Are You A Furry?

The Grey Wolverine · Post by **The Grey Wolverine** » Mon Nov 14, 2011 2:45 pm

Can someone explain to me why you tell people in your family? Maybe its just because I like privacy but comon people, its a hobby. There is a downside to keeping it a secret, nobody I know knows I write because most of my stories include anthro characters, so that would make things just strange. The closest to letting any of my friends know I am a part of the fandom was when I shared my philosophy, my meaning of the inverted cross, and the meaning of the color grey with my friend Jonah.

Tattorack · Post by **Tattorack** » Mon Nov 14, 2011 4:40 pm

Daggy wrote:The...less tasteful portion that we're not going to mention outside of this sentence, that gets more attention than the majority of the fandom.

That!? I alreafy know about that... but if that is what people make a big deal about!
Try the commercials for Magnum Ice-cream, or perfume in that case. I don't hear peoples opinions on that!

TougeFoxJ.D.M.: don't give a hey about what she thinks! Her being an artist doesn't give her a higher status.

Alastair · Post by **Alastair** » Mon Nov 14, 2011 7:22 pm

Tattorack wrote:
TougeFoxJ.D.M.: don't give a hey about what she thinks! Her being an artist doesn't give her a higher status.

I just might tell her that.

Tattorack · Post by **Tattorack** » Mon Nov 14, 2011 7:42 pm

I just might tell her that.

You might... but that's risking your neck

The Grey Wolverine · Post by **The Grey Wolverine** » Mon Nov 14, 2011 9:28 pm

If you want, you can blame me. Just say a bearded man from Massachusetts said to tell you.

Tattorack · Post by **Tattorack** » Mon Nov 14, 2011 9:37 pm

...
...
You have a beard?
...
Didn't imagine...

The Grey Wolverine · Post by **The Grey Wolverine** » Mon Nov 14, 2011 9:38 pm

No shave November kid

GunRacer · Post by **GunRacer** » Fri Nov 18, 2011 11:59 pm

First post on the forums here; I suppose this is a fitting thread for that.

So to begin: hello all!

HP! is a great comic, and it looks like it also attracts just generally nice folks. So it's great to be here.

Anyways, moving on to the topic at hand:

Perhaps a little history first: around a year ago, I read a NatGeo article on the Novobirsk fox program (look it up-- it's pretty neat). I researched the progam further online, and somehow wound up at FA after a good deal of link-hopping. After the initial "yikes, this is weird" response, I took a look at the forums (BAD IDEA). But I did find a webcomics thread, and absolutely got hooked on about a dozen of the things (not all furry, mind you). Then, when I was inspired to start working on one of my own (still looking for a co-writer, by the way). In the process I discovered:
1. I couldn't draw human faces worth a darn
2. I COULD draw furries
3. I liked drawing furries

Still, the whole furry/non-furry thing has bothered me for a while, and reading through this thread was thought-provoking. Even though I enjoy webcomics like HP! and have that as-yet unpublished webcomic, I've always been reluctant to use that title as a way to describe myself-- both to myself and others. I suppose that's mainly due to the reactions I've seen from those outside of the community and the... er... more disturbed members of the community itself. But everyone here seems a lot more grounded and just sane generally, so I don't really feel that same reluctance to call myself a furry (here, at least) because, hey, you guys seem to be normal people who just have a certain hobby.

BUT.

I still feel am afraid to use that title to describe myself to family, friends, etc. due to the potential for misunderstanding and the train wreck that would ensue if someone used the magical power of Google to try and deepen their understanding of the subject *shudders*. And still, as much as I believe there's nothing wrong with being a "furry" (at least as the term is used here) I can't shake the feeling that other people will be at least a little repelled or weirded out by it. Which seems to be the case for maybe half the other people here.

The funny thing is, there's also a significant social stigma, at least in certain circles, to another big hobby of mine: guns and shooting.

But I don't feel the same level of confidence or self-assuredness about the whole furry thing. Again, it seems like I'm not the only one who's in that boat...

So any thoughts, advice, suggestions?

Also, chalk me up as a furry... I guess...

Ambivalently,
GunRacer

P.S. please forgive any grammar or spelling errors; I wrote this on a smartphone

Moderator Edit: Please avoid discussion of controversial topics.

Alastair · Post by **Alastair** » Sat Nov 19, 2011 12:54 am

The best advice I can give you is to simply be yourself.

