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Bearly Furcasting S4E35 - And Now A Warning
MOOBARKFLUFF! Click here to send us a comment or message about the show!
Moobarkfluff! THIS IS OUR 200TH EPISODE!!!!! Hello all you furs, why not join Bearly, Taebyn and Rayne on our magical journey this week. We reveal the answers to so many of life’s questions, get some time discussing Furry things, and generally have a typical visit with Taebyn. Settle in for a wonderful end of year episode.
Moobarkfluff all you furs!
This podcast contains adult language and adult topics. It is rated M for Mature. Listener discretion is advised.
Thanks to all our listeners and to our staff: Bearly Normal, Rayne Raccoon, Taebyn, Cheetaro, TickTock, and Ziggy the Meme Weasel.
You can send us a message on Telegram at BFFT Chat, or via email at: bearlyfurcasting@gmail.com
Oys Will Be Oys
So is having a weird furry friend a wonderful thing, or more of an awkward thing? That’s the big question posed by Monster Bar Mitzvah, the new graphic novel written by Josh Anderson and illustrated by Dustin Evans. “In this unusual graphic novel for younger readers, Eli is feeling left out of the family’s preparations for his older brother’s bar mitzvah. He wants to help but can’t seem to do anything right. Then he meets the monster under his bed, and things begin to change . . . but not always for the better. Will Eli be able to get the monster under control in time for the big event, or will there just be more and more chaos? ” Find out now, in hardcover from Behrman House.
image c. 2023 Behrman House
Does He Write Scripts?
Look, sometimes we just can’t explain something — so we simply have to give it to you as we found it. Things like Timothy Dinoman Saves The Cat, written and illustrated by Steve Thueson. “To learn what these suspected supervillains want with outer-space tech, the world’s nicest iguanodon will visit a mountain fortress, a giant blimp, and a diner with excellent pancakes. On the way, he’ll even meet a really cute cat. Grab your rocket boots and your fake mustache — it’s time to crack the case with Timothy!” Find out what’s it’s all about from Lerner.
image c. 2023 Lerner Books
Wander into Wonder
A new full-color graphic novel for young readers: It’s called The Wondrous Wonders, written and illustrated by Camille Jourdy. “Hurt by her parents’ divorce and struggling to accept her new step-family, she decides to run away and live alone in the woods. But she soon discovers that she’s far from alone. Jo stumbles into a fantastical world full of tiny elves, talking foxes, and mischievous, multicolored ponies known as the Wondrous Wonders. Her new friends are on a mission: Rise up against Emperor Tomcat, the tyrannical leader who rules the enchanted forest they call home. Can Jo find the courage to vanquish an evil empire and get back to her family before dinnertime?” Find out now, in hardcover from Macmillan. (Merry Christmas and a Blessed Solstice!)
image c. 2023 First Second
Candy by Bluesugar | Taste Test (EP: 117)
Bandit, BcB and Abbey try homemade candies by Bluesugar, sent in from Denmark! What is your favorite kind of candy? Share with us! Bluesugar candy orders: https://twitter.com/BluesugarDK/status/1537380924870082561 (Available flavors may vary, contact vendor for more info) SEASON 9 SURVEY 1: https://forms.gle/wSkM8YZh2BwkXUCW6 See more at: http://www.TheRaccoonsDen.com FACEBOOK: http://www.Facebook.com/TheRaccoonsDen TWITTER/X: http://www.Twitter.com/TheRaccoonsDen FURAFFINITY: http://www.FurAffinity.net/user/TheRaccoonsDen INSTAGRAM: http://www.Instagram.com/TheRaccoonsDen TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@theraccoonsden #TheRaccoonsDen #TRDs9 #BluesugarDK
Bearly Furcasting S4E34 - Title to be entered later
MOOBARKFLUFF! Click here to send us a comment or message about the show!
Moobarkfluff! Taebyn and Rayne join Bearly for a fine time on the show. We hear about upcoming events, some news of the odd, we learn about animals that are missing to science. Taebyn tries his tongue at a classic Dr. Seuss story: Fox in Socks, and we play Star Trek Mad Libs. All in all we have a great time and laugh a lot. So join us, won’t you, for this flufftacular journey! Moobarkfluff all you furs!
