Feed aggregator

this is an in-between-a-sode! Xander and Draggor wax politics, both the current race, conflicting left & right philosophies, and exactly what is behind it all. Deep Sh!t: politics! - this is an in-between-a-sode! Xander and Draggor wax politics, both the current race, conflictin...

this is an in-between-a-sode! Xander and Draggor wax politics, both the current race, conflicting left & right philosophies, and exactly what is behind it all. Deep Sh!t: politics! - this is an in-between-a-sode! Xander and Draggor wax politics, both the current race, conflictin...

Oh man how are we going to top this? An awesome guest plus an awesome interview plus some not so awesome chest pain from laughing so hard. Oh and a Zootopia review (spoiler warning.) Enjoy.

Download MP3

Watch Video Discovered Media:

• “I love your howl” – Cheetapaws Art
• “So you really like zootopia” on Medium
• Cute British Fox Steals Golfers Wallet

News:

• New Species Of Fish-Eating Spider Discovered in Australia
• Australian dad finds venomous spider in shoe left outside
• Fangcon to move to new city and state
• Schoolgirl sent home for looking too attractive in school uniform
• Twinks For Trump
• Hot Convict actually follows internet prayers and becomes model
• Australia’s Ugly Animals Attract Less Study
• Naked Man Walks Into Stranger’s Home, Says ‘Hi,’ Falls Off Cliff

Interview:

Geoffrey Thomas’s “The Wayward Astronomer” – A Dreamkeepers Story

Kickstarter — Deviantart — Dreamkeepers Website

Emails:

• Zanda – “Furries in the Classroom”
• Bicker – “Get Rid of Marriage?”

FC-230 Man Scout Cookies - Oh man how are we going to top this? An awesome guest plus an awesome interview plus some not so awesome chest pain from laughing so hard. Oh and a Zootopia review (spoiler warning.) Enjoy.

Oh man how are we going to top this? An awesome guest plus an awesome interview plus some not so awesome chest pain from laughing so hard. Oh and a Zootopia review (spoiler warning.) Enjoy.

Download MP3

Watch Video Discovered Media:

• “I love your howl” – Cheetapaws Art
• “So you really like zootopia” on Medium
• Cute British Fox Steals Golfers Wallet

News:

• New Species Of Fish-Eating Spider Discovered in Australia
• Australian dad finds venomous spider in shoe left outside
• Fangcon to move to new city and state
• Schoolgirl sent home for looking too attractive in school uniform
• Twinks For Trump
• Hot Convict actually follows internet prayers and becomes model
• Australia’s Ugly Animals Attract Less Study
• Naked Man Walks Into Stranger’s Home, Says ‘Hi,’ Falls Off Cliff

Interview:

Geoffrey Thomas’s “The Wayward Astronomer” – A Dreamkeepers Story

Kickstarter — Deviantart — Dreamkeepers Website

Emails:

• Zanda – “Furries in the Classroom”
• Bicker – “Get Rid of Marriage?”

FC-230 Man Scout Cookies - Oh man how are we going to top this? An awesome guest plus an awesome interview plus some not so awesome chest pain from laughing so hard. Oh and a Zootopia review (spoiler warning.) Enjoy.

Oh man how are we going to top this? An awesome guest plus an awesome interview plus some not so awesome chest pain from laughing so hard. Oh and a Zootopia review (spoiler warning.) Enjoy.

Download MP3

Watch Video Discovered Media:

• “I love your howl” – Cheetapaws Art
• “So you really like zootopia” on Medium
• Cute British Fox Steals Golfers Wallet

News:

• New Species Of Fish-Eating Spider Discovered in Australia
• Australian dad finds venomous spider in shoe left outside
• Fangcon to move to new city and state
• Schoolgirl sent home for looking too attractive in school uniform
• Twinks For Trump
• Hot Convict actually follows internet prayers and becomes model
• Australia’s Ugly Animals Attract Less Study
• Naked Man Walks Into Stranger’s Home, Says ‘Hi,’ Falls Off Cliff

Interview:

Geoffrey Thomas’s “The Wayward Astronomer” – A Dreamkeepers Story

Kickstarter — Deviantart — Dreamkeepers Website

Emails:

• Zanda – “Furries in the Classroom”
• Bicker – “Get Rid of Marriage?”

[Live] Man Scout Cookies - Oh man how are we going to top this? An awesome guest plus an awesome interview plus some not so awesome chest pain from laughing so hard. Oh and a Zootopia review (spoiler warning.) Enjoy.

This week we talk about the niche we write in: furry. The “bubble” that surrounds our niche among others, how to push out, how to look in. Are we really as different and unique as we think we are? How do others see us?

 
Send us your feedback, questions, concerns, complaints:

@FangsAndFonts

Facebook.com/FangsAndFonts
 

Fangs and Fonts

Click below to Listen http://www.fangsandfonts.com/FnF/Episodes/Ep62-Furry_Niche.mp3

Download here | Open Player in New Window

Ep 62 – Furry Niche - This week we talk about the niche we write in: furry. The “bubble” that surrounds our niche among others, how to push out, how to look in. Are we really as different and unique as we think we are? How do others see us?   Send us your feedback, [...]

