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Dated February 12, here in an article in The Signal, the official student newspaper of Georgia State University in Atlanta:
http://georgiastatesignal.com/the-fast-and-the-furry-ous-facts-and-misconceptions-about-furries/

The article looks at the history and perception of the furry fandom, and includes an interview with furry Wolf Genesis.


Things have changed a lot over the years. We’ve got faster computers, smarter phones and slightly more equality. These, of course, are changes people experience in day-to-day life.

Another, more subtle change society has experienced recently, is a change in meaning of the phrase “my fine, furry friend.” What used to be used to describe our pets can now be used to describe a subset of society that call themselves the Furry Fandom.

According to WikiFur, the Furry encyclopedia, the Furry Fandom is a group of people who appreciate “anthropomorphic animals in art, literature, cartoons, [and] pop culture…” Basically, this means they have an interest in animals with human attributes.

Very few people have had experience with Furries outside of television. Unfortunately, the media tends to portray Furries in an incredibly negative light. Natalie Tindall, Ph.D., a professor at Georgia State who has done research on the development of fandoms, said her first experience with Furries was on an episode of “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.”

A man was killed in his fur suit. Tindall went on to say that Furry culture “tends to be very – at least from the media portrayals of it – it tends to be very sexualized.” This media portrayal has led many to believe that being a Furry is primarily a fetish, when in reality, it is a community

The beginnings of the furry fandom can be traced back to the post-World War II era, when cartoons about human-like animals shifted from an all-age focus to being primarily directed towards children.

According to WikiFur, these children then grew up with the desire to create similar characters for older age groups. In his autobiography, “Surprised by Joy,” author C.S. Lewis admits to developing his own fascination with anthropomorphic animals at a young age. Was C.S. Lewis a Furry? Who can say, but he did certainly like fawns.

The first open “Furry Party” at a notable convention was in 1986. Westercon, a science fiction convention held in Sacramento, was the first to showcase furry artwork and short stories at their 39th convention. The success of this party eventually led to the showcasing of furry fanfictions and fanart across California.

Since then, standalone Furry conventions have boomed in popularity, with more than 30 hosted across the country, the most popular being Anthrocon in Pennsylvania, which had more than 6,000 attendees last year.

One reason Furry Fandom has exploded is the rise of Internet and Wi-Fi, which allowed people to build a community with others who shared their interests in a safer environment.

Tindall believes this sense of community can offer members of the Furry Fandom a sense of escape from their daily lives.

“They have something. They have a sense of whimsy and a sense of fun and a sense of belonging, and they just want to enjoy it. and it’s pleasurable and in this time why wouldn’t you want to have some escapism,” Tindall said.

While Tindall may be right theoretically, she cannot give a clear insight into what it’s like to live as a Furry, so The Signal sat down with Jason*, 31, whose Fursona is called “Wolf Genesis.”

*Names in article withheld to protect the identity of those in this story.

What’s it like to be a Furry? Is it like being part of other fandoms?

J: “It’s like anything else, I suppose. Like any fandom, you’ll have the aspects you absolutely love about it, and other aspects not so much.”

Do you have a fur suit?

J: “I don’t have a fursuit, though I admit I want one. They do cost a pretty penny, though. Full body suits that can range at a thousand dollars and more, to partial suits – that is, handpaws, footpaws, tails, or headpieces – which are naturally less costly.”

How involved are you with Furry life?

J: “I am an artist. I draw furries. I do have a tail that I wear from time to time, and collect various things involving. . .wolves. I haven’t gone out of my way to join profile pages such as Facebook for furries, unless you count my art page. Otherwise, I do play a game that is a heavily text based role playing game.”

What drew you to the lifestyle?

J: “I honestly think there are a number of factors that come into play here. One being…[the] childhood cartoon shows I grew up with. Sonic the Hedgehog, Tailspin, Road Rovers, SWAT Kats, and Biker Mice From Mars, to name a few. Seeing so many characters given human style characteristics, voices, acting became a part of me in a sense, and reminders of those happy times of childhood play a huge part in my enjoyment of the fandom. Another thing is the artwork. People can create constantly unique combinations and hybrids of things, detail it in ways we couldn’t imagine before, and bring things to life that is basically candy for the eyes.”

Are there any myths you want to dispel about being a Furry?

J: “Definitely. Being a Furry does not necessarily mean I’m in love with animals or have any sort of zoophilia. Being a Furry ranges from simply having a fascination with anthropomorphic beings, to… well, yes the extreme sense of sexual attraction. But I would like to impress that the main difference in being a furry versus a zoophiliac, involving the fantasies on the extreme end, is consent. Being a furry does not equal being into bestiality. The second myth is it’s all sexual and fursuits. It’s really not. That is one sect that gets a lot of attention, but not really the fandom as a whole. Some furries, like myself, love the fandom because it can personify traits we’d like to see in ourselves, or traits from connections we have with animals, as some feel with spirit animals or spirit guides.”

Do you think Furries will ever be fully accepted?

J: “The furry fandom will make it to being accepted when facts make it out first. When the myths and assumptions are widely no longer accepted, when people see that we’re rather a harmless bunch. A little odd maybe but what fandom isn’t?”
Even though we have a long way to go until Furries are accepted in society, that’s not going to stop people like Jason from living their lives true to themselves. The Furry Fandom is still growing and evolving every day.

Hi there, Papabear.
 
I've been following and enjoying your column for some time now, and am nervous to finally be writing and asking for your thoughts.

I have these two friends who happen to suffer from bipolar disorder who are both very dear to me, especially the male friend, Eric. It's a long story, but Eric and I were coworkers who got along really well. He talked a lot and everyone else found him annoying; except for me. I developed a crush on him and eventually told him by dedicating a song, to which he said he returned my feelings, but he couldn't date because of his problems. (I now know he was scared.) Soon after, he spiraled into ever worsening depression, and I into out of control emotions and self-torment from the tease of "I like you but..." eventually his depression got so bad he quit and I tried to stay in contact. He took my calls and sometimes was like his old self, sweet and charming. I asked to hang out finally and he refused, saying he "needed to stay in his comfort zone." Despite wanting to help and support him, I can only take being there for someone (and I was, for every single bad thing that happened to him all summer.) and being pushed away for it as a reward. I was hurt and stopped calling, and to my deep hurt, he has not called me in two months. I've been rejected/betrayed many times...why is this one so much worse? I am wondering why I am having such a hard time getting over this, why despite my best efforts, I cannot get over this person who clearly does not care about me despite how loyal a friend I have been, always. I am a writer and that helps, but I feel like this torment might never end.
 
