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Music Video: Bushes of Love
Let's start the week with Twilight Saint dancing to a wonderful cover of "Bushes of Love" Here is the original song if you weren't aware of the wonderful Bad Lip Reading guys: https://youtu.be/RySHDUU2juM
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TigerTails Radio Season 10 Episode 22
How do you say “furry” in other languages? by Fred Patten.
Submitted by Fred Patten, Furry’s favorite historian and reviewer.
Remember when Syrian refugees met furries?
My January 2016 call for information about furry conventions for my Furry Fandom Conventions book, announced on Dogpatch Press, contained a comment from Anonymouse that I didn’t address at the time. He said:
“Russians needs to translate “furry” into their own language. For the last 20 or so years they have not been translating anything, and simply adopting more english words, writing them in Cyrillic letters. If this keeps happening, the Russian language will disappear in 50 years. Mark my words.”
Why do the Russians need to translate “furry” into Russian? I may be prejudiced because I’m in an English-speaking country, and we take pride in the English language containing so many foreign words. We call them “loan words”, but there is no sign that we’ll ever give them back.
James Nicoll’s 1991 epigram has become famous:
“The problem with defending the purity of the English language is that English is about as pure as a cribhouse whore. We don’t just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.”
A favorite observation of SF writers is that if a time-traveler from the present went a thousand years into the past, he or she wouldn’t be able to understand the English language then; it’s changed so much.
We look with amusement at the Académie française’s attempts to keep the French language “pure” by regularly issuing lists of new foreign words (mostly English) creeping into French, often with the correct French words that should be used, such as “Le chewing gum” – “gomme à mâcher” is recommended.
What should “furry” be in other languages? Here is a quick list from Wikipedia.
- Catalan – El furry fandom
- Chinese – 獸迷
-
2000 furries from 41 countries responded to a 2011 IARP survey.
Czech – Furry fandom
- Danish – furry
- Dutch – Een furry
- English – The furry fandom
- Esperanto – Ŝatantaro de felo
- Finnish – furry
- French – Le fandom furry
- German – Das furry
- Greek – To furry fandom
- Hebrew – פאנדום פרוותי (right to left)
- Hungarian – A furry
- Indian (Sanskrit) – फररी फैनडोम
- Indonesian – Furry fandom
- Italian – Il furry fandom
- Japanese -ファーリー・ファンダム (furry fandom phonetically in katakana)
- Korean – 수인러
- Norse – Furry
- Polish – Furry (with a note that this is English for futrzak or futrzastość)
- Portuguese – furry fandom
- Russian – фурри
- Serbian – Фури фандом
- Spanish – El furry fandom
- Swedish – furry fandom
- Ukrainian – фурі
- Welsh – Y furry fandom
B-E-A-RRRRR!
Patch the Steampunk Pirate Bear. Now how are you not gonna notice a title like that? Written, illustrated, and published by Matt Dean, Patch the Steampunk Pirate Bear and the Lost City of Gold is a brand new paperback book for young readers. According to Horror House Party, “Patch the Steampunk Pirate Bear and his friend, Sprocket the Mechanical Bird, sail a steam-powered airship on a great adventure sparked by a rescue mission. Chased by his nemesis Captain Caroline, the great teddy-bear hero Patch risks everything to find the Lost City of Gold and save his friend Nikola. But time is running out and Captain Caroline is hot on his tail! Will Patch find Nikola and get his crew home safely before they are shipwrecked and trapped forever?” The official web site is also brand new, but it’s quickly filling up as the author travels the country promoting his book.
image c. 2017 by Matt Dean
FC-265 e747 - Kaze and Zumoro join us for silly news and some deep fan email email discussions.
Kaze and Zumoro join us for silly news and some deep fan email email discussions.
Watch Video Link Roundup:- Telegram Drama
- DOUBLE KING
- Boozy had a Doozy
- Shoutout to MysticBeast Fursuits
- RockDog Movie Review
- Squid eats Squid
- Why Do You Never See Baby Pigeons?
- Court Lifts Injunction Blocking Mexican Gray Wolf Releases
- Drone Hammock
- Snake can’t roam free
- Steal a Body for Ransom
- Dog Opens Doors And Escapes Animal Hospital Like Nobody’s Business
- Ultra-Chill Jimmy John’s Employee Takes Sweet Time During Armed Robbery
- Donald Trump’s ‘Criminal Aliens’ Hotline Trolled With Reports Of Extraterrestrials
- Anon – “What? I think I’m a woman?”
- Taran – “Curious about your depressive A.I.”
FC-265 e747 - Kaze and Zumoro join us for silly news and some deep fan email email discussions.
Kaze and Zumoro join us for silly news and some deep fan email email discussions.
Watch Video Link Roundup:- Telegram Drama
- DOUBLE KING
- Boozy had a Doozy
- Shoutout to MysticBeast Fursuits
- RockDog Movie Review
- Squid eats Squid
- Why Do You Never See Baby Pigeons?
