Well... my original plan last week was to post a story each day from Sunday to Saturday, and I was aiming for 50 pages. In the end, I got 10 stories posted, 68 pages, and 36,082 words. I feel accomplished.

Many readers have indicated that they have a story or two that they'd love to see continued. In honor of it being July, and my productivity continues, I would like to make that happen! So... here's the plan:

Listed here are the 10 stories I uploaded last week. Readers may select up to 5 options (and yes, you may vote for a story more than once if you really want to). The stories with the most votes between FA and SF MIGHT get additional chapters-- I'll be throwing the final vote over to my patrons on Patreon, but your guys' votes matter to! Just like last time, if a story is selected, its length will be based on overall votes. Also, just so you know, at least 1 story I posted last week is getting some fan art done of it-- I'm tickled pink. Fan art will automatically count as extra votes. VOTING IS NOW CLOSED!

A) A Life Forever Changed - A human male in his late teens has been exiled from his village and encounters a dragon in the wilderness. The dragon tests him, and allows him to stay the night in his lair. (FOUR VOTES)
b) The Horse Next Door - Tyler returns from college for the summer and ends up hanging out with his 40-something divorced stallion neighbor, only to find out that there may be a mutual attraction. (ONE VOTE)
c) Off the Deep End - Alex, a human admin aboard a space station has a run in with a covert operative kangaroo who is looking for something. He offers to help, not realizing that he may end up in danger. (TWELVE VOTES)
d) Hello Again - Keith ends up getting a call from an old friend from high school; Wes the Coyote comes by for a visit, giving them both some nostalgia... and someone has a confession to make... (FOUR VOTES)
e) His First Employee - Nigel is a senior in high school, and he has a crush on Ron, his bodyguard, a professional-but-attentive Wolf in his early 40s. Things come to a head when Ron finds Nigel's sketchbook. (TWO VOTE)
f) Redemption - Hrof, a powerful grizzly, is the head of one of the three great gangs in town but, after he's beaten and left for dead, he is healed by an enigmatic human woman... but that's just for starters... (ONE VOTE)
g) Rock and a Hard Place - Kelly, a female human college student is blackmailed by a corrupt detective to serve as an informant on a red panda mob boss... things do not go as planned.
h) Not Exactly a Pledge - Caleb, a nerdy Human student is forced to move into a frat house with his high school friend, an outgoing jock of a Lion named Kelvin-- hilarity (and suggestive comments) ensues (SEVEN VOTES)
i) EXIOS - Sebastian, a freelance space pilot explores an abandoned research facility and finds one of the experiments, a genetically modified organism has survived. He attempts to help it, at possible self-risk. (FIVE VOTES)
j) The Universal Language - John, a Human tourist gets separated from his tour group and he ends up meeting Hugo, a native Jaguar. They don't understand one another... so what now? (FOUR VOTES)


VOTING IS NOW CLOSED!

With the closing of the votes, it's time to further define my upcoming story posts!

If you pay attention to journals you may recall that I recently had a poll regarding what I'll be working on next. Little did all of you know that I plan on writing out EVERY story that got at least one vote-- and the more votes, the longer the story.
My patrons over on Patreon get to help refine most of the stories but, as a special thank you to so many people weighing in, I also want to have all of you help me determine the specifics of the story that got the most votes: 6) A smuggling ring is using a fringe space outpost to try and transport a very important schematic, and an administrator gets caught up with a covert ops agent who is trying to intercept it.

THIS VOTING OPPORTUNITY IS NOW CLOSED. HERE ARE THE RESULTS:

1) The Human administrator is a Male Human.
d) The covert agent is a female Kangaroo Geneticon

The last few months have been incredibly busy for me, causing me to get pushed and pulled in many directions. Fortunately, there is an end in sight to the chaos and I will soon have some extra time in my days. To celebrate, I'm thinking of adding a fresh story to the rotation. Yes, I have other stories I'm still working on, but I want a new something upon which to focus for a little while. To that end, I'm providing readers on SF and FA a chance to help me pick out the project. After I have this poll up here, I'll use my $5 and higher tier patrons over on Patreon to help me fine tune the ideas and then, coming soon, a fresh story! And, in case you're wondering, yes: they will probably be adult in nature.

Although this WAS a poll, the time to answer has been closed. I'll be working on ALL of the stories with at least one vote, and the number of votes will determine the length of the story!

1) College student comes home for a week between semesters and gets to spend some quality time with their mature next door neighbor.
2) A Researcher studying a remote tribe is the first of the team to be invited to the village by one of the natives. Will the language barrier create a problem?
3) An innocent bystander gets embroiled in a feud between a corrupt cop and a crime family patriarch.
4) Due to a shortage of funds, a second year studious college student is forced to move into a less-than-ideal living situation involving a partying friend and his pals.
5) Child of a very high net worth corporate family is forced to come to terms with the knowledge that none of the family cares as much as as their assigned bodyguard.
6) A smuggling ring is using a fringe space outpost to try and transport a very important schematic, and an administrator gets caught up with a covert ops agent who is trying to intercept it.
7) A jet-setting traveler gets lost in an unfamiliar country, and requires the help of a well-meaning native to get back on track.
8) Come on, Comida.... just go back and work on some of your other pending stories! No need for something new!

I realized it's been awhile since I last posted a journal.

To begin, thank you all for your continued support and the numerous views I receive on my posted work; I appreciate it!

As I've said before, and continue to say time and time again, I am gladdened and invigorated every time I receive any form of community involvement-- especially favs, comments, and, of course, new patrons on my Patreon page. For everyone who does one or more of the above, I post here for folks like you!

I can't believe that I've been contributing to the furry community for over 18 years now-- I've literally been doing this long enough to have a child born and graduate high school! As with the passage of time in all regards, though, times change. I have seen numerous people enter the community and plenty leave. I've made friends and seen friends disappear; I have been at this long enough that some of my most ardent readers and commenters have even passed away. I suppose this is the sensation of "feeling old".

That being said, I am also humbled that new readers continue to find me, and I remain astounded at how much impact I have despite being in my own little sequestered corner of the fandom.

