‘You can’t go treating her differently, Athura.’ Eraka grinned and looked at Arara. ‘That settles it. Go put on your shorts and vest. There is still snow up in the foothills, and we don’t want you getting cold.’

Arara barked in delight and scampered off to get dressed.” (SF, pgs. 3-4)

Snow Flower is a novella of Arara’s puppyhood.

“‘Dad, tell mom I can go [hunting] with you.’ Arara wagged her tail. She’d never been hunting before, while school was known and dreaded.

True, for the first couple of days Arara had been excited and eager to learn. But that was before she’d met Kerka. The first day he’d left her alone, although she’d known from his thoughts that he had stared at her most of the day wondering what was wrong with her. Arara hadn’t been able to say anything to him about it though, because her parents had made her promise to keep her telepathy a secret. She’d been able to hear others’ thoughts since she was born, but her parents told her other Jegera couldn’t; they could only hear thoughts sent by gefir.” (SF, p. 2)

Arara and her parents Eraka and Athura are the omegas of their Jegera pack. Gefir is talking by thoughts. Arara is different from the other Jegera in more than being able to hear thoughts.

“‘I guess I like Gror,’ Arara conceded. ‘But Kerka is mean to me. He said my white fur is ugly and that my tail is broken.’

‘He’s just never seen white fur before, Snow Flower,’ Eraka prodded. ‘And your curly tail is perfectly natural.’”

[…]

‘She might be the same age as when you first went hunting, but she’s not even half as big as the other puppies.’ Athura squeezed tighter until Arara yelped and struggled.” (SF, p. 3)

Snow Flower (Teagan Gavet’s wraparound cover shows Arara confronting Kerka) is about how Arara plans to use her secret power of hearing thoughts to get revenge on Kerka, the class bully; and what happens. Keller weaves real lupine alpha-omega social relationships into this. Arara’s pack lives in Last Home, the farthest north community of the Empire where the Kin do not usually come, so the Kin only have a very brief role in this story.

Flower’s Fang, a full novel, is set many years later. Arara and her classmates are about to graduate from juveniles to adults. She is still the omega of her school, blamed for everything that goes wrong. She is looking forward to leaving them all and leaving home, to go alone to Sebaine City, the capital of the Empire.

Prince Sels, the other protagonist of the series, appears. He is a young Kin (shown on Johnny Atomic’s cover), and the Kin are described at length. Of importance is that each Kin aristocrat has a personal Jegera guard; a combination of a military bodyguard and a talking mount.

Prince Sels is the equivalent of Arara among his people. He is young and insecure. Nobody listens to him despite his rank, except Jeron, his childhood Jegera guard. He is pushed around by his servants, and his Kin relatives and “friends”, led by his cousin Lady Sesay, offer him advice and guidance that works out to what they want to do. When he does muster enough willpower to give orders that they don’t like, they just ignore him and issue their own orders in his name.

“Sesay’s pink petal-hair seemed to glow against the dark wood of the carriage. Her tapered, green Kin ears were barely visible through the thick mass of petals framing her heart shaped face. Sesay flashed a tight smile at him, her blue eyes sparkling under her leafy eyelashes, and primly folded her hands in her lap. Sels suppressed a wince, knowing that smile meant a lecture was coming. Even after a full moon-cycle of constant travel, Sesay’s clothes were immaculate. His own robes looked worse for wear, despite Jeron’s diligent care.

Where Sesay had a mass of petals flowing down around her face and over her shoulders, Sels had an elegant growth of vines tipped with dark purple flowers. The wind had left Sels [sic.] vines in a messy tangle, and Sels made a mental note to have Jeron braid them tomorrow morning before the hunt.” (FF, p. 8)

Prince Sels and his entourage are required by custom to travel to Last Home to witness and congratulate the Jerlings (Arara’s class) on their graduation. The ceremony includes a “first adult” hunt by the adolescent wolves of a dangerously deadly beast. Part of the custom includes Sels’ own rite of passage; he is expected to select one of the Jerlings and sedyu-bond with him or her to replace Jeron and be his adult Jegera guard-mount for the rest of his life. Sels senses Arara’s similarity among the Jerlings to his own omega-position, and determines to stop being pushed around and pick her to sedyu-bond with. However, the other Kin just ignore him as usual and announce that he has picked two other Jerlings (that are closer to their own interests) to be his sedyu-bond candidates. Sels is still too immature and insecure to protest aloud.

The rest of Flower Fang is Sels’ and Arara’s secret campaign (with Jeron’s help) in Sebaine City, the Empire’s capital and seat of the Kins’ royal court, to make Arara his sedyu-bonded guardian. It could be considered a variant on Romeo and Juliet with Juliet at first believing that Romeo is only being nice to her to ridicule her.

“Wheezing, Arara stumbled over to her overstuffed pack and grabbed a strap.

Sels, who’d been watching the whole exchange with a puzzled expression, arched one eyebrow. ‘You can lift that?’

‘Well enough,’ she said, hoisting it up onto her back and immediately toppling over backwards. Arara sprawled on her back on top of the pack, her legs kicking at the air.

High pitched giggles filled the air for a moment before something muffled them. She lifted her head to see Sels laughing with the blanket pressed over his mouth. Jeron stood next to him, his face buried in his paws and his shoulders quaking.

Before Arara could wriggle out of the straps, Eraka grabbed the bag with one arm, lifting it and Arara off the ground. She slid free, landing on the grass with a thump, tail between her legs.” (FF, pgs. 95-96)

(Since the whole Flower’s Fang series is not illustrated, it is sometimes hard to tell when a wolf is standing on two or four feet.)

There are deadly royal politics, assassins, “dark plots”, and a rebellion before the more-or-less happy ending.

Flower’s Curse begins with Arara and Sels finally bonded:

“Arara marched along the edge of the stage, uncomfortable with the audience’s gaze on her and sweltering with her thick fur packed in her ceremonial leather armor. Arara resisted the urge to reach under the armor and scratch her chest where it chaffed her. Through the bond Arara could feel that Sels was equally uncomfortable in his heavy, jewel-bedecked robes and elaborate vine-do.” (FC, p. 1)

But immediately there is drama:

“A Jegera wearing the uniform of a royal guard rushed onstage skidding to a stop in front of the Queen and Arara. ‘Your majesty, a mob has stormed the gates. They are inside the palace. We must get you and your family to safety.’” (FC, pgs. 3-4)

“‘What happened?’ Arara mumbled, her voice a hacking hoarse cough.

