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Episode -8 - Emma Sharkson
Watch Out For That Tree
Not to be out-done, this May Marvel will also bring us I Am Groot, the first solo comic featuring everyone’s favorite simple-talking anthropomorphic tree. It’s written by Christopher Hastings (Gwenpool, The Unbelievable) and illustrated by Flaviano. “When the Guardians of the Galaxy get caught in a wormhole, a smaller-than-normal Groot is separated billions of light-years away from the team. Falling to a planet below, Groot discovers he is on an entirely alien and unknown world full of strange creatures and societies. Seriously underdeveloped and with nobody who can understand him, Groot will need to make the journey to the center of this world and find the way back to his family!” Comicbook.com has an interview with Mr. Hastings talking all about it.
image c. 2017 Marvel Comics
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Episode 344 - Hanzo Mains
Rocket and HIS Old Friends!
In what is perhaps a strange move (given his currently ever-growing popularity!) Marvel Comics have canceled their most recent Rocket Raccoon comic book series — only to replace it with a new one called Rocket, according to Bleeding Cool. “He thought his paws were clean, that they were on the up and up. But just when he thought he was out, they grabbed him by the fuzzy tail and pulled him back in. One day, and old flame (who happens to be an Otter) swims back into your life and just like that you’re back in the game…the heist game. From the dingy alleys of Knowhere to the far corners of deep space, they’ll speak in whispers that one of the best there ever was is back. If you need a safe cracked. If you need a vault busted. If you’ve got a big score that needs taking…you call Rocket. Just don’t call him a raccoon. It won’t end well for you.” Good Grief — the return of Lylla?? Look for it this May, written by by Al Ewing (The Ultimates, U.S.Avengers) and illustrated by Adam Gorham (The Violent).
image c. 2017 Marvel Comics
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NordicFuzzCon: Go NFC Go!
His Friend Is Emotionally Manipulating Him
OK so first I've contacted you I believe three times before. The last time I really felt like I had wasted your time with since there wasn't really an honest question in it now that I look back on it, and I do wish to apologize for it.
But now I've been facing another problem. One with a friend I met recently. This is basically what my problem is.
1) The one furry I actually get to see IRL, and we're really super close friends.
2) He's really sensitive and gets depressed
3) He has an unrequited crush on me
4) I can't seem to get him to accept I'm not interested in that kind of a relationship
5) He feels dependent on me, but it's kind of my fault for letting him be
6) He gets depressed in roleplays easily, but he sets up really depressing events himself. I understand just avoiding role play but it seems like it just is part of the ways we chat, it's automatic
7) I want to make him happy, but he can't accept where I draw the line on what I'll do for him
8) Anytime i mention this he talks like he's suicidal
9) He used to have a GF but she was forced by her parents to cease contact since they didn't like the fandom
10) I've been on the other side of the unrequited love equation, I did manage but nothing that worked on me seems to work on him
I really could use some help, how do I get him to accept I'm not going to take that kind of relationship?
Anonymous (age 16)
* * *
Hi,
No need to apologize for the earlier letter. As for this one: is your friend getting any help at all for his depression? Neither one of us is a psychologist or therapist, and it really isn't our job to attend to his mental health. We can be supportive, though.
Papabear
* * *
Yes, neither of us are trained professionals, and as for if he has seen any I'm not sure. But with how he is I don't know if it would be easy to ask him either. If he hasn't though, I do want to make sure he gets help, or minimally some other friends for when I can't be around, and other things so he becomes more independent and doesn't have such a low self asteem in the future. But my issue I'm asking about and need help with first is how to approach someone like him with such topics. Because he takes so sensitively for some of the things I say, he worries about everything, and easily interprets a friendly joke for something deeply offensive. Like for instance, he told me he loved me more than he knows. Then I said:
"That scares me a little, you already have told me at such high levels. I think you know how much you love me, you tell my every day XD"
Well me saying it "scares me" kind of made him start worrying a bunch. Maybe I need to be more cautious about how I word things but idk.
But also, like I said, although I do "love" him (like he was my brother, in that kind of manner, and a lot), he wants to try and take it to a romance level that I don't want. At the same time, I still would like to be friends with him, and even if I would just forget that and let him go, I can't for fear of what he'd do to himself.
Convincing him to accept how things are for our relationship is something I'm not sure how to do. But I need to know how to approach him with any topic like that without him freaking out.
