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Looks like the school pets have been busy again. Now the publisher Henry Holt has brought us The Great Art Caper, once again written and illustrated by Victoria Jamieson. “A follow-up to The Great Pet Escape [which we talked about last year]. This time, our favorite class pets have to save the school art show! Things at Daisy P. Flugelhorn Elementary School have been quiet-too quiet. Cuddly yet calculating class hamster GW spends his days in second grade and his nights poetry slamming and jigsaw puzzling with his friends, Sunflower and Barry. GW has even started warming up to the second-grade students, a girl named Carina in particular. Could he be making a human friend? After Carina is selected to participate in the school art show, GW decides to make her a gift in a show of support. But he soon learns of a dastardly plot – Harriet and her many mouse minions are planning to ruin the art show! Once again, it’s up to GW, Sunflower, and Barry to put a stop to Harriet’s mousey madness. ” It’s available now in hardcover or softcover. Check out the preview at (where else?) Previews.

image c. 2017 Henry Holt

OH HEY, WE HAVE A WEBSITE NOW TOO www.thedraggetshow.com Patreons will get episodes first right after recording. Just a buck gets you early access and a downloadable mp3 file! www.patreon.com/thedraggetshow Serathin's amazing Dragget Show story! - docs.google.com/document/d/1AYkJR…y8RCsCK0NjEw/edit ALSO, we're not just on SoundCloud, you can also subscribe to this on most podcast services like iTunes! ep 167 Mario's Possession Hat - OH HEY, WE HAVE A WEBSITE NOW TOO www.thedragget…

As a summer thing Nick has produced various Ninja Turtles shorts in various styles and continuities. I kinda want to know more about this particular furry universe they made here.
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Papabear,

Hello there, Papabear. I'm in my late 20's working to start a new relationship. And I was just wondering what your advice would be. On this the sort of relationship I'm trying to get in my life is a same-sex relationship. Any advice you have to give would be great. In closing, thank you for taking the time to read my message. Keep up the good work.

Anonymous

* * *

Dear Furiend,

My advice to someone in a same-sex relationship is the same as it would be for someone in a hetero relationship (I've been in both, and the same principles apply to either). I could probably write a book on this, but I will spare you that much reading. Instead, I will give you one of my famous bulleted lists (in no particular order of importance):

7 TIPS FOR A GOOD RELATIONSHIP

1. Never take your partner for granted. A good loving relationship is hard to come by, so if you have found one, appreciate it.
2. Strive for an equal partnership. This means each of you contributes as much time and effort as the other one. 
3. If one of you makes more money than the other, that's okay, as long as you both do your part in things like maintaining the home.
4. When it comes to sex, be a giver, not a selfish lover, and expect the same from your mate. Sex between loving partners is a beautiful thing.
5. Make sure you are on the same page on the things you want in life. For example, if you want children but he doesn't, that's going to be a problem. If he wants to live in Florida, but you wish to stay near family in Wisconsin, also a problem. You need to talk these things through.
6. Make time for each other to do things you both enjoy. If a relationship is all work and no play, you will quickly tire of it. Try to do at least one fun and relaxing thing per week; more if you can.
7. It's okay to have time for yourself. You are not joined at the hip; you don't have to do EVERYTHING together.

Hope this helps! Wishing you love and happiness!

Papabear

Reptile Channel is not the same as The Reptile Channel (11,000+ subscribers and joined in 2014).

Love your pets.  Eat a hamburger if your diet allows.  But don’t eat your pets.  And definitely don’t stomp them to death for sadistic sexual pleasure. (That’s crush fetish, a thankfully illegal practice that qualified for the Internet Hall Of Shame because of kitten murder.)

We can talk about weird stuff here. This is internet city. If you have gone down some of its shady alleys after dark, you might have seen vore fetish. (That’s the erotic fantasy for consuming others or being consumed, which might involve dragons.) It’s usually harmless and imaginary.

A tip came in about a story that blurs the lines between those things.  It’s about videos of small animals being fed to larger ones, using a reasonable-sounding cover story about science, education and necessary feeding. But there’s a taint of less tasteful secrets behind it.