Sels chewed his lip, glancing between Arara and the door. ‘I was holding off the rioters with my fire when someone struck you with a lightning spell. I think it was meant to look like a natural strike, part of the storm.’” (FC, p. 9)

There are more deadly royal politics, assassins, and “dark plots” before Flower’s Curse comes to a happier ending.

Arara and Sels appear to be 14 or 15, adolescents frustrated by feeling like adults but treated by the real adults around them like children. Their adventures are told with plenty of drama and magic, and Arara and the Jegeras’ being anthropomorphic wolves make this a fairy tale that furry fans will enjoy.

– Fred Patten

• Buy Snow Flower on Amazon
• Buy Flower’s Fang on Amazon
• Buy Flower’s Curse 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.

There’s a new fantasy series for young readers (and fans of shape-shifters) from author Amie Kaufman called Elementals. The first story, Ice Wolves, is headed to book shelves this March. It goes like this: “Everyone in Vallen knows that ice wolves and scorch dragons are sworn enemies who live deeply separate lives. So when twelve-year-old orphan Anders takes one elemental form and his twin sister, Rayna, takes another, he wonders whether they are even related. Still, whether or not they’re family, Rayna is Anders’s only true friend. She’s nothing like the brutal, cruel dragons who claimed her as one of their own and stole her away. In order to rescue her, Anders must enlist at the foreboding Ulfar Academy, a school for young wolves that values loyalty to the pack above all else. But for Anders, loyalty is more complicated than obedience, and friendship is the most powerful shape-shifting force of all.” Find out more over at Goodreads.

image c. 2018 Harper Collins

We have here a new project from WIP Productions, "Wolfgang Doe" that is going to be a 6 part web police series. You can learn more here: www.facebook.com/wolfgangdoeseries [1] [1] http://www.facebook.com/wolfgangdoeseries
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A trial run for a convention had a behavior issue. Part 1 looked at what happened and Part 2 had sources and issues. Before publishing there was a request for comments from the organizer, then others responded. Keep in mind that some of them responded before chat screens were published and seen.

That individual was banned. We have an official rules page. Check us out https://t.co/8vlRtfYVvg

I can not speak for all individuals and what they'll do. But I do not tolerate that behavior.

Here's the official con chat. Please check the website for only con associated chats. pic.twitter.com/H6Mk7NNmme

— RadFox ACFC (@ShRadow_Fox) February 25, 2018

Radfox chatted more in private message.

The con was small and humble in nature but I consider it a success with the amount of fun had. We had approximately 30 to 35 turn out. Everyone had a good time and kept within reason there were no incidents with the hotel or their security. At this time the con felt more like a big party but I am hoping to expand. I want to run it unlike a traditional con I want to run it as more of a open-ended schedule. We had 2 scheduled events. These included shooting on the beach on Friday. The other was the big group picture on the boardwalk. Aside from that we all did our own thing we adventured along the boardwalk and enjoy the amenities of the hotel including their wonderful pool casino and restaurants… As far as partying and in your words frat party we were rather tame in comparison to other furry cons we had a no drug policy. Everyone that drank in my room at least was carded and ID’ed. Nobody was overly drunk in need of an ambulance or medical attention. As the chairman I limited myself to 1 to 2 drinks per night.

The official chat was formed by a group of friends with an idea to expand. It has a set of rules as you saw in my recent tweet. We grew it by passing out flyers and telling friends to tell friends about it and add them to the chat. As for the issue you referenced, that was an individual that crossed the line breaking the rule about no racism and I told him to stop. When he refused I banned him. I, myself, and ACFC do not tolerate that behavior hence the individual was banned. There is only one official chat associated with ACFC found on the website. The other chat we broke off from ACFC to do whatever it wanted. I am not associated with it and neither is my staff.

I named some names in the story, and asked if they would be staff or part of future events, and if he could discuss their behavior in the chats.

None are on staff. Only well known friends that will adhere to the rules and promote a positive light are staff. Whatever they do outside of ACFC’S chat is up to them. I do not follow their affiliations. However, if they break my rules and they are banned as you saw.

“Are you aware of how Jerreh came to be a member of the chat? Is he friends with members?”

I am not sure how he got in but he is not in the official one (he’d be banned after seeing this). The link to ACFC is available to everyone and anyone can add anyone. Jerreh did not post in the main chat ever. But no that is 100% not allowed or tolerated at ACFC. I do not want to speculate but if I had to guess someone added him to start drama and a fight.

A reader sent this private message.

At the time, many trolls were trying to throw up a smokescreen or use intimidation to stop the article from publishing. (Later Radfox apologized and I said there was no need, that stuff is part of my “job”.) Then the article came out and some people started connecting people in a group photo to chat activity they didn’t do.

As far as I can tell @RazzaTheKanga had absolutely nothing to do with activity in the article posted yesterday. He's in this group pic and there's angry messages at people in it. Please don't do that, it's not a good way to connect to net activity. https://t.co/Jqw3rKVbor

— Dogpatch Press (@DogpatchPress) February 27, 2018

@rileyyfox was in a group pic going around with angry messages at people in it. I don't support a group pic counting as a bad thing apart from a story. I think he had nothing to do with chat activity in the story. Sorry rileyy.https://t.co/omNQmeUWm4

— Dogpatch Press (@DogpatchPress) February 27, 2018

There was a lot of criticism about including Koss in the story, making bad side effects he didn’t deserve. The story info was reporting about posts from a public/official chat. I tried getting more facts by asking for comments before publishing, but didn’t get any help to decide. Two reasons for sharing the info were 1) A wider topic about behavior. 2) Being thorough and showing that events did happen when there was dispute about if they did. After the article published Koss did chat and agree to share a few extra words.

You're not racist. I'm sorry for side effects. Stuff like asking for takedown is also part of attacks I'm getting to hold back news and there's at least one source in fandom that doesn't play that. If you contact a news source its worth asking for off record chat, if they agree.

— Dogpatch Press (@DogpatchPress) February 26, 2018

Reading this over.. I had no idea it got "that" bad. Errm. I'm kind of glad this happened now I suppose. More so because the people I was defending have been defended a bit in the article too. Ive never liked this behavior, in fact it always kind of made me uncomfortable anyhow.

— Koss Kelir@FWA, EF (@KossKelir) February 27, 2018

There were requests to try reducing judgement about people in the story. Koss sent this screenshot of Kazu (who is in some of the chat screens) making friends again with Trenton.

There was much more info about people improving relationships afterward and saying good things about each other that’s personal so I won’t share it.