Hope I cleared up a lot things.
Thankful regards
* * *
Dear Furiend,
What you are experiencing is a case of emotional blackmail. This can be done in a number of ways, including some you have mentioned, such as threatening or implying one will commit suicide if not paid attention to or insisting that they love you when you don’t love them back, thus making you feel very guilty.
First thing to come to terms with is this: you are not responsible for his emotional problems. You are clearly a good and caring friend, but you have to keep your own emotional state stable and not allow yourself to feel bad or responsible for what is going on in his brain. I’m assuming he is about your age (teen) and that he has parents or other family, and it is THEY who really should be dealing with this first. Offering support is great, but you are not the primary caretaker in this.
Once you get over that emotional burden, you are better able to speak frankly to this kid. When you do, he will probably respond with the usual drama—depression, “woe is me,” even suicide threats. Remember, these are just tools to manipulate you. They are inspired by his lack of self-confidence. He is afraid of losing you, and the way he deals with this is through threats and appeals to your good heart.
The undercurrent of all of this is, of course, low self-esteem. Instead of addressing the symptoms (e.g., how to respond to his appeals for love and his neediness), what you should try first is to help him improve his sense of self-worth. There are lots of sites you can google about improving your self-esteem, as well as some things I have written here in this column.
Try coaching him in these methods to make him feel better about himself. The goal is to make his ego strong enough so that, when it’s time, you will be able to speak to him frankly about sensitive topics without him collapsing into a defensive ball.
Give it a try. Good luck!
Papabear
Franko: Fables of the Last Earth, by Cristóbal Jofré and Ángel Bernier – review by Fred Patten.
Submitted by Fred Patten, Furry’s favorite historian and reviewer.
Franko: Fables of the Last Earth, by Cristóbal Jofré and Ángel Bernier
St. Paul, MN, Sofawolf Press, July 2016, hardcover $39.95 (v + 128 pages), trade paperback $19.95.
Franko: Fables of the Last Earth is a collection of six cartoon-art fables written by Ángel Bernier and illustrated by Cristóbal Jofré, printed in full color on glossy paper. The word “fables” is carefully chosen; these are gentle, mystical adventures in the tradition of “magic realism” favored by many Latin American authors.
Franko is a young anthropomorphic lion adolescent living in the Atacama Desert of Chile at the “end of civilization on Earth”, with his slightly older lion friend Shin. The Atacama is known as the driest place on Earth, but as backpackers and other travelers will tell you, the deserts have their own special beauty. These six short fables display it with a quiet wonder.
Franko and Shin are lion farmers at the opposite ends of adolescence – Franko appears to be a thirteen-year-old, while the more irresponsible Shin appears about nineteen (and is addicted to gambling). Both embody the exuberance of youth. They and Mana, the ghost of Shin’s grandmother, are the only recurring characters. Mana is the voice of wisdom who tempers the rashness and naïvete of the two youngsters.
The six fables are:
The Fable of Mana and the Treasure
The Fable of Cobrafrog, the Merchant
The Fable of Megaboss
The Fable of the Host of Midnight
The Fable of the Slave Master
The Fable of Behemo, the Hermit
Despite having only three recurring characters, these six fables hint at a richness of Franko’s and Shin’s desert society. Cobrafrog, the Traveling Merchant, brings a wealth of exotic devices such as a mighty tornado in a small box. The currency hinted at in this fable would tempt any numismatist: platinum squares, golden circles, silver triangles, and copper rhombuses. Megaboss, the water buffalo foreman of the saltpeter factory, and Alister, his jackal assistant, run a huge foundry that seems to consist only of simple animal labor (a llama shoveller), but which makes marvelous mechanical horses. There is an invading horde “that once every thousand years instills fear and desperation” – or are they just ghosts from civization’s past? There is Behemo, the Hermit, searching for his ancestors – a look at Behemo is worth the price of the book by itself.
Franko: Fábulas de la Última Tierra was originally published in Chile in 2013. Sofawolf Press felt that it deserved a high-quality English-language edition, and in early 2016 they ran a Kickstarter campaign for $6,000 for this purpose. They got $14,268 from 269 backers. Sofawolf has added three earlier black-&-white stories with the additional money. The hardcover is a beautiful little book. The trade paperback, with french flaps, is as close to the hardcover as possible.
The back-cover blurb says, “Recommended for readers 7 to 700 years old.” An excellent recommendation.