This journal post, first and foremost, is to thank you-- each and every one of you for your contributions to my work-- even if it is just viewing what I present. This was the main reason I wanted to type this up, but also, to a lesser extent, to remove some of the mystique as to what I update and why. Hopefully this can help guide readers on engagement in a way to ensure that the work they like of mine continues to get updated with new posts to continue feeding their favorite story lines.

So, here is my 2024 commitment to you regarding my posts:

*​I update my patron-funded stories; those contributing on my Patreon will see their stories updated on a regular schedule.

*I update my Other Earth series; currently I am most of the way through Book 2: Cohen Clover. Once this book concludes I may move on to Book 3, or I may take a short break to work on other projects-- this depends on reader engagement (see the next bullet point).

*I update stories that get lots of favs and comments. Currently, that is predominantly Cohen-Kline Icosahedron, though that will likely get its last update this month as reader attention has dropped dramatically. Worry not, though, as it will start getting updates once I reach the proper point in the series (though that may take 3 years at this rate). Oh, and in case I hadn't mentioned: the Viddin and Ilsit WILL be a canon inclusion into the Other Earths.

*I take part in my writing group Writing Group Challenges. We do weekly prompts and sometimes these inspire me to do short stories.

*I periodically update Eternyte, which is a story that has been bouncing around in my head for awhile. (see the third bullet point above)

*I irregularly update Reforged, which is a great story that I have set off to the side for awhile but would like to get back into. (see the third bullet point above)

*I run RP games online and occasionally upload story-related posts such as the "Guilded Cage" and "Opals" stories.

*If there is interest, I may consider running another Reader Driven story (a la ZAFL, Zion, Splintered Light, and Fathom's Phantoms)... but more on that in a future journal.

*Artwork shall continue to be sporadic, but will likely be limited to sneak-peeks of my pending VN (patrons on Patreon will get to see more though).

So, in conclusion, I want to thank each and every one of you again for your continued support. Whether it's just stopping by to read something I post, spamming Favs, or even contributing financially to my Pateron, I appreciate anything and everything you do as a follower of my work-- like reading this lengthy journal!

Here's to an amazing 2024 and, hopefully, the publication of Book 2 in the Sorrani Series, "Battle Master" (I know lots of you have been waiting for a follow up to Slave Trade-- it's coming! Honest!)

I had a poll up for my patrons over on Patreon to determine what character in my upcoming Visual Novel "Payment in Kind" would get some spicy concept artwork completed. I am proud to announce that, upon completion of the poll, that honor goes to Logan Marx, the Lion space fighter pilot! Want to see what artwork has already been made of him? Here's a link: https://www.furaffinity.net/view/49801884/

While that artwork will post to my Patreon first, I will be posting in on SF and FA in due time. Be on the lookout and, if you are thinking that perhaps you want to see some of my stuff like behind the scene notes, chapters of Battle Master I haven't posted publicly, and/or be able to take part in future votes or throw some financial thanks my way, please don't hesitate to join up as a patron of my work on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/comidacomida

As always, I appreciate your input, your contributions, and your patronage!

There is a poll up for the next two weeks on my Patreon for contributors of $5 and higher per month.

Want to join? Go here: https://www.patreon.com/comidacomida

There is a poll up for the next two weeks on my Patreon for contributors of $5 and higher per month.
As I continue to develop the pending Visual novel for "Payment in Kind", I plan on releasing at least one more (set of) pic(s), and my patrons are going to select what that might be. If you're looking for more information about Payment in Kind, you can find it here on FA: https://www.furaffinity.net/gallery.....ayment-in-Kind


Here are their options:
Two pics of alternate adult scenes with Daniel Fores, the King Shepherd childhood friend of the MC.

Two pics of alternate adult scenes with Darma, the Flying Fox Spatial Engineer.

Two pics of alternate adult scenes with Dietrich, the Hare Drone Mechanic.

Two pics of alternate adult scenes with Sgt Yoo-Han Lee, the Sun Bear Security Officer.

Two pics of alternate scenes (one adult, one romantic) with Oliver, the Fox Environmental Technician.

Two pics of alternate adult scenes with Logan Marx, the Lion Fighter Pilot "Daddy".

Two pics of alternate adult scenes with Sanders Black, the Boar Laborer.

A romance scene with a stretch goal love interest, the alien reptile Negaat.

A romance scene with a stretch goal love interest, the space orc Tolrn Girgyda.

A romance scene with a stretch goal love interest, the Cape Buffalo Hydroponics Technician, Irvyn Algier.



Do any readers here have a preference? If so, please feel free to vote, as the combined votes on SF and FA will serve as tie-breaker if needed! Want to have a much more direct hand in choosing? Feel free to become a patron: https://www.patreon.com/comidacomida


As always, thanks for reading-- I appreciate that you choose to spend your time on my work!

Due to the upcoming update on FA guidelines regarding posting of pictures, I must sadly remove 4 pictures from the "Green Grove" story here on FA.

While none of the pictures are graphic or depict underage characters, my preference is to be above reproach and, since they could be misconstrued, I will proactively remove them in order to play it safe.

I apologize to any of my readers who liked to have all of the pictures in the story collection visible. To those of you who still want to be able to view the unchanged full collection of chapters and pictures you are able to do so over on my SF page: https://comidacomida.sofurry.com/

As always, thanks for reading!

Sending all of you warmth and love this holiday season, and a horrible bit of word play:

Sam Worthington's character in Avatar: Way of Water, smiling.


Feliz Na'vi Dad.



That is all.

If you're attending Furlandia this Saturday be sure to stop by and say hi.

I'm hosting two writing panels-- one at noon and one at 3pm.

12:00: How to expand on your stories to go from short story to novella, or novella to novel, or novel to series.

3:00: Writing convincing and realistic new cultures, strange races, and alien mindsets.

Looks like I'm getting roped into going to Furlandia for a part of Saturday.

Perhaps I'll see you there!

If you enjoy the Cohen Icosahedron story, perhaps you would like to cast a vote.


If more artwork were to be provided for the story Cohen Icosahedron, it should be:

1) Pictures of each of the study group Viddin as humanoid gryphons.

2) Meaningful emotional scenes from the story involving one-on-one time between Kaiden and his classmates.

