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

Love Match, Book 2 (2010-2012) by Kyell Gold. Illustrated by Rukis.
Dallas, TX, FurPlanet Productions, February 2018, trade paperback, $19.95 (316 pages), e-books $9.99.

This is book 2 of Gold’s Love Match trilogy. Book 1, titled just Love Match, was published last year in January 2017, and the final volume will presumably be published in early 2019.

Gold’s Love Match trilogy is a loose follow-up to his five “Dev and Lee” novels, set in his Forester University world; but its theme is tennis instead of football. Young (14 years old) Rochi “Rocky” N’Guwe, a black-backed jackal from the African nation of Lunda, is brought to the States with his mother in 2008 on a scholarship from the Palm Gables Tennis Center, a leading tennis college. During the two years of Book 1, Rocky matures, realizes his homosexuality, and develops a romance with his best friend, Marquize Alhazhari, a cheetah from Madiyah. He is horrified to discover that his younger sister Ori, to whom he is devoted and who has been left behind in Lunda, is being betrothed by their aunt in an arranged marriage. Rocky tries to earn enough money to bring Ori to Palm Gables. At the end of Book 1, Rocky and Marquize leave the Palm Gables Center and are thrust into the world of professional tennis.

And that’s about all that I can say about Book 2 without giving away major spoilers. There is a six-page Prologue set in the present (2015), during a climactic game between Rocky and his ongoing rival Braden Longacre, before getting into the main story. It establishes that both will get into tennis’ top ranks. But for the three years of Book 2, 2010 to 2012 – well, nothing much happens.

The story is narrated by Rocky N’Guwe, and it’s about him growing up from 16 to 18 years old in the environment of professional tennis. His friendship/gay romance with Marquize ebbs and flows. Rocky’s mother, who at first is always present as his chaperone and coach, leaves him to the care of a professional tennis coach while she concentrates on getting Ori into the States. He briefly crosses paths with Braden Longacre. Rocky, under his coach’s care, travels to tennis tournaments in several cities and develops new friendships among the other tennis players. In his free time on his own, he explores gay bars and clubs.

“Flying by myself was strange. Ma had taken care of most of our trips over the past year: she’d handled our tickets, checked us in, checked our bags, gotten us through airport security and to the right gate, out onto the tarmac and up the stairs to the plane.

I’d walked with her for all of that, but those memories didn’t help me navigate the signs and counters. I was proud of myself for only getting lost twice in the airport and for reaching the correct gate half an hour before the plane started boarding (Ma had insisted I arrive at the airport two hours before the flight was to leave).” (pgs. 91-92)

Rocky’s story, in many respects, is like that of any gay older adolescent professional sportsman growing up. As usual with Gold’s fiction, the descriptions of the anthro animal world include many incidental animal touches. In a long conversation that Rocky has with another tennis player, a red fox, the fox’s ears constantly go up, flatten, or sweep back.

“My first endorsement came in that May, from an athletic gear company called Purrformance. They had a lot of cat spokespeople and wanted to get some canids as well, so they were targeting younger players in various sports, and Lochen [Rocky’s manager] brokered a deal for me.” (p. 130)

Rocky’s mother believes that he faces some prejudice because jackals are rare in North America. He doesn’t, because the other animals he meets include such non-North Americans as a cacomistle and a pangolin.

“‘How long has it been with them?’

‘Two weeks since the last phone call.’ I tried not to show my nervousness. ‘We had two other companies interview but they both came back with offers that Lochen didn’t want to take.’

‘It’s because he’s a jackal,’ Ma said to Paulie.

‘Ma.’

‘It is. If you were a fox, there would be no problem. Or a coyote.’ She nodded to Paulie.” (pgs. 139-140)

There is a lot of technical tennis talk:

“I hadn’t had to worry about how my opponents were analyzing my game very often in the past. Now I had to do that while at the same time trying to find the cracks in his game. The problem was that while I knew he was vulnerable to net play, I wasn’t sure how to get him off-balance enough in his baseline game to give myself openings at the net, at least not on his serve.

In the second set, I found my answer. We had a long rally from the baseline on his first service game during which I managed to disguise a few backhands successfully. He reminded me of some of the baseline pounders I’d played at school, but he had a much faster stroke, a really good snap of the wrist, and better placement than most of the guys at the Academy. He kept me off balance. But as I returned his shot, I saw where he’d go with the next one and had two seconds to plan my return. If I could pull him off to the side…” (pgs. 26-27)

Love Match, Book 2 (2010-2012) (cover and interior illustrations by Rukis) is good reading, but it is clearly the middle volume of a trilogy. There are several hints that Book 3 will be more dramatic.