- Court Lifts Injunction Blocking Mexican Gray Wolf Releases
- Drone Hammock
- Snake can’t roam free
- Steal a Body for Ransom
- Dog Opens Doors And Escapes Animal Hospital Like Nobody’s Business
- Ultra-Chill Jimmy John’s Employee Takes Sweet Time During Armed Robbery
- Donald Trump’s ‘Criminal Aliens’ Hotline Trolled With Reports Of Extraterrestrials
- Anon – “What? I think I’m a woman?”
- Taran – “Curious about your depressive A.I.”
[Live] e747
Kaze and Zumoro join us for silly news and some deep fan email email discussions.
Link Roundup:- Telegram Drama
- DOUBLE KING
- Boozy had a Doozy
- Shoutout to MysticBeast Fursuits
- RockDog Movie Review
- Squid eats Squid
- Why Do You Never See Baby Pigeons?
- Court Lifts Injunction Blocking Mexican Gray Wolf Releases
- Drone Hammock
- Snake can’t roam free
- Steal a Body for Ransom
- Dog Opens Doors And Escapes Animal Hospital Like Nobody’s Business
- Ultra-Chill Jimmy John’s Employee Takes Sweet Time During Armed Robbery
- Donald Trump’s ‘Criminal Aliens’ Hotline Trolled With Reports Of Extraterrestrials
- Anon – “What? I think I’m a woman?”
- Taran – “Curious about your depressive A.I.”
Simon’s Cat: Dinner Date
Spirit Hunters Book 4: Shadow of the Oni, by Paul Kidd – review by Fred Patten
Submitted by Fred Patten, Furry’s favorite historian and reviewer.
Spirit Hunters. Book 4: Shadow of the Oni, by Paul Kidd . Illustrated.
Morrisville, NC, Lulu.com/Perth, Western Australia, Kitsune Press, February 2017, trade paperback $22.31 (310 pages), Kindle $6.99.
Paul Kidd began his Spirit Hunters novels with Book 1: The Way of the Fox in September 2014. He has followed it up with Book 2: The Open Road in May 2016, and Book 3: Tails High in September 2016. Now here is Book 4: Shadow of the Oni. Like the last two books, this has a cover by R. H. Potter and interior art by Voracious Fescue.
The Spirit Hunters series is set in the Sacred Isles, a fantasy world of traditional Japanese mythology roughly in the Heian era, about 900 or 1000 A.D., with all the yōkai (supernatural spirits) of that world: obake, kappa, oni, tengu, and so on. The Spirit Hunters are four freelance ghostbusters who wander throughout this realm, slaying or otherwise exorcising the evil yōkai: Lady Kitsune nō Sura, a fox woman, and her companion Tsunetomo Tonbo, a huge human samurai, who hope to be paid for their services; Asodo Kuno, a young low-ranking human samurai who has joined them to gain a reputation and higher status; and Nezumi nō Chiri, a shy rat-spirit who Sura has invited to join them. Chiri’s two familiars, Daitanishi the air elemental and Bifuuko the rock elemental, accompany them.
Sura and Chiri, and any other animal-people who the quartet meet, are what make these books worth reading by furry fans. They can shift among three forms: human except for animal ears and tail; anthropomorphic, looking human but with an animal head, full fur or feathers, and tail; and fully animal but still able to talk.
While the first three books are basically light adventures, Book 4 is the darkest yet. It begins with “Twelfth Encounter: Shackles of Honour”, which opens with thirteen straight pages of grim battle, slaughter, blood, and death. A decade later, the four Spirit Hunters take refuge from a rainstorm in a long-abandoned shrine:
“‘Do you sense something, Chiri san?’
The rat gave a shiver.
‘I do not like this place.’ Chiri drew her robes about her shoulders. ‘There is a scent of old bones …’
‘This shrine was important once.’ Kuno looked at the expensive cedar pillars and beams – the towering ceiling. ‘Why would a shrine be left totally abandoned? Surely the entire priesthood could not have been destroyed?’
[…]
The altar had once been tightly bound by prayer ropes. They now lay charred, severed and decayed. Sura searched and found a carved wooden charm – weirdly bubbled and corrupted. She looked at it with an incredulous chill.
‘This is a ward against Oni!’
[…]
Tonbo knelt. He, too, could feel the colder air concentrated just ahead. The huge man kept carefully ready poised at Sura’s side.
‘What is it?’
Sura lowered her guard – her eyes fixed on the empty space just ahead of her. She moved with an almost gentle care.
‘There’s a ghost here….’ She held out a hand, fingers spread, sensing the ebb and flow in the darkness. ‘It’s weak. It’s trying to manifest to us.’
Kuno remained at the ready, sword poised.
‘Is it dangerous?’
‘It’s too weak to manifest properly.’ Sura was deeply interested, and filled with compassion. ‘I can feel it. It’s trying hard. It wants to speak.’