This podcast contains adult language and adult topics. It is rated M for Mature. Listener discretion is advised.
Thanks to all our listeners and to our staff: Bearly Normal, Rayne Raccoon, Taebyn, Cheetaro, TickTock, and Ziggy the Meme Weasel.
You can send us a message on Telegram at BFFT Chat, or via email at: bearlyfurcasting@gmail.com
Grovel Reports Dec Edition 2023
Hello! Welcome to a summary of recent news in the furry community. Links below are what was mentioned in this broadcast: Alfurnative https://www.alfurnative.nl/ https://twitter.com/alfurnative https://t.me/Alfurnative/169 https://en.wikifur.com/wiki/Alfurnative In regards to me talking about a Flipper being used at the con, It happened to me at BLFC and not FC this year. Anthro Northwest post on their TOS update https://twitter.com/anthronw/status/1731065300689535350 Further Confusion 25th Anniversary! https://t.me/furtherconfusion/509 Midwest Furfest numbers https://t.me/FurFest/378 https://t.me/FurFest/380 BLFC https://t.me/biggestlittlefc/1032 https://t.me/biggestlittlefc/1030 Canfurence statement https://twitter.com/canFURence/status/1737289894064451916?t=cJpr8DfG7Q1ge0yaJvrqlQ&s=19 If you like the work I do please like/follow/share to support the channel For faster updates, check out my telegram channel https://t.me/grovelreports Subscribe to show support https://www.youtube.com/c/GrovelHusky/?sub_confirmation=1 Grovel Reports Studio made by Kydek https://twitter.com/FluffyKydek Banners used in the channel were made by Slushi https://twitter.com/Slushi3Brushi3?s=09 Music created for Grovel Husky by Whooshagg https://whooshagg.com/ Many thanks to Da Bean for taking photos/recording https://twitter.com/MagotterD Grovel Reports Dec Edition 2023
2023 Year in Review! [FABP E39]
In this episode, we recap how FABP performed in 2023, our travels and adventures this year, and take a sneak peek into the future of the pod in 2024. From me and Burger, we wish you a merry Christmas and happy new year!!! ---- Timestamps: 00:00 Teaser 00:43 Intro 01:41 Reflecting on 3 years of podcasting 03:18 Michael’s updates 06:06 Michael’s travels 10:43 Burger’s updates 13:20 What Burger misses about Texas 16:09 Podcast stats 22:02 Our favorite guests from 2023 25:08 Burger's favorite moments in Asia 29:08 Michael's favorite moment in Asia 33:47 Making improvements 38:02 YouTube Shorts 40:48 Future plans and changes 44:36 What does the audience want to see? 47:52 Thank you guys!!! 48:46 Social Media Shoutout 51:09 Outro ---- Social Media: Our official Twitter: https://twitter.com/foxandburger Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/foxandburger.bsky.social Michael: https://twitter.com/foxnakh https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK9xoFQrxFTNPMjmXfUg2cg https://bsky.app/profile/foxnakh.bsky.social Burger: https://twitter.com/L1ghtningRunner http://www.youtube.com/c/LightningRunner https://bsky.app/profile/tenghai.bsky.social ---- Footage Credit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hot_9BXh64k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=houAPM62j0Y https://furget.anthro.asia/2023/about https://fsq.anthro.asia/2023/index-TH https://kicks105.com/whataburger-offering-free-honey-butter-chicken-biscuit-tonight-for-sfa-study-break/ https://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/blogs/the-scoop/11-questions-anita-mechler-yalsa/1200px-ihop_logo-svg/ https://www.americangrocer.co.uk/collections/taco-bell https://logos-download.com/55175-taco-bueno-logo-download.html https://texasislife.com/business-tech/taco-cabana-is-offering-free-lunch-for-kids-all-summer-without-any-purchase-requirements/ https://logos-world.net/trello-logo/ https://tech.co/project-management-software/trello-review https://www.oflox.com/blog/what-is-youtube-shorts/ https://twitter.com/richard31103/status/1226211105665503233 https://twitter.com/RoanVtuber/status/1647953848538140674 https://foodseeing.com/de/bangkok-the-pizza-company/ http://webapi.bu.edu/the-pizza-company-menu-thailand.php https://www.insiderecent.com/singapore-airport-lounge-no-1-asia-pacific-134.html https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_giOJLfkYGM https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zr1m7YDG2ZI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIqsXp_ecUI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_b7hc_iuVs0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJNTeUt2B4I https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fLJCKIk9DE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kt7lpqdbNgA https://youtu.be/E_foQN_xDJc?si=r2RzP4k0YVF6jFld https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h1KMa7tiLsI https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cf865lqA4Zo Other pictures and video provided by Pixabay, and guest’s and host’s personal footage. Intro/Outro Music: Drown Me Out - YVEN ---- The Fox and Burger Podcast is one segment of our production house, Fox and Burger Productions. The podcast’s goal is twofold: 1, to know more about the Asian furry fandom; and 2, compare and contrast the Asian fandom with the Western one. If you have a guest that you would like to see on the show, please PM us! We will also take questions for our guests, so don’t miss this opportunity to know some amazing furs.