Creature Entertainment (home of Bubba the Redneck Werewolf) has a new full-color comic book mini-series called Tommy: Cereal Killer. “What can you do when you find out your imaginary friend, who happens to also to be your pet rabbit, is a serial killer, and you’re the only one who knows? Oh, and you’re seven years-old… and nobody believes you? That’s Tommy’s reality – but now he means to change it! In the premiere issue of this 4-part mini-series, we are introduced to the cast of Tommy’s world, including the joyless Principal Crabtree, his woozy mother Sharon, and his ‘pet’ rabbit Jack, a mean-spirited and relentless taskmaster who is ruining the boy’s life while trying to ‘fix’ it.” Written by John Ulloa and Al Bondiga, with art by Juan Navarro, the first issue of Tommy is on the shelves now — and at Creature’s web site.

image c. 2016 Creature Entertainment

​Hi, Papabear: 

I have a few friends at school and on FurAffinity. They like me and I like them. School is mildly hard, but my parents help me through it and push. My parents are getting a divorce, but for some reason I have not been affected by this very much. I love them both and they each help me in their own ways.
​
But there is one other thing that I struggle with. I always feel as if I have to keep pushing myself, always, and I have to let go of some things that I value such as kindness in order to "man up" for the real world, and if I don't do it right now I will never be completely successful. But if I do keep pushing myself and going through life that is always moderately challenging, I will lose some kindness. Is this normal? And what should I do? Thank you, "high paws."

NickHusky (age 19)
 
* * *
 
Hi, Nick,
 
You speak in generalities, so I will as well. You are at a critical time in your life that will, indeed, do a lot for molding who you will become as an adult. And you are undergoing the kind of family and social pressures that our society deems fit for a male; that is, you should be “tough,” “man up,” hide your emotions, be strong, etc. etc. In other words, as with almost everyone else in the mundane world, you are being asked to put that mask on and hide who you really are inside. The threat here is that if you don’t do this you will be, as you say, unsuccessful, which means things like have a high-paying job, acquire lots of material possessions, breed, pay taxes, and die quietly without troubling society or rocking the boat.
 
Papabear says, “Poppycock.” The brave man (or woman) isn’t the one who hides emotions but the one who is emotionally honest, who cares about the world and feels compassion for others. Success--real success—in life is not about wealth, fame, or power. These are the things that give mundanes (pardon me for saying this) boners because the majority of people are shallow, self-centered, and materialistic.

And you know what else they are? Unhappy!
​
This skewed viewpoint causes people (and you are in danger of this right now) to do things for the wrong reasons. They get college degrees because they want a high-paying job. They select a career because they want to make a lot of money doing it. They even choose a spouse because they are “the right people.”
 
Here’s my challenge to you: go to school because you love learning; get a job because it is something you love to do (if you have a job you love, you will never work a day in your life, as they say, because your job will be fun and fulfilling); choose a mate—whether it is someone similar to you or not—because you see into their heart and fall in love.
 
You love your parents and they are trying to help you. That’s a wonderful thing. Although I don’t know your parents, I suspect they are like most parents: they are scared for you, they don’t want you to be poor, and they want you to be accepted by society. But Papabear can tell you something here: he gets more letters from unhappy people because they are too busy trying to please their parents or someone else instead of themselves. Consequently, they don’t learn who they really are, and so they go through the motions of life without really living.
 
Let you in on a very secret secret, Nick: the truly happy person doesn’t define success by money and material things but, rather, by his or her ability to discover who they truly are as a person and to search for, and even discover, what life is really about for them. Each person must find his or her own path. While I can’t define that path for you because it is a personal journey, I can tell you that if you seek a pot of gold at the end of the journey you will have wasted your life.
 
Your job, Nick, is not to “grow up,” or “man up,” but to discover who you are. I have high hopes for you because I can see you value kindness. Please, I beg you, don’t sacrifice your heart just to be part of the swarms of mundane society. Be a kind person and you will find more happiness than you ever imagined.
 
Thank you for your letter.
 
Hugs,
Papabear

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

Barsk: The Elephants’ Graveyard, by Lawrence M. Schoen
NYC, A Tim Doherty Associates Book/Tor Books, December 2015, hardcover $25.99 (384 pages), Kindle $12.99.

In the very far future, civilization has spread throughout the galaxy, but there are no longer any humans. Humanity has been replaced by the descendants of uplifted animals.

Chapter One, “A Death Detoured”, features Rüsul, an elderly Fant, alone and naked, on a raft six days at sea. He is on his death journey, the traditional final rite of passage of every Fant on the world of Barsk. Rüsul expects to sail alone until he dies. He does not expect to be picked up by a spaceship of Cans (canines; Dogs) commanded by a Cheetah, Nonyx-Captain Selishta. She tells her Cans, “‘Maybe this one will know something useful about whatever shrubs and leaves the drug comes from. Hold him here a moment while the rest of the crew secures his flotsam, and then put him below in one of the vacant isolation cells.’” (p. 19)

The importance of Barsk’s drug, koph, is explained in Chapter Four, “Solutions in Memory”, in this description of Lirlowil the Otter and her ability to talk with the dead:

“Beautiful by Otter standards, she’d spent the last few years enjoying the peaks of privilege earned not by any acts of her own, but by the random chance that gifted her with being able to both read minds and talk with the dead. Unless you had the misfortune to be one of those disgusting Fant on Barsk, you could go your entire life without encountering a Speaker. The drug that triggered the ability was fiendishly expensive, and rarely worked the first few times. Alliance science had yet to determine what genetic markers resulted in the talent. Off Barsk, Speakers were unlikely, though hardly uncommon. True telepaths though, people who could effortlessly slip inside the mind of other beings and sample their memories and knowledge as easily as flipping the pages of a book, were orders of magnitude more rare.