Like the article? It takes a lot of effort to share these. Please consider supporting Dogpatch Press on Patreon, where you can access exclusive stuff for just $1. Want to do something REALLY awesome? Ask two friends to share the link. Thank you – Patch
New Wisdom from an Old Friend
[We won’t go over this year’s nominees for the Ursa Major Awards — there are other sites that have done that better already — but we will say we are more than honored to once again be nominated in the category of Best Anthropomorphic Magazine for 2016. Our humble thanks to all of you, our readers!]
Author Douglas Wood’s most famous creation is Old Turtle, an elderly reptile who guides those with philosophical and religious questions towards enlightenment… in ways that help to heal our species and our planet. Now celebrating 25 years since the release of the original Old Turtle picture book, Mr. Wood and artist Greg Ruth have brought us Old Turtle: Questions of the Heart, a new and larger hardcover book from Scholastic Press. “Why are we here? What is the purpose of life? How do we find happiness? Once again, Old Turtle’s wise answers offer readers of all ages inspiration, solace, and the most important gift of all — hope.” Pre-order it now, or look for it at the end of March.
image c. 2017 Scholastic Press
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Early Man (Aardman)
New Aardman film! (Wallace and Gromit) While the main characters are human like most of their films all the animals are smart and really damn funny. (Yes, This is barely furry but damn I'm happy to see new Aardman films)
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What’s Yiffin’? – March 2017 edition of syndicated furry news.
Good afternoon, Dogpatch Press readers. Last month was pretty big for us – it had our news satire show What’s Yiffin’? debut on this website. Nobody tried to kill us or call us mean names or whatever, so I guess that means it was well received. If that’s the case, then today ought to be a great day for some of you, because we’ve got the March edition of the series ready to go. Thank you for making What’s Yiffin’? a part of your entertainment routine.
AND NOW THE NEWS
More details and some additional insight from the show’s writers:
BACK IN BLACK
Squeak Latex, a niche company serving a very peculiar sect of the furry fandom, announced last month that they were back in business and fulfilling orders once again. (Or “pumping up” orders as they so eloquently put it.) This news marks a substantial change in tone for Squeak Latex, who last year had formerly announced that they were up for sale, following issues with time management and material supply. Prospective buyers of the company would inherit Squeak Latex’s name, product designs, customer registry, manufacturing team, and all additional assets required to run the company. Either no offers were made, or none could be finalized, resulting in the company falling into radio silence on social media until just recently.
Personally, neither of us here at What’s Yiffin’? fancy ourselves as purveyors of inflation fiction or rubber art. However we do like to show support for the brave souls who hedge their livelihoods on setting up businesses to serve this insane fandom. For that, we can only offer our sincerest encouragement that the people behind Squeak Latex are able to get back on the [inflatable rubber] horse and ride off into the sunset. And by “sunset” we mean “bank”.
Best of luck, Squeak!
GREENER PASTURES
We missed this last time around, but here at What’s Yiffin’? we like to make it a point to try and check in on our “friends” in the brony fandom at least once a month. Nobody involved with this show really follows My Little Pony or its corresponding fandom. But we feel like there’s enough crossover between us and them, that our viewers would at least find it amusing to hear a CliffsNotes version of the goings-on in Equestria.
The biggest story among the cloppers last month involved BronyCon, their flagship convention. In a scoop originally shared by Horse News, a website that can best be described as the brony equivalent of this show, it was revealed that the convention was considering expanding its focus to include fandoms other than My Little Pony to help bolster attendance. These rumors were later confirmed in an official BronyCon blog post titled “Better Together” where the organizers discuss their considerations to include fandoms such as Steven Universe and Undertale under the convention’s umbrella.
These two fandoms were mentioned by name, because over the past several years the brony fandom has been bleeding membership into them. BronyCon saw their highest convention attendance in 2015 (approximately 10,000 attendees) followed by their biggest drop in attendance — 30% — the following year. 30% is closer to half than it is to zero – so this is a mathematically significant figure; say what you will about bronies, but the con organizers clearly have the foresight to notice this dangerous trend, and they’re attempting to make appropriate corrections right now before it potentially gets worse. There’s no word yet on whether or not BronyCon will be adopting a new name but we’ll keep you posted on any major changes that may come about.