– Fred Patten

• Buy on Furplanet
• Buy on Bad Dog Books

Cover by Rukis

Like the article? It takes a lot of effort to share these. Please consider supporting Dogpatch Press on Patreon.  You can access exclusive stuff for just $1, or get Con*Tact Caffeine Soap as a reward.  They’re a popular furry business seen in dealer dens. Be an extra-perky patron – or just order direct from Con*Tact.

According to an article at Animation Scoop, we (or at least Amazon Prime Video subscribers) have not one but two new TV series from Dreamworks Animation to look forward to. First off are the brand new 2D adventures of none other than Rocky and Bullwinkle, set to premier this May. “The world-famous talking moose and flying squirrel are back in The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle, a serialized comedy about two goofball best friends who routinely find themselves thrust into harrowing situations but end up saving the day time and again… The series is executive produced by Scott Fellows (The Fairly OddParents, Big Time Rush) and Tiffany Ward, daughter of the original series producer Jay Ward, and features Tara Strong (The Powerpuff Girls, Teen Titans Go!) as the voice of Rocket J. Squirrel, Brad Norman (America’s Most Haunted) as Bullwinkle J. Moose, Ben Diskin (Hey Arnold!) as Boris Badenov, Rachel Butera (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) as Natasha Fatale, Piotr Michael (Impress Me, MADtv) as Fearless Leader, and Daran Norris (The Fairly OddParents) as the Narrator.” Then, there’s a brand new TV series based on the Kung Fu Panda movies. “Later in 2018, Prime Video will premiere Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny, an epic adventure series from Emmy Award-winning executive producers Mitch Watson and Elliott Owen (All Hail King Julien), and Lane Lueras (The Adventures of Puss in Boots). When four panda kids stumble upon a mystical cave beneath Panda Village, accidentally absorbing the chi of ancient and powerful kung fu warriors known as the Four Constellations, they must realize a destiny to save the world from an evil force. Meanwhile, Po finds himself faced with his biggest challenge yet — teaching this ragtag band of kids how to wield their newfound powers.” Much to keep your eyes out for! No previews for Paws of Destiny yet, but the article has a preview video of Rocky and Bullwinkle.

image c. 2018 Dreamworks

Not micro machines, micro furries and macro furries. Tiny ones and huge ones. Size play. But what drives this interest? Roo and Vaos sit down with Tatsu to discuss this often seen but not understood topic. We also have Space News, an olde timey ad, and Get Psyched!





NOW LISTEN!
SHOW NOTES
Special Thanks

Tatsu, our guest
Kit
Mr. X WeregarurumonX
Cane

Music

Opening Theme: Husky In Denial – Cloud Fields (Century Mix). USA: Unpublished, 2015. ©2015 Fur What It’s Worth and Husky in Denial. Based on Fredrik Miller– Cloud Fields (Radio Mix). USA: Bandcamp, 2011. ©2011 Fur What It’s Worth. (Buy a copy here – support your fellow furs!)
Space News Music: Fredrik Miller – Orbit. USA: Bandcamp, 2013. Used with permission. (Buy a copy here – support your fellow furs!)
Closing Theme: Husky In Denial – Cloud Fields (Headnodic Mix). USA: Unpublished, 2015. ©2015 Fur What It’s Worth and Husky in Denial. Based on Fredrik Miller – Cloud Fields (Chill Out Mix). USA: Bandcamp, 2011. ©2011 Fur What It’s Worth. (Buy a copy here – support your fellow furs!)

Patreon Love

The following people have decided this month’s Fur What It’s Worth is worth actual cash! THANK YOU!


Docos, the Doritos Locos Taco Tiger from your local Taco Bell!
 
Artorias Ichisake and Kit


Rifka, the San Francisco Treat!

Lokimutt and Guardian Lion and Cody and HotSauce
Plus Tier Supporters

Skylos
Snares
Swift
Booga
Simone Parker

McRib Tier Supporters

Ilya / EpicRive

Next episode: Sean Chiplock chats with Fur What It's Worth about his time voicing The Bedfellows, Re:Zero, Revali, and other well-known roles! S7 Episode 12 – Little People with Big Problems - Not micro machines, micro furries and macro furries. Tiny ones and huge ones. Size play. But what drives this interest? Roo and Vaos sit down with Tatsu to discuss this often seen but not understood topic.