Pets have to eat.  Forcing it for pleasure or profit begs the question of whose appetite is really being served. Calling it animal abuse may involve careful attention or reading between the lines – but that has been the reason for account bans and efforts to hide this story.

The tipster, Tanookicatoon, poked the underbelly and made it cough up some ugly truth. Links, images and info in italics are added by editor. (- Patch)

Current Patreon page.

(Youtube:) “Reptile Channel is for people who enjoy reptiles, learning about them, and plain ol’ just enjoy watching them. The channel focuses on the science of reptile feeding behavior.

Back in the day when we were working on our thesis of reptile feeding behavior we created videos weekly or twice weekly to support a master’s dissertation. The focus has always been on creating high quality reptile videos to support the thesis, and more diverse the better. Reptile Channel is distinct from the vast majority of reptile content today in that we focus specificaly on the science of feeding behavior and reptile (and avian) anatomy and physiology.

Reptile Channel was created to freely share original content with everyone. Our goal from the beginning is to create a comprehensive scientific portfolio of reptiles hunting and feeding. This is such a quixotic goal that in the last decade the unique project has grown far beyond any of my expectations in becoming a valuable educational resource.”

Reptile Channel’s most popular video, with 1,200,000+ views from 5/19/17 – 6/19/17.  That shows a fast growing audience. “This video focuses on the science of snake behavior to support a master’s thesis. Video is for citation for junior high school, high school science reports… Filmed with the University of Guadalajara for Biological and Agricultural Sciences”

(Tanookicatoon:) I couldn’t help but notice a new channel breaking out on Youtube, and by noticing, I couldn’t help but feel that the videos I was watching were all too familiar. Sure enough, the more I looked into it, the more the signs began to point to the owner of the channel being JonahVore.  If you don’t remember who that is, he is a notorious animal abuser, using reptiles nature of swallowing animals whole to indulge in his vore fantasies. This person was exposed years ago, when he was originally posting content to YouTube in 2007 and was banned.

• EXTREMELY NSFW: JonahVore at Encyclopedia Dramatica and Jonah’s old erotic story archive on Yiffstar.
• Stop JonahVore’s Abuse of Animals NOW: “the vast majority of Jonah’s viewers are unaware as to *why* these videos were produced. Jonah is a voraphile (or “vorarephile”) and a prominent member of the vore and furry fetish communities.”  
• Jonah has claimed to feed rabbits, dogs, cats, and even (dubiously) humans to predator animals. 

I began to look at his old website and in the old Big Gulp Message Boards, and noticed that a lot of his posts and videos from his original site were now missing. On top of it, I actually found the Reptile Channel being advertised on the Big Gulp Message Boards. Of course, when this was mentioned, the links on the message board quickly disappeared.

I didn’t get a screen shot of what was in the Advertisements, but the first read something among the lines of, “new RL vore channel, HD video, some of them a lot you might remember.” Which prompted me to start using the Wayback website.  Sure enough, you can see that, while you can no longer read the advertisements, you can still see that they, indeed, were made, and dated.

• Screen of Big Gulp boards with ads for Reptile Channel
• Screen of Big Gulp boards after ad removal.

Going to Reptile Channel on Patreon, you can see that the dates which certain posts were made match up very closely. This gave me the big idea to simply go to the original JonahsVore website through the Wayback to see if I could find anything. Sure enough, I found one matching video. A video of his raven being forcefed a mouse, which is on his Youtube channel as well.  I recognized it right off the bat.

• Reptile Channel raven video, and Patreon post about it (and screen) dated close to the Big Gulp ad.
• Archived Jonahvore site with same raven movie, and current site with video removed. 
• The old archived raven video is lo-res. Reptile Channel’s new post of this video is in HD, so it isn’t just sourced from the web, it’s directly from the original. 

He’s doing the same thing that he did last time.  Hiding under that vague “educational” disguise. His original account lasted for a couple years before his original videos got him banned. There are users that take account of his old videos as well.  This was the one that got him in the most trouble – he clearly does things to force his animals to do this. (Repost:) “Snake / Python Eats Chick / Bird Alive”. (- Tanookicatoon)

(Patch:) I see the Youtube channel claims to be part of study for a zoology degree.  Tanooki comments on a FurAffinity journal post about this: “A lot of their videos claim to be college studies in labs, but they’re obviously in their bedroom, or kitchen.”  There are more comments worth reading there.

