A "Radio Active" Adventure

[altivo]

Here's another story, a little bit longer but I think some of you will enjoy it.

Rusty thought it would be a cinch playing the quarry in an amateur radio fox hunt, since he was a fox anyway. Unfortunately, conditions and a misplaced paw put him at real risk unless his radio pals can find him in time. Mild misadventure, with geekery and a bit of romance thrown in.

From FurRag.com

Or, if you prefer

From FurAffinity

Comments and criticism welcome as usual.

Clear and cold here, with a storm watch (again.) This time it's supposed to be an ice storm after dark through tomorrow morning, with as much as a half inch of ice. Then it will change to snow, accumulation unspecified. I'm glad Monday is a holiday.

The fur for the Argos costume arrived yesterday and is just what I wanted: three different lengths of white fur, short, medium with a little curliness, and long with dark tips on some but not all the hairs. Gary's Valentine gift finally arrived too, thank goodness (two audiobooks by writers he likes.)

Comments

[dlorn.livejournal.com]

*watches you on FA now*

[aerofox.livejournal.com]

Very nice story! Thanks for sharing ^_^

Just curious, I don't know how much writers do this, but do you ever base characters off RL friends or acquaintances?

[hellmutt.livejournal.com]

I just realised I'd forgotten to read your last story, too. Enjoyed both! Especially Change of Pace, because (without being spoilerish) that has elements that always appeal to me. Thanks for posting them.

[silver-kiden.livejournal.com]

fyi, a lot of writers do that, even professional novelists, though it's not very recommended, because if something happens between the two of you, the writer tends to take it out on the character, usually to the detriment of the story.

[silver-kiden.livejournal.com]

very cute story. btw, get on im some time. i added you on yim, but you are never on! :p

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the interest. I've been posting only to FurRag in the past, but I thought I'd try doubling up on FA for a while and see if I get more feedback.

[dlorn.livejournal.com]

FA is majorly (still) image based.. but folks that write, or 'animate' do get some good feedback from time to time too heh

[altivo.livejournal.com]

I'm more likely to base furry characters off the RP characters of real people (with their permission of course.) I have once in a while used someone's name deliberately (again, with their permission.) As it happens, I wanted to call "Gloria" in this story "Loriana." ;D But she never responded to my request for permission, and there was a deadline to be met, so Gloria it was.

I have used real people and events as patterns for non-furry characters in stories in the past. As far as I'm aware, none of them ever recognized themselves though.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Now I want to know what "elements" those might be. "A Change of Pace" was deliberately left vague on a number of things because I wanted to let the reader add his/her own meanings.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Heh. Sorry, I'm almost never on IM unless I need to talk to someone I know is likely to be there. The LJ chat service is the most likely place for you to find me, though I do occasionally turn on Yahoo. If Microsloth really takes control of Yahoo, though, I'll be dropping that account entirely.

[aerofox.livejournal.com]

Hmm, I just asked Loriana about that, and she remembers something about getting a message from you but completely forgot to reply.

Sorry, sometimes RL gets too much in the way *hugs*

BTW, I have a Variac for you. Actually two to choose from. a 1000 watt and a 300 watt. ^_^

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Tell her I might ask again some time when I need a name for a clever vixen. :D I'll keep you in mind too when I'm writing about foxes.

That's good news about the Variac. I'm sure we can work something out. Rather than try to ship such a heavy thing, if you have room to let it sit until I'm there in May that would be great. I'm really looking forward to visiting both of you.

I have a nice Philco table radio that I could trade you for it. I know you're big on Zenith, but this is pretty handsome. Not working but I'm sure it's fixable. Wooden case, three bands (AM, 180 meters [marked "Police" but includes the 160 meter ham band,] and 5 to 18 MHz short wave,) six push buttons. It's trapezoid shaped with rounded top corners and in decent cosmetic condition. I'm more interested in getting that big GE floor model working, and would be glad to let this one go to a good home. I'll take some photos if you're interested. A sticker on the back says "Philco 40-145" which might be a model number I guess. It also has a sticker from a repair shop in Belfast, Maine.

[hellmutt.livejournal.com]

Ah well, spoilers ahead...


Shapeshifting, magic, animals. (As well as an older main character.)

[altivo.livejournal.com]

No spoilers in that. I usually include all of them in the summary. :D

[hellmutt.livejournal.com]

That's why I always rush by summaries with paws firmly over my eyes. ;D And novel dust jackets don't get read until I've finished the book.