This was one of the hardest stories to write ever on the site. It started by request of multiple tips. The amount of preparation was significant, with research I don’t ordinarily do. There was a lot of emotional concern about people in it I won’t get into (because covering a heavy issue isn’t about making friends.)  It was a big challenge to sort the info. It couldn’t easily be re-written for different approaches (like removing someone). One criticism was made about putting it out in 3 parts in 3 days, so assumptions were made after the first part. On the other hand all the questions and criticism improved the second part. Keep doing that and help me to write better (or fail better) because there’s not really anyone else doing this or a boss to rely on for it, just a fandom that I hope will keep improving.

Update

In response to @DogpatchPress regarding ACFC, I wanted to issue a statement and apology regarding the handling of an incident in our chat. I will own up to it and more importantly fix it. pic.twitter.com/58KxDuWpdL

— RadFox ACFC (@ShRadow_Fox) March 1, 2018

There's really not enough nonfiction in the furry fandom. Not enough about the fandom and by the fandom. So, when I met Joe Strike at last year's Furry Weekend Atlanta, I was thrilled to meet a furry nonfiction writer.His new book is titled Furry Nation: The True Story of America's Most Misunderstood Subculture, and it was published through Cleis Press. A quick glance at the table of contents reveals pretty familiar aspects to most furries: " 'I'm Not the Only One!'"; "Pretty as a Picture: Furry Art"; "Walk a Mile in My Fursuit"; "The Naughty Bits"; etc. So, it would seem that Strike "strikes" out to write a fairly comprehensive study of the fandom.However, that comprehensiveness—while certainly helpful—comes with a slew of its own problems.While each chapter does have a set theme as mentioned above, many of the chapters come off as rambling and long quotes without much meaning. The book as a whole doesn't seem very cohesive. Despite the subtitle indicating that this is a "story" and Patten's equally misleading blurb that this is a "history," the book seems very much to be an exploration. That is, Strike takes a topic and loosely organizes all the information he has on it into a chapter. Sometimes, a quote goes on for several pages without any clear purpose. Other times, Strike goes on a personal rant for several pages. However, that said, if you come into this book without the expectations of normal trade nonfiction (and the misleading subtitle and Patten review), you might learn quite a bit. If you explore the fandom through the author's reptilian eyes, you will indeed learn historical facts you hadn't previously known and possibly see connections you hadn't considered.A big question for furry nonfiction is always "Who is the audience for this?" To a furry reading this, they might gain some historical precedent but also might disagree with some of the portrayals of the themes (many of them ignore the social media aspects of the fandom as well as the commercial industry aspects). To the non-furry, this would be a good primer on understanding the fandom, especially through the personal journey Strike takes with this.Due to this difference in audience, it's safe to say everyone could gain something from reading Furry Nation, regardless of furry identity. Strike has produced a very well-researched text here, so if you want a good "Did you know?" book on the fandom, Furry Nation is perfect for you.

Here is a cute nick short, I expect if this goes into production they will avoid showing as Nick is like that. Also, Ligers are too a thing!
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Dear Papabear,

I hate to be a pest, but I got another issue here I need advice about. I'll try and keep this as short as possible.

Essentially, I have two friends in the fandom. When I went to my first convention in 2017, they were best friends with one another, practically inseparable. Then later that year, after a bad experience at another convention, and increasing tensions between one friend and the others partner, they now hate each other. That was some 7 months ago, and they're still not on good terms.

I wasn't there to witness what happened for myself and only got info through IM, so I refuse to judge either party and rather keep both as friends. Granted, one of them I only became friends with because the other one was their friend once upon a time, so we were never that close to begin with. Even so, he's never done any harm to me, and nor has my closer friend for that matter.

Well this year, I'm going to be attending the same convention I went to last year, and as I think you can probably guess, both of them are going to be there. They pretty much refuse to talk to one another, but I have spoken to both of them about each other and begged them to not get into any confrontations. The one not as close to me insists he won't, but the other gave me answers that I honestly didn't find to be that clear. As best as I can figure, his answer is essentially "it depends".

For one thing, if they do fight, I may end up feeling forced into choosing one over the other, which I seriously don't want to do (albeit I think it's fairly obvious the one closer to me would be the one most likely to stick). I was in a similar situation once before nearly a decade ago. I was friends with A, then friends with B, then A and B were friends, then A and B fell out, then I was only friends with B, and before I knew it, I was friends with nobody. I might as well have been friends with zero. It's hard enough for me to make friends to begin with; I don't know how many more I can lose!

The other thing is that this I don't attend multiple conventions a year. I'm crossing an ocean to see these guys, among other furs, and have used much of my hard-earned savings to do so. I do not want my one convention of the year to be ruined with them two having an altercation. Good grief, last time, one of them gave me their soda to look after for a short time, and once I'd lost it, I moped for the rest of the day about it. He told me to stop worrying about it because, as he said "it's just a soda", but it was fruitless. I still worried, like I always do.

What can I do to be sure that they don't end up fighting one another? Not just for my sakes, but for the both of them, too. I don't care who "started it" and I'd rather things be the way they were before, but the chances of them being able to "kiss and make up" are slim to nil.

Honestly, I feel like I'm starring in a really bad melodrama!

Cheers,
Anonymous

* * *

Hi, Furiend,

Furry drama—or drama of any sort involving anyone—is usually cheap, petty, and involves misunderstandings. Let's start with misunderstanding. Currently, you are operating in the dark. You don't know what started their argument at all. So, if I were you, I would ask each of them what happened first.  After hearing their stories, it will likely be a lot easier for you to, if needs be, pick a side. I mean, it could be that one of these guys is being a total douchebag and it will be easy to pick.  On the other hand, it could be the result of a total misunderstanding or a completely minor situation blown out of proportion.  If one of these lesser offenses is the case, you could very well act as an intermediary and show them the error of their ways, which might, in turn, result in a reconciliation. But you can't do any of that unless you know the facts so get those first.

With luck, things will turn out all right. But there is also the chance that one or both of them is being a drama queen and will refuse to recant or relent. In that case, you can try just being a friend on an individual basis. If they try to make you pick sides, just tell them you prefer to remain neutral as their argument is between them. If that still doesn't satisfy them, then either pick the person you feel is the most likable or back away from both people; your choice. Just don't allow them to manipulate you into a fight that is not your battle.

Hugs,
Papabear

P.S. Don't sweat the small stuff like losing a soda. No biggie.

