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FA 086 Regret Sex - Campus sexual assault. Discussions of how rape has impacted our lives. A conversation about regretting sex with partners and if it is normal. A serious episode, and more, on this week's Feral Attraction!
Hello Everyone!
We open this week's show with a discussion on the faulty science currently being used on US College Campuses to investigate and adjudicate sexual assault. While well purposed, the science cited by several leaders in the newer movements to protect college students from sexual assault is in several cases outdated, under researched, or incorrect in application. The impact of this ranges from sexual abusers finding loopholes to avoid legal prosecution to innocent bystanders getting caught up and forced to change their entire lives as a result. We take a look at part two of a three part series published on The Atlantic concerning this issue and the ramifications it has for college aged students and their sex lives.
Our main topic for the week dovetails from the top of the show and discusses sex regret. Oftentimes we as consenting, sexually active individuals have sexual encounters that, the morning after, we find ourselves feeling less than enthused that it happened. We talk about why this is, whether it is normal, and ways you can shake it off.
We close out this weeks show with some feedback from last week's fictiophilia question and a new question: what do you do when you find out your boyfriend has not just another secret boyfriend, but multiple secret boyfriends?
For more information, including a list of topics, see our Show Notes for this episode.
Thanks and, as always, be well!
FA 086 Regret Sex - Campus sexual assault. Discussions of how rape has impacted our lives. A conversation about regretting sex with partners and if it is normal. A serious episode, and more, on this week's Feral Attraction!Family Means Diversity
And yet more stuff from France for young readers, this time imported by Lerner Publishing Group. “Enjoy lively, colorful, fairy-tale-style fun with the Whiskers Sisters! Maya has antlers. Mia’s a cat. And May can’t quite talk yet. But they’re all family! They live in the woods with their grandfather, the Guardian of the Forest – and they get into all kinds of adventures with the chatty animals that live nearby. A letter from Mrs. Owl, the Whiskers Sisters’ mail carrier, prompts Mia and Maya to plan a celebration. But their little sister, May, has been swept up in Mrs. Owl’s mailbag! Soon May is in the woods having a wild afternoon. But will she make it home in time for the party?” Written and illustrated by Miss Paty, The Whiskers Sisters Volume 1: May’s Wild Walk is coming just after Christmas. Check out this new paperback over at Previews.
image c. 2017 Lerner Publishing
Three-Legged Race
Stone in Paris
Humanoids (the publisher!) have imported a new hardcover graphic novel series for young readers called Gregory and the Gargoyles. We got this from Previews: “Young Gregory is unhappy and restless when his family moves to a new neighborhood, opposite a cathedral. Bullied by other kids, and left to his own devices at home, he discovers a strange medallion with a drawing of the church on it, and sets out explore the great building and the giant stone statues that rest on top. Before he knows it, Gregory is hurled back to 17th-century France, smack-dab in the middle of gargoyles, dragons, and sorcerers locked in an ongoing battle against dark forces. A hilarious, magical tale from master storyteller Denis-Pierre Filippi (Muse, Marshals) and artists J. Etienne (Brussli: Way of the Dragon Boy) and Silvio Camboni.” It’s in stores now.
image c. 2017 Humanoids
Little Thing
Little things can have a huge impact ... so cute. "Little Thing is an award winning Short film, about music, loneliness and the search for connection. its unique story and visuals created by one guy, and his computer. a story about a tiny creature searching through an empty city. watch it."
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TigerTails Radio Season 10 Episode 42
HappyWulf’s Furry KickStarters – Ep. 3
Welcome back, my shopping friends. Let me tell you a story! I almost missed this first entry because I don’t usually sift through the music section of KickStarter for projects to share. Imagine the egg on my face had I not found it. People don’t tell me these things! I have to find out on my own! I’m here to tell YOU about these things!! So these things, here they are!
MUSIC
I shouldn’t need to introduce Pepper Coyote. This is for his new album, along with Fox Amoore, Runtt and Koro. You can also get it on Vinyl!
COMICS
Scurry: The Drowned Forest – a post-apocalyptic mouse tale
This is Book 2 of an amazing looking graphic novel. You can also get Book 1 if you’re new to the series.
(A preview for Scurry) >>>
The Oswald Chronicles, Passing Queens #4, 5, 6
Another comic I am new to and it being it’s next set of issues. Again you can get caught up with the whole series if this one interests you. You can also get Text-less covers if you like the cover art.
This is a 35 page digital only PDF comic of cats with super powers. The KS says it is already done and you’ll get the PDF as soon as the campaign ends. It’s only live for 3 more days and the only pledge is for $5.