DarkHorse
 
* * *

Dear DarkHorse,
 
There is a saying that goes “Love has no reason.” We love people because we just love them, often even if we intellectually know they aren’t good for us. I am hoping, as I write this, that Eric is receiving some kind of treatment for his illness. He needs a combination of talk therapy and medications, most likely. If he is getting treatment, there is not much else you can do. He needs to get his bipolar problems in order first, and only then should other things (work, personal relationships) be fully addressed. If he is not getting treatment, perhaps you can help by making sure his family is aware he is not doing what needs to be done. Let them know that you care, as a friend, and are happy to help if they wish.

The bottom line is this: we can offer help to those who need it, but we can’t run their lives for them. Only they can do that. As for your feelings for Eric, don’t be so certain he doesn’t care about you. When you have bipolar disorder you suffer waves of emotions that can cloud up who you truly are inside and it is difficult to extricate yourself from the piles of sand and rubble that are burying you. Under all of that, he might care about you, but, again, he needs to stabilize his emotions before he can continue on that course.
​
You know, you are allowed to love someone, even if that person doesn’t love you back. Love often hurts, but it’s better to experience love than to be an emotionless robot. Know, too, that love is not a limited resource. You are allowed to love Eric, and you will find you will still have enough love in your heart for others, as well. Don’t limit yourself when it comes to your heart, and don’t obsess on one person. The more we love, the richer our lives become.
 
Hugs,
Papabear

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

The Case of the Cat Show Princess, by Cindy Vincent
Houston, TX, Whodunit Press, November 2011, trade paperback $9.97 (162 pages), Kindle $2.99.

The Case of the Crafty Christmas Crooks, by Cindy Vincent
Houston, TX, Whodunit Press, October 2013, trade paperback $9.97 (170 pages), Kindle $2.99.

The Case of the Jewel Covered Cat Statues, by Cindy Vincent
Houston, TX, Whodunit Press, September 2014, trade paperback $9.97 (242 pages), Kindle $2.99.

The Case of the Clever Secret Code, by Cindy Vincent
Houston, TX, Whodunit Press, October 2015, trade paperback $10.97 (222 pages), Kindle $2.99.

“Cat cozy” adult mystery series in which talking cats actively detect crimes have become very popular, though arguably more with cat-fanciers and some mystery fans (others revile them) than with furry fans. The Midnight Louie series by Carole Nelson Douglas, the Mrs. Murphy series by Rita Mae Brown, and the Joe Grey series by Shirley Rousseau Murphy have made cat-detective fantasies both popular and respectable. Here, then, is one for the kiddies that should also be called to furry fans’ attention, especially since it is not obvious on the Amazon.com listings that these are juvenile rather than adult novels.

These four Buckley and Bogey Cat Detective Capers by Cindy Vincent are attractive trade paperbacks published by Vincent’s own Whodunit Press, “A Division of Mysteries by Vincent, LLC”. They are talking-cat detective novels recommended for middle-grade readers, ages 8 to 12. Frankly, they are overly cute adventures mostly suitable for the younger end of that range, which is why I described them as for the kiddies rather than as for kids. As is typical with the most banal of this sub-sub-genre, all the cats can understand human language. In this series, they even regularly speak English as well, except when humans are listening.

“Of course, the humans aren’t exactly aware of our detective duties. Probably because us cats always switch to cat language whenever humans are around.” (The Case of the Clever Secret Code, p. 2)

All cats then “meow” intelligently together in feline, their secret language. Bogey reveals in The Case of the Clever Secret Code that he also knows the difference between written English, French, and Spanish. The cats work together to pull off the most blatant deeds that the humans never suspect are caused by cats. Ho, hum.

Buckley, the narrator, is a large black cat (a Maine Coon cat, which are traditionally dark; but I didn’t know were ever solid black until I saw photos of the real Buckley, owned by Cindy Vincent, on their website) who has been recently adopted from an animal shelter by cat lovers Abigail and Mike Abernathy and 12-year-old daughter Gracie. (“Dad” is supportive but almost ignored; he’s not even named until the third book.) They have a handful of rescued cats, one of whom is another black cat, the smaller but older Bogart. Bogey trains Buckley in detection and they set up the Buckley and Bogey Cat Detection Agency together — a detective agency for cats, not humans — using their human Mom and Dad’s home computer when they’re not looking. (A fine tradition in cat and dog fantasies going back to Elyse Cregar’s Feline Online and Beth Hilgartner’s Cats in Cyberspace, both 2001; though Hilgartner has pointed out in a 2015 edition that advances in computer technology and security since 2001 would make this difficult or impossible today.) Two other cats in the Abernathy home who always help Buckley and Bogey are Libby, usually called Lil Bits, and the ancient but almost supernaturally wise Miss Mokie. Bogey has an unlimited supply of cat treats for them all, especially Buckley.

In the first book, Buckley and Bogey receive an e-mail signed P.A. from “a cat in great danger” who will be at the local St. Gertrude Cat Show on the coming Saturday. Buckley and Bogey trick their humans into taking them there, and learn that P.A. is Princess Alexandra, a white Turkish Angora with a diamond collar and silken pillow owned by Count and Countess Von De Meenasnitzel of Austria. Despite the Princess’ luxurious lifestyle, the Count and Countess are cruel owners. The Princess is afraid for her life, and wants Buckley and Bogey to rescue her.

“I [Buckley] nodded to let her know I was listening. ‘The Count and Countess?’

‘Yes, yes,’ she sighed. ‘They’re mean to me all the time. They hit me if I don’t win a ribbon in the cat shows. They’re always threatening to do bad things if I don’t do what they say.’” (p. 56)

Do people who regularly exhibit their cats in cat shows habitually abuse them? Does anyone wonder about a Count and Countess coming from a country that has been a republic since 1919? To reveal a spoiler that will have been obvious to everyone all along, the Count and Countess are revealed by Buckley and Bogey to be international jewel thieves. The two cat detectives smuggle home Princess Alexandria, who is glad to give up her life of cold luxury for the warmth of the Abernathy’s cat-rescue home as just plain Lexie. This is not much of a spoiler since Lexie is shown with Buckley & Bogey on the covers of all four novels.

In the second book, Buckley experiences his first Christmas and learns all about Christmas trees, ornaments and presents, jingle bells, Santa Claus, Baby Jesus; and the true meaning of Christmas. The mystery is that someone has been entering houses in the Abernathy’s neighborhood and stealing all the Christmas loot:

“She [Officer Phoebe Smiley of the St. Gertrude Police Department] flipped a page in her notebook. ‘A crook – or – crooks broke into their house while they were out to the movies last night, which was Saturday night, of course. The crooks took everything. All the presents. They stole the wreath right off the front door, too. Mrs. Mitchell reports that they even took some of the Christmas cookies she’d made. Though oddly enough, they only stole the cookies shaped like stars. They left all the other shapes alone.’” (p. 8)

Although Buckley and Bogey are mystified until the climax, there are clues throughout the story that will let adult readers but maybe not the younger 8-to-12-year-olds guess early whodunit. The third book is about a mysterious wrapped package added on a foggy night to Mom Abernathy’s Abigail’s Antiques shop:

“Our Mom punched the alarm code into the alarm keypad by the back door. Then Officer Phoebe opened the door and we all went outside.

