Merry Fucking Christmas!

Happy Holidays is the more politically correct way to well-wish your fellows, I'm sure, but seriously, fuck that.

Two out of three Abrahamic faiths acknowledge this season, and two out of three ain't bad. Merry Christmas, and happy Hannukkah. And there's Pancha Ganapati for the Hindus, which, really, is pretty close. Buddhists got nothing special going on, to my knowledge, but with all this peace and love they must be feeling the mettā more than usual. And the Muslims who have the comparatively good fortune to be living in a Judeo-Christian nation get time off work, so that ain't all bad. You boys keep petitioning to make Eid a national holiday and return the favor -- and do share some of those lovely noms y'all make, yeah?<!--more-->

It's a time to reflect on the past and prepare for new beginnings. The sillyness of Saturnalia became the majesty of Sol Invictus in the Roman world, though it fortunately carried on the tradition of gift-giving which we still enjoy today. This trend of brotherhood and let's-all-get-along continued, with Christians playfully adjusting the supposed date of Baby Jee's birth to December 25 to coincide with the Roman feasts, and the Norse King Håkon declaring the 25th to be the official day of the Yule celebration a millennium later.

This intermarriage of different traditions around a common theme is represented most curiously by Santa, who was originally a rarely-mentioned side-note to the Catholic holiday season, though the dude, in his original form of St. Nicholas, was much more significant to the colonists from my country, who celebrate Sinterklaas very seriously on December 5. With the Dutch and to a lesser degree German children getting presents early in the month and the English and French kids getting theirs at the end, there was naturally constant rivalry in the many mixed-blood townships, and again, we see traditions mingling for the betterment of festivities.

De Sint, as the Ducth called him, shrugged off the mitre and the bishop's robes he'd worn since his days on the Turkish island of Myra. He said good-bye to his white dapple horse Amerigo, as he embraced his new role in America -- but then a curious thing happened.

From the depths of ancient lore, Germanic Pagan imagery billowed forth and infused the holy man with a power and vigor and magic the stately old Sint had never possessed. Santa became the modern reincarnation of Odin, with his furs and boots and belt and frosty hide-out. Sadly for Amerigo, there was no place for a horse at this new jolly fat man's side, otherwise he would have seriously considered sprouting four extra legs and becoming the new Sleipnir. Alas.

Nor was there room for the rest of Odin's bestiary, his crows and wolves had to stay behind, though he would gradually be given reindeer by the various poets and storytellers who enlivened this melting pot of a man. An anonymous contributor to the Sentinel of Troy in 1823 (Clement Clark Moore, but don't tell anyone, it's secret) gave them names, and in no time flat everyone knew that Santa Had Always Had Eight Reindeer And These Had Always Been Their Names, Pinky Swear.

We complain about commercialism these days, and really, we're justified in doing so. Where Washington Irving first portrayed Santa Clause as a pipe-smoking Dutch sailor (best not to ask) before he became an Odin impersonator, the image we all have burned into our retinas of the jolly ol' droog in red clothes with white trim all comes from political cartoonist Thomas Nast, but that was just one of many colorful interpretations until the Coca-Cola Company pumped so much of the red-and-white imagery into the world in the '30s that no challenger could remain. Hell, remember that Hindu thing, Pancha Ganapati, I mentioned earlier? Also popularized by Coca-Cola in the '70s.

This world.

I tell you.

But let's not scoff at the gaudy lights and the tacky plastic decorations. It's a new millennium, and this is our reality. No longer is the German town of Lauscha the principle exporter of glass baubles, no longer do we recognize that the lights in the tree are a safety-aware recreation of the burning Yule log, and that's all fine.

The method isn't what we should focus on, it's the message. And guys, fucking hell, it's an awesome one, and I really do mean that. Peace and love ain't just for hippies, y'know.

So think of something nice, do something kind, call someone you haven't heard from in forever. Think about the grudges you hold and see if you can't forgive some of them. Think about the shit you've gotten away with over the last year, and consider maybe apologizing for some of them, even unasked. Seriously, this is an important opportunity, since you can do sappy stuff like that at Christmas and not be called a pussy like you usually would.

Peace and love to all you guys and girls. Feliz navidad, prettige feestdagen, joyeux noel, frohe Weinachte, and merry fucking Christmas, bitches.

- Alex F. Vance

PS: I leave you with a gem by Vahnfox, that Mexican scoundrel!

NaNoWriMo Ahoy!

Even though I no longer participate in the National Novel Writing Month, I still luvs it to bits. Tonight, at the gong of midnight, gaggles of writers across the globe will pour themselves a fresh cuppa and get down to the business of writing 50 000 words over the course of November.

There's a few folks on the FurRag forum already preparing for NaNoWriMo, and I wish 'em the best of luck.

Tonight, I prance off to a local book store to give the annual NaNo Kick-Off Workshop for the local community. Ah, I so miss teaching! I loved doing the BDB Boot Camp workshops at FC last year. Can't wait to do some more.

Wish me luck!

NO on 8: We interrupt your porn for a public service announcement.

Proposition 8 is a proposal to eliminate gay marriage in the state of California. Same-sex couples can already legally get married in that state, but if Prop 8 is accepted, the constitution will be amended to define 'marriage' as a union between a man and a woman.

