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Ursa art by Foxenawolf.

Last year’s Ursa Major awards had something different than usual.  There was a unique spike of mainstream attention (with help from Dogpatch Press).  Depending on your point of view, it was either amazing or the worst thing since Sexy Kitty showed up on CSI.  It came with the nomination of CollegeHumor’s Furry Force, covered with exclusive news here. It led CollegeHumor to lobby their watchers to vote for recognition from the Furry community. Hasbro wouldn’t have paid attention for their MLP nomination, but CollegeHumor was proud to win the award.

Here’s a suggestion for how to make the awards more interesting still.  If furries have a big problem with the media misrepresenting them, they could give awards to the kind of news they want to see.

For that purpose, I suggest nominating the options below.  And at the end of 2016, nominate VICE for their recent article about the Midwest Furfest chlorine attack.  It’s among the top journalism that’s been done about furries.  (Tomorrow’s article discusses this further.)

The 2015 Ursas can accept nominations until Feb 29 – so please go to their website, and…

• Nominate “You Can’t Get Inside” by mouse for Best Other Literary Work.
• Nominate Culturally F’d for Best Anthropomorphic Website.
• Nominate Dogpatch Press for Best Anthropomorphic Magazine.  

These could be yours

Is that shameless?  I resemble that remark… I’ll even buy your votes with milk bones.  – Patch

(Fred Patten continues:) Nominations for the 2015 Ursa Major Awards opened on January 14th, the first day of Further Confusion 2016. The awards will celebrate the best anthropomorphic literature and art first published during 2015, the previous calendar year.

The awards are selected by a two-stage process of nominating and voting. Members of the public send in up to five nominations in each of the eleven categories. The top five nominees in each category (more in case of a tie) are then presented on a final ballot for a public vote.

The eleven categories are: Motion Picture, Dramatic Short Work or Series, Novel, Short Fiction, Other Literary Work, Graphic Novel, Comic Strip, Magazine, Published Illustration, Website, and Game.

Many nominations are likely to come from the 2015 Recommended Anthropomorphic Reading List, which has been built up through prior recommendations. However, inclusion on the List is not necessary for nomination if a work is otherwise eligible; first published during January to December 2015.

Nominations take place until February 29. The nominations will be tallied between March 1 and March 14. The final ballot will be announced on March 15, and voting will take place until April 30. All those who send in nominations will be registered as eligible to vote on the final ballot. Those who did not nominate but wish to vote on the final ballot may register to do so.

The voting will be counted, the winners’ trophies prepared, and the results will be announced at the UMA awards presentation at a ceremony at What The Fur 2016, at the Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites, Pointe-Claire, Montreal Airport, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, on May 20-22.

The Ursa Major Awards are administered by the Anthropomorphic Literature and Arts Association (ALAA). For information, and to nominate beginning on January 14 and to vote beginning on March 15, go to http://www.ursamajorawards.org/.

The final 2015 Recommended Anthropomorphic Reading List is:

Best Anthropomorphic Motion Picture

1. Absolutely Anything (Directed by Terry Jones, released on August 14)
2. Blinky Bill the Movie (Directed by Deane Taylor et al, released on August 21)
3. Boonie Bears: Mystical Winter (Directed by Ding Liang and Liu Fuyuan; released on January 30)
4. The Good Dinosaur (Directed by Peter Sohn; released on November 25)
5. Hotel Transylvania 2 (Directed by Genndy Tartakovsky; September 21)
6. Inside Out (Directed by Pete Doctor and Ronaldo Del Carmen; June 19)
7. The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar (Directed by Howy Parkins; November 22)
8. Minions (Directed by Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda; June 11)
9. Monster Hunt (Directed by Raman Hui; July 16)
10. A Mouse Tale (Directed by David Brisbano; February 10)
11. The Peanuts Movie (Directed by Steve Martino; November 6)
12. The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water (Directed by Paul Tibbitt; January 28)
13. Shaun the Sheep the Movie (Directed by Mark Burton and Richard Starzak; February 5)
14. Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Directed by JJ Adams; December 14)
15. Ted 2 (Directed by Seth MacFarlane; June 26)
16. Two by Two (Directed by Toby Genkel and Sean McCormack; April 9)

Best Anthropomorphic Dramatic Short Work or Series

1. Adventure of a Lifetime (Directed by Max Whitecross; November 27)
2. An Object at Rest (Directed by Seth Boyden; May 1)
3. The Casebook of Nips & Porkington (Directed by Melody Wang; May 23)
4. Cosmos Laundromat (Directed by Matthew Auvray; August 10)
5. Danger Mouse (Directed by Robert Cullen, Season 1 episodes 1-16; September 28 – December 16)
6. Mercedes-Benz Fable (Directed by Robert Stromberg; January 26)
7. Furry Force 3: Furry Superheroes are the Grossest (Directed by Richard Duhaney; July 17)
8. Katy Perry halftime show Super Bowl XLIX (Directed by Hamish Hamilton; February 1)
9. Harvey Beaks (Created by C.H. Greenblatt, Supervising Directors Derek Evanick & Diana Lafyatis; Season 1, March 29 – November 15)
10. L’Americano Returns (Directed by Ricky Renna; April 24)
11. Littlest Pet Shop (Directed by Joel Dickie and Steven Garcia, Season 3 Episode 17 to Season 4 Episode 9, January 3 – December 26)
12. The Muppets (Directed by Randall Einhorn & Matt Sohn; episodes 1.0 to 10, July 21 – December 8)
13. My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic (Directed by James Thiessen, Jim Miller, and Denny Lu; Season 5 episode 1 to Season 5 episode 26, April 4 – November 28)
14. Ram’s Horn (Directed by Jenna Hamzawi; April 27)
15. Slack: Animals (Directed by Smith & Foulkes; December 29)
16. Stay As You Are (Directed by EZ Wolf; August 22)
17. Super Turbo Atomic Ninja Rabbit (Directed by Wesley Louis; June 24)
18. Tales of Zale, Chapter 1 (Directed by Sif Perlt Savery; Jan 29)
19. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Directed by Alan Wan & Chad Van De Keere; season 3 episode 9 to season 4 episode 4, January 11 – November 15)
20. Tiger’s Eye (Directed by Alexander Shaw; episodes 1 to 25, May 13 – October 29)
21. Under the Apple Tree (Directed by Erik van Schaaik; September 24)
22. Wackatdooo  (Directed by Benjamin Arcand; March 23)
23. We Bare Bears (Directed by Manny Hernandez; Season 1 episode 1 to episode 25, July 27 – November 19)
24. Why Do Furries Exist? – A Fur-real Look at the Fandom (Directed by Gnoggin; June 12)
25. Zootopia Official Teaser Trailer (Disney, no director credit; June 11)
26. Zootopia Official Trailer #1 (Sloths) (Disney, no director credit; November 23)

Best Anthropomorphic Novel

1. Within the Hollow Crown, by EO Costello. (Furaffinity; December 14)
2. The Painted Cat, by Austen Crowder. (Argyll Productions; May 9)
3. Swallowtail and Sword: The Scholar’s Book of Story and Song, by H. Leighton Dickson. (CreateSpace; April 30)
4. Learning to Go, by Friday Donnelly. (Jaffa Books; May 3)
5. Valium & Vodka, by Duxton. (SoFurry; May 15) Mature Audiences.
6. Heart Behind the Mask, by N “Karmakat” Franzetti. (Smashwords; May 4)
7. Griffin Ranger, Volume 1: Crossline Plains, by Roz Gibson (FurPlanet Productions; January 15)
8. Uncovered, by Kyell Gold. (24 Carat Words; September 1) Mature Audiences.
9. Early Byrd, by Phil Guesz. (Legion Printing and Publishing; June 28)
10. Either Side of the Strand, by M.C.A. Hogarth. (Studio MCAH; May 6)
11. MoonDust: Falling from Grace, by Ton Inktail. (Ton Inktail; December 1)
12. GeneStorm: City in the Sky, by Paul Kidd. (Kitsune Press; May 19)
13. GeneStorm, Book 2: Fort Dandelion, by Paul Kidd. (Kitsune Press; November 23)
14. The Vimana Incident, by Rose LaCroix. (FurPlanet Productions; February 20) Mature Audiences.
15. In a Dog’s World, by Mary E. Lowd. (FurPlanet Productions; July 9)
16. Rat’s Reputation, by Michael H. Payne. (Sofawolf Press; July 9)
17. Off Leash, by Daniel Potter. (Fallen Kitten Productions; July 12)
18. Mort(e), by Robert Repino. (Soho Press; January 20)
19. The Echoes of Those Before, by James Daniel Ross (Copper Fox Books; May 13)
20. Lost on Dark Trails, by Rukis. (FurPlanet Productions; January 15) Mature Audiences.
21. The Long Road Home, by Rukis. (FurPlanet Productions; July 9) Mature Audiences.
22. Thousand Tales: How We Won the Game, by Kris Schnee. (CreateSpace; June 5)
23. Barsk: The Elephants’ Graveyard, by Lawrence M. Schoen. (Tor Books; December 15)
24. Tiger’s Eye, by Alexander Shaw. (Amazon.com; November 5)
25. Chasing the Phoenix, by Michael Swanwick. (Tor Books; August 11)
26. Tinder Stricken, by Heidi C. Vlach. (Heidi C. Vlatch; May 23)
27. A Different Perspective, by Bernard Doove. (CreateSpace; November 17)