Tanooki showed me a FurAffinity note that confronted the owner of the Big Gulp message board about the JonahVore/Reptile Channel connection, who then refuses to confirm or deny it. There’s an excuse about owner safety but no mention of evading bans. Tanooki also documented Vore furries supporting the Patreon. Besides furries, thousands of regular viewers may have no idea about hidden motives. Here’s transparency about a channel that appears to be aiming for professional goals and legit science. Remember, even testing on lab animals is supposed to have rigorous standards.

The farthest fringes of fetish can be harmless fantasy.  But there’s a boundary that may call for awareness expressed by Tanooki’s FA journal:

I do not, in any way, condone animal abuse whatsoever. Vore is a fetish that should remain a fantasy, and should not be brought into reality by human hands. Abusing the true nature of animals for your sexual needs is disgusting.

UPDATE 6/20/17:

1) This 2009 Livejournal post describes in detail what JonahVore did to be banned from Youtube in the past:

Amidst the horrors of his videos, I’ve seen a monitor lizard savagely bitten around the face and eyes by a rat over 20 times while it attempted to kill the rat, with no attempt made by the owner to prevent such harm to his animal.

I have seen video of a python that has obviously been pre-fed a rat have a live chick fed to it, the objective being that the snake will not be able to swallow the chick right away and he can closeup of the poor bird struggling and peeping desperately as it lunges half out of the mouth and the python grasps it, over and over. And then, when the chick is finally swallowed, focus in on the snake’s throat to see the still struggling chick’s outline and hear it still crying.

This is all done with the implication through his name and certain of his actions that he is doing this for sexual gratification.

I have seen him callously toss animals together that were not providing the response he wanted. This man does not care about or for the reptiles he is keeping. He does not care about humane feeding methods.

2) This 2014 Livejournal post has a screencap of JonahVore’s face and other personal details.

3) From Reddit’s r/reptiles:

I’m a huge fan of The Reptile Channel – HerpersTV. They make quality, educational videos and I’m happy to share them everywhere I can. I know that in talking with Dāv Kaufman who owns The Reptile Channel, that he’s taking steps to protect his copyright and trademarks, but aside from this, every reptile person should condemn channels like this open and publicly… I’m going to forward it on to Dāv, and I’ll be sure to keep you posted.

Whoops! Another one slipped under the radar we should mention. Marvel Comics have re-invented one of their classic titles with the return of Monsters Unleashed — new for 2017. “The first fantastic issue of Marvel’s newest heroes! From acclaimed writer Cullen Bunn, known for his work on Deadpool, Uncanny X-Men, and more, comes a high-action sci-fi series centered on a team of monstrous and monstrously massive do-gooders including Kid Kaiju, Aegis, Slizzik, Scragg, Hi-Vo, and Mekara. Now teaming up with vampire-hunter Elsa Bloodstone, the series unfolds as the team takes on gargantuan creatures and protects the planet from ruin and disaster. However, can they be accepted by the rest of the Marvel Universe and allowed to help, or will they be deemed dangerous as well?” With interior art by David Baldeon, they’re already up to issue #3. Marvel has a preview on line.

image c. 2017 Marvel Comics

Papabear,

​It seems we may be on the brink of nuclear war due to North Korea. What steps can I take in the event of a probable attack?

Sergie

* * *

Hi, Sergie,

I really don't think we are on the brink of nuclear war with North Korea. Kim Jong-un plays these games all the time. He likes to be a big shot, but he knows if he actually launched a strike on the USA or other country (e.g. Japan) then he would be nuked out of existence. A lot of N. Korea's missile tests fail, too. 

If you really feel like you might need to survive a nuclear holocaust (provided you are not incinerated or die of radiation poisoning), there are lots of books you can buy on the subject that would give you far more information than I can. Some people are building underground condos with lots of room to store supplies, but who would want to live in a hole in the ground for the rest of your life? If you lived far enough away from any radiation zones, the survival techniques would be the same as any other survivalist handbook: learn how to hunt, find water, live off the land, defend yourself against aggressive humans and wildlife. It's not a pretty picture.