3) Sexy/adult scenes from the story involving one-on-one time between Kaiden and his classmates.

4) A short comic detailing interaction between Kaiden and one classmate (to be voted on later).



Inquiring minds want to know: which would YOU choose?

Greetings readers, and welcome to the first official reader driven storyline vote!

This vote is available for all readers (except those who are taking part in the accompanying D&D adventure over on Telegram). Looking for more info on this? Check out the story world info here:

https://www.furaffinity.net/gallery.....e-Guilded-Cage

Each reader is able to vote on their choice of storyline point of view for Chapter 1. Take a look at the options and decide which YOU support, and then provide a vote, either here or over on SF (if you vote on both sides your vote will not count).

As you may know, this story runs parallel to activities undertaken by players of the online D&D game I am running with the same name. A story will be presented here which shall be affected by the successes and failures of the players and, likewise, the events that take place within St. Almar as part of this story will change the game world in which they play. As readers, you get a little extra information as to what effects your choices make on the setting. To begin, a little peek behind the curtain:

There are a multitude of directions this story can go and, likewise, just as many (if not more) paths for the accompanying game. As the story and game progress, the future of St. Almar will be shaped by a combination of activities undertaken by those in power as well as those seeking power. The path of St Almar will be determined by several "behind the scene" traits, which are as follows:

Peace -- a measure of calm and law-abiding goodwill exhibited by the general populace. Peace means stability, and also consistency for the status quo. More peace means the people tend to be more content (though not necessarily happy) and leaves the current regime less challenged. Current rating: 88%

Harmony -- an indicator of how 'settled' everyone is into their particular caste or social strata. Harmony suggests a lack of growing pains, or at least an acknowledgement of the 'glass ceiling' with few (or no) individuals pushing against the status quo. Everyone has a place in St. Almar, and a higher the Harmony mans less people trying and change their lot in life. Current rating: 70%

Outreach -- provides a numeric value to the effort the "have" give towards providing to the "have nots". This is also a general understanding of the good-will the upper class and ruling class have for the lower class and destitute. A higher score indicates a greater sense of selflessness or altruism on the part of those able to help those in need. Current Rating: 53%

Might -- offers a measure of how much control the Elves have over St Almar from a purely military/policing angle. While it would be nice for peace and prosperity to remain the norm, in the event of a power struggle or, in the worst case, an out-and-out rebellion/revolt, this indicates how likely Elven forces are to emerge victorious in an unmitigated victory. Current Rating: 91%

Uprising -- suggests how willing the populace is to reject the rule of the Elves. Despite how well cared for the population or how peaceful the city, there are still elements within St. Almar who feel that languishing under the oppression of the Holy Empire is an affront to the populace. If this number gets high enough, an overt rebellion may come into being. Current Rating: 21%

Alert -- serves as one of the most important factors for the players of the D&D campaign as it represents the interest that the law enforcement of St. Almar has in the activities of The Assembly, the group to which the players are currently affiliated. If this number gets too high then the Assembly may be targeted as an enemy of the state. Current Rating: 51%

Knowing that every decision made by readers for the storyline can affect these traits almost as much as what the players themselves do mean that readers here should take these choices into consideration. Will readers be benevolent custodians of the city in which players area trying to make a positive difference, or are readers more interested in making things "eventful"? Perhaps they are less interested in statistics and would rather follow storylines they find interesting? There is no wrong way to vote and, with that in mind, here are the options for the next post:

A) Jace joins Torque and Billy on another hunt-down mission, although it isn't of the usual variety. (+1 Peace, +1 Outreach, +1 Might,)

B) Commander Blackpaw reviews a report regarding the death of one of her guardsmen at the hands of the Pik-Zagn. She resolves to address their 'flexing'. (-1 Peace, -1 Harmony, -1 Might)

C) Dorias is brought to a safe place by a well-meaning patron and, despite losing his place at the library, is given an opportunity to prosper. (+1 Peace, +1 Outreach, -1 Alert)

D) Ciral's position as a Gladiator Champion is at risk due to a bureaucratic oversight; he gets some help navigating the problem. (-1 Peace, +1 Uprising, +1 Alert)

E) Erithil further explores the rumors of an assassination attempt of a guard captain and why someone might want the fellow dead. (+1 Peace, -1 Uprising, +1 Alert)

Voting is now open, and will end as of 11:59pm on Saturday, Jan 30th.

I am currently working through a project plan to bring the storyline of "Payment in Kind" to the visual novel arena, turning it into an option for readers to take the role of Jerry, a massage therapist aboard a space station in a sci-fi world and meet a diverse collection of clients with whom a romantic relationship is possible.

Not sure what I'm talking about? Go here and read: https://www.furaffinity.net/gallery.....yment-in-Kind/

Would you follow the Payment in Kind storyline and develop a relationship with the same character as Jerry did in the story or do your interests lay elsewhere?

At present, the tentative layout of the VN has 6 base love interests available with possible stretch goals to include 4 more for a total of ten, with over a dozen different possible endings, including one which involves a poly relationship (yes, you can end up with two of the characters!).

So, who most interests you?

Daniel Fores, Jerry's best friend from childhood, a King Shepherd working in Corporate Administration aboard the station?
Dietrich, a rather timid, intelligent little Hare working aboard the station as a Drone Mechanic/electrician?
Tolrn Girgyda, a huge Gorumn (space orc) whose body odor doesn't matter that much since he spends most of his time working in Waste Processing?
Darma, a Spatial Engineer Flying Fox whose 'nerdy' knowledge of science doesn't keep him from being a social butterfly and an outgoing party animal?
Sgt Yoo-Han Lee, a Sunbear security officer who is massive and imposing, but has a heart of gold and a secret desire to not be in control all the time?
Oliver, an Environmental Technician from the lower decks, a Fox with a major control streak who doesn't mind opportunities to flex his muscles?

Or, presuming additional characters make the cut, perhaps someone who didn't appear in the original story?

