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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!

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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

To support writing by furries, for furries, please visit Dogpatch Press on Patreon. You can access exclusive stuff for just $1, and support all of the team’s news and reviews.

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

The Mask of Bone, by Brian Panthera
Bloomington, IN, iUniverse, November 2016, trade paperback $20.99 (xvii + 331 pages), Kindle $3.99.

The Mask of Bone – which is only Book 1 of the Otherworlds saga – is High Fantasy. Really High Fantasy, replete with lots of footnotes. The first footnote is: “To reduce confusion, calendar dates in the text will use the Universal Calendar (UC), based on the Central Timekeeping System used by the kitsune of the dimension of Escher. 11973 UC corresponds to roughly 2001 A.D. in the Gregorian Calendar used in most dimensional variations of Earth, and 1507 KI in the calendar on most of Tayrik, which dates back to […]” Does that reduce confusion? The world of Tayrik is where the action begins.

“Long ago, the mask of bone was shattered, its bearer slain, the pieces stolen. They were scattered through the dimensions to prevent its reassembly.” (blurb) Xolotl, the Aztec guide to the dead, wants the Mask reassembled, and he drafts Pflarrian to do it. Pflarrian Collifox is a student at the Mirial’s Rock Academy of Magic (and Mayhem) on Tayrik who is slowly turning into a fox. He looks like a gaunt human with “a long, bushy red tail sticking through a hole in his jeans, and a pair of large, pointy, red, furry, fox ears sticking up from under a shock of long reddish-brown hair that was usually pulled back in a rough ponytail.” (p. ix)   Professor Verdigris, who is a dragon, has assigned Pflarrian to do something entirely different, but Xolotl waylays him and persuades him to search the dimensions for the pieces of the Mask before he finishes turning into a fox. Got all that?

Oh, and Pflarr’s girlfriend Marani is a sometimes-impulsive anthro jaguaress:

“She paused in the kitchen just long enough to wash Pflarrian’s blood from her claws before returning to bed.” (p. 78)

Despite The Mask of Bone’s being set in a supposedly predominantly human dimension, there are more anthropomorphic animals than humans in this novel; including gods taking on anthro animal forms:

“It was here, finally, that the goddess [Isis] found the one she had come here to speak with. He stood slightly stooped over as he leaned on the edge of a great carved-marble reflecting pool, gazing at something only he could see. Her quarry [Xolotl] was an impressive sight. Tall and broad-shouldered, he was a humanoid canine like the goddess’s current form, but where she had taken the form of a jackal, he bore the form and shape of heavier-set dog-being, looking more like a rough-coat collie. His fur was a dark, almost metallic bronze in most places, accented here and there with white and bone-colored highlights. Fine robes fit for an emperor draped his body, glowing with the colors of the setting sun. They were resplendent in rich tones of orange and red. His head was adorned with a heavy-looking gold crown of sorts, bedecked with an array of long, brightly colored feathers. They swept back from just behind his canine ears to a point almost two feet over his head. Matching golden bracelets rode his wrists. A chunky, heavy necklace formed of square blocks of gold graced his neck and shoulders, barely visible through the thick ruff of fur about his neck.” (p. xiv)

I’ve quoted that at length to give you a taste of Panthera’s opulent writing style. The book is full of furry references. Isis has issues with cat-headed Bastet. One of a college professor’s assistants is Kalya, an anthro black-footed ferret. Someone mentions getting in a shipment of citrus fruits from the Felinid Empire. “It [a doorknock] was answered by a diminutive female mouse in pale blue student’s robes. She looked up at Pflarrian, who towered a good two feet over her, and blinked in surprise.” (p. 55) “The immortal had rented a private room at the Sign of the Nine Tails, a kitsune-run restaurant of some renown near Temple Road.” (p. 83) “The wide variety of beings that inhabited the city caught the wolf’s attention. Humans, felines, canines, something with long, furless, pointed ears that Dashell figured must have been an elf, and a myriad variety of others!” (p. 49) Pflarr’s turning into a fox is constantly kept before the reader: “With a resigned sigh, Pflarrian knelt on the stone floor, making sure not to kneel on his own tail.” (p. 7)

To cut to the admittedly-confusing plot, the first page of the story (as distinct from the 17-page Prologue) begins:

“Dashell awoke to pain. It filled his head to the tips of his fuzzy black ears, ran down his arms and legs, and caused his furry wolf’s tail to twitch in irritation. It made him feel is if someone had been trying to use him as a pincushion.