47 Furious Tails: Issue One (Samurai Comic Book)
This is a retelling of an old Samurai legend, but with Furries! Based on historical events, this comic is in color and is 28 pages long. Only 1 issue.
GAMES
An interesting new take on the Social Deduction genre. Players auction for Were-creatures to collect the ones they want, and others they don’t, so as to throw off the other players who can knock you out if they correctly guess which beast you’re going for. You can also get, as an add-on, this group’s last game, also Were-related Social Deduction game, but which is that of a Word Game; Were-Words.
Wander: “The Cult of Barnacle Bay”
I’ll let the graphic for this one do the talking for me.
Griff the Winged Lion – Retro-inspired 3D Platformer
This is the 2nd time I’ve seen Griff come to KickStarter, the first time it failed, and this time it’s not doing too well either. It wants to be a modern classic like that of Spyro from the PSX Era.
Vasty Wilds: The Card-Based Board Game
The last board game this week is full of garden critters and cards. It is a game of exploring and collecting objectives on a changing, modular board.
Claws is a side-scrolling character action beat em up with skills to unlock and level up. This one is also not doing too well with less than 2 weeks remaining and less than 20% funding.
ARTS & CRAFTS:
Finally we have one set of Pins this week. Not a half dozen! Just 1. Of Cats. For Halloween. Halloween Cats. 3 days remain!
Like the article? It takes a lot of effort to share these. Please consider supporting Dogpatch Press on Patreon, where you can access exclusive stuff for just $1.
Three furries save lives in deadly multi-vehicle crash in England.
(Thanks for tip from Tinkafur)
Not all heroes wear capes https://t.co/rFGiQ57Rms
— Bristol Post (@BristolPost) September 17, 2017On Saturday, September 16, a highway accident killed four and hospitalized three in South Gloucestershire, in the south west of England. A truck suffered a tire blowout and lost control. It crossed into the oncoming lane, demolishing cars and a motorbike before landing in a ditch.
Three witnesses were in a car 30 seconds behind the crash. They rushed to help at a traumatic scene. Kids were pulled from a car on fire, while rescue crews were stuck in traffic. Eyewitness Katie Sultana says:
“Everyone ran out of their cars and the public were incredible, they managed to help many casualties out of the accident.
There were many people with blood on their bodies and then the car that had been forced down into the ditch with the lorry was surrounded by many men who were trying their hardest to get out the people inside… the emergency services were incredible, but honestly it was the worst crash I’ve ever seen.”
Those three men are being called heroes by British media for going to the aid of strangers. But there hasn’t been recognition for another special quality they share. Not all heroes wear capes, but some wear fursuits. They are Jasper Foxx , Dodger (Daniel Stevenson) and Ash.
Jasper’s Facebook is filling up with thank-you’s.
Dodger is posting about having a hard time dealing with the aftermath, so send him a hug:
Dodger mentions sharing a furry house with Jasper and others. Here’s more of Dodger (right) and Jasper below.
That cookie looks yummy, can I have a bite? #fursuitfriday pic.twitter.com/iLNEtf9XnU
— Lupo (@LupoWuff) August 25, 2017#BTCC at the Rob Austin owner club! Been awesome! @JasperFoxx @LupoWuff @DodgerTheHusky pic.twitter.com/q4CEbWoFA7
— Red Baron ✈️ (@redbaron_wolf) May 7, 2017These furries are no strangers to doing charity. In May 2017, “Walk the Track for Billy” was a fundraiser for teenage racing driver Billy Monger, who lost his legs in a crash. Dodger and Jasper brought friends to walk in fursuits, raising over $300 and making it fun and positive.
Whether it’s fundraising or an urgent emergency, helping people is a furry thing. That’s the good part of a sad story. Thanks to Dodger, Jasper and Ash for showing what the community is made of and being the best kind of people, with or without fursonas.
He Has an Amputee Fetish
The first thing I wanna say is, English is not my first language, so I'm sorry if my grammar is uh, bad.
I'm a furry, we all are. and we've been making wonderful creativity things. I'm glad I found this fandom, and I wish I found it sooner, as well as my problem here.
Around 3-4 months ago, I found that r-21 things, such as gore, is appealing. not like I am into killing and be a murder. I love biochemistry, so that explains why I like to see dead bodies and every part of them. but I did not stop right there, I dug myself further into other fetishes. they are all extreme rated fetishes. and yet amputee is my favorite one, and still is. I’ve shown my friends those pics I found interesting; of course, they said I’m sick and judge me. That's okay I didn't care about it, we're still friend. but after that I questioned myself, why am I into it, but they don't. I did some personal research about why people have different ones. I asked many people, and I got myself the answer. which just makes me started liking some fetishes I totally wouldn't dare to try even once. if you wondered how, people explained why they love it in a logical way.