Straight into the thickest fog I’d ever seen.

Holy Catnip.

Our Mom opened the door to the truck and that’s when we heard it.

Baaaaaaaa-room! Baaaaaaaa-room!

I glanced back at Bogey. ‘What was that?’ I meowed.

Like I said, cats always switch back to cat language when humans are around.

Before Bogey could answer, our Mom asked, ‘Is that a foghorn?’

Officer Phoebe squinted and looked into the fog. ‘It sure sounds like it. But that’s weird. Last I knew, St. Gertrude didn’t have any foghorns. We’re nowhere near the ocean.’

Then we heard it again. Baaaaaaaa-room! Baaaaaaaa-room!

All of a sudden I shivered. If our town didn’t have any foghorns, then why were we hearing a foghorn now? Somebody was making that foghorn go.” (p. 36)

The Case of the Jewel Covered Cat Statues is about two missing priceless jeweled cat statues, and a parade of characters, all with suspiciously alliterative names like Abe Abascal, Byron B. Bygones, Danby Daunton, and Evaline Esterbrook, or unconvincing names like Vera Glitter and Delilah Wonderfully (a wanna-be Cruella DeVil), mixed up with the mysterious package.

The fourth novel, The Case of the Clever Secret Code, is the least convincing of all – at least to adults, and probably to young readers as well. (Were we ever that naïve?) Steele Bronson, a Hollywood mega-star, comes to St. Gertrude and Abigail’s Antiques shop in his limousine, with all his entourage of makeup artists, stunt men, scriptwriters, and other assistants:

Then he stood up tall and looked at the reporter. ‘You might want to get this on film,’ he informed her.

Once the camera was on, he held his arms open wide and addressed the crowd. ‘Yes, ladies and gentlemen! I, Steele Bronson, have come here, into the very heart of America. Now I intend to make a movie about the very foundation of this great nation of ours. Yes, I plan to thrill audiences with a story about the very beginnings of these United States. It will be about the Revolutionary War and those brave persons who fought to make us independent. And I intend to film what will obviously become a blockbuster, right here in St. Gertrude.’” (pgs. 22-23)

Bogey gets a very bad feeling about all this – and so does the reader! Do real Hollywood movie stars ever talk like that? Do even eight-year-olds believe that this is the way that movies are made? That famous movie stars just decide to make a movie (that they will star in, of course) and announce it, without any preparation, or other actors, or a studio being involved? In this novel, Bogey and other cats are aware that this sounds fishy, but none of the humans seem to be. Holy Catnip!

According to the website’s advertising, the first three novels were planned together. It was only after they were successful (whatever that means since Vincent is publishing them herself) that the fourth novel was added. There will probably be more, then.

And so it goes. Bogey is acknowledgely modeled after Humphrey Bogart as P.I. Sam Spade in Warner Bros.’ famous movie of Dashiell Hammett’s mystery novel The Maltese Falcon. Buckley, despite being larger, is the wide-eyed apprentice who hero-worships his cynical-but-kindly mentor. I could do without Buckley constantly exclaiming both “Holy Catnip!” and “Holy Mackerel!”, including at the beginning and ending of each chapter; constantly almost putting his own eye out, tripping over his oversized, furry Maine Coon paws, or otherwise displaying his clumsiness (“‘I tried to put my paw to my forehead, to help me think better. But I ended up bonking myself in my whiskers.’” –The Case of the Crafty Christmas Crooks, p. 64); and to the blurbs’ calling each novel “their most complicated ever!” or “their most difficult yet!”. I’m not sure why both Bogey and Buckley share the last name of Bergdorf, despite being adoptive brothers. It’s common in pet fantasies for the pets to adopt the family name of their human Dad and Mom, but the two Bergdorfs belong to the human Abernathys. The “Berg” in Bergdorf has been theorized by some reviewers to be a reference to Ingrid Bergman in the movie Casablanca; another starring role of Humphrey Bogart’s tough-guy persona. Nobody has guessed whether “dorf” is also a reference, and if it is, I don’t recognize it, either. Cindy Vincent is an active Christian author (one of her other books is Cats are Part of His Kingdom, Too: 33 Daily Devotions to Show God’s Love); and the Buckley and Bogey books often show religious imagery. Their cover art is obviously by the same designer as the Mysteries by Vincent website; Cindy Vincent herself?

Holy Catfish! The Buckley and Bogey Cat Detective Capers have some glowing reviews, but they all read like they were written by cat-lovers for whom no talking-cat book can be too cute. These are obviously fantasies written for young children who are not expected to believe that they are real. Yet major plot elements presented plausibly include cat show exhibitors who regularly abuse their pets, with none of the humans noticing anything wrong; the titled nobility in present-day Austria; the police being always clueless until the cats send them mystery e-mails explaining just how the criminals operate; and a town just being taken over by a major Hollywood star who decides on a whim (he says) to make it the location of his next big picture.

There are better anthropomorphic talking-animal fantasies for this age group, which I would put at closer to 6- to 10-years-old than 8-to-12s. Holy Mackerel!

–Fred Patten

• Buy The Case of the Cat Show Princess on Amazon
• Buy The Case of the Crafty Christmas Crooks on Amazon
• Buy The Case of the Jewel Covered Cat Statues on Amazon
• Buy The Case of the Clever Secret Code on Amazon
• Learn more about Cindy Vincent on her website
• Learn more about Buckley and Bogey on their website

This week it's Savrin and Fuzz since Shiva is now in CRUNCH MODE for Fiesta. Prepare yourself for a NERD TSUNAMI. We talk about tons and tons of different stuff.. and get to emails .. eventually. And even then we tangent. Tangetcast, that's us. By the by, our coupon code 'knot' at Adam & Eve is good for the original 50% off one item and free continental shipping like it used to be until the 15th. We also have a Patreon- we love everyone who supports us. www.patreon.com/knotcast Episode 304 - VD Blues

Our special edition Thursday show! Lots of discussion on politics, culture and fandom. :3

Download MP3

Watch Video Discovered Media:

• Guardian article about furries
• Ted Cruz goes to weird anti-gay rally
• Blue (No Correlation to Fayroe, but Fayroes Childhood)
• Zootopia Macro
• Jasonafox’s Tweet on Movies this year
• You can now run Windows 95 in a web browser

News:

• A Whole Rabbit Brain Has Been Cryogenically Preserved
• Rainfurrest 2016 Canceled Loses Venue
• Cuddle Party discusses limits
• Face It, You’d Want To Play This Penis-Punching Video Game
• Naked man wearing Ronald Reagan mask peeps through window, terrifies neighbourhood
• Man Blames Evil Twin for Robberies