In other words, he had a hangover.” (p. 1)

Dashell Grauvolf, an alternating black-&-white-furred anthro wolf, is also a college student (computer sciences major) in his dimension. He is kidnapped by a wannabe-demonic mad scientist in Pflarrian’s dimension, escapes before he can be experimented upon (MUHAHAHA!), and is rescued (kind of) by Pflarrian (they think by coincidence, but not really).

Xolotl, who has been scrying what is happening to Dashell (read the book to learn why), has his attention drawn to Pflarrian. He is shocked to find that the same spell that is turning Pflarrian into a fox has made him Xolotl’s champion, even if no one is aware of it. So he appears to Pflarrian to persuade him to search the dimensions for the pieces of the Mask of Bone. But Pflarr doesn’t go alone! He brings Dashell, Marani, and her big (over 8 feet tall) sister Hakarra with him.

They set sail for the Felinid Empire (and promptly get into a sea battle with anthro animal pirates) on page 107. The rest of the 331-page novel is Pflarr’s & Dashell’s adventures looking for the pieces of the Mask of Bone. They don’t find them yet. To be continued in Otherworlds, Book 2: The Fated Ones.

The Mask of Bone (cover imagery © Thinkstock) is good fun, especially if you like a lot of transformations. Be prepared for one of the characters (a wolf) to have a thick German accent:

“She sighed. ‘I vill explain later, D’shal. Meanvile, ve haf to make sure neizzer Faylarrian nor Zaul do anyzing rash, ja?’” (p. 64)

– Fred Patten

To support writing by furries, for furries, please visit Dogpatch Press on Patreon. You can access exclusive stuff for just $1, and support all of the team’s news and reviews.

Hello Everyone!

This week we open with a discussion on how to identify ways that your fuckbuddy, roleplay partner, or new romantic interest might not be into you. We look at an article from Grindr's blog (yes, we read it for the articles) concerning five ways to identify how he might just not be into you. We then tack on our own five and give examples from our own lives.

Our main section this week is our sixth All Questions Show! We cover a diverse range of topics, from how to decide between two potential lovers, to how to go about making friends in real life when no one seems to like you, to whether or not it is okay to not be interested in someone because of a perceived gap in intelligence. We offer our advice and, as always, invite you to offer your own takes on these issues. 

For more information, including a list of topics, see our Show Notes for this episode.

Thanks and, as always, be well!

FA 075 All Questions Show Vol. 6 - Is he just not that into you? Can Metriko pronounce the word "sixth"? Is sapiosexuality real? How can you be more confident in real life? All this, and more, on this week's Feral Attraction!

I tried to post this earlier but I had to update the server and wordpress ... and my computer.
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We’ve been hearing for a while about Le Grand Mechant Renard, a European animated TV special directed by Benjamin Renner (co-director of Ernest & Celestine) based on his graphic novel. Well now First Second Books have released that graphic novel as a new full-color trade paperback, translated into English as The Big Bad Fox. The creator describes it like this: “[It’s] about a fox who isn’t strong enough to catch and eat chickens. Instead, he gets beaten by the chickens. So, he has this weird idea where he’s going to steal eggs and he’s going to raise the small chickens, pretending he’s the mother, but one day, he’s going to eat them.” Got that? There’s an extensive review over at the School Library Journal. Look for the graphic novel this month.

image c. 2017 First Second

It's E3 time and this is the first trailer that makes me wish I had a console. If this hits the PC I will be so there. (This game has been in development for nearly a decade ...   does this mean Half Life 3 is going to hit next?)
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More gearing up for the new War for the Planet of the Apes feature film this summer. Now Boom! Studios have brought back a classic from the 1970’s with the Planet of the Apes Archive Volume 1, coming this August in hardcover. According to Previews, “Experience the legendary 1970s Marvel Comics’ Terror on the Planet of the Apes, collected for the first time ever and remastered in this prestigious hardcover. This classic series follows two friends – man and ape – on the run from the law. From Doug Moench (Batman), Mike Ploog (Ghost Rider), Tom Sutton (Doctor Strange), Herb Trimpe (Incredible Hulk), and more!”

image c. 2017 Boom! Studios

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OH HEY, WE HAVE A WEBSITE NOW TOO www.thedraggetshow.com Here's the youtube vid of it if you prefer that! https://youtu.be/8ndpTWOzfIs 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. 166 - Firestream! - OH HEY, WE HAVE A WEBSITE NOW TOO www.thedragget…