[…]
Suddenly the ghost sagged, as though a terrible memory had flooded into her. She sank down, lost and hollow. She stared at Sura, utterly blank with shame.
‘Know then that it is gone. This shrine failed in duty. The Oni’s blood was stolen.’
The fox felt her ears rise. She moved very quietly careful not to distress the ghost. Sura tilted her head, listening intently.
‘Who stole it, Honoured Ghost? Who took the Oni’s blood?’” (pgs. 33-35)
Sura swears to complete the shrine’s long-lost mission. But how can the Spirit Hunters fulfill an old duty against adversaries that were powerful enough to kill all the priests and temple maidens of this shrine?
“Chiri leaned forward, quietly stroking Bifuuko in her lap.
‘But surely, Sura san, the Oni are forever barred from the mortal realm?’
‘Forever.’ Sura kept her hand upon her spear. ‘But any remnant – any taint will be a thing of purest evil.’
Kuno seemed perfectly satisfied.
‘Forgive me, Sura san – but is that not what we fight in any case?’
‘No. We have never faced anything tainted by Oni.’
Sura turned. She drew in a long, slow breath, focusing her thoughts.
‘Oni are not spirits. They are demons – beings of fantastic power who live in a realm of their own. A blighted land of suffering and rage. They are masters of maho – the magic of blood, death and annihilation.’” (pgs. 39-40)
This is the traditional depiction of Oni; not the modern, family-friendly versions as in TV anime such as Urusei Yatsura. The Hunters’ quest takes them to an obscure, apparently nameless village that seems very ominous, yet it is under the care of Kuraika nō Saburo, a samurai who seems very virtuous. The Hunters must reconcile this. Sura and Chiri transform into their fox and rat forms to go scouting.
“The pair lay down beside their beds, shimmered and changed into their animal forms, then slipped out of their clothing.
Daitanishi pushed open the sliding door that led out into the inner garden. Sura stuck her fox muzzle out into the night beyond, seeing lights still on in the rest of the house. But the doors were all closed and the garden was empty. White rat and fox slipped out into the damp night with Bifuuko hovering softly just over their heads. Daitanishi silently slid the door shut behind them.” (pgs. 59-60)
“Thirteenth Encounter: The Eater of Dreams” is a lighter, more traditional Spirit Hunters tale. Chiri writes as a pastime, and her works have come to the attention of the Emperor himself. “It therefore pleases the emperor to invite Nezumi Chiri to submit one play to the theatre festival of the city of Koroda, […]” (p. 117)
Chiri never intended her writings to be published, or to take part in a literary competition with four of the greatest playwrights of the Sacred Isles. She gets acute stagefright, but an invitation from the Emperor amounts to a Command Performance; especially with Sura to make sure Chiri does not pass up this opportunity. The Spirit Hunters find Koroda to be overflowing in a lively literary and theatrical festival. The city even has several animal-spirits:
“As they reached an avenue lined with flowering loquat trees, the houses became even grander. Animal spirits enlivened the streets with their colourful dress and tails. As the Spirit Hunters moved onwards along a busy street, they passed a gaggle of cheerful Tanuki spirits drinking in a tea house. A cat spirit samurai walked elegantly past, sunk in conversation with high ranking officials. Patrons at restaurants and people on the streets all took interest as the Spirit Hunters walked by. The strange travelers with their weapons, armour and floating elementals were a colourful sight, even in Koroda.” (p. 122)
Sura, Kuno, and Tonbo are determined to help Chiri succeed, especially after she is sneered at by supercilious literary snobs, and unnerved by finding out that one of the other contestants is a snake spirit (rats and snakes do not get along). But they gradually realize that someone or something is subtly attacking the other playwrights; and corpses drained of blood are found floating in the river. Is one of the contestants sabotaging the others, or is some supernatural force preying upon all of them?
“The serpent woman rippled and transformed into her half-and half form. Her lower body became one great, long, elegant serpent body, and her arms and skin were now covered with scales. Her elegant face still had haunted bronze-gold eyes.
Hijiki Yumio departed, slithering out to the balcony – her long body rippling. She passed by Sura and halted – frowning, but not looking directly at the fox.
‘A kitsune of the great Kitsune. An armed priestess …’ The serpent spirit looked aside.
‘Interesting …’” (p. 130)
“Fourteenth Encounter: The Sword of Blood” returns to the blasted evil of the Twelfth Encounter. Sura and the others, ridding the land of minor yōkai, come unexpectedly upon one that fights powerfully back. It tries to mask a small gateway into the spirit world created by blood magic:
“Kuno drew away, appalled. His hands flexed slowly into fists.
‘Who did this?’
Sura wearily came forward. She looked down at the body with frozen eyes.
‘Someone who wanted to open a gate. Someone who wanted power from the Realm of Dreams.’
Chiri looked away from the little body, filled with sadness.
‘Was it the obake? Did the old man do this to gain his powers?’
Tonbo scowled.