Once, a friend of mine asked, why would I love amputee that much. I just simply told him how I felt about them: the feeling when you hug a much smaller guy, how they have to rely on me, making me feel great to have the honor to take care of them. I can carry him around and travel together, and when it comes to sexual fun, like it or not, he just has to deal with everything I do.
The idea of that obsessed me. I’m still in control of it, but I know some day I would not anymore. Yes, by that I mean a psycho sadist who chops off people's arms and legs and make them my love forcefully. don't worry I am and will not do anything like that. but in case there is a micro percent that I would, that's why I’m here.
Am I okay, Papa? Is this a serious mental problem or anything, or just some extreme fetishes that other furs are into it too? I’d love to hear your word soon.
Rexz
* * *
Dear Rexz,
Having an amputee fetish is technically known as K. Parker Syndrome or acrotomophilia. The opposite of acrotomophilia (just FYI) is apotemnophilia, or the desire to be the amputee in a sexual relationship (acrotomophilia and apotemnophilia can also involve other disabilities, but usually it involves leg and sometimes arm amputation; interestingly, it is more common in males than in females).
You have already surmised the reason for this particular fetish: the desire to have complete control over one’s sexual partner. This can be, as in your case, coupled with a desire to be the loving caretaker of one’s partner.
Having this syndrome in no way indicates that you’re going to be inclined to wander the streets looking for victims to forcefully amputate. Based on what you’ve written, I see no reason for you to think you would do that sort of thing. Further, it is entirely possible that your interest in “gore” is completely clinical, as you stated. Perhaps, even, you might consider a career as a surgeon or other type of doctor. I’ve known some doctors and nurses who have told me things I would find creepy but, in their cases, it is an advantage. For instance, a nurse acquaintance spoke to me once about being completely fascinated by pus and other, well, gross wound leakages. Hey, I found it disgusting, but in her profession, it was great she wasn’t squeamish.
Having sexual fantasies does not mean we will necessarily indulge in them. In fact, that is one reason why furporn is popular and can, indeed, be a healthy form of sexual expression. One example is the vore fetish. People who find this interesting are not actually going to swallow someone whole, but looking at depictions of vore provides a form of safe sexual release.
Likewise, you can indulge, if you like, in amputee fantasies involving willing participants (those with apotemnophilia) who pretend to have been amputated (perhaps by binding legs or walking on their knees, for example). This is called being a “disability pretender.”
All that said, it is important to note that acrotomophilia can be a problem if it becomes obsessive and interferes with the rest of your life. This includes relationships. If you get into a personal relationship only because the other person satisfies your sexual needs, that is a problem. But, truthfully, there are many amputee admirers out there who lead normal lives; indeed, many have college degrees and important jobs. When the syndrome becomes detrimental to your ability to function in society, that is when you need to seek help in the form of psychotherapy.
The short answer for you, Rexz, is yes, you’re okay as long as you don’t allow your fetish to take control of your life.
Hugs,
Papabear
Flipper Bird with Stripes
Another item we somehow passed over — and it’s been around a while! According to Wikipedia, The Jungle Bunch is a French / American / British animated TV series developed by David Alaux and Eric Tosti in 2013. It’s been airing in North America on the Universal Kids network. More recently a selection of episodes were edited together into a DVD release: The Jungle Bunch — The Movie, featuring the voice of John Lithgow. “The Jungle Bunch is the exciting tale of Maurice, a penguin who was raised in the jungle and thinks he’s a tiger! When two penguins from his Antarctic homeland come in search of ‘The Great Tiger Warrior’ to defend their colony from an invading herd of walruses, Maurice assembles a misfit team of jungle friends to save the day!” It’s available now at Amazon, and the trailer is up on YouTube.
image c. 2017 Universal
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FC-278 Good Boy Club - Lots of new news!
Lots of new news!
Watch Video Link Roundup:- Fantastic video essay covers Bojack Horseman’s relationship psychology
- Reply All podcast confronts tech support scammer in real life
- Fursuit heads at Target
- Telegram official Twitter has a furry moment
- Twitter Battle of Science Museums
- Apple Creepy New Emoji
- Funday Pawpet Show announces cancellation
- Snow leopards no longer endangered, upgraded to “vulnerable.”