LGBT refugees seek asylum with FUR/HELP while Russia limits human rights
This news is illegal in Russia.
In late November 2023, Russia’s supreme court declared the movement for gay rights to be “extremist.” Mentioning LGBTQ activity without condemning it can get you fined, imprisoned, deprived of bank accounts, and worse. The New York Times says “any news organization, blogger or even an individual” is at risk.
Russian homophobes have pushed for this authoritarian rule for a long time. In 2021, it was proposed against LGBT and associated categories, including furries. This led to Dogpatch Press reports about harassment of Russian furry events that foreshadowed the official ruling now.
The excuse is to “protect children” from gay adults who love each other, as if they were created by an international political group that doesn’t exist, rather than by human nature. Any sign of their existence can be defined as harmful propaganda. The definition is so broad and vague that Russia’s government can punish anyone for anything, even wearing a rainbow. (Fandom is for creative expression, which has a lot of overlap with identity expression, so claims to be apolitical can’t be counted on to protect anyone.) The effects have ranged from putting adult rating on My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, to murdering people in one furry’s story below.
While Russia’s government labels this extremist, they’re protecting people from cartoons while raising murder. People in this upside-down land need to flee for safety.
Take a good look at how stupid this is. It's a Russian government excuse for punishing anyone for any reason they want. That's what the right wing wants in America, too.
'My Little Pony' Gets Adult Rating After Russia Declares 'LGBT Movement' Extremisthttps://t.co/tpi9nVcLtZ
— Dogpatch Press (@DogpatchPress) December 11, 2023
The mission of FUR/HELP
Many refugees have dramatic stories of escaping danger, but few have guides like FUR/HELP, a Furry LGBTQIA+ Refugee initiative to save clients in post-Soviet regions and American Trans lives from persecution.
- https://linktr.ee/furhelp
- Support by donation
- Statement regarding the state of LGBTQIA rights in russia
YukiDeer, the founder and ambassador, explains their work:
We are working to help refugees since November 2022, and since then have helped more than 5 furry refugees escape to safe third countries to wait for their transfer to a destination asylum country.
We helped a person that withstood torture in a psychiatric hospital. They were loaded with drugs to a vegetable-like state just because they were transgender. Their family put them into the facility as far as we know, and basically had to flee with help of other nonprofits. FUR/HELP helped the person when they arrived to one of the post-Soviet countries. We provided funds for food, a hostel until they could find stable housing, and advice on legal conditions and how to find support and work.
We helped two transgender people in dangerous situations with advice on how to access LGBTQIA services in the USA to get help with housing, and helped other people find housing as well.
And finally, we helped 1 Ukrainian homosexual flee occupied regions of Ukraine with help of other non profits. It was scary.
We plan to base ourselves in Canada, but for now we are 100% remote, with people volunteering for us mostly in Eastern Europe.
YukiDeer’s bio includes IT worker, Twitch streamer, and maker of design and music with a lot of personal stake in this: “I actively act as a LGBTQIA+ rights activist in EU and NA regions. I was raised in Ukraine, but born in Russia. I’m also in the process of establishing Furry Philanthropy Community or FPC for short — platform for Furry run NGOs and singular philanthropes to coordinate humanitarian action.”
