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Episode 91 - Dear 90's Self

Southpaws - Tue 13 Apr 2010 - 00:13
This week on KnotCast, Fuzz, Savrin, and Isty talk about.. the 90s! And stuff! We hear things furs would like to tell their future selves, get a couple of Bad End scenarios in email, and get SRS about an abusive family member. We are also big nerds. This weeks music is Froggy Mosh by 'goat' of OCRemix http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR01508/ Use our coupon code "Knot" at AdamEve.com for a great deal! Episode 91 - Dear 90's Self
Categories: Podcasts

Save the Day Review

Furry Book Reviews - Fri 9 Apr 2010 - 15:16


Save the Day Review

Back Text: Jay Carson loves his boyfriend Ted Rodriguez. They’ve been together through the difficult times and the great times, and they’ve grown closer together through it all. They finally have a home together. So why does it seem that Ted is keeping secrets from him? Why does the house always feel so empty?

In a world of superheroes and supervillains, where the incredible can happen every day, the triumphs and tragedies of life can be epic. For Jay and Ted, friendship, love, and home are the most important things in the world, but they must find a way to balance them against the truth of Ted’s life. In the end, will they be able to Save the Day?


Review:
First of all, this is a gay story. Not only is it a gay story, but one about coming to terms with the opinions of those around you, and the repercussions of coming out of the closet. However, it is not a run-of-the-mill “coming out” story. Ted and Jay are already in a long-term, domestic relationship. However, Ted's a bit of a closet case, due to demons in his past and his paranoia about the opinions of his coworkers. Even in a world where superheroes, villains, and mad science is common, prejudice still runs rampant.
This world of superheroes reads like an open love letter/marriage proposal to the Golden and Silver Age of DC Comics. Super-strong heroes, insane, over-the-top villains abound, and every now and then someone beats up a Nazi. Analogs to Superman, Wonder Woman, and the Flash are all present, but done in just the right way to stick on the right side of the barrier between homage and ripoff. The powers of the main and secondary characters remain fresh, breathing new life into the genre. This is not a “Watchmen” world, where everyone with the exception of Dr. Manhattan is just a supercop. This is the Extraordinaries, and they can freeze, blind, or confuse you into submission.
Emotions remain consistently high, strong, and believable throughout the story. Ted and Jay's relationship feels organic, and their bickering or arguments do not feel forced. There is remarkably little melodrama for the subject matter, with most of the angst coming from Ted's internal fears. As for the secondary characters, almost all are quite believable characters (with the exception of a certain straight friend, who may be the most understanding straight man ever).
D.J. Fahl, most of all, understands that there is a certain level of ridiculousness present in superhero fiction. Along with neo-Nazis and villains that make you relive your most painful memories (two of the most powerful scenes, by the way), there are the downright goofy villains that prance around in fluorescent capes with death rays and lightning gloves, spouting monologues and then cackle with unrestrained glee. Jokes about tights and buns of steel appear throughout, giving it a light tone between crises.
However, the novel is not without its flaws. Since the story is written in first person, when the perspective switches between chapters or sections it can be jarring. Some of the stream-of-consciousness sections read somewhat clunky. English mistakes pepper the project; for example, D.J. Fahl reverses “than” and “then”, which makes the English-teacher part of my brain scream in agony, but the mistake is at least consistent. There are never enough mistakes to take away from the story, however.


Bottom Line: “Save the Day” is one of the best pieces of gay fiction I've read, and one of the best books in the furry fandom, despite its flaws. Pick it up at http://furplanet.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=437

AnimaTFd - Chocobo TF by SwichWitch

Analogues - Fri 9 Apr 2010 - 14:24

Wark!swichwitch.deviantart.com AnimaTFd - Chocobo TF by SwichWitch
Categories: Podcasts

Episode 90 - IDK LOL

Southpaws - Thu 8 Apr 2010 - 23:45
This week on KnotCast, Fuzz, Savrin, and Isty are in the studio to discuss FWA! And stuff! Fuzz and Savrin tell tales of FWA .. Con is good... hotel sucks... and no room parties? WTF! It's a very off the cuff week here on KnotCast. This weeks music is "5 Minutes" by Sub Level 03 www.sublevel3.us Use our coupon code "KNOT" at checkout at AdamEve.com to get a great deal. Episode 90 - IDK LOL
Categories: Podcasts

"Clan Ground" by Clare Bell

Furry Book Reviews - Wed 7 Apr 2010 - 12:26
I had the good fortune to meet Clare Bell at Further Confusion. I'd read "Ratha's Creature" a long time ago and so I knew her by reputation only, but she proved to be a delightful person and a very savvy author. We did a panel on making worlds furry and had a great time doing it. And she wanted to read one of my books! *swoon* So it seemed only fair that I return the favor.

