An Addendum to "Justin Visits Fen's Old Home."
I was thinking about Fenris' new middle name, and decided I should make a statement:
Fedora is the name of a well-known Linux distribution. While Fedora is a Russian girls' given name which predates the OS - and thus makes any trademark claim that could possibly cause me trouble questionable - I wanted to give the project credit, anyway.
This blog is actually published from a laptop running Fedora Core 5 x86_64, on an AMD Turion 64 ML-37 (~2.0Ghz single-core, bought before dual-core became popular. Still works very well, though... =;oD ).
I am impressed with the free operating system distribution. Ever since Professor Victor Costea of the Community College of Southern Nevada introduced me to Linux - and he mentioned the advanced hardware support of Fedora - I've been a "believer." Since then, I've molded it in all kinds of ways - including optimization for my CPU; transparent, strong, and fast partition encryption; adding VMware Server to run many "virtual machines" at once (that's where one real computer pretends to be more than one computer, via software); and much more.
(I like to do my drafts by hand, however, in true furry tradition - a needle-nosed, liquid-ink pen [as similar to a fountain pen as a ball-type can get - this pen has runny, smooth liquid ink, with a bold color {I usually use black, but sometimes blue. Either stands out.}; most ballpoints have oily, thick, sticky-type ink], and a pocket notebook - like the fur-artist's ubiquitous sketchbook. =:oD ) ¶ 9/29/2006 02:47:00 PM 0 comments
Getting off of the political high-horse I rode for the last two articles, I've written something a bit less stirring. It has symbolism, but no blood. However, something I've been thinking about is finally revealed in this story - Fenris' middle name.
I had to think a while for the key symbol of the story. It will be obvious (to a well-read person) that it's highly similar to many depictions of Lady Justice, and draws also from the Egyptian mythology of the Heart and Feather. However, it has my own spin on it - in particular, the way the heart & feather are traditionally depicted are reversed, and it has been updated and Christianized. So before any fundamentalist zealots jump on my pen, realize that drawing from ancient Pagan mythos in itself isn't bad - they're public domain to build upon. It's more what you do with it, since they're the author's clay to mold.
With this disclaimer out of the way, Fenris presents, without further delay, "Justin Visits Fen's Old Home:"
***
By Fenris F. (Jeff R.)
Written 9/28/2006; Original Web Release, First Edition, 9/28/2006
Sick of playing video games, Justin just cuddled Fen close. It was a bit chilly in the room, so the gentle kitsune had made himself into a fuzzy comforter, his head poking out near Justin's chin.
The pup sighed, as he watched the pouring rain outside his window. "What should we do, Fenny? This stupid rain hasn't let up for hours."
"Well, I have a place I could show you," Fen yerfed.
Justin earperked, then wagged his little woofy tail. "You always show me such nice places. Let's go!"
The fox popped back into a fully-formed body, his eyes glowing bright blue as he opened a small wormhole in the middle of the room. He stepped through first, followed by the pup. When the fur-pair emerged on the other side, they encountered a complex landscape. They were near the center of a small town. An occasional fur walked by - and to Justin's surprise, there were not only foxes, but wolves as well. A few of the foxes had multiple tails - the hallmark of the kitsune. A green, healthy forest surrounded the town, except for a few meager paths. While it was obvious to Justin that these townsfurs had more advanced technology than he did, he was quite amazed that they tended not to flaunt it.
Jus' and Fen walked a bit, eventually coming to a large statue. Standing 12 feet high, it had the characteristic green coating of aged bronze. The stature was of a single-tailed fox, holding a short sword straight out in front of him - but with the broad plane up. A pan balance scale rested on the blade - on one pan, a small cross, and on the other, a large demon-head. Just looking at these items, one would think the scale would tip precariously to the demon-head on the right.
The scale was tipping a bit to the left.
Justin looked at the statue carefully, even sniffing it at one point. Upon looking closely at the face, he came to a startling conclusion. "Fenny, is that you? Holding Salvadore?"
The fox nodded in reply. "This is the village I first started my path toward salvation in, over 9,000 years ago. That statue is on the exact same spot where I picked up Salvadore, defending villagers from a hideous monster."
