Dogpatch Press

Fluff Pieces Every Week
December 7, 2014

Hazmat Party Foul, $3 Million Fursuit, Parades, Hugs, Tickling… Newsdump (12/8/14)

by Patch O'Furr

Headlines, links and little stories to make your tail wag.  Story tips are always welcome.

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In the Media

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Midwest Fur Fest evacuated by chemical spill. Fursuiters: stick to good old fashioned rug cleaner! 

Initial report: Chemical leak prompts evacuation during Midwest FurFest at Rosemont Hyatt.

Several people could be seen in animal costumes waiting outside of the hotel. Ambulances from area suburbs were on scene helping transport people.

More: Glass Jar with White Substance, Strong Chlorine Smell Causes Firefighter, EMS Hazmat Response, Evacuation. Man, that’s a hell of a party foul.


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December 5, 2014

De Cape et De Crocs is back! French anthro comic announcement, by Fred Patten.

by Patch O'Furr

1590_couvFor those not exposed to Euro media… “Bande Dessinee” is a format of richly illustrated, full color comic stories in large album hardcovers.  They make a tradition that’s a cherished national art in France and Belgium.  Think – TinTin, Asterix, and The Smurfs.  I HIGHLY recommend a visit to the Belgian Comic Strip Center in Brussels.  Get lost for hours with original inked pages displayed in a lavish Art Nouveau venue.

Story sent in by Fred Patten:

“Here is my new story for Dogpatch Press, about the surprise continuation of the French De Cape et De Crocs series.  I wrote about the publication of Volume 10, (what I thought was the end of the series) for Flayrah two years ago.  I’m including links to the series site which has graphics of other albums; and the French site that shows the cover and first dozen pages of the new album.”

De Cape et De Crocs, volume 11: “Twenty Months Before”.

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December 4, 2014

Animation from India: a critical look for furry fans – by Fred Patten.

by Patch O'Furr

Sent in by Fred:

“Dear Patch- Are you interested in samples of recent Indian anthropomorphic TV commercials?  Most are in Hindi or a combination of Hindi & English.”

“Hi Fred- I suspect that this work doesn’t get much traction in the USA, and there are few furry fans caring about animation specific to India.  Besides, I think that you can run into a common bias:  people are unhappy with the glut of generic CGI style animation and they like seeing traditional drawn art.  That’s a bias from young people in art school, North American fans with strong nostalgia for older cartoons… and cheap overseas work making it harder to produce.   I just wanted to put it out, that bias is there.  I’m sure some good work may be missed because of it, but I haven’t seen a lot from India, even at film festivals that actively curate obscure stuff.  I DO like focus on animation – the stuff I post is very creator-centric.  But if you include such material in a broad topic, that’s a way to share it. – Patch”

romeoReaders: is this story missing good work by not giving it a chance?  There are a few furry fans for the Bollywood animated movie Roadside Romeo.  One blog calls it the ultimate furry movie, highlighting “how unapologetically sexy it was for a talking animal movie” (A good or bad thing? Up to you.)  One furry on a “foreign animated animal movies” topic calls the movie “actually REALLY good”:

romeo2
 
 
 

What’s Wrong With Indian Animation?– by Fred Patten

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December 3, 2014

Zoo City, by Lauren Beukes: Fred Patten’s review of Arthur C. Clarke Award winning SF book.

by Patch O'Furr

zcZoo City, by Lauren Beukes

Johannesburg, Jacana Media, June 2010, trade paperback R150,00 (344 pages).

Okay, I have a thing for listing books by their original editions, but I can’t really expect anyone (except Rakuen Grolithe) to order this from South Africa. The international edition (383 pages) was published by Osprey Publishing/Angry Robot in Botley, Oxford, UK, in July 2011, and distributed in the U.S. by Random House; U.S. prices hardcover now o.p., trade paperback $15.00, and Kindle $5.99.

“Zinzi has a Sloth on her back”. Literally. Zinzi December is required by both law and magic to go about with a live sloth clinging to her back, or hanging out of her handbag or backpack, for her involvement in her brother’s death. If she tries to get rid of or kill it, or gets too far from it, she will be almost instantly reduced to a cloud of ash.

