Drabblecast Stories July 25th, 2009
Norm Sherman’s Drabblecast, a weird short-fiction podcast, has had several stories which feature anthropomorphic characters, animals and others.
The second story in Double Header III is a nice bit of drama which deals with a coyote lost in a sandwhich shop, likely inspired by real-life events from the news.
Alchemical Automaton Blues deals with the mistreatment of golems.
Out of His League is a fun take on a story you might recognize from the news last year.
The Last Dog is a sad post-apocalyptic tale.
On Dasher is a moving Christmas story with a wonderful mythos behind it.
And The Box Born Wraith is a fun horror tale for Halloween, with sympathetic monsters.
Animal Body Painting Videos by Alex Kovas July 25th, 2009
Alex Kovas has posted several videos on YouTube which have some impressive animal-themed body-painting. The masks used are nicely designed too.
The posing is mostly showing off the work on the human canvas, but some of the moves are suggestive, and could be considered rated mature. The male model is wearing posing underwear, so there is nothing explicit.
PodCastle Stories July 25th, 2009
PodCastle has a few other shorts which are non-furry but wonderful examples of anthropomorphism.
The Orange (general audeience) is a neat story that feels like a modern fable.
Loose Drawers (mature content) brings the dynamics of sexual and relationship politics to the auto garage.
The Desires of Houses (mature content) lives up to its title and is a wonderfully fun and creatively-bizarre idea.
PodCastle Story – Captain Fantasy and the Secret Masters July 23rd, 2009
PodCastle’s story Captain Fantasy and the Secret Masters is a wonderful piece. It’s non-furry, but a great story and I think people in the fandom would appreciate it. It’s a fantasy piece with super heroes and special abilities that’s equal parts actiion and adventure, alternative history and character drama and it’s a wonderfully human story. There are bits of it which make it slightly mature, but nothing explicit nor really shocking and I appreciated the way those elements were used.
It reminds me of the Union Dues stories in Escape Pod, which also have mutant superheroes, living in a world awash in shades of gray and dealing with politics and corporate restrictions as much as super villans.
Alone in the Dark July 18th, 2009
Alone in the Dark: Anthropomorphic Tales
of the Things that go Bump in the Night
Print Book, $19.95, available from Amazon and Lulu.
Download a sample of the book here.
Using the meta-genre of anthropomorphic animals, this anthology collects tales of dramatic horror, with stories that are both atmospheric and affecting. The anthropomorphism is also used in a wider sense as well, humanizing The Other, including stories with sympathetic monsters.
Warning: Most of this book is general-interest, but there are some darker and harder stories of a mature theme.
This collection provides a wide selection of horror. There’s dark fantasy and speculative fiction, stories inspired by both Rod Serling and H. P. Lovecraft. There are campfire tales and ghost stories, up through stronger tales at the darker end of the spectrum. There’s psychological horror and some non-traditional tales which add their own spooky flavor, and some lighter stories and even a bit of comic relief to balance things out.
Featuring stories by Simon Barber, Michael Bard, Austin Crowder, William Eakins, Kathleen Fenlon, Kevin Frane, Jason Gillespie, Chris Goodwin, Renee Carter Hall, Allen Kitchen, Watts Martin, Brian L. Miller, J. Scott Rogers, Will A. Sanborn, SeHT, Thomas Shaw, and Tim Susman.
And Illustration artwork by Anka, S. M. Bittler (“Synnabar”), Heather Bruton, W. Michael “Wolfie” Dooley, Amber “Vantid” Hill, and Sara “Caribou” Palmer. Cover artwork by Sara “Caribou” Palmer.