‘He didn’t seem bright.’ The man’s voice was grim. ‘No – this is the work of someone who knows blood magic.’
Kuno stared at the body, bitterly remembering the powers of blood magic.” (p. 228)
A gate into the spirit world has been opened, and one or more monstrous yōkai have been brought into the Sacred Isles by someone who tries to control them by blood magic. Since this is disturbingly near the Sacred Isles’ Sword Shrine, the Spirit Hunters go there.
“The Sword Shrine was the most ancient shrine in the entire Sacred Isles. It had existed since the end of the Oni War – founded by the first emperor while he was still wounded from the battlefield.” (p. 235)
It is also where Sura and Tonbo learned to become Spirit Hunters. Reiju, the Shrine’s head priestess, agrees that the opening of a gate so close to the nine-hundred-year old Shrine is ominous, and is glad to have their help in guarding it.
The reader will meet Sura’s fox Aunt Kagone, cousin Kikyo, and her irrepressible fox-spirit children. There is important background on the relationship between Sura, Tonbo, and Reiju. The encounter ends in a massive battle as the army of the Oni Lord tries to overwhelm the Sword Shrine:
“The flames’ light cast Sura’s shadow hugely onto the gorge wall. The fox figure danced and flashed, fierce and beautiful.
Kagone and Kikyo could only stare, stunned by the image.
Sura’s shadow had nine tails.” (p. 297)
Spirit Hunters: Book 4 is the first in the series to end on a major cliffhanger rather than a comfortable conclusion.
To support independent furry writing, from opinions to book reviews by all of the team, please visit Dogpatch Press on Patreon where you can access exclusive stuff for just $1.
The end of Rocky Mountain Fur Con didn’t cure the problem that caused it.
Article series: 1) Original story about RMFC – 2) A false rumor – 3) Interview with the Chair.
There’s a tumor in the community. It killed Rocky Mountain Fur Con. Look no further than the “Furry Raiders” and their leader “Foxler”, who calls himself “The Hitler of Furry Fandom“. They hide behind a false front of acceptance, using regular people to help them play innocent while lying about themselves and their beliefs.
There’s a lot of denial about what’s going on. Recently, that includes a confession that Foxler paid to join a real neo-nazi group, wants to wear a swastika, and threatened RMFC itself. Not-nazis don’t do that. That’s the long and short of it. It doesn’t matter whether it’s sincere or a game. It makes them either neo-nazis or two-faced liars about it. Either way is indefensible and incompatible with a creative fandom. (Keep in mind how historical nazis were toxic to art).
Colorado fur Crummles says:
“I’ve seen the Raiders go way out of their way to antagonize people. Specifically Foxler and (partner) Kody. They’ve shown up places they know they’re banned from, refused to do simple requests, like take down a picture, they have a habit of publicly saying one thing, then through actions or through private conversations they do the opposite. After antagonizing people, Foxler will turn around and play the victim. Or he’ll ask how to improve the Raiders image, and when people say something simple, like “ditch the arm band” he’ll completely change the subject, along the lines of “Stop telling me to not be myself!” As a result of his rhetoric and victim complex, he attracts a LOT of super far right people to his inner circle.”
Colorado fur Boiler says:
“The craziest thing is how they continue to deny they have literally done nothing wrong. Foxler and Kody specifically. They refuse to change their behavior and act like screaming chimps when you show proof of their bad behavior. They’ve bullied, they’ve assaulted, they’ve doxxed, they’ve intimidated and they’ve influenced the Colorado community in an exceptionally negative way. They put on this rainbow supportive huggy front, which is absolutely a sham. If you decide to decline their (awful) company for ANY meet, they throw a shit fit and come after you.”
Remember when RMFC 2016 was dragged down by what staff called their “obscenely unfair behavior“? Still, Raiders were on staff and the con wouldn’t dislodge them. They couldn’t even ban a single bad apple. There were diplomatic explanations about it, leading to feedback like this:
@BoozyBarrister @DogpatchPress "No, I don't think excising the group everyone has problems with would solve everything." Yes, it would have.
— Flynnja (@FlynnRausch) April 25, 2017The Furry Raiders split the community in 2016 (before anyone like Deo spoke up). Of course, when RMFC died the community didn’t magically come together. There’s a persistent problem that won’t go away until there’s accountability.
Credibility and trust reached an all-time low with collusion between Furry Raiders, RMFC’s CEO Kahuki, and board member Scorch. The RMFC story is the big one, but here are a few extra signs of why people are on edge about leadership.
A Colorado Furries meet announcement invited teenagers to enjoy porn at a sex offender’s house. On Facebook, Kahuki has been sharing monthly parties hosted with Scorch at the address Kahuki lists for his sex offender registry page. They’re welcoming teenagers with astonishing language about porn and age of consent. (Since when do parties advertise that?)