IT’S CALLED A HUSTLE
The Academy Awards (a.k.a. “The Oscars”) are the biggest deal in the movie industry. Last month, Jimmy Kimmel hosted this shitshow of an awards ceremony. It was rife with cringeworthy moments – ranging from inviting a bunch of random people off the street into the show under the guise that it was a museum tour – to “Moonlight actually won the award”. Anyways, the Academy Awards are all about rewarding Hollywood professionals whose work was significantly less bad than everyone else’s. In the arena of Best Animated Film, top marks went to Disney’s Zootopia.
Honestly, who didn’t see this coming? Zootopia was a huge deal when it came out. So much that it is considered to be “this generation’s Robin Hood” by the fandom. This is a sentiment that we’ve previously gone on record to say we disagree with. But the fact of the matter is for once in this fandom’s miserable existence, it was really special to have something that we could gather around as a community and enjoy for what it was. There’s a million movies out there with anthropomorphic animals, but by and large, none of them can hold a candle to the sheer amount of fan art and celebration received by this film.
Sadly, however, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows. Also up for an Academy Award was Pixar’s Moana, a musical that focused on the titular character and her journey to save her island tribe from the evil powers consuming the land. You see, with today’s current political climate Moana was hailed as a progressive victory because “it’s about time Disney had a woman of color as a lead”… negating the fact that Mulan, Aladdin, and Pocahontas have been out for literally at least two decades. The fact that Moana lost in the category of Best Animated Film was seen by some as an affront to minorities, again negating the fact that the entire point of Zootopia dealt with understanding and overcoming hurdles created by race and stereotypes in society. The fact that people looked at these two films and saw them superficially as nothing more than “talking animals” and “brown people” is terrifying.
But anyways, if you’re one of the people still upset that Zootopia took home the gold then we’ve got only one thing to say: “It’s called a hustle, sweetheart.”
EXTINCTION
For a good many of you out there in furry fan land this news has been somewhat of a silent assumption. Rainfurrest, Seattle’s premiere furry convention, has recently announced that they’re shutting down the con indefinitely. If this news comes as a shock to you, or if you’re not familiar with the controversy surrounding this convention, allow us to get you up to speed.
The most recent convention held by Rainfurrest happened in 2015. It is considered by many to be among the biggest disasters in the history of the fandom, if not #1 on the list to begin with. In recent years Rainfurrest had earned a reputation as a “fetish con” or “diaper con” as a tongue-in-cheek joke among furries – because while most conventions had been taking steps to curtail fetish representation at their events, Rainfurrest seemed to be indifferent toward it.
This reputation reached a critical mass of sorts as social media exploded with photos and stories of people wearing diapers and fetish gear in public, authorities being called, vandalism being done to the SeaTac Hilton hotel, a Denny’s closing down, and countless other instances of just really horrifying events taking place. By the end of the convention the hotel staff had begun leaving very sternly worded notices under the doors of hotel guests informing them of curfews.
Ultimately, the venue was so displeased with the behavior of Rainfurrest’s guests, that they literally broke contract and told the con not to return in 2016. Rainfurrest’s reputation began to precede them. They were unable to secure a venue in time for 2016’s convention, and it was ultimately cancelled.
At the start of this article, we mentioned how tickled we were to see people “making it” in the fandom. Here we have the total opposite of that. However, Rainfurrest’s reputation is something that can do (and probably has done) active harm to the public’s perception of the fandom. Honestly, good riddance; while other conventions were stepping up to the plate and cleaning up their image, Rainfurrest ended up sacrificing the long-term viability of their convention in return for more cash upfront, by means of not turning away the types of people that were no longer allowed elsewhere. Let this be a cautionary tale that no matter how long or how big a convention is, nobody is immune from the repercussions of the actions of those whom they represent.
And that’s the news!
Thank you once again for checking out what we have to offers, and as always big ups to Dogpatch Press for syndicating us and helping us reach even more people in this fabulous fandom. If you dig What’s Yiffin’? you can catch it live as part of the first Gatorbox broadcast of every month; we’re live every Friday night at 9PM (Central) on Twitch, with our variety show that includes this and other original/improvisational humor. We’re also on YouTube and Vidme, and if you’d like to support the show financially we’re on Patreon now as well (and so is Dogpatch Press!!). See you next month, and we hope to see you at our next stream.
– André “Dracokon” Kon & Rob “Roastmaster” Maestro
(More reading:)
- Zootopia: “A Call For Balance” – guest post by Alex Reynard.