[loriana.livejournal.com]

Indeed I feel very frusterated by this. I remember something about the question... I neither remember when or where I saw or heard of it... and it must not have even been recently because I cant find it in my email or in my emailed lj responses.....yet, I feel I was asked of it.

*sigh* Invariably what happens is that I read email in the morning before work in the last 5 minutes before it is time to go to work, and have no time to make a proper response,... and then forget about what I was supposed to do comes days end.

...very frusterating...

[aerofox.livejournal.com]

Yes, Its the model number. the first two digits indicate the model year (1940).
Its up to you whether you want to part with it. I wasn't asking anything for the Variac. But I assure you it would get a good home if it came here ^_^

[altivo.livejournal.com]

It's OK. I figured either you were busy or just didn't want me to use your name. The reason you barely remember is that this story was written a full year ago. It went to wait for publication and then in December the publishers decided not to do the "games" issue they had planned so it was orphaned. Rather than spend time trying to find someone else to take it, I decided to just post it online.

[altivo.livejournal.com]

I'll bring it along when we come down then. It seems to be intact, but for whatever reason, no power when turned on. I've never taken the time to investigate whether it's a bad switch, blown fuse, or what. It has loctal tubes and a hefty power transformer. I was looking for one of those old "farm" radios that ran on batteries, and didn't find one worth the price but this one looked so interesting that it just had to come home with me. You know how that is, I'm sure.

[songcoyote.livejournal.com]

That was a lot of fun! Cute and geeky and a pleasure to read.

The only thing that made my ears twitch a bit was something that is common to a lot of furry fiction, and about which I have not yet made up my mind to simply accept (I need to read more, obviously!): the regular use of "fur" as a substitute for "people", "pawsmack" rather than "smack" himself in the head, and similar genre-based usage alterations. I understand and can appreciate the desire to make the furry-ness of such stories stand out, but part of me wants those things to be minimized to times when they are particularly pertinent to the story rather than a standard of the patois.

But that's totally in my head and isn't meant to detract from the quality of the story at all! As I said, I enjoyed it and will keep reading your stuff. Besides, I like well-written stories about men who like men :)

Light and laughter,
SongCoyote

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Hmm. You're the first to express that objection to me. I rather like those things specifically because they set furry fiction apart. We have to remember that to these characters, such terminology would be the norm, even though it may sound odd to us. More importantly, it seems that editors mostly like them, which is a good reason to use them if you want to get published. ;p

The thing is, if you don't think of yourself as having "hands" and don't use that word normally, but rather use the word "paw", surely it will affect other constructions as well?

The other story I posted recently had none of that, though, because it really isn't an anthropomorphic story so much as it is a fable in the manner of Aesop.

[songcoyote.livejournal.com]

Hmm... you raise good thoughts, and what you say certainly makes sense. Like I said, I understand the purpose behind it; it just sometimes makes my brain twitch. Maybe I just haven't read enough furry fiction :) Now that I reflect I think the only such term in your story that made my head turn sideways was "pawfinger". The rest was pretty reasonable.

I am a very avid reader and, in no small part because of the nature of my work, I have a keen eye for proper word usage and other grammatical tidbits (whether I use them correctly myself or not). It's one of the reasons I only very rarely use "standard" internet acronyms and such (other than smilies, which I like), let alone typical text-message abbreviations such as "c u 2nite!". It's quite probable that my reaction stems primarily from how the furry-specific terms jar the grammarian hiding in my mind. It seems likely that if I read more similar writing I'll get over myself and shut the monkey mind up.

Anyway, all this fascinating jibber-jabber aside, it was a good story. I was merely bringing up something that had been in my mind for a while.

Have a great week, and thanks again for sharing your stories!

Light and laughter,
SongCoyote

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Well, in a technical or documentation environment, I agree with you absolutely about standard vocabulary and syntax.

In creative writing, though, we have to allow for creativity, no? ;p

I battled with "pawfingers" and tried to come up with something better. The difficulty is avoiding the use of the word "toe" which is normally associated with paws, and avoiding the word "finger" at the same time, since it implies hands. In furry RP the words "footpaw" and "handpaw" are sometimes used to help keep such distinctions clear, but that doesn't exactly give an answer except by analogy. Thus, "pawfingers" since "digits" is just too clinical. XD

Of course we equine types usually still have hands anyway, since a hoof is all but useless in that function. We keep our hooves on the ground and make normal use of our hands. Well, what's "normal" anyway?