@DeoTasDevil @Fire_Badger pic.twitter.com/llpLblvXN1
— ☽ Spacebat (@MC_Spacebat) April 26, 2017@MC_Spacebat @DeoTasDevil @Fire_Badger THE HONORABLE ART WAS ORIGINATED WITH A CAPITAL OH YOU MUST BE SHITTING ME
—
MCGABUN
(@Ega_bun) April 26, 2017
Who went to that party 5 days after RMFC closed? (There’s also video of Foxler and Kahuki being buds at RMFC 2016).
A house resident speaks. This FA note was sent to Deo about experience of living with Scorch. I spoke to this person to verify it is their story, with permission to share. Please remember this is only one side of a story, shared as context about leadership.
Do these give you an impression of professional, trustworthy leadership? Or does it explain how the Furry Raiders were allowed to do so much antagonizing? Many furs are fed up, and now they’re working to build a new con, take charge of their meets, and make a better community.
Colorado fur Crummles says:
“In my opinion, the best way to deal with Foxler and the raiders is to shine a spotlight on their terrible views and opinions. Call them out when you see their bullshit and spread the knowledge of their awful behavior. Until they change they are going to be a problem, and ignoring them keeps people ignorant and doesn’t let the community put pressure on them to be less awful. They’ll just fester and grow like a mold if they are ignored.
Ideally they would just… change. Even a little. Admit to mistakes, antagonize people less, and make an earnest attempt to improve their image and faults. If they did that maybe they could be more accepted and less of a detriment to the community, because right now they are a face of the fandom to the outside, and it’s a face that the rest of the fandom doesn’t want associated with them. Although at this point it’s an effort that Foxler is unwilling to make.”
Colorado fur Boiler says:
“I’m currently monitoring the situation, and working with friends to find appropriate solutions. There will always be those in this community who refuse to see how problematic these individuals actually are. Not everyone under the Raider banner is a total prick, but they are definitely led by an ugly, hateful individual that speaks for all of them when he speaks. I think if we all banded together and created meets where the Raiders weren’t welcome, the allure would diminish. Being a social pariah is fun for about five minutes until you realize you can’t see your friends and the friends you have made are all negative, shit-spewing asshole trolls just like you, which is miserable in the long term.
I really want to see this community thrive. I don’t want to see us separated, but toxic individuals who think it’s funny to be hateful really shouldn’t have a place in our community. I’ve been in the fandom 22 years now. I’ve seen a lot. Our community was based on acceptance, not fear and trolling. Foxler and Kody have created a group in which everyone is welcome, even pedophiles and zoophiles and racists – essentially giving them a built-in “in-crowd”. A lot of them are young, and ignorant, and angry. I know how people need to seek acceptance – but we don’t have to tolerate trolling, hatespeech, and toxic behavior in our fandom (like the awful Burned Furs movement). I think people are realizing that, and I think where we need to go from here is making sure our community is healthy, and happy, and not full of racists and trolls who do nothing but spread fear and negativity.
Saying ‘no’ is just as healthy and important as saying ‘yes’.”
Please support writing by furries, for furries at Dogpatch Press on Patreon. You can access exclusive stuff for just $1, and support all of the team’s work, from opinions to book reviews.
This One You Can Call A Raccoon
Cameron Ferweda is a young author who wrote (and published!) his first book for young readers at the age of 10. Now in his teen years, he has continued to write The Great Adventures of Rocky Raccoon in three more books (so far), all of them skillfully illustrated by his dad, Michael Ferweda. According to the Rocky web site, “The Great Adventures of Rocky Raccoon is a series of spellbinding story tales of the two most unlikely of friends. Rocky and his sidekick, Buff [a frog], run into trouble at every turn of the page. Encountering pirates, monsters, and an evil duo, Rocky and Buff outwit them all. In this [first] tale, The Fight for Fang, Rocky becomes lost in a terrible storm and finds himself face to face with his worst nightmare – Fang!” The stories are also at Amazon.
image c. 2017 Zinger Digital
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Trailer: Bigfoot Junior (German)
So this is a thing. "Teenager Adam finally wants to find out where his father is. When Adam was a child, his father left the family. But the reason for this is understood by Adam much later: the unscrupulous group HairCo had hunted Adam's father or its DNA. It is Adam's father no one less than the legendary Bigfoot! The reunion of father and son does not last long, because the well-informed HairCo is now not only Bigfoot, but also his Junior Adam on the heels."
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Foxhunt!, by Rich Hanes – book review by Fred Patten.
Submitted by Fred Patten, Furry’s favorite historian and reviewer.
Foxhunt!, by Rich Hanes. [2nd edition]
Everett, WA, Arkham Bridge Publishing, January 2014, trade paperback $19.95 (337 pages), Kindle $6.99.
This is the 2nd edition. The first edition was published by Arkham Bridge Publishing in June 2009 with the same cover illustration by Minna Sundberg. I don’t know how the two editions may differ.
