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FC-248 Lesnip - Quite a packed show in terms of content. Missing our moaning pink dog, we delve into an endless stream of news & roundup links followed by a full email segment.

FurCast - Sat 22 Oct 2016 - 22:59

Quite a packed show in terms of content. Missing our moaning pink dog, we delve into an endless stream of news & roundup links followed by a full email segment.

Download MP3

Watch Video Link Roundup:

News:

Emails:

Wolfe – “FINALLY IT’S OVER!!!”
Myron – “Suggestion for the audio listeners?”
Lexicon Fox – “Paino Tuning Furs?”
Sam – “Bedfellows Game”
Koda – “Allegedly”

FC-248 Lesnip - Quite a packed show in terms of content. Missing our moaning pink dog, we delve into an endless stream of news & roundup links followed by a full email segment.

Categories: Podcasts

FC-248 Lesnip - Quite a packed show in terms of content. Missing our moaning pink dog, we delve into an endless stream of news & roundup links followed by a full email segment.

FurCast - Sat 22 Oct 2016 - 22:59

Quite a packed show in terms of content. Missing our moaning pink dog, we delve into an endless stream of news & roundup links followed by a full email segment.

Download MP3

Watch Video Link Roundup:

News:

Emails:

Wolfe – “FINALLY IT’S OVER!!!”
Myron – “Suggestion for the audio listeners?”
Lexicon Fox – “Paino Tuning Furs?”
Sam – “Bedfellows Game”
Koda – “Allegedly”

FC-248 Lesnip - Quite a packed show in terms of content. Missing our moaning pink dog, we delve into an endless stream of news & roundup links followed by a full email segment.

Categories: Podcasts

[Live] Lesnip

FurCast - Sat 22 Oct 2016 - 22:59

Quite a packed show in terms of content. Missing our moaning pink dog, we delve into an endless stream of news & roundup links followed by a full email segment.

Download MP3

Link Roundup:

News:

Emails:

Wolfe – “FINALLY IT’S OVER!!!”
Myron – “Suggestion for the audio listeners?”
Lexicon Fox – “Paino Tuning Furs?”
Sam – “Bedfellows Game”
Koda – “Allegedly”

[Live] Lesnip

Categories: Podcasts

He Objects to Being Called "Cute"

Ask Papabear - Sat 22 Oct 2016 - 12:47

Hi Papabear, it’s Wolfthorne again.

I've been on a long arduous journey of accepting myself as gay, and while it has been a very weird if not interesting experience. Happiness is the most important thing for me, and I am in charge of my own happiness.

There is this one certain societal norm I have been trying to get over, though. And it involves terms of endearment, in this case, trying to understand the whole difference between cute and handsome.

When I was a child, my parents always called me handsome, and I suppose they called me cute at one point when I was a child. Nowadays, I've always seen myself as handsome. And usually I learned to associate cute with someone a person of the opposite sex would call me, not of the same sex.

I guess what I'm trying to tell you is that, whenever a man calls me cute—I can't explain it and I don't know why—but I get easily turned off by that word because: A) I'm afraid they're saying it because they're hitting on me and I usually respond with, "I prefer the term handsome, but thank you" just so I can turn them off back, and B) when a man calls me cute, it’s almost as if (pardon my French) they see me as their bitch or something.

What's even more confusing is that gay men USUALLY use the term for handsome in its general definition "a good looking person" (usually of a man). I, however, quote from Merriam-Webster's Dictionary which is not altogether inappropriate: "pleasing to look at; especially of a person: having a pleasing appearance that causes romantic or sexual feelings in someone."

And the definition USUALLY is associated for men. And if a man or woman were to call me that I'd have no problem. Cute, on the other hand: "attractive or pretty especially in a childish, youthful, or delicate way."

Makes me feel as if I'm almost not manly at all. Like I'm weak, or something easily tossed aside like a piece of trash, neither of which are true and I know this because I'm not a child, and I'm not delicate.

I look at myself, and I don't know if people mean handsome as a term for men who are burly or someone genuinely looks hot or if my parents called me handsome in a sense just to make me feel good about myself, or if they GENUINELY meant that, but I can't understand why I get turned off by it.

Is there any way that I can learn to not get turned off by the term "cute"? And what should I do if someone calls me that?

Wolfthorne (age 23)

* * *

Hi, Wolfthorne,

I have never seen a photo of you, so can’t judge whether you are “cute” or “handsome,” but either way these comments by others are meant as compliments, not in any way to denigrate you. Something you need to understand, Wolfthorne, is when you are among gay men, you are more likely to be complimented in terms that many would find more feminine. You can run into very butch-looking men, for example, who will call each other “girlfriend” or “sister.” Jim tried that on me a couple times and I told him to stop it because I don’t like being referred to in womanly terms. I’m a man, not a woman. So, I can understand you might object to being called “cute.” You’re a man, not a baby panda.