About this story (Continued from Part 1:)

You’re looking at sensitive info that needs calm. For example, please don’t post event group pics by themselves to criticize event goers. I don’t support that because it’s not clear which were involved or innocent from one photo. Just as importantly, some people involved with mistakes could use support now.

This follows controversies in fandom in 2017 that peaked with the closing of Rocky Mountain Fur Con. Mismanagement and abuse of tolerance killed the con. This New Jersey event seemed to be near that ballpark. But unlike RMFC, the furry in charge was more caught up in other people’s actions, so it’s not about him so much. And Trenton (the furry who was mistreated) wasn’t making a strong statement like Deo – he just asked for respect.

The story wasn’t tipped by Trenton and he never asked for help. I was watching the chat when he tried to directly solve a problem. It led to intense peer pressure on others by haters, so it wasn’t good enough by itself. I think when haters use such tactics to recruit, it’s not solved by people just keeping to themselves if they don’t get along. Also, if hate groups are trying to grow, waiting until people leave them isn’t the only way to respond. So if there are side effects from publishing a story, there already are effects from not. The best thing that can happen with a story like this is take it as a real issue, then have a calm conversation. I think 75% of fandom drama recently is just about upholding that issues are real and can’t be trolled and denied out of existence. That’s why this article is giving sources. To be honest, I wish this wasn’t going out and it will hurt people, but it would hurt to not put it out. I’d love to see change and growth come from it.

The damage incident in the story had nothing to do with racism. It was part of a wider topic about behavior (did it remind you of another con story?) There was a request for their side first. Also, the line about Graymuzzles didn’t please everyone – sorry guys (you helped found the fandom). Same to good fraternities.

Summary of Part 1:

• A small New Jersey furry group threw a party at a casino and the hotel was damaged (although it was taken care of.)
• Radfox, the organizer, then decided to make it a real convention for the future.
• The chat group for the party had a history of hateful posts.
• Trenton (who is a black furry) complained about a stereotype meme and asked for better behavior if the chat was official for a con.
• Radfox redirected offensive posting to an “anything goes” side chat, where members doubled down with racist hate for Trenton.
• Radfox was peer pressured to discourage listening to “SJW” complaints, but said he was trying to start a real event and couldn’t have racism.
• Members carried on attacking the concern and Trenton with neo-nazi stuff. About 6 were most responsible but others enabled.
• Part 1 asked: will those members be helping to found or staff a future event, and will fandom support it?

I just wanted to share this tweet:

in complete seriousness I’m so happy seeing people starting a dialogue in this fandom on drugs, alcohol, and fun

we all should not be creating an atmosphere where people who, for whatever personal reasons, don’t partake in alcohol/drugs are looked at like they have 3 heads

— glitter skunk defends pop punk (@JUNIUS_64) February 22, 2018

Is that message forcing things on people and taking away their freedom? Does it deserve hate? Or is it just being a mature adult?

Compare it to the key moment from the New Jersey furry chat with Trenton. He criticized a stereotype, and asked them to be adults. The reason is because the “Ugandan Knuckles” meme shows a coded-black character being hung on a noose. Apparently that was so unreasonable that it deserved extreme hate.

That’s the story’s Deo Moment. Are you puzzled about what’s wrong with it? (If you really need a target to hassle about this more, use me.)

Below there’s around 200 screenshots (from TWO chats that didn’t share all members) in linked galleries. Again this is very sensitive info. People in it may deserve support for distancing themselves. To name 3 – Radfox, Koss, Kazu.  If you see others in these screens, I highly recommend asking them if they support the words in them without judging until they answer.  There are active requests to withhold this info and not be judged for things people aren’t going to support.  Putting this out can have a long lasting impact against a very quick change of heart, and it’s a tough decision but I think it’s important to see what happened because it does exist in the community.

Can this be the start of a community thing where we’re all getting better?

• Hotel Damage (main chat) – Imgur gallery of screenshots

Details of damage that opened the story. A pipe is broken and floods 12 floors of the hotel, but it’s taken care of.

• Uganda Knuckles meme (main chat) – Imgur gallery of screenshots

The meme comes up and chat members attack “pussies” who wouldn’t allow it. Trenton disagrees with one post of it and is told to shut up.

• Making an anything goes chat (main chat) – Imgur gallery of screenshots

Radfox redirects offensive stuff to the side chat. Trenton talks about a better face for the con, and making more effort to be funny with jokes, instead of just posting hateful stuff. The chat has more discussion about the meme being lame and old. (Member list is withheld – some were already inside or not involved.)

• Reactions in the main chat – Imgur gallery of screenshots

Assigning another chat gets treated like an attack. They say “Fuck PC and all it stands for” and Trenton starts to get retaliation.

• Hate in the new chat – Imgur gallery of screenshots

Extreme hate starts here. They mock “uppity negros” and Radfox for listening to complaints. “Have we lost the culture? Free speech tossed to the side by butthurt PC vultures.”

• Reinforcing hate and peer pressure (1) – Imgur gallery of screenshots

More members pile on. They post zoo porn (dozens of porn posts aren’t shared here) and neo-nazi propaganda. Posts say “lynchthenigger”, “cotton pickers” and they attack “white knights” and people who want to change things. Radfox says “You can be yourself, I don’t want that to be the face of the con” and protests about the money he has spent while they attack him.

• Reinforcing hate and peer pressure (2) – Imgur gallery of screenshots

Radfox tries to reason with them about the effort he made. He asks if they can behave that badly in a regular con chat. They attack him for being “Master cuck” and not leaving the chat as it was. Radfox explains that other people left and he doesn’t want it called a con for Alt Furry or to be Furry Raiders 2.0. They blame Trenton for having a more important opinion because he is POC and act like he came in new and started “slinging shit”. Radfox says Trenton was in the chat long before others and has been an acquaintance for years.

• Reinforcing hate and peer pressure (3) – Imgur gallery of screenshots

The chat pressures Radfox to ignore “a small minority” who would be offended, and blames them for “slander”. They say “real people don’t give a shit” and to ban complainers.  They accuse Radfox of making popularity more important than “being yourself”, “letting these faggots change who you are,” looking weak and being “SJW bitchboi”. They say “Bowing to the conformity isn’t very rad” about letting “pronoun power jockies strip away the very idea that this con was founded on.” Trenton is bashed: “slave play” and “basketball American”. Radfox says his con can’t be a platform to be racist.

• Reinforcing hate and peer pressure (4) – Imgur gallery of screenshots

The chat accuses Radfox of seeking popularity and tells him not to be scared, nobody will listen to a handful of “SJW faggots”, and to ban anyone causing problems over it. “We should be allowed to say whatever we like“. They accuse Trenton of starting it and “dindunothin”.