GunRacer · Post by **GunRacer** » Sat Nov 19, 2011 1:36 am

Note: on the off chance anyone else has written a reply while I've been working on mine, this post is directed towards the reply immediately below my first post.

How... HOW DARE YOU reply to my long, ambiguous post with a short and probably valid point. The gall! (although that post was a waaay angstier and flakier-sounding than I wanted)

In all seriousness, though, I hear you. BUT. Due to another hobby of mine, I end up not really hanging around with a lot of people my age who have a more "live-and-let live" attitude. Most of my friends and acquaintances are a whole lot older than me. Don't get me wrong, the older individuals I know are all great people and I love being around 'em; but they're also a little more set in their ways and attitudes, and more likely to consider the furry thing simply deviant. And word travels fast and far when it comes to the organizations I'm a part of-- I've walked up to people at events who already knew of me and "heard good things" about me through a mutual friend or even chain of people. That's led to some great conversations, friendships, and even unique opportunities. If I was known as "that strange young man" maybe those never would have come up.

So maybe it's selfish or inauthentic to partition a part of me from most of the people I know, but I can't stand the idea of missing out on things because I like a certain drawing style.

In other words, is it "Be Yourself" or "When in Rome, do as the Romans do"?

FlintTheSquirrel · Post by **FlintTheSquirrel** » Sat Nov 19, 2011 11:56 am

Well regarding not wanting to let anyone know you are furry, just keep it a secret. It is not that bad of a thing anyways, most people just jump to the conclusion that it is. You can just not mention it and not much bad happens unless someone follows you around the internet. You also do not need to be one, it is all if you prefer to call yourself one, not required at all here.

Alastair · Post by **Alastair** » Sat Nov 19, 2011 8:43 pm

Flint has a very good point. You don't need to tell anyone that you're interested in furry stuff. Like Flint said, there is nothing wrong with being a furry, but you need to use your judgement on who to talk to about it. The less people that know, the better, if you ask me. I know who I can tell and who I can't.

I also apologize to GunRacer for giving a vague reply. Sorry, buddy....

Wolfy · Post by **Wolfy** » Mon Nov 21, 2011 5:52 pm

I am a furry too. A few people know like a couple of friends and my little sister but I dont really feel the need to skip around telling it to people because it is nothing bad or major. I dont even feel the need to bother telling my parents though to be honest they should have guessed by now. I am wearing dragon slippers and have always asked for anthro stuff for birthdays and christmas, surely that sends some sort of message out?

yehoshua · Post by **yehoshua** » Mon Nov 21, 2011 9:26 pm

My furryness on League of Legends:

http://images.wikia.com/leagueoflegends ... alSkin.jpg
http://media.pcgamer.com/files/2011/07/ ... rtwork.jpg
(I placed the last to as links as to not flood)

I either have or want all of these chars.

Tiggy · Post by **Tiggy** » Tue Nov 22, 2011 6:30 am

I have that kennen skin on my european account. >:3 HES SO CUTE. BUT SO TINY.

Oh and you forgot alistar etc.

GunRacer · Post by **GunRacer** » Tue Nov 22, 2011 12:25 pm

Okay, sorry for all the misunderstanding, everyone. That's what I get for writing a mega-post on a phone at two in the morning. Heh.

Touge: What I was trying to say was that MY post was ambiguous and flaky-sounding, not yours. Yours was straight to the point, so no need to apologize.

Unfortunately, I didn't get my point across well. Touge, Xane, Flint, Wolfy, Yehoshua, etc.: that's how I feel too. Obviously there's no point running around and telling everyone, and it's not something anyone needs to know. This is all good sense. I get it.

I was just wondering why the community's default response (broad generalization, I know) is "no need to tell people" instead of "I love my hobby and want to introduce as many people to it as I can." (<------which is the way I feel about the shooting sports).

Really my intent wasn't to ask for advice (I know where I am and I'm good with that), but ask a more general question towards the community: why wouldn't you share this hobby with others?

I explained my reasons above; I'm mainly looking for what other people's rationales are.

EDIT: Thanks for all the replies, everyone.

