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Furry 101
11 years ago
Alright so this is something I posted on a Non-Furry site after there seemed to be a lot of confusion on what a furry was. Re-posting it here for other furries to comment on or suggest changes too. I understand furries vary and can be unique- but I'm trying to stick with what applies to the majority.
<WARNING: This is my opinion. I've consulted with furries and resources along with my own experience to try and come up with a definition to help clear up any confusion. I'll also be adding / changing this document overtime>
=: What's a Furry? :=
At the moment I've determined 3 unifying conditions of being a 'furry'. It's essential to point out that there are outliers, but these are general traits of the core fandom.
·Interest in anthropomorphic animals! This is the most general 'requirement', if any. And it'd still be debated between furries. Still, furries like them in at least some form.
·Identification / Representation of a Fursona. A furry has at least one 'fursona' that they either use to represent them within a social community, or identify with. (Or both) [For example, I'm Gikki, a hamster. Easy, right?] New furries might take awhile to decide on their species, or go through phases as they learn more about themselves.
·Furry Community. Some form of involvement in Fandom. Nearly every furry I've asked so far has mentioned the furry community as being a part of being a furry. Anything from consuming or contributing furry art, or having other furry friends you talk to / meet up / roleplay with or however it goes.
·People make the choice to identify as a furry or not. Apparently leaving this out bothered some furries. It's entirely up to the individual if they want to be a part of this fandom group.
=: Misconceptions :=
This isn't to say that furries -can't- enjoy these things. But I've seen many furry definitions that define 'furry' only by these terms. Again, they can totally be into this, but try not to assume please. None of these things were mentioned by furries when I questioned them on their personal definition of what a furry is.
·Petplay - It seems to be that many many BDSM memebers consider petplay and furries to be one in the same. This is false. In fact out of the many many furries I know / met in real life who are part of the furry community, -very- few of them are interested in petplay. Actually, I'm one of the only furries I know of who's into it. Only after joining fetlife or other isolated instances did I find out others with such a shared interest. Petplay =X= Furry. But furries can have / be into petplay. They're just not automatically related.
·Ears/Tail - Just because someone wears ears and a tail, does not make them a furry. They might be one, but it's better to ask instead of assume. This is actually known as "Kemonomimi", which translates into "Animal Ears". For example, someone who loves wearing cat-ears but doesn't go beyond that could be known as a Neko, a catgirl.
·Animalistic Behavior - Growling and biting others is vaguely animalistic behavior. Just because someone enjoys doing this, does not make them a furry. Furries might do things related to their species which can include growling and biting. But doing them doesn't define one as a furry.
=: Art :=
Artistic mediums are a huge deal in the furry fandom. Artists are highly respected and valued. The interest in anthropomorphic animals can culminate in a passion for many creative fields, such a stories, art, or crafts. At conventions you'll likely always see an 'Artist Alley', where individuals would commission artists to draw pictures for them.
The popularity of such art may be attributed to being able to express their imagined fursona in the form of a drawing. There's plenty of things that are completely impossible to do in real life, which is where art, stories, and roleplay comes into being. One of the most common commissions is that of a Badge, which is a basic picture of one's fursona that is then worn by that individual.
=: Sub-Groups :=
These subgroups may not be part of the fandom themselves, but like the Kemonomimi mentioned above, they tend to have some affinity with furries and are worth mentioning.
·Bronies - My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. This show is such a hit that it's gathered a huge following of those who call themselves "Bronies". It's a fairly established community. Whether or not they're furries is entirely up to each individual brony to decide. They even have their own convention, Bronycon.
·Pokemon - Individuals who have fursonas / avatars that happen to be a pokemon! I don't see this carry over into real life as often, but there seems to be an online community of them. This can also apply to digimon. It should be noted that normal pokemon are just 'Pokemon', while anthropomorphic pokemon are 'Pokemorphs'.
·Babyfurs - Furries into ABDL. Sort of the furry version of what you call "Littles". They have their own cute terms like 'cubbing out' and such. There's been some.. problems with them inside the fandom. This could be due to the taboo nature of ABDL, and a poor reputation they've gathered at conventions.
·Otherkin - They believe their physical form doesn't define or encompass their mental states, psychology, or spiritual nature. Many otherkin believe that they have 'animal spirits', which is why they're on this list and where the bleedover comes from. There's some controversy within the furry community on if they 'count' as furries or not, nor do some otherkin wish to define themselves as furries.
·Lifestyler - Someone who lives a furry lifestyle. This will mean different things depending on which furry you ask. It can mean a devotion to the subculture, or identify more strongly than other furries.
·Were / Therian - People who think they're part human and part animal. Not a subgroup I'm familiar with... It's claimed that they already feel they are an animal, so they have no use for wearing fursuits or such.
·Critters / Ferals - Furries that have a feral fursona. Usually they still have a degree of sentience, and it's rare for these types to be fully feral.
