Having lost my previous computer to an accident, I do not yet have access to my records.

If I owe you a beta read, please PM me and we'll work out the details. Sorry!

Had to write a bio to accompany my poem in "Civilized Beasts." Here's what I came up with:

Shadows flickering over frozen waves,
the silent sea whose stretch we stand before.
Banks of fog and their gamboling foxfires
behind, we wash our necks and quit the shore.

http://www.amazon.com/Typewriter-Em.....dp/B016P8CT90/

Might as well, right?

The folks over at Weasel Press nominated my story "Splinters" for a Pushcart Prize.

https://twitter.com/systmaticweasel.....69292438941696

So yay!

Greetings, all. With Rainfurrest only a short time away, I thought it prudent to list the panels on which I shall be.

Friday at 3, I will be helping with Open Mic. I will also be performing.
At 4, I'll be doing "Bard to Bard: Tips On Singing"
And at 5, I'll be doing "The Craft of Verse: Writing Lyrics & Poetry"

On Saturday, I'll be assisting with yet another Open Mic session, and probably also performing again.

I will also be present for the Furry Writers' Guild Meet & Greet on Thursday evening.

Gender: Nope.

Preference: Like...sexual? Irrelevant.

Relationship Status: Taken

How old are you?: 36

How tall are you?: 6'2"

Are you an Artist?: Yes.

Do you have a sketchbook?: No.

Are you a Fursuiter?: No.

Would you wear one of my fursuits?: Nope.

Attending parties?: I find this likely.

Do you drink?: Not if I'm behaving myself, no.

Can I buy you a drink?: Not if you're behaving yourself, no.

Do you smoke?: Heavily.

Are you attending any panels? Quite a few.

Stage or public performance?: Yes, actually.

How do I identify my self to you?: I would suggest English.

Rules of engagement (physical contact)?: Yeah, you can touch me as long as your hands are clean.

How can I find you?: When I walk into a place, panties hit the floor so hard they punch holes in it. Just follow the holes.

Can I talk to you?: If I like you.

Can I give you lots of money?: You are welcome to do so.

Can I give you stuff?: I would rather not get into a gift-exchange war.

Can I hug or snuggle with you?: Yes, if I like you.

Can I come to dinner with you?: Probably.

Can I invite you to dinner?: So long as I have no other plans, sure.

Can I hang out with you?: If I like you.

Can I take your picture?: I would prefer it if you didn't.

How do I know if you're not looking to socialize (angry, busy or upset)?: Your overtures will be met with a vicious flogging.

Personality Type?: I have no personality.

What's your goal for the con this year?: To network, learn and try not to make too big an ass of myself.

Really, they change too much for this to be definitive. I'm also not listing them in order because that would be a headache. None of these are "flavor of the month" numbers, these are all songs I've listened to time and again.

"Alice" - Cocteau Twins https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxSMckGfQ2k

"Desolate Ways" - Morbid Angel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZPKBAnkEaE

"Nights in White Satin" - The Moody Blues https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAjGdmFKf8E

"Clothes of Sand" - Nick Drake https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oE6PfDsYVjA

"C'est La Vie" - Emerson, Lake & Palmer (studio version) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SCmchJTPPo

"Scarborough Fair" - traditional, but my favorite version is by Simon and Garfunkel https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYQaD2CAi9A

"Stinkfist" - Tool https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=07pLGIgyfjw

"Breathe" - Pink Floyd https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrojrDCI02k

"Who Murdered The Minutes" - Joan Baez https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7pCADFnDrlg

"The Wind that Shakes the Barley" - traditional, my favorite performance is by Lisa Gerrard https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FkBQggRBqEY

My short story "Splinters" was accepted for the "Typewriter Emergencies" anthology from Weasel Press.

Next on the agenda is Ava the panda's story, working title "Surface Tension." Wish me luck!

Oh, and there was this flattering review of "The Furry Future" by Mr. Phil Geusz: https://dogpatchpress.wordpress.com.....re-phil-geusz/

Sorry, guys, I know I haven't been updating much of late, so here's what's going on:

My short story "A Gentleman of Strength" was accepted for this anthology: http://www.anthroaquatic.com/forum/.....hp?topic=422.0

Submissions close on the first of next month, so there's still time if you want to submit.