- Revisiting Rainfurrest: what can we learn about limits of a growing fandom?
Like the article? It takes a lot of effort to share these. Please consider supporting Dogpatch Press on Patreon, where you can access exclusive stuff for just $1. Want to do something REALLY awesome? Ask two friends to share the link. Thank you – Patch
The Dragon’s Scale
Well done and the gecko is so damn cute! "In an ancient world a warrior and his son are on a quest get a wish from a magic dragon, to fix the son’s stammer but the forest conspires the stop the father. The boy decides to go on alone to face the unknown creatures that await. On his journey he discovers his own inner strength and convinces his father to accept him as he is."
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FA 062 Calming Your Emotions - At what point should you abandon faith for love? What is Dialectical Behavioral Therapy? How much information is too much information? All this, and more, on this week's Feral Attraction!
Hello Everyone!
On this week’s show we open with a discussion on sex-positivity and Orthodox religions. We look at an interview with an Orthodox Jewish couple who lead a double life: religious adherents by day, polyamorous couple by night. We discuss our opinions on their story and ways that it might be dangerous as an example for others.
Our main topic is on Calming Your Emotions. Dialectical Behavioral Therapy is the joining of Behavioral Therapy, Mindful Meditation, and Stoicism, three areas we have previously discussed. We go over the four pillars of Dialectical Behavioral Therapy and discuss ways that you can employ these skills in your life to enhance your relationships with yourself and other people.
We close out the show with a question on coming out to your family as bisexual. How do you tell your family that you are bisexual, want to move away, and also are a furry? Better yet- should you tell your family? We discuss the positives and negatives of both options.
For more information, including a list of topics, see our Show Notes for this episode.
Thanks and, as always, be well!
FA 062 Calming Your Emotions - At what point should you abandon faith for love? What is Dialectical Behavioral Therapy? How much information is too much information? All this, and more, on this week's Feral Attraction!Dazzle Resplendent: Adventures of a Misanthropic Dog, by Scott Bradfield – a book review by Fred Patten.
Submitted by Fred Patten, Furry’s favorite historian and reviewer.
Dazzle Resplendent: Adventures of a Misanthropic Dog, by Scott Bradfield.
London, Red Rabbit Books, January 2017, trade paperback $9.99 (174 pages), Kindle $4.99.
Scott Bradfield has been a professor at universities in California, Connecticut, and London. He is also a literary reviewer, and an author of short stories. This is a collection of his eight Dazzle stories, originally published in literary magazines and Fantasy & Science Fiction between 1988 and 2011. Many of them have been also collected in earlier Bradfield collections, but this is the first collection of all eight of them.
Dazzle has been described as a wise-cracking talking dog, but he is more accurately a sardonic motor-mouth who talks incessantly whether anyone is listening or not. Here is how I described “Dazzle Redux” in my review of Bradfield’s Hot Animal Love: Tales of Modern Romance, for Anthro #10, March/April 2007:
“Dazzle, now living as a feral dog in the mountains around Los Angeles with a complacent bitch and her pups, is happy; but could be happier if he would learn to just shut up!
“Maybe I’m not all I should be in the family skills department,” Dazzle confessed that night to his erstwhile mate, Edwina. “But getting through to those kids of yours is like having a conversation with a block of wood, I swear. If I try to instruct them in the most basic math and science skills, they’re not interested. If I try to teach them which way to look when crossing the street, they’re still not interested. If I try to point out the most obvious cultural contradictions of multinational capitalism, why, just forget about it. They’re really not interested. If you can’t eat it or fuck it, it’s not important; that’s their attitude.”(Etc., etc.; Edwina is sleeping through all this. pg. 31)
Finally despairing of trying to get his foster pups interested in geometry or Nietzsche or even not running with the local coyotes, Dazzle sets out to find his own father in the alleys and dumpsters of L.A.
“Dazzle”, the first story, introduces him as “a dog with bushy red hair, fleas and an extraordinary attention span – especially for a dog. He was particularly fond of pastry, philosophies of language and Third World political theory.” (p. 3) Dazzle is the pet of the Davenport family: Father, Mother, and children Billy, Brad, and Jennifer. Billy is the one who takes Dazzle for walkies. Dazzle is quiet around the humans – he doesn’t care much for them — but he regales “Homer, a resolute and well-groomed Dalmatian who often roamed the park during Dazzle’s afternoon walks, and Dingus, the hideous Lhasa Apso who snorted at Dazzle through the slatted pine fence of Dazzle’s backyard.” (p. 4) The two dogs give little signs of understanding Dazzle’s monologues, but he doesn’t let that bother him.