- After-school Satan club tests the limits of church and state
- Could Hackers Program Sex Robots To Kill?
- Scientists Have Invented A Fourth Type Of Chocolate
- Snake People are killing the Snake Person-Killing industry
- God sick of shutting all these doors and opening all these fucking windows
- California grandpa throws man off roof to end hours-long police standoff
FC-278 Good Boy Club - Lots of new news!
Lots of new news!
Watch Video Link Roundup:- Fantastic video essay covers Bojack Horseman’s relationship psychology
- Reply All podcast confronts tech support scammer in real life
- Fursuit heads at Target
- Telegram official Twitter has a furry moment
- Twitter Battle of Science Museums
- Apple Creepy New Emoji
- Funday Pawpet Show announces cancellation
- Snow leopards no longer endangered, upgraded to “vulnerable.”
- After-school Satan club tests the limits of church and state
- Could Hackers Program Sex Robots To Kill?
- Scientists Have Invented A Fourth Type Of Chocolate
- Snake People are killing the Snake Person-Killing industry
- God sick of shutting all these doors and opening all these fucking windows
- California grandpa throws man off roof to end hours-long police standoff
[Live] Good Boy Club
Lots of new news!
Link Roundup:- Fantastic video essay covers Bojack Horseman’s relationship psychology
- Reply All podcast confronts tech support scammer in real life
- Fursuit heads at Target
- Telegram official Twitter has a furry moment
- Twitter Battle of Science Museums
- Apple Creepy New Emoji
- Funday Pawpet Show announces cancellation
- Snow leopards no longer endangered, upgraded to “vulnerable.”
- After-school Satan club tests the limits of church and state
- Could Hackers Program Sex Robots To Kill?
- Scientists Have Invented A Fourth Type Of Chocolate
- Snake People are killing the Snake Person-Killing industry
- God sick of shutting all these doors and opening all these fucking windows
- California grandpa throws man off roof to end hours-long police standoff
After Leaving Fandom, She's Come Back but Is a Little Worried
I am a new follower of your website and of course I had to follow because you seem so lovely and kind while being a bear I could just for sure hug on! But anyway, I have a concern.
A few months ago I decided to quit the fandom because I was both spending too much money on art for my old character and I just felt like I was too attached to it. My parents were very proud and so was my mate.
I lasted for a while, too. Only checking in to talk to the person who is buying my sona and the art. However, I felt kinda lonely without it. Most of my friends stayed, but I felt like it was hard to relate to them anymore. And not to mention I missed playing as a sweet cute little character who just wants to bring sunshine and happiness to the world.
So now I have a new sona. I've gotten art of her but not on the addiction level like I once was. I'm worried about my folks finding out and being disappointed, but my mate understands and is back in with me too. I'm quite happy again because lots of people wish to talk to me so I'm not as lonely as before.
But did I do the right thing? Am I just going to fall back into my problems again even though I'm aware and in a better place now? Should I have stayed away? Or was it the right idea to begin again with a more original looking fursona and have a fresh start since I'm happy?
Thank you for your time,
Cyandi
* * *
Dear Cyandi,
Thank you for reading my column, dear. I’m happy to help.
Okay, so, sounds like you might have gotten a little carried away at first with the fandom. I guess we all do when we discover that there are others out there who like the same things we do. I went quite gah-gay over the fandom in my early days, including spending entire nights on SecondLife hanging with furries.
After a while, I calmed down a bit. I still love the fandom and am still a furry, but it doesn’t consume my life.
You’re doing the same thing. You got a bit too spendy, realized it, and backed off. Good for you! I know furries who can’t pay their bills because they spend all their cash on art and going to cons. You got smart and stopped yourself from doing that. Bravo.
But being in the fandom clearly makes you happy. So, why stop? I think you have your spending control, so there is no reason why you cannot enjoy your new sona and the camaraderie of your furiends.
I think you did the right thing, and I think you’re grown up enough to correct past mistakes and continue in the community.
Be Happy.
Hugs,
Papabear
“If an idea resonates with you, as a creator, there’s absolutely an audience for it” -The world of furry cartoonist Lobst
Growing up on a diet of sci-fi and fantasy, transformation stories were the ones I loved and could always rely on the writers of most shows to fall back on one of it’s most loved tropes. For me they were always the most frustrating though, as characters spent their time trying either freaking or trying to change back, usually both. Frustratingly they almost never explored a person staying that way, gaining a new perspective on the world. It’s something I’d find renewed interest in when encountering the Furry Fandom and finally found quite literally in the works of Lobst, a furry comics artist who uses their anthropomorphic characters and an individual take on magical realism to express their unique experiences as a trans person.