The crew joins up again, with a live Kaar in tow! Episode 29 - Bringing in the shark

The crew return...after a bit of a break Episode 28 - Long shark naps

Join the cast for another round of hoping to get you laughing! Episode 27 - Shark Surprise

More of the UnFurled cast to fill your earholes Episode 26 - Sharks sharking sharks

Join the cast for another night of conversation Episode 25 - Waking the shark

That’s the official slogan of Joan Marie, a fine artist we met at WonderCon. She works in a pastel watercolor style, creating works of many animal species (mammals, birds, and more) and fantasy creatures as well.  And, as you can see at her web shop, she offers those works on a variety of items — not only the standard t-shirts , tote bags, and mugs but dresses and pant-suits as well.

image c. 2018 by Joan Marie

Puppets are usually good at music.
View Video

It's kinda cool when people in other fandoms wander over into furry like this. Also, BIRD!
View Video

Guest post by Arrkay from Culturally F’d, the furry youtube channel. See their tag on Dogpatch Press for more.

Furry and Punk have a lot in common, way more than you think! Arrkay discusses the parallels of the two movements, their philosophies, their work ethic and more! We’re really excited for this episode as it’s been on the list of suggestions for over a year!

This episode came together with the help of a lot of different furs! This article is going to look at some of the research we used, and a shoutout for everyone who helped.

Buy Fluff Punk Merch today at http://www.culturallyfd.com

The YCH in the thumbnail is our patreon sponsor Reggie Fox with art by Underbite Dragon. Get your own or some other cool stuff here https://www.patreon.com/culturallyfd

The episode was divided into several sections, the titles only really make sense in the written script and are otherwise lost in the translation to video:

1. Punk Primer
2. DIY Ethics (at about 3:57)
3. Anti-Establishment (about 6:06)
4. Kink as Fashion (about 8:21)
5. No Fascists at this party (about 9:31)
6. Close-out (about 12:59)

DIY:

Also, sending some love to @boilerroo for providing us with lots of punk art and photography. Here's some posters we didn't end up putting in this weeks episode: pic.twitter.com/HDSkI5EL5v

— Culturally F'd! (@CulturallyFd) April 11, 2018

Also shout out to Reggie Fox, who not only has a sweet sponsor spot in the YCH thumbnail, but also helped us track down that punk-pamphlet via twitter:

Apparently a pic of my fursona was used on the cover of a furry anarchist pamphlet back around 2012. #punkrock pic.twitter.com/24fP7w5j9B

— Aiden @ BLFC (@AidenPup) January 5, 2016

We should note that the pamphlet did not directly inspire the video, the script was already drafted when we rediscovered it. It did help us confirm some of our suspicions though. The creator of the pamphlet is still a mystery!

Our research also dug up this limited edition punk art and design book focusing on the sexual elements of the arts movement. NSFW imagery:

Provocative new book explores sex in punk

Additional Research links:
A collection of YouTube posted Documentaries on Punk. They feature nazi-punks a lot though, so heads up: https://i-d.vice.com/en_us/article/kz8jqx/the-5-best-punk-documentaries-on-youtube

I have a digital copy of Furry Nation by Joe Strike, so I was able to quickly find any instances of the word “Punk” in the manuscript, leading to the quote by Boomer the Dog and his fursuit Papey: http://furrynation.com/

We also used a track by Xephyr, which Underbite Dragon now drums for. Check out their music, which is more prog-rock than punk, but we won’t hold it against them: https://www.youtube.com/user/XephyrRocks

 

NO FASCISTS AT THIS PARTY

Here is an article by GQ that has a series of short anecdotes of punk-rockers having to deal with neo-nazi’s showing up to ruin their shows. It has many examples of how to deal with them nonviolently, and their violent reactions to being shown the door. Open clashes were rare, but there are a few instances of those as mentioned here as well: https://www.gq.com/story/punks-and-nazis-oral-history

Ever hear that Altfurries are just trolls? A real Nazi leader is taking them seriously.

I have one more thing I want to express to alt-furries and anyone sympathizing with neo-nazis. I think one day soon there’s going to be a very furry version of this classic Dead Kennedys track:

 

Like this and want more? Buy Culturally F’d Merch, Support Culturally F’d on Patreon, and subscribe to the Newsletter.

