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You have no doubt by now heard about the shooting in Orlando, Florida, at a gay club there and that the perpetrator (who is now dead) killed dozens and injured dozens more in the name of ISIS. It is, to date, the worst mass shooting in American history.

When something like this happens, we weep and we ask "Why?" Many reasons come out. In this case, several reasons have already been proposed, including that the shooter was an Islamist, that he was mentally ill, and that he was homophobic. It's also worth noting his parents are from Afghanistan and he could have been upset by what is happening in that country.

Then there is the corollary that we are not vigilant enough and we allow these things to happen. The killer was investigated not once, but twice, by the FBI, which never charged him. Yet, should this not have raised a red flag when he legally obtained two guns days before the shooting? And there is always the argument against the availability of high-powered weaponry that is obviously not meant for hunting deer. There is also the argument that the writers of the Constitution meant the 2nd Amendment to apply to a "well-regulated militia," not the proliferation of automatic guns and other weapons among unregulated, private citizens. One can easily point to countries in Europe and elsewhere that see far less gun violence because they regulate guns better than we do (they still see violence, but not on the same scale). Furthermore, the NRA argument that more guns, not fewer, is the answer is patently absurd. We have more guns than ever in private hands, yet the problem grows worse every week.

All of the above are valid points to be made and could all be factors that led to the shooting deaths of 50 people, but I like to keep things simple. The problem is much deeper than gun laws and prejudice and religious zealotry. The problem is a fundamental flaw in human nature to hate what we don't understand or what we fear.

Even now after this heinous act we see people spreading their venom about gay people, making matters worse. The infamous nutbag Pat Robertson has said that it is God punishing us because the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that gay marriage is constitutional. And Texas Lt. Governor Dan Patrick posted a tweet that you "reap what you sew" (he has deleted the comment, but not before thousands saw what kind of person he truly is).

Why do people feel this way? Why do people spread hatred and commit acts of violence? In the case of gay hatred, my theory is that the worst perpetrators are the ones who have doubts about their own sexual feelings and use hatred as a way to deny them (how many times have you read stories of anti-gay senators or ministers being caught with their hands in the masculine cookie jar?)

But to be less specific, more generalized, the reasons are fear and ignorance. Why do countries go to war? Because they fear they do not have enough power and resources and they are vulnerable unless they conquer their neighbors. Why are people prejudiced against other cultures? Because they are ignorant about how others live, and they fear that which they do not understand. Why do Islamists kill people? Because they have been misled into believing that other people hate their God and don't respect Him. Why does the U.S. government have the biggest military in the world with bases all over the planet? Because we mistakenly believe that if others do not govern as we do or have capitalistic economies then they are a threat, and we also believe that we are wiser and more free than anyone, which just isn't so. Why do some people hate furries? Because they believe all the crap they see on TV and on the Internet and they are afraid of people who behave in imaginative ways they don't understand.

So, is there a solution? You cannot solve all the problems of the world by yourself, true, but you can be part of the solution. Educate yourself and learn about other people not just people like yourself. Show love and kindness toward your fellow humans and to Nature. Shine light on the world by being an example of acceptance and charity. Meanwhile, also strive to achieve inner peace and a connection with the universe. (By the way, this is also directed at those furries who seek to create division within our own ranks).

The Orlando shooting and other similar crimes serve as an example to all of us of what not to do, and how not to react when you are troubled or angry. The person who killed all those innocents is now dead. We cannot exact revenge, and to be angry and bitter offers no salvation.

The only way to fight ignorance is with education, and the only way to fight hatred is with love.

That is the lesson here.

Blessed Be.

​Grubbs "Papabear" Grizzly

UPDATE: TROLLED… first time for the site.  Whoops!  People died, but don’t bet on the fur name below.  It was a hoax for cheap attention.  Don’t skip the other truthful info here.

Pulse Nightclub in Orlando, Florida, was the scene of a national tragedy in the early AM hours of June 12.  News has spread far and wide about this worst mass shooting in US history.  50 or more lives were taken at a gay club, which is especially meaningful to many during Pride month.  You’ll see a sea of rememberances at the celebrations everywhere.