As with the bulk of their work two of my favourites, both adult comics, prominently feature transgender characters and story lines. A Slightly Different Role follows the exploits of two huskies, Connor and Alex, the latter of which with the aid of a suitably gothic book of curses, magically endows the other with a vagina. The second, more science-fiction orientated That Curious Sensation takes the subject in an entirely different, rarely explored direction. Distracted from work by unwanted erections red panda Clover strikes upon the idea of nullification, quickly achieving his goal with an easily obtainable injection. In both instances the initial transformation is dealt with quickly and often humorously, instead shifting the focus onto how characters react and adapt to the changes, rather than the change itself as a way to explore other parts of a trans individuals experiences and struggles beyond the post surgery aspects that a lot of mainstream representations fixate upon.
Lobst tells stories and presents her trans and gender fluid characters in an interesting and entertaining manner without the fetishization often present in a lot furry comics staring trans characters. Their artwork explores them in entirely different ways ,and using the fantasy elements as a springboard to ask more intimate and rarely asked questions about individuals in the trans community through anthropomorphic characters. Despite the ears, tails and fur, her extended cast appear on the page fully rounded and human. Ultimately what sets Lobst’s work apart is the warmth and tenderness it exudes in both the ways their characters interact and the playful way they write about a complicated and multifaceted subject, tackled both playfully and honestly.
My self-promotion skills are virtually nonexistent, but through sheer word-of-mouth I’ve gotten a couple of diehard fans, which — considering it’s been multiple years since I’ve committed to an ongoing webcomic project — is baffling to me. I was approached for the first time by one at BLFC this year; they requested an autograph, much to my surprise. I was so taken aback I responded by writing my name alongside “thanks for the company!”, which, in retrospect, is ludicrously depressing — but we laughed it off immediately afterwards, thankfully.
A few of your more recent comics, definitely “Adjustment to an Emulated Brain” have felt very personal. Do you find making these kinds of stories to be cathartic for yourself?
Oh, catharsis is the main reason I produce media these days. The inspiration for the main character of that comic — my main fursona, these days — was my persistent desire, as a heavily dysphoric genderless trans person, to find some practical way out of the ill-proportioned body I’ve been stuck occupying for my entire life. Not that I consider myself a diehard transhumanist or anything; this fantasy has also been explored (in other media I’ve privately written and not fully developed yet, all starring different self-inserts) in the forms of virtual reality, magic bodyswapping rituals, reincarnation, and good old-fashioned TF.
An aside: Since Moments From My Adjustment is one of my most viral comics to date, I think I should note what I consider one of the most important rules of storytelling: If an idea resonates with you, as a creator, there’s absolutely an audience for it. Everything I’ve written and drawn since 2010 (and there’s a lot of stuff that doesn’t make it out) has been for one reason: “This is a neat concept, and I want to draw it.”
Although your work has strong fantasy elements such as magic and TF triggers etc, the reactions and situations your characters find themselves in are often very grounded, what appeals to you about this when you are writing?Magical realism has always appealed to me far more than fantasy or sci-fi settings, mostly because as fictional worlds get further removed from modern society, they start feeling smaller to me. There’s also a believably factor: setting a supernatural story in a realistic world begs all sorts of questions about why/how the supernatural elements are able to remain hidden, especially in the modern world where information is so easily spread. This sounds like a drawback, but if you’re able to pull off a convincing explanation, presto: the possibilities within your fictional world have suddenly expanded dramatically!
Settings like these also allow for your characters to undergo realistic struggles. The Persona series of videogames, for instance, make it a point to keep their protagonists as ordinary as possible, in the process incorporating fantasy-scary story elements like angry gods, shadow dimensions, and arcane magic (all of which are too heavily-caricatured to take seriously), side-by-side with actually-scary situations like family drama, academic success, and financial trouble. Even non-magical sci-fi benefits heavily if it takes place in the very near future, I think.
It’s important for me that internal crossovers remain plausible, by which I mean that there can’t be more than one connection between previously-separate groups of people, and multiple separate connections (e.g. people getting married) cannot form between those groups afterward — otherwise you run into the small-world situation I described earlier; where everyone’s related to each other and meaningful character change is impossible.
An example: I don’t think this has been formally revealed yet, but Grace (from FoRC) lives in the house That Curious Sensation takes place in. Supernatural stuff briefly happens in what little of FoRC I produced, and TCS hinges on the existence of a unique machine which, setting aside that it’s in a silly sex-comic, harbors significant implications for the fate of gender and physical sex in human society. For Grace to be present during both events, those two situations have to be connected for a narratively consistent reason, related to her in some way; otherwise, it’d be just too much of a coincidence to take seriously.