More soon about how and why YukiDeer established FUR/HELP, but let’s look at what refugees are reaching for.
The need for asylum and the benefit of humanitarian aid.
The legal process for gaining citizenship is easiest for people with means and opportunity, savings, a job, family, or partner to support them without burdening the system. Those conditions are lacking for many refugees who are forced to flee from disaster, poverty and violence in places that lack human rights.
Their alternative is to claim humanitarian aid with asylum. That’s not just a burden, it raises international security that benefits everyone already in a country by keeping neighbors stable. To get it, an immigrant may have little choice except to risk punishing conditions to cross a border without permission so they can apply. Law about border crossing doesn’t remove the human right to apply as a refugee – and because it is a long process, they have the status until it is decided.
There are common attacks at “illegals” and supposed crime they bring (immigrants may have lower rates than citizens) that don’t even try to count the benefit, or wasted cost to make the process harder. Reports of a recent surge in immigration to the USA will make this a big issue in coming elections. (Don’t forget that controversy about burdening the system has coincided with record high corporate profits.)
LGBT refugees can try to get help from a nonprofit like Rainbow Railroad, but such services seem to be stretched thin and hard to get. This common frustration led YukiDeer to found FUR/HELP for others while seeking asylum personally.
A “nightmare” with a lifeline from other furries – YukiDeer’s story.
YukiDeer hopes to have asylum one day soon:
I fled murder and help others do the same. I might not be fully safe myself, but after seeing how others treat refugees, I can’t just stand and do nothing.
So basically, at first I had my father threaten me with murder, then I had forced treatment in a mental facility just because of suspicion that I’m gay. Then came the worsening of LGBTQIA+ rights overall and it crossed the line of multiple murders near my home that had a person castrated just for being gay. I can’t disclose the details since I’m not in safety yet, but on my way to it.
Now with the risk of extremist title, it feels even more dangerous, I don’t feel safe even out of Russia.
I raised money to escape, tried to flee multiple times, and only the 3rd worked, thanks to Soatok who helped me with the financial side of the story. Without him, I’d be best case hiding, worst case dead or imprisoned.
That’s how a story of a simple streamer furry guy can turn into a nightmare.
Dogpatch Press asked for more thoughts about family relations, the experience of being confined, how it felt, and what kind of justice can happen there?
At the time of the threat I was under 18, I have a sister and she is a cisgender straight woman, she was treated harshly by my father, but of course not as harsh. He was pretty mentally unstable, he drank a lot and was tend to get physical, he did hit his mother and I witnessed it, plus he has connections to certain government related people, so that would make it pretty easy to threaten people. Mother heard the threat and didn’t do anything. The threats were sparse, but the verbal abuse and heated behavior happened daily. In my family I was the only one that got treated this way, and I’m also the only LGBTQIA+ person. No one in my family knows I am, they assumed I was gay.
Yes, I was in a mental facility with drug addicts, people with anger issues and two LGBTQIA people, I remember they were lesbian. My class teacher wrote a bad review about me suddenly after I happened to tell my classmate I was gay. I don’t know if she knew about it, but it felt too sudden. They used mental force and threats like “I wouldn’t be able to continue studying without attending”. Maybe they thought I would break and say that I’m gay. Thankfully staff weren’t bad, but they did feed me medicine without any description as to what it does and why I should take it, and if I didn’t take it, they would transfer me to a harsher facility.
I felt scared, not knowing who to talk to, since I didn’t have anyone in my life I could trust except people on the internet, so my streams became that place. I hated my family more and more, since I felt that they won’t bring me anything but hurt. I felt envy at people having a good family, cried when I saw people hugging, kissing or displaying “good family vibes” publicly, same goes to those that didn’t have to hide. I just felt really envious and hurt.
I saw the murders via news articles, they happened with same motive and in same proximate region. I didn’t witness murder, but I was in a dangerous area, we had people shooting, and drunk people hitting someone pretty often. I don’t know who did it personally, but I know why, because they happened to be gay. If they got what they deserve, I don’t know, police didn’t seem to react at all, all was said that “It’s under investigation”.
Final word from YukiDeer:
It doesn’t take much to help others. Just empathy and a strong will.