[Breaking News] Orlando Nightclub mass-shooting. from AskReddit

The event at Pulse happened to be a Latin night.  Comments to their Facebook page mention that the event was shared by more than gay people.  It touched other communities as well – including ours.

Let’s focus on what it means to the small Furry subculture, and the impact of such events in general.

For those in Orlando Florida, my heart’s out for you from furry

(Suspicious info below.)  

Kodakoda Coyote died in the shooting, as shared by Soatoak on Reddit.  Here’s his FurAffinity account, listing his age of 20 (as of 2012?)  It gives no further info, except salutes from others.  (This news is rushed out prior to finding if there’s more info, but expect more attention for him.)

The tragedy has affected the community:

“A friend of mine wanted me to go with him to the pulse nightclub (I live about 20 minutes from the club) and I almost went, but two of our friends invited us to a Zootopia movie night at their place. Boy am I glad I decided to go with them and not to the club. Scary thought though. I did lose a friend last night. And i’ve been taking it kinda rough lately.” – (Deg The Wolf)

(Update: the original tweet about Kodakoda was deleted, fueling suspicions of a hoax, but Deg’s comment adds a source.)

(End suspicious info.  Compare “Deg” and “Sebastian“, who made posts about dead friends that they deleted)  

This happened literally at the height of one of the biggest regular Furry club nights anywhere (Frolic), also at a gay club of 300 people.  It hits pretty close to home.

Neonbunny, the organizer of Frolic says:

“This was not an attack on a gay bar in Orlando. This was an attack on my very identity, and my freedom to be who I am.”

Let me mention that a furry con-goer was also killed in the mass shooting in San Bernardino around December. Few people noticed, so this is an opportunity to say it.

Doesn’t one of the cons do a rememberance for community members who died in the year?

Sometimes people wonder why they should care.  For example, last year a fur (Alendre) was caught in a nightclub fire in Taiwan that had hundreds of casualties. (He was also the only American there, and got a lot of attention in Taiwan for that – he was the focus of some national attention for both countries).  A GoFundMe went around and I spread it as much as I could.  Why pick him out when everyone needs help?  Why donate just because they’re a furry?  Is that a false appeal?

The answer is, of course it’s sort of unfair – it’s unfair that it happened to anyone, let alone 500 people  – but it’s not practical for one small community to help everyone at once.  Helping one is better than helping none, and what matters is how the receiver and their family feels when you help them.

It was a harrowing case, and Alendre almost died, but within the past few weeks I got to talk to him for the first time.  He’s well on the way to recovery. So there’s a good story for today too.

Send thoughts for those close to Kodakoda, and everyone affected by the tragedy.

https://www.vice.com/read/we-asked-furries-about-how-they-developed-their-fursonas


When people hear "furry" they instantly think of big, fuzzy animal outfits, called "fursuits." Not all furries have fancy, ornate ones, but many in the fandom go all out when it comes to their second skin. For those looking to take their involvement in the community to the next level, the creation or commission of a fursuit is an act of outward expression and serious dedication (often, a financial one).

Fursuits can be intrinsic to the identities or alter egos that define the lifestyle, and some furries even keep multiple fursuits for multiple personalities. Most furries have concepted characters—referred to as "fursonas"—that they choose to represent themselves, and the suits can help articulate certain aspects of each character. For some, the fursona is an elevated state of self, an expression of an inner animal. For others, it's more fantasy-based, a crafted identity, representing something they aspire to or deem important.

Fursuits are built by specific furries, many of whom make their entire living creating commissioned suites year round. While the cost of most fursuits hover around the $1,000-$4,000 range, they can cost up to $10,000, depending on intricacy, quality, and the reputation of the maker. While at Biggest Little Fur Con—the fastest-growing furry convention in the country, held in mid-May in Reno, Nevada—I caught up with a handful of furrys to find out about the genesis of their fursona and fursuits.

JEBRONI, aka "Certified Love Kitten"
Maine Coon Kitten

I'm Jebroni Kitty, and I come from Chicago. I came up with my character because I was trying to discover what I liked [within the subculture]. I took pieces of inspiration from things like Second Life to create my fursuit, and I've always been a cat. It's just how I've always acted and felt.