Emails:

• Jared – “Techy Thing – Transition from Audio to Video”
• Horsehead – “For the love of my grandparents, parents, and possible children or grandchildren..”
• Rumelis – “A Brief Question”
• Mellisa – “Ewww Dirty Paws :3”

FC-226 Sausage Ambush - Our special edition Thursday show! Lots of discussion on politics, culture and fandom. :3

Our special edition Thursday show! Lots of discussion on politics, culture and fandom. :3

Download MP3

Watch Video Discovered Media:

• Guardian article about furries
• Ted Cruz goes to weird anti-gay rally
• Blue (No Correlation to Fayroe, but Fayroes Childhood)
• Zootopia Macro
• Jasonafox’s Tweet on Movies this year
• You can now run Windows 95 in a web browser

News:

• A Whole Rabbit Brain Has Been Cryogenically Preserved
• Rainfurrest 2016 Canceled Loses Venue
• Cuddle Party discusses limits
• Face It, You’d Want To Play This Penis-Punching Video Game
• Naked man wearing Ronald Reagan mask peeps through window, terrifies neighbourhood
• Man Blames Evil Twin for Robberies

Emails:

• Jared – “Techy Thing – Transition from Audio to Video”
• Horsehead – “For the love of my grandparents, parents, and possible children or grandchildren..”
• Rumelis – “A Brief Question”
• Mellisa – “Ewww Dirty Paws :3”

FC-226 Sausage Ambush - Our special edition Thursday show! Lots of discussion on politics, culture and fandom. :3

Our special edition Thursday show! Lots of discussion on politics, culture and fandom. :3

Download MP3

Watch Video Discovered Media:

• Guardian article about furries
• Ted Cruz goes to weird anti-gay rally
• Blue (No Correlation to Fayroe, but Fayroes Childhood)
• Zootopia Macro
• Jasonafox’s Tweet on Movies this year
• You can now run Windows 95 in a web browser

News:

• A Whole Rabbit Brain Has Been Cryogenically Preserved
• Rainfurrest 2016 Canceled Loses Venue
• Cuddle Party discusses limits
• Face It, You’d Want To Play This Penis-Punching Video Game
• Naked man wearing Ronald Reagan mask peeps through window, terrifies neighbourhood
• Man Blames Evil Twin for Robberies

Emails:

• Jared – “Techy Thing – Transition from Audio to Video”
• Horsehead – “For the love of my grandparents, parents, and possible children or grandchildren..”
• Rumelis – “A Brief Question”
• Mellisa – “Ewww Dirty Paws :3”

[Live] Sausage Ambush - Our special edition Thursday show! Lots of discussion on politics, culture and fandom. :3

Our special edition Thursday show! Lots of discussion on politics, culture and fandom. :3

Download MP3

Watch Video Discovered Media:

• Guardian article about furries
• Ted Cruz goes to weird anti-gay rally
• Blue (No Correlation to Fayroe, but Fayroes Childhood)
• Zootopia Macro
• Jasonafox’s Tweet on Movies this year
• You can now run Windows 95 in a web browser

News:

• A Whole Rabbit Brain Has Been Cryogenically Preserved
• Rainfurrest 2016 Canceled Loses Venue
• Cuddle Party discusses limits
• Face It, You’d Want To Play This Penis-Punching Video Game
• Naked man wearing Ronald Reagan mask peeps through window, terrifies neighbourhood
• Man Blames Evil Twin for Robberies

Emails:

• Jared – “Techy Thing – Transition from Audio to Video”
• Horsehead – “For the love of my grandparents, parents, and possible children or grandchildren..”
• Rumelis – “A Brief Question”
• Mellisa – “Ewww Dirty Paws :3”

FC-226 Sausage Ambush - Our special edition Thursday show! Lots of discussion on politics, culture and fandom. :3

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

Inhuman Acts; A Collection of Noir, edited by Ocean Tigrox.
Dallas, TX, FurPlanet Productions, September 2015, trade paperback $19.95 (316 pages), Kindle $9.95.

According to the publisher, this is a horror anthology. “Explore thirteen anthropomorphic noir stories about betrayal, corruption and deceit from award-winning authors and up-and-coming writers. Pour your favourite whiskey and light up a cigarette as Stanley Rivets, PI shares with you his collection of case files from dim to dark to downright ugly.” (blurb)

Stanley Rivets, the stereotypical sable P.I. who tells these stories — “A sable in a long beige trench coat sits behind the desk, dark ears perking at the entrance of the newcomer. The wide brim of his fedora raises to see what visitor would stop by this late at night.” –p. vii. He wears his trench coat and fedora while sitting in his office? Well, maybe he’s just returned, exhausted, from a case — appears only in the very brief Foreword and Afterword. Too bad. It would have been nice to get a full story with him.

Rivets tells 13 stories; not cases of his own, but 13 that he’s heard of. Ocean Tigrox has started out with one of the best here; “Muskrat Blues” by Ianus Wolf. It’s specifically a pastiche of The Maltese Falcon, with Mike Harrison, a pig P.I., investigating the murder of his best friend, another P.I. – a muskrat; two prey animals in a grim & gritty city where the prey animals are usually at the bottom of the anthro-animal social pole. But Alex Richards didn’t take any guff, and neither does Harrison. Wolf packs a neat summary of Hammett’s novel (or Warner Bros.’s movie; take your pick) into a taut 25 pages of noir, with enough originality that even if you’re a fan of The Maltese Falcon, you’re not likely to guess whodunit. And enough presence of predator & prey animal traits to make this a satisfying furry story, too.

The “Fixer” (by Watts Martin) is a 43-year-old squirrel who has been “cleaning up” after criminals so the police won’t suspect anything, for the last twenty years. She’s ready to retire, but Jimmy Espinoza, a wolf minor drug lord, insists on hiring her for one last job. His cacomistle wife Marie had been at a wild party the previous night; the mink hostess, drunk, had gone for a nighttime swim and drowned; and Jimmy doesn’t want anyone to know that Marie had been there when it happened. Miss Fixer takes the job only because she and Marie used to be lesbian lovers. Of course, there’s a dark underside to the story involving doublecrosses, murders, and suicide. Martin’s writing is just right for a noir anthology and the plot is clever, although the talking-animal cast could have been humans just as well.

“Danger in the Lumo-Bay” by Mary E. Lowd is a clever futuristic s-f murder mystery, set in what would be a holodeck if this was Star Trek fiction. The defective lumo-bay in a Tri-Galactic Navy ship is being repaired. Captain Pierre Jacques (hairless sphinx cat), Dr. Waverly Keller (Irish setter), and chief engineer Jordan LeGuin (orange tabby cat) test it with a “Murder in the Morning” scenario that casts the male captain and the female doctor as two P.I.s investigating a Maltese Falcon case with lots of dead bodies. Then something goes wrong with the lumo-bay’s program. Who is the killer in “Murder in the Morning”? Are the captain and the doctor really safe? This is a mystery on two levels.