The No on 8 movement is a group opposed to the proposition, who are campaigning to spread awareness and encourage Californians to vote against the measure. These efforts rely on community involvement; people donating their time and informing others they know, but also through a donation-funded media campaign using television spots and print advertisements.

It's a very hot issue. People like Steven Spielberg, Bruce Wayne Bastian, Larry Page & Sergey Brin have publicly spoken out and donated large sums of money to No on 8; even companies like Apple, inc. have made public statements and financial donations in the interest of preserving the rights of their Californian employees.

Even our kooky little fandom is getting involved. Kamui (the artist responsible for the awesome cover of HC #1) gathered links to a bunch of journal posts and pictures (we know how you all love art) showing other furfags' rah-rah spirit:

http://www.furaffinity.net/journal/501230/

If you live in California, you should absolutely consider casting your vote on ballot day, November 4.

Even if you don't, there are other ways you can contribute:

http://www.noonprop8.com/action

Even a tiny donation is worth-while. And of course it costs nothing to spread the word.

The visibility of this issue makes it an important one for gay rights across the globe. Being Dutch, and therefore legally endowed with the same set of rights that my heterosexual countrymen enjoy, I generally don't pay much attention to gay rights issues. The success of No on 8 is important because it's a highly visible statement that there is no such thing as 'gay rights', just, you know, rights.

Spread the word, donate a bit of money if you can. It's a good way to sustainthe gradual progression of the world to a more open, free society. Consider it an early wedding gift for any friends you might have in California!

http://www.noonprop8.com/

Can't stop the signal

So, you know how international distribution is this complex process of haggling and negotiation?

Apparently not when you're swinging a big juicy book like Heathen City around. I contacted United Publications in the UK to ask whether they'd be interested in distributing Heathen City on their isles, and what I expected to be a long-drawn-out period of negotiating, involving comp copies, numerous calls, and endless price negotiation boiled down to a 'yes please'.

I love working with professionals who know what they want.

Heathen City is now available for pre-order from the UK through United Publications, namely here:

http://www.up1.co.uk/Details/A0901

£16 for a fabulous full-color 46-page hardcore badass furry graphic novel. Pretty slick, huh?

Estimated shipping date is 'July'. Based on the quantity of early pre-orders we'll agree with United Publications on the exact quantity of their first shipment, which will be sent to them shortly after Anthrocon. FurPlanet are going to have to sweat into the wee small hours to fulfill all the pre-orders as well as that shipment, but they're a hardy bunch.

So if you're in the UK, and want to be sure you can get it as quickly as possible, be sure to pre-order quickly so your copy will be in the first batch!

Heathen City available for preorder

Heathen City is now available for pre-order from FurPlanet.

The first volume of this ambitious, 46-page, full-color graphic novel will debut on June 26 at Anthrocon '08. Pre-orders and sales at the con are discounted from the normal $24.95 to $19.95.

The goal of Heathen City is nothing short of redefining the meaning of the word 'furry comic'. Mature themes - sex and violence, a sophisticated, subtle plot, morally ambiguous characters and a storyline that spans the globe - Heathen City represents a degree of ambition and quality that aims to raise the bar, and shove it where the sun don't shine.

Written by Alex Vance, illustrated by Ayato, Distasty, Krahnos, Charha and Fel, with cover art by kamui.

From the back cover:

"Blowjobs for breakfast; death for dessert.

When the hustler Owen Zelazny and his Latin flame Ruy Ortega find  themselsves pursued by a sadistic psychopath with a nebulous agenda,  the only thing they know how to do is run.  Boost a car, book a flight, suck some dick to pay the bills an just run.

 

Their only hope is a man who’s robbed, killed and betrayed to save himself and those precious few he gives a damn about. 

 

With him around, somebody’s bound to get killed.

 

Usually the bad guy. Usually. Maybe.

 

This is a world where love is cheap and life is cheaper.

 

Buckle up for a hell of a ride."

 

For more information, preview galleries and more, visit www.heathencity.com!

Not Heathen City - Quantum Leap instead.

Right. I've used this LJ for promotional purposes more than anything these last years, so rather than waxing prosaic about the trials of producing the baddest-assed graphic novel the fandom has ever seen, its imminent debut at Anthrocon and, potentially, the significantly earlier onset of pre-orders, let me focus on something else instead:

The promotional tagline for the information page for Apple's next operating system: Snow Leopard.

http://www.apple.com/macosx/snowleopard/

"A Quantum Leap."

It's a common tagline. A quantum leap in innovation, a quantum leap in saucer smoothness. Whatever. All of them are wrong, wrong, wrong, because a 'quantum leap' is, in physics, the smallest possible distance an object can travel without standing still.

So why am I so lyrical about Apple's use?

They're the first ones ever to use it right. The new operating system, Snow Leopard, is touted as having 0 new features. All focus is on improving stability, laying the groundwork for the next decade of development. It's a bold move, and leave it to Apple to be able to make "Zero new features!" a positive marketing slogan.

The point of all this is that the end user should notice nothing, aside from performance boosts, which makes this a true quantum leap. Kudos!