Post by **Sleet** » Tue Nov 22, 2011 1:02 pm

Our response is that because it's what works. The fact is, people don't really have the best idea of what a furry is, and are prone to misunderstanding. It'd be nice if we could be open with our hobby, but the fact is, you're basically telling people you're a huge deviant, as far as they're concerned. It doesn't end well unless you trust someone enough.

Plus, it's wonderful to us, but not everyone is a furry. The best response we can hope for with them is "It's neat that you like that kind of thing." If you want to share furry movies, video games, comics, etc., go ahead. But "sharing the fandom" is dangerous if not done carefully.

Seth · Post by **Seth** » Tue Nov 22, 2011 2:32 pm

GunRacer wrote:Okay, sorry for all the misunderstanding, everyone. That's what I get for writing a mega-post on a phone at two in the morning. Heh.

Touge: What I was trying to say was that MY post was ambiguous and flaky-sounding, not yours. Yours was straight to the point, so no need to apologize.

Unfortunately, I didn't get my point across well. Touge, Xane, Flint, Wolfy, Yehoshua, etc.: that's how I feel too. Obviously there's no point running around and telling everyone, and it's not something anyone needs to know. This is all good sense. I get it.

I was just wondering why the community's default response (broad generalization, I know) is "no need to tell people" instead of "I love my hobby and want to introduce as many people to it as I can." (<------which is the way I feel about the shooting sports).

Really my intent wasn't to ask for advice (I know where I am and I'm good with that), but ask a more general question towards the community: why wouldn't you share this hobby with others?

I explained my reasons above; I'm mainly looking for what other people's rationales are.

because the majority of people would jump to some bad conclusions about me. And even if I did explain it and made them see it's not really a big deal, that I just like the idea of anthropomorphic animals, I still fell like they'd look at me funny because of their inherent biases.

Post by **Sleet** » Tue Nov 22, 2011 2:44 pm

Nah, that's pretty much how things work. It's a shame how people act like there's a maximum age for some interests and hobbies.

FlintTheSquirrel · Post by **FlintTheSquirrel** » Tue Nov 22, 2011 3:20 pm

Toward Mr. Bang Bang. Like what the other two said, the thing most people think when they hear the word "Furry" is why we do not share it openly. I have even at one point told a friend and he almost exploded in class about it, obviously thinking of the bad part of it. It is just very complex and rather troublesome to bother mentioning it to people. It is better left unsaid since you are still who you are, does not mean they need to know unless they ask bout it or if you trust them enough to not jump to conclusions.

Therolyn · Post by **Therolyn** » Wed Nov 23, 2011 7:20 am

I have for some time been reconsidering. Recently (since about 6 months ago), I officially began to term myself "furry friendly". Well in my own definition. I could indeed term myself as furry, however I've always been reluctant to term myself as such, due to the stigma attached to furries as a whole (My reluctance to define myself at all came due to a being on the lowest rungs on of school social ladder, I was literally so low, I was 'not even worth beating up', leaving me very reluctant to be open face to face with others). However, looking back on the past a few times and comparing to the present has shown that I do indeed fit enough to consider considering myself furry. I'm still reluctant to openly commit in any way to it however. Lastly Im a slow thinker and indecisive and have been known to convince myself that I'm deluding myself.

So its probably a "Maybe, but"

MilesKingford · Post by **MilesKingford** » Wed Nov 23, 2011 9:36 am

@ Xane - Oh, you are brilliant! You are so right.

It seems far more plausible that people would think that furries are childish simpletons than anything else.
After all, very very VERY few people actually know of the furry fandom (I have gone through my whole life as a furry and I had no idea that there was such a thing as a furry fandom until last year, I never heard it from anything or anyone until last year, and even then I merely got curious what "furry" meant. If I ignored that, like what everyone else does, I would not be here today) and since so few know of the fandom the only way they are ever going to suspect a furry for being a deviant is if you tell them that there are such people in the subculture (or if they research it on the internet but any rational person would know that you can not trust everything you find out on the internet).
Therefore, what Xane said makes sense, and it would apply to the majority of people outside of the fandom, too.

Added: No offense meant, of course.