I love hearts, and I like blue and pink—the colors of my fursuit—because they just mix well together. I'm a big guy, but I wanted to be a house cat, so I'm a Maine Coon. Big, husky, cuddly, and very mild-natured. I became known as the Love Kitten after going out with my stuffed hearts, which I carry around with me a lot. I often give my heart out to people, and then other furries started calling me Love Kitten.

MUKILTEO
Dog

I live on Woodbee Island in Washington State and this is my character Mukilteo. I have a website where I teach people how to make and build fursuit costumes, too. I have been in the furry fandom for a very long time, since 1998 or 1999.

Mukilteo was my first furry character, I had gotten this costume as a trade with another fursuit maker. This character is the bad dog. He wears a shock collar and he's a dog party advocate. He fights for Couch Rights and access to fresh water and walks to the park, and more treats! We want fresh bones and snacks!

I have another character, Matrices, and she's a gray dog, with folded back ears, and has a marking on her forehead. She's the one that really represents myself more so than Mukilteo, and she is the one I have as my avatar online. But Mukilteo is my fun one to take to the dance.

I know I'm a human on the inside, but it's fun to play around and have a different character for a little while. I've had the character so long... it's been about 15 years or longer.

TROUBULL
Bull

Originally [my species pick] came from the ox in the Chinese Zodiac. The ox is the working animal, and I've always felt that in my life I have been the one working long hours, seeing things through, being someone people can count on. The bull and the ox are very similar, with the exception that the ox can be a bull and it also does chores. I've always identified very strongly with that.

Initially I started as a fox, just cause I had no clue what to do. All of my friends at the time were equine or horses, and I kind of felt like I didn't want to do the same thing that they did. I realized that not only was the bull interesting, but it was unique. In addition to that, there are all different kinds of pun-ish humor to it, like being the bull when cows are the ones that make milk—and milk can kind of be associated with something that's not appropriate.

MARTIN FREEHUGZ
Wolf

Furry Martin and human Martin are pretty much the same being. The only difference is that one's human and the other is a blue wolf. Everything I do as a human (mannerisms/actions/sounds) are all stuff I do in my fursuit. I do get more cordial and energetic as wolf Martin. I love seeing people happy and wolf Martin easily fulfills that need.

I decided on a wolf because I've always respected their raw primal power. A wolf is ferocious, yet still has the ability to be charming and lovable. I decided to pick blue as the primary color on me for a couple of reasons. For one, blue is extremely rare in the animal kingdom (a blue wolf in real life would have a very hard time surviving).

I'm a bit idealistic toward the sustainable lifestyle and the struggles of life. Living a normal, stagnant life is not my intention. Living as an outlier humbles me. Experiencing the lows and savoring the highs is what life is about. Being blue in the wild would make life tough... Just the way I want to experience it. Darwin would be disappointed in my fursona. Also, blue is my favorite color.

RABID RABBIT
English Spot Breed Rabbit

I decided on the name a long time ago. My original fursona was a crazy rabbit with a straight jacket. When I got my fursuit, I wanted a happier and toony character that was easily approachable. My name, "Rabid," had already stuck, though. I decided on the rabbit because I've always loved them and felt a connection to them—perhaps because they, like the coyote and fox, are the tricksters in mythology. Unlike the coyote and fox, they are not predatory and are not nefarious.

I identify with my fursona and do consider myself and my fursona as one in the same. I have two new fursuits commissioned from Rabid Rabbit. Between fursuit commissions, conferences, and other activities, I'm sure I will spend about $10,000 this year on my furry lifestyle.

Visit Zak's website here to see more of his photo work.

https://www.vice.com/read/we-asked-furries-about-how-they-developed-their-fursonas


When people hear "furry" they instantly think of big, fuzzy animal outfits, called "fursuits." Not all furries have fancy, ornate ones, but many in the fandom go all out when it comes to their second skin. For those looking to take their involvement in the community to the next level, the creation or commission of a fursuit is an act of outward expression and serious dedication (often, a financial one).

Fursuits can be intrinsic to the identities or alter egos that define the lifestyle, and some furries even keep multiple fursuits for multiple personalities. Most furries have concepted characters—referred to as "fursonas"—that they choose to represent themselves, and the suits can help articulate certain aspects of each character. For some, the fursona is an elevated state of self, an expression of an inner animal. For others, it's more fantasy-based, a crafted identity, representing something they aspire to or deem important.

