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现代兽圈文化先驱马克-梅里诺去世，享年 71 岁

For those who don’t know you, can you introduce yourself and your work?
Hello! My name is Cedric G! Bacon, or occasionally Batced but primarily by the former. I am a writer and editor, former publisher of Thurston Howl Publications, and you might’ve seen my work in things like Furry Trash, Foxers and Fur-iefs, Lost in Time, Leave the Lights On, ROAR 11, and Thrill of the Hunt. I’m something of a bat-of-all trades, writing where an idea takes me, but I’m probably best known for horror and erotica, sometimes merging both.

Do you see a difference between diversity of authors and diversity of characters? Or are they intrinsically linked? Are there any common failings you see amongst furry fiction?
I think usually when you’re writing about diversity it helps to have knowledge of the subject so that your character would ring true instead of seeming like a trope or a just a stock character plucked from your brain’s casting call. I remember reading the book Trigger Warning by William W. and J.A. Johnstone (never mind the fact that William Johnstone, famous for his western novels, had been dead for almost twenty years when that book came out and so his relative uses the older man’s name on “new” work) which was replete with condemnations of the higher education and even diversity classes, which are shown to be ridiculous and coddling and rewarding for the most minimal of efforts, including a scene where the “protagonist” is made to feel shame for being a war veteran. I think the author—whom I suspect is someone in their 60s—just regurgitated whatever it is they’re spoonfed through far-right media and believed that that’s what diversity and especially the need for diverse conversation, is really like, and after reading I was just left uncomfortable that there are people who would rather retain the status quo as it is instead of trying to make changes to broaden diverse opportunities where there might not be any.

As welcoming as furry fiction is, I do think there is this absence that keeps diversity from being much wider than it is. There are some truly well meaning individuals but it’s almost like not enough gets spotlighted or put out and it is a shame really. Part of that also falls on those who could have a voice and a platform but do not use it, or perhaps have used it and are burnt out by it. That I can understand due to how hard it can be trying to make the conversation happen and you’re met by many walls and find you can’t quite cross the bridge you’d like to make inroads. Little by little it will get better I feel as more will come to the fandom and wish to write stories that do showcase more voices that you would not typically find, but it does take time. Which I also do think is on our side.

Do you believe progress has been made in the last few years?
Slowly and surely it has, but not nearly enough. When we ran Difursity Volume 2 through THP, our turnout was not as plentiful as we would’ve liked. However, I think we do have many essayists and non-fiction writers coming into the fold who have many things to say and ideas, so where Difursity Volume 2 did not have as much widespread reach as its predecessor, it did get a lot of ideas going for some that “Hey, I can express myself and my thoughts on this topic without fear of being shut down for being ‘uppity’.” I would love to see some more of that happen, and I would gladly do my part as well to get the engines roaring on more diverse volumes and work in the furry fiction community.

Does the degree of anonymity of a fursona being your public face help or hinder your goals as an author in the furry community?
I think engagement and talking with others and making connections helps in the furry community, as a lot of interactions do tend to be behind screens and keyboards so that face begins merging with the real person behind the fursona, so that even if your fursona is a winged canine-dragon creature and that’s not who you are offline away from the furry community, it doesn’t really make anyone who is already a fan or coming to know you think different about you. Your goals, I think, are what you want of them, and for me in the furry community, my goals were at the start to get back into writing after a long spell away, make connections with my peers, share some ideas with said peers, and learn new things along the way…maybe about the craft I’ve devoted a chunk of my life to or even about myself and my own worldviews. But as for if that degree of anonymity has helped or hindered those goals? I think they have helped, but it had to take a lot on my part to let any masks or walls come down and trust the other parties I conversed with, same as I imagine it would be for them when talking to me. It would only hinder if I was not able to do that and trust my peers and open up when needing help or advice, or actually developing friendships with a few I’ve been grateful enough to meet in person.

What do you think is the most important thing for a writer to do when considering diversity?
Patience. Absolutely the most important thing to keep in mind. If a writer is thinking about diversity, think first about what means and don’t make any assumptions and just do the first thing that you think you may know about diversity. Look around, talk to folk who have more experience or have some insight about their own struggles for diverse conversations.

There is this whole thing about “woke” but it’s a corruption of what it actually meant to be woke, in that it means keeping one’s eyes open at all times to the situation be it to the injustices racial, social, or political (and that’s a clue that anyone who is using the term to slag something that they don’t like with the most bad faith argument, you know that is someone to definitely side-eye). But when I say that it does matter to stay woke, it means exactly what it was supposed to mean, especially when thinking about diversity and ask yourself as that writer about why is there so much anger among marginalized communities and voices, and especially to stay woke and read the room to know that even though the answer may be complicated to discover, you as the writer will have an understanding about diversity and that need for more diverse voices instead of ones that regurgitate points that do not challenge anything or make efforts to make changes.

What book featuring diverse characters and/or written by a diverse author would you most recommend to people?
Not a book though it was based upon a book, so I’m going to cheat a little here, but I do think many should check out the 2020 HBO series Lovecraft Country, inspired by the book of the same name by Matt Ruff. By title alone would probably be put off by it due to the legacy which surrounds author H.P. Lovecraft and his very loud statements on race both in his letters and in his fiction, but that is actually something that is worked to the show’s advantage, as the main protagonist is a young black man who too has to grapple with being a fan of Lovecraft while knowing full well Lovecraft might not have enjoyed having him as a fan.