What would be your fave TF trigger? Do you have a preference for technology or magic or does it all depend on the story and characters?
Beyond your Patreon comic, are there any ideas you have for the future in terms of comics? Are there any subjects or ideas you’d like to explore in the future?
Oh, plenty! The most important thing I want to do in the future, however, is give people the tools and vocabulary to deal with various kinds of dysphoria; to let people, if they feel out-of-place in uncommon ways, know that it’s OK to explore, soak into, and even publicly express those feelings; that if this world feels like it wasn’t built for you, you’re not alone; you can find friendship and comfort in the company of others who feel the same.
Lobst’s art can be found at lobstworks.com Classic Furry Music Videos
Due to a suggestion by @staghorne I decided to have a classic furry music video friday! https://youtu.be/_yWU0lFghxU https://youtu.be/xweiQukBM_k https://youtu.be/gh4zvQfDhi0 https://youtu.be/nAkMTu6q2pY https://youtu.be/yvgVsxaqYgA https://youtu.be/DhaRkWfaq10 https://youtu.be/YeawPUpTHJA
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“Intimate Little Secrets” by Rechan – book review by Summercat.
Thanks to Summercat for this guest post.
Intimate Little Secrets by Rechan
March 2017, Furplanet and Bad Dog Books
Intimate Little Secrets is a collection of 9 short stories by Rechan. After randomly encountering him in a non-Furry location I promised to review his latest work. I went into reading this book expecting a collection of erotica and was blind-sided by well written stories that I connected with emotionally, if not erotically.
Fanservice – Robin, frustrated with her coworker Dean’s missing of her signals, decides to seduce him by cosplaying as a character from a show he likes. The quick pace from flirting to office sex raised an eyebrow. One issue I noticed is that while Robin’s species is put in early enough, Dean’s is not mentioned until after he is first mentioned and we are brought down Robin’s memory lane. However, even when one character is indistinct, I was still able to get a sense of the action playing out. The emotions and reactions of the characters are fairly real and relatable, alternating between awkward inexperience and passionate confidence when they forget to be worried.
Strange on a Train – Marjani, a serval, reads some erotic fiction on a train and enlists another passenger to assist with her arousal. This story is very well written, we’re given imagery exactly where we need it and when we need it. Marjani’s actions are not out of character for her established personality. We’re given only information about the other passenger, a skunk, that Marjani notices on her own; the name used for him is a nickname she mentally calls him. The sex itself has multiple stages; the skill with which Rechan shows rather than tells is apparent throughout. Setting aside the smut, this is a well constructed story with good progression and even a Chekov’s Gun. Despite the lack of time to develop the skunk character, he’s still given enough personality that he’s more than a two-dimensional cardboard extra. This was a fun and engaging read that I’ll be thinking back to in the future.
Missed – Janine Pendigrass is a collie school librarian in a BDSM relationship with teacher Beth, a mink. While in a lunch-break session, a complication in their relationship arises when Beth asks permission to date a man. Though BDSM is not my cup of tea, I’m still able to mentally see how the scene is playing out. Both characters are displayed with emotion. Despite my initial dislike for Pendigrass, the end of the story has me sympathetic towards her.
Fireworks – A first person story told from the viewpoint of a gazelle, Desiree, an escort hired by Jacob, a deer, to pretend to be his girlfriend for a family gathering. This isn’t exactly ‘guy gains confidence after night with a hooker’ because these characters come across as people and not tropes. The sex scene was well constructed and showed rather than told how the movements went. It also easily explained some items that would have tripped my suspension of disbelief. However, I feel it was overshadowed by the rest of the story. As a piece of erotica, Fireworks does not do well; as a story with an erotic scene, it does.
Teeth – Another first person story, this one is a sex scene between the lioness Carli and an unnamed female wolf. This story is very short, and has some structural issues that give it some flaws. We’re not told what species the POV character is for almost the first third, and we don’t get a clear answer for what gender she is until halfway through. This makes the mental imagery hard to form. Though the action is still well put together, the details and context clues needed are buried too deep in the text. Of course, this is a 750-word story, so “too deep” isn’t that far in page-wise.
When The Paint Dries – Luis the cacomistle gets a surprise call from his remarried ex-wife asking for a major favor. This is not erotica. But it is a good story, and I cannot give an explanation as to why without spoiling it.