The number of individuals with both sets of abilities would make for a very small dinner party indeed. Lirlowil’s mental gifts emerged with puberty and elevated her social status a thousand-fold. The discovery that her talents included Speaking occurred a couple of years later when she’d sampled some koph at a party and began seeing nefshons over the next hour’s time.” (pgs. 42-43)

Nefshons are the “shimmering subatomic particles of memory”, the relics of personality that constitute what is left of the dead. Taking koph enables those with the genetic ability to become a Speaker to pull together those nefshons from the dead and talk with them. Speakers are very sought after in galactic society by all who want to contact the dead: relatives who want to speak to loved ones, law enforcement officers who need to speak with the fatal victims of crimes, historians who want to interview illustrious deceased notables.

Speakers are notable themselves, and they can charge almost anything for their talents. They need koph to energize those talents. Therefore koph is “fiendishly expensive”. And it is found only on Barsk, which is inhabited by the disgusting Fant, who are disgusting because of their enormous size, because of their ugly, wrinkled, furless skin (furlessness alone is enough to render anyone hideously ugly in this galactic society), and because of those horrible long, prehensile noses and great, flapping ears that only the Fant have.

Everyone wants koph, and since only the despised Fant can deliver it, some among the galaxy’s Bears, Elk, Yak, Prairie Dogs, Cats, and other peoples (all furred) will do anything to get it. Nonyx-Captain Selishta, the Cheetah, is one who will fly down to proscribed Barsk to kidnap Fant and try to force them to reveal the origins of koph – which none of her victims know. Lirlowil the Otter, a pampered Speaker, is grabbed by galactic bureaucracy and made to use her Speaker talent to call up the nefshons of deceased Fant that may know how koph is made, so it can be manufactured for the benefit of society. And on Barsk, the Fant Speaker Jorl and the crippled Fant child Pizlo each tries in his own way to unlock the secrets of koph, nefshons, and the dead.

For the furry fan, it’s a vast and colorful galactic society:

“Jorl’s head turned so quickly toward this voice that his trunk nearly slapped the third Dog in front of him, causing that one to flinch, duck, and fall onto his ass. Jorl frowned. Cans were fiercely loyal and disciplined; they made up the bulk of the Patrol, but they were almost never in charge. Standing now in the gate, the source of the responding question, was a Cheetah. Unlike the Dogs, she wore neither hood nor mask. The blue of her gear proclaimed her officer status, and the molded insignia at her elbows, distinct to the initiated but easily missed if you didn’t know to look, marked her rank.” (p. 130)

Barsk is unusual in being an interstellar novel from a major science-fiction publisher, Tor Books, that began as two stories in a furry fanzine 26 years ago. “Of Storm and Furry: Peals and Vents” in Mythagoras #2, Summer 1990, and “Of Storm and Furry: Contemporary Past” in Mythagoras #3, Autumn 1990. From two short stories in a minor fanzine to a handsome hardcover book (with an attractive cover by Victo Ngai) is an impressive step; and Barsk is an impressive book. Don’t miss it.

– Fred Patten

• Buy on Amazon

Another animator, another graphic novel: Bob Scott is well-known for having worked on projects as wide-ranging as Warner Brothers Bugs Bunny cartoons to Pixar films like The Incredibles and Ratatouille. Meanwhile, he’s been writing and illustrating an on-line comic strip, Molly and the Bear. “It can be tough on a family when someone new has moved in, especially if it’s a 900-pound scaredy-bear so terrified of wilderness life that he’s fled to the burbs. Fortunately Bear was found by Molly, a fearlessly optimistic 11-year-old can-doer who has taken him firmly in hand, devoted to seeing her hirsute BFF cope with modern life. Molly’s Mom is happy with the new sibling — Bear’s an excellent conversationalist and loves her homemade cookies. But Dad is having a harder time, his role as center of the universe now shared with an ursine behemoth who, unfortunately, adores him.” Now Cameron & Company have released the first collection of full-color Molly and the Bear comics in hardcover. It’s available over at Barnes & Noble.

image c. 2016 Cameron & Company

There is a long and rich tradition of furries in fiction. From the classics of Aesop’s Fables to the latest and greatest in sci-fi/fantasy novels, comics and movies, we’ve seen countless stories featuring anthropomorphic creatures. Many of those stories are fine for what they are—morality tales or pieces of fizzy entertainment that allow us to escape into a different world for a time. Some of them, however, touch us so deeply, that they become landmarks for our personal development. When we find ourselves in the company of like-minded individuals, we find that many of us share the same landmarks; entire communities have developed on the backs of this shared connection.