Best Anthropomorphic Short Fiction

1. The Darkness of Dead Stars, by Dwale. (in The Furry Future, FurPlanet Productions; January 15)
2. Thebe and the Angry Red Eye, by David Hopkins. (in The Furry Future, FurPlanet Productions; January 15)
3. A Private Escape, by Kandrel. (in Heat #12, Sofawolf Press; July 15) Mature Audiences.
4. The Dragon Tax, by Madison Keller. (in A Menagerie of Heroes; A Rainfurrest Anthology; September 24)
5. All the Cats of the Rainbow, by Mary E. Lowd. (in The Necromouser and Other Magical Cats, FurPlanet Productions; September 24)
6. Cold Tail and the Eyes, by Mary E. Lowd. (in The Necromouser and Other Magical Cats, FurPlanet Productions; September 24)
7. Danger in the Lumo-Bay, by Mary E. Lowd. (in Inhuman Acts, FurPlanet Productions; September 24)
8. Feral Unicorn, by Mary E. Lowd. (in Luna Station Quarterly #24 (December 1)
9. Hidden Feelings, by Mary E. Lowd. (in Daily Science Fiction, November 25)
10. Lunar Cavity, by Mary E. Lowd. (in The Furry Future, FurPlanet Productions; January 15)
11. Shreddy and the Carnivorous Plant, by Mary E. Lowd. (in The Necromouser and Other Magical Cats, FurPlanet Productions; September 24)
12. Shreddy and the Dancing Dragon, by Mary E. Lowd. (in The Dragon’s Hoard; June 4)
13. Songs of Fish and Flowers, by Mary E. Lowd. (in Lakeside Circus, Year 2, Issue 1; March 15)
14. Ernest, by Lyn McConchie. (in ROAR volume 6, ed. by Mary E. Lowd; Bad Dog Books, July 9)
15. Edward Bear and the Very Long Walk, by Ken Scholes. (in ROAR volume 6, ed. by Mary E. Lowd; Bad Dog Books, July 9)
16. Crepuscular, by Clement Sherwin. (Self, May 2015)
17. Pocosin, by Ursula Vernon. (in Apex Magazine #68; January 6)
18. Tow, by Watts Martin (in The Furry Future, FurPlanet Productions; January 15)

Best Anthropomorphic Other Literary Work

1. Other Earth, Other Stars, by Marian Allen. (Per Bastet Productions, short story collection; September 1)
2. Rikki Venix Does New York City, by James L. Brandt. (Second Ed, illustrated short story collection; September 1) Mature Audiences.
3. The Wild Piano, by Fred. (TOON Books, graphic album; May 5)
4. Rescued: The Stories of 12 Cats, Through Their Eyes, ed. Janiss Garza. (FitCat Publishing, anthology; January 26)
5. The Book of Lapism, by Phil Geusz. (Legion Publishing, collection; May 13)
6. Last of the SandWalkers, by Jay Hosler. (First Second, graphic novel; April 7)
7. Furries Among Us: Essays on Furries by the Most Prominent Members of the Fandom, edited by Thurston Howl. (Thurston Howl Publications, essay anthology; July 4)
8. The Necromouser and Other Magical Cats, by Mary E. Lowd. (FurPlanet Productions, collection; September 24)
9. ROAR Volume 6, edited by Mary E. Lowd. (FurPlanet Productions, short story anthology; July)
10. The Furry Future, edited by Fred Patten. (FurPlanet Productions, short story anthology; January 15)
11. Review of Bête by Adam Roberts, by Fred Patten. (Dogpatch Press; April 28)
12. Inhuman Acts: A Collection of Noir, edited by Ocean Tigrox (FurPlanet Productions, short story anthology; September 24)

Best Anthropomorphic Graphic Story

1. Ask King Sombra, by Jordan “Wiggles” Mullaney. (Internet (Tumblr), January to December)
2. Beatriz Overseer, by Walter “Chochi” Gomez. (Internet, January 10 to November 18)
3. Chevalier: The Queen’s Mouseketeer, by Darryl Hughes and Monique MacNaughton. (Internet, January 7 to August 12)
4. Code Name: Hunter, by Darc Sowers (Issue 21, Page 15 – Interlude page 4)
5. Druids, by Amocin. (Internet, January 2 to December 28) Mature Audiences.
6. Endtown, by Aaron Neathery. (Internet, January 1 to December 30)
7. The Eye of Ramalach, by Avencri. (Internet, January 10 to December 31)
8. Follower, by Bugbyte. (Internet, January 13 to December 31)
9. Guardians of the Galaxy volume 3, by various. (Marvel Comics, issue 21 to issue 27)
10. Howard the Duck volume 2, by various. (Marvel Comics, issue 1 to 5)
11. Kat-Venture and the Terror of Xibalba, by Mark A. Smith and David Whamond. (Lulu, November 25)
12. Knuckle Up, by Mastergodai. (Internet, January 23 to November 21)
13. Lackadaisy, by Tracy J. Butler. (Internet, Lackadaisy Congregation to Lackadaisy Inspiration)
14. Metazoa, by Peter Marshall Smith, artist Sandy Brion Spreitz. (Comixology, book 1 to 2)
15. My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, by various. (IDW Publishing; Issue 1 to 5, April 1 – April 29)
16. My Little Pony: Friends Forever, by various. (IDW Publishing, issue 13 to 24)
17. My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, by various.  (IDW Publishing, issue 27 to 38)
18. Night Physics, by Austin Holcomb. (Internet (Tumblr), January 15 to December 19)
19. Oren’s Forge, by Teagan Gavet. (Internet, November 16 to December 31)
20. Our World, by Kuurion & Captain Video. (Internet, January 20 to December 29)
21. Prequel or Adventures in Making a Cat Cry, by Kazerad and Ch’marr. (Internet, March 21 to October 31)
22. The Probability Bomb, by Ralph E. Hayes Jr. (Internet, January 3 to November 3)
23. Professor Amazing and the Incredible Golden Fox, by John Prengaman, Jr. (Internet, Chapter 1 cover to page 22)
24. Rascals, by Mastergodai. (Internet, January 2 to December 25)
25. The Sprawl, by DrawHolic. (Internet, page 23 to 66)
26. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, by various. (Marvel Comics, issue 42 to 53)
27. This Quiet Ur, by camicami. (Internet, page 63 to 67)
28. TwoKinds, by Tom Fischbach. (Internet, January 4 to December 23)
29. Uber Quest, by Skidd. (Internet, January 4 to December 30)
30. The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, by various. (Marvel Comics, Volume 1 issue 1 to Volume 2 issue 1)

Best Anthropomorphic Comic Strip

1. Addictive Science, by Cervelet. (Internet, March 22 to December 31)
2. Beyond the Black Stump, by Sean Leahy. (Newspaper & Internet strips from January 4 to December 31)
3. Carry On, by K. Garrison. (Internet strips from January 2 to December 30)
4. Doc Rat, by Jenner. (Internet strips from January 1 to December 31)
5. Gene Catlow, by Albert Temple and Tawana Gilroy. (Internet strips fron January 2 to December 30)
6. Housepets!, by Rick Griffin. (Internet strips from January 2 to December 30)
7. Paprika, by Nekonny. (Internet, March 22 to December 29)
8. Peter and Company, by Jonathan Ponikvar. (Internet strips from #223 to #243)
9. Sabrina Online, by Eric W. Schwartz. (Internet strips from January to December)
10. Savestate, by Tim Weeks. (Internet strips from January 7 to December 30)
11. Schlock Mercenary, by Howard Taylor. (Internet, January 1 to December 31)
12. Transmission, by Mark A. Smith (Internet strips from January 2 to November 27)
13. The Whiteboard, by Doc N. (Internet strips from January 2 to December 30)

Best Anthropomorphic Magazine

1. Dogpatch Press, by Patch Packrat (Internet, January 5 to December 24)
2. Fangs and Fonts (Internet podcast, #37 to #56)
3. Flayrah, edited by crossafliction and GreenReaper (Internet, January 2 to December 31)
4. Fur What It’s Worth (Internet; podcasts Season 4 episode 7 to Season 5 episode 7)
5. InFurNation ( Internet; January 1 to December 31)