“River City Nights” by Tana Simensis is narrated by Dick – make that Richard; he doesn’t like to be called Dick – Calloway, a tiger cabbie who picks up the wrong fare. The writing is smooth, but the scenario just isn’t convincing. Sorry.

“Every Breath Closer” by Slip Wolf starts off with a grabber of a paragraph:

“I won’t lie and say the ten thousand I’d lost didn’t cross my mind when the police started to process the scene. Mostly, I was just numb as I watched the dead otter’s limbs twisted around themselves on the wet pavement, rain driving at the tarp that kept blowing off her, all the evidence at the scene finding a drain to go down. There was broken glass around Susan Britches’ body and a gaping, jagged grimace in the condo’s glass side, five stories up. I suspected the broken music award by the curb was used to break the window. In that condo, where Susan had paid me my retainer just days ago and begged me to quietly and discreetly find her missing daughter, was an explanation for Susan’s demise.” (p. 95)

Owen Spenhardy, the squirrel stereotypical hard-drinking, trenchcoat-wearing P.I., expects that he’s lost his client. Instead, he is hired by the daughter’s former teacher to continue the search for her. This story has a real reason for the cast to be anthropomorphic animals: you can stuff and mount animals after their deaths, which you can’t do with humans (unless you’re a mad taxidermist as in House of Wax). Doctor Aiden Engelhände, a fox artistic taxidermist, wants to have Bethany found in order to honor his best student by preserving her after her eventual natural death – he says. This is another well-written story that’s not too believable, but with an imaginative plot that’s undoubtedly furry.

“Ghosts” by Solus Lupus, featuring Helen, a cat, and Rosa, a coyote, is very short, very sad, and very memorable. I like it very much.

“A Blacker Dog” by Huskyteer is creepily eerie. Everyone in the world has an invisible companion, a black dog with glowing red eyes; a sort of canine guardian angel – for anime fans, make that a shinigami. Dobermans. Pomeranians. Chows. Chihuahuas. Poodles. Newfoundlands. Nobody can see them, except Jon Mazza, P.I. His black dog is Hunter, “a portly black Labrador in a trench coat and dark glasses”. Mazza is investigating someone who apparently can not only also see the black dogs, but can use his own to kill. Huskyteer enhances the eeriness by keeping it vague and contradictory as to whether either the people or the black dogs are anthropomorphic or not.

“Crimson on Copper” by Tony Greyfox could be an Isaac Asimov story with anthro animal characters. Detective Faraday, a laughing hyena cop (who isn’t laughing), is called to a sales room where three people have been extremely messily slaughtered, apparently by one of the automatons for sale – but automatons are made so they can’t kill. Faraday has to find either why the machine acted murderously against its programming, or who the real killer is – or both. Greyfox enhances the anthro aspect nicely: “I stepped over the blood cautiously, thankful that hyenas don’t have long tails like the fox who was busily trying to blot blood from his tail tip.” (p. 152)

“Vermin’s Vice” by T. S. McNally is interesting in switching back & forth between the two adversarial main characters, a mouse and a rat, for the narration. Unfortunately, both are stilted and not believable:

“I sat down behind the desk and placed my claws before me. ‘We provide a service here, and if I did not provide it, would society’s demand for it vanish? No. They’d go elsewhere to find their drink, their eye-candy, their thrills.’ I picked up one of the glasses of bourbon I had poured and slid my claw around the rim. ‘You see, my quaint little mouse, all creatures have their vices. That is why I founded the Vermin’s Vice.’

After a moment of silence I moved my paw away from the glass. ‘So, I suppose I must ask what vice brings you to the Vice?’

His somber face was unmoved by my pitch as he returned, ‘I don’t have a vice, I’m just here for work.’” (p. 184)

“Scorned” by K. C. Alpinus also has exaggerated and unconvincing writing, but a more interesting situation: Ivory T. Shadows, a super-sexy snow leopard, has been murdered. Preston, a crooked wolf, wants Maltese, a drunken tigress P.I., to find the real killer before the police frame him as an obvious suspect:

“‘Maltese, you’ve got to lay off the hooch, doesn’t sit well with the dames to see you so bent.’

The tigress grunted deep in her throat and turned her head to the side, dismissing Preston without opening her eyes. ‘Fade, shade. You’re making me lose my edge.’

Preston nodded to a scantily dressed waitress and asked for a glass of water. Once placed in his paws, the wolf hurled the icy liquid, thoroughly soaking Maltese.

‘I’m gonna chin ya!’ She yowled, jumping up and furiously shaking the water off her face.

‘Don’t go getting all evil on me.’ He smirked, passing her a napkin to dry herself with.” (p. 199)

“Bullet Tooth Claw” by Marshall L. Moseley, by contrast has a witty and believable style:

“I was at Tavern Law on 12th, the bar at which I spend so much money I get thank-you cards from the bartender’s Mom. It was three in the afternoon, too early for drinking, which is why I’d started at noon. Basset hounds have an advantage that way – we look droopy and have naturally red-rimmed eyes, so we can get away with being in the bag when most dogs can’t.” (p. 223)

Archie Bellclan, an Uplifted basset P.I., investigates when Simon Tanner, his friend, is murdered. “When your human dies, you’re supposed to do something about it.” The investigation is suitably noirish, and the Uplifted animals’ natural abilities are used intelligently. A winner.

“Guardian Angels” by Nicholas Hardin takes place in a funny-animal society controlled by its worst elements. The cops and political leaders are corrupt. The gangs kidnap the children of anyone who stands up to them and forcibly addict them to drugs. Only the Angels combat them; anonymous animals who have escaped them, banded together, and adopted pseudonyms like Sariel (male mink), Raphael (male cobra), Azriel (female wolf), and several others (unidentified) – all Biblical Angels of Destruction. But due to their gang brainwashing, they do not remember their past identities, and they seem to have more than mortal abilities. Have they become super-vigilantes? No matter; in this story, the Angels have become a serious enough menace to the gangs that they unite in hunting them down. The violence escalates explosively, and for once the Angels are on the defensive.

“Brooklyn Blackie and the Unappetizing Menu” by Bill Kieffer is another animal-P.I.-investigates-a-friend’s-death. And 34 other deaths. Everyone in the turtle’s Harlem apartment building is dead. Blackie, a wolf/dog hybrid P.I., is sure that the police are on a false trail and conducts his own investigation. This is another story that makes clever use of the animal natures of its cast. It has my candidate for the best line in the book: “My soul craved justice, but it would take bloodshed instead.”