JM (editor horse-in-chief of [a][s]) and I were talking about Fred Patten’s article “What The Well-Read Furry Should Read,” which features what Fred considers to be the top ten classics of the fandom. It’s not a bad list, but we had a number of questions. How on Earth did he manage to narrow down hundreds of years of furry fiction down to a ten best list? What was the criteria to make something truly great? How did Jonathan Livingston Seagull and Animal Farm make the list, but Maus and The Wind in the Willows did not?

I know how subjective terms like “greatest” can turn an innocuous list into a flashpoint of debate, and we here at [a][s] love our opinions and classifications as much as the next data-wonk. So we thought—why not create our own list of novels and stories that we believe serve as cultural touchstones for the furry community? If you wanted to give someone a list of four or five novels that explained the furry aesthetic and the community’s fundamental love of anthropomorphic animals, what would you include?

Thus, the idea for “The Furry Canon” was born. We’d like to introduce an ongoing, occasional set of articles that digs into a book or set of stories, reviews them on their own merits and then determines whether they should be added to a list of stories we feel represent the “idea/aesthetic” of furry as a whole.

This is a delicate operation. Who the hell are we to determine what gets added and what doesn’t? Well, we’re enthusiastic readers, just like you. To hold ourselves to an objective (or at least transparent) standard, we thought we’d make a list of criteria that would help determine whether or not a work should be added to the list.

QUALITY. Obviously, we wouldn’t add just any book or story to the Furry Canon. If we’re going to suggest these works the curious or uninitiated, at the very least they should be excellent books to read. Is the work strong enough that, even without the elements we’re most interested in, we’d be inclined to read it?

LONGEVITY. This is a little trickier, but there are a lot of stories that set the world on fire for a year or two, then mysteriously and suddenly fade away. Does the work still hold up, even across the gulf of time and the changes society has undergone since it was published? Is it a perfect encapsulation of a point in time of the furry community or the broader world? Is there something in the work that’s still relevant and vital?

RELEVANCY. Does the story capture a central aesthetic, idea or emotion that’s quintessentially furry? Does it serve as a cultural signpost for the community, something that we can know and understand? What is it about the work that serves as an excellent representation for our fandom?

Obviously, our decisions on what gets included and what does not won’t work for everyone—but we’re hoping that over time, we can cultivate a list of our own that works well as a literary representation of our community.

So, what do you think, [a][s] readers? What novels or collections would you put forward as candidates?

​Dear Papabear,

First, let me say how sorry I am for your loss. It hurts a lot to lose someone you love (trust me, I know). Please accept my deepest condolences.

So here it goes…..
I have recently discovered the fandom, and it looks awesome! I see a lot of things that I would like to become involved with (fursuiting, volunteering, making new friends, etc.), within the fandom. However, I am a little unsure if I would fit in with all of it though, due to my age (I’m 36). Is there in age limit on this? What is the furry view of age within the fandom? Would I be the oldest guy at Anthrocon?!?! Any advice you give would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

-Spirit Bear 

* * *
 
Dear Spirit Bear,
 
Thank you for your well wishes. As to your question, no, there is no limit on age. While it’s true that the majority of furries are in their teens and twenties, there are quite a few of us (including yours truly who is 50) who are older.
 
At 36, you’re what is known as a “greymuzzle,” or, as some of the overly sensitive types prefer, “elder fur.” Because the fandom tends to be so chronologically challenged, anyone 30 and over is considered “mature” by furry standards. I like greymuzzle because I have grey on my muzzle and because I believe it makes me look distinguished and shows that I’ve been around the block a few times.
 
Anyway, I founded a group on Facebook for greymuzzles that you are most welcome to join. I believe that people who are greymuzzles are hardcore furries. Many young furries are joiners and posers. They join the fandom because they think it’s outrageous and cool (which it is), but then when they get into the “real world,” finish school, get a job, etc., they consider furries childish and drop out of doing furry stuff. These are the “furry lights.” They don’t have true furry hearts. If you are a real furry, you are ALWAYS a furry until the day you die, is what this bear says!
 
So, welcome welcome, Spirit Bear! Love having another bear in the fandom! And your name says to me you see furry as something deeper than the fur. Good for you!
 
My advice: have fun with it. Avoid drama, whenever possible. Also, if you are financially secure, watch out for moochers and users (there are some of these around, sad to say). Attend furmeets and furcons (you will NOT be the oldest fur at Anthrocon, believe me), get involved with any special interest groups within the fandom (e.g., I also have a FB group just for bears), And just enjoy it as much as possible.
 
Life is waaaaay too short not to be enjoyed. Remember, the only real time you have is right now, so make the most of it.
 
Stay Furry,
Papabear

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

Windfall, by Tempe O’Kun. Illustrated by Slate.
Dallas, TX, FurPlanet Productions, July 2015, trade paperback $19.95 (325 pages), electronic edition $9.95.

This is a mature content book.  Please ensure that you are of legal age to purchase this material in your state or region. (publisher’s advisory)

It has been six months since the popular TV series Strangeville was cancelled after five seasons. The cast has split up and gone their own ways. For Max Saber (husky) and Kylie Bevy (otter), teenage supporting actors who played a high-school boy & girl on the series, this has meant returning to their homes across America. Yet they have remained in touch through texting, and after six months, both are wondering whether their TV romance might have been more serious than they realized. When Max, on his parents’ Montana ranch, gets an invitation from Kylie to spend a three-week vacation in her old New England town of Windfall – the town that the creepy, surrealistic Strangeville was modelled upon – he takes it. Yep, their romance is real. So is the horror of Windfall.