• Reinforcing hate and peer pressure (5) – Imgur gallery of screenshots

“It’s OK because he’s black. He’s immune to all social and federal laws” – “He’s just gonna keep flinging shit and nothing is going to change” – “Not all black people are niggers, but a fuckton of them sure are.” They tell Radfox the problem can be fixed with just moderate racism so they can say what they want. “Eliminate all of the problem causing assholes like Trenton.” – “The problem really is people who’ll try to slander the group.”

• Bonus: “nigger” posts from the main chat – Imgur gallery of screenshots
• Some other posts against Trenton – Imgur gallery of screenshots

A few people in this made so much effort simply to be disrespectful assholes. Isn’t it really easy not to do that? And it was all about a spam-level meme – not important information, a controversial opinion about the world, or personal expression. How much more proof could you need for such activity being code for racists, than how much real racism happened in response to criticism?

Here’s some of the most active enablers. Be aware that other chat members may not have known their connections.

“Kaine the Salt Lord” AKA Kaine Orren / Konrad

• Furaffinity
• Furry Amino

Screenshot from Altfurry Discord

“big tiddy christian roblox gf” – Baden Sergal AKA @Sergalfag 

• Furaffinity
• Baden Sergal on Twitter
• altfurry post

this is why we need #altfurry

— (((Baden))) (@BadenSergal) September 14, 2016

Jerreh AKA Prime Breeder 

• Furaffinity
• Twitter

Poster of propaganda in the New Jersey chat sourced from terrorist group Atomwaffen Division. It’s a tightly controlled group. His posting history in Altfurry Discord ties to outside neo-nazi influence, raising questions about how far it goes.

Tweet on protected account

Screenshot from Altfurry Discord

“Legally” AKA Remy 

• Twitter
• Archive of racist tweets

Here’s why “frat” was in the title for part 1. (Where’s the fursona?)

Sam 

• Twitter

Part 3 will share feedback from people involved. A whole group had a small handful leading this activity but maybe public light can lead to better.

Like the article? It takes a lot of effort to share these. Please consider supporting Dogpatch Press on Patreon and access exclusive stuff for just $1.

 

As you may recall, last year we noted that Marvel Comics had collected together several previous adventures of the furry fans’ favorite Inhuman, Lockjaw the teleporting dog. Well it looks as if that collection must have done rather well, because now Lockjaw has been granted his own full-color 4-issue miniseries. Marvel puts it like this: “Lockjaw spends most of his time defending the Inhuman empire alongside Black Bolt and Medusa. But when he gets a message that his long-lost litter mates are in danger, he’ll spring into action to save them! But wait – Lockjaw has brothers and sisters? Can they teleport? Are they Inhuman? Can they possibly be as gosh-darned cute as their big brother?” Written by Daniel Kibblesmith (The Late Show) and illustrated by Carlos Villa, the first issue of Lockjaw hits the shelves this week. Find out more over at Comicosity.

image c. 2018 Marvel Comics

The audio for our show at Fur Squared to a packed room, standing room only! Our amazing audience raised $2100 for charity, which we still can't get over. Thank you all were there and donated so much! 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 Friday at 7pm Central on YouTube! YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/DraggetShow Patreon: www.patreon.com/thedraggetshow 190 - Fur Squared 2018 LIVE! - The audio for our show at Fur Squared to a packed…

Here is a nice profile on William Wegman. a photographer that has been photographic his Weimaraners in human clothes for the past 45 years. Yes, outside furry but he is one of the few furryish artists in the greater art world.
View Video

In February 2018, Radfox, a New Jersey furry, helped a small group of friends meet for a fun weekend party in a room suite at a casino. The success led Radfox to launch a real convention for a future date. The ad-hoc trial run was named Atlantic City Fur Con.

Behind the scenes, trouble was baked in from the start. Some members seemed to consider the purpose of the con to be frat-style partying and being “offensive“. This comment came in with the original story tip:

Apparently it was bad – lots of noise complaints, there was thousands of dollars in hotel damage. Someone pushed someone into the shower which broke the nozzle or something. Caused MAJOR water damage. It went through multiple floors and into the kitchen.

Review of the Telegram group for the event found lengthy discussion about thousands in damage. A pipe was broken and flooded 12 floors of the hotel.

This is only a minor part of the story. We’ve all made mistakes and had bad luck, and it’s only money, right? It’s not bad like trashing a person.

Radfox was asked for comment by direct message on Twitter on 2/24/18. He told me: “Everyone had a good time and kept within reason, there were no incidents with the hotel or their security.” I asked him again: is it really true there were no incidents with the hotel or their security? His last reply before blocking messages:

ACFC went really well. Had a blast and we'll be back next year more offensive more dank and more loud than ever...a lot less wet hopefully

@CyberpupEigenAD pic.twitter.com/gAb19W53Wg

— RadFox ACFC (@ShRadow_Fox) February 11, 2018

And then it got worse.  After the party, the chat group (linked on the official website) kept talking about making a con.  The group was full of edgy behavior, like dozens of hits for the word “nigger” covering a 7 month span. Frequent posters appeared not to be held to rules like this, until Radfox was asked to comment for this story.

A black furry criticized a stereotype meme in the chat. He called for better behavior if it was going to be the official face for a new con. In response, he was scapegoated for racist attacks. It came from known altfurries and included hate propaganda from a neo-nazi terrorist group.

Radfox redirected the discussion to a “no holds barred anything goes” chat group that was already set up long before as an “After Dark” for the main chat.  Most of the story happened there. Hundreds of hate posts were made in there about the black furry who wanted better behavior. They called him “uppity negro”, nigger, “basketball American” and more. Radfox joined, watched the racist posting, and received intense peer pressure from members. To his credit, he told them he couldn’t support racism. They negged him as a “pussy” to discourage him from listening to complaints or trying to tone things down, and resolved to attack those who would try.

Moderate racism from @slizzzler means only Monday-Wednesday, on leap years and at furry cons pic.twitter.com/oCMxXziayI

— Dogpatch Press (@DogpatchPress) February 26, 2018

Radfox was only the host and didn’t bash anyone.  Observers of this story defend him as a good person who runs inclusive parties. However he oversaw the event, and even designated a safe space for hate and used it for con business. It showed a deeper relationship to members than just people he “banned”, where the new chat was used during the hate posting to consult them about the agenda of the con. He didn’t agree with the peer pressure and wanted better behavior – at least for the public face – but let it go in private. That doesn’t solve the problem if members of this group will be involved in founding a convention.