13 stories. My favorites are “Muskrat Blues”, “Crimson on Copper”, “Bullet Tooth Claw”, and “Brooklyn Blackie”. Many are well-written but depressing; one has a surprise happy ending. A couple are very good; most are reasonably good; I’d only rate a couple as clunkers. The cover by Seylyn is appealing. Overall, Inhuman Acts is worth the cover price for fans of dark detective fiction.

– Fred Patten

• Buy on Amazon
• Buy on Furplanet

In case you have missed Harvey Beaks, it’s an animated TV series on Nickelodeon, created by C.H. Greenblatt (who also created the successful series Chowder). From Wikipedia: “The series focuses on Harvey Beaks, a young, friendly bird, and his two best friends, the rambunctious twins Fee and Foo. Together, the trio seek adventure and mischief in Littlebark Grove, a magical forest that they call home.” Now Papercutz (yea, the home of Geronimo Stilton) have announced the publication of a series of Harvey Beaks full-color graphic novels for young readers. “Harvey has a big head and an even bigger heart, which is why everyone in Bigbark Woods loves him! He may be a rule follower, but after Fee and Foo show him some amazing adventures, this bird might just spread his wings.” The first one, Harvey Beaks: Inside Joke, is available in hardcover and paperback this coming March.

image c. 2016 Papercutz

Hello Everyone!

This week we talk about Integrity. While much of what we say is, again, common sense, it is important to discuss the ethics of the furry community and how we, as a fandom, can be better to each other. Also, we answer the question of what it is like to live in a Pack House. 

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

Thanks and, as always, be well!

FA 005 Integrity - Ethics, morals, and being a better you

If you’re not reading Dogpatch Press, you should be watching Culturally F’d!  It’s the Furry youtube series that asks:

Where does the love of anthropomorphics come from? How far back can we dig in history and mass media to really get to the bottom of it? Why does every culture across the face of the earth have a fascination with animal-people?

Here’s what’s been going on with Culturally F’d in the past month:

Episode 20: Tempting St. Anthony

In this episode we look into the fascinating world of Renaissance art at a specific topic that was tackled by many painters of the time. St. Anthony the Great was a catholic monk from the 3rd century who traversed the Egyptian desert and came out the other side having conquered some demons (or rather, temptations). Over a thousand later, artists from the 14th and 15th C took this story and shaped these demons into twisted but fun animal creatures. We look at artworks by Michelangelo, Hieronymus Bosch and Matthias Grünewald but we explore a little beyond them too. Arrkay wants to take the meanings of these paintings and apply them to Furry art in hopes of creating more meaning and thoughtfulness in the artwork of our fandom.

Episode 21: Top 3 Fictional Furries

The latest episode is a bit of a listicle – the top 3 essential characters in pop culture who were also furry. A short and sweet episode that only scrapes up the most obvious examples. Arrkay hopes that people will comment with more positive examples of fictional furries to build upon in a future episode.

“Hugs – The Furry Handshake”

We have shot an episode adapted from an article posted on Dogpatch Press.

Coming up on Culturally F’d:

We have filmed “Misconceptions about Furries and the Furry Fandom” which will address, debunk or confirm 17 common myths and stereotypes about furries. Arrkay wants this upcoming episode to be a resource for furries to access in the event that they confront people who hold these negative or ill-informed views about our fandom.  The episode has had 4 additional contributors including Patch O’Furr, Dronon, Slipwolf and Hysterical.

Coming up even further!

Arrkay will be launching “Culturally F’d: After Dark” at Furnal Equinox in Toronto this year. Patreon subscribers have already gotten a couple of episodes of this side series all about the furry fandom and sex, but this March it will be released publicly.

Arrkay has also been finishing a business plan for the channel, and will be applying for entrepreneurial and arts funding to support the channel as well as launching a web-store later this year, so keep an eye out for that.

Arrkay is still unemployed and relies heavily on his Patreon pledges, so please take the time and check out this link. He’s also desperate enough to sell off some of his goods and attempt to sell some art commissions, so check out his post here and send him a note over FA if you’re interested.

As always, subscribe to the YouTube channel here and check out Culturally F’d on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Furaffinity and Weasyl.

RAWR: Year One Review

by Skunkbomb

 

Earlier this year, I paid to stay up late critiquing roughly 1,500 words a night from talented writers while teetering toward a panic attack as I wrote my first sex scene. I loved every minute of it.

This was the first year of the Regional Anthropomorphic Writers’ Retreat (RAWR) led by Kyell Gold (Out of Position, Green Fairy) with associate instructor Ryan Campbell (God of Clay, Koa of the Drowned Kingdom) and facilitated by Chandra al-Alkani. After an icebreaker dinner, the next five days would begin with lectures from Kyell, Ryan, Watts Martin (Why Coyotes Howl, Indigo Rain) and Jeff Eddy of Sofawolf Press. They covered world building, setting, character, structure, and publishing while some of the attendees were still drinking coffee in their pajamas. It was helpful advice to keep in mind as we moved into critiques.

Critiques swallowed up most of my time at the retreat whether I was critiquing the work of my peers or writing notes on the feedback the other writers provided for my stories. Listening to the other writers point out what’s working and what isn’t in my stories was both intimidating and exhilarating, but that may be my inner masochist (that explains why I applied for this retreat). Despite my fears, getting that feedback was invaluable. Not only could I trust the other writers to give me honest feedback, they always had something positive to say. Above all, RAWR is all about helping writers grow.

Each writer got two critique sessions. Some of us edited the first story and submitted it to be critiqued a second time after revisions. Some of us had two different stories to be critiqued. One of us even submitted a long story in two parts. I went with option two after I told Kyell about the second story I was working on and he encouraged me to submit it despite not being halfway done with the first draft. If you ever need a kick in the pants to finish a story, having a deadline due in less than 24 hours works wonders. There are times when I want to procrastinate, but being in such an environment got me to work on more writing than I’d done in a month.

One of the highlights of the retreat was the opportunity to meet one-on-one with Kyell and Ryan to ask them anything I wanted. I brought a paper with questions to mask the fact I was essentially word vomiting whatever came to mind. This ranged from serious discussion of my writing (How often should I put out new writing to grow my audience?) to the self-indulging (What tips do you have about writing anthro skunks?)

It wasn’t all work. We’d eat together at the private residence where the workshop was held … while finishing a draft before the submission deadline for critiques. We’d watched movies … while critiquing stories. Okay, so work bled into our downtime, but at least we weren’t bringing our laptops to restaurants when we ate out.

By the time the final day of the retreat arrived, I didn’t have peers. I had friends who I would root for whenever they submit work for publication. I had a renewed resolve not only to improve my writing, but also give back to the furry community. This was one of the most exhausting five days of my life that I wouldn’t trade for a spot on the bestseller list.