Executive produced by a woman of color in Misha Green, and with one of the producers being Jordan Peele, it already ticks of the box of diversity in a big way, but goes a step further with its cast, with Jurnee Smollett (whom I rather enjoyed as the real star of Birds of Prey when shy played Dinah Lance/Black Canary) alongside Jonathan Majors, Michael K. Williams, Jamie Chung, it furthers having diverse voices and roles with its focus on a young black man (played by Majors) and his family’s life in 1950s America, which is stark and uncompromising in its vocal disdain for people of color (loudly at that time, muted but still unfortunately in existence now) and right off the jump in the first episode, you have a scene involving a chase out of town by a lynch mob and threats of being lynched by racist policemen when the protagonists don’t leave a sundown town by the required time.

Rather than be a straight adaptation of the novel, the series makes many, many changes by giving more roles for women and dropping some plotlines that were wayward in the novel and making things streamlined and tight. But one of the things that I did find to be a triumph was using the 1921 Tulsa race massacre as a major plot point, but the intriguing parts are the character development in this one episode that focuses on family, homosexuality, abuse, and how sometimes the roots of generational evil isn’t found in some dusty old tome like the Necronomicon, that it can be found within us as the individual unless we break the cycle. The show is violent, brilliantly choreographed, uncompromising in its language and historical framing (another episode takes place during the funeral for Emmett Till, and while we in the modern age can’t quite comprehend the real horror and drama of what happened to him, much like the Tulsa massacre using it in fiction I hope inspires the curious to look further and read and remember and equally never forget, hoping it doesn’t happen to someone else), sexuality and identity, all packed within ten episodes that, four years later, I still think was the greatest TV show on the subject of diversity I’ve ever watched.

And finally, where can we find your works?
I’m in the process of getting them uploaded to furaffinity and SoFurry, so just stay tuned for that eventual update. In the meantime, if you have these in your bookshelves, find me in:
Ironclaw: Book of Legends (“The Black City”)
Furry Trash (“One Night Last Summer”)
Slashers (“Komakino”)
Thrill of the Hunt (“Silhouettes”)
Foxers and Fur-iefs (“Getchoo”)
Lost in Time (“Spear and Fang”)
Leave the Lights On (“Wormwood”, “Old Garfield’s Debt”, “The Shambler in the Dark”)
The Electric Sewer (“The Jack”)
Species: Wildcats (“Wanderlust”)
Howloween (“Venus in White”)
Howloween 2 (“Upon Thy Grave”)
Swept Under the Fur Rug (“Ikezu”)
Furmiliar Spaces (“El Scorcho”, prequel to “Getchoo” in Foxers and Fur-iefs)
The Furry Cookbook (“The Flower of Carnage”)
ROAR 11 (“Poyekhali!”)
Furries Hate Nazis (“The Battler”)
12 Days of Yiffmas (“Yule Carol”)
Paw-ly Love (“Catch a Wave”)

Dear Papabear,

I have been thinking about learning quadrobics for a while [Papabear notes: "quadrobics" is the physical activity of running and other performaces while on all fours; it is typically a therian behavior, although some regular furries indulge as well]. I've always been more connected to my animals and fursona than I have been to my human self. I want to learn and be able to do it in school hallways, but I'm not sure how others will respond. Can you help me find a way to express my animalistic side to my peers?

Hazel (age 14)

* * *

Dear Hazel,

Unless you want to set yourself up for being mocked and hated, I would urge you to not try to "express" your "animalistic side" to the general public, whether at school or elsewhere, especially in a state like Texas, which is very conservative (this is a state where a student recently got expelled for growing their hair too long even though they kept it tied up and off her face during school, so imagine how they'd react to therian behavior). Such behavior in a school would likely not be tolerated by school officials. So, just don't. DON'T. DO. IT.

And, anyway, why would you want to? My first guess would be that, like so many people, you wish to be recognized as different and special, to get attention and, maybe, even adoration for your skills. We all like to feel special and to get attention, but believe me, please, you would only be setting yourself up for attacks and hate from people who don't understand furries or therians.

There is a time and a place for everything. School is not a place to act like a furry (or therian or otherkin, for that matter). American schools are where citizens get trained to conform, to be good cogs in the capitalist machinery. The social environment of the hallways, playgrounds, and classrooms of a school (in America, at least, but I'm sure in other countries as well) are a horror show of one-upmanship, cliques, posturing, bullying, teasing, and even physical violence against anyone who is different or seen as weak or weird. 

What IS the place for wearing fursuit gear or practicing quadrobics? Anywhere you can get together with people who have similar interests is great, but if you can't do that, I would suggest you practice your quadrobics in private places, such as in the woods (if available), at your home, or in other secluded places (as long as you feel safe there).

So, stop this notion at once that you somehow need to show your animal side to your peers unless you enjoy getting beaten up, made fun of, or being seen as a social outcast (the kind of person you see eating alone during lunch hour and getting tripped in the hallways).

Is that a harsh response by Papabear? I suppose, sadly, it is, but, Hazel, this is the world we live in. This is why people like you and me enter the furry fandom so that we can be among our true peers who will accept and love who we are.