Justin head-tilted. "But, what does this say?" He pointed to some odd script at the base of the statue (being in Common Kitarian, he couldn't read it - Fen's implantable translator only deciphers spoken Common Kitarian for Justin). "And what's with the scales and the demon-head?"
The fox began to yerf again, "The inscription says, as best I can translate it into your tongue:
HERE, THE IMPOSSIBLE BECAME REALITY;
EVIL BECAME GOOD,
EVIL PROTECTED GOOD.
FENRIS FEDORA FOX
DID MORE THAN SAVE A FEW LIVES OF FLESH AND FUR -
HE HELPED
HELPS
WILL ALWAYS HELP
ALL BEINGS TO SEE SOME GOOD BURIED WITHIN THEMSELVES."
Justin interrupted the fox momentarily. "I never knew your middle name was Fedora."
"It was the name of my grandmother."
"If she's a kitsune, is she still around?"
Fenny lowered his head sadly; a tear fell from his eye. "Nay. Both she, and my mother, were slain in the Vulpo-Lupine Wars - ancient conflicts so terrible, that both sides eventually realized we'd have to make peace and band together, or face our mutual destruction. Our choice is evident in the furs around us."
Justin looked in the distance, and saw a she-wolf kit-sitting, with an armful of tiny fox-kits. He broke the silence of the moment yipping, "You and your comrades were very brave, swallowing your pride and taking your chances at the bargaining table."
"It wasn't easy at first," Fen murred. "Many, including I, lost a lot. But eventually, hatred turned to tension, and tension succumbed to the march of time. We grew closer, to the point where some of us even fell in love, married, and interbred. The end result was what has come to be known as the VLA - the Vulpine-Lupine Alliance. Our nation."
"Fedora did not die in vain, by the look of this place. You have a beautiful world, every bit as much as Furry."
The fox synthed a bench for the pair to sit on. "The scale was my decision," he yerfed.
Justin headtilts, surprised by the out-of-place statement. "What?"
"The scale. It represents the decision I had to make here - and my conscience - on the field of battle, so long ago."
"But how can that tiny cross be heavier than that big head?"
"Because a little bit of faith, can be a massive pillar of strength."
Justin nods. "It's a beautiful statue."
"It originally was to be clad in gold - but I asked them not to. I still think it's too big, too."
"Why?"
"Well, I won't sit here and say I didn't want to be the model for a statue - that'd be a lie; such things are the nature of any of us. But I didn't want them to waste all that gold, and hence wealth - and besides, it would cast a long-lasting shadow of greed upon me. We agreed on bronze; that way, God could slowly add his own color - the pigment of time. I may be immortal, but I still change over time. Gold does not, but bronze does. I also insisted I help mine the ore - with no magic tricks. Only my own two paws and simple tools to use, like the mortals I helped here."
"But why is it too big?"
"I didn't want it to be any larger - physically - than the fox that inspired it. I don't consider myself some giant from legends; I'm a simple, six-foot kitsune. Not some 12-foot giant."
"Simply soft," the pup said, cuddling his ancient companion tight, as they watched the twin Kitarian suns set over the horizon.
THE END.
***
SPECIAL COPYRIGHT NOTE: Justin the Wolf-Pup is Copyright (C) 1983-2006 by his player. He has been borrowed in good faith for this non-commercial work of fiction. Anyone who wishes to build upon this work is hereby informed that the character of Justin is likely not covered under the Creative Commons Share-Alike Attribution 2.5 license. The rest of the work, however, is.
DISTRIBUTION AND ATTRIBUTION INFORMATION: If you wish to distribute this work, it is sufficient to copy it, in its entirety, when redistributing it (including the title, by-line, and version information at the beginning of the work; as well as this footer). This will include the by-line, which will suffice as the form of attribution to the author required by the Creative Commons Share-Alike Attribution 2.5 license. I, the author, do not care whether redistribution is done in electronic or printed form. And, if you're still reading this footer, thank you for caring about my wishes, and reading my work. =:o)
¶ 9/28/2006 09:18:00 PM 0 comments
When I saw that a 150+ year old opera by Mozart had been cancelled due to contemporary - frankly, damn near newborn - concerns about upsetting some subset of the population, I got pissed off. I'm still pissed off.