That’s the story in a nutshell. A hotel was damaged and group members attacked a black furry for asking for better behavior. This report will look closer at who they are and what they represent, and ask: will they be attending or staffing a future event?  And will fandom want anything to do with it?

A longer statement from Radfox plus over 200 screenshots gathered for this story will be shared in next parts.

Had a great weekend and trip with @ShRadow_Fox ! Thanks for inviting me out to hang with you and go to your con! ACFC was a blast I met so many awesome people! And partied all night. Hope next year we do something again! pic.twitter.com/YbcwLgdIyo

— Riley Fox (@Rileyyfox) February 12, 2018

(Please don’t use group pics to get mad at party goers – it’s not a good way to tell who was involved online.)

Let’s back up and talk about partying. I’ve never cared for complaints about fur cons forgetting art and being taken over by costuming, dancing and drinking. Parties are fine by me, and I think there’s more art than ever. When (*some*) graymuzzles lament about how back in the day, it was more about carrying a sketchbook and quietly drawing around a table, it sounds like old fogeys wanting early bed time. Things are getting bigger and more diverse, so let the kids play.

But sometimes a thing stares you in the face, and says here is The Problem. What happened in this story isn’t about creativity and positive expression. It’s the bad kind of party influence like you see with frats that do hazing, peer pressure and vandalism. Letting loose for fun shouldn’t include spreading hate for its own sake just to flex selfish power. But that’s how this event came to have haters consulted for its purpose.

That’s not partying right:

PARTY TIP: The only thing we should hate is hate.

— ANDREW W.K. (@AndrewWK) December 4, 2014

PARTY TIP: Focus on love, partying, and bringing joy to the people around you.

— ANDREW W.K. (@AndrewWK) August 29, 2017

What set them off: A key moment was a screenshot from the New Jersey furry chat where Trenton, a black furry, criticized the coded-black Ugandan Knuckles meme. The worst part was a post with the character hung on a noose. He didn’t call them nazis, but asked them to be adults and put more effort into comedy besides just dumb offense. Apparently that was so unreasonable that it deserved extreme retaliation.

Trenton’s concern was attacked as “PC dictatorship”. When Radfox moved offensive behavior to a new chat, they said one SJW was making him bow down to conformity and “shilling”. They said it would kill free speech and stop them from “being themselves”. They said Trenton was the problem, he should be banned, and called him “dindunuffin” for ruining their fun. Bad behavior made him speak up, and they doubled down and called him a nigger because he complained.

Then here’s some of the post history of the chat they were defending from his request.

Radfox answered complaints about “SJW’s” and defended caring, because the bad behavior made about 10 other people privately complain and drop out of his group. Apparently they were reluctant to speak up. But it didn’t matter to members who piled on him for listening to “one SJW”. They wanted Trenton banned.

Banning Trenton as well as others would be a perfect example of defective “centrism”.  Compare the above posts and look at how much they got away with.  And Trenton was the problem for speaking up once? Do you think this explains why nobody else did before? Thankfully Radfox didn’t fall for it.

The most aggressive were about 6 outspoken altfurs and a dozen supporters. They attacked Trenton’s concern to the extent of filling the chat with zoo porn and hate propaganda. If you look for the source of the propaganda, it’s a neo-nazi terrorist group in the news for murder called Atomwaffen Division.

1/ Last month, we revealed Sam Woodward—the accused killer of Blaze Bernstein, a gay Jewish student—belonged to the neo-Nazi group Atomwaffen Division.

We’ve uncovered 250,000+ messages from the group’s secret chat room. We want to show you some of them. https://t.co/fxXpKKS1ud pic.twitter.com/b6IuPu2pV4

— ProPublica (@ProPublica) February 23, 2018

An Atomwaffen member murdered a student in California and earned approval from the other neo-nazis. They planned terrorist attacks to start a race war. Group access is tightly controlled. The New Jersey furry group poster (Jerreh) is known for altfurry posting history that ties to outside neo-nazi activity.

The news report above discusses the neo-nazi propaganda and it’s maker (Denton):

“Records and interviews show Denton goes by the name Rape in the online conversations, and he appears to be involved in nearly every aspect of the organization. He shapes Atomwaffen’s ideology, chooses designs for its distinctive black-and-white posters and online propaganda, and selects the books that new recruits must study as part of their initiation.”

These posts followed it in the New Jersey furry group, showing their “ironic” behavior and sincere belief.

Radfox appears to have fallen in with a bad crew. To his credit, he didn’t make it worse by bending for peer pressure, but his friends are still pushing for retaliation. Threats have already been received to Dogpatch Press for planning this report, before it was published.

I’d love to know what enabled them to slide into fandom and act like this behavior is OK while nobody told them no so far. Radfox may not know the extent of how bad the altfurries among his friends are. Can he be supported to part ways with haters?

Parties are rad. It’s not rad to get some obnoxious, selfish assholes who don’t seem to be creating art or bringing anything positive to a community full of queer nerds. And assholes who support hate are antithetical to what furry is. These things can’t coexist. Personally, anyone who thought so would be no friend of mine.

What is this even doing near the fandom? Pick one… hate or furry.

• Part 2 will look deeper at over 200 screenshots showing the events, the perpetrators, and their ties to hate groups.
• Part 3 will share statements and threats received from people in the story.

Reminder to anyone pushing for retaliation, who look the other way about your own group: Racist is as racist does, and like Chris Rock said –

If 10 guys thinks it's ok to hang with 1 Nazi then they just became 11 Nazis. Alt right / white supremacist it's just nazis. Fuck Nazis.

— Chris Rock (@chrisrock) August 15, 2017

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.