Hugs,
Papabear

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Moobarkfluff!  Bearly, Taebyn and Rayne have a great time this week.  Rayne is visiting the secret pupcave assisting Taebyn prep for Vancoufur.  We get some maths, tell jokes, and have a fun time being our normal selves. So tune in and pup out! Moobarkfluff all you furs! 

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This podcast contains adult language and adult topics. It is rated M for Mature. Listener discretion is advised.

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Bearly Furcasting S4E43 - Wag Your Tail

A different take on werewolf horror can be found in Lycan: Girl’s Night, a one-shot comic book from Band of Bards. “A rogue pack of werewolves has been on the run for centuries. After starting new lives in a sleepy Colorado community, living undetected among humans, their enemies have finally tracked them down. Their idyllic suburban lives were a dream, but sometimes you can never escape your past, no matter how hard you try. These women wanted peace, but their tormentors won’t let them be. See what happens when they unleash their long suppressed might.” It’s available now, with a story by C.J. Hudson and art by Mary Landro. This town better legalize Awoo.

image c. 2024 Band of Bards

Hi, I'm Grovel Husky. Today I'm at the Furry Ofrenda which is a place to find furries that have passed but not forgotten by the community. https://confurence.com/1989/01/confurence-zero-con-book-1989/ https://dogpatch.press/2024/02/22/remembering-mark-merlino/ https://twitter.com/Changa_Husky/status/1760522286514507934 The Furry Ofrenda VRChat World https://vrchat.com/home/launch?worldId=wrld_8b9be9e0-f4f3-4f3e-b671-0a0714fa262a The Furry Community has lost whats considered one of its founders #Furry #furries #furryconvention

A different take, but no less important, can be found in A Story of Seven Lives by Shirakawa Gin. “Nanao used to be a house cat, but after tragedy struck, he was abandoned on the rough streets of Tokyo. Now, alongside his best friend and fellow stray Machi, Nanao has to fight every day just to get by. Aside from foraging for food and finding somewhere to sleep, Nanao and Machi must remain vigilant about all sorts of dangers, including humans who want stray cats gone. When a woman named Yoshino starts feeding the neighborhood cats, Nanao reluctantly bonds with her. But the woman has emotional scars and a past entwined with Nanao’s. Can Nanao help her heal, and perhaps heal himself in the process? The entire three-volume series will be released in English in one oversized omnibus edition.” Which is available now from Seven Seas.

image c. 2024 Seven Seas Entertainment

Mark (left) and Rod holding their Lifetime Achievement Award — from the 2022 Good Furry Awards

They had a shared vision

Mark Merlino was a founder of both the furry fandom and the North American anime fandom. In 1971, meeting fellow hobbyists at science fiction conventions led to the 1977 formation of the Cartoon/Fantasy Organization (C/FO), using the clubhouse of the Los Angeles Science Fiction Society (LASFS). They would screen rare videos of imported Japanese animation for lucky members to see before anyone else, and movies like Animalympics that were first called funny-animal and later furry. In 1989 Mark and his partner Rod O’Riley co-founded the first furry convention, Confurence.

Their vision stood apart from major influences like Star Trek or Star Wars. They would gather fans without elitism or ambitions of an exclusive club, with no central property, brand or owner. It was a vision of collaboration, expressed with sketchbook sharing, convention room parties, and direct fan-to-fan creativity. That’s how love for animal characters turned into being original role-play fursonas. It was shaded by counterculture of 1960’s underground comix, and lit by the sparks of pre-internet fandom circulated by VHS tapes and mail ‘zines.

The flame was tended from Mark’s Southern California house, The Prancing Skiltaire, established in 1980. It was named after a mink-like alien species he created and also a reference to the Prancing Pony Inn in Lord of the Rings. Mark shared the house with Rod and a rotating cast of fellow creative oddballs and luminaries. In the mid-1980’s he created his fursona Sylys Sable and Rod created Vinson Mink with a similar back-story. They supported regular monthly furmeets, con staff meets, furry BBS and MUCK activity and an ISP, animation screenings and mingling with California industry talent, and development of independent zine/APA publishing, animation, games, and costuming. They were at the forefront of an explosion of nearly 200 conventions and worldwide subculture that serves millions today.

Tributes around the world

After 5 decades at the heart of it all, Mark’s elder health problems led to hospitalization at the new year in 2024. He was lovingly supported by friends and partners and a crowdfund until he passed away on February 20. Anime, furry, and brony networks lit up with condolences from around the world while the name Mark Merlino trended on social media next to mainstream celebrities.

He is survived by partners including Rod, and Changa who joined them for 28 years. They were united by love and creativity, but as queer people, their relationship was fundamental to the acceptance and expression that aligns many furries with queer culture. Fandom may be a hobby, but it’s also a way to show identity, and theirs was the soul of what furries are.

• Dozens of convention memorial messages are collected on the Telegram news channel of Grovel Husky.
• History book Furry Nation by Joe Strike (Cleis Press) profiles Mark in Chapter Four (“A Fandom is Born”).
• Mark also features in fellow fandom founder Fred Patten‘s An Illustrated Chronology of Furry Fandom, 1966–1996.
• Documentary movie The Fandom (2020) features Mark and the Skiltaire house and residents.