This is furry space opera, the first novel in the Wildstar Universe of genetically-engineered human-like animals. (According to Amazon, Hanes only has one other Wildstar Universe work so far, and it’s just a 15-page short story, “Duel of Honor: The Way of the Wolf Warrior”, published in April 2015. Hanes has asked for comments on his works-in-progress on the Furry Writers’ Group forum, although he is not a member.)
The interstellar peoples of the galaxy are all modified Earth mammals based upon dogs, foxes, raccoons, wolves, and more, although humans do exist. And the animals don’t like each other. Interstellar warfare is strictly regulated through a Mercenary Command, and restricted to small mercenary companies rather than large national armies. Captain Sebastian Valentino, a humanoid fox, is the leader of the Star Rangers, the most successful mercenary company in the galaxy; 300+ mostly canids such as his Senior Lieutenant Corey Delzano, a jackal, and Junior Lieutenant Patricia Darling, a painted dog. The Star Rangers usually are hired by the government of Valentino’s own Star Alliance, and their target is usually the Alliance’s traditional rival, the Canis Dominion.
All this is background that the reader will pick up in the first thirty or forty pages. The story is that Captain Sebastian Valentino is having an extremely bad day. Or bad week. Or bad months. First, his Assistant Captain and best friend Adrian Miller is killed in a botched raid that Sebastian blames himself for. Second, Adrian’s extremely formal Rite of Passage (funeral) is also botched, which Sebastian (who is having a brief nervous breakdown) also blames himself for. Sebastian’s new Assistant Captain, Corey Delzano, talks him out of it, incidentally giving the reader a smooth background course in Volpa history, language, and religion.
The third reason is the most important:
“Sebastian sighed and looked up over the top of his hefty tome on modern naval combat. A dingo with green general-duty epaulets approached him. ‘You’re interrupting the Battle of Morswood, Collins,’ Sebastian said. ‘This better be important.’
‘Extremely. See, we just got into orbit, and –‘
‘Out with it, sydney.’
Librarian Collins thrust a freshly printed newspaper into Sebastian’s paws. ‘You’d better read this.’
Sebastian was long used to the strange texture and appearance of shipboard paper. The translucent sheets glittered when the metal threading in its pressed pulp surface caught the light. Limitations in ink forced grayscale only, and a limited lifespan, but ship life has its concessions. It was a far better solution than shutting the crew out of external news.
Right now, Sebastian was concerned with the newspaper’s cover: crosshairs super-imposed over a photograph of himself.
‘What is this?’ He read the headline. ‘Fox on the Run?’
‘It’s the National Informer –‘
Sebastian slammed the paper down atop the reading table with a dull smack. ‘I can see that, I’m not blind! I mean the caption, ‘Number one mercenary becomes number one target.’
‘We just got it over Lafayette’s newswire, it’s dated yesterday. I got it to you as soon as I could.’
Sebastian mumbled, sought out the associated story, and began to read. ‘Dateline, Sirius, 9 Ares. Canis Dominion officials stunned the galaxy today by proclaiming a bounty upon the head of Captain Sebastian Valentino, founder and commander of MerCom’s highest ranked unit, Valentino’s Star Rangers. The unprecedented announcement came just three triads after the destruction of an unidentified research installation in the Monterrey system, presumed to have been the work of the Star Rangers. This is the first time in history that a state has issued a bounty on a unit sanctioned by the Mercenary Command, and at a total payout of 3,000,000D, by far the largest ever offered for a single head. […]” (pgs. 33-34)
The bounty may be irregular or even illegal, but it’s been issued by a large government, and anyone who wants to collect it can count on being safe in the Canis Dominion. Sebastian is very devoted to traditional Volpa customs, and cannot be dissuaded from going personally to Adrian’s family on the planet Wexford II to pay his condolences, despite the huge bounty on his head. At least he goes in disguise. The conversations, TV newscasts overheard, and so on will give the reader more background on the fox-dominated Star Alliance. Instead of saying “etc, etc, etc”, the foxes say “bark bark bark”. The Alliance is concerned about the declining vulpine birth rate. Other interstellar nations are the Pan-Atlantica Federation, the Balkany Democratic Republic, and the Lupine Order.
I cite all this to show how much background there is. It’s well-integrated into the novel. Sebastian is on Wexford II to see Adrian’s parents. He’s in disguise as a civilian, and is also taking a needed vacation after his recent breakdown. He stays in regular communication with Corey and his Rangers in his warship, the Favored Sky, in orbit. Everything is fine — until they aren’t.
The huge bounty on him makes hiring his Rangers politically unacceptable for the Alliance. Someone tries to hire the Star Rangers themselves to assassinate him. Corey is tempted – with Sebastian dead, he would become the permanent leader of the Rangers. There is a precognition of doom, a tragic romance, and betrayal. Sebastian gives risky orders that, considering his earlier breakdown, make the Rangers doubt his emotional stability. Again Corey is tempted – removing his Captain on mental grounds would be another way to take over the Rangers. The #2 mercenary company in the galaxy, the Disintegrators commanded by red wolf Commander Duke Thompson of the registered mercenary warship Indeterrable, attacks the Rangers to collect on the bounty:
“‘You are a wanted war criminal, Valentino. It is my duty as a member of civilized society to place you under arrest.’” (p. 140)
Thing go from bad to worse. There are even one-on-one battles in titan combat armor (anime giant robots)! And the characters (aside from the odd human) are all furry.