Of course, civilization could end in other ways, such as chemical attacks, or attacks on the grid that would plunge America into the nineteenth century again. Or perhaps an asteroid could strike the planet--one big enough to destroy civilization but not all life. Again, in any of these cases, you want to learn about survival skills.

I personally am not going to worry about this. It is beyond my control, and so many things in the universe and the world are beyond my control that could kill us all that if I worry about them I would not be able to live my life. The Yellowstone supervolcano could blow up, we could be fried by a gamma-ray burst, the sun could explode, and on and on. Worrying about this stuff will paralyze you with fear.

The future is uncertain. If you always worry about the future, you won't be able to function in the present (likewise, if you live in the past, you won't enjoy the present--something I'm currently struggling with). 

Live for now. Enjoy today. It is all you have for certain.

Hugs,
Papabear

Looks like you just can’t keep a good raccoon down. After word came down that the Sly Cooper animated feature was not to be (many presume due to the less-than-stellar box office performance of Ratchet & Clank last year), now Animation World Network has informed us that an animated Sly Cooper series is in the works. “Paris-based Technicolor Animation Productions and Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) have joined forces to produce a computer generated, animated Sly Cooper series to audiences around the world… The series is based on the best-selling PlayStation video game series introduced to the market in 2002, which has sold millions of copies globally and spanned four editions across generations of PlayStation. Sly Cooper follows the adventures of the irresistibly charismatic raccoon, a modern-day Robin Hood who restores justice to his city one theft at a time. Sly is aided by his two best friends, a muscular hippo named Murray and a brainy turtle named Bentley. Hot on Sly’s trail is Inspector Carmelita Fox, a morally upright cop with an unfortunate crush on the charming bandit, as well as a band of villains, each one more strange and colorful than the last. The series will mix humor, action, and a remarkable cast of characters.” No word yet on when the series is set to premier or what parts of the world will get to see it first, but we’ll let you know when we do!

image c. 2017 Technicolor Animation

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CJ is a bad dog and isn’t in the studio. We wrap up a huge round of news, last episode before Anthrocon 2017!

Download MP3

Watch Video Link Roundup:

• KartFox buys centaur shampoo
• UK Furs ClubAnimalz Twitter
• Sofi Tukker talks at Ted about Awoo
• A Way Out Reveal Trailer
  • Gameplay trailer
• CheetahPaws needs help

News:

• Millions Of Americans Think Chocolate Milk Comes From Brown Cows
• Female Elk Can Tell What Kind Of Weapon Hunters Are Likely Carrying And Act Accordingly
• Fried Frontier: KFC Chicken Sandwich Heading to Stratosphere Next Week
• Robot Babies Are Almost As Cute As Real Thing But Without The Mess
• Infected Zombie Beetles Encourage Males To Have Sex With Their Corpses
• Florida Man Crashes Into Fire Hydrant and Drowns on 89th Birthday
• Goat Yoga
• Goatopia YouTube Channel

Emails:

• Umi – “Bork bork!”
• HammerWolf – “Thanks for making the show”

FC-270 Udder Chocolate - CJ is a bad dog and isn't in the studio. We wrap up a huge round of news, last episode before Anthrocon 2017!

CJ is a bad dog and isn’t in the studio. We wrap up a huge round of news, last episode before Anthrocon 2017!

Download MP3

Watch Video Link Roundup:

• KartFox buys centaur shampoo
• UK Furs ClubAnimalz Twitter
• Sofi Tukker talks at Ted about Awoo
• A Way Out Reveal Trailer
  • Gameplay trailer
• CheetahPaws needs help

News:

• Millions Of Americans Think Chocolate Milk Comes From Brown Cows
• Female Elk Can Tell What Kind Of Weapon Hunters Are Likely Carrying And Act Accordingly
• Fried Frontier: KFC Chicken Sandwich Heading to Stratosphere Next Week
• Robot Babies Are Almost As Cute As Real Thing But Without The Mess
• Infected Zombie Beetles Encourage Males To Have Sex With Their Corpses
• Florida Man Crashes Into Fire Hydrant and Drowns on 89th Birthday
• Goat Yoga
• Goatopia YouTube Channel

Emails:

• Umi – “Bork bork!”
• HammerWolf – “Thanks for making the show”

FC-270 Udder Chocolate - CJ is a bad dog and isn't in the studio. We wrap up a huge round of news, last episode before Anthrocon 2017!