Dazzle becomes so lethargic that the Davenports grow worried. They call the veterinarian and a dog psychiatrist. They don’t know that it’s all being undercut by Dazzle’s listening with them to the TV evening news. “The entire world was rapidly being transformed into a gigantic petrochemical dump, Dazzle thought. We are all being steadily infiltrated by carcinogens, toxins, radiation and some sort of irrepressible sadness that is probably the only underlying meaning anyway.” (p. 10) This lasts until somebody leaves the Davenports’ backyard gate open, and Dazzle escapes. He wanders about what becomes identifiable as Los Angeles’ outlying suburbs, meets Edwina, tries to educate her pups, and develops a respect for antibiotic medicines.
In “Dazzle Redux”, Dazzle decides to stop trying to educate Edwina’s pups, who aren’t listening to him anyhow, and he leaves on a personal quest to find his father. He does immediately, and the reader gets Pop’s excuses and philosophy of life. “Pop invited Dazzle to spend the night in his home – the basement of a condemned Pizza Hut – and even offered to share some of his moldier blankets and food stuffs. But he refused to acknowledge any moral responsibility for Dazzle’s life, or manifest the slightest degree of remorse.” (p. 29) After a near brush with a dogcatcher in Encino, Dazzle brings his Pop home to Edwina and the pups. “‘For crying out loud! Dazzle’s dad was often heard exclaiming through the warm, fir-scented air. ‘It’s a rhomboid, for Christ’s sake! Don’t you idiots know what a rhomboid is?’” (pgs. 38-39)
Dazzle finally talks to people in “Dazzle’s Inferno”. He’s caught by the SPCA and selected by UCLA’s new Department of Animal Linguistics for experimentation on how to teach dogs human language. “When Dazzle awoke, he found himself drifting in a huge, gelatin-filled tank in a wide, omniscient laboratory buzzing with video cameras and metabolic gauges. His eyes were sewn open; his paws were bound by see-through plastic tape. And an array of multicolored, follicular implants sprouted from his forehead like a cybernetic toupee.” (p. 51) “Dazzle wished he were the sort of dog who could resist such an invitation. But of course he wasn’t.” (p. 52) Dazzle tells the scientists what he thinks of them. Which leads to …
There are five more stories: “Dazzle Gets Political”, “Dazzle the Pundit”, “Dazzle Joins the Screenwriter’s Guild”, “Dazzle Speaks with the Dead”, and “Starship Dazzle”. The last begins, “At an age when most dogs are contemplating retirement by a shaggy fireside, or the looming possibility of euthanasia in the rubber-gloved embrace of some smirking vet, Dazzle convinced the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to send him into space on a rocket.” (p. 153)
Dazzle Resplendent (cover by Bradfield) is a sarcastic criticism of humanity and modern civilization through the device of a talking dog; but the dogs aren’t spared, either. It’s for readers who enjoy intellectual parodies as well as dramatic fiction. It can either be read all at once, or in installments.
Short-Attention-Span Raccoon
From out of nowhere department, largely! Things are still ramping up for this summer’s release of Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2. According to our friends over at Animation Scoop, “Marvel and Disney XD announced today a 12-episode series of Rocket & Groot animated shorts. The shorts follow Rocket and Groot (from the Guardians Of The Galaxy) as they try to figure out how to get enough credits to buy a new ship after their old one breaks down. A compilation of all the shorts will premiere on Disney XD at 7:00am ET/PT on April 10th. Rocket is voiced by Trevor Devall (Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, Johnny Test) and Groot is voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson (Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, The Cleveland Show). Featuring animation by Oscar-nominated Passion Pictures, the shorts are directed by Arnaud Delord and written by Chris ‘Doc’ Wyatt and Kevin Burke.” The Animation Scoop article has a preview.
Image c. 2017 Marvel/Disney XD
Rocket & Groot: Dream Machine
First episode of the new web Rocket and Groot series has finally landed. Enjoy! "Rocket and Groot find their dream ship in the Broker's Junkyard, but encounter one very expensive problem before they can buy it." Updated with more episodes: https://youtu.be/PpQFh6Zjod4 https://youtu.be/tb6fk56vUvE https://youtu.be/Pu7yBgEdxCw
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Vote now for the 2016 Ursa Major Awards!