Help has no borders. LGBTQIA+ refugees are not defined by their oppression, but by their resilience.
To join us in our mission as a volunteer, donate to us as a contributor or ask help as a refugee, simply go to our social media at Linktree: linktr.ee/furhelp
Like the article? These take hard work. For more free furry news, follow on Twitter or support not-for-profit Dogpatch Press on Patreon. Want to get involved? Try these subreddits: r/furrydiscuss for news or r/waginheaven for the best of the community. Or send guest writing here. (Content Policy.)
Tales From The Guild: Blood And Water
It’s finally time for another Tales From The Guild! It’s been many years since our World Tour, so we’d like to officially announce the third anthology edited by the Furry Writers Guild – Blood and Water! This anthology will be published by Fenris Publishing.
Previously, we have had Music To Your Years, themed around music, and World Tour, themed around travel.
Blood and Water will be themed around family – those bound by blood and the family we choose and find. Give us your best families – those that are perfect and wholesome or those dysfunctional and chaotic! Families can be defined by blood and shared relationships, or they can be the close friends we develop through hardship. However your family works, we want to see it! We are looking forward to seeing what stories you can create that fits in with this theme!
The editors for this anthology are all guild staff: J.F.R. Coates, K.C. Shaw, Resolute, and Scribbles Cheetah.
What are we seeking:
- Short stories up to 6000 words in length. (Anything more than this, query with the editors).
- Stories must be furry/anthropomorphic in some capacity.
- Stories must be themed around ‘family’ in some capacity – though interpretation of this theme is open.
- Stories should not be explicit in adult content. The anthology is aiming for PG13/M content. Let the editors know if you’re not sure how your story will fit.
- Stories can be of any genre, so long as they fit with the overall theme.
- We do not want any stories that portray topics like racism, misogyny, homophobia, transphobia, etc in a positive light.
- Previously unpublished stories are significantly preferred, but reprints may be considered if the story is right.
- Authors do not need to be a FWG member to submit.
Other important details:
- Stories should be sent by email to furwritersguild@gmail.com – with the subject line Blood And Water – [Story Title] in a .doc or .docx format. Please include your name on the first page only.
- Multiple submissions are allowed – up to three per author. A maximum of one story per author will be selected. Please no simultaneous submissions.
- Payment is 1c/word.
- Submissions open 1st January 2024.
- Submissions close 31st March 2024.
- All stories should receive a response by 30th April 2024.
- Expected release will be at Megaplex or MFF 2024.
- Publication for this anthology consumes the First Worldwide English rights for your story. Exclusive Digital and Print rights for a period of twelve (12) months following the first date of publication are required, and non-exclusive worldwide rights to digital and print publication of the Work in perpetuity.
We can’t wait to see what you come up with! Happy writing!
Peter Rabbit's Modern Nostalgia | Culturally F'd
Peter Rabbit is more than a CGI nostalgia cash-grab. Arrkay disseminates the 2018 film and talks about the balance between modernity and nostalgia. Merch, Sweet Tees and stuff: https://culturally-fd-merchandise.creator-spring.com/ Support Culturally F'd: https://www.patreon.com/culturallyfd Listen in on TEMPO TALKS with Tempe O'Kun https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIPk-itLl1jPyIK2c7mK-LpbvfDNqfcSW Check out Tempe O'Kun's books "Sixes Wild" and "Windfall" here: http://furplanet.com/shop/?affillink=YOUTU2907 Here's a playlist of his other Culturally F'd videos: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLIPk-itLl1jPS7tnT4hdJwBI-CeLF8Kb_
One Little Spark
The Dragons of Ember City is a new full-color graphic novel series for young readers, created by Shane Richardson and Sarah Marino (both of whom are animators at Nickelodeon). The first book in the series is called Happy Spark Day. “Drake, Li, and Runa are three young dragons in Ember City, where a dragon’s spark is their special power and every dragon’s spark is unique. Ember is a city that burns brightest when its citizens use their sparks to help each other and their community. The more they use their spark, the brighter Ember City glows and provides for all its dragons. Can Drake, Li, and Runa learn to get along after uncovering their powers?” All this and more from Simon & Schuster.
image c. 2023 Aladdin Books
This Would Be… Bad…?