Logan Marx, the flyboy hot shot pilot in the station's squadron wing. A Lion hiding painful past behind a social wall of bravado and outgoing charisma?
Sanders Black, an unassuming but good-natured laborer working on the station. What the Boar lacks in social ranking he makes up for in positivity?
Negaat, a Cytkus (humanoid space dragon) who works as part of the flight crew in the shuttle bays, a wise-cracking letch with an "interesting" physiology?
Irvyn Algier, a Cape Buffalo working as a Hydroponics Tech. He has a gruff exterior with a no-nonsense attitude but a warm heart for those who get close?


If everything runs smoothly there will be a few months of spool up time as I get the project in order. The plan will be to release on a fresh Patreon account just for this VN with a proof of concept and some early art assets to garner support and funding then, within a few months, get the first demo out. Once a working copy is in place we'll continue building up visual and audio assets as we move forward with a production schedule slated for approximately 30 months, possibly a few extra if we meet some stretch goals and include additional characters.

So? What do you think? Does the project show promise? What character would YOU pursue in your first play thru?

Time for another one-off story but, rather than it be some casual plot line pulled from the ether, I figured a good approach would be to follow up on another one of the stories I've done that I've just left hanging. There are a good number out there which people have indicated of which they'd like to see a part 2, so here's the chance to say so!

I have several stories in my gallery that could be worthy of receiving a follow up. Which would YOU most like to see?

a) The Cohen Icosahedron deserves a follow-up

b) Movie Magic could be worth a continuation

c) A much more in depth narrative of How to Seer, Part 12b

d) To heck with any of that-- just release another chapter of Battle Master!

e) Something else?

Go ahead and make your preference known and if one of the above options garners enough interest maybe I'll post it!

Another writing exercise for me, this time using a videogame as a random event generator. I anticipate this series being 10-12 installments, updated occasionally.

With the ending of several series on this page and before the introduction of new ones, I decided to have an extended writing exercise by using a computer game to create and guide a storyline. The game? Rimworld.

For those of you unfamiliar with Rimworld, it is a colony management game wherein you control a small group of individuals looking to survive their time on a barely colonized planet far in the other reaches of space. I've been playing it for a number of years and I thought it might be fun to make use of some of the mods and approach it as an opportunity to try some guided writing in the same story world as Fathom's Phantoms, The Farlight Initiative, and Payment in Kind.

WhiIe will be directing the colony management aspect of the game, bear in mind that I am giving the characters complete autonomy in their interpersonal relations and the actions they take for anything other than the 'big picture'. Let's hope they do well!

So-- let's introduce the characters, as created in the game I am playing. These characters were generated by RimWorld with only minor input from yours truly. Please be advised that these characters may end up being involved in adult interactions, as the game allows for violence, 'making love', organ harvesting, and even butchering bodies for meat and hide.

Colony Overview/Background:

​This story will take place on A-7HIA, a planet on an outer spiral-arm of our galaxy far away from core space. The Relegra Corporation, a small but aggressive colonial expansion and transportation business recently won a contract for preliminary colony propagation and they sent out a decent sized team to investigate the 7HIA system to see if it would make a good location. Unfortunately it was already inhabited by pirates, and they didn't take kindly to a corporation showing up; the ship was damaged beyond repair and, as its thrusters faltered, it was caught in the orbit of the first planet closest to the sun.

The story will focus on six survivors as they make planet fall amidst wreckage which continues to rain from the sky. They will have to grab whatever they can and work together to survive until either rescue comes or they fall to the predations of the pirates, the planet's hostile creatures, or perhaps even other survivors who cover what our heroes build. Time will tell to see how this story ends, but I plan on there being episodic posts which will cover their time on A-7HIA. So, without further ado, let's meet our characters!

​Sandra Simpson (aka: Ma'am)

Sandra is the ​default 'leader' of the band of survivors. While some might presume that it is because she's the highest ranking corporate officer among the group, she is also used to a management position and can identify strengths and weaknesses among her employees, so she can lead with influence and competence rather than bureaucratic authority. She is astute, intelligent, and cool under pressure. She is also a NeoHuman, having been created in a lab specifically to be able to handle the important aspects of corporate life. While this may put her at odds with other Humans, the fact that the majority of survivors are Geneticons means that she can share that in common with them. Sandra has no real family and has never had any meaningful relationships; out of the civilians, she is probably one of the least worried about what she left at home before the crash. Her outlook for survival is maintaining order, establishing productivity, and creating a plan to either get rescued, or self-rescue. In her downtime, she will be playing mediator, working to make the survival site at least halfway comfortable, and spend time pursuing solo activities such as reading or perhaps express her creative side through artwork.

​Christopher Zimmerman (aka: Doc)
​Chris grew up as an awkward youth on Mars as the sole son of a wealthy industrialist family. He knew from an early age that he wanted to get into the medical field and all of his education pushed him in that direction. Due to some unforeseen financial hardships, he was required to apply for scholarships to finish off his last year of medical school, which he obtained thanks to The Relegra Corporation; in return, he was required to sign on for at least four years of service. Although technically the second in command of the group, Chris prefers to be silent and off to the side, neither comfortable with a position of leadership, nor seeking to have that kind of pressure. He has an excellent bedside manner but he tends to avoid the spotlight, preferring to receive recognition for healing others rather than making a big deal about it socially. "Doc", as he is known to the group is quiet and unassuming, but pleasant and kind (he is a self-proclaimed pacifist), though he tends to obsess about the smallest details and desperately craves order and stability; the crash landing has left him a little neurotic as a result, but he strives to do his job and uses it as a lifeline to sanity. Chris has many friends back home, but never had any luck with romance due to his dedication to learning coupled with his first and only, boyfriend who cheated on him. As the group's only professionally trained medical professional, Chris will be handling the first aid (and emergency medical) needs of the survivors as well as manufacturing medications from any medicinal plants that the group may discover. If he has spare time he will follow up with his preferred past times of cooking and reading.​

Cpt. ​​Archibald Tervuren (aka Cap'n)

​The higher ranking security officer of the two among the survivors, Captain Archibald is responsible for the safety of those under his care. While he will usually defer to Sandra on most managerial topics, he expects total obedience of even her if or when the camp is at risk or endangered. Fortunately, he is both an intimidating and inspiring presence, which helps him command attention when needed. As with most lab grown Geneticons, Archie, (or "Cap'n", as most of the survivors have taken to calling him) has no family name, and so he was given a surname describing his breeding; he resembles a humanoid Tervuren Shepherd. Archie has worked for The Relegra Corporation for most of his emancipated life and considers himself a loyal employee, thus he gets along well with Sandra. He is well trained in all weapons and is an excellent combatant, stalwart of body and mind, and capable of leading anyone under his command in a way that gets the most out of them. Bred for combat situations, he was designed with all situations in mind, thus he will be instrumental in protecting the group from the many threats that may find them. As such, Cap'n will be spending most of his time on patrol, improving the defensibility of the camp, and instructing others on self defense. In what little free time he has, Archie will be training his own skills and also assisting Doc with any medical needs; although Cap'n is hardly a skilled doctor he does have decent first aid and field-medic training.