Fursuits are built by specific furries, many of whom make their entire living creating commissioned suites year round. While the cost of most fursuits hover around the $1,000-$4,000 range, they can cost up to $10,000, depending on intricacy, quality, and the reputation of the maker. While at Biggest Little Fur Con—the fastest-growing furry convention in the country, held in mid-May in Reno, Nevada—I caught up with a handful of furrys to find out about the genesis of their fursona and fursuits.

JEBRONI, aka "Certified Love Kitten"
Maine Coon Kitten

I'm Jebroni Kitty, and I come from Chicago. I came up with my character because I was trying to discover what I liked [within the subculture]. I took pieces of inspiration from things like Second Life to create my fursuit, and I've always been a cat. It's just how I've always acted and felt.

I love hearts, and I like blue and pink—the colors of my fursuit—because they just mix well together. I'm a big guy, but I wanted to be a house cat, so I'm a Maine Coon. Big, husky, cuddly, and very mild-natured. I became known as the Love Kitten after going out with my stuffed hearts, which I carry around with me a lot. I often give my heart out to people, and then other furries started calling me Love Kitten.

MUKILTEO
Dog

I live on Woodbee Island in Washington State and this is my character Mukilteo. I have a website where I teach people how to make and build fursuit costumes, too. I have been in the furry fandom for a very long time, since 1998 or 1999.

Mukilteo was my first furry character, I had gotten this costume as a trade with another fursuit maker. This character is the bad dog. He wears a shock collar and he's a dog party advocate. He fights for Couch Rights and access to fresh water and walks to the park, and more treats! We want fresh bones and snacks!

I have another character, Matrices, and she's a gray dog, with folded back ears, and has a marking on her forehead. She's the one that really represents myself more so than Mukilteo, and she is the one I have as my avatar online. But Mukilteo is my fun one to take to the dance.

I know I'm a human on the inside, but it's fun to play around and have a different character for a little while. I've had the character so long... it's been about 15 years or longer.

TROUBULL
Bull

Originally [my species pick] came from the ox in the Chinese Zodiac. The ox is the working animal, and I've always felt that in my life I have been the one working long hours, seeing things through, being someone people can count on. The bull and the ox are very similar, with the exception that the ox can be a bull and it also does chores. I've always identified very strongly with that.

Initially I started as a fox, just cause I had no clue what to do. All of my friends at the time were equine or horses, and I kind of felt like I didn't want to do the same thing that they did. I realized that not only was the bull interesting, but it was unique. In addition to that, there are all different kinds of pun-ish humor to it, like being the bull when cows are the ones that make milk—and milk can kind of be associated with something that's not appropriate.

MARTIN FREEHUGZ
Wolf

Furry Martin and human Martin are pretty much the same being. The only difference is that one's human and the other is a blue wolf. Everything I do as a human (mannerisms/actions/sounds) are all stuff I do in my fursuit. I do get more cordial and energetic as wolf Martin. I love seeing people happy and wolf Martin easily fulfills that need.

I decided on a wolf because I've always respected their raw primal power. A wolf is ferocious, yet still has the ability to be charming and lovable. I decided to pick blue as the primary color on me for a couple of reasons. For one, blue is extremely rare in the animal kingdom (a blue wolf in real life would have a very hard time surviving).

I'm a bit idealistic toward the sustainable lifestyle and the struggles of life. Living a normal, stagnant life is not my intention. Living as an outlier humbles me. Experiencing the lows and savoring the highs is what life is about. Being blue in the wild would make life tough... Just the way I want to experience it. Darwin would be disappointed in my fursona. Also, blue is my favorite color.

RABID RABBIT
English Spot Breed Rabbit

I decided on the name a long time ago. My original fursona was a crazy rabbit with a straight jacket. When I got my fursuit, I wanted a happier and toony character that was easily approachable. My name, "Rabid," had already stuck, though. I decided on the rabbit because I've always loved them and felt a connection to them—perhaps because they, like the coyote and fox, are the tricksters in mythology. Unlike the coyote and fox, they are not predatory and are not nefarious.