Currently working on another story called "Splinters." Wish me luck!

This year should finally see me finish my story about Ava, the panda. Also, "The Foreigner" has been tentatively accepted for "Fragments of Life's Heart" (pending some changes) which you can read more on here: http://www.anthroaquatic.com/forum/.....hp?topic=604.0

Submissions close August 15th, so plenty of time. Get to writing!

Information came via  nitetigrezz

If you feed your pets Purina Beneful, I would suggest looking into this as it may be dangerous.

http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/6542602/

I don't like love songs. They're sappy. Even so, there is the occasional tune that appeals even to a cold-blooded person such as myself. It's a short list, but here are some of them. Happy Valentines.

"Undisclosed Desires" by Muse https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWTuKd2lTo4 This song actually rocks a bit, listen to the way the bass comes in with the chorus. Nice!

"A Pillow of Winds" by Pink Floyd https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xJtmqcpk2VA Pink Floyd isn't really a love song kind of band, which makes this track all the more unique. Great lyrics from one of the greatest bands of all time.

"Ain't No Sunshine" by Bill Withers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBKcAc8VpIw The stars aligned and this was born. A short but poignant number with a lot of feeling by Mr. Bill Withers.

"Time in a Bottle" by Jim Croce https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dO1rMeYnOmM This is not as simple as it seems when you try to play it. One of those rare songs that doesn't leave much room for improvement.

"Come My Way" by Vitek & Martha (?) originally by Amuro Namie https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQUPihz8foQ Apparently a cover of an Inu-yasha theme. I don't care, I like it. XP

"This Love" by Cocteau Twins https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAMtfbc5iZs I have a strange relationship with Elisabeth Fraser. On the one hand, I consider her to be one of only a handful of singers possessed by true genius. On the other, I hate almost everything she's ever recorded. She's on the mark here, though.

"The Bones of You" by Elbow https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_smRhuJSQpg Cheating a bit here, since it's about lost love, but I think it fits well enough. This piece is not easy to pigeonhole but features some fantastic lyrics.

"Expecting to Fly" by Buffalo Springfield https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzMl0-bhNcM Another cheat, and sappy to boot, I give this one a pass because its sappiness is PERFECT. The lyrics and the music compliment each other so well that it's above reproach, IMO.

"Ashes" by Danzig https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pKaRxE-c_U Not about lost love per se so I think it goes here. A haunting dirge about...well, you'll see. Don't be afraid to look up the lyrics if you can't understand Danzig's drunken slurring.

"Obokuri Eemui" by Ikue Asazaki https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEQtkLNTmRs Close friends already know this is one of my favorite songs; I've included it last because I know the vocal style will be off-putting to many westerners. Note that this is not standard Japanese and that most Japanese will not understand these lyrics much better than you. However, the translations I've seen indicate that it's a sort of love song.

Have recommendations of your own? Feel free to post them in the comments.

http://furplanet.com/shop/item.aspx?itemid=770

Now available for pre-order. Buy 10!

Dry leaves scrape across the pavement,
night sweeps down its veil of mists,
turns to hoarfrost in frigid darkness.
Bare, stygian trees like broken artifacts
Guard the lone and silent highway.
Rime coats an errant ribcage:
a dust of stars for frozen bones.
Sleet falls in time, twinkling like glass,
glacial rust on blades of bloodless grass.
Lucid ice crawls forsaken stones.
A child's voice cries and then is gone.

 Rechan and I are sharing a room for RainFurrest 2015 and we're looking for one more person. So, if you're going and wish to room with two smart and devilishly attractive fandom authors, PM me or reply here and we'll see what we can do.

 zidders did a journal entry about being happy and having self-esteem...

So, I have to balance it out. Remember, if you're unhappy, fuck you and go eat a dick, you scrotum-gargling tart!

I dunno...sorry if that came off as insincere, I just don't have the hatred for people that I used to have. You have a good day, ok? You've got some food and some heat. It could be worse.*

*If you don't have food or heat, maybe pay for that first, before internet

I didn't have time to write a scary story this year (which is to say, I had time, but I forgot/was too lazy). So, here are some short films that are probably better anyway. Happy Halloween.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FUQhNGEu2KA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcrM74s7tm4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01AI0lAq_uY

I thought there may have been two or three people to whom I had not shown this:

My proposal is the creation of a text-to-speech animation program by and for the furry community, to be funded via kickstarter. This will require artists and programmers as well as publicists and administrators and others. This will require tapping into the talent and creativity of the furry community itself.