Cpl. Holfield Marsfab (aka Grizz)

Originally bred and raised to be a shock trooper, Grizz was removed from the program after Geneticons gained their legal independence. Since he'd already started training for combat he quickly signed on with The Relegra Corporation and began placement into their corporate security program. As with most military-created Geneticons, his surname was the location in which he was vat grown; he was made on Mars, and so he was considered Mars Fabricated, or 'Marsfab'. Resembling a humanoid Grizzly Bear, Grizz received his obvious nickname after sending a fellow smart-mouthed cadet to sick-bay when the unassuming Cytkus made fun of his name; Holfield had been called 'Grizz' ever since. Something of a hot-head, Grizz is prone to violence when not monitored carefully by a commanding officer, but is otherwise well-regarded and competent (which earned him the nickname 'Fuzzy Gorumn', though nobody calls him that to his face). Built for combat, Grizz's main focus will always be to follow his commander's orders, which he gleefully executes when it entitles him to let loose; he is a great fan of firearms but is especially deadly up close. Due to his large size, when not performing security services, he'll be needed to help with construction projects and mining.

​Coal Nine (aka Cole)

​Cole ​is a Geneticon stallion, and has the unenviable notoriety of being part of the final run of Geneticon production on a LHI facility in the Sol system. He was raised as a laborer on Europa during the transition period when Gens were given autonomy and freedom but, due to the uncertainty of his status, he spent the majority of it as a ward of the colony. While his given name referred to his all-black fur, the stallion still prefers the same name, although he's since changed the spelling. Although Cole received no real formal education, he does have a reasonable amount of intelligence and learns simple tasks quickly. He worked in the shuttle support crew roster aboard the Relegra Corporation ship before it was disabled and ultimately crashed; he, in fact, was the one who helped the survivors get to safety aboard the escape pod. Laid back and relaxed, Cole nevertheless puts his all into his work which, although menial and unskilled, he takes great pride in completing. Cole moves quickly and works quickly, sleeps quickly, eats quickly, and gets things done; the only thing he's not particularly fast with is interacting with others; when taking it easy he can talk to just about anyone on just about any topic for hours-- he's one of the few people in the group who can get Doc to open up. Cole's task among the group involve construction and mining, as they are simple tasks that require strength and endurance. Never one to stay idle for long, in his spare time Cole helps out in the camp's food garden and manufacturing room.

Carol Drann (aka Missy)
As the only non-employee among the survivors, Carol is something of an outsider in the group. She was a passenger of the doomed ship, having paid for passage to the outer rim for reasons only she knows. Although she's a Geneticon, the young Lynx woman comes from a family who had been released from servitude several generations past, so she is far more free-thinking and casual than many other scientifically created species. Something of an adventure-seeker, Carol spent much of her late teens and early twenties jumping from system to system, exploring everywhere she could, especially planets among the frontier, outer systems, and the rim. Although almost all of the other survivors find themselves in a strange, otherworldly situation, Missy sees A-7HIA as just another adventure and her upbeat, outgoing attitude alternately uplifts and frustrates her fellows. As a self proclaimed survival expert, Missy has taken on the task of security food and water for the group. She is an expert with plants and animals and has some skill with self defense, making her a nice bridge between the security and civilian teams. When she's not out scouring the immediate area, Carol puts her knowledge of plants and animals to good use in the kitchen, butchering her kills and piecing together hearty meals.

For those of you following the story "Reforged" who don't already know: it is a story based off of Dungeons and Dragons. All characters within the story have character sheets and, while it isn't a D&D campaign in the 'traditional' sense, before every chapter in which combat occurs, I prepare an actual table-top encounter and run through it with miniatures, dice, and honest-to-goodness rolls. What you may not know further is that I have interested parties helping out with this by controlling characters via interaction on Telegram.

Does that sound interesting? Are you interested in getting a sneak-peek at the action, or perhaps even volunteering to control a character? Right now Arthur still has nobody guiding his actions, so if you like the idea of a combat-worthy blacksmith dad who is caring for his humanoid sons and trying to help a dethroned knight get back his keep... well... maybe you should come say "hi"!

The next session for combat consideration is less than 44 hours away at the time of this post.

Feel free to stop in!

https://t.me/joinchat/DsMeoRYtPjEDx75MKyIYJA

Hey all!

For those of you interested in the sequel to "Slave Trade", I have posted Chapter 6 of "Battle Master" over on my Patreon page for all patrons contributing $5 or more a month. Not a patron but interested? Go here to sign up: https://www.patreon.com/comidacomida

Not a patron and interested but not able to contribute? Don't worry, I'll be posting Chapter 6 here on FA and over on SF for everyone next month.

Thanks for reading, and Min Sarul!

To begin with, this journal is meant for informational purposes only; this is not an attempt to start drama and I would appreciate drama being kept out of the comments.

Now, with that out of the way, a disclosure: I have received a week long ban from FurAffinity.

No, I will not go into details but, despite it being overkill, the admins had every right as I inadvertently violated the terms of service. Due to this being the only warning I will receive with any follow up violations being a permanent ban, I am going to be exceedingly careful here. What this means is that my gallery on FA is going to be thoroughly gutted as I remove many of my submissions that get anywhere close to violating ToS.

That being said, I have been on FA for somewhere around 15 years and, I have over 1000 posts. Although I've always thought of FA as home since it was the first site on which I've posted, recent events will require a change, and although SF is missing a ton of the work I have posted here, I will be making a change because following the Terms of Service on any site is important to me and I do not wish to inadvertently violate them again. To that end, I will probably be overly careful and err on the side of caution.