[songcoyote.livejournal.com]

Yah, creative writing is definitely a place for alternate usage and new word creation and all that. It's just hard to shut my brain off sometimes when I've been training it for 15-20 years now to look for out-of-place words. Stupid brain - shut up or I'll stab you with a Q-Tip! :P

As for "pawfingers", what's wrong with just "fingers"? With some notable exceptions, most anthros aren't depicted or (in my experience) imagined with paws per se simply because most paws don't have thumbs or particularly good gripping digits. This could leave us with "hands" and "paws" or "footpaws" (or "hooves" in your case). Hm. This could get complicated. I think part of the confusion is that there isn't a standard set of terms upon which to draw because we're all just making this stuff up now.

She stamped her paw and pointed a finger at me. "Don't you lay your ears back at me, young man!" Or something. I don't know what's best.

Please understand that I'm not intending to argue, just to discuss the possibilities and help myself figure things out. Authors are free to use whatever terms they like, just as I'm free to get over myself :)

Light and laughter,
SongCoyote

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Oh, absolutely. I understand from where you are coming with this and I welcome the discussion because it is, after all, relevant and interesting.

I think of "paw" as somewhat more generic than just a foot that's good for both running and digging. Pandas and raccoons have what amounts to a working thumb on their forepaws, for instance. Not quite as good as what primates have, but certainly very functional and both species are quite adept at using it. Koalas have paws with two thumbs on each, which has always fascinated me. I guess it gives a much better tree climbing grip but of course it's a useful feature for other purposes as well. Canid paws aren't quite as flexible as that, but if dogs and foxes walked around on their hind legs for a few centuries, they might be. Some part of it is learning how, not just genetics.

We have to look beyond the realm of what we know exists, into the realm of the possible. I envision the canid forepaw evolved just a bit more like that of the raccoon. They already have a vestigial thumb in most cases, but if that couldn't be revived to a more serviceable state, then one of the other digits would be pressed into service. For me, the distinction between "hand" and "paw" is more related to the distinction between digitigrade and plantigrade. So, given that a paw is going to evolve into a more delicate manipulative mechanism, what happens to it? The palm and thumb (dewclaw) are up higher on the forearm, and not very practical for most manipulations. The extra flexibility conferred by the relocation of the wrist joint may be useful, though. I imagine the phalanges and toe (finger) joints adjusting a bit to allow better individual control of the digits. Felines will have the added advantage of their retractable claws, too. Tools would perhaps be developed with somewhat different grips and controls, but it should be possible. Still, the extremity isn't a "hand" because it doesn't have the familiar palm and opposable thumb. For want of a better term, and since making one up will just cause unnecessary confusion, I still call it a "paw" or "handpaw". And now the distinction between "handpaw" and "footpaw" becomes meaningful. XD

[songcoyote.livejournal.com]

Interesting thoughts on the anatomical aspect of it!

I'm not an expert in bone, tendon, and muscle structure, but I think that the differences between canid and felid paws and those of raccoons, koalas, etc. are sufficient to require very different levels and types of adaptation. I seem to remember that canids and felids (and equines) essentially run "on their toes", and any flexibility of their digits is for grip on unusual surfaces (particularly in felids) and not for manipulation. Granted it's easy to imagine how they could develop into hands/handpaws given proper tinkering and/or environment conducive to such changes, but the changes in current anatomy would have to be significant for them to work as hands. Even with that in mind don't see a problem with a handpaw having a finger, though :)

Another thing I find fascinating is that we're talking about physical structure and limb usage as roots to language. Part of me wanted to steer the conversation back to word usage with less reference to the physical, but after a moment's thought I realized that it cannot reasonably be separated if one wishes to reach a truly satisfactory and defensible conclusion. So while all this discussion of possible development of manipulating digits might seem to some like a tanget, it is actually specifically germane - and arguably required - in order to construct a useful and meaningful terminology.

And now I am thinking about how I think, and must get back to work!

Light and laughter,
SongCoyote

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Heh. That, of course, was the goal: making you think about how you think. ;D

You seemed to want to describe things that don't exist without altering the usage of words that do exist, while my position is that we have to alter the words or their usage in order to describe those distinctions.

