Space Invaders.

So, a few assorted and domestic pictures with which to see out the week.  To your right, as promised a few weeks back, some Rifters-based fan art from “Toa-lagara” over at Deviant Art (and also, now, in the Rifters Gallery, with her permission). Russians do dark art so beautifully.Immediately below, a special edition enhanced appearance of Philippe Jozelon’s evocative Echopraxie cover for Fleuve (my French publishers).  Interesting side note: the French edition is dedicated to “MICROBE. Qui m’a sauvé la vie”.  I know at least some of you will get the joke.

I remember writing this very scene.

I remember writing this very scene. (Click to embiggen.)

echopraxie

Now with 100% fewer distracting alphanumerics! (Click to embiggen.)

And finally…

This is pretty much a typical summer evening on the porch of the Magic Bungalow.

This is "Silverpaw", aka "TP" because he first came to us with what appeared to be toilet paper stuck on his butt.

This is “Silverpaw”, aka “TP” because he first came to us with what appeared to be toilet paper stuck on his butt. (You can still see a bit of it stuck to his left flank.)

The sock-clad foot is mine.

Silverpaw is without a doubt the most fearless of the bunch. You do not fuck with Silverpaw

Silverpaw is without a doubt the most fearless of the bunch. You do not fuck with Silverpaw.

At approximately 21:58 on the evening of June 18, 2015, while we were watching back episodes of "Bob's Burgers", Silverpaw figured out how to open the front door.

At approximately 21:58 on the evening of June 18, 2015, while we were watching back episodes of “Bob’s Burgers”, Silverpaw figured out how to open the front door.

He made it as far as the Ponearium before we managed to lure him out the back. We locked the doors.

At approximately 22:02, Silverpaw was back inside. (Photo credit: Micropone Rossiter)

This may be our last transmission.

This may be our last transmission.

 



This entry was posted on Friday, June 19th, 2015 at 1:54 pm and is filed under art on ink, misc. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.
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ken
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ken
9 years ago

Can…can you do this with wild racoons? I mean, they’re cute and all, but here in the lower 48, the watchword with racoons is rabies.

Also, don’t the cats go apeshit over these intruders?

Well, at least you now have an ally in case you need to break out of an intergalactic prison.

Ann Gunning
Guest
Ann Gunning
9 years ago

Awwwwwwww! Rocky raccoon still lives in my son’s bedroom. They are both 33 . He has no nose. Rocky, that is.

Ashley R Pollard
Guest
9 years ago

Awesome and sweet at the same time.

RedIndianGirl
Guest
RedIndianGirl
9 years ago

All I can say is hello toxioplasmosis! This is worthy of hashtags #eyeroll and #crazysettlers and also #fearlessbiologist.

Mr Non-Entity
Guest
Mr Non-Entity
9 years ago

You do of course realize that the cats and raccoons are part of the vast animal conspiracy to do something about those wacky planet-wrecking primates… just as soon as we stop feeding them kibble and keeping them warm in winter.

I sense the inchoate drift towards a new field of post-doc research. Meanwhile, document everything!

Monte Davis
Guest
Monte Davis
9 years ago

Since reading de Camp & Miller’s Genus Homo long long ago, I’ve thought repeatedly about which mammal I’d hope to see make the best showing after we screw up. Lots to be said for pigs, bears, bats and others… but if attitude counts, definitely raccoons.

whoever
Guest
whoever
9 years ago

Clever little mammals, aren’t they?

Mark Russell
Guest
9 years ago

Growing up at the end of the GTA, with a house that backed onto a forest, we regularly had raccoons and squirrels decide that our house was their home. You’d open the front door at night and see a mama raccoon walking her babies back from our garage, where they had broken in (again) turned our garbage into an evening meal. She’d just look at us with her glowing, f- you eyes, and keep on walking.

One squirrel was especially neat because he became quasi-domesticated and lost all his fear of people. For us, it was no big deal and we’d feed him from time to time when he came wandering by. But the paperboy and other visitors, it was a lot more surprising — when he’d decide to jump out of a tree, land on a random shoulder and hang out.

Mr Non-Entity
Guest
Mr Non-Entity
9 years ago

Peter Watts: I’ve been living at the heart of an ever-shifting colony of cats since the mid-seventies.If I haven’t already had toxoplasmosis for at least two decades, I’m immune.

One must of course wonder if the effect of toxo in the Watts subspecies isn’t to make you much more concerned for the wellbeing of the carriers.

Though actually it’s kind of mean to suggest that people could be kind to animals only because their brains were infected. Worms or not, animals do deserve the respect that we should give all of the rest of our cohabitants in the biosphere, eh? But I don’t suppose it would harm the racoons too much to try to sneak a bit of ivermectin into their diet on an appropriate regime. Lord knows it goes everywhere else and people might as well use it while it still works. Yet I wonder if maybe a bit of toxo might not go a long way in making racoons more friendly towards, or at least tolerant of, humans and other omnivorous competing species.

Johan Larson
Guest
Johan Larson
9 years ago

Teaching surprisingly clever scavengers that the interior of your home has yummy nibbles sounds like a decision worth reconsidering.

Unless the long-term plan is coon-skin caps or something …

Da'Schmeef
Guest
Da'Schmeef
9 years ago

OOHH Gunga din, Someone is a far far braver person then I, Feeding the Wild Raccoon with no pants on!!
😉

03
Guest
03
9 years ago

Awwww, so cute!

Do make sure you keep your alcohol well contained:
http://imgur.com/SKpDYpd

do what you must, I have already won” 😀

OldMiser
Guest
OldMiser
9 years ago

“MICROBE. Qui m’a sauvé la vie”

Peter Watts:

Is this about the flesh-eating-bacteria infection you had a few years ago?

Vincent
Guest
Vincent
9 years ago

I think this Lenie (?) has breasts that are too big. I saw them smaller.

whoever
Guest
whoever
9 years ago

Off-topic.

Starfish/rifters mentioned in Newyorker:

Sympathetic sci-fi.

People seem to be raving about Sense8 on Twitter.