Mark contributed stories to Dogpatch Press. With eyes on the future, his 2022 look at Furality featured its hugely successful 15,000 attendance. He also wrote 2020’s A brief history of the Cartoon/Fantasy Organization, America’s first anime fan club. Then there were meetings in person.

Patch O’Furr’s memory: generosity and delight

At first contact in 2013, I was a cold caller to Mark. I reached him to write about his furry gallery art show that he called a dream he had for over 30 years. He was super excited to be asked. He was always that generous for convention meetings at his room, where he would tell funny grandpa stories in a Zootopia hat with fuzzy ears. His eyes would light up while he played a fan cut of Animalympics and explained how it was unjustly unseen until being rescued for people like us. It was charming when Rod chimed in with him.

In 2019 my girlfriend planned a trip with time to visit the Skiltaire house. It was packed with memorabilia like Aladdin’s cave, a museum, or a holy shrine for a pilgrimage. We got a tour, watched documentary about them, and had dinner. My girlfriend, not a furry, was very quiet while taking it all in, which turned into delighted writing about the visit later. That means a lot because she has passed away. It’s one of life’s best memories because of their generosity.

The most personal way I got to know Mark was private email where he explained philosphy that I boiled down above, and “lifestyler vs. traditionalist” conflict (a way that rivalry or even homophobia came to furry spaces). From long experience, Mark asked me not to publish unless he could collect it into “things clearly marked as ‘opinion’, ‘recollection’ and verified fact. I am particularly nervous about ‘naming names’. This has bitten me badly in the past.” That included a story about once receiving a dead squirrel in a UPS package!

He added: “I am very proud of what Rod, myself, and our friends have done to help create Furry Fandom.”

How it started: How it’s grown:

RIP Mark Merlino (Sy Sable) pic.twitter.com/kWXpvfSXDP

— David Bookworm Popovich (@Bookworm_Review) February 21, 2024

Our Furry Heritage — by Jack Newhorse
jack@jacknewhorse.com, Telegram: @JackNewhorse 

“My heart has joined the Thousand, for my friend stopped running today.” — Hazel, upon the death of Bigwig; Watership Down, by Richard Adams.

Mark Merlino, half of the couple generally acknowledged as “Fathers of the Furry Fandom”, died today. I’ll leave personal tributes to those who knew him, as I didn’t. But still I said the phrase above to myself, as I do whenever I hear of a furry’s death.

You who are reading this might already know about Mark (and his partner Rod). As creators of seminal furry organizations who have remained active in the fandom, they form an important part of our heritage. Visitors to monthly gatherings at their home in Southern California have had the opportunity to touch its dust: The newsletters, drawings, and other furry ephemera stretching back more than forty years.

Furry heritage of this sort has been getting more attention in the last few years. Fred Patten led the charge in 2016 with his book, Furry Fandom Conventions, 1989-2015, followed by Joe Strike’s Furry Nation and Ash Coyote and Eric Risher’s award-winning documentary, The Fandom. More recently, Gamepopper started the Furry Fandom History Project and has been giving talks at conventions about it; he’s among the contributors to the 250GB Furry History Collection on archive.org. And in academia, the topic is covered by dozens (if not hundreds) of papers. (All of these projects owe a debt of gratitude to Wikifur, a primary source of furry information since 2005.)

I joined the fandom in 1998 and so had a ringside seat to some of this heritage. I promise you: life seemed as banal then as now. You never know what ideas will catch on, and Things require Space. Do I keep this con book? This flyer from a picnic? A supersponsor plushie? As the past recedes, we eliminate minor (and inconvenient) details, we create myths. But if you keep the artifacts, you have a base truth more true than memory.

This becomes more important as our fandom passes through the membrane into mass culture. Hundreds (perhaps thousands) of people now make their living exclusively by catering to us; furry businesses are popping up like spring flowers. Partygoers have discovered our club nights, and celebrities show up at our cons. We offer something compelling: It’s only a matter of time until every family has (or personally knows) furries. And you’ll be able to say to those newcomers, “I was there.”

(My organization, Otterdam Foundation, recognizes this and works to ease integration by “helping non-furry institutions explore anthropomorphic arts”. On this note, we’re planning the public-facing Otterdam Furry Arts Festival in cooperation with local arts organizations for this October.)

Mark will never again tell his stories on a couch in a con lobby, at the Prancing Skiltaire, or to his partner. But he did tell them. He and Rod invited people into their home; they presented at cons. (I was fortunate to be at their talk at what I think was Mark’s last, Midwest Furfest 2023.) They saved their artifacts, allowing those who followed to contextualize it all. To do that they had to first decide that what they were doing was important, even if seemingly banal at the time.

He mattered. This matters. And you, too, matter.

Like the article? These take hard work. For more free furry news, follow on Twitter or support not-for-profit Dogpatch Press on Patreon. Want to get involved? Try these subreddits: r/furrydiscuss for news or r/waginheaven for the best of the community. Or send guest writing here. (Content Policy.)

The things you can make into a manga… Shibanban Super Cute Doggies is written and illustrated by Yasuteru Ogoshi. “A full-color book for the popular Shiba Inu characters appearing in LINE stickers and stationery! Meet Aka, Kuro, Cha, Shiro, the Roly-Poly Pups, and the rest of this colorful cast of adorable Shiba Inu dogs! Whether they’re venturing out into stormy weather in a raincoat, lazing at the beach, napping in a cozy dog bed, or eagerly eyeing dinner someone left out on the table, their fun (and sometimes mischievous) antics are sure to put a smile on your face.” Available now from Seven Seas.

image c. 2024 Seven Seas Entertainment

I’m crying at this breaking news from The Onion.