As readers of my reviews know, I don’t think much of funny-animal novels in which the characters are really humans with superficial animal features. But Windfall presents them in depth. There are constant mentions of fur, wagging tails, perked or drooping ears, the female otters’ whiskers and webbed paws. A teen rhino fan asks Max to autograph his horn. “The otter threaded her tail through the hole in the [car] seat and popped the key into the ignition.” (p. 41) Max calls Kylie “rudderbutt”. Some of it is occasionally anthro-specific, as when Kylie finds a deer’s skull while she and Max are camping in the woods:

“She knew that [the deer had been feral]. The eyes were too far to the sides and the neck attached at the wrong angle, leaving little room for the brain. Still it looked enough like a sapient deer’s skull to give her the creeps.” (p. 57)

But there are also human features. A sultry cocker spaniel has prominent “boobs”. Readers can take these as they will, but there is probably enough “animalicity” to satisfy most furry readers. The almost-two-dozen half-toned illustrations by Slate help a lot.

Strangeville is clearly inspired by the 1990-91 Twin Peaks TV series co-created, co-written, and co-directed by David Lynch. Windfall is divided into twenty chapters, each of which begins with a TV-guide summary of a Strangeville episode.

“STRANGEVILLE (WED/9p) S04E04 ‘Inside’: After her grueling battle with the army of alien ghost dragons, Sandy finally returns home to Strangeville, but not everything is how she left it.”

“STRANGEVILLE (TUE/9p) S02E03 ‘The Nine Portals, Part 1’: The Tribunal opens the Nine Portals, flooding the world with dangerous creatures. The gang must stem the tide before these monsters overwhelm them.”

“STRANGEVILLE (MON/9p) S01E12 ‘Slugfest’: Cassie learns in a vision that her dentist is secretly a slug monster. She must convince the others before her upcoming check-up makes her a perfect target for being eaten and replaced by a slug-clone.”

“STRANGEVILLE (WED/9p) S04E12 ‘Chocolate Heart’: An unknown person is causing havoc with a shipment of love-potion chocolates. Cassie, already coping with being in heat, unknowingly tries one.”

Kylie’s mother, Laura Bevy, was the executive producer and lead writer of Strangeville, and she modelled it “upon what she knew”, including making the ancient Queen Anne mansion that she and Kylie inherited (and haven’t fully explored yet) the creepy “haunted house” that turns out to be a gateway to the monsters’ dimension. Their small town of Windfall has been taking advantage of it, as Kylie explains to Max:

“The mustelid chattered on. ‘These days, the town’s cashing in on ‘supernatural’ tourism. Basically, Internet weirdos have heard we’ve got a bunch of ghosts and goblins, so they drive up here to be separated from their disposable income.’ She couldn’t suppress a smirk. ‘Having a TV show based on the town may have helped a little.’” (p. 43)

Windfall is a combination of funny and sweet for the first seventy pages. There’s a hilarious description of a video that Kylie plays for Max:

“‘Turkish film translated into Italian, now with bootleg subtitles by a non-native English speaker.’” (p. 49)

… about a zombie wife returned from the dead, or maybe she’s a cyborg, who gets topless and fires lasers from her nipples. Since Windfall is an anthro novel, the cyborg/zombie wife is feline, but I’ve seen something very like this with humans. (Have you seen the 1987 Hindi rip-off of Superman with a child actor who portrays a 5-year-old Clark Kent super-breakdancing? It’s on YouTube.)

Then at page 70 it starts getting into why the old Bourn Holt mansion that Kylie’s mom inherited had been deserted for thirty years, and why Windfall town is getting so many tourists interested in the supernatural. Max and Kylie investigate the town’s past. The novel is not quite halfway through when the first real monster appears.

Max and Kylie explore Windfall’s adjoining forests and such establishments as the sea-otter-run Thomas Creel Seaweed Farm & Brewery (seaweed beer?), a two hours drive away. As they travel together for long stretches, and they are now healthy twenty-year-olds, nature takes its course in pauses for explicit mature sex. Windfall is NC-17 for a reason, although the eroticism in Windfall is very consensual. What the two learn about the truth behind two hundred years of madness, and the reality of fighting interdimensional monsters, is almost an anticlimax. If you like lots of surreality, graphic sex, and furry anthros, don’t miss Windfall.

Art by Slate

 

– Fred Patten

• Buy on Fur Planet
• Buy the E-Book on Bad Dog Books

 

We found this in the Previews magalog: “Animation visionary Phil Mendez (creator of Kissyfur and The Black Snowman) brings an old legend to life in the story of the mystery and mayhem that occurs when an Ohgrr Pup and a Human Child meet over a magical bowl of soup. Take a sip of this fun tale for kids of all ages!” Oghrr Soup, a full-color graphic novel in hardcover, is available now from Bliss On Tap Publishing. Stuart Ng books has a black & white preview also.

image c. 2016 Bliss On Tap

Hello Everyone!

How do you know when you are tapped out emotionally and can not really support new connections? How do you let people down when they are interested in you but you don't reciprocate the feeling? How do you talk to people who can only make small talk? Also, how do you handle a relationship when you aren't in the best financial position?