Imagine something like this: http://www.oddcast.com/home/demos/t.....le.php?sitepal …
But with customizable characters, actions, backgrounds, sound effects and music, with options for insertions of your own voice tracks, all available via simple interface, with a free trial version for the curious, and a monthly subscription fee for the full version and our hosting services.

Sites like this already exist. Go-animate, for example, which you can look at here: http://goanimate.com/

“But, Aunty Dwale!” not a single one of you is saying, “Why should anyone use our service if similar sites already exist?”

The answer to that, dear friends, is that ours would be furry, and therefore automatically superior.

Also, ours would have customizable characters in addition to less stringent “acceptable use” guidelines. Go-animate, for example, deletes cartoons that make explicit sexual references, even if you’re a paying subscriber.

Now, I’m not saying all furries are perverts who mainly enjoy innuendo and toilet humor...but I am saying that enough of us are of that type to where it would be unwise to exclude them from our demographic. Yes, we’re going to need a legal department at some point.

“Alright, Aunty,” you say again with that Aunty ****, “that sounds like a good idea, but it also sounds like a lot of work. I want to help, but what’s in it for me? I’ve got like, fifteen hungry puppies at home.”

My friends, this idea is founded on a dream- the dream of making money without any discernible talent or skill. And you can share in that dream!

“That sounds like complete BS,” you say, and you are right! No one can own an idea, after all. Hmm? What’s that? Oh, you can. You can own ideas, apparently. Huh.

Alright, well, I’ve devised a system that will ensure egalitarian distribution of funds. Behold!
1) Name your own position in the company: That’s right, you just sign up, pick a position and it’s yours. I don’t give a ****. However, since I was here first, I’m calling myself “President of Janitorial.” You can all be presidents of other stuff.
2) Get paid for doing nothing: the crux of our company’s philosophy. However, the people who do actually work are entitled to a bigger share of the profits we don’t have.
3) All partners have the right to steal my idea at any time, run off with it and become wealthy while the rest of us die broke and forgotten in our respective gutters. Hope that money-bed helps you sleep at night, MURDERER.

Look, I don’t care about fame or fortune, all I want is for my family to be able to say, “Well, at least what’s-his-name accomplished one thing before setting that new record with The Darwin Awards.” Seriously. Well, and if possible, maybe enough money to where my parents don’t have to pay for my funeral expenses. That’s secondary, though, because I think they’d feel better about it if they could say, “What’s-his-name was trying to start a company, you know, and wasn’t nearly as stupid as that Darwin Award makes it sound.”

Sign up here if you’re interested…or even if you’re not! You also don’t have to sign up “here” per se, it could be behind the 7-11, or in the stomach of a shark. That’s what smart phones are for, right?

RULES :
1. Pick a character you've created.
2. Fill in the questions/statements as if you were that character.
3. Tag at least four people to do this meme
4. Tell people that they been tagged with a link from your journal

Character picked: Crazy Kieli, the black deer. http://www.furaffinity.net/view/9101022/

1. What is your name?
Kieli Nunnehi.

2. Do you know why you were named that?
Yeah, because I'm the reincarnation of myself.

3. Single or taken?
Buffoonery. I don't have the time or interest.

4. Have any abilities or powers?
Try asking my newer enemies. The old ones are...unavailable.

5. Stop being a Mary Sue!
If a Mary Sue wrote a story about a Mary Sue, the resulting character still wouldn't be half so good as me.

6. What's your eye color?
Blue. It's rare among my people and one of the indicators that I have been reborn.

7. How about hair color?
Black.

8. Have you any family members?
One brother living...for now.

9. Oh? How about pets?
Only if slaves count.

10. That's cool, I guess. Now tell me something you don't like.
The scent of flesh-eaters.

11. Do you have any activities/hobbies that you like to do?
I sing. I also like to get wasted and hit people...I had trained to be a kickboxer before my knee injury, in fact.

