We've divided the FAQ into seven sections or topic areas.
Section 1: Overview of furry fandom, anthropomorphics, shared universes, and fanzines
Section 2: The Tai-Pan fanzine project and the universe
Section 3: The good ship Tai-Pan
Section 4: The infamous Iktome
Section 5: The intrepid Ramanujan
Section 6: The luxurious Quantum Lady
Section 7: What else do I need to know?
What is furry (anthropomorphics)?
Furry can be summed up in one of three ways, 1) a non-human being possessing a combination of animal and human characteristics, or 2) someone who is a fan of stories, movies, comics or other media which prominently feature creatures as described in part 1, or 3) a person who identifies strongly with a non-human creature such that they act like the animal in question and/or describe themselves as being such a creature.
What a constitutes a furry is basically an anthropomorphized animal. In other words, an animal given human-like attributes, such as intelligence, and the ability to speak. Or the reverse could as easily be true. That is, a human with distinct animal-like characteristics. Appearance isn't the only characteristic in question. Usually the personality, temperments, or social behaviors of the animal in question manifest in the furry.
Other terms for "furry" are "anthropomorphic", "morph", "anthro", or "zoomorph". Two closely related terms are "funny animal" and "plushie". Since fans are also known as furries, sometimes, it can become a bit confusing.
Loosely speaking, "furry fandom" is the collection of people who are fans of various "furry" publications, movies, television series, et cetera. In a broader sense, the term refers to the general "furry scene", such as the collection of publications devoted to anthropomorphics, the people who create these publications, the people who collect the publications, the "furry" conventions and the people who attend them, "furry" news groups, and the various MUCKS, MUDS, and MU*s devoted to anthropomorphics.
What is a funny animal?
A "funny animal", is an anthropomorphized animal usually within a cartoony mileu. The classic example is Bugs Bunny and the rest of the Warner Bros animated characters. When people use the term "funny animal" there's usually a narrower definition than for "furry." In some ways the character or his/her world diverges from our reality in "cartoony" ways. A "funny animal" is not necessarily a character in humorous situations, necessarily restricted to animation.
These anthropomorphic creatures do not necessarily have to have fur to be considered "furry". They can just as easily be based on birds or reptiles, and therefore having feathers, scales, or what have you. Although most furries you encounter will be based upon real-life animals, there is no reason why "creatures of legend", which usually possess some animal-like features, cannot be considered "furry" as well. These would include centaurs, satyrs, manticores, harpies, unicorns, griffins, or dragons.
What is a fanzine?
A fanzine is a usually small-press publication catering to fans of a particular genre or specific creation within a genre. The word comes from the conflation of the words "fan" and "magazine." A fanzine is usually produced by fans; in other words, the editoral staff and contributors are not being paid for their work. Some fanzines adhere to the tradition that the purpose of the ‘zine is to give the participants the experience necessary to go pro one day. Others treat fanzines as nothing more than a hobby.
A related concept is the APA (Amatuer Publishiner Association). This is a limited-circulation ‘zine in which a collection of artists/writers share their work with each other. Usually each contributor pays his share of the production and mailing costs and copies of the collected publication are only circulated among the contributors. A variation on this is the APA'zine, which is an APA that non-contributors can also subscribe to.
What is a shared-universe?
Stories and/or novels written by different people but sharing a similar setting and history. They are usually published as contributions to an original anthology series and usually edited by the original creator(s) of the shared setting. The editor usually controls the "bible" - which is the collection of rules that control the setting and define the actors, venues, genres, plots, and significance of any story written within the world.
In fannish circles there is usually a central idea for the universe with a common back-story or historical timeline agreed upon in advance, and individual contributors create characters and situations to fit into that setting in collaboration with each other.
What is the Tai-Pan fanzine?