Submitted by Fred Patten, Furry’s favorite historian and reviewer.
Voting for the 2016 Ursa Major Awards, for the Best Anthropomorphic Literature and Art of the 2016 calendar year in 12 categories, is now open. The voting is open from March 13 to April 30. The awards will be announced at a presentation ceremony at Anthrocon 2017, in Pittsburgh, PA on June 29 – July 2.
The twelve categories are: Best Anthropomorphic Motion Picture; Best Anthropomorphic Dramatic Short or Series; Best Anthropomorphic Novel; Best Anthropomorphic Short Fiction; Best Anthropomorphic Other Literary Work; Best Anthropomorphic Non-Fiction Work; Best Anthropomorphic Graphic Story; Best Anthropomorphic Comic Strip; Best Anthropomorphic Magazine; Best Anthropomorphic Published Illustration; Best Anthropomorphic Game; and Best Anthropomorphic Website.
Voting is open to all! To vote, go to the Ursa Major Awards website at http://www.ursamajorawards.org/ and click on “Voting for 2016” at the left.
You will receive instructions on how to register to vote. You do not have to vote in every category. Please vote in only those categories in which you feel knowledgeable.
This final ballot has been compiled from those works receiving the most nominations that were eligible. The top five nominees in each category are the finalists. Please make sure that your nominations are only for works published during the calendar year (January through December) in question.
2016 FINAL BALLOT
Best Anthropomorphic Motion Picture
Finding Dory (Directed by Andrew Stanton and Angus MacLane; June 17)
Kung Fu Panda 3 (Directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson and Alessandro Carloni; January 29)
The Secret Life of Pets (Directed by Chris Renaud and Yarrow Cheney; July 8)
Sing (Directed by Garth Jennings and Christophe Lourdelet; December 21)
Zootopia (Directed by Byron Howard, Rich Moore, and Jared Bush; February 11)
Best Anthropomorphic Dramatic Short or Series
Bunnicula (Directed by Jessica Borutski, Maxwell Atoms, Robert F. Hughes, Matthew Whitlock, and Ian Wasseluk; Season 1 episodes 1 to 8 [TV])
The Lion Guard (Directed by Howy Parkins; Season 1 episodes 1 to 22 [TV])
Littlest Pet Shop (Directed by Joel Dickie, Steven Garcia, and Mike Myhre; Season 4 episode 10 to Season 4 episode 26 [TV])
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (Directed by James Thiessen, Jim Miller, Tim Stuby, and Denny Lu; Season 6 episodes 1 to 143 [TV])
Petals (Directed by Andrea Gallo and Alvaro Dominguez; November 29 [student film])
Best Anthropomorphic Novel
Dog Country, by Malcolm F. Cross (Amazon Digital Services; March 28)
Fracture, by Hugo Jackson (Inspired Quill; September 1)
My Diary, by Fredrick Usiku Kruger, Lieutenant of the Rackenroon Hyena Brigade, by Kathy Garrison Kellog (The Cross Time Cafe; April 2)
The Origin Chronicles: Mineau, by Justin Swatsworth (Dolphyn Visions; June 14)
Sixes Wild: Echoes, by Tempe O’Kun (FurPlanet Productions; June 30)
Best Anthropomorphic Short Fiction
400 Rabbits, by Alice “Huskyteer” Dryden, in Gods With Fur (FurPlanet Productions; June 30)
A Gentleman of Strength, by Dwale, in Claw the Way to Victory (Jaffa Books; January 24)
Marge the Barge, by Mary E. Lowd, in Claw the Way to Victory (Jaffa Books; January 24)
Questor’s Gambit, by Mary E. Lowd, in Gods With Fur (FurPlanet Productions; June 30)
Sheeperfly’s Lullaby, by Mary E. Lowd, in GoAL #2 (Goal Publications; March 27)
Best Anthropomorphic Other Literary Work
Claw the Way to Victory, ed. by AnthroAquatic (Jaffa Books; January 24 [anthology])
Gods With Fur, ed. by Fred Patten (FurPlanet Productions; June 30 [anthology])
Hot Dish #2, ed. by Dark End (Sofawolf Press; December 1 [anthology])
The Muse, by Alex Cockburn (Rabbit Valley Publishing; March [background booklet for Lucid’s Dream])
ROAR volume 7, ed. by Mary E. Lowd (Bad Dog Books; June 30 [anthology])