I identify with my fursona and do consider myself and my fursona as one in the same. I have two new fursuits commissioned from Rabid Rabbit. Between fursuit commissions, conferences, and other activities, I'm sure I will spend about $10,000 this year on my furry lifestyle.

Visit Zak's website here to see more of his photo work.

Sounds like a set-up for a bad joke, we know. In 1978 comic book legend Moebius (artist) and avant-garde cinema legend Alexandro Jodorowsky first collaborated on a black & white comic called Eyes of the Cat. “In a desolate dreamscape world, a man, a bird, and a cat interact in a unique apocalyptic yet poetic fashion… Alexandro Jodorowsky and Moebius, creators of the Sci-Fi classic The Incal, initially teamed up on this 1978 gem, where words and images alternate in mesmerizing fashion.” Now Humanoids (that’s the publisher!) have released a new edition of the original graphic novel, once again printed on yellow paper like the much-sought-after first edition. Check out the web site for more.

image c. 2016 Humanoids

After a lengthy discussion about Fayroe’s legs, we have an even lengthier discussion about fantasy vs reality and the ways people bridge the two.

Download MP3

Watch Video Link roundup:

• Seven Years of Fluff In The City
• Vice: Photos of fastest growing furry convention in America
• Honest Trailers: Zootopia

News:

• One Third Of Humanity Can’t See The Milky Way In The Night Sky
• What Furries Can Teach Us About Sex in the Kinky, Avatar-Filled Virtual Future
• Porn Website’s ‘Brock Turner Rule’ Bans Non-Consensual Sex Videos
• Sodomite slayer pastor claims god will make flames shoot out of gay men’s buttholes

Emails:

• Hawk – “Furry Meet Ups – How to find them?”
• Zoopy – “A quick Question and Thank You”
• Xeno – “Q&A Questions”

FC-236 Love Nibbles - After a lengthy discussion about Fayroe's legs, we have an even lengthier discussion about fantasy vs reality and the ways people bridge the two.

After a lengthy discussion about Fayroe’s legs, we have an even lengthier discussion about fantasy vs reality and the ways people bridge the two.

Download MP3

Watch Video Link roundup:

• Seven Years of Fluff In The City
• Vice: Photos of fastest growing furry convention in America
• Honest Trailers: Zootopia

News:

• One Third Of Humanity Can’t See The Milky Way In The Night Sky
• What Furries Can Teach Us About Sex in the Kinky, Avatar-Filled Virtual Future
• Porn Website’s ‘Brock Turner Rule’ Bans Non-Consensual Sex Videos
• Sodomite slayer pastor claims god will make flames shoot out of gay men’s buttholes

Emails:

• Hawk – “Furry Meet Ups – How to find them?”
• Zoopy – “A quick Question and Thank You”
• Xeno – “Q&A Questions”

FC-236 Love Nibbles - After a lengthy discussion about Fayroe's legs, we have an even lengthier discussion about fantasy vs reality and the ways people bridge the two.

After a lengthy discussion about Fayroe’s legs, we have an even lengthier discussion about fantasy vs reality and the ways people bridge the two.

Download MP3

Link roundup:

• Seven Years of Fluff In The City
• Vice: Photos of fastest growing furry convention in America
• Honest Trailers: Zootopia

News:

• One Third Of Humanity Can’t See The Milky Way In The Night Sky
• What Furries Can Teach Us About Sex in the Kinky, Avatar-Filled Virtual Future
• Porn Website’s ‘Brock Turner Rule’ Bans Non-Consensual Sex Videos
• Sodomite slayer pastor claims god will make flames shoot out of gay men’s buttholes

Emails:

• Hawk – “Furry Meet Ups – How to find them?”
• Zoopy – “A quick Question and Thank You”
• Xeno – “Q&A Questions”

[Live] Love Nibbles

With so many furry communities to choose from, how do you pick one? Find out the answer to that and more on this week’s episode.

Metadata and Credits Furry Community

Runtime: 30:43m

Cast: KZorroFuego, Levi, Near, Wolfin

Editor: WagzTail 

Format: 128kbps ABR split-stereo MP3 Copyright: © 2016 WagzTail.com. Some Rights Reserved. This podcast is released by WagzTail.com as CC BY-ND 3.0. 