Not the sort of thing I normally post but the Atari 2600 was my first console and I was really taken by this young furs quest. (Yeah, I'm old and I had an Atari in the late 70s and it still has a large part of my being.)
View Video

Another cool item we picked up from Animation World Network: “Newbery Honor-winning author Adam Gidwitz and Mixtape Club founders Jesse Casey and Chris Lenox Smith premiered online the animated debut of The Unicorn Rescue Society, whose adventures continue in a series of books for middle-grade readers from Penguin Random House.” The kids of the Unicorn Rescue Society (along with their companion Jersey, a friendly Jersey Devil) help with the needs of mythical creatures that adults don’t even believe in. “The Unicorn Rescue Society is a secret organization. Its mission is to keep the creatures of myth and legend safe. Dragons, Bigfoot, chupacabras — and maybe even unicorns. Every day, the threats to these rare and wonderful animals grow. They are hunted. Their habitats are destroyed. And the Unicorn Rescue Society is their only hope.” Rather than being adaptations of the books themselves, the animated shorts spread the word about the book series and take a behind-the-scenes look. The AWN article has a link to the first cartoon.

image c. 2018 Mixtape Club

Postcards handed out at Furry Weekend Atlanta

On Kickstarter: an Anthropomorphic Art Magazine is being launched by Zoion Media and its creator Pulsar. (It ends on April 29, so don’t wait to support.)

Our goal is to create a contemporary, well designed, image-driven magazine focusing on clean, evocative, highly artistic, well developed and well executed anthropomorphic art and themes. We want to make something the average furry is proud to show their non-furry friends to give them an idea of what furry art is all about.

Pulsar talked about inspiration for a print magazine to promote furry fandom creators and artists:

“I’ve always been an artist and I read a lot on contemporary fine art. I remember standing in the bookstore browsing Juxtapoz and Hi-Fructose and thinking, ‘there needs to be something just like this for furry art’.”

Those names stood out to me. So did the focus on clean art. That sounds smart for professional reasons. If it open-mindedly supports creators who do adult art elsewhere (which includes Pulsar himself), that could make a needed gateway between fandom and the mainstream, where the word “furry” is less sensitive.

Zoion is meant to feature strong curation and professional execution to appeal both inside and outside of fandom. Although it’s visually driven, it can be for more than art, too – like writing about creative process, artist profiles and interviews, themed media reviews, and critical analysis.

Pulsar has a blog piece that talks about rationale for the project. (He’ll share more aspects of design and planning there). He says:

…the fandom has been growing rapidly and has also been getting more mainstream attention. The tone of that attention has shifted as well, from the CSI days of furry being known exclusively as this weird fetishy thing, to more journalists, charities, and internet denizens standing up to defend furries when they come up in threads or news.

…I believe this desire for legitimacy in the furry fandom means it’s right time to launch that idea for an anthro art magazine I had five years ago.

There’s a precedent for mainstream crossover. In 2016, furry artist Onta (of porn site Hardblush.com) featured in mainstream comic anthology Island, from Image Comics. (Read an interview about it with Onta by Bessie, an occasional Dogpatch Press contributor.)

I rarely do headlines about crowdfunding, but publishing is special to me. Last week, that included a furry photo art book project, “At Home With the Furries” by Tom Broadbent. It succeeded with raising over $13,000. It’s a great time for this stuff, with Joe Strike’s Furry Nation being a milestone too. I think investing effort for real, physical media is a step beyond fandom into a movement. That’s why I’m happy to see the term “art movement” explicitly associated with Zoion.

Furry art is one of the first, and quite possibly the largest art movement to exist primarily as new media. This is a big reason we feel a print magazine is a great idea. Here's our take:https://t.co/f6JP2sRWz7

— Zoion (@ZoionMedia) April 3, 2018

Pulsar added:

“I think there’s a real desire in the furry fandom to be able to talk more openly about furry as an interest or a hobby. But pointing friends to a website or Twitter account can be difficult because furries tend to mix styles, types, and levels of maturity in their art,” Pulsar said. “Zoion would provide a way to showcase the best of anthro art in one place, in a way that’s not being done on any other platform.”

Zoion Media is soliciting for artists and creators who want to participate. To be considered, visit zoionmedia.com and find “Submission Info” to submit.