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

Thanks and, as always, be well!

FA 009 Emotional Bandwidth - How to manage your friends and relationships without losing your soul.

Hello,

I'm having a bit trouble figuring out what I should do. I have never been in a situation like this before so it would be helpful to hear what others think.

Situation:

My mate and I have been going out for about 6 months now. A couple weeks ago someone(male) asked him to be a pet and he agreed. The same person asked me as well and I agreed. Now, I'm not really into the master/pet thing, I just wanted to try it out. Probably because I was really scared of loosing my mate. Right now I'm still having reservations about it. I'm the type who can give myself only to one person at a time. 

He actually only lives about 2 hours away so we can meet him in person and master does want to do "those things" with us. My mate is sorta curious about getting done in the backside. Which by itself is no issue to me, but he wants to try it with master and if he likes it . . . he was wondering if I'd be ok with them doing that on the side. My mate did what he could to reassure me that nothing would change with us, that I would always come first, and there is no way he'd leave me for master. Especially since my mate is straight and master has a fiancé. I really don't like/want my mate to do this, but I want him to be happy. He said it's fine if I say "no", but I still really don't wanna ruin his fun and happiness even if it means I have to be hurting a bit from it. I tried doing a "pros and cons list", also thinking it might help to meet master first (which I will be next weekend), and possibly my mate might not like getting in the backside as well as get tired of this whole thing at some point. I just don't anymore. So if someone can tell me what they think and help give me something else to think about . . . it would be extremely helpful. Please feel free to ask me for more specifically details if you need them.

Thanks so much!

Anonymous (age 26)
 
* * *
 
Dear Furiend,
 
It’s nice that you are being open minded about this, but there are a few things here you might want to think about. First of all, if your mate decides he enjoys receiving guests at the back door, then he can’t really say he’s entirely straight. Secondly, my understanding of furry master/pet relationships is that the healthy ones are not about sex. Most master/pet relationships in the fandom are about a more father/son or mother/daughter or teacher/apprentice dynamic. There are many greymuzzles (or not even greymuzzles but simply more experienced and wiser furs who could still be in their twenties) who have big hearts and like to mentor young furs who need guidance. Those who wish to be pets are looking for a parent figure—either because they have no parents or because they have poor relationships with their parents. That’s why when I hear what you are describing, I am more inclined to call it a master/sex slave relationship. This is not necessarily a bad thing, because, despite the terminology, there can be a mutual respect here in which neither party is trying to hurt the other one but, rather, they get a sexual high out of this type of role playing.
 
So, first of all, recognize what your mate is proposing for what it really is. If you were comfortable with that, though, you would not be writing Papabear, would you? I’m sorry to say that by the time I got to your letter, you probably have already met this “master,” so perhaps you can write back and let me know how it went. I understand, too, how you might agree to be this master’s sex toy, but doing so out of fear of losing your mate is not the best of reasons. If you aren’t doing it because you enjoy it, then you shouldn’t do it.
 
I will praise both you and your mate for having open communication about this rather than his going off on the sly and having sex with master. Good for him! Good for you for not immediately dismissing it and for being willing to entertain the possibilities here! It might be that, after meeting this master and having a bit of fun and experimentation, you could decide it’s okay and even enjoyable. On the other paw, if you try it and decide it’s not for you, and your mate decides he loves it and wants to continue it, then you will need to reevaluate your relationship and decide if the two of you are as compatible as you thought.
 
As with Schrödinger’s Cat, the only way you will find out for sure is if you open the box. I’m very proud of you for being brave enough to do this, but do not forget that your feelings matter, too, and should be respected for the relationship to work.
 
Hugs,
Papabear

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

Zootopia, directed by Bryon Howard and Rich Moore; co-directed by Jared Bush; produced by Walt Disney Motion Pictures. 108 minutes. March 4, 2016.

Zootopia has already been anticipated, seen, and covered more thoroughly than any other anthropomorphic motion picture in furry fandom history.

We know that its theatrical release has stretched from February 10 in Belgium to April 23 in Japan. (Dogpatch Press has covered its furry fandom theater parties throughout the U.S. and in Brazil, Canada, Mexico, the Philippines, Russia, Singapore, and Sweden.) We know that it was originally intended to be released as Zootopia worldwide, but due to various legal reasons it has become Zootropola in Croatia, Zootopie in France, Zoomania in Germany, Zootropolis in Denmark, Spain, and other countries, Zveropolis in Russia, and Zwierzogród in Poland.

It grossed $75,063,401 on its opening weekend in 3,827 theaters in the U.S. and $232,500,000 worldwide, breaking the records for the premiere of a Disney animated feature (Frozen with $67,400,000 in November 2013) and for any March animated feature (Illumination Entertainment’s The Lorax; $70,200,000 in March 2012). Its voice cast features Ginnifer Goodwin as Judy Hopps, Jason Bateman as Nick Wilde, and numerous others ranging from celebrity actors to professional voice actors, and including directors Howard, Moore, and Bush as minor characters. It debuted with a 100% rating on Rotten Tomatoes from 92 reviews. Disney reportedly hired at least one marketing agency to promote Zootopia to the furry community.