Yes, canines and felines are digitigrade, while procyonids are plantigrade (mostly, anyhow) and that affects the anatomy. If a canine had to manipulate a tool, the tool needs to be adapted to his ability to do so. I maintain that this could be done, provided the toes/fingers on the paw are extended a bit and given more individual flexibility. Is a thumb essential? It's certainly useful, but not the only way to accomplish things. For instance, I've watched folks wearing costumes with cloven hooves on their hands, and some have learned to manipulate objects like pens and pencils, etc. Come to think of it, watch my mate writing with a ballpoint pen and you'll realize that his unorthodox way of holding the writing instrument (even though he went to catholic schools) could be adapted to a hand without a thumb. ;D (Given sufficient control and flexibility in the digits, of course.)

As for the equine, we have to look at the rabbits, hares and pikas for my hypothesis. The rabbit has a hind foot rather than a paw. He uses it very much the same way we use ours, though his is elongated to give him a greater leaping ability and a faster takeoff. In a relaxed posture, his hind foot is plantigrade. However, the rabbit has paws in front. They are digitigrade, like a dog or cat, with the wrist raised to form a false knee and the dewclaw elevated.

So, I say a functional anthro-equine needs a similar arrangement, but reversed. So the hind-hoof is digitigrade (walking on a single toe, in the equine case, with the other toes reduced to a vestigial state) while the front extremity takes a plantigrade form and can have a palm and thumb. Furry artists often draw equine anthros with a thumb and three or thumb and two fingers. That makes sense if you look at the actual bone structure in a horse's foreleg, but isn't necessary if you allow for the hybrid (one kind in front, one in back) arrangement we can already find in the lapines.

See how good I am at rationalizing?

[songcoyote.livejournal.com]

Actually I tend to think that I think about how I think more than all too many people think at all (present company most certainly excepted, of course!)

It appears that my meandering thoughts on this have caused a divergence between my general approach to this (which tends more towards "altering the usage of words that do exist" or their usage) and the actual discussion at hand (pun unintended). If I didn't favor such changes then the only way to describe things that don't exist would be to make more-or-less entirely new words :)

I am in favor of the evolution of language. I appreciate new uses for words and the invention of new words. The thing that sparked this whole discussion is really how some of those words sound or feel in my head.

Some writers (including you, with the exception of "pawfinger", at least in my mind) somehow manage to make such terms seem a natural part of the story, while for others they seem to stand out like bright neon signs in an otherwise noir scene. I am aware that much of this is in my own head, based on my "professional" document work, my personal language prejudices, and even my mood that day :) I don't know how to "fix" the stories in which they stand out more; I just twitch when they do.

Getting back to the anatomical basis of the hand/paw/foot thing, the examples you cite all make sense to me, but I wonder how many artists and other fantasizers are actually sufficiently educated in such things that they make their structural choices consciously? Certainly more in the former than the latter :) And after it all, I still can't help but ask: why not call them hands, since we are hypothesizing developing or altering them in such a way that they can function as... well... hands.

And I'm out of time for at least a few more minutes ;) In case I don't get back to this today: have a lovely evening!

Light and laughter,
SongCoyote

[altivo.livejournal.com]

*giggle* Maybe it's just that I don't write "noir" scenes.

More likely it sounds natural because it feels natural to me to use the terminology and it just comes out that way. You hear or read it as if I were just from another part of the country where we call "soda" by the word "pop" or whatever.

I'm still thinking about "pawfinger" but I rather like it myself. I'm tempted to make up lots more words next time, just to needle you a bit.

Have a nice evening. I'm stuck at work for another hour yet.

[songcoyote.livejournal.com]

That's an excellent example! It's like trying to understand a dialect with which I am unfamiliar, or read a review or manual for a device or system that is outside my experience (and thus I don't "get" the jargon). Perhaps one of my initial suggestions to myself would be best, then: read more furry fiction!

I'm tempted to make up lots more words next time, just to needle you a bit.
I'm looking forward to it! ...though it might just make my itch for more tattoos stronger ;)

Light and laughter,
SongCoyote

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Your other questions do deserve an answer, even if you don't see it until tomorrow.

Good artists are certainly aware of the underlying anatomy. It is part of their training, and that's why someone like, say, Chris Sawyer can put horse's legs onto a human body or add hands to the end of a raven's wings and make it look as if they evolved that way.

All writers may not think about it as much as I do. I try very hard to make things fit together, and do so without requiring long explanations on my part (at least, not long explanations within the story itself.)