So, in summary, I will be working during the next few weeks to make sure that SF has the totality of my works; I will be removing anything that even semi-closely-nearly-almost violates the ToS here on FA, and delete them from this gallery. The extra work this creates will be limiting my time to write so even as I post TONS of files in the coming month on SF, most of them will not be new ones.

This is not being required by the admin here; as I said, this is a proactive step to assure that these kinds of misunderstandings are behind me. To that affect, I encourage everyone who is interested in my work here and doesn't have an account on SF to catch up on my presented works here because anything with an underage character (regardless of rating) will be going away. I am also going to be removing "Green Grove"; despite all characters in that story being fully grown Toy Dogs presented as puppies and I do not want any confusion about what I am posting.

Thank you all for your attention in this matter, and I hope you continue to enjoy what I DO post here.

If you're interested in encouraging the extra work then I heartily endorse stopping by my Patreon or Ko-fi sites!

https://www.patreon.com/comidacomida

https://www.Ko-fi.com/comidacomida

For those of you following "The Gift", I have a very short story planned as part of one of my weekly writing prompts.

What if Stephanie's brother Billy hadn't died in the river? What if it was HE and not Stephanie who gained "The Sight"?



In about 1000 words I'll be presenting that take on things as Billy survives his fall in the river and gains a Spirit entourage-- Kyle, Talapus, Mishupishu, and Medved KON.

If this short makes a successful showing and gains enough traction I may consider making it a short series.

These kinds of journals aren't my usual style for two reasons:

First, I generally don't talk much about my personal life and second, I don't usually 'do business' on FAand SF.

Read on if you have patience, as this is a little lengthy, but, either way, thanks for clicking!

If anyone has noticed my half-explained personal comments over the past few months as well as my irregular upload schedule from November through March, you may think one of three things:

1) Comida is flaking out.

2) Comida is losing interest in the fandom.

3) There must be some crazy stuff going on in Comida's life.

If you guessed #3 you'd be right (with a little of #1 thrown in because of it).

Thankfully, my life is stabilizing a lot more lately, and I do prefer a stable life. Although I did mention it some time back, my father passed away in February of 2018. As his primary caretaker during his time in hospice, I spent several months with him between when he got really bad and when he passed; I was also responsible as the executor of his estate. Due to a combination of family drama and some frustrating setbacks, the estate took over a year to settle (I deal with bureaucracy for a living, and I COULD have handled it in months if not for those issues). I was finally able to fulfill my promise to my dad at the end of March. Regardless, as the anniversary of my dad entering hospice rolled around I was struck simultaneously by depression and extreme anxiety, even ending up in the emergency room due to an anxiety attack.

During this time, my brother and mother were both admitted to the hospital (my brother twice and my mother five times), each with their own health issues. As the stable one in my family, I suppose it should be no surprise who was handling things and helping out as needed. To add an even deeper level of frustration, I have also dealt with another, unrelated health issue myself (two more trips to see the medical professionals), and, piling up even MORE stress, my dog was diagnosed with two kinds of cancer and two infections in a single visit to the vet.

You need not express concern; I am doing much better after a few months of counseling and the medication I was prescribed to help me deal with it is no longer needed. My medical issues have been resolved for now, but my next out-patient appointment is still several weeks away so I'll get a breather. Both family members seem to be on the mend, and my dog's surgery went well-- he's an old guy at 13 years of age, but it's not unheard of for arctic breeds to live to 15. I remain optimistic. :)

This journal is not a cry for help nor an attempt to start drama; quite the opposite-- this is an announcement that things should finally start getting back to normal for me, and I am definitely ready to move forward. I am keeping a positive outlook, and I hope that this will serve as a degree of transparency for those of you wondering what's going on with my page.

That being said, the recent months of medical and vet issues, coupled with paying out of pocket for some of my dad's financial obligations last year have left my reserves a little low. NO, I am not in a financial bind and do not require donations, but I would prefer that my safety net be repaired. To that end, I am considering offering a limited run, special edition, rarely seen comidacomida commission auction. Still toying with the idea, but more on that later if I consider pursuing it.

My tried-and-true method for interaction in a business sense with the community however has been Patreon. Did you miss my link in my description? Well, here it is again: https://www.patreon.com/comidacomida

My patrons are able to help influence what I write by sponsoring stories, voting on options I pose on polls, and get occasional sneak peeks at projects I'm working on before folks here or on SF. If you like my current productivity level, consider stopping in and supporting my craft today!

Finally, if you do want to provide support but don't or can't commit to a regular monthly contribution, I've also recently set up a Ko-fi page, which you can find here: https://www.Ko-fi.com/comidacomida

As always, thank you for stopping in and reading; the watches, favs, and comments are my primary source of payment, and you guys make me feel rich. <3

If you haven't been following the writing prompts I've been posting, I am part of a telegram group for furry writers that has a weekly writing prompt to encourage members to be more productive. I've posted quite a few of them and I've decided to take one of them on a monthly basis and turn it into a full length short story.

At this point, readers over on my Patreon page ( https://www.patreon.com/comidacomida ) were given the option to choose between many of my posted writing prompts in an attempt to help me figure out which 1000 word prompt should become a full short story. After many votes were cast, the end result is a tie.

Taking that into consideration, I want help from all of you to help break the tie! Here are the two prompts my patrons have selected. The prompt that is not chosen this time will continue on to next month's poll.

Payment in Kind: The main character often dreamed of taking part in a space faring venture and finally gets a chance when a genetically created anthro dog friend of his gets him a spot on a deep space exploration as a massage therapist, with a request that he be paid back for the expense. As the three year term loan comes due, the main character is still short, but the dog friend makes an alternate suggestion on repayment. This option will become an adult story involving m/m sex including masturbation, oral, anal, and group sex between a human and anthros. (TEN VOTES)

You Get What You Give: Roan, an anthro horse teenager takes a job during high school at a local ranch where a talking feral horse named Bart who bullies and teases him horribly, causing him to eventually quit. Roan goes back to the stables after high school to help out during the summer only to find that the tables may have turned. This option will become an adult story involving m/m sex between an anthro horse and an intelligent feral horse including anal sex, masturbation, and oral (with accompanying feral horse bukkake). (ONE VOTE)

Feel free to vote on which story you'd like to see presented this month and, though this journal will show on both sites, please only vote on one. If you already subscribe to my Patreon then you're also welcome to vote here too!