The dialogue contains many vulpine-specific references. “I can smell your lies […]” “And now I get the stiff-tail?” […] “So that’s it,’ he said, ‘after all my loyal service to the Alliance, it’s goodbye, good luck, don’t catch your tail in the door?” (pgs. 59-60) There are also references to the canid species in the Star Rangers:
“‘Is it that time of year?’
Corey scowled and bared his teeth. ‘No!’
Patricia shrugged. ‘Well, how should I know? You look like you’d be helped by the company of a nice jackal woman, if there is such a thing.’
A snicker ran up from the bridge crew.
‘It is not mating season for jackals, you insufferable whelp!’ Corey said.” (p. 52)
For wolf fans, there is a lengthy sequence among the Lupine Order. Foxhunt! is superior both as space opera and as furry fiction. Don’t miss it!
To support independent furry writing, from opinions to book reviews by all of the team, please visit Dogpatch Press on Patreon where you can access exclusive stuff for just $1.
FA 068 Disclosure - How many times will Metriko talk about Grease this episode? Is rape culture bad? Is disclosure good? All this, and more, on this week's Feral Attraction
Hello Everyone!
On this weeks episode we open with a discussion on rape culture. A recent article nods to the fear of false rape accusations as being a reason why millennials are having less sex. We discuss, and Metriko steps on his words a bit, at the top of the show.
Our main topic is on disclosure. We go over the primary reasons and ways to disclose information, whether it's infidelities, diseases, or bad credit. Failure to disclose is, oftentimes, one of the reasons relationships fail. We discuss this, as well as ways we have failed at disclosure, so you can avoid relationship anxieties from this area.
We close out the show with a question from someone in an open relationship. He wants a more poly-style relationship, but his partner is hesitant. What should he do?
For more information, including a list of topics, see our Show Notes for this episode.
Thanks and, as always, be well!
FA 068 Disclosure - How many times will Metriko talk about Grease this episode? Is rape culture bad? Is disclosure good? All this, and more, on this week's Feral AttractionFurry Is Teased at School for Wearing Partial
I've been a pretty active furry for the past few years, and it's brought me a lot of joy. I love the acceptance and overwhelming positivity. Now, when I bring up my issue, I'm gonna avoid names(I'll use OC names), and not get too personal, but I'll try to make it understandable. I recently went through an argument with a lot of my friends. I broke up with my friends, Cinder, TK, and Peck. Right now the people sticking by me are my friends Velvet, Muffy, and Zip. Now, as you may be familiar, teen friend break ups can be quite emotional and dramatic. I've been pretty down in the dumps lately, especially since Peck tried to convince me everyone hated me, and once TK tried to convince my buddy Ash not to be friends with me anymore. One of the things that really pulls me through how awful drama is, is furry. I wear a pair of ears attached to a headband, and a tail attached to my belt every day, and they always make me feel more unique, especially when people say I look cute or say the tail is so soft and adorable.
But, with the positive people, also comes the negatives. I was working on a project in class while this kid kept pestering me asking "how do you make a furry?" He was really asking how to make my tail, as he didn't understand any fursuiting terms. Though I explained, it became clear quick that he was just setting up a punchline at my expense. Then, when I was getting ready to play my instrument at a pep rally, a trumpet player standing being me pulls my tail. I reflexively looked back, and typically as they always do, he blamed it on someone else. I rolled my eyes and ignored him. Then another kid grabbed my tail with both hands and yanked it enough to pull my pants waistband a solid centimeter away from my body. I turned around and got in his face, then politely asked him to refrain. He just repeatedly yelled. "Guys help! I'm being beat up by a furry." I gave up. After two more tail pulls, one almost knocking me to the ground, they gave up because I stopped reacting. I'm tired of this. I just wish I could cope using the one thing that makes me happy without getting constantly bullied for it. I'm considering not wearing them anymore, but I don't want to have to change who I am when it shouldn't be an issue and the first place. I'm so confused. How can I express the things that make me happy if I'm just going to get bullied for it?
Thank you so much for reading, sorry if this is unorganized.
Osh (age 13)
* * *
Dear Osh,
You are learning a sad truth about human society: humans want conformity, not individuality. Oh, sure, in America we say that we are for freedom of expression and we are for people being individuals, but in practice, it isn't true. You might notice that although most schools do not have uniforms, there is still a code of how you should dress, as well as act, at school in order to be accepted by your peers.