Furry Community - With so many furry communities to choose from, how do you pick one? Find out the answer to that and more on this week's episode.

With so many furry communities to choose from, how do you pick one? Find out the answer to that and more on this week’s episode.

Metadata and Credits Furry Community

Runtime: 30:43m

Cast: KZorroFuego, Levi, Near, Wolfin

Editor: WagzTail 

Format: 128kbps ABR split-stereo MP3 Copyright: © 2016 WagzTail.com. Some Rights Reserved. This podcast is released by WagzTail.com as CC BY-ND 3.0. 

Furry Community - With so many furry communities to choose from, how do you pick one? Find out the answer to that and more on this week's episode.

Hello Everyone! 

We open tonight's show with a discussion of whether or not you should go on witch hunts to expose underaged furries. What potential ethical and legal issues might arise if you dox an underage fur, and what responsibility do you have when you discover an underaged fur is posting or consuming adult content? As always, we are not lawyers and this does not constitute legal advice!

Our main topic concerns how to negotiate power exchange relationships. What exactly is a power exchange dynamic, should you ever rush into one, what should your relationship terms look like, and what should you expect from each party in such a relationship?

We close out the episode with a question about how to negotiate with a monogamous partner when you are polyamorous and also in existing power exchange relationships. 

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

Thanks and, as always, be well!

FA 022 Negotiating Power Exchange Relationships - What is a power exchange relationship and how should you set yourself up for such a dynamic? Also, should you dox underaged kids on the internet? (The answer is no)

First Second Books have a new full-color graphic novel for young readers: It’s called Hippopotamister, written and illustrated by John Patrick Green. According to a review over at GeekDad, “Hippopotamister is the tale of (you guessed it) a hippo and his friend, Red Panda. Tired of living in the rundown city zoo, they run away and seek jobs in the human world, where Hippo must become ‘Hippopotamister’ to get by. Hippo excels at each job, but Red Panda keeps getting them fired. Longing for his home, Hippo goes back to the zoo and discovers he can return the place to its former glory using his newfound skills. But can he do it without his friend Red Panda?” The article includes several sample pages from this hardcover book.

image c. 2016 by John Green

The [adjective][species] Philosophy Survey is an investigation into what furries think of the world, morality, and knowledge, amongst other things. No prior knowledge of philosophy is needed to complete the survey, and most of the questions will be ones that most people have thought of in their spare time anyway. What we are particularly interested in is if the answers given have any correlation, both with one another, and with the fandom’s demographics: Do older furries tend to hold different views than others? Does one species lean more towards scientific explanation than others? This survey hopes to give insight on these questions.

Overall, the survey will likely take about five minutes or less, though participants are encouraged to think about each question as they go. The results will be anonymous, and used in visualizations. Various comparisons with the general views of society will also help to understand if furries have any majorly varying ideas to the general public. Additionally, where applicable, the results will also be contrasted with David Chalmers “What Do Philosophers Believe?” survey, which gathered the beliefs of professional philosophers from across the world. The survey will run for 2 months, after which, after some time for analysis, the results will be made public (though no personal information will be given, and all results will forever be anonymous).

Thank you for your time. This is an area of furry that many of us wish to explore deeper, and the data from this survey will go a long way to analyzing the community at a deeper level.

You can take the survey here.

When you write a first draft, you shouldn’t be thinking about scene-level editing. There are times when you might think, “oh, I want to write this scene but I probably won’t use it,” but go ahead and write it. At the worst, it’s an exercise in writing. It might reveal something about your character that doesn’t come up elsewhere, but that you’ll know. At best, you might find a place for it in the story and it might add new depth.

But how do you know? You won’t know until you know what your story’s about, what the character journey is and what you want to convey to the reader. Then every scene in your story should advance character or plot (ideally both). In science fiction and fantasy (and furry stories sometimes) you can get away with a scene that is mostly worldbuilding, but it’s best to work the worldbuilding into plot or character advancement.

A great way to figure this out is to summarize each of your scenes in a sentence: “Lee discusses his future job prospects with his former boss.” Then figure out how each of the scenes connects to the others. Trey Parker and Matt Stone of South Park use that method, and they say that in every case, the word connecting your scenes should be either “therefore” or “but.” If you can only connect the scenes with “and then,” that means that the previous scene isn’t flowing into the next one, and you’re going to lose some of the story’s energy.