Tales of the Tai-Pan Universe is the fanzine (a magazine produced by fans) of the Tai-Pan writers/artists shared science fiction universe. It is set in an alternate future where anthropomorphic Terran species and ETs adventure in a balkanized interstellar society. This universe—the universe of the Tai-Pan, Quantum Lady, Iktome, and Ramanujan—was first created in a hotel room at the 1988 NorthWest Science Fiction Convention. The fanzine is published three times per year (March, July, and November). All of the material published in the fanzine is created by contributing members. All stories and artwork depict characters and events inside the fictitious universe which has been created by the members. We aim for a PG-13 (or milder) rating in the fanzine. Occasionally we publish supplements (Contraband in 1995, Eclipse in 1997, and Rough Trade in 1999) which contain material which we deem to cross into the R-rated or X-rated arena. The publisher and editor of the fanzine is Gene Breshears.
Where can I get it?
If you are in the U.S., Canada, or Mexico, the easiest way is to subscribe directly with us. Send a cheque, payable to Tai-Pan Literary and Arts Project, for $15 in US funds to: Tai-Pan, PMB #532, 6201 15th Ave NW, Seattle, WA, 98107-2382. This will get you three issues (one-year) of the fanzine. The fanzine is also available through Rabbit Valley and Second Ed. Finally, you can pick up issues (at the cover price of $6) from members of the editorial board at various conventions we attend, but sometimes it's hard to find us.
What are the submission guidelines?
All artwork and stories published in the fanzine must be set in the Tai-Pan universe or depict characters or events within the Tai-Pan universe. If your story includes a character created by someone else, then that person must approve the character's appearance (including all of the character's dialogue and actions). All stories will be editted. There has never been a story accepted for publication in which we did not require at least one re-write, usually more.
We do not accept unsolicited characters. Unsolicited stories (stories by someone who has not been accepted as a contributor) will be placed in the "slush pile" and reviewed when and if time permits.
Stories may be submitted either electronically or hard copy. If submitted electronically, please sent as plain text or rich text format. Hard copy must be typed or computer printout in a legible font, double-spaced on white paper.
In any case, we only accept stories and artwork which are set within the Tai-Pan universe. Please do not send us your Sonic the Hedgehodge fanfic.
What's the difference between a subscriber and a contributing member?
A subscriber plunks down his or her money and receives the fanzine every four months, plus an annual newsletter and occasional additional materials. Contributing Members are subscribers who also create the characters who inhabit, and the planets visited by, the ships of the universe. There are two types of contributing members: Contributing Writers and Contributing Artists.
How do I become a contributor?
First purchase at least one issue of the fanzine, then submit a portfolio of your work as an application for contributor status. If you wish to become a Contributing Writer, the portfolio must include at least one complete story - please do not write a story set in the Tai-Pan universe; submit any story you have written for another fanzine, a writing class, or any other forum. If you wish to become a Contributing Artist, the portfolio must include several pieces of artwork. Do not send originals! We cannot be responsible for portfolios lost in the mail. If you wish to have your portfolio returned, include return postage.
If you are accepted you will be asked to submit a Character Information Sheet (CIS), according to the guidelines in the contributor's booklet, for review. You do not have to create a character right away. Some contributors never create character, just write stories or draw art using the existing cast.
What's the universe like?
It's the 36th Century. The four ships spend most of their time in the Gold Road sector, on the fringes of Known Space. Most of the worlds in the Gold Road and neighboring sectors are former colonies of the Terran Confederation. The region is balkanized (that means there is no central government). Many of the worlds are completely independent, others are members of small alliances of three to twelve star systems. Interstellar law is governed by sometimes contradictory trade agreements and mutual protection treaties with no single interstellar police force or military to enforce them. (Sorry, no Galactic Patrol or Starfleet.)
What's the technology of the universe like?
Starships travel between the star systems through "jump points," taking a month to get from one system to the next nearest star. This means that it takes between 10 years and 15 years to get from Earth to the Gold Road, and over a year to get from one end of the Gold Road to the other.