CJ is a bad dog and isn’t in the studio. We wrap up a huge round of news, last episode before Anthrocon 2017!

Download MP3

Link Roundup:

• KartFox buys centaur shampoo
• UK Furs ClubAnimalz Twitter
• Sofi Tukker talks at Ted about Awoo
• A Way Out Reveal Trailer
  • Gameplay trailer
• CheetahPaws needs help

News:

• Millions Of Americans Think Chocolate Milk Comes From Brown Cows
• Female Elk Can Tell What Kind Of Weapon Hunters Are Likely Carrying And Act Accordingly
• Fried Frontier: KFC Chicken Sandwich Heading to Stratosphere Next Week
• Robot Babies Are Almost As Cute As Real Thing But Without The Mess
• Infected Zombie Beetles Encourage Males To Have Sex With Their Corpses
• Florida Man Crashes Into Fire Hydrant and Drowns on 89th Birthday
• Goat Yoga
• Goatopia YouTube Channel

Emails:

• Umi – “Bork bork!”
• HammerWolf – “Thanks for making the show”

[Live] Udder Chocolate

Papabear,

​I live in Utah. Salt Lake City. (yeah I've been raised mormon but I'm gay, I don't believe, complicated family stuff I don't want to talk about because that's not the point) 

Soooo

A couple weeks ago I was able to go to comic-con FanX with a friend and they also got to hear about me and the furry fandom. They totally approved so that was like... amazing. 

Anyways. So at fanX there were actually a lot of local furs. Heck there's even a video they all made advertising AWU here in October.

When we went to the City Creek mall across the street for lunch we ran into most of them going to get lunch. I was super nervous but my friend managed to urge me to get a picture with a group of them. It's actually my favorite picture from the entire convention too XD 

Thing is I was like... super shy and didn't say anything. And I kinda regret it. We even had lunch nearby them and I was just like... awkward the entire time. And then we even walked back to the convention center. right in the middle of them. I still didn't say anything... I wanted to but didn't want to be cringy. Not to mention they all seemed a bit older than me. 

And now I'm here writing this out for no apperent reason other than to feel sorry I didn't say anything.

I tried looking up furmeets and such but I feel like... super nervous to go to one. I've flaunted the idea of sneaking off to AWU in october but again... I'm like worried I'd be one of the youngest people there, and not in suit, and just awkward and not talking to anyone... 

how do I get over this...???

Dave (age 16)

* * *

Dear Dave,

I apologize for the slow response. Life has gotten in the way of my column lately.

First question I would ask you is whether you have Asperger's or some other form of autism, which would, of course, explain your shyness. If not, it would just then be normal shyness, which is something I certainly can relate to, having been in the same boat at your age.

Perhaps it would help to tell you how I got over being so shy: it was while volunteering as a zoo docent that I overcame this problem. Being a zoo docent is great. You learn a lot about wildlife and the science involved, and you also get to handle and work with some pretty interesting critters. I was quite passionate about animals, and once I had confidence that I knew what I was talking about (thanks to the education programs at the Detroit and Potter Park Zoos), I felt comfortable talking to people about wildlife and conservation, even large audiences.

Shyness is really born out of lack of confidence. When you were with those people at the con, you felt self-conscious because many of them were older than you and you were unsure of yourself. You probably felt they all knew more about comics and other things and that you couldn't add to the conversation--you might even set yourself up for mocking if you said something wrong.

It helps a lot, then, to know about what you speak. If you go to Comic-Con, and you know a lot about Batman, the X-Men, why Whiz Comics #2 was significant, and who people like Stan Lee, R. Crumb, and Art Spiegelman are, then you will feel comfortable talking with others about these topics. One way, then, to overcome shyness is this: become well-versed in your preferred subject matter--whether that is comic books or the furry fandom or steampunk or whatever. Know your topic, but be cautious not to be a know-it-all. People don't like you if you act like you know everything and only your opinions are valid. 