Best Anthropomorphic Published Illustration

1. AlectorFencer, “An Empire Rises“, wraparound cover of ConFurgence 2015 souvenir book (January 8)
2. Mark Brill, cover of An Anthropomorphic Century, edited by Fred Patten (FurPlanet, Productions, September 24)
3. Unknown, cover of Off Leash, by Daniel Potter (Fallen Kitten Productions, July 12)
4. Kenket, wraparound cover of EuroFurence 21 Program Book (August 19)
5. Teagan Gavet, wraparound cover of The Furry Future, edited by Fred Patten (FurPlanet Productions, January 15)
6. Teagan Gavet, wraparound cover of ROAR Volume 6, edited by Mary E. Lowd (FurPlanet Productions, July 9)
7. Katie Hofgard, wraparound cover of Griffin Ranger, Volume 1, by Roz Gibson (FurPlanet Productions, January 15)
8. Idess, wraparound cover of In a Dog’s World, by Mary E. Lowd (FurPlanet Productions, July 9)
9. Humberto Ramos and Hector Delgado, cover of Guardians Team-Up issue #5, Marvel Comics, May
10. Rukis, wraparound cover of Bones of the Empire, by Jim Galford (CreateSpace, August 7)
11. Rukis, cover of Lost on Dark Trails, by Rukis (FurPlanet Productions, January 15)
12. Sekhmet, cover of Huntress, by Renee Carter Hall (FurPlanet Productions, September 24)
13. Seylyn, cover of Inhuman Acts, edited by Ocean Tigrox (FurPlanet Productions, September 24)
14. Antonio Torresan, cover of Tiger’s Eye (Amazon.com, November 5)
15. Heidi C. Vlatch, cover of Tinder Stricken, by Heidi C. Vlatch (Heidi C. Vlatch, May 22)
16. Zhivago, wraparound cover of Forest Gods, by Ryan Campbell (Sofawolf Press, September 24)

Best Anthropomorphic Game

1. Armello. (Developed and Published by League of Geeks, September 1)
2. Aviary Attorney (Sketchy Logic Games; December 22)
3. Eon Legacy Sourcebook, Content Creator and Earth Worldbook (Robert Rankin, various, February 11)
4. Five Nights at Freddy’s 3 (Developer: Scott Cawthon; Publisher: Scott Games, March 2)
5. Five Nights at Freddy’s 4 (Developer: Scott Cawthon; Publisher: Scott Games, July 23)
6. The Furry Basketball Association (Buck Hopper; 2015 season)
7. Majora’s Mask for 3DS (Nintendo; February 13)
8. Ori and the Blind Forest (Developer: Moon Studios, Publisher: Microsoft Studios, March 11)
9. Yo-Kai Watch (Developer: Level-5; Publisher: Level-5 and Nintendo, November 6)

Best Anthropomorphic Website

1. Ask Papabear, by Grubbs Grizzly, furry advice column
2. Culturally f’d, You Tube Channel, furry videos.
3. E621, Furry fandom art community site. Mature Audiences.
4. Equestria Daily, My Little Pony fandom community site.
5. FiMFiction, My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic fanfic site.
6. Furry Network, furry art/writing/media social networking site.
7. Furry.Today, furry videos.
8. Furstarter, crowdfunding furry projects portal
9. The Katbox, hosts anthropomorphic webcomics
10. Sofurry, furry artist/writer community
11. WikiFur, furry wiki

Best wishes; Fred Patten  

This one slipped on by us, but if you’re a Furry Fan you’re going to notice a description that goes like this: “8House # 6: Mirror: Part 1… explores the concept of humanity — specifically, how one attains such a distinction. The Mirror story arc follows a terrorist talking dog, an idealist mage, and a heroic lab rat on their quest for acceptance.” Here’s more from the Image Comics web site: “Mirror is a four-part sci-fi/fantasy story arc connected to the 8House universe and focused on the House of Healers, a noble magical guild based on flesh and body magic. Each issue contains 28 pages of comic narrative: a main story and short epilogues that bring more light to the intrigue, as well as concept art, designs, timeline keys, and glossaries.” It’s written by Emma Rios (Pretty Deadly, Island) and illustrated in full color by Hwei Lim (Lalage, Hero). The first issue in the Mirror arc is out already, and the 4-issue miniseries continues through this spring. There will also be a special Mirror tie-in mini-comic as part of this year’s Free Comic Book Day event in May.

image c. 2016 Image Comics

Dated February 14, here is an article in the Lafayette Journal & Courier:
http://www.jconline.com/story/news/college/2016/02/14/furries-paw-into-purdue/80051666/

The article is an interview with Carly "Luna" Conley and Sean McLane, of Purdue University's Anthropomorphic Animal Club.


Carly Conley is even-tempered and sports a sweet, inviting smile. She doesn't get in people's faces, she doesn't raise her voice.

But when Conley places a bright orange, fuzzy fox head over her own, a sassier side of the Purdue University student emerges. The fox head, named Luna, is part of Conley's "fursona."

"It makes you feel more comfortable sometimes," the forestry and natural resources junior said. "It’s not necessarily escapism. I’m not losing who I am ... She (Luna) is an extension of me.”

Conley is part of a growing, but long-existing, subculture that likes to dress up, or "suit up" as she refers to it, as cartoon-like animals. The members refer to themselves as furries. They have a deep love for animals and some even feel more comfortable in their fursuits than in their own skin.

The furry group largely has a reputation of being fetishists and sexual deviants, but those part of the fandom and those who research it say that's not what furries are about.

Conley's hoping her new student group, the Purdue Anthropomorphic Animal Club, will help break down those stereotypes on campus and give fellow anthropomorphism enthusiasts a place to meet like-minded people. The group isn't specifically for furries, she said, but some members are part of the fur fandom.

Though it just recently became an official student group, the club has been active "underground" for about two years, Conley said. The last time students tried to establish a similar type of club in 2009, she said, they were bullied into extinction.

She's optimistic this time will be different, though the group has already run into opposition. After putting up posters around campus promoting its callout meeting, people quickly began bashing the anthropomorphic club on the anonymous social media app Yik Yak.

The posts included threats to light the group members on fire and crucify them. Some called them autistic, Conley said.

"I think, overall, society is more accepting than it used to be. There is still some intolerance there," said Sean McLane, a Purdue IT staff member and the club's supervisor.

McLane has identified as a furry for 25 years, but doesn't have a fursuit. He is also the supervisor for the campus' brony group, a subculture that revolves around the fandom of the "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic" television series.

The general misconception and curiosity about furries has brought some scholars to study them. Kathy Gerbasi, a psychology professor at Niagara County Community College in New York, stumbled upon the fandom years ago and has since written a number of peer-reviewed articles on it.

She went into her first furry convention in 2005 to survey attendees not knowing what to expect, having heard the typical stereotypes that furries are crazy and into strange sex. But she didn't find any of that to be true for the mass majority.

"The fursuit is a way to try on a different personality," Gerbasi said. "Like if you're shy, you can be more outgoing as a dancing wolf in a fursuit."

And though furries love to hug, she said, the widespread rumor that they have sex in their costumes isn't true and would be impossible.

There are some fur-fans that are in it for the sex, McLane said, but they're what Samuel Conway, the president of the largest anthropomorphic convention, refers to as the "Uncle Harry" of the subculture.

"Every family has a weird Uncle Harry. He always comes to holidays and does something bad ... We don’t really care much for him, but he’s family ... That part of the community is our Uncle Harry," McLane said. "Uncle Harry is not the true representation of the fandom.”

The increase of younger people coming into the group has also steered it into a more innocent community, McLane said.

The furries make up a silly, fun-loving society, he said, but they're also extremely giving and charitable.

Last year's Illinois-based convention, Midwest FurFest, raised more than $62,000 for Save-A-Vet, a charity that pairs retired military and law enforcement dogs and other service animals with disabled veterans.

Conley said she plans to have the Purdue campus group attend conventions together next semester. But the typical meetup will involve members getting together to watch anthropomorphic movies, study, go hiking and occasionally go out "suiting," for those who are furries and own a suit.

“I’m trying to just bring (the group) back into light and say, 'We are not Uncle Harry. We’re better than Uncle Harry. We are college kids and this is what we like to do,'” she said.

Dated February 14, here is an article in the Lafayette Journal & Courier:
http://www.jconline.com/story/news/college/2016/02/14/furries-paw-into-purdue/80051666/

The article is an interview with Carly "Luna" Conley and Sean McLane, of Purdue University's Anthropomorphic Animal Club.


Carly Conley is even-tempered and sports a sweet, inviting smile. She doesn't get in people's faces, she doesn't raise her voice.