"Clan Ground" is the second in the "Named" series about a tribe of intelligent jungle cats (fully feline, not anthropomorphic in any way other than speech and thought). Ratha, having brought fire back to her tribe and, by her mastery of it, assumed leadership of the tribe, is now faced with the problem of how to integrate this new power into the life of her clan. Certain clan-members are designated Fire-Keepers, set to tend the fire and guard the perimeter of the clan ground. Others are herders, keeping the tribe's domesticated food supply in line. This division seems to be working pretty well until an outsider comes into the tribe, seeking shelter. The clan takes him in, and soon he is working with the Fire-Keepers, seeming to have a good feel for how to work with fire.

Meanwhile, Thakur, one of the herders Ratha is close to has taken to exploring, and has befriended a small tree-climber, which seems to be a lemur-type critter. He brings it back to the clan and discovers that its hands are very useful for tending fire. The idea of letting a tree-creature near the fire is uncomfortable for many, so he trains it in secret.

Things heat up--ha ha--as the new clan member begins to be more aggressive. The division between the Fire-Keepers and the herders becomes more pronounced. And Ratha needs to take the next step, from simply leading her clan to becoming a true leader.

The book is told alternately between Ratha's viewpoint and Thakur's, a narrative style I've become fond of recently. It serves in this case to highlight the changes the clan is going through, from the incorporation of fire to the acceptance of this outsider to the introduction of the tree-creatures. You get a very good sense from the story of a clan in turmoil, set loose from many of their traditions, and the struggle many of the cats go through in trying to deal with it. When you have no learning to guide you, you have to make your own path, and that is what Ratha turns out to be good at. (Though it wouldn't be as exciting a novel if she didn't make a few mistakes along the way.)

Bell builds personal stories into these philosophical ones as well: Ratha's uncertainty about her leadership, Thakur's search for companionship, the difficulty the clan has in maintaining the line between the Named and the outsiders, who have no intelligent thought. The main characters are all well-defined, and even the side characters are rendered well. I found myself quite engaged in the story, and even a couple weeks after finishing, I can remember the uncertain young Fire-Keeper Bira, the headstrong Fessran, the lonely and quick-witted Thakur.

The thing I found most admirable about the book, though, is the way Bell avoids the trap of absolute rights and wrongs. The outsider, Orange-Eyes, is neither good nor evil. Ratha herself makes mistakes. The book allows the characters to grow and learn, and the difference in the end is who can make the best decisions for the whole clan. That makes the whole thing feel more real, and like the best furry stories, it's a relevant, human story, even though the protagonists are jungle cats.

It was some fifteen years between reading the first and second books of the "Named" series. It won't be that long between the second and third, I can promise that.

"Clan Ground" by Clare Bell

Furry Book Reviews - Wed 7 Apr 2010 - 12:26
I had the good fortune to meet Clare Bell at Further Confusion. I'd read "Ratha's Creature" a long time ago and so I knew her by reputation only, but she proved to be a delightful person and a very savvy author. We did a panel on making worlds furry and had a great time doing it. And she wanted to read one of my books! *swoon* So it seemed only fair that I return the favor.

"Clan Ground" is the second in the "Named" series about a tribe of intelligent jungle cats (fully feline, not anthropomorphic in any way other than speech and thought). Ratha, having brought fire back to her tribe and, by her mastery of it, assumed leadership of the tribe, is now faced with the problem of how to integrate this new power into the life of her clan. Certain clan-members are designated Fire-Keepers, set to tend the fire and guard the perimeter of the clan ground. Others are herders, keeping the tribe's domesticated food supply in line. This division seems to be working pretty well until an outsider comes into the tribe, seeking shelter. The clan takes him in, and soon he is working with the Fire-Keepers, seeming to have a good feel for how to work with fire.

Meanwhile, Thakur, one of the herders Ratha is close to has taken to exploring, and has befriended a small tree-climber, which seems to be a lemur-type critter. He brings it back to the clan and discovers that its hands are very useful for tending fire. The idea of letting a tree-creature near the fire is uncomfortable for many, so he trains it in secret.

Things heat up--ha ha--as the new clan member begins to be more aggressive. The division between the Fire-Keepers and the herders becomes more pronounced. And Ratha needs to take the next step, from simply leading her clan to becoming a true leader.

The book is told alternately between Ratha's viewpoint and Thakur's, a narrative style I've become fond of recently. It serves in this case to highlight the changes the clan is going through, from the incorporation of fire to the acceptance of this outsider to the introduction of the tree-creatures. You get a very good sense from the story of a clan in turmoil, set loose from many of their traditions, and the struggle many of the cats go through in trying to deal with it. When you have no learning to guide you, you have to make your own path, and that is what Ratha turns out to be good at. (Though it wouldn't be as exciting a novel if she didn't make a few mistakes along the way.)