The fastest means of communication is to send messages on starships (Sorry, no subspace radio). Many governments maintain systems of "infopedoes"—small unmanned vessels that zip from system to system, beaming messages to outer stations, receiving messages, then zipping to the next system. This high-tech pony express service can get messages across civilized space about ten times faster than people, who can't be radioed to the next torpedo. That means it's barely possible to get a message from Earth to the Gold Road in a year. (Sorry, no Galactic News Service)
Almost all ships are equipped with artificial gravity. They use reactionless drive to travel from planetary surfaces and within star systems. They use repulsar fields to deflect tiny asteroids and micro-meteors. The most common inter-ship weapon is missiles. The starships are powered by fusion reactors.
Computers are ubiquitous. Most people own small pocket or wrist terminals, which function as watches, cellular phones, electronic books, information retrieval systems, note pads and personal organizers. Most computers can accept at least some verbal commands. Computers are seldom equipped with physical keyboards, but rather have a single touch-sensitive surface on which a virtual keyboard can be projected, allowing for the wide variety of hand sizes and shapes in Known Space. The smallest terminals, such as those the size of a wristwatch, would instead project a series of menus.
Who lives there?
Most of the worlds in the Gold Road sector are inhabited by morphs - beings who are the descendents of genetic constructs. Most anthropomorphic species were engineered by adding a small amount of animal genetic material to a basic human chromosomal template. A few species (dolphins, gorillas, pandas, for example), are the result of another sort of genetic manipulation known as uplift. A few humans live on several worlds. There are a small number of non-terrestrial intelligent species also living in this region. Most are on friendly terms with their terrestrial neighbors. The exception is the Zylithian Empire. The Zylithians bear a superficial resemblance to reptiles. There have been numerous wars between the Zylithians and the terrans over the last several centuries. There is usually some skirmishing going on along the borders of the Devildark sector at any given time.
What is the social/cultural background of the universe?
Some of the planets in the sector are backwater worlds with pre-industrial societies. Others are medium-tech worlds with enough resources and manufacturing capacity to purchase higher tech goods from other worlds in vast quantities. And, of course, many are high-tech worlds with multiple space stations, an interstellar navy, and mining and manufacturing colonies throughout their star system.
The governments on the various worlds range from republics, to constitutional monarchies, to dictatorships. They include theocracies, autocracies, and democracies. The societies themselves range from oppressive to permissive. In short, all of human culture is represented somewhere among the worlds of the Gold Road.
Are there telepaths or mages in the universe?
No. There are no psychic characters or psychic races in the universe. There is also no magic.This is simply a ground rule of the universe, like a law of physics.
How do I create a character?
If you have submitted a portfolio and the editor has written back and said you are accepted as a contributing member, you may create a character for the universe. First, read the entire "So You Wanna be a Contributor?" booklet. (You can read it online or download it here.) Pay particular attention to Overview of the Universe, Character Guidelines, and Physical Guidelines. Begin filling out a Character Information Sheet. Refer to the Samples provided in the booklet. Please do not create a home planet on the draft CIS. The universe has over a hundred worlds already defined, and one will probably work for whatever you have in mind. Please do not create, even as a passing reference, new alien species without first getting approval from the Editor. Limit your creation to the character himself/herself to begin with. Don't, repeat, do not fill out the Character Development Questionnaire and additional documents right away.
When you have completed the Character Information Sheet, please read the guidelines in the contributor booklet again, and check that you haven't violated any of the Rules and Regulations or Character Guidelines. Send the proposed Character Information Sheet to the Publisher at the Tai-Pan address. If the character is accepted, you will be asked to go ahead with the other documents for the character.
Keep in mind that the Publisher may ask for some changes in the character before he or she is approved. Also remember that some ships have more open crew positions than others. Be prepared to modify the character accordingly. For example, if you have created an altruistic, heroic pilot, but the only ship that has pilot positions available is the pirate ship, you're going to need to either change the character's personality, or change her skill set to fit a position that is open on one of the other ships.
What are the project ships and how do they figure into stories?