Best Anthropomorphic Non-Fiction Work
The Art of Zootopia, by Jessica Julius (Chronicle Books; March 8 [book; making of feature film])
Burned Furs and How You Perceive Porn (Culturally F’d: After Dark; October 6 [podcast])
CSI: Fur Fest; The Unsolved Case of the Gas Attack at a Furry Convention, by Jennifer Swann (VICE Media; February 10 [Internet])
Fursonas (Directed by Dominic Rodriguez; May 10 [documentary film])
17 Misconceptions About Furries and the Furry Fandom (Culturally F’d #23; February 11 [podcast])
Best Anthropomorphic Graphic Story
Endtown, by Aaron Neathery (Internet; January 1 to December 30)
Lackadaisy, by Tracy J. Butler (Internet; Lackadaisy Sabbatical to Lackadaisy Headlong)
Lucid’s Drean, by Alex Cockburn (Rabbit Valley Publishing; March)
Swords and Sausages, by Jan (Internet; January 10 to December 25)
TwoKinds, by Tom Fischbach (Internet; January 6 to December 25)
Best Anthropomorphic Comic Strip
Carry On, by Kathy Garrison (Internet; January 1 to December 30)
Doc Rat, by Jenner (Internet; January 1 to December 29)
Housepets!, by Rick Griffin (Internet; January 1 to December 30)
Kevin & Kell, by Bill Holbrook (Internet; January 1 to December 31)
SaveState, by Tim Weeks (Internet; January 6 to December 28)
Best Anthropomorphic Magazine
Dogpatch Press, ed. by Patch Packrat (Internet; January 4 to December 20)
Fangs and Fonts (Podcast; episodes #57 to #72)
Flayrah, ed. by crossaffliction and GreenReaper (Internet; January 1 to December 29)
Fur What It’s Worth (Podcast; Season 5 episode #8 to Season 6 episode #8)
InFurNation, ed. by Rod O’Riley (Internet; January 1 to December 31)
Best Anthropomorphic Published Illustration
Tracy J. Butler, cover of Anthrocon 2016 Souvenir Book
Dolphyn, “Hey Baby, You’re the Cat’s Meow!” in Anthrocon 2016 Souvenir Book
Teagan Gavet, cover of Gods With Fur, ed. by Fred Patten (FurPlanet Productions, June 30)
Iskra, “Autumn”, FurAffinity, October 22
Jenn ‘Pac’ Rodriguez, cover of Claw the Way to Victory, ed. by AnthroAquatic (Jaffa Books, January 24)
Best Anthropomorphic Game
Bear Simulator (Developer and Publisher: Farjay Studios; February 26)
Major \ Minor (Developer: Klace; Publisher: Steam; October 11)
Overwatch (Deveoper and Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment; May 24)
Pokémon Sun & Moon (Developer: Game Freak; Publishers: Nintendo and the Pokémon Company; November 18)
Stories: The Path of Destinies (Developer and Publisher: Spearhead Games; April 12)
Best Anthropomorphic Website
Culturally F’d, ed. by Arrkay and Underbite (YouTube [furry history & sociology])
E621 (Internet [furry art & discussion])
Fur Affinity (Internet [furry art & discussion])
The Furry Writers’ Guild (Internet [FWG news & discussion])
WikiFur (Internet [furry wiki])
Again, here’s the link to vote for your favorite 2016 anthropomorphic works for the Ursa Major Award.
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Secrets of the Circus Revealed!
Here’s what publisher First Second have to say about their new prequel book Animal Crackers — Circus Mayhem: “The wacky, high-action graphic novel companion to Animal Crackers, Scott Christian Sava’s highly-anticipated animated feature film. Buffalo Bob’s Rootin’ Tootin’ Animal Circus is famous for its jump-roping giraffe, tangoing lion, and knife-throwing elephant. But they have to be fakes, right? Owen is determined to get to the bottom of this mystery. When he visits the circus he discovers that his uncle and, coincidentally, all of the animals, are missing. It can only be the work of Buffalo Bob’s sideshow rival: Contorto. Owen stumbles upon the one thing that can save the day: Buffalo Bob’s box of animal crackers. But these aren’t any ordinary cookies: One bite and you’re transformed into a circus animal!” Look for it in hardcover later this month, or you can read all about it over on Goodreads.
image c. 2017 First Second