Because you are only 23, you might be subjected to the cute word more often. Yes, it is often applied to those with a more youthful appearance. But you don’t always have to be “delicate” or childish to be called cute. I think you’re reading too much into it. The times I have called someone cute, it was never to suggest someone was “a piece of trash.” If I wanted to do that, I would call them a slut or a skank LOL. In short, don’t be insulted, because I’m sure that those who call you cute mean it in a good way.

Now, if this happens again, don’t get mad, but you certainly can say something along these lines: “Thanks for the compliment, but I really don’t see myself as cute so much as devastatingly handsome.” And chuckle a bit and smile to show you are not offended and you’re just being facetious. Then, if you feel they merit it, give the other person a compliment back. If the only thing that is turning you off of a guy is that they used the word cute, you can easily get around that and begin striking up a conversation, maybe even get into some flirting that will turn you back on again. It would be a shame if you turned someone away just because of one poorly chosen word, would you not agree?

Hugs,
Papabear

Children Can Be Animals

In-Fur-Nation - Sat 22 Oct 2016 - 01:55

So it turns out that there are these two creative moms in the UK named Nat and Naomi. One day they decided to apply their mutual sewing skills to crafting animal-based comfy winter coats for their children — turning them effectively into rabbits, foxes, bears, and so forth. The good news is, they then decided to set up an Etsy shop (oliveandvince, named after their kids) and sell their wares to the children of the world! We agree with an article over at Bored Panda: It would be cool if they would offer some designs in sizes big enough to fit adults, too!

image c. 2016 oliveandvince

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Categories: News

FA 041 Locker Room Talk - Are HIV witch hunts counterproductive? Is Locker Room Talk a code phrase for discussing methods of sexual assault? Is Donald Trump a douchebag? Should you tell your best friend you love them? All this, and more, on this week's Fe

Feral Attraction - Fri 21 Oct 2016 - 18:00

Hello Everyone!

Thank you for your patience this week as we worked around technical difficulties to produce this episode.

We open this week's show with a discussion on HIV disclosure and witch hunts. Should you "name and shame" people on the internet that you believe are not disclosing their status with their potential partners? We look into why this might be more counterproductive than it might appear at face value.

Our main topic is on Locker Room Talk. What is Locker Room Talk, and why is Donald Trump using it as an excuse for his language? We give a history of the term and go into how it differs from dirty talk and when it is and is not appropriate. We also call Donald Trump a douchebag for trying to disguise sexual assault as "boys being boys".

Our question this week asks how to tell your best friend that you're in love with them. It's a topic that hits close to home for most people- your hosts included. We go into the possible outcomes and the best way to minimize the risk of losing your connection if the feelings are not mutual.

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

Thanks and, as always, be well!

FA 041 Locker Room Talk - Are HIV witch hunts counterproductive? Is Locker Room Talk a code phrase for discussing methods of sexual assault? Is Donald Trump a douchebag? Should you tell your best friend you love them? All this, and more, on this week's Feral Attraction!

Categories: Podcasts

Cthulhu & H.P. Lovecraft | Ep 37

Culturally F'd - Fri 21 Oct 2016 - 15:22

Categories: Videos

He's Afraid He'll Lose Her If He Admits His Struggles with Sexuality

Ask Papabear - Fri 21 Oct 2016 - 12:09

Hi!

I am 18 years old and have a girlfriend, but I'm afraid I might be gay.

Let me explain: my girlfriend is the most wonderful person I have ever seen, I find her beautiful, attractive, kind and am thankful I can call her my friend. We have been very best friends for 4 years (I would call us soulmates) when things started to get serious and we got into a relationship. Everything was great, although I never had the "butterfly in my stomach feeling" the 6 months we've had together were the happiest in my life. Then I moved away (another country) for a 6-month exchange programme, so we are currently in a long distance relationship. We are considered the perfect couple by everyone, sometimes I feel like we are meant for each other and I actually can't (and don't want to) imagine a life without her.

Recently, I have realized that I notice guys way more than girls. Actually, thinking about it I always knew I was attracted to men. I've always behaved "different", been interested in rather feminine things and so on, yet I have never had anything with a guy. Although I knew about it when we got together, it never really striked me as important, I had no doubts and being together felt right. Now that I am so far away I am seeing what I'm really interested in, but I don't know if I'm gay or bisexual - which would also determine whether or not me and my gf can make the relationship work.

