Oh noes, furries!

[Taco-Calamitous]

(la la la... this could get a little touchy. Maybe I should've posted it in ID, for the more mature nature? Oh well. Move it, add a warning to it, close it, or delete it as you see fit. I'm not really sure if a warning is necessary, so I'll leave it be.)

Furries. What is the definition of the subject? Is it a group of people with an odd fetish, or obsession? Are the only people who are considered "furry" the ones who dress up in odd costumes, go to conventions, and do... stuff one another? Are people who draw pornographic-like images, or simply risque images of anthropomorphic characters included as well? (probably) Furthermore, is every anthropomorphic animal character a furry? And does it make a difference to you if someone enjoys that sort of thing? Do you link it to bestiality? Or what if I just like anthropomorphic characters in my media of choice because I grew up with them in my cartoons/video games/comic books, and think they can be interesting/cool?

I think you may have gathered my personal tastes on things; I like anthropomorphic characters. I think they can be interesting and cool, if sometimes just for cosmetic reasons. I grew up with Gummi Bears, Sonic the Hedgehog, Tiny Toons, etc... I suppose we all did. I still like a lot of it.

I think it's kind of a shame, the shadow that the furry business has put over what was initially a mostly innocent form of character design. I know people are probably generally weirded out by that sort of stuff. I don't understand, however, why they have developed an aversion to even the slightest hint of it, particularly in references to Star Fox or Sonic characters. The intentions of the game developers are still innocent; it's some of the more... extreme fans who draw the naughty pictures.

Then again, why did Minerva Mink from Animaniacs have that hour glass shape, or that bust? Or Rouge the Bat? And what was up with those show girls in The Great Mouse Detective? What message are these animators/game designers trying to send the kids? While I assume most of these are innocent, and just trying to make the characters more human like or bring a certain element to the story, characters like Rouge puzzle me...

At the same time, I don't think it really matters if people want to dress up in furry costumes, or draw their dirty artwork, as long as they aren't causing harm to anyone else-physically or emotionally-or to animals. I don't really think of what they do as bestiality; most of their characters are closer to being people than anything else. As far as we know, creatures like that don't actually exist anyway. If they were, they'd probably be intelligent enough to consent or refuse. Anyhoo...

Wuv, Yer Mom

[Fluffy]

I'm not really weirded out by it. I don't tend to think of bestiality when I think of it either.

I clearly think of the term in two distinct definitions. One being anthropomorphic characters, the other being the people who are into that kind of stuff. It's kind of like how the term lolicon has evolved to refer to both a person with the complex, and the art that appeals to such a person.

Also, if people want to dress up in whatever silly costume they want, then hey, go right ahead. As long as they're not doing it in an obscene manner in public, they can do as they please.

Furry characters can be pretty attractive, I guess. I've also seen a woman painted to look like one. Hot stuff.

[Govinda]

It's just another fetish given air by the internet. There are loads of them. I find people who dress up as cartoon characters, be they from Final Fantasy or Sonic, just as weird as each other. But if that's your thing, hey, it's not up to me. I won't try and understand it.

[Furore]

I'm not really too bothered by furries in general, but regardless of what I say, I do indeed find it weird when people can get off on illustrations, regardless of their content.

As far as costume furries are concerned, I'd imagine some might do it for the 'fantasy', that is roleplay a couple animals and do what they'd imagine stereotypical examples of the species would do regardless of whether or not the real deal would actually do it. I've never see a dog **** a cat for example. That's not to say it hasn't ever happened, but I've never come across it. For realism a guy in a dog suit could hump someone's leg or something. Now that's realistic roleplaying...
Most of the furry stuff I've seen advertised (I do have limited exposure, so this could be inaccurate) has been akin to lingerie with animal ears/tails/other accesories and with anything of that nature it really does show off the human body regardless, so I'm not really finding it weird that some are into that. If it were a full body suit on the other hand, I'd be a little creeped out.

When it gets to bestiality... That I see as wrong, as the animal really doesn't have much say and I feel it's rather exploitive of the person involved in the relationship. And personally it sickens me to think of bestiality for other reasons such as hygiene. Most animals don't exactly keep their bits as clean as we do...

[Jin]

Furries creep me out, quite frankly. Not to say that I don't have any odd fetishes, but when I'm sifting through hentai on ye ol' internet and I stumble across Babs Bunny having sex with Daffy Duck, I'm done. And I'd rather not even imagine the people that play dress up.

Fur is cute, not sexy.

[DragonHeart]

Personally I'm far more weirded out by otherkin than I am by furries.

At least people who participate in the furry culture know they're just acting out/portraying a fantasy. It's unusual but really not much different from normal cosplay. (You could argue that dressing up as a Final Fantasy summon such as Shiva or Ifrit is actually very similar to a furry.) Either way it's a niche and there are people who enjoy it as well as those who find it weird or offensive. Same with anything, really.

By the way, people who are part of the furry culture actively discourage bestiality and don't condone it any more than non-furry people do. That's something entirely different - furries are strictly in the anthro sense. At least from what I've seen of it, of course there will be a few who do like that sort of thing.

~DragonHeart~

[Rocky]

Personally I'm far more weirded out by otherkin than I am by furries.