There is another way to approach and talk to people, and it is kind of the polar opposite of what I just suggested. Instead of chatting merrily on a level playing field with those around you, be okay with not knowing as much and, instead, ask questions! It's a great way to start conversations if you ask people about themselves and the things they enjoy. Compliments go a long way, too (e.g., "Wow! You sure know a lot about the DC multiverse!") Play the role of the interviewer, asking questions of those who are older and more experienced. Along the way, you may find some things you have in common ("Maybe we could play League of Legends sometime?")

So there you have two approaches to overcoming shyness and striking up conversations. Give them a try!

Bear Hugs,
Papabear

Recently the artist A.M. Scharf (who creates under the name Acidpluvia) put up a link to an interesting Kickstarter campaign. Acidpluvia has been asked to be the official illustrator for Rabbit Island, a card-and-tile game created by Leslie and Samantha Et Alia of Infinite Heart Games. “Play as one of the four Tribal Leaders and explore a new island every game in this light 4x game for 2-4 players. Build up your civilization using your Carrot Tokens and special Action Cards – can you conquer your opponents in 20 rounds?” The campaign page has much more in the way of artwork and descriptions of the game play. The Kickstarter campaign runs through mid-July.

Image c. 2017 by Acidpluvia

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What do you mean if? They DO rule.
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June’s Book of the Month is The Digital Coyote, a science fiction novel by Kris Schnee.

Pete signed up to have his brain diced, so he could become a better person. Now he lives in the virtual world of Talespace, where he beta-tests everything from new game rules to mental upgrades to robots that will let his AI boss help people in the real world. As brain-uploading technology starts to become more than a toy for the rich, the now-divided America isn’t the only place where Talespace’s new society, buggy as it is, is badly needed. Will Pete’s new home become an irrelevant gamer heaven, or a force for liberty?

In Talespace you can change your body, fly, build starships, befriend native AIs eager to learn about the dangerous world outside, and try to find a home and happiness. Even if there’s an unexplained asterisk on your account information.

Some days Pete pilots robots on diplomatic missions back “Earthside.” Sometimes he learns magic and battles monsters. Oh, and sometimes he tries to outwit a rival AI god. It’s a pretty good job to have.

The Digital Coyote won the 2016 Cóyotl Award for best novel. It’s the third book in the Thousand Tales setting, but is a standalone work. Buy it in Kindle or paperback from Amazon.

A Burning Man art car will carry furries in the SF Pride parade… If a few furs step up to volunteer as safety monitors.

Just a few more are needed to qualify. Time is short to make it happen on 6/25/17.  See info below and ACT NOW!  

Here’s some cool art cars at Burning Man, and even more here. (Those are NOT FOR THE PARADE, the car will be a surprise.)

Furries are ready for a better parade than ever before.  They got involved around 2002-2004, and returned with a float in 2014-2015, but relaxed with just a booth in 2016.  The time is right for a big comeback. Before now they used plain rental trucks, but even modest effort got amazing feedback for putting 50+ members in front of crowds and media.  (Take a look back at fursuiting in 2012, a float in 2015, and much more on the Pride tag.)

Capri, a fabulous transgender dragon, sent this memory:

In the last year we did the parade, I met a great friend who helped me to start transition.  I managed to walk the entire way in fursuit, a feat I am quite proud of. I still use that video to show off my suit.  I also really enjoyed passing by the judges and having one of them say awesome words of kindness to me.  We went to a Korean barbeque place afterwords and mistakenly thought it was all you can eat. (Patch): sorry, I confused it with a different place I was at once before… (Capri): It was fine, I should be the sorry one, you took care of it and the bill was pretty staggering.

That’s the positive vibe that furries bring to Pride.  But there’s an important ingredient they need to make it happen.

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED – THE FLOAT CAN’T ENTER WITHOUT YOU. PLEASE GET INVOLVED!