·Fursuiters
Many furries own or aspire to own a fursuit, which is an animal costume that strives to represent a furry character or fursona. They either commission others or work to make their own fursuit. The act of wearing one is known as 'fursuiting', and furries can have fursuit friendly meets. Very super popular at furry conventions, and there are often usually be "Fursuit Olympics" or/and a "Fursuit Parade". Body language is the primary mode of communication since it's difficult to talk in them, though more recent fursuits are built with "Talkjaws". Acting / performing is a huge part of fursuiting! Along with this, cons usually have an event for first-time con goers that include instructions of fursuit etiquette.
People who help out fursuiters are known as fursuit handlers, and those that manage a crowd of fursuiters (for parades, for example) could be known as fursuit wranglers.
=: Furry Kinks :=
Okay a lot of furry kinks are sort of... impossible to do in real life. So I'll put down a few of them for fun.
·Vore - Eating others! The most common form of this is 'Soft Vore', which is eating someone whole. This usually ends with them puking back up the meal, or having it pass through their system. Look into it yourself if you're interested! There's lots of versions of it. Such as anal or cock vore (shoving someone up your butt / penis. Like a full sized furry! Super stretchy or something like that..) Hard vore involves digesting / chewing and actually -eating- the prey.
·Hyper - So you like large bodyparts, eh? Hypers basically take a bodypart, such as balls, breasts, or a cock, then make them super big! Like cocks so huge they're as long as your body. Or balls the size of bean-bag chairs.
·Macro/Micro - Being really big or really small! I'm talking like, inches tall- or miles high. This isn't a fetish that can be played out in real life, so it's mostly expressed through art, stories, and roleplay. Usually there's a heavy focus on dominance/submission, along with including paw fetishes, trampling, or vore.
·Paw Fetish - Furry version of the common foot-fetish! Difference being a focus on paws; either anthropomorphic or feral. There's a huge amount of variety involved! Especially when dragons paws, scalies, hooves or talons get involved.
·Plushophilia - People who really really enjoy plushies. The can extend to boinking them, to even having their fursona as an anthropomorphic plushie. I don't know if non-furs are into this, but thought it's worth mentioning.
·Transformation - This can be pretty popular! It's a fetish for transforming into something. Human into a furry is the most general, but it can species to species.
-=: Extras :=-
Wow, extra things! If you're curious about the furry fandom, then feel invited to do a bit of extra research on your own.
·Wikifur is a generally educational site on furry things, and seems to be fairly accurate.
·FurAffinity is one of the most popular sites for just such a thing! From art, to photos, to poetry, stories, and even music! <Warning: Nearly anything is posted, but there's still a lot of good art on there. The frontpage can be a bit of a gamble, but searches usually won't yield porn unless you're logged into an account.>
<WARNING: This is my opinion. I've consulted with furries and resources along with my own experience to try and come up with a definition to help clear up any confusion. I'll also be adding / changing this document overtime>
=: What's a Furry? :=
At the moment I've determined 3 unifying conditions of being a 'furry'. It's essential to point out that there are outliers, but these are general traits of the core fandom.
·Interest in anthropomorphic animals! This is the most general 'requirement', if any. And it'd still be debated between furries. Still, furries like them in at least some form.
·Identification / Representation of a Fursona. A furry has at least one 'fursona' that they either use to represent them within a social community, or identify with. (Or both) [For example, I'm Gikki, a hamster. Easy, right?] New furries might take awhile to decide on their species, or go through phases as they learn more about themselves.
·Furry Community. Some form of involvement in Fandom. Nearly every furry I've asked so far has mentioned the furry community as being a part of being a furry. Anything from consuming or contributing furry art, or having other furry friends you talk to / meet up / roleplay with or however it goes.
·People make the choice to identify as a furry or not. Apparently leaving this out bothered some furries. It's entirely up to the individual if they want to be a part of this fandom group.
=: Misconceptions :=
This isn't to say that furries -can't- enjoy these things. But I've seen many furry definitions that define 'furry' only by these terms. Again, they can totally be into this, but try not to assume please. None of these things were mentioned by furries when I questioned them on their personal definition of what a furry is.
·Petplay - It seems to be that many many BDSM memebers consider petplay and furries to be one in the same. This is false. In fact out of the many many furries I know / met in real life who are part of the furry community, -very- few of them are interested in petplay. Actually, I'm one of the only furries I know of who's into it. Only after joining fetlife or other isolated instances did I find out others with such a shared interest. Petplay =X= Furry. But furries can have / be into petplay. They're just not automatically related.
·Ears/Tail - Just because someone wears ears and a tail, does not make them a furry. They might be one, but it's better to ask instead of assume. This is actually known as "Kemonomimi", which translates into "Animal Ears". For example, someone who loves wearing cat-ears but doesn't go beyond that could be known as a Neko, a catgirl.
·Animalistic Behavior - Growling and biting others is vaguely animalistic behavior. Just because someone enjoys doing this, does not make them a furry. Furries might do things related to their species which can include growling and biting. But doing them doesn't define one as a furry.
=: Art :=
Artistic mediums are a huge deal in the furry fandom. Artists are highly respected and valued. The interest in anthropomorphic animals can culminate in a passion for many creative fields, such a stories, art, or crafts. At conventions you'll likely always see an 'Artist Alley', where individuals would commission artists to draw pictures for them.