But when Conley places a bright orange, fuzzy fox head over her own, a sassier side of the Purdue University student emerges. The fox head, named Luna, is part of Conley's "fursona."

"It makes you feel more comfortable sometimes," the forestry and natural resources junior said. "It’s not necessarily escapism. I’m not losing who I am ... She (Luna) is an extension of me.”

Conley is part of a growing, but long-existing, subculture that likes to dress up, or "suit up" as she refers to it, as cartoon-like animals. The members refer to themselves as furries. They have a deep love for animals and some even feel more comfortable in their fursuits than in their own skin.

The furry group largely has a reputation of being fetishists and sexual deviants, but those part of the fandom and those who research it say that's not what furries are about.

Conley's hoping her new student group, the Purdue Anthropomorphic Animal Club, will help break down those stereotypes on campus and give fellow anthropomorphism enthusiasts a place to meet like-minded people. The group isn't specifically for furries, she said, but some members are part of the fur fandom.

Though it just recently became an official student group, the club has been active "underground" for about two years, Conley said. The last time students tried to establish a similar type of club in 2009, she said, they were bullied into extinction.

She's optimistic this time will be different, though the group has already run into opposition. After putting up posters around campus promoting its callout meeting, people quickly began bashing the anthropomorphic club on the anonymous social media app Yik Yak.

The posts included threats to light the group members on fire and crucify them. Some called them autistic, Conley said.

"I think, overall, society is more accepting than it used to be. There is still some intolerance there," said Sean McLane, a Purdue IT staff member and the club's supervisor.

McLane has identified as a furry for 25 years, but doesn't have a fursuit. He is also the supervisor for the campus' brony group, a subculture that revolves around the fandom of the "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic" television series.

The general misconception and curiosity about furries has brought some scholars to study them. Kathy Gerbasi, a psychology professor at Niagara County Community College in New York, stumbled upon the fandom years ago and has since written a number of peer-reviewed articles on it.

She went into her first furry convention in 2005 to survey attendees not knowing what to expect, having heard the typical stereotypes that furries are crazy and into strange sex. But she didn't find any of that to be true for the mass majority.

"The fursuit is a way to try on a different personality," Gerbasi said. "Like if you're shy, you can be more outgoing as a dancing wolf in a fursuit."

And though furries love to hug, she said, the widespread rumor that they have sex in their costumes isn't true and would be impossible.

There are some fur-fans that are in it for the sex, McLane said, but they're what Samuel Conway, the president of the largest anthropomorphic convention, refers to as the "Uncle Harry" of the subculture.

"Every family has a weird Uncle Harry. He always comes to holidays and does something bad ... We don’t really care much for him, but he’s family ... That part of the community is our Uncle Harry," McLane said. "Uncle Harry is not the true representation of the fandom.”

The increase of younger people coming into the group has also steered it into a more innocent community, McLane said.

The furries make up a silly, fun-loving society, he said, but they're also extremely giving and charitable.

Last year's Illinois-based convention, Midwest FurFest, raised more than $62,000 for Save-A-Vet, a charity that pairs retired military and law enforcement dogs and other service animals with disabled veterans.

Conley said she plans to have the Purdue campus group attend conventions together next semester. But the typical meetup will involve members getting together to watch anthropomorphic movies, study, go hiking and occasionally go out "suiting," for those who are furries and own a suit.

“I’m trying to just bring (the group) back into light and say, 'We are not Uncle Harry. We’re better than Uncle Harry. We are college kids and this is what we like to do,'” she said.

Of Horses and Men is a 2013 Icelandic film (Hross í oss). The English subtitled version is widely available for streaming, or as a cheap DVD in all the usual places.

It’s a strange film. It opens with a man saddling his mare, and it’s clear from the interactions between man and horse that their relationship is new. The saddling is shot and edited as a seduction: the man is intent on going for a ride, but first he must gain her trust, and she must submit to him.

The subtext running through the film is simple enough: that humans and horses are both animals, slave to our animal desires, whatever they may be. We’re all dumb and self-destructive; we bring misery upon ourselves because we are unable to transcend our very simple animalistic instincts.

Our horseman, who is unnamed but turns out to be one of the film’s main characters, takes his mare to visit his girlfriend. As he woos her over tea, his mare is wooed by the girl’s stallion across a fence. As our horseman leaves, he is humiliated as the fence breaks, and the stallion mounts the mare with no regard for the human encumbrance on her back.

The horses have complicated the blossoming love affair between the two humans by bringing social shame to the man, and by baring their ultimate carnal desires for all to see. On returning home, our horseman shoots and kills his new mare in a calculated jealous act. His girlfriend castrates her stallion. This all takes about 15 minutes, and gives the viewer a very good idea of what sort of film they are watching.

Of Horses and Men is short at 85 minutes, and consists of a series of short vignettes, starting with our horse-human love quadrette. Most of the vignettes will end badly for all concerned, and the horse/human bodycount will grow. (In that way, it’s a bit like Kill Bill.)

The film is set in the remote Icelandic hinterland, a land of volcanic desert and dangerous extremes of climate. The scenery is beautiful, the people are stoic, and the humour is pitch-black: this is an undeniably Scandinavian film.

The obvious point of comparison for Of Horses and Men is The Black Stallion, or at least the first half where the boy and the horse are castaway on a deserted island. (I’ve written about The Black Stallion for [adjective][species] in the past.) In that film, the boy and horse become reliant on one another for survival and companionship, which grows into a close bond.

The Black Stallion‘s sequences showing the development of the relationship between the two is stunning. It highlights the beauty and remoteness of the island, and the best parts of the nature of both human and horse. Of Horses and Men is similarly stunning, and similarly focussing on horse/human relationships, but is much less positive about our shared, inherent animal nature.

The human characters do love their horses, but the relationship is a starkly unequal one. The horses are tools to be used, creatures to be tricked into bondage and discarded when no longer convenient. Any number of indignities are visited upon our horses, including an ocean swim to a Russian ship to buy black market vodka, and one poor creature is sacrificed in a cold snap to save the enterprising human, who uses the same trick as Luke Skywalker on Hoth, cutting open the beast’s belly for warmth.

The horses are entirely resigned to their fate, accepting the wills of their human masters. Undoubtedly this is a far more accurate representation of a real horse-human relationship than the partnership of equals imagined by The Black Stallion, but the cold pragmatism of the Icelanders is still bracing, particularly in the face of the flawed nature of their own animal instincts.

Of Horses and Men emphasises the animal nature of the humans by putting them on the same footing as the horses. So as our horseman from the opening vignette suffers the humiliation of being on horseback for horse-horse mating, a horse will later be tied to him as he and his girlfriend have sex.

The exploration of our fundamental animal nature in Of Horses and Men is, of course why I’m writing about it for [adjective][species]. For myself and for many other furries, I see my furry identity as an exploration of the interplay between my instinctual/animal and rational/human sides. Our animal side is something that gets short shrift in society, because our animal instincts are seen as being lesser. Our society places value on intellectual work, like writing or mathematics, and lower value on physical work, like horsemanship or parenting.

There is a sense that we should transcend our emotions and instincts, as if this would make us more worthwhile human beings. Basic requirements for life are often presented, in society, absent of their base, visceral contexts: food comes pre-made and pre-wrapped; porn comes absent of body hair and odour; sleep is a collection of lifestyle accoutrements rather than a basic act. The simple, animal truth of human need is obscured by a gentrifying, civilizing layer. And, for the most part, it’s bullshit.

There is freedom to be found in accepting your own animal instincts as a personal truth. Once accepted, they can be met in a way that celebrates the good, useful parts and controls the bad or unsocial parts. To put it another way, a gay man can try to deny his animal truth by marrying a woman anyway. Or he can embrace his sexuality, enjoy sex and love, and complain about the fact society values heterosexual marriage more than it does homosexual marriage.

My animal-person identity, my personal horse, is one that allows me to accept that it’s my animal instincts that make me human. I reject the idea that humans are a sort of anti-animal. I can accept and embrace my animal needs, and I can meet those needs in a way that serves my human society in a civil and appropriate way. My furry identity can meet these needs: I am a civil animal.

Every time I see furries presented in a way that mocks our community, I have the same immediate reaction: fuck you. What kind of animal shames another for expressing a shared animal interest—friendship, or sex, or whatever—in the way that suits them best? An uncivil animal, that’s who.

I know from personal experience and analysis of the furry data we collect here at [adjective][species] that furries are a social, happy, caring, tight-knit bunch. We get mocked because we transgress a sharp line drawn by society: that between sexual and non-sexual behaviour. Society places a higher value on non-sexual activity because sex is seen as animalistic. In the furry world, love does not need to be defined by sex, and vice versa. In this respect, we are the greater beasts.