And now for something altogether different… Night of the Living Cat, a new black & white manga created by Hawkman and Mecha-Roots. “A virus spreads across the world, transforming all humankind into wild, slavering, furry beasts: Cats, to be precise. Those few survivors who remain human take refuge in the dark corners of the earth as they fight back against the feline horde. Kunagi, a man with no memory of his past yet a deep knowledge of cats, struggles to hold on with only his wits and a will to survive. Yet the virus transmits merely through cuddles, and Kunagi finds kitties so hard to resist! Is his willpower strong enough to withstand this hair-raising cat-tastrophe?” Find out from Seven Seas.
image c. 2023 Seven Seas Entertainment
TigerTails Radio Season 15 Episode 07
TigerTails Radio Season 15 Episode 07. Join the Discord Chat: https://discord.gg/SQ5QuRf For a full preview of events and for previous episodes, please visit http://www.tigertailsradio.co.uk. See website for full breakdown of song credits, which is usually updated shortly after the show. If you like what we do and wish to throw some pennies our way to support us, please consider sending a little tip our way. https://streamlabs.com/tigertailsradio/tip * Please note, tips are made to support TigerTails Radio and are assumed as made with good faith, so are therefore non-refundable. Thank you for your support and understanding.
Four Legs Good
We came across a brand-new comic from Boom! Studios called Animal Pound. It goes like this: “When animals grow tired of being caged, killed, and sold off-it’s only a matter of time before they’ve had enough… When an uprising puts a pound in control of the animals, they quickly find themselves as comrades, united against everything that walks on two legs. But with this newfound power comes a sudden challenge: how best to lay the groundwork for this new democracy as they write their first constitution!” Written by Tom King (Love Everlasting) and illustrated by award-winning artist Peter Gross (The Books of Magic), Animal Pound comes to comic shops later this week.
image c. 2023 Boom! Studios
Foster’s Not Home, but…
This came to us out of nowhere, but now we’re very, very curious. John Krasinski has written, produced, and directed a new live-action/CGI fantasy film called IF, starring Cailey Fleming. She plays a young girl who discovers that she has the ability to see people’s imaginary friends (known as IFs for short). She also discovers that the mysterious Man Upstairs (played by Ryan Reynolds) has the same ability. Now a group of IFs are begging these two special humans to help them find new kids to be with now that their own have grown up and abandoned them. As you can see from the trailer, there’s a lot of anthropomorphic interest here. It’s scheduled to be released next May.
image c. 2023 Paramount Pictures
COVID Group Chat (EP: 116)
With the Pandemic of Covid-19 still ongoing, the group hosts a video chat to catch up. See more at: http://www.TheRaccoonsDen.com FACEBOOK: http://www.Facebook.com/TheRaccoonsDen TWITTER/X: http://www.Twitter.com/TheRaccoonsDen FURAFFINITY: http://www.FurAffinity.net/user/TheRaccoonsDen INSTAGRAM: http://www.Instagram.com/TheRaccoonsDen TIKTOK: https://www.tiktok.com/@theraccoonsden #TheRaccoonsDen #TRDs9 #Covid19
Bearly Furcasting S4E33 - Aquatic Chaos
MOOBARKFLUFF! Click here to send us a comment or message about the show!
Moobarkfluff! Today Taebyn Ascends to Radishhood! Who would’ve thought it? We hear three new Catfumations. Rayne gives us the answers to last weeks OMQ’s. We get a good furry amount of bad jokes, talk about news of the odd, Rayne tells us what is like while diving when a cruise ship goes over you. We get into yet another discussion about time travel paradox’s. Join us for these topics and so much more on this weeks episode of Bearly Furcasting! Moobarkfluff all you furs!
This podcast contains adult language and adult topics. It is rated M for Mature. Listener discretion is advised.
Thanks to all our listeners and to our staff: Bearly Normal, Rayne Raccoon, Taebyn, Cheetaro, TickTock, and Ziggy the Meme Weasel.
You can send us a message on Telegram at BFFT Chat, or via email at: bearlyfurcasting@gmail.com
The Cat with the Pearl Earring
by Deborah L. Davitt
“So it was that she found herself ten thousand feet above the sea, racing through clouds heavy with rain, chasing a trio of galleons laden with treasure that were running before the wind — but the seabound vessels couldn’t match her airborne craft for speed.”