For example:

“Lee discusses his future job prospects with his former boss.”

THEREFORE

“Lee contacts some people but gets a lot of rejections.”

THEREFORE

“Lee goes to see his boyfriend to cheer himself up.”

BUT THEN

“Lee’s boyfriend is unsympathetic because he’s preoccupied with his own problems.”

Those scenes all flow nicely into each other and connect well. You can then look at the overall theme: is this story about Lee’s job or his relationship? If it’s more about the job, then maybe going back to his boyfriend and going down that road isn’t the right way to go; it’s putting too much weight on the boyfriend. At that point maybe you’d want Lee to talk to another co-worker instead, or maybe visit something else related to his job. Maybe you could have him discover that he has worth beyond his job, or find another way to do his job. Whatever your story’s about, every scene should play into that somehow.

So how do you decide whether the scene is important to the character or the plot? Well, every scene should start with your character wanting something, having a goal that’s important either to the plot or to the character development. At the end of the scene, the reader should know if they reached that goal or not. For example, in the above scenes, Lee wants to get a new job. So in the first scene, he gets some contacts from his former boss. In the second, he wants interviews, so he calls a bunch of people, but doesn’t get any interviews. In the third, he wants to feel better about himself, so he goes to look for external validation from his boyfriend. Now, you can look at the wants in those scenes and say, “Is this the way I want the story to go?” For example, if we want the story to be more about Lee’s relationship to his job rather than his boyfriend, we could say, “wanting validation from his boyfriend isn’t important to the story I’m telling right now.”

(It’s also possible to have multiple storylines going on, and so a scene might follow directly from one a few scenes ago. That’s okay as long as each scene has one of those causal relationships to a previous scene. Readers can keep multiple stories in their head, but cluttered stories with scenes that go nowhere make it harder to care about them.)

Ideally you want all your scenes to advance both the plot and the character journey. In the above example, you might decide that actually showing Lee getting a bunch of rejections isn’t necessary to the plot. Then you could skip directly from the conversation with his former boss to going to visit his boyfriend, and drop the information about the rejections into his conversation. “Well, my boss gave me three names and I’ve got three rejections. How was your day?” (for example).

Or you might use the rejections to show Lee’s shift in mood, where he starts the first one happy and upbeat and has gotten beaten down by the last one. This could explain why he’s more snappy than usual when he visits his boyfriend. Maybe one of the people he calls says something prejudiced about foxes that sets him on edge. You have to decide what is most important to the character and the story.

Editing isn’t an easy process, and often you’ll find yourself having to toss out scenes you like a lot. Post them on your site as a deleted scene and explain why you cut them, or just keep them for future reference on your drive. It’s important that they not remain in your story if they’re getting in the way of the story, though. I will say that in general you should err on the side of cutting out scenes, because you are already biased toward keeping all your precious words. Also, your beta readers (beta readers are very important) are much more likely to tell you that something is missing and needs to be added back in than that a scene is unnecessary and needs to be cut.

So examine each scene, ask what it does to advance your plot and character, and if the answer is “not much,” consider cutting the scene and delivering whatever information it provides within another scene. This might be very hard at first, but the more you do it, the more you’ll find your stories are engaging from beginning to end, packed only with scenes that make the reader want to go on to the next one.

An earlier version of this column appeared in Kyell’s April 2016 newsletter.

4th week in a row! Lots to talk about, including sexual harassment work seminars & gay fire departments. Join our telegram chat, and don't forget to come to our live recording at Anthrocon! https://telegram.me/draggetshow ep 119 - Weeeoooeeeooo - 4th week in a row! Lots to talk about, including…

This week on KnotCast, Savrin and Fuzz talk about their convention adventures, Zootopia on Blu-ray, people mistaking being vanilla for non-sexual, and people taking bizarre ownership of characters in art or fiction. Also Savrin links a poll. Want to help support the show? Hit up our Patreon - patreon.com/knotcast - That’d be awesome~ Episode 318 - Delete Your Account

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

Timbuktu; A Novel, by Paul Auster.
NYC, Henry Holt and Co., May 1999, hardcover $22.00 (181 pages).