I enjoy films like Of Horses and Men because they deal with the undeniable animal nature of human beings. Our rural Icelanders are in touch with the world around them, and their human relationships are uncomplicated. But the horses are stronger, and their relationships are even simpler. We can be better humans by being more horse, by showing our own strength and friendship and love in the simplest way possible.

If you’re looking for a film to explore your animal-person side then you could do worse than Of Horses and Men, but you can do better as well. It has a few problems, in particular a dodgy “action” sequence (involving a slow-moving tractor), and a couple of cinematic tropes that don’t hold up to even the slightest amount of logical scrutiny.

You can do better by watching Carroll Ballard’s four animal films, and his exploration of human nature therein (which include The Black Stallion; I’ve reviewed them all for [a][s]). Never Cry Wolf is probably the best even given a slightly dodgy opening act. I’d recommend starting there. But if you’re looking for something new, or if you just have a soft spot for Scandinavian deadpan, Of Horses and Men is well worth your time.

Nordic Fuzzcon has a Zootopia screening at a theater for 250. That’s the size of it’s 2014 attendance. (Art: Silverfox)

The most anticipated “furry” movie in memory is coming. It’s the #1 reason to call 2016 The Year of Furry.  Zootopia is Star Wars for anthro animals.

This is different from other such events. It’s a fandom pulling mainstream media to itself, despite reasons for the media to resist open ties.  This isn’t Zootopia fandom taking over, it’s furries doing what they already love.

In the San Francisco Bay area, over 200 furries will stuff a theater to it’s limit.  The screening is just for them.  It includes not just a movie, but a whole night of fursuiting.  There’s a changing room in the theater, and the neighborhood will be inundated with fluffy revelers at bars and restaurants.

It’s the size of a small con.  The event was arranged by convincing a theater that it would be well handled and attended.  The response exploded beyond expectations.  A theater with 145 seats was maxed out within days, and had to be switched for one with 225 spots.  That isn’t even enough – the wait list is double digits and rising.  It went out through members-only channels and word of mouth, to serve the most dedicated fans and manage demand beyond the limits.

Imagine the fun.  You get to strut your stuff in costume, and see audience interplay that happens with few movies short of Rocky Horror.  It won’t be surprising to hear fandom references flying at the screen that wouldn’t be heard in any other show.

It’s a strange marriage when subculture gathers around the most mainstream media, while Disney arguably may be using a strategy to spread hype with Furries without admitting it.   A furry movie director who just sold his documentary at the Slamdance film fest gave me gossip that Zootopia crew admitted it’s real.

It's an amazing time to be furry. Corporations want to avoid us and get with us at the same time. They don't know how to furry, we do.

— Dogpatch Press (@DogpatchPress) February 10, 2016

Already-successful events are inspiring many to set up their own. If you haven’t done it yet, don’t wait. Theaters set schedules a few months ahead.

Chance the Dragon, admin of San Diego Furries, writes: “Anyone have any leads for a movie theater that will accept fursuits, even if some negotiation is necessary?”  He told me: “I saw your guys’s success up there, and I was like, “If only we had a place like that around here!”

Here’s some other Zootopia furmeets around the USA. Do you know about more? Please comment below!  

• Columbia, TN: March 5 fursuit-friendly movie party.
• Kansas City, MO: Alamo Drafthouse theater rental for 38, with fursuits.
• Maryland Furs and NOVAfurs are teaming up to rent a theater just for furries.
• Midwest FurFest: Private showing at a 121 seat theater, with fursuiting.
• Rhode Island furs: fursuit-friendly Zootopia meet.
• Rochester Furs: “I looked into renting a theater on Saturday the 5th. We would need to have about 100 people.”
• Seattle: 32 furries (no fursuits).
• Socal Furs: Zootopia FurMeet at El Capitan on Saturday, March 5th. Fursuits not allowed.
• (Reddit) Furry meetups for Zootopia?  “Denver Colorado furries are renting out a showing with fursuits allowed… 96 going”

Fursuit screening of Zootopia at the Studio Movie Grill in Simi Valley is in the works! If interested, sign up here: https://t.co/6a4XclwlPH

— Calicotopia (@ManedCalico) February 11, 2016

ATTENTION #Zootopia NERDS, @KCFur is organizing a fursuit-friendly Opening day Theater https://t.co/KRgDz0mBgz and I'm driving 5 hrs to it!

— AAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHLBI (@foxalbiazul) January 3, 2016

Updates: Many new comments on Reddit – check to see if you can connect with anyone near you!

@DogpatchPress Sources say Furry Fiesta's GOH dinner is at a Studio Movie Grill, sold out 160 seat theater.

— Derpster Diver (@MikaseCoyote) February 15, 2016

What’s happening in your community?

1. Tell us about your most recent project (written or published). What inspired it?

Right now I’m working on a serial story for Patreon, told in weekly installments, then bundled up once a month or so and posted to various websites. I’m really excited about the opportunity and challenges presented in telling a story in these episodic bursts; I think it really allows you to experiment with the plotting and structure in ways that maximize the impact of how things roll out.

This first serial is something I’ve been developing for a while, called “The Cult of Maximus”. Two mismatched police officers — a large, gentle wolf and a small but aggressive rabbit — are investigating the disappearance of various homeless people within their jurisdiction of Fog City. The discovery of what’s been happening to them pulls them both into a sprawling conspiracy that has designs on guiding the kaleidoscope of sapient species to the next stage of evolution. Now, this pair has to find a way to discover just how deep this cult goes and how to stop them while being in over their heads every step of the way.

I hope that the serial will give me the ability to arc out a deep exploration of these characters and how their experience with this mystic, impossible problem changes them — both inside and out. Of course, those changes manifest in ways that affect the people around them, and this serial will explore that as well. I’m really fascinated by how personal changes become community changes, and how those become bigger socio-political changes given enough time and momentum. We don’t exist in a vacuum, and I’m really jazzed about the opportunity to show that step by step.

All of this will be taking place in the context of a story with an erotic nature, which is also exciting and really tricky. I’m going into this with the idea that erotic stories can discuss serious and interesting topics; they can be arousing, thrilling and thoughtful at the same time.

2. What’s your writing process like? Are you a “pantser,” an outliner, or something in between?

Definitely “something in-between”. I’ve found that it really helps me to pull through a story if I have signposts that can lead me to the next big thing, so I really love having an outline that allows me to see the rough shape of a story. However, the story almost never turns out to match the shape of the outline I’ve given it.

When a story “grows legs”, it’s a sign that you’ve really tapped into something but it can also throw all of your plans out of the window. Characters end up doing things you’d never expect, pulling new characters from the ether that you never planned for; or a character will resist a certain plot point because there’s something about their personality that makes a necessary action impossible for them to take, so you have to back up and get to know this person in your head a little better.

So while the outline is definitely a big help for determining the joints of the story where things pivot, you might find that you need to reconstruct it on the fly fairly often.

3. What’s your favorite kind of story to write?

I think I really love telling stories about outsiders. People who resist type a little, perhaps, or feel that they don’t belong for one reason or another. I love digging into a character to figure out how they work, what makes them feel disconnected from their environment, and then writing the story that moves them a little closer to the world they inhabit.

Most of the stuff that I end up showing is erotic in nature, just because I’m a big fan of macro/micro stories as well. There’s something about the way physical transformation necessitates a shift in your mentality that I love exploring too; when you gain or lose physical power, it changes the way you see yourself and your place in the world. It’s more than simply lording power over someone else, it’s also dealing with this real, physical difference that separates you from your world and what that does to your psyche.

4. Which character from your work do you most identify with, and why?

This might just be because it’s what I’m working on now, but Officer Tom from “The Cult of Maximus” is someone I’m having a lot of sympathy for right now. He’s this sort-of average guy who holds strong beliefs without necessarily voicing them, who feels in over his head with his job most of the time, who is trying to balance the demands of this difficult profession with his home life. And just when he feels like he’s getting his feet under him, something else comes along to pull the rug out from under him! It happens all the time in life, and I think that’s what makes it such a fun story to write.

5. Which authors or books have most influenced your work?

It’s a huge list. Furry-wise, I’ve gotten my sensibility from Kenneth Grahame and Alan Dean Foster, who both do this really great job of rooting their furry characters in the real world and marrying instinctive urges with sentient, reasoned expression. The Wind in the Willows and the Spellsinger series are so much fun because the societies that have been imagined in them feel really lived-in and true. I love furry stories that lean in to the distinctive habits of various species.

Otherwise, I’m a sucker for books that are poetic, but simple. I’m a huge fan of Ray Bradbury and Kurt Vonnegut, Stephen King and Johnathan Lethem; they have this deceptively conversational style that hooks you well, but there’s a lot going on underneath word choices and sentence rhythm and how they’ve built their paragraphs. It’s really fascinating. I think I break for people who can tell great stories while still aiming to be accessible and really connecting to their audience. I’ve found I don’t have a lot of patience for those folks who act as gatekeepers; stories are for everyone, and they should be treated as something special that almost anyone can find something worthwhile in.