I have only one thing to say to those against freedom of speech, that support censorship, and that go for this "political correctness" bullshit (which is just a eupheism for censorship, IMO):
If you want me to stop speaking my mind, you will have to kill me.
LIVE FREE OR DIE!
¶ 9/27/2006 06:10:00 PM 1 comments
I really wasn't looking to bring actual political views to this blog, but one issue really riled me up - and also nearly made me laugh my arse off! =xoD [tee hee]. It's not one of those key issues that dominates cable news for hours on end - actually, it had maybe a two-minute blurb on FNC. [domain link; no association with yours truly. =;o) ]; I first read about it through Fark.com [domain link]
It never ceases to amaze me, that various governments - whether they be local, state, or Federal - keep enacting legislation to ban or heavily tax various substances. Now, I'm not going to get into the whole marijuana issue, because that's a whole 'nother can of worms. I'm referring to more traditional "sin" items, like alcohol, cigarettes, and now... trans-fat! That's right - New York City legislators - already shining in their ignorant bliss from their out-of-this-world cigarette tax - are now mulling the idea of imposing a ban on trans-fat in restaurant food.
I can't believe that things like this keep getting tried. Anyone who's taken a high-school history class should have learned about the consequences - and complete failure - of Prohibition. When you ban or heavily tax a popular substance, such that its legal usage is impractical or impossible, it breeds crime. It's very simple - where there's a vacuum in demand, somebody will step in to fill it with a supply. This has already happened with NYC's cigarette tax.
I feel there's a bigger issue here, though - the idea that Big Brother is trying to protect us from ourselves. It's a futile gesture - I mean, what's next? Banning salt? Banning coffee? What about all the pollution in the air? It could cause cancer. Are all cars going to be banned? One study I read about mentioned that just the act of cooking food, generates carcinogens in it. Are fire, stoves, grills, electric cookers, and broilers going to banned? The implausiblity [dare I say, impossibility? =;oD ] of this kind of "mass adult babysitting" is so laughable, that the FurryMUCK P.D. had to put me down with a fire hose! =xoD
I find it an interesting coincidence, that:
- I am a poet, and;
- "Big Apple" - NYC's nickname - and "Big Brother," are somewhat similar, and finally;
- NYC are the ones to put two asinine substance-control laws into effect, that are way more.. hmm, I don't know what label to put on it - it could be seen as liberal or conservative, depending on your point-of-view or logical processes... strange than the rest of the nation [AFAIK. I'm not a lawyer, and the country is so huge, that something even more loco might be on the books somewhere].
I had a run-in the other day with an ultra-conservative Christian - someone who is so deep in his faith, that he can't even make room in his mind for fantasy characters. He felt that I was sending the wrong message by basing my lead character on the legends of an ancient spiritual servant of a Pagan deity. To him, it didn't matter what modifications were made to the legend, or what virtues this character may attempt to display.
To that end, I was inspired to write the following sarcastic satire - written as if spoken by the forementioned fundamentalist - because fantasy is not a sin.
Fenris presents, "How Dare You!:"
***
How Dare You!
By Fenris F. (Jeff R.)
Written 9/26/2006 (early morning); Original Web Release, First Edition, 9/26/2006 (late morning).
I.:
How dare that furwriter use a kitsune as a lead in a fantasy story! After all, Fenris, a kitsune, must be a Pagan servant. It doesn't matter that he could be divorced from his legend, or that he's turned to the Lord, or that he's risked his very existence countless times in the pursuit of justice and protecting the meek.
It certainly doesn't matter that in taking a great risk by oftentimes sparing his foes' lives - and giving them a second chance - that he displays a strong message of the Christian virtue of mercy, tempering his want for justice. No, he's a Pagan demon - his trickery must be a sign he's a devil. Tricks and magic are evil. We need to ban magic shows. No one should see Lance Burton, or read about Houdini.
And certainly, a creature that uses his magic to make his body into a soft blanket to keep a child warm on a chilly mid-autumn night, surely must be a soulless, heartless agent of the Devil!
II.:
How dare Dan Brown write such a blasphemous work as The Da Vinci Code! It may have turned thousands of people away from their faith! This is way more important than that it may have caused thousands more to look into true Christianity out of logical curiosity, or that it may have caused many inactive believers to take a second look at their faith.