Rickety V – A follow-up to Missed, where Conner, a golden retriever, is a spanner in the works in Beth and Janine’s relationship. There is a sex scene that fits and works with the story, driving the plot forward, but a majority of the story covers the relationship between the three characters. Conner’s character is delightfully wholesome and innocent, forcing the issues at hand to be confronted. Rickety V resolves a lot of my concerns with Beth and Janine’s relationship as shown in Missed. I am glad that a follow-up was written.
Three to Tango – A follow-up to Strange on a Train, featuring Marjani’s husband Amadi. Still at her family’s house, the serval woman wants to make up to her husband about bending their rules on the train by hiring chipmunk Kahlua to entertain Amadi while Marjani is on the phone. There’s not much character development here, but there doesn’t need to be. There’s also no real plot or story; the text is nearly all erotic action. While not nearly as engaging as “Train”, Three to Tango has a decent pacing and evokes a good mental image of the action.
TLC – Margaret and Henry, an elderly fox couple, deal with how Henry’s illness has impacted their lives and lovemaking. This is a heavy story, and I found it difficult to read it the multiple times needed for the review. It is a good story, and we feel a strong connection with the two characters, both in their despair and pain, and in the mutual joy they feel. It ends on a somewhat happy note.
I have to say I enjoyed Intimate Little Secrets. “Fanservice” and “Strange on a Train” mislead my assumption of what to expect but I guess you could say that I “Missed” the mark. This is not a collection of erotica so much a collection of stories about people and relationships, with erotica in them. In that sense I feel that “Strange on a Train” and “Three to Tango” don’t quite fit with the others, as they are pure sexual romps rather than stories with plot development. Thematically speaking, I would have preferred to see a follow-up to “Fanservice” and “Fireworks” in this volume, but I don’t feel this disqualifies the book as a whole (especially as I was engaged by “Strange on a Train”).
This anthology is a slice-of-life selection of stories, giving the reader an intimate glimpse into the lives of characters that feel real. The plot flows nicely, and Rechan has a mastery of imagery, giving a clear picture of the action going on, be it sitting in a Chinese restaurant or having raunchy sex in the living room. What weaknesses he has is often not putting important descriptors before said imagery, but this is only an issue in two of the stories and may be me being picky.
If slice of life stories that contain erotic M/F or F/F sex scenes something you enjoy, I would recommend giving Intimate Little Secrets a read.
- Buy on FurPlanet
- Buy on BadDogBooks
- Another video review:
Here’s the Altfurry blocklist – a powerful tool to reduce hate spam.
Have you ever hung up the phone on a jerk? Frozen out a bully who acted like a wasp in your hair? Rejected a stalker who can’t stop asking to sniff your socks? Shut the door on a creep who wants to get you into a crackpot religion, or to sign a petition to legalize hunting at zoos? Blocked spam to sell you a miracle cure for crotch rot, made from the powdered toenails of a peruvian jungle sloth?
Good. You stood up for yourself like an adult and moderated a nuisance. And now the power is yours to do it better than before. At least with one hate group.
The Altfurry Twitter blocklist (updated 9/24/2017 – now on Blocktogether)
- Download the file. Go to Twitter: Settings > Blocked Accounts > Advanced > Import.
- Preview allows screening by eye. It’s your choice to verify each block.
- The blocklist is often updated. Check this page for fresh info or subscribe to Blocktogether.
Oh no, blocklist sounds like “blacklist.” At least if you don’t think too hard about simply separating signal from noise. But blocking is a self-defense against nuisance. A list empowers you with crowdsourced support to moderate your boundaries. And if you’ve been ganged up on, it can handle aggression like jiu-jitsu, especially the more widely it’s used.
Right off the bat, expect predictable complaints. It’s as if standards which everyone uses (like spam filtering, or SFW limits for a group) are somehow antithetical to a free-floating ideal of universal “free speech.” It’s as if there’s no community attached, everyone is for themselves, and consequences don’t exist. Supposed enemies of free speech might point to the National Communication Association and the difference between censorship and moderation. (Paraphrasing added):
Moderation is the practice of prohibiting speech in a particular virtual community by authorities within that community. (Crowdsourced in this case, the authority is you.) A topic that is moderated on one virtual community can be communicated elsewhere, so those who wish to discuss it can migrate.
When there is no moderation, the effect of a large number of irrelevant or hurtful messages can be the same as censorship; that is, a group’s ability to discuss a particular topic is curtailed and members leave.