Quoted for truth. Like DragonHeart stated earlier, at least the people who wear the furry costumes understand that they are NOT REALLY furries. Personally, I don't really care for the whole cosplaying situation either way, so if you wanna dress up as Cloud Strife or Sonic the Hedgehog at your local otakucon or what have you, by all means go for it and have a fun time. However, once you start crossing the barriers and losing that sense of reality vs fantasy and actually decide that you are the reincarnation of Sonic the Hedgehog in human form, that is when I will be punching you in the eye. I dislike it when people have to lie about themselves on the internet and say they are the otherkin of a dragon/elf/fairy/treant/daemon/Joe Pesci/etc, but hey, I guess it's the internet, so people can make themselves whoever they want to be, right? After all, that is where the whole Otherkin phase came from, a trolling attempt by the University of Kentucky, out of all the states in the US.

On a side note, I don't think there is any correlation between animal beastiality and furry tendancies, because in my opinion, I think the furry lover is attached emotionally and physically to the character of the animal, not so much the animal of itself. Just my thoughts though, I've never been for that sort of thing, so I could be completely wrong.

[Phantom]

I like furries, I know some people that love dressing up in furry costumes, some of which I know of are hot guys in animal costumes. It has nothing to do with beastility but more like getting in touch with a certain part of themselves. Some use it as a form of love or a sexual thrill that their spouse desires, so it can be both cute and sexy. Plus I'm a furry artist, so I know what furries are and what the love in it is. I can see how some people can become weirded out by it, mostly because some think of it as unacceptable and wrong, most see it as gross since some people dress up as cartoon character from their childhood and perform sexual acts or show affection, and thats a understandable feeling, but hey their just characters lol, so its really a matter of just getting over it. Hell, I've dressed up as a furry on more then one occasion to please my past flings and my current boyfriend, as sort of a sexual fetish lol, its fun, and sexy at the same time, can't beat fun sex hehe.

[Taco-Calamitous]

Just to clarify; I hold nothing against the furry community. I agree that it's just like any other fetish/cosplay group thing. And I actually like some of the work. For instance, I recall a flash on New Grounds featuring an antrhopomorphic dog in a futuristic setting riding around on a motorcycle. It was pretty action-packed and cool looking... and some guy freaked out at him in the comments for sharing his "weird fetish with the rest of the world," or something along those lines, and that he should "keep it to himself." Luckily, I think I recall someone else responding and saying "don't listen to him." Anyhoo...

Wuv, Yer Mom

[Pete]

I've never understood the whole furry deal. Is regular sex just that bad or boring nowadays that you've gotta dress up like animals in order to get off?

I don't really see the need to dress up like an anthropomorphic character. I don't see what it accomplishes other than making the wearer excited or happy, but the whole concept of it is beyond me. Putting on a hot and sweaty costume and then attempting to have sex just seems like a great way to try and sweat some pounds off, and nothing more. I can't see being in a large costume, getting all hot and sweaty, being something that I would really enjoy

As for the whole attempt at making anthropomorphic characters sexy, it's pretty much a given. Sex sells, as long as the breasts are big and the hips shapely.. oh and the figure is relatively human. Dead Or Alive Volleyball was totally based off this notion. I'm sure Sonic or Star Fox could move a few more units by plastering some big titted hedgehog or whatever on the front of their cover.

As for bestiality, I don't see the correlation. It's one thing to dress up like a cat and bang someone else dressed up like a cat. It's another thing to get a bottle of KY and go looking for Mr. Whiskers.

[Sinister]

Sex...weird...fetish...

They are all terms that get redefined by every generation. Having seen some of the odd specimen of people that I've met. Strangeness interests me until I find the explanation behind it.

Furries are a relatively boring fetish, honestly. The transmutation of a human soul into a more animalistic nature is an old human tradition. It probably has always had a sexual undertone at some point.

I'm ambivalent about it. Truly.

-Sin

[Jin]

I don't see what it accomplishes other than making the wearer excited or happy

I'm no sexpert, but isn't that the point of sex? I mean unless you want babies. Couldn't the same be said for any part of sex?

Can I play with your breasts? Why? Because it makes me excited and happy.
Can I oscillate myself within your larynx? Why? Because it makes me excited and happy.
Can I watch you cover yourself in BBQ sauce as I stuff you into a meat grinder and prepare to have you for dinner with a side of corn and mashed potatoes? Why? Because it makes me excited and happy.

Of course it does.

[Neo Necron]

I like anthropomorphism. It's the reason I love Pixar stuff, 'cause Pixar are freakin' AWESOME at giving non-human entities human characteristics. So I like animal anthropomorphism to some extent, and can appreciate people who like to dress up as animals or draw them in some humanoid form, etc. However, I struggle to understand the sexual attraction of antropomorphic animals. Still, I struggle to understand it as much as I don't understand other strange fetishes out there. This does not mean I think less of any people who have them, of course. I just don't understand why they have them.

I would not say that the fetish element of Furry fandom is definitive of Furries. It seems to me as though originally Furries where just people who thought animal anthropomorphism was really cool, and not necessarily people who were closet field mice on weekends. However, the internet came along and changed that, like it changes everything else.

A thought - if I develop an obsession with humanoid lizards, does that make me a scaley?

[Taco-Calamitous]

A thought - if I develop an obsession with humanoid lizards, does that make me a scaley?

Actually, I think having an "obsession" of any animal makes you a furry. Makes a lot of sense, right? Anyhoo...

Wuv, Yer Mom

[Angantyr]

95% of furries are butthurt overly defensive nerd/hicks who get extremely defensive when you ask them why they fap to Sonic and act like they're some kind of special victim claiming they need special treatment while they butcher everybodies childhood and wonder why people are calling for a furry holocaust.

Personally I don't care but yeah.