She is not the only “animalled” character in this winner of the 2011 Arthur C. Clarke Award (for the best science-fiction novel first published in the U.K. during the previous year). In this alternate-world novel (that almost every reviewer has said should be classed as “urban fantasy” or “magic realism” rather than as s-f), the “Zoo Plague” has been in force worldwide since the 1990s. Everyone guilty of murder, or of being responsible for someone’s death, is “assigned” a domestic or wild animal familiar known as a “shavi” for the rest of his or her life. The shavi is linked to the human’s lifespan, so an animal that’s outside of its natural habitat, or would normally die of old age, will live as long as its human does.

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December 2, 2014

Dawgtown and The Saga of Rex: updates for standard-bearing indie animation.

by Patch O'Furr

The five-decade tradition of Saturday morning cartoons is gone.  On Flayrah furry news, Ringtailedfox shares a thoughtful story about  the demise of “animation on over-the-air television”. It marks a cultural shift. Times are changing communication business, media and fan culture.

The specialized art of hand-drawn animation seems gone in Hollywood.  But not to artists.  Some world-class artists are boldly working to produce 2D animated feature films outside the system.  They don’t bear standards, in the sense of status quo… they’re carrying the flag of pioneering indie spirit.

Two such indie productions have new updates.  They’re of high interest to furry fans.  Directors of both did interviews for Dogpatch Press.

Dawgtown update

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Video | December 1, 2014

TAILWHIPPED dance party invites furries on 12/6/14. Cosmo Coyote talks event producing.

by Patch O'Furr

Furclubbing:  “A repeat/regular nightclub event by furries for furries.”  See the list of parties at The Furclub survey.  Here’s a new one:

tailwhipped-flier

DJ Cohn Jonner shares info below.  Talk with organizer Cosmo Coyote follows. 

Hello everyone! I’d like to tell you all about an 18 and up event I’m performing at hosted by Cosmo Coyote on December 6 in Galt, CA, called TAILWHIPPED!

THEME: FURRY ANIMALS VS MONSTERS

Are you a party animal or party monster? Ever wanted to dress as your favorite fictional creature, monster, furry animal cartoon or video game character? well this is the party for you. get those ears, onesies, tails, paws, fluffies, fursuits, or terrifying monster costumes/cosplay out and get ready to rumble it out on the dance floor at Tail Whipped! who will be the victorious this round? The furry animals or monsters? who will be TAILWHIPPED? Muahahaha!

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November 25, 2014

Recommendations for the 2014 Ursa Major Awards for excellence in the furry arts

by Patch O'Furr

UMAweb1_2aCollege Humor’s “Furry Force” cracked up watchers with a grossout Furries parody that struck Youtube gold in April.  “Yiff mode activate!” probably won’t be heard in a big time superhero movie soon, but the two animated shorts were popular enough to get 3.5 million views up to now.  Even many targets couldn’t hate it, because it’s not outsider derision.  It’s laugh-with-you comedy from personal experience, according to my interview with the writer, Adam.

I sent Furry Force to the Ursa Majors Recommended Anthropomorphics list, for best “Anthropomorphic Dramatic Short Work” of 2014.  In April, I asked Adam how he’d like one.  He said:

I’d be incredibly honored to be nominated for an Ursa Major award! The furry community knows what they want and what they like, so I’d consider that a real honor as a writer.

Speaking of that list… a little blog like Dogpatch Press, which only reaches a handful of highly attractive readers, couldn’t compare to publications with real audiences.  But if you feel like it, I can’t stop you from sending it to recommended@ursamajorawards.org for “Recommended Anthropomorphic Magazine”.  (They don’t want “detrimental” material, so ask if they take bribes to allow scurrilous gossip anyways.)

Fred Patten, Furry’s favorite historian fan, submits this:

“There are less than two months left to recommend titles for the ALAA’s 2014 Recommended Anthropomorphics List.  See the Ursa Major Awards website for the current 2014 Recommended List.  The next update will be on November 30.  If you have read, seen, or played anything furry that was first published or released during 2014, and it is not already on the Recommended List, please recommend it yourself before the end of the year.