There is one circumstance where community migration is not feasible- when the community is opposed by an adversarial group. An adversarial group defines itself as the opponent of another group. Nazis and creationists, for example, are opposed to Jews and evolutionists. And any group that exists online must communicate its beliefs, as there is no online presence without communication. To assert their identity as an adversarial group, the adversarial group argues with the opposed group. The relationship between the adversarial and opposed group is inherently parasitical.
Conversely, the opposed group does not necessarily define itself in relationship to the adversarial group. Jews and evolutionists would generally prefer that Nazis and creationists leave them alone.
Without moderation, when a member of the adversarial group communicates belief to the opposed group, the value of the virtual community decreases for every member of the opposed group. For opposed groups, adversarial group messages have properties identical to censorship.
So “free speech” isn’t a consequence-free ideal. Freedom can be self-negating without a sense of community. What does this say about the altfurry blocklist?
- Alt-furry (alt-right or “alternative furry”) behaves like an adversarial, parasitical group to furry fandom. Notice there’s no “fandom” in altfurry. They act like the only thing in common is selfish media consumption. But there is a community. Moderation supports it.
- This applies to Twitter, not between government and public. And online filtering and moderation goes back to the days of Usenet. However this kind of social media eliminates the cost of it to benefit the company. Moderation is left to your personal work.
- When you have free speech, that doesn’t mean a right to scream in someone’s ear when they walk away. Blocking is freedom of association. Don’t let anyone tell you not to use your freedom or expect you to be a pushover about it.
What are the sources for the list? The team that assembled it (which doesn’t include me, I’m a messenger) used this criteria:
- Much of the list is Altfurry Discord users, seen in the logs where you can verify why they are listed.
- Several lists were merged that include observed supporters for altfurry.
- Hundreds of accounts were checked individually.
Communication makes a better solution:
- To make a case for not being on the list, comment here. (Again, I don’t add anyone and will pass messages.)
- @AltFurryBlocker on Twitter is a more direct method to reach the team.
We are proud to introduce Version 1.0 of the AltFurryBlocker block list, available via BlockTogether! 
https://t.co/QU7cT7HeXt
Have you released any information on what your criteria is for inclusion on the block list? I'm seeing some questionable names on the list.
— King of Sheps (@TheSteelShep) September 24, 2017Broadly speaking, deep dives of certain hashtags, Twitter account post history, cross referencing Twitter accounts with FA and Discord..
— AltFurryBlocker (@AltFurryBlocker) September 24, 2017How to use it actively and why it matters:
- No tool is perfect. It calls for being part of an active solution and being informed (it’s better than complaining but doing nothing, right?)
- Altfurry is a tiny splinter group so the list isn’t an unmanageable mass of thousands without transparency. You can judge it by eye.
- There will always be way more members needing this than wanting it gone. Each supporter makes it stronger for everyone.
- Nazism has nothing to say. It was killed and discredited generations ago and isn’t up for debate. But some would welcome it back if they could.
- Forgiving is easy and requires honest change. Instead Altfurry chose to obscure their most racist elements from public view but not repudiate it internally. They work to provoke reaction to falsely depict opponents as aggressors and milk it for attention. Being on the list is avoidable by not wedging open a door for nazism, and just owning their shit. When that doesn’t happen the community has a right to moderate itself.
- If they want to use this to find others to follow, they can out themselves and make the list easier to manage.
- Honestly changing is how people who landed on the list can make it unnecessary. Until then nothing is stopping them from enjoying an alt-fandom without trashing this one.
Coming soon: FurAffinity blocklist and Do Not Commission list.
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Sourpusses
And speaking of crossovers (when will they stop?), Dynamite Entertainment and Boom! Studios’ Kaboom! imprint have joined forces to join up a classic well-known sassy cat with a currently well-known sassy cat. Yes, it’s the Grumpy Cat / Garfield 3-issue miniseries. There’s a preview over at Previews: “It’s the inevitable meeting of the sourpusses! Garfield, the reigning cynical cat of newspapers and TV crosses paths with Grumpy Cat, the internet sensation whose scowl endeared herself to the world. Who’s the most sarcastic? Well, he likes lasagna and not much else… and she doesn’t even like lasagna. Can these two inhabit the same comic book mini-series, let alone the same planet? You’ll find out in a trio of issues written by Mark Evanier and illustrated by Steve Uy. We’d say it’s the cat’s meow but neither of these cats meow.” The second issue of this full-color series is already out in stores.
image c. 2017 Dynamite
Adalat
Here is a short piece made for the international banking group BNP Paribas to promote Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets. I admit I have no idea what is going on here but it is a bit disturbing. Yes, it is French ... I guess this is turning into French week.
View Video