Osh, there is a time and place for everything. If you don't want to be molested at school, you are going to have to wear the ears and tail elsewhere, because no matter what you do, you are going to get bullied. That is just a fact of life. And it doesn't matter if you complain to the principal's office because they will likely do nothing much about it (unless you are actually hurt physically). They might even tell you to put away the ears and tail, as I am now doing.
Does it suck? Yeah, it sure does. I once had a young girl write to me and tell me about a day at school when her teacher said you can dress up as whatever you would like to be. Encouraged, she put on her furry gear and showed up at class. You know what they did? They took her to the school psychiatrist's office.
And that's how mundanes are. Conformists. Hypocrites. And, often, bullies.
And that is why those in the furry community have furmeets and furcons. Those are the places we go where we can be ourselves.
I would suggest you try and find some like-minded furries your age at school and host a little gathering at your home (with parental approval, of course).
Sorry for the bad news, but it is a lesson you will have to learn in life.
Hugs,
Papabear
Artdecade paid me $5 to post about him, and you should do it too.
Somehow I found nice clean art on Artdecade’s FA gallery.
Artdecade is a furry artist who has strong words about bigots, nazis, RMFC, etc. Read what he thinks about the con’s demise and recent happenings in fandom. Or just enjoy his naughty art (NSFW!) He linked to Dogpatch Press, and it’s a nice compliment to get noticed by a furry titan who has drawn 10,000 dicks. He says:
i feel genuine sympathy for ppl that got involved with the furry raiders who were just looking for a local group of furs to hang out with. i don’t think all folks in that group are bad people by a long shot. the creators lied to people about themselves and their beliefs and used others that joined them to make themselves look like just an innocent group of fun havers. i urge members of the raiders that are upset with these people to start your own groups, free of nazi and bigotry influence.
please remember, it was not the people that called out the bigots that got the con closed, nor was it anyone’s intent to close the convention at any point. THEY shut down the con due to mismanagement and then blamed others for it. and now others are picking up the pieces they abandoned! local CO furs, check it out! https://www.denfur.co
Who got blamed for closing the convention? (From Reddit:)
I wonder which con this Dogpatch guy will try to kill next.
Kill the messenger before he strikes again! Actually, ignore that noise and listen to smart furs who just want to be informed. It’s part of being a community. That includes dealers, artists and local Colorado furs who didn’t deserve to lose their con for the reasons that Artdecade said.
An independent voice can share critical stories others won’t. A good way to make it possible is cold, hard cash. You can also do this for your local PBS station, but there’s a little difference if you support Dogpatch Press on Patreon.
It’s like a PBS fundraiser with Furry Porn. Is that some kind of a tasteless joke? Yes, except it ACTUALLY HAPPENED in the 90’s and we have the story.
Supporting this crazy content is CHEAP. $5 got Artdecade’s name in the headline. Wait, it gets cheaper. For just $1 you can read exclusive secret stories I wrote for you on Patreon. Wait, it gets cheaper still. You can get a headline here for FREE, because I’m just that willing to please. Here’s the secret: Submit your own story. Guest posters wanted! Check the About page for ideas of what to send. This isn’t just my site, it’s for the community.
Thanks to patrons who support Dogpatch Press right now: Spotti, Chrissy, Sylvan, Tau, Changa, Calico, Craig, Ren, artdecade, CBPS, Arcturus and Varek.
Few people know that the site is hosted by generous donation of a fur in Mexico. Those furs just helped me to send him a month worth of Patreon pledges to cover cost to renew the domain.
For those who still wanna be haters, please don’t act shocked as if there’s anything besides writing going on. I’ll be shocked if some day, the site pays for the beers that make the articles better.
Thanks again to supporters of writing by furries, for furries, from opinions to book reviews.
Join us by visiting Dogpatch Press on Patreon. And as long as I’m pandering, vote for the Ursa Major awards. Voting closes April 30. Help share your favorite furry works and show why this community is so creative.
– Patch O’Furr
Beware of the Penguin Conspiracy…
Some new discoveries from the Los Angeles Times Festival of Books… including some things that maybe Man Was Not Meant To Know! We met author Steve Hammond, who introduced us to his new science fiction saga Rise of the Penguins. “The War of the Species has begun. An ancient race of penguin has reemerged. From this race a powerful leader declares himself Overlord and unites the penguin clans of the world. His goal: to drive the human presence away from Antarctica and to exact revenge for the atrocities of the past against penguinkind. Through shadowy alliances and manipulation the Overlord launches a full scale war against the humans. The Overlord’s tactics are ruthless even against penguins under his command. Those who don’t conform to the Overlord’s ideals are pressed into obedience or worse. In the midst of bloody conflict against the humans a small Chinstrap penguin, Lavour, begins to see the folly of war and questions the motives of the Overlord. But can one penguin bring an end to the bloodshed and change their course of the war and restore peace?” No less than six books in the series are available now from Rockhopper Books, and a seventh volume is on the way soon. Visit the author’s web site to keep up to date. And remember to treat birds nicely!
image c. 2017 Rockhopper Books
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