No, this book - which even the author openly declares is a work of fiction - is pure evil.
III.:
Oh, don't even get me started about Harry Potter. That wand-wielding devil-child is the biggest poisoner of our youngsters' minds in a hundred years.
How dare he use his devil-wand in magical fantasy adventures that open kids' minds to reading? I only want them to read dry crud that turns them off to reading. Heck, I'd rather see them illiterate than poisoned by Pagan gobbledegook. And Heaven forbid if a kid were ever having fun reading a book!
Fenny's Afterword:
I am a Christian fox - the Lord is my moral compass. But sometimes, religion can be taken too far. Fantasy characters are just that - fantasy. Most people know that. Bottom line, I think neither fans will go to Hell for reading fantasy works, nor will their authors go to Hell for writing them.
Frankly, if things like this were a problem, Hell would be pretty damn full!
***
DISTRIBUTION AND ATTRIBUTION INFORMATION: If you wish to distribute this work, it is sufficient to copy it, in its entirety, when redistributing it (including the title, by-line, and version information at the beginning of the work; as well as this footer). This will include the by-line, which will suffice as the form of attribution to the author required by the Creative Commons Share-Alike Attribution 2.5 license. I, the author, do not care whether redistribution is done in electronic or printed form. And, if you're still reading this footer, thank you for caring about my wishes, and reading my work. =:o)
¶ 9/26/2006 10:52:00 AM 0 comments
Well, what can I say? There's just times when I sit down and write, and have absolutely have no explanation for what pops out. The content, yes ; the form, no.
This poem is partially inspired by - believe it or not - a wallpaper I downloaded for my cell phone. It's a piece of artwork entitled, The Power of the Cross. Even though I don't consider myself devoutly religious, I thought it was a touching piece - it depicted a metal cross, holding together links in a much larger chain, with the sun and blue sky behind it.
Maybe my piece is only a dream... But every important movement in the history of humanity, has started as an idea - a dream. At the least, it serves as part of my ongoing struggle to consolidate my conflicting internal ideals on emotion, philosophy, and theology/spirituality. It also is a bit of a "vent" on the constant violence we (at least in America..) see on cable news every day.
Well, enough babble. Without further delay, Fenris Fox presents, "Link & Length, Heart & Soul," First Edition:
"Link & Length, Heart & Soul"
By Fenris F. (Jeff R.)
Written: 9/19/2006; Original Web Release, First Edition: 9/19/2006
Sacred but yet debatable,
Cherished but yet ethereal;
This is but some of the nature
Of what we call the human heart & soul.
Sometimes moving us to rage,
At other time to righteousness;
Central in massacre and mercy alike,
Is this thing we call a heart.
Some of us look toward the heavens for a cross,
And a sign from up above;
Some of us look toward the plains of Earth,
And the secrets it may hold;
Some simply seek to help others,
Thinking one day they'll be gone.
But what all of us seek
Is a mantra and a tie,
Which can tie together all we do
During the time which we are.
Some turn to the sword,
Others, to the pen;
Some look to where we'll go,
Others, to where we've been;
Some search for where we'll end,
Others, for where we began.
So we should not look up at those
Who happen to follow our ways,
Nor down on those who look elsewhere
For answers to our days.
King, executive, President,
Simple laborer or peasant,
Even the wandering vagabond
Seeks to learn these lessons;
To find their binding link
Upon humanity's common chain;
The chain of belonging and purpose,
Which brings meaning to our pain.
The chain is our hearts,
Our very souls
Those which make us one;
But only time will be our judge
On choosing the olives, or the gun.
***************************************************************************
DISTRIBUTION AND ATTRIBUTION INFORMATION: If you wish to distribute this work, it is sufficient to copy it, in its entirety, when redistributing it (including the title, by-line, and version information at the beginning of the work; as well as this footer). This will include the by-line, which will suffice as the form of attribution to the author required by the Creative Commons Share-Alike Attribution 2.5 license. I, the author, do not care whether redistribution is done in electronic or printed form. And, if you're still reading this footer, thank you for caring about my wishes, and reading my work. =:o)
¶ 9/19/2006 03:16:00 PM 0 comments