The thing is: on the street, I notice men way more, I find almost every guy sexually attractive (I catch myself looking at bulges all the time). I have watched gay porn and liked it, I have fantasized about classmates, but I never felt anything for any guy.

When I see pretty women on the street, I find them beautiful, somehow like "art", but I don't get sexually aroused (or at least not as much as with men). I can't remember really being sexually interested in women when I was younger the way my classmates were. But I have never with my girlfriend felt like I have to fake sexual interest, almost every time we made out, had any sexual interaction it felt great (of course there were exceptions but I guess they are somehow normal), and most of the time i even started - she never had to push me to do something. I felt always so good, natural and so right.

This confuses me a lot. Am I gay? Am I bisexual? If so, am I still bisexual enough to stay with my girlfriend?

The thing is: I am still very young and have a whole life in front of me, what I really want is my girlfriend to be happy and to be happy myself. I'm so afraid to one day when we are married realize "fuck I'm gay" and to destroy her and me emotionally.

I feel like I have to talk to her, but what do I say? I mean, If even I am confused, how is she supposed to understand anything at all.

Also, she is on the other side of the planet, it would have to be via skype...
This is something else I wonder about: does it have anything to do with being physically apart? Would I feel different If i was with her or will it feel different when I get back?

I have read a lot about the subject and i know there are options like mixed relation marriages and so on, but I really want to be sure about how I feel. It hurts to think that although it could work out, there might be someone else out there who could be a better boyfriend to her, who could have an easier relationship with her and who could love her entirely 100%, no doubts included.

The only thing I am sure about is that I want us to be happy and that I would love to go on having her as my girlfriend, I want to travel with her, I want to show her my home country and so on.

These days all I can think about is all of this, I wake up thinking "do I have to break up?" And feel very guilty - that also seems to be a sign: why would I feel guilty if nothing was wrong?

Especially regarding the fact that we are thinking about where to go to university to stay as close as possible makes this decision feel urgent, I don't want to attach her to something that has no future.

Dear papa bear, sorry for the long letter and thank you so much for being there and all of the support!

Anonymous (age 18)

* * *

Dear Furiend,

Based on what you have written here, yes, you are somewhere between straight and gay. Sexuality is a spectrum; where, exactly, you fall in the middle seems to be something you still need to work out. This is not at all unusual for someone your age.

The mistake you are making here is that you are laying all the burden of this decision on you and you alone. You don’t need to talk to me; you need to talk to her. This would best be done in person, but I’m not sure how long you are going to be away in a different country. Sounds like you plan to go back to her area of the world to attend college. Unfortunately, it would not be fair to her to make all kinds of plans about, say, attending the same university together, and only then tell her you are having second thoughts about your sexuality.

Therefore, it would be best if you talk to her now. You do not have to decide right this minute whether you are gay or bi, but you should tell her, frankly and sincerely, how you are feeling. Only then will you know how she feels (it could be anything from “it’s over” to “let’s work this out but still be together”). Once you have that information, you can make the decisions you need to make. Papabear went through what you’re going through—much later in life—and suffered in silence for four long years before finally confessing to my then-wife that I had discovered I was gay. It was a very hard time; we both cried a lot. In the end, we divorced but we are still friends to this day.

For all you know, your girlfriend could be having these struggles as well. If you talk honestly with her, you might learn she is bi or pansexual or a lesbian. You don’t know. Or you might learn that she is completely straight and she’ll decide that the two of you need to break off the romantic relationship. If that is the case, it is definitely best to tell her now. It is unfair to string her along in a serious relationship if it is not going to go anywhere. Also, this does not discount the possibility that the two of you can remain very good friends for years to come. Friendships—solid friendships—can be just as valuable as mates in your life.

Bottom line: this is not a one-sided decision in your case. It involves both of you. Therefore, you need to bring her into the dialogue and work this out together.

Bon Chance,

Papabear

Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night…

In-Fur-Nation - Fri 21 Oct 2016 - 01:54

In Fox’s Forest is a new hardcover graphic novel published by Fantagraphics. According to them, here’s how it goes: “After a successful hunt with his mate, a male fox is captured by the ‘two leggers’ and thrust into captivity. There, he faces dangers more insidious than the simple eat-or-be-eaten laws of the forest: Complacency, fear of the unknown, pack mentality, and loss of identity. Fox’s struggle to remain unbroken and return to his home and his love makes this standalone graphic novel an all-ages fable in the tradition of Kipling’s The Jungle Book. Gorgeously rendered in a classic pen and ink style, the drawing is reminiscent of the Golden Age of children’s book illustration, and its delicacy is in contrast to the characters’ (a friendly blue jay, a philosophical chimp, and a gas-lighting dog) streetwise patter. Created by underground cartoonist and fine artist Guy Colwell (Inner City Romance), this instant classic is a metaphor for incarceration, and a meditation on masculinity.” And it’s on the shelves now.