Nominations for the 2014 Ursa Major Awards will open on January 15, 2015 (the first day of Further Confusion 2015), and will remain open until February 28, 2015.  Fans often use the Recommended Anthropomorphics List as a guide to what is worth nominating.  If there is anything that you consider worth recommending, don’t wait for someone else to do it.  Speak up!”  – Fred Patten

Address again: recommended@ursamajorawards.org – I have hugs for anyone who sends anything, because furries are cool and sharing their stuff is cool.

Readers may value this tip that Fred posted at Flayrah:

I have not seen any mention of next year’s Ursa Major Awards presentations anywhere. This was announced at this year’s presentations at CaliFur X, but it has not been publicized anywhere.

The presentation of the 2014 Awards will be at Morphicon 2015, in May 2015.

The presentation of the 2015 Awards will be at What The Fur 2016, in May 2016.

 

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November 24, 2014

Pac Anthro Weekend weathers rough start to make newest West Coast furcon

by Patch O'Furr

On November 15-16, 2014, Pacific Anthropomorphics Weekend brought a second Furry convention to the San Francisco Bay Area.  PAW’s official attendance was 213.  It was the result of much hard work behind the scenes.

If only con organizing was always as serene as the palm trees on the website.

I’m sorry not to post pure sunshine here: I think it’s an OK time for honesty, shortly after the con.  Next year offers a clean slate.

Conflict came even before a con plan, in early 2014.  Staff changes with January’s Further Confusion con caused discord among watchers close to the action.  Like most things in life, it was complicated.  Sides were taken for private debates not qualified to air.  (It wasn’t all personal: a long-standing supporter was left frustrated by hotel union regulations, that couldn’t allow some volunteers to “work” for the event.)

A faction of former Fur Con supporters and friends acted to start a new convention.  It would compete to take Fur Con’s place.  Watchers knocked the “revenge con” plan, noting that a negative reason was a weak draw, diminishing positive reasons to persist.  It was ultimately resolved by abandoning a conflicting date, to simply offer a welcome new option at a harmless time.

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November 24, 2014

Photogenic furries on the radio – Dirty cats in “safe sex” animated PSA – Newsdump (11/24/14)

by Patch O'Furr

News from: North Dakota, Britain, Australia, Austria, Buffalo and San Francisco.

Headlines, links and little stories to make your tail wag.  Story tips are always welcome.

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In the Media

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Prairie Public radio interviews Furry author, Tempe O’Kun.

tempo321NPR broadcaster Prairie Public’s “Main Street” covers North Dakota news, arts, movies and books.  They invited Tempe O’kun for an in-depth conversation.  Hear the Furry author’s 23 minute talk on Main Street.

Tempe is granted a welcome level of respect.  He’s introduced as an author first, college teacher and person, and then one of those Furries.  The well-researched questions don’t bat an eye at the mix of “cuddly, steamy furry romance” presented in his popular SoFurry collection, or judge the hot fan-fic and porn at his FurAffinity page.  Good.  It skips non-issues to introduce the genre of furry (like expectations of character type: sly foxes, etc.) – and writing style chat that authors will want to hear.

Tom Broadbent’s “At Home With The Furries” photo doc update:  Bhavvels Bunny.

In Five pro photographers advancing the art of furry documentary, I named “whimsy” as Tom’s signature approach.  The carefully chosen fantasy scenes he presents show great storyelling.  Tom’s blog updates never fail to impress – this week’s subject is Bhavvels.  It explains Tom’s approach- “The setup:”

…should reflect the personality of the furry, but equally the personality of the person inside the suit. The two are interconnected in a very unique way, unlike in fact than any other form of cosplay I am aware of ( I’m prepared to be proven wrong of course)

It is in fact a collaboration, a trust between me and the furry.  That relationship and theimportance of maintaining that bond may go some way to explain how protective I am of the project and the furries themselves.

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November 21, 2014

Poland: Weird, creepy conservatives make gross, inappropriate ban of Winnie The Pooh.

by Patch O'Furr

What I think about when I think about Furries.

What I think about when I think about Furries.

A Polish town had a problem considering the innocent cartoon bear as a mascot:

Winnie the Pooh has been banned from a Polish playground because of his “dubious sexuality” and “inappropriate” dress… one councillor even denouncing poor Pooh as a “hermaphrodite”.

What caused the dirty minds of the town council, who were thinking way too hard about Winnie the Pooh’s no-no spot?  

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