As for why not call them "hands"? The answer is, at least in my case, that by doing so I lose the ability to keep the reader aware of the difference in my character. If I lapse too far into human terminology, many readers will forget and then find it jarring or distracting when I remind them by referring to a tail or a muzzle, for instance. Also, what I see in my mind's eye doesn't look as much like a hand as it does a paw. I know I can find some photos of fursuiters who have this look. One that comes to mind immediately is stitchwolf in the fursona of his character Praxis. Praxis is a bipedal lion, and what he has at the ends of his arms are clearly paws to my eyes, even though they have thumbs. I wouldn't be tempted to call them hands at all.

In a real sense, I guess, when I write about furry characters I am describing what *I* see and imagine. It may well not quite fit the imagining of the reader, but if I do my job well, they can still see what I see and accept it for what it is. I seem to have succeeded with you, except for "pawfinger" and perhaps "pawsmack." As far as calling them "furs", though I don't show any specifically in this story, there may be non-furs in the same world. Animal-folk and human-folk coexisting. So there.

*controls his impulse to pawsmack you, mostly since he doesn't have paws anyway when in equine form... however, when he finishes his Argos suit, he will have paws so you'd better look out...* ;D

[songcoyote.livejournal.com]

I do see your point, and I appreciate your ability to illustrate it so clearly. You must be a writer or something! ;)

Regarding anatomy, what you say fits my experience of really good artists, as I tried to imply. I think part of the connection failure in my head (besides not enough exposure to specifically furry writing) is that I've not given sufficiently deep consideration to the effect that furs' anatomical and social differences might have on their linguistic reference points. Conversations like this one are one way to do so, and I appreciate your time and attention in helping me learn.

I think the things that jar me the most are ones that feel more egregious and/or clumsier. For me, subtle intimations of a character's alienness are at least as good as regular, direct emphasis on hir differences, especially for things like "pawsmack", where (and this is not an attack, just an approach to discussion) the "paw" prefix doesn't feel like it adds much to the word. A smack upside the head pretty much comes from a forepaw or hand, so even if there are entities with hands and some with paws in the story/world, "smack" pretty much means the same thing for either, which is what might make "pawsmack" feel a bit flagrant.

I also have to remember that not all readers are as immersive as I tend to be. Subtle allusions to physical differences won't reach everyone as easily as they do me, so it might be necessary to include more distinct references unless there's a non-"alien" observer there to describe and remark upon said differences. I am reminded of Alan Dean Foster's book Nor Crystal Tears (an old favorite), which cemented the alienness of one of the main characters by looking at how strange humans were to its perceptions. But in a world where no such perspective can be included I can see the importance of driving the differences home a bit more directly.

It won't stop me from occasionally thinking, "Darnit, I know they're furries! Stop beating me over the head with it!" but eventually I'll likely get that part of my mind to quiet down so I can just enjoy the story without so much analysis :) Of course, that means more reading, so I'd better explore your site some more as soon as I get some time :)

Light and laughter,
SongCoyote

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Sorry if I came across as if I felt attacked. I don't. I'm not feeling defensive about this at all. I'm rather enjoying teasing you about it, perhaps too much so.

"Pawsmack" is constructed by analogy to any number of commonly used terms in American English. We speak of "lipsmacking" and "toe-tapping" when, in the context, it's usually quite clear what is smacking or tapping, just as an example. Also, perhaps more exposure to furry fiction really is in order, since it didn't occur to you that at least some species could "tailsmack" you, or even "earswat" you. We won't even consider what an elephant could do...

In furry jargon, we often see expressions such as "facepaws" or even "muzzlehoofs" to refer to a movement equivalent to covering one's mouth with a hand, the gesture meaning "I didn't say that" or "Oops."

Yes, I prescribe more furry reading for you. Try any of the books reviewed in furrybookreview for starters. ;D

[songcoyote.livejournal.com]

Hm... you're right - most of those other things did not occur to me (thought tailsmack did, if too briefly to have any real impact).

You didn't come across as being attacked at all. I'd just rather err on the side of caution than have anyone feel like they were being attacked when in fact they weren't, especially someone I like as much as I like you. It's difficult convey inflection in these sorts of communications where you can't see my eyes, mouth, tail, ears, etc.

I shall follow the reading path you have set before me, o guru :)

Light and laughter,
SongCoyote

[altivo.livejournal.com]

Oh good. When you do read more, let me know what it was and how you felt about it. I'm very curious.