The gibbet creaked under her weight as she shifted in place, coiling her tail up, out of reach of the crowd here in Port Royale — most of whom wanted bits of her fur as keep-sakes, it appeared. They’d probably fight over her earrings and jewelry when it came time for her corpse to be removed from her tiny prison.
Not that they’d have a hope of making her earring’s luck work for them, of course.
But that’s what she got for being famous — the Dread Pirate Grace Morraine, scourge of the skies. Her great flying ship, the Elektra, couldn’t save her now.
She licked a paw and straightened her whiskers. There was no point in going to her death untidy.
Guardsmen pushed their way through the crowd, leveling their halberds to do it. The raucous noise of the Parrot and Monkey voices in this tropical port of call faded as those good citizens sidled away from the guards and their sharp-edged weapons. “Oh, good. There’s to be a trial after all,” Grace said, rising to her feet. The gibbet swayed around her. “I thought you were just going to let me raisin away in the sun for the fun of it.”
The guardsmen — Dogs to a man — winced. “Come along,” their leader said, producing a key and unlocking the door of the swaying gibbet. “The Magistrate wants to see you.”
“Do I want to see him?” Grace wondered out loud.
The Dog closest to her grinned crookedly. “Oh, yes. He’s about to make you an offer you shouldn’t refuse.”
The Magistrate was, of course, a Poodle. Long of nose, disdainful of expression, with curls of hair piled atop his head. (Grace was sure it was a wig, well-powdered.) “Grace Morraine?” he said, regarding her through his pince-nez glasses. “There are two ways this meeting can go.”
She stared at the pitcher of water at his elbow. She hadn’t had so much as a sip in two days. “I’m listening.”
“One, you can say no, and you can go back to your gibbet.”
“Let’s say that I say yes.” She flicked her tail insouciantly, but her heart wasn’t in it. “Do I get to live?”
“Aye. You’d take this letter of marque,” he held up a piece of paper, “and you’d agree to continue your depredations on the shipping lines, leaving, of course, the ships of your countrymen strictly alone.”
She felt her eyes widen. “And the catch is?”
“You sell the cargos you capture to us. For a price we set. You pay your taxes. You become–” The magistrate barked out a laugh. “–an honest citizen.”
Grace considered this. With the only other alternative being the gibbet — a gibbet she didn’t see herself getting out of anytime soon, and the Elektra someplace distant, waiting for signs that her captain lived or died — she didn’t see that she had much choice. And yet, could she trust the magistrate?
All signs pointed to no. He’d find some way to swindle her out of her freedom, soon enough. There might be political pressure on him to show results against the podencos soon, and he might not have the manpower to do it without pirates on his side.
Still, trust him or not, she didn’t have much of a choice. “Where do I sign?”
“You can make your X right here — oh, aren’t you clever, you can sign your name.” The condescension made her twitch, but Grace soothed herself to expressionlessness. Her hackles didn’t even rise.
Well, hardly rose, anyway.
“Congratulations. You’re no longer a pirate, Grace Morraine. You’re a privateer.”
Within a week, Grace found herself back aboard the Elektra, her second-in-command yielding the tiller back to her hand with surprising grace — she’d always had Eason marked out as an ambitious sod who’d take control of the ship and not cede it back without putting it to a vote among the crew. “Privateering’s not a bad move, for the moment,” she told her crew, half Cats, the rest Parrots, Monkeys, and the occasional Badger. “Anyone who signs the marque lifts the death sentence against them. So we chase the podencos and take their cargo. Same as we would have done anyway.”
The crew accepted her word, to her great relief. She hadn’t wanted to have to recruit new sailors if the crew as a whole had been too disgruntled at the change of their fortune’s winds.
So it was that she found herself ten thousand feet above the sea, racing through clouds heavy with rain, chasing a trio of galleons laden with treasure that were running before the wind — but the seabound vessels couldn’t match her airborne craft for speed. “Bring the lightning cannons to bear!” Grace shouted, touching the pearl hanging from her ear for good luck.