6. What’s the last book you read that you really loved?

I just finished book three in The Last Policeman trilogy, called World of Trouble. It’s written by Ben H. Winters, and it tells the story of this beanpole of a police detective who insists on doing his job even though an asteroid is getting set to crash into the planet and end life as we know it. In the last novel he’s looking for his missing sister, just days before the world is going to end.

What I love about it is how Winters treats Hank Palace (the titular policeman). Hank is clearly running a fool’s errand, and in a way he absolutely knows it. But he’s compelled to do it, to spend the rest of his days doing his dream job to the best of his ability. The most fascinating aspect of apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction is watching what emerges from within people when the constraints of society are removed. When you’re faced with this very real existential threat and a lot of the ideas we’ve all agreed to buy into are discounted, who are you? Hank knows who he is, even though he’s reluctant to let go of the old world that’s crumbling down all around him. It’s so great.

There are a lot of other books I’ve read that I genuinely love, but they haven’t been published yet so I won’t talk about them. I’ll just say I’m really excited to see them released.

7. Besides writing, how do you like to spend your free time?

I’m a pretty hard-core geek, so there’s a lot of television and movies that I love to watch. I’m a big fan of The Leftovers, Agents of SHIELD, Game of Thrones and Supernatural; I love watching movies in different genres, but nothing quite thrills me like a great horror film.

Dungeons and Dragons are a big draw for me; right now I’m running a Pathfinder game and playing in two Star Wars games as well as a Dresden Files game, and that’s a lot of fun. I really do tend to spend most of my free time awash in stories; either participating in them, or enjoying them.

8. Advice for other writers?

In so many ways I still feel like a baby writer who has no business giving advice to other writers. I guess my best piece of advice is to find a way to make writing fun enough that you’ll want to do it every day and serious enough that you’ll want each story you tell to be better than the last. Passion and dedication really are the things you need to pull you through your writing career.

9. Where can readers find your work?

I’m everywhere! I have a personal/storytelling blog over at http://www.jakebe.com.

My writing is on FurAffinity, Weasyl and SoFurry: just look for “jakebe” there.

My Patreon is here, where I’ll be posting parts of The Cult of Maximus in 2016: https://www.patreon.com/jakebeserials

10. What’s your favorite thing about the furry fandom?

I love that the furry fandom is so BROAD. No matter what you’re into — writing, video games, art, comics, performance, music — you can find a scene within the fandom that you will fit. It’s really great to see so many people pursuing so many different passions all within the same community. What’s more, we really support each other’s projects in great ways. It’s just a lovely thing to see.

 

Check out Jakebe’s member bio here!

Netflix have recently announced a new CGI animated series, Beat Bugs. Premiering this summer, it’s bug-size stories set to the music of The Beatles. Yes.  According to Animation World Network: “Beat Bugs features original characters and a world created by Josh Wakely, who will direct, write and produce the series… Beat Bugs incorporates songs from the Lennon/McCartney ‘Northern Songs’ catalogue, to tell uplifting and life-affirming stories filled with hope and melody. World-leading artists, animators and writers have come together to work on this extraordinary show. The Beat Bugs are charming, funny, adventurous, and have a knack for getting themselves into mischief and mayhem. Each of the five friends (Jay, Kumi, Crick, Buzz, and Walter) has a distinctive personality, and they display the charm and energy of five knockabout, lovable kids. They are best friends who band together to explore and learn in an overgrown suburban backyard, which to them is their entire universe.” The article also has a teaser trailer for the show.

Image c. 2016 Netflix

Dear Readers,

As you know, Papabear gets a lot of letters about love and relationships, so this seemed like a good time to write a note to all of you about love.

I think the most frequent problem I see from letter writers is that they think love is something that they get from someone else. They are troubled when they feel they are not getting the attention they deserve. While it is important that the other person in your life respects you and cares about you, you should never think of love in terms of what the other person does for you. If you are truly in love with someone, you'll know it because the only thing on your mind will be "How can I help my love be happy?"

Love isn't about sex. Love isn't about money. Yes, these are important issues, but love is about a heart connection that cannot be broken if it is real love. I've often written about the issues of sex and money in relationships, but I want to make it clear that when I do so it is really more in terms about whether lovers have respect for one another, not so much about the money and sex itself. For example, perhaps the one you love is poor and is having trouble finding work, but he or she is trying very hard to do right by you: they don't take advantage of the fact that you have money and they don't use you; they sincerely try their best to get by. That is a person you can support and love back.

I've sometimes written about long distance relationships, and I'm going to change my POV there a little, if you don't mind. I'm currently in the longest of long distance relationships that is possible because the one I love is now in the spirit world. Yet my love is still strong. Given this, who the hell am I to say that a relationship via Skype or an iPhone is less possible?

There is a thing in physics called "entanglement." This is a phenomenon described by quantum physics in which two or more particles influence their physical states ... and they do so no matter the distance between them. They can be in different galaxies and still interact with one another.

I must amend my opinion on LDRs, then. Love knows no distance. Love knows no barriers or boundaries. Love is not limited by time. Love just is.

As we travel through this existence, we learn and grow. Papabear is no exception to this. Every letter I write, I do so with sincerity and in the spirit of helping. You, dear letter writers, actually help me to learn and grow, too. We can help each other along the way, and that is what life here is all about.

Whether you are with someone or all alone today, you are never truly alone. The universe cares about you. And I care about you. Thank you for contributing to this column and thank you for being you.

Happy Valentine's Day,
Papabear

This week the group talks about literary awards in the fandom. Are they useful? Should you participate?

 
Send us your feedback, questions, concerns, complaints:

@FangsAndFonts

Facebook.com/FangsAndFonts
 

Fangs and Fonts

Click below to Listen http://www.fangsandfonts.com/FnF/Episodes/Ep60-Awarding_The_Best.mp3

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Ep 60 – Awarding Work - This week the group talks about literary awards in the fandom. Are they useful? Should you participate?   Send us your feedback, questions, concerns, complaints: @FangsAndFonts Facebook.com/FangsAndFonts  

Another new full-color comic from the Previews kid-friendly special feature is Fuzzy Baseball, written and illustrated by John Steven Gurney. “It’s the game everyone has been waiting for-The Fernwood Valley Fuzzies Vs. The Rocky Ridge Red Claws! The Fuzzies, featuring such all-star players as Jackie Rabbitson, Sandy Kofox, and Hammy Sosa, are ready. So are the Red Claws, with players like Gator Gibson, Stetch Giraffolo, and Fernado del Toro. Together they’ll make this the greatest game ever played between the two longtime rivals. And you have a front row seat at Fuzzy Field!” It’s coming from Papercutz in late April. You can preview the first volume over at their web site.

image c. 2015 Papercutz

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

Cat Crimebusters, Part 1.

Cat Crimebusters, Part 2.

This third animal crime series is what I consider to be the first in which the cats genuinely detect to solve human crimes. No pussyfooting in the background while the human amateur detective solves the crimes. This is the Joe Grey series by Shirley Rousseau Murphy. Joe and his feline assistants Dulcie and Kit are talking cats fully in the human world. They have their human helpers, but they do all the important detecting. There aren’t as many Joe Grey novels as there are Midnight Louie or Mrs. Murphy novels, but there are eighteen; and there will be a nineteenth next February.

Cat on the Edge. April 1996.

Cat Under Fire. November 1996.

Cat Raise the Dead. May 1997.

Cat in the Dark. January 1999.

Cat to the Dogs. January 2000.

Cat Spitting Mad. December 2000.

(Cat on the Money. 2001.)

Cat Laughing Last. December 2001.

Cat Seeing Double. January 2003.

Cat Fear No Evil. January 2004.

Cat Cross Their Graves. January 2005.

Cat Breaking Free. December 2005.

Cat Pay the Devil. March 2007.

Cat Deck the Halls. December 2007.

Cat Playing Cupid. February 2009.

Cat Striking Back. November 2009.

Cat Coming Home. November 2010.

Cat Telling Tales. November 2011.

Cat Bearing Gifts. November 2012.

Cat Shout for Joy. February 2016.

The setting for the series is Molena Point, California, a fictional California coastal resort village maybe a hundred miles south of San Francisco – a lookalike of the real Carmel. The mystery begins in the first paragraph of the first book:

“The murder of Samuel Beckwhite in the alley behind Jolly’s Delicatessen was observed by no human witness. Only the gray tomcat saw Beckwhite fall, the big man’s heavy body crumpling, his round, close-trimmed head crushed from the blow of a shiny steel wrench. At the bright swing of the weapon and the thud of breaking bone, the cat stiffened with alarm and backed deeper into the shadows, a sleek silver ripple in the dark.” (p. 1)

This is an apparently absolutely mundane crime—so why do two cats who happen to be nearby suddenly gain human intelligence and the ability to talk and read? And why does a human housewife suddenly find herself transformed into a cat?