Organizer Roman Otter says: The SF Pride Parade and March is one of the largest and most colorful events in San Francisco, and we have a reserved place in it.  However, there are training and registration tasks we must complete to be eligible.  If we don’t get enough people there won’t be a float!  Here’s how to join:

1) See complete participant instructions (PDF).

2) Here is a video that needs to be watched by all:

3) Take this quiz to validate yourself  (our group title is “Bay Area Furries”) – and then you’re in! Confirm to organizer contacts below.

Wheel Monitors and Contingent Monitors are mandatory to help with our growing attendance. WE DON’T HAVE ENOUGH VOLUNTEERS TO BE ELIGIBLE YET – PLEASE JOIN.

$$$ DONATIONS HELP. $$$  We’ll pay for water for suiters and marchers, sound system, the art car we’ll dance and wave from, and fees associated with the parade. Paypal donations are being collected by organizer Zoren: Zorenm@gmail.com – please throw money at him!

Updates are coming, like our location in the parade route that’s still waiting to be chosen by Pride. The place and time will be updated once we know. How do fursuiters prepare? During the event, the float will have a fursuit lounge on it.  There will be after meets (dinner etc.) to announce as well.

The Meetup page is one place for updates. Go leave an RSVP if you’re a member.  The event is also being discussed on Bay Area Furries groups.

PLEASE TAKE ACTION!  Now you have the info.  Follow the steps, watch for updates, and tell your friends that this will be the best event ever!  If you have questions, ping @RomanOtter (on Telegram and most things), Zoren on Twitter or email or @ZorenManray on Telegram, or Patch from links on the About page.

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

Monkey Wars, by Richard Kurti
NYC, Delacorte Press, January 2015, hardcover $17.00 (409 [+1] pages), Kindle $10.99.

Monkey Wars has been described as “a dark fable in the tradition of” – different reviewers have compared it to several other adult talking-animal novels; but almost always including Animal Farm and Watership Down. The British edition was nominated for two literary awards. It has been translated into French, German, and Japanese.

The novel, set in India, is based on the proliferation of wild street monkeys, usually rhesus macaques, in Delhi and Kolkata. They travel in troops and attack people if they are disturbed – sometimes when not provoked. The specific event that inspired Monkey Wars was from The New Delhi Times for 21 October 2007: “In a sinister development, the deputy mayor of Delhi, S. S. Bajwa, died this morning after being attacked by a gang of rhesus macaques.” But whenever the authorities try to curb the monkey problem, they are attacked by devout Hindus because all monkeys are believed to be sacred to Hanuman, the monkey god. Authorities have tried importing langur monkeys, a larger species, to scare the rhesus monkeys away, but with mixed success.

(This is still a problem. The New Indian Express reported on April 6, 2017 the discovery of a wild naked girl about 8 to 10 years old living with a troop of monkeys in the forests in northern India. When local police tried to remove her, they were attacked by the monkeys acting as though they were protecting one of their troop. The story was almost immediately disproven – the girl was wearing rags, and the monkeys ran away without attacking anyone. Authorities now believe that the girl, who is severely retarded, was recently abandoned by her family. But the story of a wild child being adopted and raised in the forests for years by monkeys was considered plausible.)

“They struck at noon.

Monkeys shrieked in confusion as langur fighters sprang down from the cemetery walls, howling in an attacking frenzy. As they stormed through the tombs, fear and panic flashed everywhere. And with the screams came the smell of blood.” (p. 5)

A troop of rhesus monkeys that has been living peacefully for generations in an abandoned human cemetery (which in India is full of miniature Hindu temple reproductions) is suddenly ruthlessly attacked by an organized army of langur monkeys. The langurs kill all the rhesus males, drive out the females and children, and take over the cemetery for themselves.

The beginning of the novel is divided into two stories, told in mostly alternating chapters; those of Papina, a young rhesus girl, and of Mico, a young langur boy. Papina and her mother Willow are traumatized by the disappearance of their males, and by being driven into the streets of Kolkata that are already filled by as many slum monkeys as they will hold. Mico, who is too young to question what he is told, is delighted by the palatial new home that the langur Lord Ruler Gospodar announces that he has found for them.