Over at Cartoon Brew there’s an article about two new animated TV series coming to The Disney Channel in 2019. They have some interesting things in common: Both feature teenage human females transported to an unearthly other realm, and both have been created by storyboard artists who worked on the wildly-popular series Gravity Falls. One is a bit anthro, and one is very anthro! The former would be Owl House, created by Dana Terrace. “The show follows Luz, a self-assured teenager who accidentally enters a portal to the Demon Realm where she befriends a rebellious witch, Eda, and a tiny warrrior, King. Though she lacks any magical abilities, Luz pursues her dream of becoming a witch by apprenticing with Eda, and ultimately finds a new family in an unlikely setting.” On the other paw (flipper?) there’s Amphibia, from Matt Braly. “The show tells the story of Anne Boonchuy, a self-centered teenager who is magically transported to the world of Amphibia, a rural marshland populated by frog-people. There she meets a young frog named Sprig, who will become Anne’s first true friend and help transform her into a hero.” Keep your ear-holes open for some more precise debut dates when we get them.

image c. 2018 Disney TV Animation

We actually heard about this from several sources: Tuca & Bertie is a new 2D animated series coming soon to Netflix. It stars comedian Tiffany Haddish (Girls Trip) as Tuca, “a cocky, care-free toucan who’s friends with a 30-something and anxious songbird (the titular Bertie)”. Ms. Haddish is also executive producer on the show, which was created by BoJack Horseman producer and designer Lisa Hanawalt. AV Club has more information about it, but no premier date yet.

image c. 2018 Netflix

Our friend Gaia joins us for this extended season finale, packed with stories & news. Special thanks to TCFox who joined us for a quick interview about the Civet story. See you all again in approximately two months! Follow us on social media for updates and studio move progress.

Download MP3

Watch Video Link Roundup:

• Itsconomichi tweet of sister discovering furriness goes viral
• Kerfluffle Toronto streetcar party
  • Photo Album
  • Next event
• blogTO “Furries are taking Toronto by storm”
• FurryFiesta converts comedian into a furry
• Andrew Huang uses a rubber chicken as musical instrument
• AI fur rendering
• Google removes “view image” button
• A/V Club: How will you react when a loved one tells you they are a furry?
• FurSquared has an insane hashtag
• Shape of Water sex toy not an ‘Accurate Representation,’ says Guillermo del Toro
• Civet Vulnerability makes it into The Register’s security roundup:
• Adorable human tweets reaction to seeing ANE
• Hex Cups
• FoxYote & FiestaDeFox propose

News:

• Sky – Furry Website Leaks Real Identities
  • Civet’s Response
  • Additional Screenshot from Sky
• Couple Adopts Pet Pig From Animal Shelter Only To Kill And Eat Her
• Cow escapes on way to slaughterhouse
• Tragic end for cow who escaped
• ‘Black Panther’ Fans Are Pranking Wauconda, Illinois, With Vibranium Requests
• Farting Passenger Forces Plane To Make Emergency Landing
• New Vibrator Can Reportedly Order Pizza For You After You Orgasm

FC-293 Fucking Finally - Our friend Gaia joins us for this extended season finale, packed with stories & news. Special thanks to TCFox who joined us for a quick interview about the Civet story. See you all again in approximately two months!

Our friend Gaia joins us for this extended season finale, packed with stories & news. Special thanks to TCFox who joined us for a quick interview about the Civet story. See you all again in approximately two months! Follow us on social media for updates and studio move progress.

Download MP3

Watch Video Link Roundup:

• Itsconomichi tweet of sister discovering furriness goes viral
• Kerfluffle Toronto streetcar party
  • Photo Album
  • Next event
• blogTO “Furries are taking Toronto by storm”
• FurryFiesta converts comedian into a furry
• Andrew Huang uses a rubber chicken as musical instrument
• AI fur rendering
• Google removes “view image” button
• A/V Club: How will you react when a loved one tells you they are a furry?
• FurSquared has an insane hashtag
• Shape of Water sex toy not an ‘Accurate Representation,’ says Guillermo del Toro
• Civet Vulnerability makes it into The Register’s security roundup:
• Adorable human tweets reaction to seeing ANE
• Hex Cups
• FoxYote & FiestaDeFox propose

News:

• Sky – Furry Website Leaks Real Identities
  • Civet’s Response
  • Additional Screenshot from Sky
• Couple Adopts Pet Pig From Animal Shelter Only To Kill And Eat Her
• Cow escapes on way to slaughterhouse
• Tragic end for cow who escaped
• ‘Black Panther’ Fans Are Pranking Wauconda, Illinois, With Vibranium Requests
• Farting Passenger Forces Plane To Make Emergency Landing
• New Vibrator Can Reportedly Order Pizza For You After You Orgasm

FC-293 Fucking Finally - Our friend Gaia joins us for this extended season finale, packed with stories & news. Special thanks to TCFox who joined us for a quick interview about the Civet story. See you all again in approximately two months!

Our friend Gaia joins us for this extended season finale, packed with stories & news. Special thanks to TCFox who joined us for a quick interview about the Civet story. See you all again in approximately two months! Follow us on social media for updates and studio move progress.

Download MP3

Link Roundup:

• Itsconomichi tweet of sister discovering furriness goes viral
• Kerfluffle Toronto streetcar party
  • Photo Album
  • Next event
• blogTO “Furries are taking Toronto by storm”
• FurryFiesta converts comedian into a furry
• Andrew Huang uses a rubber chicken as musical instrument
• AI fur rendering
• Google removes “view image” button
• A/V Club: How will you react when a loved one tells you they are a furry?
• FurSquared has an insane hashtag
• Shape of Water sex toy not an ‘Accurate Representation,’ says Guillermo del Toro
• Civet Vulnerability makes it into The Register’s security roundup:
• Adorable human tweets reaction to seeing ANE
• Hex Cups
• FoxYote & FiestaDeFox propose

News:

• Sky – Furry Website Leaks Real Identities
  • Civet’s Response
  • Additional Screenshot from Sky
• Couple Adopts Pet Pig From Animal Shelter Only To Kill And Eat Her
• Cow escapes on way to slaughterhouse
• Tragic end for cow who escaped
• ‘Black Panther’ Fans Are Pranking Wauconda, Illinois, With Vibranium Requests
• Farting Passenger Forces Plane To Make Emergency Landing
• New Vibrator Can Reportedly Order Pizza For You After You Orgasm

[Live] Fucking Finally

Disney Channel is bringing back a childhood memory for many, and perhaps creating new memories for a new generation. This March they will premier a new Muppet Babies TV series as part of their Disney Junior line-up. (If you didn’t know, back in the 1990’s the original Muppet Babies 2D animated series was so successful that it spawned a flood of imitators, including Disney Babies and Warner Brother Babies, no less.) Interestingly, this will be the first Muppet TV series animated in CGI. (Also interesting: Jenny Slate (Dawn Bellwether from Zootopia) is one of the voice actors.) According to Animation Scoop: “Based on the original Emmy Award-winning series, the all-new CG-animated Muppet Babies chronicles the hilarious playroom antics of the young Kermit the Frog, Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo, Animal and brand-new Muppet Baby, Summer Penguin. The series will feature guest appearances by fan-favorite Muppets including: Statler and Waldorf, Bunsen and Beaker, Rowlf the Dog, Rizzo, and Dr. Teeth. Set in the vibrant playroom of an urban brownstone with an expansive backyard, the Muppet Babies have everything they need at their fingertips to lead them on their fantastical adventures.” The article has a lot more information, and a preview clip as well. Look for the new series to debut March 23rd.

image c. 2018 Disney Channel

I do like how diverse the music side of furry has gotten, we even have a Hiphop Husky. Huh, I believe I can see my house from here.
View Video

Co-written by Thurston Howl and Patch O’Furr. Full disclosure – Howl and Patch have received Ursa Major awards by community vote.