The two cats are Joe Grey, a gray (Russian blue) cat with only a two-inch stub of a tail who is the pet of Clyde Damien, the owner of an automobile repair shop that specializes in restoring antique cars, and Dulcie, an orange tabby cat belonging to Wilma Getz, a retired parole officer. It turns out that both Joe and Dulcie saw the murder. Why this murder gave them human intelligence and the ability to talk is a mystery, but the killer is aware of it and wants to eliminate them as inconvenient witnesses. Kate Osbourne, the housewife, is also turned into a cat by the murder. Molena Point is small, and Clyde, Wilma, and Kate all know each other. Joe is satisfied to live as a pampered pet, while Dulcie wants to know why she is suddenly intelligent and can talk; but both cats are forced together to escape the murderer. Also, Clyde was the business partner of the murdered man and is suspected by the police of being the killer, so Joe has to prove Clyde’s innocence to preserve his own comfortable life. Cat on the Edge ends with the real killer unmasked, Kate restored to humanity, and the cats’ intelligence revealed to their human companions; but the mystery of how and why the cats are now intelligent and can talk still unknown.

In the subsequent novels, the mystery of Joe & Dulcie’s ability to talk and Kate’s turning into a cat (and Kate herself) fades into the background. Joe & Dulcie can just talk, and in each book, they enjoy playing detectives. They get involved with a new crime, invariably a murder (or a lesser crime that leads to a murder), and have fun (1) learning who the killer is, (2) finding the evidence needed by the police, and (3) finding how to deliver the evidence to the police without revealing themselves. They become adept at giving mysterious telephone calls to Police Captain Max Harper.

As the series progresses, the cast grows. Kit, a tattercoat tortoiseshell kitten who can also talk, appears in #7, Cat Laughing Last, and the feline duo becomes a trio. With #11, Cat Breaking Free, a whole clowder of feral cats who can talk is discovered living in the hills above Molena Point. Some of them become a major supporting character for one novel; in #12, Cat Pay the Devil it’s Cotton, Coyote, and Willow, while with #15, Cat Striking Back, it’s Tansy and Sage. With #17, Cat Coming Home, Misto, an old yellow prison tomcat briefly joins the trio. Even before that, the regular human cast grows tremendously with Wilma’s niece, Charlie; Molena Point Detectives Dallas Garza and Juana Davis; building contractor Ryan Flannery; elderly Pedric and Lucinda Greenlaw; and others. Almost all the humans get married. The number of humans who know and keep the talking cats’ secret increases. Azrael, a possibly demonic cat (he practices voodoo), appears in #4, Cat in the Dark, and occasionally in later novels. Kate Osbourne reappears more rarely. One human criminal, Greeley Urzey, who knows the cats’ secret, is in #4 and #12, but he keeps the secret for his own reasons.

In the real world, several of the novels have become winners of the Cat Writers’ Association’s annual Muse Medallion for the best writing about cats in several categories. However, even granting the premise of talking cats, the series includes some major implausibilities. Kit remains a little kitten for years before growing up; and Joe & Dulcie remain “just good friends” for equally far too long before “getting married” and having kittens – in fact, this is still due to happen in Cat Shout for Joy coming in February. Joe, Dulcie, and Kit regularly get information by pretending to be normal cats at human tables and listening while they beg for food or eat dropped human food like dogs; but those increasingly include human food like Mexican and Chinese food that would probably not be good for real cats – if they did not ignore it. The first few novels give convincing reasons for the cats to take interest in human crimes, but in the later novels Joe, Dulcie, and Kit become implausible do-gooders who just want to help human strangers out of a love for justice. But the Joe Grey series is a “cat cozy” fantasy, so readers will not care about a few implausibilities.

To be noted is the “unpublished” Cat on the Money. This is a novella that began serialization in Cats magazine. Cats was discontinued before the serialization was completed. The entire story, too short for a book, can be downloaded from the official Joe Grey website: http://joegrey.com/

There was a break of four years between #18 and #19. This was because Murphy collaborated on two novels with her husband, Pat J. J. Murphy:

The Cat, the Devil, and Lee Fontana. February 2014.

The Cat, the Devil, the Last Escape. February 2015.

These are two spinoffs about the Devil tormenting a mortal, Lee Fontana, and his being helped by the old tomcat Misto as a ghost cat. They are more fantastic/supernatural than the Joe Grey series.

–Fred Patten

Previews magalog was kind enough to point out some new upcoming kid-friendly comic book titles — several of which are definitely anthropomorphic. First up is The Mighty Zodiac, written by J. Torres and illustrated by Corin Howell and Maarta Laiho. “When the Blue Dragon dies, six stars fall out of the night sky! Ailing Master Long, leader of the Mighty Zodiac, orders his warriors to gather the stars, lest they fall into the hands of the malevolent Moon Rabbit Army. With the stars, the Mighty Zodiac may yet revive their master, rescue their world, and restore the light. Without the stars, the darkness threatens to divide the tribes and destroy Gaya… ” Got all that? Look for it from Oni Press in early April.

image c. 2016 Oni Press

Dated February 12, here is an article in the 2016 Sex Issue of The Daily Californian, the student-run newspaper serving the University of California, Berkeley campus and its surrounding community:
http://www.dailycal.org/2016/02/12/fursona/

The article includes words from Bay Area furries Jason Panke, Jeff Bowman, Alex Roviras, and Darkwolf.


“Come for the fur, stay for the hugs.”

This is the slogan we work out 20 minutes into a discussion with three self-described “furries” — members of the fandom known for their animal-inspired costumes (and huge conventions across the country) but are still waiting for a multifaceted portrayal in popular culture.

They’re in street clothes, chatting amiably here at a cafe just a short walk from the UC Berkeley campus, where Bay Area furries (alternatively, “furs”) gather on the first Tuesday of every month to share the latest in art and meet other furries. Many have found friendships and lifelong bonds amidst the furry, feathered and scaly “fursonas” that populate the community.

“Being a transplant from Chicago. I had no one to really hang out with,” said Jason Panke, a local furry at the gathering. “(Here) you get to do fun things, go downtown San Francisco and get on trolleys, everyone in fursuits, waving at people. … It brings happiness to a lot of people.”

The meetup serves as an essential in-person gathering for a community concentrated extensively online. Furries have flourished in online communities such as sofurry.net* and Tumblr and witnessed their growing numbers at annual conventions throughout the country.

The Berkeley cafe meetup has been going on for at least eight years. Elsewhere in the Bay Area, the community meets consistently for barbecues, bowling and Frolic — where once a month, they take over San Francisco’s Stud Bar with custom art and costumes.

The gatherings give furries a chance to trade “fursonas” — alter-egos used in the furry community that play off animal and human personality traits, often represented through art in social media profiles or in full costume. Jeff Bowman, a 2009 UC Berkeley graduate who’s organized the meetup for years, describes the fursona as an “open-source framework” for creative expression derived from games, myths and popular culture. Some furries inhabit multiple characters at a time.

Many furs encounter their first taste of the fandom online in fan-generated art and stories. Alex Roviras, another local there Tuesday, found his way to the fandom as a high schooler when he clicked on a wrong link that brought him to stories centered on human-like wolf characters. A long-time fan of “The Lion King” and the fierce Digimon Garurumon, Roviras was intrigued.

“I was like, this is not what I’m looking for, but I’m interested in writing too,” Roviras said. “I came across furry and looked at it and kind of went with it. Things just kind of clicked.”

Roviras recounted how quickly he was intrigued not only by the stories but the art. As he delved further into the fandom, the community became a place where many interests — art, writing, friendship and exploration — intersected. Roviras said that for people reconciling their own sexual identities with the confusing norms of high school — and the bullying that can come with them — the fandom offered a place of acceptance. This was true for Darkwolf, who added that her girlfriend, who is transgender, found solace in the community as she underwent her own transition.

“Coming across furries and how accepting and open that was allowed them to kind of accept themselves and become comfortable with themselves and their own sexuality,” Roviras said. “Or in my case I figured out, ‘Hey, I’m bisexual.’”

The fandom has long struggled with stereotypes that its members are a fringe group, mostly male, united by a desire for sex in costumes. A 2003 episode of “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” ruffled feathers within the community when it portrayed a Las Vegas “Fur Con” as a spot for anonymous, fur-filled orgies. The depiction of “fur piles” or “cuddle pods,” Darkwolf said, was overblown.

“We’re not more sexual than the ‘Star Trek’ fandom or the ‘Star Wars’ fandom,” she said. “It’s just expression and being sexual are more accepted.”