The Elektra began her dive-bombing routine, letting hot air out of the balloon, reefing her sails, and plummeting towards the galleons. Grace plunged the tiller forward, adjusting pitch and yaw, as her sailors clung to the rigging and belted themselves to the cannons. Lightning sparked in her cannons, and then shot out, blue-white, across the dark indigo of the sea below…
And then the thunder of the cannons hit her, and Grace whooped in joy, ears ringing. This was life. This is what made life worth living, the glory of the hunt, the thrill of the chase. She didn’t play with her kills — oh no. But she circled the galleons, strafing their decks, sending crewmen — all Dogs, all podencos, leaping overboard to avoid the blue-white lightning that sizzled fractals into the wooden decks, and set the sails on fire.
A ragged volley of answering fire came from the galleons — their lightning was red, and shorter-ranged, so Grace danced the Elektra just outside the reach of their cannons. “Just surrender, you daft buggers!” she shouted in a gap between thunderclaps. “Heave to, and prepare to be boarded!” Her fur bristled from the electricity ambient in the air, making her look twice her normal size.
The three galleons slowly surrendered, lowering their flags. She could see sailors throwing buckets of sand on the flames, buckets of seawater. Trying, desperately, to save their own lives by putting out the fires.
Eason, a pure white Cat with a black eyepatch that concealed a missing eye, came to stand at her side at the tiller. “You want to go down yourself?”
“No, I trust you to handle it. The terms are that they turn over all their gold and gems, their wine and liquor.” The first would make the Magistrate happy; the latter would keep her crew happy. “They can keep their tobacco and cotton. We don’t have the hold space for that, anyway.”
“We should get a second ship, so that we do have the hold space.”
She shot him a sidelong look. “And you’d captain her?”
“I’ve proven my loyalty, haven’t I?” Eason countered.
“With the spoils from these three lovelies, we might be able to afford a second ship,” she agreed after a moment. “And yes, you have.” For the moment, Grace thought, but she kept her misgivings tucked behind her eyeballs. Give him command of his own ship, and he might depart on the next fresh breeze, and all her hard-won spoils with him.
Of course, the reason she was letting her executive officer lead the boarding party was because she had a niggling feeling that once the goods were hauled aboard, he’d just up and leave her on the galleon below.
On the other other hand, he could have just left her in port, without a ship to turn towards privateering.
To trust, or not to trust. The eternal conundrum.
Grace hovered the Elektra over the lead galleon, and the descend ropes dropped, sailors from her ship swarming down with Eason, while still more sailors with muskets stood at the railing of the Elektra, giving them cover in case the podencos decided to get frisky.
Then box after box of gold bullion began winching their way to the Elektra’s cargo hold. Barrel after barrel of Madeira wine — to the cheers of her crew. Each galleon was scavenged completely of its wealth, and then the Elektra, groaning a little under the weight, headed for the clouds once more.
“It’s a good life,” Grace told Eason as he came back aboard. Her tone was nearly a purr.
“If you can survive it,” he agreed, and for a moment, that knife’s edge was back. To trust, or not to trust.
But she put out her paw, and he took it in his, and she hauled him over the rail and back aboard. “Set course for Port Royale!” she called to her crew, and their cheers drifted down from the sky, touching even the waves below.
Tomorrow, she’d have to deal with the Magistrate. The sure-to-be-rigged ‘legitimate’ markets of Port Royale, which would surely try to shortchange her on the price of gold, the value of the gems, and the cost to repair the Elektra where the galleons’ crews had pockmarked her underbelly with musket balls. Tomorrow, she’d have to deal with taxes and credits and debits, the lack of honor in her fellow creatures, and more.
But today? Today she was sailing into a sunset, and a glass of rum waited for her in her quarters. Tomorrow could take care of itself for a few hours, while she basked in the glow of the present.
* * *
About the Author
Deborah L. Davitt was raised in Nevada, but currently lives in Houston, Texas with her husband and son. Her award-winning poetry and prose has appeared in over seventy journals, including F&SF, Asimov’s, Analog, and Lightspeed. For more about her work, including her Elgin-nominated poetry collections, The Gates of Never and Bounded by Eternity, and her chapbook, From Voyages Unending, see www.edda-earth.com.