image c. 2016 Fantagraphics

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Categories: News

Interview with #FurryBookMonth Creator Huskyteer

Dogpatch Press - Thu 20 Oct 2016 - 10:00

Through out the month of October you may have been seeing a special hashtag around twitter of people talking about Furry books more then usual. That is because we are in our first official Furry Book Month. A way to both celebrate the Furry writer community as well as promote just how diverse the community has gotten. You would be amazed how some people still only view the fandom with only three publishers: Sofawolf, Furplanet, and Rabbit Valley. But we have expanded to around eight with newcomers like Thurston Howl Publications, Goal Publications, and Weasel Press; bringing with them new voices and new stories with the same fluffiness or scales or feathers we love.

The Furry we have to thank for getting this event off the ground is Husykteer, a well-known and active member in the writer community since 2010. She began by posting stories on SoFurry, but by 2012 got published in both Roar 4 and Heat 9. Since then she has continued to put out quality work.

So far, I’ve had short stories and poems published in a number of anthologies; most recently Gods with Fur, Claw the Way to Victory and Inhuman Acts. My short story ‘The Analogue Cat’, which appeared in The Furry Future, won the 2015 Ursa Major and Cóyotl awards for short fiction.

I’d love to get some books out there with my name, and mine alone, on the cover! A novella, Peace & Love, should be coming out from FurPlanet soon.

But how did the idea of Furry Book Month come about? Anyone who has been around the FWG forums knows that the writer community, while growing, is still under appreciated in many aspects. So there has been a growing want to promote the community more to get people to check out their work.

In 2015, Furry Writers’ Guild member Rechan challenged the FWG forum to read a furry book, or several, during October. This grew into the idea of promoting books in the wider furry community during October 2016.

The Furry Writers Guild for those not in the know is dedicated ‘to promote quality writing in anthropomorphic fiction and to inform, elevate, and support its creators.’ It’s the go to place for Furry writers.

A lot of authors and publishers check in on the Furry Writers’ Guild forum, which is a great way to find out what’s going on, meet people and get help with your writing. It’s free to join and you don’t need to be a Furry Writers’ Guild member: http://www.anthroaquatic.com/forum/index.php

Huskyteer got in contact with a lot of author and publishers to see if they can help out with the mouth by offering special discounts. Which if one of the biggest reasons you haven’t read a Furry book is because of the price then this mouth is made for you with books selling at discounted prices to discounts ranging from 20% to 50%.

Several publishers and authors were generous enough to get on board with special offers, which you can find here: https://furrywritersguild.com/furry-book-month/

Those are some of the benefits that come with Furry Book Month, but that still may make you wonder why should we care about Furry Books?

Furry is a very broad term in literature. The only rule is that all or some of the characters are anthropomorphic animals. There’s furry romance, furry science fiction, furry mystery, comedy – whatever genre you’re into, there’ll be something to your taste.

Anthropomorphic animals are universally accessible (that’s why they’re in so many children’s books). A lot of readers find they can relate to a furry character more than to a human.

In fact, Huskyteer got motivated to write from discovering the Furry Fandom.

When I found the fandom, I had no idea there was such a thing as furry fiction. When I found out, I knew this was something I definitely wanted to be a part of. I’d dreamed of being a writer all my life, but I never expected to get into it through something I did for fun.

Writing often feels like a poor relation to art within the fandom, because it’s less immediately accessible. You know at a glance whether you like a piece of art. A book takes more effort, but finding a book you love, that speaks to you about yourself and your life, is so rewarding. I want more furries to have that experience.

I can relate to that since when I discovered Kyell Gold’s Waterways stories online it helped me not only come to terms with my own sexuality, which I talked about in detail here, but has inspired me to get into writing again. Huskyteer wants you to have that same experience of finding the joy of Furry writing and how there are some many options to choose from.

I’m a relative newcomer to the writing community, but in the five years or so I’ve been involved, I’ve seen it really take off. There are a lot of new names writing to get published, several new furry publishers, like Weasel Press, Jaffa Books and Goal Publications, and many more anthologies of short stories are published every year, giving more writers a chance to get published and offering readers a wider choice.

The month itself has already had some success for its first year.