Stories in the fanzine focus on the four project ships:Tai-Pan a medium-sized free merchant, Iktome a larger merchant/pirate vessel, Quantum Lady a large luxury ship (resort city in space), and Ramanujan a training/science vessel (a small university campus in space). The four project ships ply the Gold Road, a sector on the far reaches of Known Space, approximately 300 light-years from Earth.Virtually every story published in the fanzine either takes place aboard one of the project ships, or stars crew members from one of the project ships. Each project ship is very different. The typical crew member of the pirate ship, for example, would likely be out-of-place aboard the science vessel. Because the crew members are so different, the types of story which occur on each ship varies. See Sections 3-6 for more details.
What does she do?
The Tai-Pan is an FTL merchant cargo ship that plies the shipping lanes of the Gold Road Sector. She is equipped with militech engines and is lightly armed, because pirates are a threat to both her cargo and crew.
How big is she?
The Tai-Pan has berths for 36 crew and is 1300 feet long (roughly one-and-a-half times the length of a 20th century super-tanker). The Tai-Pan contains a both a major and auxiliary cargo bays, which together are double the size of engineering and crew quarters combined. A third cargo chamber, much smaller in size and intended for more valuable cargo that requires surveillance and/or extra protection, is located aft of these cargo bays. There are also a number of smaller storage areas for miscellaneous items for the crew of the Tai-Pan.
Who is her Captain?
The Tai-Pan is owned and operated by the well-respected panda captain, Marko Rasputin. Rasputin is a veteran of the Moskova Confederacy's military, and also served many years in the merchant marine. He became friends with the morphs who would one day become his chief engineer and cargomaster during this merchant service. Through a series of events about which there are conflicting stories, he purchased an impounded pirate vessel from the Kalu-Kalae space navy, refitted her and christened her Tai-Pan.
Who is on board?
The Tai-Pan's crew of 36 includes a number of colorful characters. The Firstmate is an extra-terrestrial named Gaitz. The senior pilot is a dolphin named Kiakiru. The chief engineer is a orilla named F.J. "Mac" McQuarrie, the senior computer officer is a kangaroo/walleroo named TeTeko "Tina" Bush, the ship's surgeon is an acerbic ermine named Aki, and the Cargomaster is a raccoon named Eli. Other notables in the crew include Chester the ring-tailed cat, Frith the technofiend ferret, and a ghost coyote, Ikarus. There are many more interesting character among the crew, too many to name here.
What does she do?
The Iktome masquerades as a legitimate heavy freighter. Several heavy freighters, actually. She uses different names and registries depending on which system she is in. The captain supplements his income with various illegal activities, including smuggling and outright piracy.
How big is she?
The Iktome alone is 650 meters; with false hull added, she measures 800 meters. The Iktome has a sleek, angular design; she was originally built as a military bird-of-prey by the tigers of Trium. She was heavily damaged in a skirmish with the Zylithians and presumed lost with all hands aboard. She was rediscovered by the pirate ship Shadowfax several decades later, and refitted as a pirate cruiser; she has since gone through several captains and crew compliments, only recently acquiring her false hull.
Surrounding the cruiser's angular frame is the clam shell-like false hull, with an electronic billboard along its sides which allows the Iktome to declare herself to be any corporate merchanter whose design she resembles. This false hull (called the Clam by the Iktome's crew) is equipped with a variety of computer measures that produce artificial magnetic, thermal, and electronic signatures, confusing opponents' sensors as to it's true make up. The Clam is semi-autonomous, and can be made to eject itself free of the Iktome when needed. It can be located and replaced as a false hull with a minimum of engineering effort. The Clam is capable of autonomous maneuvers when disengaged from the Iktome; it can be piloted from the helm of the Iktome, the engineering helm of the Cradle, or by onboard computers within the Clam. In extreme circumstances, the false hull can be manned and piloted.
Who is her Captain?
She is captained by the swashbuckling coyote, Bendigo Roberts. Roberts was a crewmember on another "less than legal" ship before he acquired the Iktome.
Who is on board?