Following Part 1 and Part 2 here’s one more take. (Sorry if it’s beating a dead horse, or pup, but it has to post week-of). Thanks to Jones for submitting. Good boy!

This was a very lively discussion.

Many puppy players ARE furries. @Pup_Leo: “mixing my pup gear with my fursona”

Hello. I’m Devin Jones, your friendly local furry hermit. I’ve been in the fandom for 16 years, both active and periphery, and I’ve been a pup for seven years. This recent incident at FWA has called me to bring my expertise in both spaces to bear on making a decision on how I, personally, should react and handle the overlap between the pup and furry communities.

Jones

I am not under the impression that ‘furry’ is a fetish. Perhaps, for some, that’s the definition of ‘furry’. A kink for anthropomorphic animals of various species, some of them paradoxically not having fur. But I, myself, find that shallow. Furry is more than just wanting to get schtupped by werewolves or wanting to tie the fox-boy down. Furry is a culture all its own. A culture made of artists and aficionados, of kinksters and prudes, of artisans and consumers and people of an age range that is staggering in its broad reach. To claim that furry is merely a fetish is myopic. It does no one any good to cheapen it in such a way. It’s like saying that footwear is merely a fetish.

I don’t shy away from or attempt to whitewash the sexual side of the fandom. It isn’t something that can be ignored. The ‘AD culture’ is just as much a part of it as the fluffier side. Both parts make up the whole, with much overlap in between. The sexual side of the fandom is broad in spectrum, ranging from vanilla, everyday sex to ‘shocking’ fetishes with a touch of weird. It has hooks in everything from BDSM to weight gain. Pup play is not exempt from this broad outreach of interests.

Pups are some of the best people I have come across in my long tenure in the BDSM community. Most are innocuous, friendly and eager to please to a fault like the animals they wish to emulate. They are a good lot, overall, and one that I happily throw my hat in with. There is no shame in being a pup. In my experience, it’s a good way of letting the stress of the world leave you. You are a dog. You don’t have to worry about taxes, money, your job or everyday life. You are there to be A Good Boy. Nothing more, nothing less. Pup mentality asks only for a simple existence as a being. It asks you to be happy in what you are. Be that a service dog or a, well, “service” dog, if you get my meaning, or simply a companion.

Hoods are a mark of honor for most pups. A way of becoming the mask, much like fursuits, hoods can be anything from a simple cover for the face that emulates a dog’s in shape, all the way to a head-encompassing leather or rubber fixture that removes all semblance of being a human being. Some eschew hoods for personal reasons, be that cost efficiency or simple dislike of being confined in one.

What happened at FWA, while it was late at night, was more than a faux pas in the pup community. Regardless of excuse, it endangers the reputation of the pup community and by proxy, the furry community. Open, public play is not an act that is acceptable under all but the most explicit circumstances. There is a difference between a pup meet or a demo at a BDSM gathering, and a true public space like the lobby of a hotel. Random passersby did not consent to being shown this fetish act. This should be clear. Condemnation of TEKpup and Murrlin is the only course of action that is morally acceptable. There is no question in my mind that, had this happened at a public munch or a BDSM con, that the two would be ejected and blacklisted from area meetups.

Forcing someone to witness a sexual act is inherently a transgression on that person of a sexual nature. BDSM, pup play included, is about consent of all involved parties. There’s no argument to be had here.

The periphery question of pup hood being ‘allowed’ in con spaces is one with no clear answer. My heart tells me that pup play, while not always sexual, is a fetish. It has not had the PR and precedent that fursuiting has had to give it an innocuous feeling. This recent incident does not help it in that matter. My opinion is simple; Pup hoods and harnesses are fetish gear, and it’s up to the con to decide if fetish gear is acceptable in public spaces.

Thank you for indulging the ramblings of a hermit.

The good news for folks who are into that is even though furry isn't set up for the scene there are specific conventions and events that are hosted for that specific purpose and those are better adults only spaces for safely and consensually enjoying such activities. pic.twitter.com/JfRIqwpXGS

— Deo (@DeoTasDevil) April 9, 2018

Like the article? It takes a lot of effort to share these. Please consider supporting Dogpatch Press on Patreon.  You can access exclusive stuff for just $1, or get Con*Tact Caffeine Soap as a reward.  They’re a popular furry business seen in dealer dens. Be an extra-perky patron – or just order direct from Con*Tact.