In American furry fandom, Zootopia was released on March 4. By March 7, there were five in-depth reviews of it on Flayrah, some with up to 46 comments. They started out trying not to give away spoilers to those who had not seen it yet. By the 6th, they were discussing the movie as though it was a revered classic like The Maltese Falcon or Psycho, which movie fans still critique in detail despite the whole story being well-known to all. (Plus Wikipedia has a plot synopsis.) What more is there to say about Zootopia?

*** SPOILERS: ***

I compare it to those two mystery thrillers for a reason. The primary reason that furry fandom is interested in it is, of course, for its basic premise. Zootopia is set entirely in a world of anthropomorphic animals where humans never existed. Zootopia, its greatest city, has been designed by Disney’s production staff for all mammals, from the tallest giraffes to the tiniest shrews, to live in equality.   But the movie is also a mystery thriller. Zootopia consists, like the real world, of 90% prey animals and only 10% predators. Despite this, they are all intelligent and live together in harmony.

Something is causing individual predators to revert to savage, unthinking ferality, bloodily attacking their neighbors. There is a Zootopia-wide panic, with all prey animals fearing that their predator neighbors may become affected and attack them. The feature’s co-protagonist, a “cute” (the word is emphasized) rabbit policewoman, and her fox partner (a prey animal and a predator) learn that the plague is due to a deliberately-administered chemical rather than to natural causes, in a plot to spread panic and seize political control of the city. Toward the climax, it looks like the fox partner may be given the drug by the villains, to have the rabbit heroine eaten by her best friend. (If you want a more detailed plot synopsis, see the Wikipedia article mentioned above.)

Zootopia is a must-see on several levels. Firstly, for its premise of a city/world of all intelligent animals (mammals) living together, designed for the tallest to the smallest together.

Secondly, for its nature as a mystery thriller. It’s a good one, developing smoothly. The movie looks at first as though it is just about a tiny rabbit policewoman succeeding among her larger co-policemen, all large animals like water buffalo and rhinoceroses. Then it becomes the rabbit’s & fox’s search for 16 missing animals, which becomes increasingly dark and ominous. That appears to be due to a plague that threatens the whole city, which turns out to be a deliberate criminal plot. It’s original, too, considering its context. How many mystery movies or novels have there been in which the detective is menaced by being eaten by his or her best friend?

Thirdly, for its themes of prejudice and stereotypes, and its almost anti-Disney message of no, you can’t always be whatever you want to be. The movie begins with the young rabbit, Judy Hopps, thrilled to be going from her rural home of Bunnyborough to the almost-legendary metropolis of Zootopia, where all animals live in brotherhood and the motto is, “In Zootopia, anyone can be anything”. She quickly learns that despite this, there is plenty of species stereotyping and prejudice. The police won’t take a bunny seriously as a policewoman; they want big animals. Judy is assigned to meter-maid duty. Nobody will trust foxes for anything; they’re “all” sneaky and conniving. Judy has already experienced rabbit stereotyping: “A bunny can call another bunny ‘cute’, but when other animals do it, it’s a little …”. Audiences can easily substitute “black” and a particular n-word here. Judy is determined to become Zootopia’s first serious police detective rather than a token pigeonholed as a stereotypical meter-maid; audiences can equally substitute a woman applying for “a man’s” job. Judy succeeds, but she has to become incredibly persistent and become a superachiever to achieve what other animals get automatically.

Fourthly, for its excellent graphic artistry. The rabbit and fox protagonists are often seen in closeups, with every hair of their fur distinct. One of the production crew said in The Art of Zootopia, “There are multiple animal species in Zootopia, and each species’ fur has its own specific color, lighting, shape and texture. The uniqueness of each animal was a great challenge to us. –Michelle Robinson, character look supervisor” (p. 148) This is one of those films intended to be seen by fans over and over, or to freeze-frame upon when the DVD is released, to search for all of the many details in the crowded backgrounds.

Fifthly, for its in-group references. The “Mr. Big” shrew crime boss is an obvious The Godfather reference. Two of the sheep distilling Night Howler flowers into the feral-making toxic drug are named Walt and Jesse; Walt & Jesse were two of the main good guys making crystal meth in the 2008-2013 Breaking Bad TV series. The missing otter is Emmett Otterton; anybody remember Emmett Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas from 1971 (book) and 1978 (TV special)? Gazelle’s studly tigers = Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes’ Tony the Tiger. (Or am I stretching here?)

Zootopia has flaws, but in the overall gestalt they are minor. Aside from the main characters who look distinct, all of the animals of a species look alike. The polar bears look alike. The lemmings look alike. (But they’re probably supposed to.) Bellweather’s hench-sheep look alike. The mystery may have too many clues, although some are too basic to mysteries, or are obvious only in retrospect.