12. Have you ever hurt anyone in any way before?
Constantly.

13. Ever… killed anyone before?
Some people deserve to die.

14. What kind of animal are you?
My phenotype is the white-tailed deer, if that's what you meant.

15. Name your worst habits.
All of my habits are good.

16. Do you look up to anyone at all?
No. All others are dirt beneath my hooves.

17. Are you gay, straight, or bisexual?
Flesh is flesh.

18. Do you go to school?
No. I've never been.

19. Ever want to marry and have kids one day?
Do I look like a goat to you? I do hope you're into self-copulation because I'm about to insist that you try it.

20. Do you have fangirls/fanboys?
A few worshipers here and there. I suppose some of them might be fanatical.

21. What are you most afraid of?
Boredom.

22. What do you usually wear?
Shorts and a tank-top. I dislike clothes that restrict my movements.

23. What's one food that tempts you?
Corn chowder.

24. Am I annoying you?
The mere fact that you exist annoys me.

25. Well, it's still not over!
It will be if you don't hurry it up.

26. What class are you (low class, middle class, high class)?
These divisions do not exist in my culture.

27. How many friends do you have?
Zero, same as everyone.

28. What are your thoughts on pie?
It is an acceptable form of sustenance...? What a ridiculous thing to ask.

30. Favorite drink?
Straight liquor.

31. What's your favorite place?
The high mountains.

32. Are you interested in anyone~?
Only insofar as they're able to realize my wishes.

33. That was a stupid question.
Consider the source.

34. Would you rather swim in a lake or the ocean?
Anywhere whirlpools may form.

35. What's your type?
Good-looking, silent, subservient.

36. Any fetishes?
I do have a feathered movieli somewhere.

37. Seme or uke?
Speak English, fool.

38. Camping or indoors?
I live in a truck.

39. Tag People!
FWG peeps in no particular order:  nighteyes  dandin  huskyteer  slip-wolf

"Mother Ocean"

A steady rhythm floats thought warm waters,
A cover's folds, where nothing fell is known,
Only soft and the amniotic sea
But the piper at dawn's gate sounds his tone.

Wisps of straw on a slow-running river,
Each becomes an island to short-lived things.
Earth is an ocean, our ocean mother,
Source in the vein from which all life springs.

Just wanted to touch on the subject while it's making the rounds in the popular imagination.

A little history: I was diagnosed with clinical depression when I was eleven years old. I've been locked up under suicide watch, I've seen numerous mental health professionals, I've been to rehab for substance abuse issues, I've been on so many different anti-depressants that I've lost count.

Depression can be every bit as crippling as a broken spine. It can and frequently does permeate every aspect of life, sabotaging one's work, dreams and relationships, while instilling a mode of apathy so pernicious that getting out of bed seems like too much trouble, let alone trying to catch the pieces as one's world falls apart.

Yet, for many people who don't have to live with this horror, there's an attitude like, "Shake it off, tough it out, quit being lazy." Hearing that kind of garbage just makes the problem worse by throwing additional guilt into the mix.

And God help you if you self-medicate! Even many people who would ordinarily be sympathetic will treat you like the scum of the earth if you develop a drug habit, despite this being another manifestation of the underlying problem, and quite a common one at that (and if you think it's normal to want to be shitfaced all the time, which would be the implication by not recognizing the correlation with mental illness, that says more about you than it does about addicts).

Well, this has turned into a bit of a rant. TL;DR: Depression is a serious problem, don't belittle those who have it.

I wrapped my name around your little neck,
so leave that worn skin beside the sea;
I’ll arrange the game pieces inside of me,
now form your words if you wish to object,
else live like rain upon the ocean waves,
haunt the spaces within matryoshka dolls.
At dawn, the soulless wail to morningfall,
our mouths make accursed words as we play.

(How to pronounce "matryoshka" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Jd07Cdtog4 )

Just about to finish up a new story, but I won't be posting it publicly. If you would like to read it, please comment here or note me with your email address and preferred file type and I'll send it to you. Peace.

there's a big sign that reads, "A sinner is you!"

I saw the sun rise in the west at midnight,
wearing braids of polished copper.
She spake her secret name in time,
The moon was subsumed by meltwater.

The slow evening came by noon to twilight,
The verdant clouds were raining stars.
The white shone below the silhouette
When lightning struck the skyline.

The dim crept to the doorstep, quiet
Immersion in the best of elements.
The djinn squall in the running wilderness,
Tones in the wind and waterfall.