Even in non-writing communities in the furry fandom, many furries are aware of the Ursa Major Awards. They’ve been around for about 17 years, have presence at cons, and each year they receive many voters. However, for all their legacy, Thurston Howl – (a furry publisher who assisted with social media and marketing for the UMAs in 2017) – has come forward with concerns involving the UMAs’ recent soliciting for donations and GoFundMe campaign.

A transparency concern.

Until now, there has been no formal budget or accounting for funding. Fred Patten, Secretary of the ALAA (Anthropomorphic Literature and Arts Association, which runs the UMAs), told Howl on 5/30/17: “I cannot remember that the Treasurer for the ALAA has ever submitted a formal treasury report.” Fred confirmed there were no records for 17 years, and later added:

I don’t know how much it costs to print UMA award certificates, buy frames for them, ship them to the recipients, make and ship powerpoint presentations, etc., and I don’t know how much total in donations we’ve gotten over the years…

There have been complaints in email discussion by associates.  ALAA member Bernard Doove said: “I would like a report on the finances that is more than ‘we’re broke.'” And on 5/4/17, a donor reported that they considered their donation “an unwise decision that could have been put to much better use elsewhere.” There were even fears of misappropriation, but Bernard Doove found no evidence when he looked in the bank accounts. The explanation seems to be fees of $156/year to maintain a Checking and Savings account if they have under a $300 minimum balance each.

It honestly seems like an issue of mixing small fan efforts with more formal organization, like how fandom started. ALAA Treasurer Rod O’Riley was a fandom founder who helped start Confurence in 1989. He responded to a request for comment:

The problem is not transparency — the problem is a lack of funds to be transparent about.

All donations have made their way into our bank account, and have been spent on either what they were supposed to be spent on — making and mailing out our trophies and plaques — or else were swallowed by the bank fees. ALL donations. Sometimes they took a while to get where they were going — as recently, when PayPal and our bank’s on-line system had difficulties talking to each other, for reasons I still do not understand. But eventually, they got where there were going.

Good faith is evident when many operation costs have been paid out of pocket by Rod and other ALAA members.  However, when public contribution is wanted, more formal fiduciary duty should be expected. Can we see a budget for expenses?  Will there be accounting for what is received and spent, and a report? Without such efforts, donations could be received under mistaken expectations. There should be clarity for donors reached by public appeals.

The understaffed committee.

When Howl consulted ALAA members in 2017, Fred Patten explained:

The ALAA has always been an understaffed volunteer organization. We have had to take who we can get. Rod is literally the only person who has shown any interest in handling the ALAA’s assets. We can’t afford to fire him; who would we replace him with?

Let me emphasize that the ALAA does have some real expenses, and with all donations going into Rod’s pockets and him paying for those expenses personally, we are basically trusting that his financial contributions outweigh the amount of the donations we get from other people.

On top of all of this, for con presentations of the UMAs, Rod apparently charges the ALAA for some services, such as assembling “and delivering” a Powerpoint presentation. Volunteering is work, but isn’t every con run without compensation? It seems that Rod puts in a great deal of work into both the ALAA and the UMAs, and the ALAA board allows respect for his long experience and devotion. A clear budget could help assure that to the public.

Solutions.

Here’s some steps for proper accounting to solicit more and better help:

• A finance 101 book for indie business could solve some issues such as what the IRS expects.
• Start a basic bookkeeping system – such as with Quickbooks or free Google Sheets.
• Optionally, set up a Chart of Accounts for income and spending categories.
• Make sure all income and expense transactions are tracked.
• Post a clear budget and promise annual reports.
• THEN crowdfund for expenses with full transparency.

Rod responded:

I’m actually very appreciative of the system you laid out. Other than the paperwork to fill out for the US of A (which is new now that we have a Tax ID number), much of it is things we’ve already been doing — again, when asked. We simply have to make them habitual even even not asked. Can do.

CAN YOU HELP? PLEASE COMMENT.

Let’s solve this to raise donations and make the Ursas what they always promise to be – a fandom institution to rely on, be proud of, discover with and enjoy!

Are you willing and able to volunteer skill for the understaffed needs? How about donations to offer, contingent on progress?  Specifically, there’s a wish for small, stable, solid yearly contributions out of the budgets of big cons to sustain the awards. Can any con organizers assist?

Soon, the UMA GoFundMe campaign will be reposted on Dogpatch Press and promoted with a reminder about needs that generous people can help address. Solving these problems would be a good way to help repay what Rod and associates have done for fandom since the beginning.

Additional comments from ALAA members, February 2018.

Bernard Doove:

The ALAA has needed volunteers for years, but we have lost members rather than gained, and we are all doing as much as possible to keep the Ursa Major Awards running. I’ll be donating money from my personal funds once again for the 2017 Award trophies, and I will be flying up to Queensland where the awards ceremony will be held at FurDU this year in order to run the event. The cost of that comes out of my own pocket too. I’m willing to do my bit for the cause, but we desperately need more people with the skills required to improve it.

Fred Patten adds:

Often it isn’t as much the money as the time & effort to cover the bureaucratic details. Rod has also been handling all the correspondence and financing to have our trophies made and mailed to the recipients. I don’t know exactly how much labor and money is involved, but Rod has been taking care of it alone for over 15 years now.

Since 2015, we have replaced the first UMA trophies — the framed certificates — with the lucite trophies, which are more expensive.

I have told McFarland & Co., the publisher of my Furry Fandom Conventions, 1989-2015, to donate all my royalties directly to the ALAA, but so far this has been less than $200.  Something else that I have been trying to get is some of the better-established furry conventions to regularly donate $100 a year to the ALAA. Is there any way to arrange for a regular small donation from, for example, Anthrocon or Further Confusion or Midwest FurFest or Megaplex or Biggest Little Fur Con or Furry Fiesta or Anthro Weekend Atlanta? If we could get just $100 each from some conventions, we should meet our annual budget.

Visit the Ursa Major Awards site to learn more about what they do.