I’ve seen a lot of people talking about furry books on Twitter and on Goodreads, writing reviews, sharing recommendations, and posting photos of their purchases. It’s been great to see readers, writers and publishers discussing books together, and the #FurryBookMonth hashtag spreading! Let’s hope we can make Furry Book Month an annual event.

I believe it will. So go on and check out the discount page to see what publishers are offering, check out the hashtag to see which books spikes your interest, write a review, tweet about it, share it, discuss it, join FWG. The only way people know something exists is through people talking about why they love this so much. Thank you Huskyteer for providing us with a chance to so people why we love Furry books so much. Till next time. Be awesome. Be amazing. Be you.

-Matthias

Categories: News

Episode -21 - Lab Shark Succeeded

Unfurled - Thu 20 Oct 2016 - 06:43

Tonight the crew is down a bird. Join Tal, Roland and Adam in a laugh filled night Episode -21 - Lab Shark Succeeded

Categories: Podcasts

Furry Halloween - Are you too old for trick-or-treating? In this fall-themed episode, we remember costumes, games, and trick-or-treating from long ago.

WagzTail - Thu 20 Oct 2016 - 03:00

Are you too old for trick-or-treating? In this fall-themed episode, we remember costumes, games, and trick-or-treating from long ago.

Metadata and Credits Furry Halloween

Runtime: 33:05m

Cast: KZorroFuego, Levi, Pamiiruq, Wolfin

Editor: Levi

Furry Halloween - Are you too old for trick-or-treating? In this fall-themed episode, we remember costumes, games, and trick-or-treating from long ago.

Categories: Podcasts

Furry Halloween - Are you too old for trick-or-treating? In this fall-themed episode, we remember costumes, games, and trick-or-treating from long ago.

WagzTail - Thu 20 Oct 2016 - 03:00

Are you too old for trick-or-treating? In this fall-themed episode, we remember costumes, games, and trick-or-treating from long ago.

Metadata and Credits Furry Halloween

Runtime: 33:05m

Cast: KZorroFuego, Levi, Pamiiruq, Wolfin

Editor: Levi

Furry Halloween - Are you too old for trick-or-treating? In this fall-themed episode, we remember costumes, games, and trick-or-treating from long ago.

Categories: Podcasts

Awww

In-Fur-Nation - Thu 20 Oct 2016 - 01:58

Be prepared to SQUEEE: “The World’s Cutest Dog comes to comics! He’s Boo, the Pomeranian pup that’s become an internet sensation, and he’s ready for four-color adventures in his first-ever comic book! In this debut issue, Boo and his canine companions Buddy and Blueberry Pie create kitchen chaos when they can’t control their tummy rumblings; our favorite doggie becomes a “Boo-vie star” when he lucks into a Hollywood audition; and finally, Boo celebrates the birthday of adorable eight-year-old Audrey… but the party gets out of hand! Comic readers of all ages will love the whimsical, fun-filled escapades of Boo, the World’s Cutest Dog!” Written by Kristen Deacon, Audrey Elizabeth, Fernando Ruiz, and Joelle Sellner; with art by Tony Fleecs (My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic), Fernando Ruiz, and Rob Robbins; this full-color 3-issue miniseries is available now from Dynamite Entertainment.

image c. 2016 Dynamite

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Categories: News

Episode 330 - Awoo And Chill

Southpaws - Wed 19 Oct 2016 - 16:01

Sorry for the late episode post duders, it's just a wee bit crazy in bitey fennec land. We talk butt stuff, animation, anime, the run up to Savrin's convention, Guild Wars 2, WoW some, and a lot more. This is a long episode with special appearances by a barky doggo. Want to support the show? We have a Patreon! www.patreon.com/knotcast Episode 330 - Awoo And Chill

Categories: Podcasts

SITE UPDATE – The first fursuiter, and Otaku Trucker: Furry Road.

Dogpatch Press - Wed 19 Oct 2016 - 10:06

You might see less posting here for a week – I’m busy writing for a book. That’s Furries Among Us (part 2) from Thurston Howl Publishing. (The Ursa Major Award went to Howl’s first book of essays about the fandom, so they made a new “nonfiction” award.)

My chapter is “The Furclub movement – independent furry night life is thriving!” Furry dance parties happen around the world, so if you see new dances start anywhere, please send info for the list. (To San Francisco furs, I can’t say anything now, but expect some good news soon.)

It’s Furry Book Month, so check out some more of the fandom’s awesome creativity. Flayrah finally started approving new posts about that. Their slowness might have to do with a big rise in great reader comments here. And so does this…

High activity with furries in the news. Rolling Stone linked here last week when covering the triple homicide in Southern California that took furry victims. Then George Takei reposted it to his massive readership.