The popularity of such art may be attributed to being able to express their imagined fursona in the form of a drawing. There's plenty of things that are completely impossible to do in real life, which is where art, stories, and roleplay comes into being. One of the most common commissions is that of a Badge, which is a basic picture of one's fursona that is then worn by that individual.
=: Sub-Groups :=
These subgroups may not be part of the fandom themselves, but like the Kemonomimi mentioned above, they tend to have some affinity with furries and are worth mentioning.
·Bronies - My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. This show is such a hit that it's gathered a huge following of those who call themselves "Bronies". It's a fairly established community. Whether or not they're furries is entirely up to each individual brony to decide. They even have their own convention, Bronycon.
·Pokemon - Individuals who have fursonas / avatars that happen to be a pokemon! I don't see this carry over into real life as often, but there seems to be an online community of them. This can also apply to digimon. It should be noted that normal pokemon are just 'Pokemon', while anthropomorphic pokemon are 'Pokemorphs'.
·Babyfurs - Furries into ABDL. Sort of the furry version of what you call "Littles". They have their own cute terms like 'cubbing out' and such. There's been some.. problems with them inside the fandom. This could be due to the taboo nature of ABDL, and a poor reputation they've gathered at conventions.
·Otherkin - They believe their physical form doesn't define or encompass their mental states, psychology, or spiritual nature. Many otherkin believe that they have 'animal spirits', which is why they're on this list and where the bleedover comes from. There's some controversy within the furry community on if they 'count' as furries or not, nor do some otherkin wish to define themselves as furries.
·Lifestyler - Someone who lives a furry lifestyle. This will mean different things depending on which furry you ask. It can mean a devotion to the subculture, or identify more strongly than other furries.
·Were / Therian - People who think they're part human and part animal. Not a subgroup I'm familiar with... It's claimed that they already feel they are an animal, so they have no use for wearing fursuits or such.
·Critters / Ferals - Furries that have a feral fursona. Usually they still have a degree of sentience, and it's rare for these types to be fully feral.
·Fursuiters
Many furries own or aspire to own a fursuit, which is an animal costume that strives to represent a furry character or fursona. They either commission others or work to make their own fursuit. The act of wearing one is known as 'fursuiting', and furries can have fursuit friendly meets. Very super popular at furry conventions, and there are often usually be "Fursuit Olympics" or/and a "Fursuit Parade". Body language is the primary mode of communication since it's difficult to talk in them, though more recent fursuits are built with "Talkjaws". Acting / performing is a huge part of fursuiting! Along with this, cons usually have an event for first-time con goers that include instructions of fursuit etiquette.
People who help out fursuiters are known as fursuit handlers, and those that manage a crowd of fursuiters (for parades, for example) could be known as fursuit wranglers.
=: Furry Kinks :=
Okay a lot of furry kinks are sort of... impossible to do in real life. So I'll put down a few of them for fun.
·Vore - Eating others! The most common form of this is 'Soft Vore', which is eating someone whole. This usually ends with them puking back up the meal, or having it pass through their system. Look into it yourself if you're interested! There's lots of versions of it. Such as anal or cock vore (shoving someone up your butt / penis. Like a full sized furry! Super stretchy or something like that..) Hard vore involves digesting / chewing and actually -eating- the prey.
·Hyper - So you like large bodyparts, eh? Hypers basically take a bodypart, such as balls, breasts, or a cock, then make them super big! Like cocks so huge they're as long as your body. Or balls the size of bean-bag chairs.
·Macro/Micro - Being really big or really small! I'm talking like, inches tall- or miles high. This isn't a fetish that can be played out in real life, so it's mostly expressed through art, stories, and roleplay. Usually there's a heavy focus on dominance/submission, along with including paw fetishes, trampling, or vore.
·Paw Fetish - Furry version of the common foot-fetish! Difference being a focus on paws; either anthropomorphic or feral. There's a huge amount of variety involved! Especially when dragons paws, scalies, hooves or talons get involved.
·Plushophilia - People who really really enjoy plushies. The can extend to boinking them, to even having their fursona as an anthropomorphic plushie. I don't know if non-furs are into this, but thought it's worth mentioning.
·Transformation - This can be pretty popular! It's a fetish for transforming into something. Human into a furry is the most general, but it can species to species.
-=: Extras :=-
Wow, extra things! If you're curious about the furry fandom, then feel invited to do a bit of extra research on your own.
·Wikifur is a generally educational site on furry things, and seems to be fairly accurate.
·FurAffinity is one of the most popular sites for just such a thing! From art, to photos, to poetry, stories, and even music! <Warning: Nearly anything is posted, but there's still a lot of good art on there. The frontpage can be a bit of a gamble, but searches usually won't yield porn unless you're logged into an account.>
you say 'lots of furries have suits, or aspire to have suits'. what would you say 'lots' is? I've been to furmeets and i'd say the proportion there is maybe 1/5 to 1/3rd of the people that show up have suits, and since we know that not every furry goes to meets, we can say the total number of furries that want suits is probably lower. I've usually estimated it as about 10 to 20% of the fandom.