Voting is available through midnight (pst) on Sunday, April 14th.

Hello, Readers, and welcome once again (for the last time) to an intermission between chapters. Both Edward and Stephanie are moving toward their final chapter in "The Gift". If you're reading this then chances are you are either naturally curious or else you are following the storylines of "The Gift", my latest reader-driven story-- alternatively, both may be true! Either way, thanks for stopping by!

Although I normally post these at the same time on FA and SF, I am going to go ahead and post this here now since SF is having protracted technical difficulties. As such, please expect one extra week for Ch 10 to start. In the meantime, I do still intend to post Achievement 3 here soon.

As we're moving into the final chapter I will, as usual, provide a peek behind the curtain into some of the inner-workings of the story-- namely the characters' statistics. More than at any other point in these two storylines, character attributes are of utmost importance as each protagnoist is moving for the culmination of their respective goals and lives are on the line. As such, expect a little more information than usual. Here are those details:

Stephanie's highest attribute is Romance.
This attribute being the highest will provide a small increased chance for Medved to live.
Stephanie's lowest attribute is Socialability.
This attribute being the lowest will slightly increase the chance of Kyle not surviving.
Stephanie will probably have a positive ending, but may lose up to three or all four Spirits.

As of this moment, none of her Spirits will be guaranteed to survive the final confrontation.
Medved has the greatest chance of survival with 50/50.
This is due to Intimacy being higher than 10, but Compatability and Essence both being under 10.
Anapa and Kyle each have a 1 in 3 chance of surviving this final chapter.
This is due to both of them having Essence under 5.
Tom has the lowest chance of survival at approximately 10%.
This is due to him having no trait over 5.

Stephanie's strongest Spirit is Medved.
Stephanie's weakest Spirit is Anapa.
Added together Stephanie's spirits' Essence, they have less power than the antagonist.

Edward's highest attribute is Willpower.
This attribute being the highest will provide an increased chance for The Ancient One to live.
Edward has no low attribute.
This gives an increased chance for him to survive.
Edward may or may not have a good ending but there is a solid chance two Spirits will survive.

As of this moment, none of his Spirits will be guaranteed to survive the final confrontation.
The Ancient One has the greatest chance of survival with about 90%.
This is due to The Ancient One having a Compatibility, Intimacy, and Regard all over 10.
Tre has a good chance of survival at almost 60%.
This is due to him having a Compatibility and Regard over 20, and Essence over 10.
Medved has the lowest chance of survival at approximately 25%.
This is due to him having a regard under 10.

Edward's strongest spirit is The Ancient One.
Edward's weakest Spirit is Medved.
Added together, Edward's spirits' Essence exceeds that of the antagonist, but Edward has not done well at helping them work together and bond.

The Protagonist with the higher Spirit rating is Stephanie.
Out of all of the Spirits, The Ancient One has the most Essence.
Anapa has the least Essence out of all of the Spirits.

At this point, Readers may each vote on a Spirit of their choice and elect whether they would like that Spirit to gain Compatibility, Intimacy, Regard, or Essence.

Finally, readers may provide a contribution (posted to their FA/SF page and linked to this journal) in the form of artwork, a short story, essay, etc. If a reader provides such a contribution they may elect to provide a Spirit of their choice a +1 Essence (this is in addition to any votes).

As we draw nearer to the end of these storylines, your input and contributions become of critical importance!

Voting and contributions must be submitted by midnight (pst) Friday, Mar 29th.
Due to SF's prolonged downtime the submission date is being extended to Friday, April 5th.

As always, comments, critiques and questions are welcome.

Happy voting/contributing!

Hello, Readers! If you're reading this then chances are you are either naturally curious or else you are following the storylines of "The Gift", my latest reader-driven story-- alternatively, both may be true! Either way, thanks for stopping by!

We've come quite a ways in "The Gift" by concluding three of our five storylines. Hopefully everyone has been enjoying the holiday season and, as we move ever-closer to the beginning of Chapter 8, I believe it is a great time to reflect on where we are in the remaining storylines! We now have a peek behind the curtain to get a better understanding of where the Humans and Spirits lay with their statistics and impressions. Here are those details:

Stephanie's highest attribute is Romance.
Her lowest attribute is Vitality.
She is on track for a positive ending with 3 or 4 Spirits. Her most likely negative ending involves the departure of and/or death of a Spirit.

Among Stephanie's four Spirits, she has the greatest connection with Medved.
Stephanie has the least connection to Tom, and is also at greatest risk of losing him.
Her strongest Spirit is Medved.

Edward's highest attribute is Willpower.
He has no low attributes,
Edward is on track for a positive ending with 2 or 3 Spirits. His most likely negative ending involves death of a Spirit.

Among Edward's three Spirits, he has the greatest connection with Tre.
Edward has the least connection to Medved.
His strongest Spirit is The Ancient One.

The Protagonist with the higher Spirit rating is Stephanie.
Out of all of the Spirits, The Ancient One has the most Essence.
Anapa has the least Essence out of all of the Spirits.

At this point, Readers may each vote on a Spirit of their choice and elect whether they would like that Spirit to gain Compatibility, Intimacy, Regard, or Essence.

Readers may also vote on a singular Human and elect whether they would like that Human to gain Athletics, Conformity, Courage, Intellect, Intuition, Romance, Socialability, Sexuality, Vitality, or Willpower.

In addition, get to vote on a SINGLE Human who should be granted a bonus to their Spirit rating (how productive they are when it comes to Spirit Energy).

Finally, readers may provide a contribution (posted to their FA/SF page and linked to this journal) in the form of artwork, a short story, essay, etc. If a reader provides such a contribution they may elect to provide a Spirit of their choice a +1 Essence (this is in addition to any votes).

As we draw nearer to the end of these storylines, your input and contribution become even more important, and don't forget that there is still a vote regarding Stephanie's focus at the start of next chapter!

