From: noel@umbc2.umbc.edu
Subject: Ask and you shall receive (20-point definition of furry fandom)
Organization: University of Maryland Baltimore County
Date: Wed, 16 Dec 1992 22:52:47 GMT

	You asked for it, so here it is!  Originally written on the Deathstar 
BBS in Washington DC and later made into a text file by Watts Martin, enjoy!

"Furry Fandom"
--------------
    If you wander around the Wyvern's Den long enough, you'll come
across the term "furry."  Just what the hell is a furry, anyway?
    This file is, in part, another file called FURRY.TXT found on a
few true-blue furry systems on the west coast.  There are also a few
messages taken from the furry subsection on the DeathStar BBS, a
Commodore 128 board running in Washington, DC.
    Somewhat curiously, none of these files or messages define the word
"furry" completely.  To wit, a furry is a funny animal taken seriously.
Roger Rabbit, Bugs Bunny, and Mickey Mouse are funny animals; they are
anthropomorphic, mostly behave like people, and are pretty much the
cartoon equivalent of character actors.  Usagi Yojimbo, Omaha the Cat
Dancer, and the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles are furries (even
though turtles don't have fur); they are even more anthropomorphic in
appearance than the funny animals are, but behave like crosses between
humans and animals.  They are sapient, and just as much "people" as any
fictional character, but they aren't presented as animals for laughs.
Most furries tend towards their human aspects, their "species" not all
that important.  Some are more strongly tied to the animals they are
related to, perhaps 'regressing' under stress (for example, Vincent on
"Beauty and the Beast," who is perhaps the 'furriest' creature known to
mainstream audiences--a nonhuman, animalistic character portrayed in a
serious, fairly realistic manner).
    As for the 'other' definition of furry, that's what these articles
are about.


FURRY FANDOM OBSERVED

[written by Dr Pepper]

0. This is an attempt to concisely explain furrydom to the curious. I 
am not myself a member of this group, this is what i have been told,
have heard and read, or just observed in action. This is by no means
complete but it is a start towards understanding. 

1. In the simplest terms furry fandom is the admiration of creatures
that have both human and animal traits. Since such do not actually
exist, this is considered a subgenre of science fiction/fantasy
fandom. 

2. One aspect of this is simply liking so called "funny animal"
cartoons and comics, such as Bugs Bunny, Tom & Jerry, et al. Such
creatures are not conceived with much logic, and it is their human
references that are important, the animal shape is more for humor than
anything else. 

3. Then there is the envy of certain traits observed in animals. Such
traits include speed, strength, grace, beauty, cunning and of course
possession of fur. Most of the animals people are attracted to are
mammals, hence the term "furry", but nothing is excluded. 

4. This leads to the desire to put oneself in the animal's place so as
to be able to really experience what it is like to be so gifted. 

5. But most people want to have this experience with human type
sapience. This leads to the postulation of various kinds of creatures.

6. Real animals that somehow can think and talk. A lot of folklore and
mythology is mined for source material for these. Of more recent
vintage is the idea of using biological or digital technology to
augment ordinary creatures. 

7. Sapient analogs of certain animals. These include parallel
evolution on other worlds, human genetic intervention, and additional
evolution, say due to massive radiation. 

8. Gene spliced creatures made to order. These can range from
customized humans to totally new beings made with the desired
combination of traits. 

9. Furry fans like to read and write stories involving any of those
creatures, admire and create art featuring them, and play games
that include them. This includes playacting, such as answering the
phone with a "meow".

10. But some people are more than just furry FANS. These people are
simply called FURRIES.

11. Furries are those who get into the concept so much that they
deliberately develop alternate personas that actually have those
animal traits. Each persona takes on a life of its own in a sort of
controlled schizophrenia such as ventriloquists and fantasy gamers
practice.

12. Furries have many different ways to relate to their furry
personas. Some think of them as totally different beings who happen to
live inside them. Others see them as simply minor varients of
themselves. And still others see them as vehicles for normally
suppressed aspects of their own personalities.

13. The most interesting way of viewing a persona though, is to see it
as some sort of mystical entity that can confer benefits which are
represented by the animal shape. Some relate this to a witch's
familiar or to the spirit guardian of the plains indians. This can be
taken literally, that is with actual belief in such entities, or in a
Jungian fashion, that the animal shape is a symbolic key to unlock
unconscious abilities.