There’s something funny about how they wrote it.

Check this out:

Compare to the 2016 Dogpatch Press story A Newcomer’s Guide To Furry Terms and Customs.

They got “Steves” from there. Bet your fursuit. That’s the only place it appears like that.

What’s a Steve?

In-group slang is fun, especially when outsiders don’t get it.

A common furry word for outsiders is Normies, or less commonly heard these days, there’s the old-school nerd-word Mundanes.

A Newcomer’s Guide To Furry Terms and Customs invented “Steves” as another one. (It also lists Musclefurs, which is real — but very specific — so call it more evidence of referencing.)

This “guide” was written to set up a reader to believe a list of very real terms… salted with made-up bullshit that gets more and more silly until either they got the joke, or insiders can laugh at them for getting fooled. It was written out of annoyance at repetitive “what is a furry” bland Furries 101 media that uses terms nobody really uses any more. (This is a fan site, we can do satire or April Fools stories.)

After 7.5 years, it’s still one of the most currently searched stories on the site. It does admit being a prank at the end… but you have to read the whole thing. It still gets believing comments!

Arrkay The Bird of Culturally F’d says:

I think this is a moment of “grunge speak”. In the 90’s, a record company publicist pranked a NYT writer about Seattle’s grunge scene, making up a bunch of jargon which was uncritically published as true slang words.

Some of these made up slang words became actual slang, like Cob Nobbler.

Were The Onion’s writers in on the joke, or were they being Steves with a quick net search and a looming deadline? I can’t decide which one amuses me more.

Steve Gallaci and Steve Brule were unavailable to comment for this story.

Like the article? These take hard work. For more free furry news, follow on Twitter or support not-for-profit Dogpatch Press on Patreon. Want to get involved? Try these subreddits: r/furrydiscuss for news or r/waginheaven for the best of the community. Or send guest writing here. (Content Policy.)

Social Media: Official FABP Twitter: https://twitter.com/foxandburger Michael: https://twitter.com/foxnakh https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK9xoFQrxFTNPMjmXfUg2cg Burger: https://twitter.com/L1ghtningRunner

Mark Merlino (left) with husband Rod O'Riley, receiving the Good Furry Award Lifetime Achievement Award in 2022. A giant of the furry fandom passed away last night at his home in Garden Grove, California. Sy Sable (Mark Merlino) died with his husband, Rod O'Riley, by his side after battling Stage IV liver cancer that also led to his having a stroke.

It is impossible to exaggerate the importance of Mark's role in the fandom. Along with another late giant, Fred Patten (1940-2018), he founded the Cartoon/Fantasy Organization in 1977. The C/FO was primarily interested in bringing Japanese anime to America, but it also can be viewed as the precursor of the furry fandom because the Los Angeles chapter of the C/FO was the birthplace of furry.

In 1982, he created Tiger's Den, the first BBS dedicated to furry. Next, he cofounded the first furry convention, Confurence, which had its first gathering in 1989 in Costa Mesa, California. When Confurence shut its doors in 2003, Mark started Califur the next year, which ran until 2018. Finally, Mark and Rod created the first and oldest furmeet in the world: The Prancing Skiltaire house party, which was based out of their home. When he wasn't working on conferences, Mark traveled to other conventions, giving talks about furry movies, TV, and the fandom in general.

I am so fortunate that I was able to meet Mark on several occasions. It was at the Prancing Skiltaire in 2008 that I encountered my first fursuiter in person, and although I was already a furry by then, I was hooked after that. My dear friend Bart Swaim, took me to that furmeet, and it was also at that time that I met another important furry, Bob Hill (d. 2018), the first fursuiter.

Mark was a kind, knowledgeable, generous, and sweet man. His passing is a great loss to the fandom, and he will be missed.

[Update March 28, 2024] The memorial service for Sy Sable is now available on YouTube.

TigerTails Radio Season 15 Episode 15. Join the Discord Chat: https://discord.gg/SQ5QuRf For a full preview of events and for previous episodes, please visit http://www.tigertailsradio.co.uk. See website for full breakdown of song credits, which is usually updated shortly after the show. If you like what we do and wish to throw some pennies our way to support us, please consider sending a little tip our way. https://streamlabs.com/tigertailsradio/tip * Please note, tips are made to support TigerTails Radio and are assumed as made with good faith, so are therefore non-refundable. Thank you for your support and understanding.

This week it's Fuzz and Savrin over Discord because everyone has been trading colds around here. We've got a lot of topics this week- medical breakthroughs, checks coming due, and a lot about the Hugos recent nonsense in China. 

 

Links!