Post by **Sleet** » Wed Nov 23, 2011 11:51 pm

Therolyn wrote:I have for some time been reconsidering. Recently (since about 6 months ago), I officially began to term myself "furry friendly". Well in my own definition. I could indeed term myself as furry, however I've always been reluctant to term myself as such, due to the stigma attached to furries as a whole (My reluctance to define myself at all came due to a being on the lowest rungs on of school social ladder, I was literally so low, I was 'not even worth beating up', leaving me very reluctant to be open face to face with others). However, looking back on the past a few times and comparing to the present has shown that I do indeed fit enough to consider considering myself furry. I'm still reluctant to openly commit in any way to it however. Lastly Im a slow thinker and indecisive and have been known to convince myself that I'm deluding myself.

So its probably a "Maybe, but"

You're among friends here! We're not going to hate ya for it! It's not really a commitment at all. No worries here. :3

Thu Nov 24, 2011 2:12 am

I consider myself very "furry friendly," as you put it, and am still not a furry.

Ikopol · Post by **Ikopol** » Wed Nov 30, 2011 6:13 pm

Yeah Im a husky.

Wanderer · Post by **Wanderer** » Wed Nov 30, 2011 6:41 pm

I enjoy some furry things (like this comic) but I don't consider myself a furry. Even if I was a furry, I don't think I would ever be able to associate myself with one species.

Leafolawl · Post by **Leafolawl** » Wed Nov 30, 2011 7:14 pm

So many huskies(my spell checker says that's right...) and foxes...

Wanderer · Post by **Wanderer** » Wed Nov 30, 2011 7:38 pm

I guess they're popular... the furry fandom seems to focus on a few animals.

Rhyzer · Post by **Rhyzer** » Wed Nov 30, 2011 8:35 pm

Leafolawl wrote:So many huskies(my spell checker says that's right...) and foxes...

That's a decent speculation. There are a lot of them around here, it's almost too scary. Almost.

Post by **Sleet** » Wed Nov 30, 2011 11:06 pm

Huskies have become a very popular breed in the fandom.

Seth · Post by **Seth** » Wed Nov 30, 2011 11:22 pm

It's always been strange to me, so many awesome breeds of dogs and most furries fall into the fox/wolf/huskey category.

Leafolawl · Post by **Leafolawl** » Wed Nov 30, 2011 11:25 pm

I guess it's just that they're the most adored animals.

Seth · Post by **Seth** » Wed Nov 30, 2011 11:32 pm

Maybe I'm just pretentious but that just seems kinda lame to me.
Branch out people sheesh!
(that being directed at the fandom in general not any paticular people here)

Post by **Sleet** » Thu Dec 01, 2011 1:02 am

I branched out. I'm an Arctic fox!

Thu Dec 01, 2011 1:06 am

I branched out from on the non-furry side. I'm a shape-shifter

FlintTheSquirrel · Post by **FlintTheSquirrel** » Thu Dec 01, 2011 1:08 am

Seth wrote:Maybe I'm just pretentious but that just seems kinda lame to me.
Branch out people sheesh!
(that being directed at the fandom in general not any paticular people here)

Well to be fair, a fursona is what you see yourself as, if many people see themselves as the same thing, than so be it. No need to try to strive to be something you are not just to be different.

Seth · Post by **Seth** » Thu Dec 01, 2011 1:17 am

FlintTheSquirrel wrote:
Seth wrote:Maybe I'm just pretentious but that just seems kinda lame to me.
Branch out people sheesh!
(that being directed at the fandom in general not any paticular people here)
Well to be fair, a fursona is what you see yourself as, if many people see themselves as the same thing, than so be it. No need to try to strive to be something you are not just to be different.

good point.
It just seems odd to me, I've always taken a little bit of pride in standing out, so naturally I wasn't drawn to any of the more common Fursonas.
I'm not saying there's anything wrong with it, it's just not my cup of tea.

Seth · Post by **Seth** » Thu Dec 01, 2011 2:05 am

Xane wrote:I demand more Samoyeds, as they are fluffier than huskies.

I've also noticed more corgis in the fandom, this is a good thing! Most of them are orange and white though, not too many saddlebacked ones like King(y).

I concur. Samoyeds are pretty much the most adorable thing ever.

Tiggy · Post by **Tiggy** » Thu Dec 01, 2011 4:50 am

Irawrout I yam a tigur.

mwhaha

Tiggy · Post by **Tiggy** » Thu Dec 01, 2011 9:40 am

Xane wrote:I demand more Samoyeds, as they are fluffier than huskies.

<3

I love samoyeds.

If I ever get a dog sometime, that is the breed I'm getting.

Do you consider yourself a furry?