I have mostly tried to avoid resharing other news about the sad story (although I definitely believe it’s a “furry” story, within limits). I did have a little personal chatting with a reporter and on other shares. Surprise… with both the media and the public, there’s a lot of sensitivity. Even if furries are silly, people know a tragedy is a time to step back and be nice.

I made an exception to discussing when it made a side topic I thought was good and relevant about the power of cartoons and OC Weekly’s editorial cartoon. It got a re-edit sent in by Shining River (shown here.)

Even more high traffic and comments came for A Brief History of Who Ruined Furry. Thankfully the vast majority got the satirical humor and only a few thought it was mocking for real.

The comments brought an unexpected gift, a historic piece of freakotronic video of the first fursuiter at the first furry convention in 1989. It’s a sexy gender-bending deer creature in dom gear, Hilda the Bambioid:

That’s groundbreaking. Who else had the guts then? Hilda was so far ahead of her time. It made one of the Greymuzzles community comment on the “Who Ruined Furry” post: “Just take advice from the Dadaists: “The aim of Furry is the destruction of Furry!” This is why Furry is outsider art.

The video was uploaded to the net thanks to Changa Lion, who lives at the Prancing Skiltaire and posts daily furry videos at Furry.today. It’s a whole film festival on the net!

Daily Dot then shared it: “Here’s some amazing raw footage from the world’s first furry convention“. I’m told they found it on the “obscure media” subreddit.

Changa helped me find Otaku Trucker: Furry Road. Kinda like Furry Force, it’s a “fursploitation” cartoon, which I really hope becomes a mini-genre. Have a laugh with each other if you’re a Steve too (watch all the way to the end to meet Steve).

Categories: News

Zap! Pow! Bang! Graze!

In-Fur-Nation - Wed 19 Oct 2016 - 01:43

Laser Moose and Rabbit Boy. Look, a title like that’s gonna grab your attention, and you know it. Here’s what they say about this new full-color graphic novel, over at AMP! Comics For Kids: “Batman and Robin meet Rocky and Bullwinkle. The forest is full of danger . . . but help is here. Meet Laser Moose and Rabbit Boy, improbable pals who use their powers—laser vision and an unrelenting sense of optimism—to fight the forces of evil. Join the dynamic duo as they battle aliens, a mutant fish-bear, a cyborg porcupine, and a mechanical squirrel, learning along the way that looking on the bright side might be just as powerful as shooting a laser. Get ready for hilarious, action-packed, laser-powered adventures written and drawn by Doug Savage, creator of the popular comic Savage Chickens.” It’s available and on the shelves now.

image c. 2016 Andrews-McMeel

Categories: News

140 - Anne Frank's Knock Knock Jokes - more nonsense! We talk about the Apocalypse, the…

The Dragget Show - Wed 19 Oct 2016 - 00:55

more nonsense! We talk about the Apocalypse, the Russians, pinball, and as always, shoutouts and answering your questions! Reminder: We're on Patreon! If you could kick us a buck or two, we'd greatly appreciate it. www.patreon.com/thedraggetshow ALSO, we're not just on SoundCloud, you can also subscribe to this on most podcast services like iTunes! Don't forget to hang out in our telegram chat, now w/ over 100 members!telegram.me/draggetshow 140 - Anne Frank's Knock Knock Jokes - more nonsense! We talk about the Apocalypse, the…

Categories: Podcasts

Dawn [and] Edward by Marcus LaGrone – book reviews by Fred Patten.

Dogpatch Press - Tue 18 Oct 2016 - 10:00

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

Dawn, by Marcus J. LaGrone. Illustrated by Minna Sundberg.
Seattle, WA, CreateSpace, December 2011, trade paperback $14.95 ([1 +] 192 pages), Kindle $3.95.

Edward, by Marcus LaGrone.
Seattle, WA, CreateSpace, January 2013, trade paperback $9.95 (314 pages), Kindle $2.99.

The Highlands of Afon series must be science-fiction since the novels are set on the planets Afon and Ramidar in the far future, when humans have spread throughout the galaxy. But they read more like adolescent funny-animal dramatic fantasies featuring Afon’s dominant felinoid “race”, the Taik. (They aren’t just on Afon; they too have spread through the galaxy. See the complex “Introduction to the races and cultures”.) There are also the Shukurae, oversimplified as huge (9’ tall) muscular warthogs, intimidating but loyal to Taik leadership, and the Gelkin, short, squat, bearlike, and militaristic; both also spacefaring peoples.