14. Fine. So what do furries do their personas? They communicate
through them. The definition of the persona determines how the furry
will express themself. This can be quite different from how the actual
person does it. This may facilitate communication under circumstances 
in which the person would normally feel inhibited.

15. In fact it has been claimed that, despite the impression one might
get about the persona as "putting on a mask", the use of the persona
actually enables a person to be more genuinely themselves. That's
because the persona has more freedom, not being subject to the
stifling layers that social convention puts on us mere humans. 

16. Long as we're getting free of social conventions, we might as get
to sex. Most furries are interested in the concept of sex between
themselves as themselves, or themselves as their personas, with other
such creatures. This differs from simple bestiality in that the
partner is another mature sapient. So regardless of the species
difference, it remains full participation sex between two people.

17. Dear me, did I say two? Two is another social convention. A lot
(most?) furries like group sex.

18. In fact social conventions seem to go down like dominos once one
gets started. That may be why so many (most?) furries are bi.

19. Let us now pause while the straight and monogamous folks come out
from wherever they just dived into for cover.

20. Ok, didn't mean to chase anyone off. The point is that wherever
you may be on the spectrum, from full fledged furriness to just a
reader of "Panda Khan," there is a place in furrydom for you.

Enjoy!

------------
Well, gosh, still with me?  Before anyone asks, no, I don't have personal
experience with points #16 through #18 up there.  As for having a furry
character being a "controlled schizophrenia," well, no experience with
that, either, but it sounds somewhat harsh, perhaps unintentionally
implying that all role-players are slightly insane when they act as a
different personality.
    To delve into this a little more from the "inside," as it were, we
scoot over to the other coast.  I have deleted the more useless replies
from these chains....


11 [006] *NRB* "Furriness"
    By: KEN COUGAR-DS189
    On: Fri May 12, 1989  3:00 PM
    LR: Sun May 14, 1989  1:59 PM
    -- 6 Responses --

Furriness.  Why you guys need to categorize it and analyse it; I don't know.
What it is:  I can only tell you what it is for me.

For me, it's an expression of parts of my personality that normally wouldn't
get an outlet.  It's Role-Playing that doesn't use a set of rules.  For me,
it's mostly an expression of myself for the people I care for.

Having a furry persona allows me to look at things; Life, relationships, mostly
social activities, from a different perspective.  But, it's a creative tool. 
I use my personas to test the possibilities of relations.  An aggressive
persona would handle things one way.  A timid one, another way.  Games.  For
me, it's an elaborate game.

I've been a Furry for as long as I can remember in my role-playing days.  It's
a way to be different.  I feel I'm better able to accept the differences in
other people because of it.

It's hard trying to explain this.  I'm not making too much sense to myself,
cause it would take most of this hard-disk to write down all of the little
nuances and quirks of why I am what I am.  It's a part of me.  It's a part of
me that really doesn't and shouldn't need explaining.  I think you guys should
get away from worrying about why and live with it.  Have FUN with it.  THAT is
the jist behind it.  It's FUN.

coug'r

- Response 1 Of 6 -
By BACKSLASH-DS147
On Fri May 12, 1989  9:24 PM

Actually, I understand what you are getting at.  My own furry allows me to view
myself from the outside, and is also a reflection/extension of my own
personality.

Role Playing without rules, out here it spells HUNTER!

Yeah, having a furry is great if you tend to be shy or not very social.  I've
made a lot of friends though furry fandom and have yet to really lose one.
And like you said, its fun!

=========

12 [001]  ---  "more furriness"
    By: KEN COUGAR-DS189
    On: Fri May 12, 1989  3:12 PM
    LR: Fri May 12, 1989  9:31 PM
    -- 1 Response --

A couple of other things.

Some of the observations made by some of the folks here are valid.  Anything
taken to an extreme is bad.  Like the Role-Players killing themselves over
something done to their character in a game.  But, that was a problem inherent
in the PERSON, not the game or the concept.  A lot of people can't or won't
recognize that fact.

The same can happen with being furry.  But, in my experience, I have yet to see
anyone let their persona take control of their life.  Period.  I know Mark
[Merlino].  Sylys is him, but it's not a swap.  Ken Cougar is me, but I KNOW
I'm not a genetically constructed Puma/Human hybrid.  He was built, by me,
to represent me in role-playing situations.  That simple.  No blur in reality
there.