It can be argued that Timbuktu is the opposite of an anthropomorphic novella. It is about a dog, Mr. Bones, whose beloved human companion, the pseudonymous Willy B. Christmas, a homeless East Coast “street poet” is dying. Timbuktu does an excellent job of portraying the despairing thoughts of a mostly unanthropomorphized but exaggeratedly intelligent and loyal dog. He understands “Ingloosh” more than most dogs, but still from a canine viewpoint.

“Mr. Bones knew that Willy wasn’t long for this world. The cough had been inside him for over six months, and by now there wasn’t a chance in hell that he would ever get rid of it. Slowly and inexorably, without once taking a turn for the better, the thing had assumed a life of its own, advancing from a faint, phlegm-filled rattle in the lungs on February third to the wheezy sputum-jigs and gobby convulsions of high summer.” (p. 3)

“What was a poor dog to do? Mr. Bones had been with Willy since his earliest days as a pup, and by now it was next to impossible for him to imagine a world that did not have his master in it. Every thought, every memory, every particle of the earth and air was saturated with Willy’s presence. Habits die hard, and no doubt there’s some truth to the adage about old dogs and new tricks, but it was more than just love or devotion that caused Mr. Bones to dread what was coming. It was pure ontological terror. Subtract Willy from the world, and the odds were that the world itself would cease to exist.” (p. 4)

Willy is aware that he is dying. As he and Mr. Bones wander the streets of Baltimore, Willy tries to prepare the dog for life after him. He rambles to him about “how to avoid the dogcatchers and constables, the paddy wagons and unmarked cars, the hypocrites from the so-called humane societies. No matter how sweetly they talked to you, the word shelter meant trouble.”   Mr. Bones is a sweet but ugly, smelly, adult mongrel. “No one was going to want to rescue him. As the homeless bard was fond of putting it, the outcome was written in stone. Unless Mr. Bones found another master in one quick hurry, he was a pooch primed for oblivion.” (p. 5)

But Mr. Bones isn’t sure that he wants to survive with a new master after Willy. He is aware that Willy is searching for his old high school English teacher, now retired, whom he hopes will take Mr. Bones in. Unplanned things happen and Mr. Bones goes on the run. Is he looking for a new human master, or for a life without humans? He doesn’t know himself. In Mr. Bones’ dreams, he has long conversations with the now-dead Willy, and they both talk in Ingloosh:

“‘I was desperate. How could I know his father would turn out to be such a louse?’

‘Because I warned you about such places, didn’t I? The moment you saw what you were getting yourself into, you should have cashed in your chips and run.’

‘I did run. And when I wake up tomorrow morning, I’m going to start running again. That’s my life now, Willy. I run, and I’m going to keep running until I drop.’

‘Don’t give up on men, Bonesy. You’ve had some hard knocks, but you’ve got to tough it out and give it another try.’” (p. 118)

Before his death, Willy had rambled to Mr. Bones about his sometimes-unorthodox ideas of Heaven, which he called Timbuktu. Mr. Bones wonders whether he will be reunited with Willy in Timbuktu after his own death – or if dogs are allowed in Timbuktu.

“If there was any justice in the world, if the dog god had any influence on what happened to his creatures, then man’s best friend would stay by the side of man after said man and said best friend had both kicked the bucket. More than that, in Timbuktu dogs would be able to speak man’s language and converse with him as an equal. That was what logic dictated, but who knew if justice or logic had any more impact on the next world than they did on this one?” (p. 49)

Paul Auster is a respected author who has won over twenty literary awards and who has been translated into many languages. Timbuktu was adapted into a puppet play in Zagreb in 2008. Timbuktu exhibits his mastery of wordplay and his skill at mixing existentialism with mundane themes, seen here in showing a small portion of modern American society from a dog’s perspective He keeps the reader guessing until the end whether Mr. Bones will find a happy fate, or what a happy fate means in this case.

The first edition of Timbuktu reviewed here is long out of print, but there are several current hardcover, paperback, Kindle, and audio editions. There was an illustrated abridgement by Julia Goschke in September 2008.

– Fred Patten

• Buy on Amazon
• Buy the Illustrated Edition on Amazon