Dawn is the story, in flashback, of Dawn Winteroak. She’s the Taik teenage schoolgirl in the middle on Minna Sundberg’s cover. Besides other adolescent problems, she’s embarrassed because her fur is “boring. Black and plain, not a spot or stripe to be seen. All her sisters had wonderful coats with spots and rosettes, a fact they used to take some pride in pointing out to her.” (blurb)

Dawn has worse problems. Her story begins: “As Dawn cracked open her eyes, she realized one thing immediately: she hurt. From the tip of her pointy ears to the end of her fuzzy tail she hurt. Even her fur hurt. How does fur hurt? she wondered. Well she wasn’t sure, but it certainly did. She sat up only to find that it was possible to hurt even more! Her ears rang and her head throbbed as she straightened up her spine. Looking down she noticed her jet black fur was horribly tousled and her dress, a gift for her fourteenth birthday all of a week ago, was now in tatters. Shredded and charred, it still stank of smoke.” (p. 3)

Dawn has been caught in the assassination of most of her family including her First Mother, the Highland Taik Ambassador at Large on the Taik-settled planet Ramidar. Worse, she has been taken hostage by the villains. She is rescued by her uncle Llewellyn Silverglade (“A man stood there, dressed like a Highland Taik. His fur was a gorgeous silver and white with black rosettes and a long, long tail. He stood there, looking very much like a snow leopard walking erect and just as graceful in his movements.” — p. 6), leading a group of five Shukurae warriors.

But all that is in the first ten pages. Dawn, now orphaned, is adopted by her Uncle Llewellyn and taken to his very large estate on Afon to live. Much of Dawn could almost be called a felinoid comedy of manners, taking into account differences like the Highland Taik social custom of having families like lion prides:

“Having four mothers seemed to cause no end of confusion and curiosity [in human space]. That and the fact that it was her First Mother rather than her father who was ambassador. Of course it was her First Mother! First Mothers were the heads of the family; why in the world would someone expect her father to be the ambassador? Males didn’t get involved in politics and things like that; that didn’t even make sense.” (p. 10) Males get involved in military affairs. Dawn, and Llewellyn, also have Second and Third Mothers, and large families of half-siblings. The Lowland Taiks, with a lower male-to-female ratio, have different customs.

And technological differences like the gates, or dimensional portals:

“‘Aurora [a Taik with pure white fur] was able to open one of the portals, gates as it were. These gates connect the other regions together and permit people and goods to cover long distances just by walking through their thresholds.

‘The humans described them as a stable wormhole or something. I know they were all very curious about them for a whole lot of technical reasons,’ Dawn rolled her eyes, ‘that I never really paid attention to even though I probably should have.’” (p. 27)

Dawn also has a Personal Secret:

“She all but purred as she flexed and then relaxed her wings, the stretch was doing them quite a bit of good. Wings? Oh yes indeed! Her stately wings filled almost two-thirds of the room they were so large, well more than eighteen feet across. It had been a long time since she had stretched them, much less tried to use them. Jet black feathers perfectly matching her fur coat fluttered in the breeze.

She didn’t understand them, but she’d had them for as long as she could remember. They would wink in and out of existence just as easily as she might stick out her tongue. Sticking out her tongue … She could almost hear her older sisters and their heckling. ‘Freak!’ That was the word du jour. She sighed to herself as her mind raced. Her new family seemed nice enough, but a black coat was one thing, wings were another thing entirely. Well, they hadn’t batted an eye at her appearance yet, and she was loathe to do anything to change that!” (p. 18)

… but it doesn’t stay a secret for long, and when Dawn is caught practicing flying early one morning, she’s told briskly, “‘while that was a marvelous flight, breakfast is the next order of business.’” (p. 44) So: for all its strangeness with an anthro feline cast, large families like lion prides, convenient wormholes, wings and other personal talents like invisibility, Dawn is very much a comedy of manners about socially meeting the Right Boy, adjusting to the Silverglade family of relatives including matchmakers, being menaced by highwaymen with swords, various dances, and making an enemy of the haughty daughter of the local Lady Mayor.

Dawn learns to grow out of being a shy 14-year-old into a popular teenager; by taking advantage of her abilities, not being embarrassed by them. There is some menace – one of the villains who killed her real parents strikes again – but it’s so downplayed that it’s barely an afterthought. The feline traits of the characters are used casually: “As Dawn stepped inside, her claws clicked on the hardwood floors and she had to consciously retract them. No sense messing up a nice floor!” (p. 15) There are a half-dozen line-drawing portraits of Dawn and her family & friends.