The episode was Darkwolf’s first look at furries, then as a high schooler in Tucson, Arizona, reckoning with her own emerging identity with fur. Amid the episode’s spectacle of promiscuous furries, she saw in Gil Grissom, the lead detective, an attitude of acceptance.

“He said, ‘What’s wrong with your deeper animal instinct?’ and he always spoke about it in a positive way,” she said. “That’s what really kinda light-bulbed with me.”

In recent years, the fandom’s numbers have been growing in hotspots such as Seattle and Philadelphia at conventions such as Rainfurrest and their most popular, AnthroCon, which last year saw more than 6,000 in attendance.

There is no official, overarching organization dedicated to furs. Instead, annual traditions such as San Jose’s Further Confusion, hosted over four days every January, are organized by dedicated volunteers. Bowman, who works nearby as a software engineer at Google, is next year’s Further Confusion chairman.

This year’s Further Confusion featured dance competitions, a parade and a gauntlet of “Critterlympics.” Some people anticipated awkwardness this year when the convention shared its venue with a Super Smash Brothers tournament. But after the initial shock, Darkwolf said, the two groups found common ground.

“A lot of the smash people drop out Saturday night and go to our parties at Further Confusion,” Darkwolf said. “Because furries know how to party.”

Next year, Bowman said, the event plans to upgrade to the largest venue they could find: the San Jose Convention Center.

“It’s like I’m going to a party and everyone’s my friend — I just haven’t met them yet,” Darkwolf said, describing her girlfriend’s convention experience.

Full suits can cost upward of thousands of dollars, some equipped with LED lights, special ventilation and speakers. “God forbid if you have to go to the bathroom,” Panke adds, which is why conventions such as Further Confusion have cooling stations where fursonas can be momentarily disengaged for much-needed air conditioning between dance sessions. For the above reasons many opt for partial suits such as ears, gloves and tails, but often the designs are custom.

Darkwolf, with a soft spot for the “oddball creatures” of the animal kingdom, attends conventions as an axolotl — an amphibious salamander — complete with wide-set blue eyes and external gills frilled with pink fur. She’s a frequent target from kids who want to share stories of their pet lizards or pose for impromptu photo-ops.

“I love to make the kids smile so much,” Darkwolf said. “I can’t help myself, it’s so adorable.”

As the meet-up winds down late into the night, members say goodbye, addressing each other by their fursonas and giving tight hugs. Bowman, who met his fiancee through the fandom, notes that many have found lifelong friendships through their characters and friends of friends.

“If there’s any misconception to make about the fandom, it’s that it’s a place to find sex as opposed to a place to find friends and a place to find love,” he said.

Dated February 12, here is an article in the 2016 Sex Issue of The Daily Californian, the student-run newspaper serving the University of California, Berkeley campus and its surrounding community:
http://www.dailycal.org/2016/02/12/fursona/

The article includes words from Bay Area furries Jason Panke, Jeff Bowman, Alex Roviras, and Darkwolf.


“Come for the fur, stay for the hugs.”

This is the slogan we work out 20 minutes into a discussion with three self-described “furries” — members of the fandom known for their animal-inspired costumes (and huge conventions across the country) but are still waiting for a multifaceted portrayal in popular culture.

They’re in street clothes, chatting amiably here at a cafe just a short walk from the UC Berkeley campus, where Bay Area furries (alternatively, “furs”) gather on the first Tuesday of every month to share the latest in art and meet other furries. Many have found friendships and lifelong bonds amidst the furry, feathered and scaly “fursonas” that populate the community.

“Being a transplant from Chicago. I had no one to really hang out with,” said Jason Panke, a local furry at the gathering. “(Here) you get to do fun things, go downtown San Francisco and get on trolleys, everyone in fursuits, waving at people. … It brings happiness to a lot of people.”

The meetup serves as an essential in-person gathering for a community concentrated extensively online. Furries have flourished in online communities such as sofurry.net* and Tumblr and witnessed their growing numbers at annual conventions throughout the country.

The Berkeley cafe meetup has been going on for at least eight years. Elsewhere in the Bay Area, the community meets consistently for barbecues, bowling and Frolic — where once a month, they take over San Francisco’s Stud Bar with custom art and costumes.

The gatherings give furries a chance to trade “fursonas” — alter-egos used in the furry community that play off animal and human personality traits, often represented through art in social media profiles or in full costume. Jeff Bowman, a 2009 UC Berkeley graduate who’s organized the meetup for years, describes the fursona as an “open-source framework” for creative expression derived from games, myths and popular culture. Some furries inhabit multiple characters at a time.

Many furs encounter their first taste of the fandom online in fan-generated art and stories. Alex Roviras, another local there Tuesday, found his way to the fandom as a high schooler when he clicked on a wrong link that brought him to stories centered on human-like wolf characters. A long-time fan of “The Lion King” and the fierce Digimon Garurumon, Roviras was intrigued.

“I was like, this is not what I’m looking for, but I’m interested in writing too,” Roviras said. “I came across furry and looked at it and kind of went with it. Things just kind of clicked.”

Roviras recounted how quickly he was intrigued not only by the stories but the art. As he delved further into the fandom, the community became a place where many interests — art, writing, friendship and exploration — intersected. Roviras said that for people reconciling their own sexual identities with the confusing norms of high school — and the bullying that can come with them — the fandom offered a place of acceptance. This was true for Darkwolf, who added that her girlfriend, who is transgender, found solace in the community as she underwent her own transition.

“Coming across furries and how accepting and open that was allowed them to kind of accept themselves and become comfortable with themselves and their own sexuality,” Roviras said. “Or in my case I figured out, ‘Hey, I’m bisexual.’”

The fandom has long struggled with stereotypes that its members are a fringe group, mostly male, united by a desire for sex in costumes. A 2003 episode of “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” ruffled feathers within the community when it portrayed a Las Vegas “Fur Con” as a spot for anonymous, fur-filled orgies. The depiction of “fur piles” or “cuddle pods,” Darkwolf said, was overblown.

“We’re not more sexual than the ‘Star Trek’ fandom or the ‘Star Wars’ fandom,” she said. “It’s just expression and being sexual are more accepted.”

The episode was Darkwolf’s first look at furries, then as a high schooler in Tucson, Arizona, reckoning with her own emerging identity with fur. Amid the episode’s spectacle of promiscuous furries, she saw in Gil Grissom, the lead detective, an attitude of acceptance.

“He said, ‘What’s wrong with your deeper animal instinct?’ and he always spoke about it in a positive way,” she said. “That’s what really kinda light-bulbed with me.”

In recent years, the fandom’s numbers have been growing in hotspots such as Seattle and Philadelphia at conventions such as Rainfurrest and their most popular, AnthroCon, which last year saw more than 6,000 in attendance.

There is no official, overarching organization dedicated to furs. Instead, annual traditions such as San Jose’s Further Confusion, hosted over four days every January, are organized by dedicated volunteers. Bowman, who works nearby as a software engineer at Google, is next year’s Further Confusion chairman.

This year’s Further Confusion featured dance competitions, a parade and a gauntlet of “Critterlympics.” Some people anticipated awkwardness this year when the convention shared its venue with a Super Smash Brothers tournament. But after the initial shock, Darkwolf said, the two groups found common ground.

“A lot of the smash people drop out Saturday night and go to our parties at Further Confusion,” Darkwolf said. “Because furries know how to party.”

Next year, Bowman said, the event plans to upgrade to the largest venue they could find: the San Jose Convention Center.

“It’s like I’m going to a party and everyone’s my friend — I just haven’t met them yet,” Darkwolf said, describing her girlfriend’s convention experience.

Full suits can cost upward of thousands of dollars, some equipped with LED lights, special ventilation and speakers. “God forbid if you have to go to the bathroom,” Panke adds, which is why conventions such as Further Confusion have cooling stations where fursonas can be momentarily disengaged for much-needed air conditioning between dance sessions. For the above reasons many opt for partial suits such as ears, gloves and tails, but often the designs are custom.

Darkwolf, with a soft spot for the “oddball creatures” of the animal kingdom, attends conventions as an axolotl — an amphibious salamander — complete with wide-set blue eyes and external gills frilled with pink fur. She’s a frequent target from kids who want to share stories of their pet lizards or pose for impromptu photo-ops.

“I love to make the kids smile so much,” Darkwolf said. “I can’t help myself, it’s so adorable.”

As the meet-up winds down late into the night, members say goodbye, addressing each other by their fursonas and giving tight hugs. Bowman, who met his fiancee through the fandom, notes that many have found lifelong friendships through their characters and friends of friends.

“If there’s any misconception to make about the fandom, it’s that it’s a place to find sex as opposed to a place to find friends and a place to find love,” he said.

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