The short chapters are full of action and tension. Papina, Willow, and the other rhesus females are harried into increasingly shabby and dangerous neighborhoods. They are finally rescued by Twitcher, a rhesus male who takes them to a temple of Hanuman where they can live in peace, if not the luxury that they had known in the cemetery.

Mico, who is more curious than most langur children, is told to not ask questions:

“‘But asking questions is …’ Mico frowned. ‘It’s what monkeys do. Monkeys question.’

‘The langur troop aren’t like other monkeys. We were chosen,’ Trumble [Mico’s father] replied solemnly. ‘Chosen to fight for peace. The langur keep the streets safe from the hordes of wild monkeys out there. If we questioned every decision Lord Gospodar made’ – Trumble broke off to look around the cemetery – ‘we wouldn’t have all this.’” (p. 26)

Mico gradually sees things that do not match what he is told. Despite the langur’s advertised freedom and luxury, they are ruled by Lord Gospodar and his Ruling Council of General Pogo, Deputies Tyrell and Hani, and one ordinary monkey to represent the concerns of the common langurs. Monkeys who question the Council tend to be ostracized or disappear.   In scenes within Mico’s chapters, Deputy Tyrell acts like Stalin in the first days of Soviet authority (or like Napoleon at the beginning of Animal Farm), constantly volunteering for minor positions that, added up, will transfer power to him.

Mico and Papina get together in Chapter 12, on page 75. I have revealed several minor spoilers getting this far, so I won’t continue in as much detail. Even though Mico has tried to keep a low profile among the langurs, he is noticed by Deputy Tyrell. Papina’s attempts to get the cemetery back for the rhesuses get her branded as a troublemaker by the other rhesuses who are content to let well enough alone. When she meets Mico, she is forbidden to associate with him..

Papina’s talents cause her to rise in the rhesuses’ hierarchy, and she can see the coming battle with the langurs. Mico’s fears are realized when he sees that the langurs are preparing to take their supremacy outside the cemetery:

“‘The city is looking to us,’ Gospodar declared. ‘It needs us to eradicate the scourge of savage monkeys! The Ruling Council and I are of one mind: in the name of peace, we must mobilize for war!’” (p. 99)

but he remains hesitant to turn against his own leaders, his own people — his own family.

“Mico shuddered as the dampness of the night crept up on him. He scrambled to the top of the wall and perched himself on the smooth coping stones.

On one side of him was the cemetery, on the other the city stretching out into the distance. He was perched between two worlds in more ways than one. Whichever decision he made seemed to lead to unhappiness. Maybe he should just spend the rest of his life sitting up here on this wall.” (p. 145)

Will Mico and Papina join together to prevent a bloody, fatal confrontation? Or will they remain separate for a tragic, Romeo-&-Juliet conclusion?

Or will something unexpected happen?

Kurti’s writing is straightforward but gripping; Monkey Wars (cover by Will Staehle) deserves the accolade of “unputdownable”. Since Mico and Papina are both monkey young adolescents, Monkey Wars could serve as a Young Adult novel. It is published as an adult literary novel from a major publisher, and it got good reviews, so your public library may have it. Author Kurti has an animated blurb for Monkey Wars on his website.

–Fred Patten

• Buy on Amazon
• Visit Richard Kurti’s Website

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And here’s another, perhaps much stranger work coming soon from First Second: Making Scents, a new full-color graphic novel written by Arthur Yorinks. Here’s what they say over at Kirkus Reviews: “In this thoughtful graphic novel, a human boy who believes himself to be part dog seeks acceptance for who he is. Mickey’s brothers and sisters all have four legs. His ardently dog-loving parents are professional bloodhound breeders who never planned on having a child. His parents encourage Mickey to develop his own sense of smell, which becomes just as acute as his hound siblings’. However, when his parents suddenly die, he goes to stay with his estranged aunt and uncle, a much older couple who hate dogs and demand that Mickey start acting like a boy. Now in the throes of grief, Mickey must also struggle with having to conform to someone else’s idea of whom he should be.” Illustrated by Braden Lamb and Shelli Paroline, Making Scents is coming in hardcover at the end of June.

image c. 2017 First Second

Awww, poor thing.
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