Opinion | Most people don’t know how to get free Paxlovid to fight covid - The Washington Post

Ebola vaccine dramatically reduces deaths even if it's given after infection : Goats and Soda : NPR

A Dog, a Fox, and a Rabbit Walk into a Bar - The Stranger

2023 Hugo Nomination Report Has Unexplained Ineligibility Rulings; Also Reveals Who Declined - File 770

Fundraiser by Rodney Stansfield : Help a True Fandom Original. (gofundme.com)

Telegram - https://t.me/+Ma4PTE0IsWVmMDQ5 

Southpaws | creating and promoting The Queer Agenda | Patreon

Episode 552 - Hugonoes

Welcome to Jess E. Owen, author of noblebright fantasy, and optimistic contemporary Young Adult writing (as Jessica Kara), whose book A Furry Faux Paw caught the notice of Dogpatch Press with a 2022 Ursa Major Award for Best Novel. It’s the story of a teen girl artist with a hoarder mom, facing isolation and family complication with the promise of a forbidden trip to a furry con. It stood out for reaching outside a typical insider science fiction/fantasy audience, with gateway appeal by using fandom as a setting for character building. It stood out even more as a furry teen story in the face of conservative backlash at books. A Furry Faux Paw was seen on a mainstream channel, before it was obvious that she was a furry insider — that’s well-rounded exposure! In fact, she laughed about her pen name maybe being too successful at separation from her best known fantasy series starring gryfon characters, The Summer King Chronicles. Here’s a creator worth interviewing about how her work gets around, one you might see soon at Anthrocon 2024.

(Dogpatch Press:) Let’s start with your background in writing and genre. Would you say you started as a furry writer, or just a writer?

I think I’ve always had a furry vibe before it was intentional; back in my mIRC days I was ‘Lyoness’ in my teen chat group and I think half of us had fursonas without realizing there was a whole subculture already happening. So I’m definitely in the furry community even if I don’t have an official gryfon-sona character or a ref sheet or anything. I think most people who know me consider me part of the birb/avian sector of the fandom.

As far as writing, when I came up with the concept of my fantasy series, The Summer King Chronicles, it was before I was really aware of furry as a whole community so I was really writing in more of the mainstream ‘animal fiction’ tradition of Watership Down, The Lion King, and Meredith Ann Pierce’s Firebringer trilogy (even though we can just call those furry, too! Tomato, to-mah-to, and all that). However, a friend made me aware of the Ursa Majors back in 2014 so I threw my hat in the ring with my eligible novel, Skyfire, the second book in The Summer King Chronicles. I won the Ursa for best novel that year, which caught the attention of other writers in the fandom, and I have been immersed in the community ever since. I’ve published short stories in a couple of fandom anthologies as well.

So to answer your question–yes! I call myself just a writer and a furry writer, and my books have crossover appeal for mainstream YA audiences and furry readers alike.

While you’re earning awards and appeal, how are things going as a career?

If the question is, can I quit my day job yet, the answer is no– but I consider it my actual career, and this true for a lot of writers. I’m happy with the books I’m putting out, I’m thrilled to have gotten a traditional book deal for my contemporary novels, and I’m in it for the long haul. I have a million stories to tell and I’m just hoping to get most of them out before I shuffle off this mortal coil. If money follows eventually, that would be nice. Some stories will continue to appeal to furry readers, some will be mainstream, who knows what else; I cannot be contained, someone stop me! (Just kidding).

I’m juggling day jobs, family, and multiple writing projects as well as marketing and pushing other creative ideas–I run a Patreon, I’m creating a graphic novel of Song of the Summer King with an artist, as well as audiobooks of the series, so I just try to keep all the pots stirred. Someday I hope for a tipping point when I’m making more than I’m spending, or at least enough to fund all my ideas.

Can you talk about your recent work, and the process of crossing outside of fandom with YA writing?

The most recent book I’ve published is Don’t Ask If I’m Okay, a contemporary YA with no furry ties except it was the second of my contractual obligations with Page Street YA, who published A Furry Faux Paw (AFFP)– so let’s talk about AFFP, a book about furries, for furries, picked up by a mainstream traditional publisher

How did I go from writing fantasy to writing contemporary? Once I was immersed in the fandom I fell in love with the creative community and I started getting this idea to write a novel about . . . a furry. A person who is a furry, not “furry fiction.” I write primarily for kids and teens, and so the story happened in my mind that way–a teen in the furry fandom. Usually I’m a die-hard fantasy writer but all the people I was meeting and all the different stories I saw inspired a more realistic story, of a realistic teen, overcoming realistic teen obstacles.

I knew Maeve/Mauve would be a teen artist in the fandom, but it couldn’t just be about that, so the friction and plot came when I decided her mother was a hoarder, and the fandom and Maeve’s artwork were one way she distanced herself from her mother’s struggles and found her identity, and solace. So the idea developed that she’s going to attempt to break away from her mother, runs away to her first furcon, and her coming-of-age and my love letter to the fandom ensues! An agent loved it, so did an editor at Page Street YA, so that book was my first foray into traditional publishing.

My agent coined the term ‘tragi-cozy’ for my contemporary work. I definitely go for a Studio Ghibli vibe where even when difficult things are happening, there are beautiful things, friendship, and a life worth living. So while Maeve has a hard row to hoe, the book itself is cozy and mostly heartwarming and a nice little escape from the daily grind.

What reactions has A Furry Faux Paw gotten, both in general and inside fandom?

Positive reactions in general! The curious normies who have picked it up seem to come away with a better understanding of the fandom, and Maeve’s struggle with her mother garners a pretty universal emotional, empathetic response. Most furries seem to see it as a fun frolic through an accurately painted furcon, even if Maeve’s adventure doesn’t involve some issues specific to fandom and conventions (again, the fandom is not the actual focus of the story, but a loving backdrop). I’ve gotten reviews and letters from furries expressing their joy at my depiction of the fandom, and seeing themselves reflected in the pages, which was my whole goal.