Edward is about Dawn’s young uncle; an eighteen-year-old bobcat-looking Taik. Edward Silverglade is the youngest of seven children, all of whom have succeeded brilliantly at their professions. Determined to prove himself their equal, Edward chooses a military career in the space force’s 517th Assault Group, a volunteer unit of Taiks, Shukurae, and humans serving together. They are involved in the rescue of Dawn from terrorists against the Taik governor of the planet Ramidar, where Dawn’s First Mother and family had been killed.

That mission is quickly concluded, but the terrorists are still at large, causing destruction and death. The 517th Assault Group is asked to remain on that planet as a bodyguard detail for the governor’s daughter, Tatiana, a megapopular pop star. The 517th’s job is not only to protect Tatiana but to serve as counterinsurgency experts to help the planetary police catch whoever is behind the terrorism.

Edward finds that Tatiana is no diva. She is an intelligent 18-year-old Taik resembling an anthro jaguar, who works with her bodyguards to catch the terrorists. Edward becomes the 517th’s personal bodyguard of Tatiana, while the rest of its team – 25 of them; 15 Shukurae, 5 Taik (both Highlanders and Lowlanders), and 5 humans; explosive experts, snipers, martial-arts warriors, police liaison – works together smoothly to protect not only Tatiana but the rest of her musical group and her crowds of fans. Edward’s individual talent of changing his fur’s color makes him an excellent furry chameleon:

“Edward slipped into the shadows of a corner of the room and let his fur shift in hue to match the walls.” (p. 27)

It also makes blushing a real problem:

“Edward’s fur stood straight up on end and he fought to keep his color from cycling. ‘Um.’” (p. 107)

The reader becomes familiar with not only Edward but others of the 517th – Kadu, Edward’s Shukurae partner; Jake, a human sniper; Gigirena, a Lowland Taik hand-to-hand combat expert; Meeka and Patuk, more Shukurae; Trevor, their Lowlander police liaison. At the same time, Edward becomes familiar with Tatiana and those closely involved with her, especially Gillian Rose, her motherly agent. When Tatiana forms a girl-to-girl friendship with one of her group’s musicians, Zoë Sylva, a Taik who looks like a clouded leopard with black hair, she is drawn into their orbit. Edward becomes so closely involved with them (that’s Zoë, Edward, and Tatiana on Minna Sundberg’s cover) that at one point he asks to be relieved due to becoming too emotionally involved with the two. Gillian becomes “Mom”, and the Shukurae Kadu is a big sister.

Despite the romantic entanglements, there is plenty of action as the terrorists strike on the streets, in theaters and concert halls, and in hotels:

“Things felt wrong as soon as Edward stepped off the elevator. It was going to be a long night. Like the morning, there was a mob of fans waiting outside. Instead of the protestors of the morning, there was a plethora of of media hacks with cameras in hand. Tabloid vultures, ready to document exactly what Tatiana was or wasn’t wearing as she headed out for the night. They were a hazard of the course, unfortunately. It wasn’t up to Edward to judge people, he was there for one thing: protect the client, protect Tatiana.” (p. 44)

“‘You think they’d bomb the elevator?’ asked Alex.

‘No, but I didn’t think they’d bomb the car either. They have escalated their game, just as Kestrel feared. Our job has just begun.’” (p. 46)

It seems like Edward can’t turn around without the terrorists striking again. So: one romantic comedy for women, and one adventurous military drama/police procedural, both feline-furry.

There are two more books in LaGrone’s The Highlands of Afon series, but they are in Kindle editions only: Chloë (397 pages) and Theodore (288 pages), also with covers by Minna Sundberg. If you like these first two, you may enjoy the last two.

–Fred Patten

Categories: News

Return of the Earth Pig

In-Fur-Nation - Tue 18 Oct 2016 - 01:59

He’s back! Or he will be, this December. From the pages of Previews magalog: “The first new Cerebus comic since 2004! Where has Cerebus been since he died twelve years ago? Is he in hell? Purgatory? Limbo? Some strange 1980 disco with links to Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Henry Kissinger? Some ancient Greek disco with links to Plato, Socrates, Aristotle? Some 1990s disco with links to The Stone Roses, the Happy Mondays, and Oasis? Is he stuck inside his own Cerebus Online Disco Twitter-feed? Well, wherever he is, he deserves it, so feel free to laugh at his misfortune! This one shot leads into the Cerebus In Hell? 4-issue mini-series in 2017 celebrating Cerebus‘ 40th-anniversary!” Brought to us by none other than Dave Sim (with a little extra help), the new black & white Cerebrus in Hell? #0 hits the shelves right after Christmas.

image c. 2016 Aardvark-Vanaheim

Categories: News