One thing that popped into mind:  Furriness, I think, emphasizes a person's
individuality.  Choosing a totem and creating a persona is a personal thing.  A
personal expression.  And it's not limited to timid or shy people.  I know some
extremely extroverted folks who have furry personas.  

It's pretty unexplainable.

Just live it.  Have fun with it.  Make friends with it.  Play with it.

Express your Furriness.  You can do it, only if you have it.

coug'r

- Response 1 Of 1 -
By BACKSLASH-DS147
On Fri May 12, 1989  9:31 PM

Again, I see your point, some people take things (inculding furry fandom) way
too seriously.  But as far as I know I am the most furry of the local users
(with Jaguar and Aggressor a very close second).

What I was saying is some people tend to live their furries, a concept that is
still pretty unusual out here.  Like I said, Mark and Sylys are the same
person, but Noel and Backslash are not (Backslash is Noel as a furry/his
character/extension of his personality).

Don't worry, I know I've got it--and I sure at least a few others here do too.

Backslash,
One Trick Fox.

----------

Furry BBS's:

Several boards around the country carry Furry stuff.  Some have only one or
two sections (usually, a "fanac", or fan activity discussion, base and maybe
a story board), while others are more-or-less completely furcovered (for
want of a better description).  Many of these boards have other primary
purposes, but only the DeathStar is not primarily a sf/fantasy system of
some type.  Ones marked with a "*" are available through PC Pursuit.

WWIV-MAC/The Electric Holt [Chandler,DeWeese,Grenald].......PA 215 387-4326*
  + "Inner Fur Lining" subboard [subop: Maj Matt Mason]
IMAGE128/DeathStar..........................................DC 301 736-2036*
  + furry subboard [subop: Noel Tominack]
BBS EXPRESS ST/KyiM's Scratching Post [K Maurer]............CA 415 452-0350*
  + Furversion BBS, "Fox's Paw" & "Tyel Hyatt Regency"
    storyboards, furry fanac
GBBSPRO/MythConnections [R & L Daverin].....................CA 707 792-0806
  + "At a Furver Pitch" furry subboard
UQ/Tiger's Den [Andre Johnson]..............................CA 714 530-2554*
  + Prancing Skiltaire/ConFurEnce BBS, "Fur Le Dance"
    storyboards, furry fanac
PHOENIX/Thoughts and Images.................................CA 714 842-9799*
  + Affiliated w/comic company (mostly furry titles),
    furry fanac, echos storyboard w/Fox's Den
PBBS/The Wyvern's Den Pub [W Martin]........................FL 813 925-1386
  + "The Pub" furry storyboard
PHOENIX/The Fox's Den.......................................CA 916 xxx-xxxx
  + echos "Party at Celon's" storyboard with T&I BBS,
    furry fanac

Furry Publications:

--- Comic Books
Out of these, only CRITTERS and USAGI YOJIMBO have stuck to reasonably
coherent schedules, with the TURTLES coming in fairly well.  EQUINE and
SPACE ARK have been stalled, both at #5, for almost a year; ALBEDO had
a 9-month delay between issues #13 and #14 (although they are supposedly
on track for a quarterly schedule now), and MENAGERIE may have ceased
publication after #2, MORPHS after #4.  The number in parentheses after
the title is the highest issue number shipped as of 07/01/89.

ALBEDO (14), S. Gallacci/Various; $2, Thoughts & Images
OMAHA THE CAT DANCER (13), Waller & Worley; $2, Kitchen Sink (adults only)
CRITTERS, Various; $2, Fantagraphics
USAGI YOJIMBO, Stan Sakai; $2, Fantagraphics
EQUINE THE UNCIVILIZED (5), Groat & Wallace; $2, Graphxpress
XANADU (5), Vicky Wyman; 5-issue miniseries: $2 ea., Thoughts & Images
  Color Special: $2, Eclipse
FUSION (15), S. Gallacci/L. Dowling/Various; $2, Eclipse
MENAGERIE (2), Various; $2, Chrome Tiger Press
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES, Eastman & Laird; $2, Mirage Studios
SPACE ARK (5), Ken Mitchroney; #1-2, AC Comics; #3-5, $2, Apple Comics
  (still available); #6- still in limbo
MORPHS (4), Various; $2, Graphxpress





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