I’ve had only one negative email which implies I glossed over the darker parts of the fandom and actually suggested that the book was dangerous for portraying too sunny of a picture and should be pulled from publication. (I found that pretty shocking and have not answered them). I get the sense this isn’t someone from “outside,” but someone who had a terrible experience within the fandom, which unfortunately does happen–but it happens with all groups of humans whether it’s a fandom, church, or school–not just furries. To expect a single novel to cover every base is a tall order. The novel is also from the point of view of a girl whose experience has been mostly positive, so it would be hard to address ‘everything’ without it becoming a very different book.

The book is not an exposé on the fandom, nor is it intended to explain everything about it or point a light into dark corners. It’s one (fictional) character’s (fictional) experience. It is, perhaps, a Hallmark version of the fandom, but I have personally had a positive experience overall, and I think it’s okay to reflect that. Anyone interested in researching the community further has plenty of resources at their disposal. I think we can agree the furry community has had its (un)fair share of negative press already, so I flipped the narrative.

My hope would be that if a young person is interested in the community, this book could be a lighthearted way to introduce friends and family to the positive aspects, and could open the way for conversations about how to conduct yourself and be safe in a larger community.

What’s it like to work with an agent, and how has the book sold?

Like having a writing buddy, cheerleader, and professional advocate all in one! My awesome agent, unfortunately, has decided to leave the publishing business for personal reasons, but she got me my first traditional book deal and helped me navigate some of the questions around book contracts, authors’ rights, marketing, and so on. It’s like having a go-to publishing reference because they only succeed when you succeed, so your best interests are also theirs. My agent was “editorial” in that she liked to read and make comments and suggestions on my manuscripts before sending them on submission; not every agent does that. It depends on their work style, and the writer. It was good for me because she knew the market very well and it was my first dive into writing contemporary fiction, so I valued her insight and market knowledge.

About sales numbers for AFFP; I will say sales are about ‘as expected’ for a YA contemporary without becoming a bestseller or allowing me to quit my day job. Page Street is a smaller press, so while they’re distributed by Macmillan and have vastly more reach than I would on my own, AFFP is still a niche book so it hasn’t surprised anyone with sales numbers either good or bad. My hope is that it’s still relatively unheard of and will continue to gain traction both inside the fandom and out. A few of my subrights have reverted back to me so I will be working on an audio version as well, which I’m very excited about, and I continue to push the book on my own!

You have some fun news about Anthrocon… and how else can people find you and your work?

YES! This is the year I will finally make it to Anthrocon! I’ve been to Midwest Furfest and Texas Furry Fiesta multiple times, and a couple of smaller (now defunct, sadly) cons, but this will be my first time hitting the east coast! I’ll be bringing plenty of copies of AFFP as well as my gryfon books and HOPEFULLY the much-anticipated second book in The Dragon Star Saga, Shadow Sun. I hope to see lots of folks there.

If people want to get a jump on reading, they can find my books pretty much wherever books are sold, or request them at your local library. More about my fantasy series here: www.jessowen.com, and my contemporary novels here: www.authorjessicakara.com.

Like the article? These take hard work. For more free furry news, follow on Twitter or support not-for-profit Dogpatch Press on Patreon. Want to get involved? Try these subreddits: r/furrydiscuss for news or r/waginheaven for the best of the community. Or send guest writing here. (Content Policy.)

文／伊爾、藍風　編輯／艾倫德、傑克、涯軒宇

繼人外獸人ONLY、獸摩莎之後，新創的主辦單位BeastAges、協辦單位台灣毛毛文化交流協會，1/27號在高雄市苓雅運動中心舉辦「BeastAges 獸人/人外向Only」活動販售會。販售會共吸引72個社團攤位參與，在現場販售包括吊飾、服裝、書籍等多種原創及同人周邊商品，吸引許多參加者到場以消費來支持創作者。

本次販售會活動場地。 圖／瓦克提供 活動場地外人潮排隊情形。 圖／官方提供

本次活動是台灣南部首場以獸人與人外取向主題的販售會。BeastAges的負責人之一虎皮 ，在接受採訪時分享了他舉辦活動的初心：大多數與獸文化相關的活動都傾向於在北部舉行，這對於居住在其他縣市的參與者來說，意味著他們需要負擔相對應的交通和住宿費用。居住在高雄的虎皮亦表示，希望能在自己的家鄉舉辦獸迷販售會，讓更多的獸迷們能夠在南部參與販售會；也秉持和以茶會毛相同的理念，讓外縣市的獸迷們可以借此機會體驗和享受高雄的生活風情。

販售會現場許多獸迷正排隊購買商品。 圖／官方提供

虎皮與獅子也強調這次活動的攤位規劃和動線布局都經過細心安排，希望讓參加者跟攤主都能感到舒適。攤位「Banana May Meow」的創作者芭蕉表示他為這次活動準備了10項商品，並對銷售結果感到滿意，也讚賞主辦單位在活動前的宣傳工作，以及銷售場地的寬敞布局、良好的動線規劃和空氣流通。然而，芭蕉對於場內禁止飲食的規定表示略感遺憾。