Bell builds personal stories into these philosophical ones as well: Ratha's uncertainty about her leadership, Thakur's search for companionship, the difficulty the clan has in maintaining the line between the Named and the outsiders, who have no intelligent thought. The main characters are all well-defined, and even the side characters are rendered well. I found myself quite engaged in the story, and even a couple weeks after finishing, I can remember the uncertain young Fire-Keeper Bira, the headstrong Fessran, the lonely and quick-witted Thakur.

The thing I found most admirable about the book, though, is the way Bell avoids the trap of absolute rights and wrongs. The outsider, Orange-Eyes, is neither good nor evil. Ratha herself makes mistakes. The book allows the characters to grow and learn, and the difference in the end is who can make the best decisions for the whole clan. That makes the whole thing feel more real, and like the best furry stories, it's a relevant, human story, even though the protagonists are jungle cats.

It was some fifteen years between reading the first and second books of the "Named" series. It won't be that long between the second and third, I can promise that.

Episode 89 - Live from FWA 2010

Southpaws - Mon 5 Apr 2010 - 23:45
This week on KnotCast, its live at FWA! Savrin, Fuzz, and The Flain group around a mic at FWA and answer questions from listeners and the crowd. Savrin is horrible, Flain drinks 'cream soda' and Fuzz is fuzzy. Excitement! Music this week is the oontz you can hear through the walls. Episode 89 - Live from FWA 2010
Categories: Podcasts

Analogues - 011 - Apr 1, 2010 (real version)

Analogues - Fri 2 Apr 2010 - 14:29

April Fools everyone! Please enjoy the real episode.©2010 Tanuke Media Analogues - 011 - Apr 1, 2010 (real version)
Categories: Podcasts

Analogues - 011 - Apr 1, 2010

Analogues - Thu 1 Apr 2010 - 13:56

In this episode, we talk to Waggs, administrator of famous TF gallery site transfur.com. Analogues - 011 - Apr 1, 2010
Categories: Podcasts

Unsheathed #34 - Return of Skype! No, it's good. Also word count and writing more or less than you think you should.

Unsheathed - Wed 31 Mar 2010 - 12:00
K-Tech gets our Skype on, with a call-in from B-Hop to award a baller name to the winner of our contest! We talk about when you think you're done before you want to be--in a writing sense. Unsheathed #34 - Return of Skype! No, it's good. Also word count and writing more or less than you think you should.
Categories: Podcasts

AnimaTFd - Lugia TF by SwichWitch

Analogues - Fri 26 Mar 2010 - 22:33

artwork © 2009 Cassini Inuebonyhttp://swichwitch.deviantart.com AnimaTFd - Lugia TF by SwichWitch
Categories: Podcasts

Unsheathed #33 - B-Hop gives us baller names and some perspective on characters and world-building.

Unsheathed - Thu 25 Mar 2010 - 12:00
B-Hop, the basketball-playing bunny, talks about his Furry Basketball Association, gives your hosts and tech-savvy wolf baller names, and lets us play a game! Unsheathed #33 - B-Hop gives us baller names and some perspective on characters and world-building.
Categories: Podcasts

AD 019 - The Crossroads - Balam the Aztec jaguar, who had been a proud prince, now finds himself a heretic hunted by the priests. He makes his escape into the night with a lowly coyote, running for his life in this tale of dark fantasy which mixes a histo

Anthropomorphic Dreams - Tue 23 Mar 2010 - 23:18

Balam the Aztec jaguar, who had been a proud prince, now finds himself a heretic hunted by the priests. He makes his escape into the night with a lowly coyote, running for his life in this tale of dark fantasy which mixes a historical setting with Mayan mysticism.

"The Crossroads" by Eric Hinkle

Read by Peter Katt

Sound effects from the FreeSound Project

gust of wind by Tony B kksm moucho-I by galeku nord analog howling wind storm by medialint Rain30s by acclivity StickCracks by CGEffex Violent Storm by zimm wingflap fast 2 by philberts

Music cues by Infinity Squared

AD 019 - The Crossroads - Balam the Aztec jaguar, who had been a proud prince, now finds himself a heretic hunted by the priests. He makes his escape into the night with a lowly coyote, running for his life in this tale of dark fantasy which mixes a historical setting with...
Categories: Podcasts

Episode 88 - Spring Breakup

Southpaws - Sun 21 Mar 2010 - 12:51
This week on KnotCast, its spring break! We have breakups, cheating, and fox abuse! Lots of fox abuse. :( So much fox abuse. This weeks music is "Legacy of a Boy" from Sub Level 03 Use our coupon code "Knot" at AdamEve.com to get a great deal and help the podcast out. Episode 88 - Spring Breakup
Categories: Podcasts

FursonaPod Ep22 - The Metallica Effect

FursonaPod - Sat 20 Mar 2010 - 17:42
Categories: Podcasts