The Iktome has a crew of 126, including a small army of marines and their support staff. The number of colorful characters and nasty cutthroats who have been aboard her is quite a bit more than that, as she has a rather high turn-over in the marines. The first mate is Sirrah Chakhan, a wolverine who at one time was the owner of the ship which would become the Tai-Pan (and hold a burning desire to own her again); he served in the Mishikhan Marines and can be a ruthless opponent. The quartermaster is the fox, Ian St. Ritz. Ian is well past the average age of a pirate, which means the image he projects of being a grumpy, ineffectual blowhard is probably an act. The chief engineer is a capybara named Leslie Spinoza. The head of the marines is a tough old magpie named Isedore. There are many other fascinating characters in the Iktome crew, too many to name here.
What does she do?
The Ramanujan is a research vessel operated by the Jodhpur Academy of Sciences. Her mission is to increase knowledge through scientific investigation and educational outreach. Please note that the Ramunjan is not a science vessel in the tradition of Star Fleet; rather think of her as a specialized university campus that happens to be mobile.
How big is she?
A converted FTL super-freighter, the Ramanujan is nearly a kilometer in length, and is equipped with the most sophisticated sensors, astronomical equipment, and physical and biological laboratories available in Known Space.
Who is her Captain?
The Ramanujan is commanded by the leopard cat, Captain Benzar Ghatak, a decorated veteran of Jodhpur's space fleet, and the orangutan Dr. Hari Kamaraj, former Chancellor of Sasaram University.
Who is on board?
The Ramanujan has a space crew of 60, plus 100 support personnel, 85 professors and teaching assistants, and up to 250 graduate students.
What does she do?
Whether you want a stately cruise enjoying the sumptuous appointments of one of her palatial suites, an evening of fine dining and superb entertainment, or just a lascivious weekend, the Quantum Lady is the pleasure ship for you! No mere orbiting casino, the Quantum Lady is an FTL-capable vessel containing dozens of casinos, night-clubs, theatres, restaurants, pleasure palaces, and specialty boutiques.
How big is she?
The Quantum Lady is just over 2000 meters long. Her central hull is 150 meters wide. The four recreational modules are 600 meters in diameter.
Who is her Captain?
General Manager William Pandango (a pangolin) is the ultimate executive in charge of the ship. He is answerable only to the board of directors of the Quantum Lady corporation. The ship's captain, who is in charge of the space crew and the actual navigation of the ship is Capt. Miles Adams.
Who is on board?
The Quantum Lady has accommodations for over 1200 staff and crew, 1500 cruise passengers, and 7000 short-term patrons. The staff includes everything from typical starship crewmembers to bartenders, card dealers, escorts, cooks, janitors, bellhops, and house detectives. The passengers run the full gamut from middle-class day-trippers to the ultra-wealthy.
The best way to get to know the universe is to pick up some of the back-issues and read them. Although your first instinct may be to start with issue #1, since the universe (and the editorial staff) have evolved and grown over the years, the first few issues may give a misleading impression. Check out the back issue catalog for more details.
A sourcebook is available for purchase by Contributing members. About 90% of the material in the sourcebook is information on individual characters, rather than a survey of the planets and societies in the universe.
The editor maintains an e-mail mailing list to which is sent occasional bulletins about the publications and activities of the project. If you would like to be added to this list, send the editor an e-mail message here.
The group which publishes Tales of the Tai-Pan Universe also hosts a number of social events throughout the year in and near the Seattle, Washington area. You can email the editor for more details.
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Tai-Pan
P.O. Box
17032
Seattle, WA, 98127
Tales of the Tai-Pan Universe copyright 1988-2007, Tai-Pan Literary & Arts Project. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American conventions. All art and stories © by respective artists and writers. All persona characters © by their individual creators. All other material © 1988-2003 Tai-Pan Literary & Arts Project. No part of Tales of the Tai-Pan Universe or these webpages may be reproduced or copied in any form or by any means - graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, taping, or information storage and retrieval systems - without written permission, except for reviews with proper credit. We reserve the right to reprint any material contained within the pages of Tales of the Tai-Pan Universe.