Four Eyes is a comic book series created by writer Joe Kelly and illustrated by Max Fiumara in 2008. It’s set in Depression-era New York City on an alternate earth where dragons are enslaved by humans. The first story arc, Forged in Flames, “…is about a boy who’s trying to get back at a gang that’s directly responsible for his dad’s death…the world in which they live is a world where underground dragon fighting is entertainment for the masses” [Wikipedia]. Image Comics gathered together Forged in Flames as a trade paperback last year. Well now Image announced the publication of Four Eyes: Hearts of Fire. “Launching the second arc in the critically-acclaimed story of a boy and his dragon on the hunt for revenge in Depression-era New York City. The training begins.” The boy and his 4-eyed runt of a deadly dragon are out on the shelves now.

I want to know if I should repair a friendship or leave it. 

I have a friend, I'll call him Arctic, and he came into my life about a year ago. We quickly became best friends and did basically everything together. We both had extremely similar backgrounds except for some preferences in music. It was good. Then I made the mistake of introducing him to another friend. I'll call that one Timber. 

Timber and I also used to be good friends, but a large part of that was I looked up to him as a spiritual mentor. I went on a church mission for two years and then when I came back he told me he had left the faith. We kept the friendship and hung out a lot. Even though I was emotionally devastated that he was no longer the same person I used to look up to. In fact, before I introduced them, Arctic used to help me a ton getting over that depression. 

The problems started shortly after introducing Arctic and Timber. At first the three of us became close together, but then slowly I was becoming excluded from everything. I thought they just we're hanging out a lot. I became college roommates with Arctic and noticed changing behaviors. He would skip work (a Job I got for him) stay out and up to extreme hours, and wasn't dependable. This made a lot of tension between us. It took nine months and me accidentally discovering gay porn of them that I discovered the reason they were pushing me away. During that time I was trying to get my friends back and hang out, have fun, but I suppose I pushed more than got close. I was often upset at Arctic, who used to be so close, for spending so little time with me, and skipping church and work all the time. After I discovered why (my church is against gay relationships. I apologize to those who think differently, I have nothing against gay people, but am very religious. All our families were from the same church) I was devastated and felt betrayed again by both of them. They tried to be nice, and so did I, but the rift was getting bigger and bigger. I revealed their relationship to their families out of my pain and wish I hadn't. I essentially broke trust after feeling my trust was shattered, after feeling pushed away for so long. I should not have, but I was hurt and lashed out. Up until then, I did not see how much Arctic was trying, but now they both have written me off. Lots of drama roller coaster of both sides being at fault, trying to make up. Arctic caught in the middle most of the time torn between relationships. Me with some trust related PTSD caused by what happened with Timber and depression and them with lots of lies and excuses about why it was okay for them and why they couldn't trust me when they first wanted to date. I feel like if they told me I could have trusted them and let it be instead of how this all blew up. 

What I wanted so badly this whole time was to have my good friend Arctic back. I believe Timber will never forgive me, nor should I be around him because of who he is now and the PTSD I got from him when he left the faith and emotionally devastated me, but I wanted to know if it was a good idea to try and make friends with Arctic again, to give up for a while and try later, or to write him off? I suppose I feel badly and at the least don't want our last words to each other to be so full of hate. 

* * *
 
​Hi, Fellow Furry,
 
Thanks for your letter. A quick question, if you don't mind​: you say you are very religious and your church disapproves of gay people. Do you feel you can accept Arctic in your life even though he is gay? And what if this meant you would have problems with your church because they would not agree with your accepting him?
 
This will help with my reply.
 
Cheers,
Papabear
 
* * *
 
My church is the kind of "hate the sin love the sinner" church, so for me I want my friend to stop, especially with Timber, but I can accept Arctic for who he is. I think the church would accept him too as long as he is willing.
 
* * *
 
Hello again, and thanks for answering that question. (Quick note: you are misusing “PTSD.” Post-traumatic Stress Disorder comes about when you have suffered grievous physical harm or threat of physical harm, such as being a combat soldier or surviving a tsunami. Having difficulty with a friendship doesn’t qualify.)

I hear a lot in your letter about what you miss about your friendship with Arctic and Timber, but I don’t really hear anything about what you contributed to it. And, while you acknowledge that your outing of them to family was wrong, the fact that you did so is very disturbing and is a much deeper betrayal than anything Arctic or Timber did or are perceived to have done to you. Finally, although you say you can accept them for being gay, your church mindset of “hate the sin, love the sinner” means you will never fully accept them for who they are. Just by saying “hate the sin” means you cannot accept gay people and consider being gay to be a moral failing, which it is not. Being gay is not the same as committing a sin, such as murder or stealing. It is simply a state of being, and until you can accept that fully you will never be able to have a healthy relationship with anyone who is a homosexual.

I’m actually impressed by Arctic and Timber for putting forth the effort for so long to be your friend. A real friend would be supportive and not so judgmental. For example, when Arctic was having those behavior problems it was likely because he was struggling tremendously with his sexuality and perhaps also your friendship difficulties. Instead of trying to find out the cause of his missing work etc., it sounds as if you just got angry at him for being unreliable. Arctic needed your support at that time, not your anger.

Until you can learn to be a better friend and to accept homosexuals for who they are and not consider them to be innately sinful, your desire to be friends with Arctic and Timber is contraindicated.
 
Good Luck,
Papabear

​

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

Huntress, by Renee Carter Hall.
Dallas, TX, FurPlanet Productions, September 2015, trade paperback $9.95 (213 pages), Kindle $4.99.

Leya is a young adolescent lioness in an anthropomorphic African veld who lives in the village of Lwazi. But she doesn’t want to grow up to become just another tribal wife and mother. She dreams of becoming a karanja, a member of the nomadic band of female expert huntresses who hunt for meat for all the villages. Becoming a karanja is a prestigious, almost religious goal, but it means rigorous training and the renunciation of living with men — of ever getting married, or having children.

“The first time she’d seen them, she had been very young. But she hadn’t been afraid. The other cubs, male and female alike, had hidden behind their mothers, frightened by the huntresses’ fierce eyes and sharp weapons. Where the villagers wore beads or stones, the karanja sported necklaces of bone and hoof and claw, and their loincloths were made of zebra hide in deference to Kamara’s first kill, a material only they were permitted to wear.

They were all mesmerizing, exotic and dangerous and beautiful, their eyeshine flashing like lightning-strikes as they took their places around the fire. But there was one Leya could not look away from.

Masika, the karanjala, first among the karanja. Her headdress of fish-eagle feathers stood out from her noble face like a mane, and her loincloth was of giraffe hide, just as their first male wore. Her eyes were sharp and watchful, her every muscle toned and tensed, and like all the karanja, she proudly bore the twin scars on her chest where her breasts had been cut away. Leya sat silently, drinking in Masika’s presence, watching everything the huntress did, every movement, every manner.” (pgs. 10-11)

Leya follows her goal relentlessly, tirelessly as she grows up. She leaves her village to follow the karanja on their outskirts, and finally her perseverance impresses them enough that she is made one of their group.