Voting and contributions must be submitted by midnight (pst) Friday, Feb 9th.

As always, comments, critiques and questions are welcome.

Happy voting/contributing!

Hello, Readers! If you're reading this then chances are you are either naturally curious or else you are following the storylines of "The Gift", my latest reader-driven story-- alternatively, both may be true! Either way, thanks for stopping by!

We've come quite a ways in "The Gift" by concluding two of our five storylines. Hopefully everyone has been enjoying the holiday season and, as we move ever-closer to the beginning of Chapter 8, I believe it is a great time to reflect on where we are in the remaining storylines! We now have a peek behind the curtain to get a better understanding of where the Humans and Spirits lay with their statistics and impressions. Here are those details:
Stephanie's highest attribute is Romance.
Her lowest attribute is Sexuality.
She is on track for a positive ending with 2, 3 or 4 Spirits. Her most likely negative ending involves the departure of and/or death of a Spirit.

Among Stephanie's four Spirits, she has the greatest connection with Medved.
Stephanie has the least connection to Tom, but is at the greatest risk of losing Anapa.
Her strongest Spirit is Medved.

Richard's highest attribute is Socialability
He has no low attributes.
Richard is on track for a positive ending with 1 or 2 Spirits. We have now moved onto his final chapter, Chapter 8, in which we'll find out!

Among Richard's Two Spirits, he has exactly the same connection.
While he has a greater Intimacy with Jack, Balam holds him in higher Regard.
His stronger Spirit is Jack.

Edward's highest attribute is Willpower.
His lowest attribute is Intelligence.
Edward is on track for a positive ending with 2 or 3 Spirits. His most likely negative ending involves death of a Spirit and the departure of Tom.

Among Edward's four Spirits, he has the greatest connection with Tre.
Edward has the least connection to Tom, whom he will most likely lose in Chapter 8 early on.
His strongest Spirit is The Ancient One.

The Protagonist with the highest Spirit rating is Stephanie.
Richard has the lowest Spirit rating out of all of the Protagonists.
Out of all of the Spirits, The Ancient One has the most Essence.
Anapa has the least Essence out of all of the Spirits.

At this point, Readers may each vote on a Spirit of their choice and elect whether they would like that Spirit to gain Compatibility, Intimacy, Regard, or Essence.

Readers may also vote on a singular Human and elect whether they would like that Human to gain Athletics, Conformity, Courage, Intellect, Intuition, Romance, Socialability, Sexuality, Vitality, or Willpower.

In addition, get to vote on a SINGLE Human who should be granted a bonus to their Spirit rating (how productive they are when it comes to Spirit Energy).

Finally, readers may provide a contribution (posted to their FA/SF page and linked to this journal) in the form of artwork, a short story, essay, etc. If a reader provides such a contribution they may elect to provide a Spirit of their choice a +1 Essence (this is in addition to any votes).


As we draw nearer to the end of these storylines, your input and contribution become even more important!

Voting and contributions must be submitted by midnight (pst) December 31st.

As always, comments, critiques and questions are welcome.

Happy voting/contributing!

Hello, Readers! If you're reading this then chances are you are either naturally curious or else you are following the storylines of "The Gift", my latest reader-driven story-- alternatively, both may be true! Either way, thanks for stopping by!

It's that time again to take a little breather during the intermission between chapters of "The Gift". While we still have one final post for Daniel's chapter to look forward to this coming week, everyone else is 'on break'. That means, as those who have seen these posts before know, it is time for a peek behind the curtain to get a better understanding of where the Humans and Spirits lay with their statistics and impressions. Here are those details:

Stephanie's highest attribute is Romance.
Her lowest attribute is Vitality.
She is on track for a positive ending with 2, 3 or 4 Spirits.
Her most likely negative ending involves the death of a Spirit.

Among Stephanie's four Spirits, she has the greatest connection with Medved.
Stephanie has the least connection to Tom.
Her strongest Spirit is Medved.

Richard's highest attribute is Socialability
He has no low attributes.
Richard is on track for a positive ending with 1 or 2 Spirits.
He has only one final chapter coming (Chapter 7) in which we'll find out!

Among Richard's Two Spirits, he has exactly the same connection.
While he has a greater Compatibility with Jack, Balam holds him in higher Regard.
His stronger Spirit is Jack.

Daniel's highest attribute is Intuition.
His lowest atribute is Athleticism.
Daniel is on track for a positive ending with 2 Spirits.
His most likely negative ending involves death or the death of (more than one?) Spirit

Among Daniel's three Spirits, he has the greatest connection with Herne.
Daniel has the least connection to Aiden
His strongest Spirit is Herne.

Edward's highest attribute is Willpower.
Sadly, he has a number of low attributes.
His most likely negative ending involves death and/or the loss of a Spirit.

Among Edward's three Spirits, he has the greatest connection with The Ancient One.
Edward has the least connection to Tom.
His strongest Spirit is The Ancient One.

The Protagonist with the highest Spirit rating is Stephanie.
Richard has the lowest Spirit rating out of all of the Protagonists.
Out of all of the Spirits, The Ancient One has the most Essence.
Anapa has the least Essence out of all of the Spirits.

At this point, Readers may each vote on a Spirit of their choice and elect whether they would like that Spirit to gain Compatibility, Intimacy, Regard, or Essence.

Readers may also vote on a singular Human and elect whether they would like that Human to gain Athletics, Conformity, Courage, Intellect, Intuition, Romance, Socialability, Sexuality, Vitality, or Willpower.

In addition, get to vote on a SINGLE Human who should be granted a bonus to their Spirit rating (how productive they are when it comes to Spirit Energy).

Finally, readers may provide a contribution (posted to their FA/SF page and linked to this journal) in the form of artwork, a short story, essay, etc. If a reader provides such a contribution they may elect to provide a Spirit of their choice a +1 Essence (this is in addition to any votes). This is also the best way to earn a storyline a 'do over', as we saw exercised in Daniel's Chapter 6.


As we draw nearer to the end of these storylines, your input and contribution become even more important!

Voting and contributions must be submitted by midnight (pst) November 18th.

As always, comments, critiques and questions are welcome.

Happy voting/contributing!