另一攤位「斜咖尼斯好快樂」的攤主阿狗，則對於本次活動的銷售成績感到意外地滿意。他表示，儘管販售的都是既品，但銷量遠超出預期，也遇到許多來自南部的朋友前來支持。攤主竹本嵐對於南部獸文化相關活動的前景持樂觀態度，並表示如果未來有機會再度舉辦，他會有興趣再次參加。

現場販售商品眾多，如書籍、服飾等商品。圖／官方 (上圖)、肯尼 (下圖) 提供

這次BeastAges開放讓獸裝扮演者穿上獸裝參加，不過由於場地大小的限制，官方僅抽選出33位扮演者開放在會場內進行活動。獸裝扮演者之一的雷奧對於在南部首次舉辦此類活動表示肯定。不過他提到現場冷氣似乎不夠強，建議主辦方可以準備更多的工業用電風扇和提供飲水，來確保獸裝扮演者的舒適度，也認為可以安排一個專門的時段讓扮演者合影。

另一位扮演者傻瑟則表示，換裝場所本身沒有問題，但是現場的廣播似乎聽不大清楚。他表示未來可以將活動的開始與結束時間明確列在場刊上，讓參加者能夠更清楚地安排自己的行程。

除了獸裝扮演者外，來自台中的參加者鬼喵表示，他認為相比於北部的類似活動，這次BeastAges在場地選擇、現場秩序等方面都更為出色。鬼喵也特別提到，這次場地建築外側有屋簷為排隊等候的參加者提供遮陽，對於在外面排隊的參加者來說也更加友善。

官方所提供給參加販售會的獸裝扮演者識別證。圖／官方提供 現場獸裝扮演者站在官方主視覺布幕前合照。 圖／祥狼提供 現場參加者與獸裝扮演者互動熱烈。 圖／肯尼提供

對於活動能順利舉辦，虎皮表示特別感謝所有志工和參加者的支持，讓販售會能順利成功。另外，他也感謝協辦單位台灣毛毛文化交流協會的理事長——冰羽貓對活動的大力協助。至於未來是否會再次舉辦類似的販售會，虎皮表示未來如果再度舉辦，會計劃在1到2月份進行，也將尋找更加適合的地點並對提供設施進行改善，例如獸裝扮演者更衣室和安排大合照活動。最後，主辦方也計劃在招募擺攤的社團時更加注重多元性，不管是母獸、人外等等，讓獸文化的特殊性能夠更好的發展。

Sometimes we can’t believe the stuff we get to write about here… Things like The Adventures of Cthulhu Jr. and Friends, a new “all ages” graphic novel from Source Point Press. “A wannabe supervillain has to capture the son of Cthulhu (who just happened to move in across the street for the summer) in order to be admitted into the League of E.V.I.L. Hilarity, hijinks, and, yes, even a little (all-ages appropriate) horror ensues as the ‘dastardly’ villain starts to realize that perhaps his priorities are misaligned… unlike the stars, which are entering their proper alignment for the return of The Great Evil One!” Told you. It’s available now, written by Dirk Manning, with art by Scoot McMahon and Sean Burres. Oh, and there’s a Cthulhu Jr. plushie available too!

image c. 2024 Source Point Press

Furry party rooms in HK. ---- Social Media: Official FABP Twitter: https://twitter.com/foxandburger Michael: https://twitter.com/foxnakh https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK9xoFQrxFTNPMjmXfUg2cg Burger: https://twitter.com/L1ghtningRunner

Less serious stuff, for younger readers (mostly). It’s the Bigfoot and Nessie series of hardcover graphic novels, written by Chelsea M. Campbell and illustrated by Laura Knetzger. Volume one is The Art of Getting Noticed. “Meet Bigfoot and Nessie! Yes, that Bigfoot and Nessie. Only…Well, things are a little complicated right now. Bigfoot is having trouble fitting in with his family. He can never quite manage to get himself into the picture, much to the disappointment of his mom, dad, and sister, who always want to be in the spotlight. When he meets Nessie, who’s equally desperate to get away from the cameras, he begins to ask himself the ultimate question: What’s the price of fame after all?” Volume two, The Haunting of Loch Ness Castle, is also available now from Penguin.

image c. 2024 Penguin Workshop

Abbey takes the stage for his very own episode and draws various ideas sent in by the viewers! See more at: http://www.TheRaccoonsDen.com Abbey on DeviantArt: https://www.deviantart.com/nim303 GoFundMe for Mark Merlino (Sy Sable): https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-a-true-fandom-original FACEBOOK: http://www.Facebook.com/TheRaccoonsDen TWITTER/X: http://www.Twitter.com/TheRaccoonsDen FURAFFINITY: http://www.FurAffinity.net/user/TheRaccoonsDen INSTAGRAM: http://www.Instagram.com/TheRaccoonsDen TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@theraccoonsden -------------------- MUSIC BY: E Royale: https://www.auralalliance.page/artist/eroyale MP Special: https://soundcloud.com/oiseaublizzard Aki Tanuki: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW_Izh5Cbgp6regPR9_ra1Q Ian Martyn: https://www.auralalliance.page/artist/ianmartyn Rhythm Bastard: http://rhythmbastard.bandcamp.com For All: https://forall.rocks/ #TheRaccoonsDen #TRDs9 #ArtChallenge