But this is only half the story. Goals change over the years. What someone wants to be at six years old, or at eleven, or fourteen, is not the same thing at eighteen or twenty-one or older. Leya begins to regret parting from the village playmate who had just begun to become a lover. She feels longings when the karanja visit a village and she sees mothers with their children.

“Every woman in this village, Leya realized, understood Ayanna’s joy. But not one of them would know what it meant to watch that zebra crumple to the ground, to hold a knife and cut its throat because it meant everything you’d ever wanted. She could tell Ayanna about it, and her friend would smile and nod in the right places, but that would be all.” (p. 83)

No huntress has ever left the karanja (or have they?), but by this time the other karanja are all her friends, and wish her well. But Leya’s hard life, her scars and her lack of breasts have marked her irrevocably. What is an ex-karanja to become? There is no role model for the rest of her life.

“Huntress” is harsh, tender, exhausting, gentle, thoughtful, and beautiful. It won the Cóyotl Award as the Best Anthropomorphic Novella of 2014, presented at the RainFurrest 2015 convention where this book went on sale. It was also a finalist for that year’s Ursa Major Award.

“Huntress”, the novella, was first published in the anthology Five Fortunes in January 2014. But if you’ve read it there, don’t think that you’ve read all there is. Huntress, the book, contains three more, brand-new short stories set in the same world.

“The Shape of the Sky” features Mtoto, the young apprentice of Ndiri, the painted-dogs’ wandering healer:

“The young dog stretched, enjoying the soft breeze on his fur and how the warmth of the sun came back when the breeze stopped. As he preferred, he wore only the clay amulet he’d had since he was born. When he went among the villages to trade his pots and cups, he tied on a loincloth to respect their customs, but here among the baobabs, there was no custom but his own.” (p. 139)

Mtoto is now living alone when a young leopardess with her eland treks across his home. Masozi, the leopardess, is proud but desperate, and Ngoma, her more-than-a-pet who gives her milk and blood, is about to give birth. Mtoto helps them, and without knowing it, he is helped as well.

“Kamara and the Star-Beast” is a story that Leya, as an older cub, tells the still-younger cubs of Lwazi about the legendary first karanja.

“You know Kamara the Huntress was the greatest of all her kind. There was nothing that ran on land that she could not bring down, no bird she couldn’t snare, no fish she couldn’t catch. She was strong, and she was swift, and she was clever – and yes, she was proud.” (p. 160)

One day Kamara comes across a trail of strange hoofprints that suddenly change to the tracks of other animals, even birds. Kamara follows the trail for days.

“At last she caught up with it, and if anything could have been stranger than its trail, it was the beast itself. It had the hindquarters of a zebra, the front legs of a heron, the great ears of the hare, the snout of the red pig, and the tough skin of the elephant.” (p. 161)

The thing taunts Kamara that she can’t catch it. She finally gives up, but complains to the god Yaa about it. Yaa’s decision isn’t exactly what Kamara wants.

“Where the Rivers Meet” tells how Ndiri, the painted-dogs’ wandering healer, grew up to such a lonely profession. She was orphaned when she was too young to know her parents, and she was taken in by a grandmother who was a healer. To her village, a healer was the same thing as a magician, and everyone else feared both Ndiri’s grandmother and her.

This is the story of how Ndiri discovered boys. And Mtoto. And death.

Hall says in an afterword that her fantasy Africa is based on elements from throughout the continent. (And elsewhere – karanja is a Hindi word.) But it feels vividly real, jus as the cover by Sekhmet is so realistic that you almost believe in anthropomorphic lionesses. I cannot recommend Huntress highly enough.

– Fred Patten

• Buy on Amazon
• Buy on Furplanet

The time is nigh.  It’s finally here.  It is with a tear in my eye that I post the final episode of Furballd.

This is an episode worthy of a finale.  A three hour mega episode full of fun, laughter, conversation, and alcohol.  Killick, Ringo and Sepko are joined by old favourites Toru and Sabre to help them celebrate the coming end.  What do we talk about?  You’ll need to listen to find out.  It’s been a fun ride, but it had to end some time.  Thank you to everyone who has ever listened.  We hope that we were able to brighten your day and bring a smile to your face with our shenanigans and durpiness.

It is with a heavy heart that we all say, Bye For Now, But Not Forever!

This episode’s song is the wonderfully nostalgic “The Life And Death Of Kirby” by Benjamin Briggs, Insert Rupee, and halc.  You can find the song on OCRemix here.

Follow us on Twitter:

Killick @Killick6

Ringo @RingoDingobear

Sepko @Sepko1

Toru @Toru_Kawauso

Sabre @SabreMc

Some other podcasts to fill the Furballd void:

Unfurled

Fangs and Fonts

The Dollop

Rage Select

The Little Dum Dum Club

One Of Us

News:

Steven Moffat to leave Doctor Who

Sony tries to copyright the phrase “Let’s Play”

Tokyo zoo zebra fursuit rampage

Episode 95 – The Last Furballd Episode Of All Time - The time is nigh.  It's finally here.  It is with a tear in my eye that I post the final episode of Furballd. - This is an episode worthy of a finale.  A three hour mega episode full of fun, laughter, conversation, and alcohol.  Killick,

In addition to the industry-voted honors, each year the Annies celebrate several talented individuals with special honorary awards. This year, all four recipients had a history of anthropomorphic works of one sort or another. The June Foray Award (for service to the community and art of animation) went to veteran Disney producer Don Hahn, who of course helped to shepherd Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, Beauty and the Beast, and The Lion King (among many other films) into existence. The Windsor McCay Award went to three individuals for their lifetime achievement in cartoons. Isao Takahata (co-founder of Stuido Ghibli with Hayao Miyazaki) is celebrated far and wide for anime films like The Grave of the Fireflies and The Tale of Princess Kaguya, but he also directed the tenuki adventure Pom Poko. (And, early in his career, he directed episodes of Panda! Go Panda!) Phil Roman founded his animation studio Film Roman in the 80’s, and they have since become famous as the home of The Simpsons and King of the Hill. But they are also the studio that gave us furrier works like Garfield and Friends, Cro, Mother Goose and Grimm, C-Bear and Jamal, and The Twisted Tales of Felix the Cat. Finally, a special posthumous McCay Award was presented to the memory of Joe Ranft, Pixar Studio’s head of Story, who died in a tragic car accident ten years ago. Over the years Joe worked on numerous animated films at Pixar and Walt Disney Animation, but he may perhaps best be remembered as the voice of Heimlich the caterpillar in Pixar’s movie A Bug’s Life.

image c. 2016 Pixar, Walt Disney Company