Why is harmless Emmett Otterton shot with the toxic drug? Presumably as a florist he made the connection with the Night Howlers flowers. The black panther being turned feral just as he is about to reveal an important clue to Judy and Nick is a strong giveaway that the feral plague is criminal-controlled instead of natural. Well, the very fact of Zootopia’s plot is a tipoff that the mystery will turn out to be a crime that gets solved — the feature would lack drama if it was a natural plague.  The discovery that the criminals distilling the Night Howler flowers into the toxic drug are sheep is a giveaway that the mysterious villain will turn out to be Assistant Mayor May Bellweather. And, frankly, the “Agatha Christie rule” of making the least likely suspect turn out to be the villain has gotten a little overused by Disney recently. Whodunit in Frozen? The Nicest Guy in the Movie who’s also the heroine’s fiancée. Whodunit in Big Hero 6? The Father-figure university professor who stands for honesty. So whodunit in Zootopia? The only less likely suspects would have been Flash, the DMV sloth, or Judy Hopps’ parents. (Wait; Gideon Grey, Judy Hopps’ red fox childhood bully, could have grown up, moved to Zootopia, and turned out to be the villain; after being absent from the 108-minute feature except for his childhood introduction at the beginning. No?)

Well, this review is probably unnecessary. Zootopia has been out for less than a week, and everyone in furry fandom who intends to see it seems to have seen it already by now. These are my thoughts on it, anyhow. I’ve just seen it today, and I’m already eager to see it again.

– Fred Patten

 

Thousands of years ago, a god-like man and a wolf-monster join forces — and spirits — to defeat a monstrous threat known as The Hungry Ones. A thousand years later, when the tribes are under attack once more, the spirit of vengeance known as the Ghost Wolf is born again — in the form of a fearless young woman. That’s the story behind Ghost Wolf, a full-color comic book series created by El Torres and illustrated by Angel Hernandez. Now Amigo Comics have released the first Ghost Wolf story arc at a single trade paperback, Ghost Wolf: Born in Snow and Blood. Check out the preview over at their web site.

image c. 2016 Amigo Comics

A followup to yesterday’s story:  ‘Fursonas’ beats Zootopia as most important furry movie, coming on Video On Demand.

“Most important?” What’s with the sensational title?

Not the biggest or most widely appealing. Just one that stands apart.

There’s never been a furry-made feature film that got support from the movie industry, until now.  Not just support, but pole position to open Slamdance, one of the most significant film festivals.  It got an award for representing the spirit of the festival. Then it sold immediately to a mainstream distributor with Hollywood press, while tons of larger movies sit on the shelf.

That’s the biggest thing that’s ever happened in fandom-made media.

Disney’s non-fanmade “furry” movie is getting all the attention, while a by-and-for-fans movie is getting what any furry moviemaker dreams of.  It’s a good reason for an article about what’s going on with the Year of Furry movies.

It was surprising that nobody talked about the Slamdance win when it happened… so here’s a little nudge to notice.  The best part of the hype is it’s not just a furry movie, it’s a legit movie.

More news to come!  Dogpatch Press will be on the story.

Director Dominic Rodriguez said that five furries attended the two screenings of his movie at Slamdance, with two in suit.  Slamdance released a video as part of their Spotlight Series of a short interview with him, the producer, and Boomer The Dog.

For the upcoming L.A. screening, Dominic asked me (Patch) to moderate the Q&A after the film – a heck of a compliment (though it’s not feasible.)  He said:

“The people from Slamdance suggested that we find someone noteworthy from the furry community for this job… just so you know, at the Slamdance Arclight screening last month, the Q&A moderator was JOHN LANDIS. Those are some cool shoes to fill :D”

And since this movie was compared to Zootopia as a big moment for The Year of Furry – one of Dominic’s sources ran into a Disney crew member, who reported that the film WAS purposely marketed (at least least in part) to furries. Hopefully there will be more such tips from inside the movie business.

Get to know more about Furry-related movies. With few exceptions, previous features are fiction.  It’s a very select group.

There was Germany’s Finsterworld (the very best of the list, a fine movie on it’s own terms with a Furry subplot that deeply ties to the story.  It was researched with Eurofurence ties).

In France, the comedy “Babysitting” won the “french oscar” (though it doesn’t tie furries deeply).  From Hollywood, “Wish I was Here” didn’t make much of an impression.  From Indies, “The Honey Cooler” and “Furries the Movie” (not furry-made) draw dislike.  There’s not much else.  (Bitter Lake is a non mainstream exception, the only fan-made feature so far.)

I’ve often thought there is a lot of potential for this little subculture to strike it big with it’s rich vein of oddball appeal, sweetness, fun (and of course, eye-popping sauciness in your imagination.)

Furmeets have major potential to bring cult movie vibes to life, the kind you can hug. A while back, it was exciting to share an idea of someday having a “Furry Film Fest”. Hopefully, one day Dominic’s movie will headline such a festival.

Wendy Grieb is a professional animation storyboard artist. She is also the illustrator of the Monster & Me series of illustrated children’s books, written by Paul Czajak. There are some good reviews of the adventures of Monster and Boy (in such books as Monster Needs A Costume, Monster Needs A Party, and Monster Needs Your Vote) over at Kid Lit Reviews. “All of the Monster & Me books are fun, carefree, and highly entertaining. Wendy Grieb’s brightly colored illustrations breathe extra life into Paul Czajak’s stories. Monster is a great character. Who wouldn’t want to listen to Monster tell a story. Who wouldn’t want to pretend they are Boy and sled down a hill with Monster at their side, or with Monster screaming up and down a rollercoaster hills?” You can also visit Ms. Grieb’s web site to find out more about her illustrations and storyboards.

image c. 2016 by Wendy Grieb