OPEN THREAD: what does being a furry mean to your personally? When you call yourself one, what does that convey?
@indi I like this a lot. OK to boost?
@starkatt Go for it!
@indi I asked this because I just had a conversation trying to figure out the why for myself :)
@starkatt For me the 'why' seems to be some combination of neurology, spirituality, and aesthetics.
This introducing three more realms of inquiry that make the question even more complex! \o/
@starkatt It means that I like cute [feral or anthro] fuzzy/scaly critters enough that it forms a part of who I am. I like to think that it helps me embrace my human side more too because to me, it's a natural thing to be close to the critters of the earth.
@starkatt I don't, I call myself "furry-adjacent," for several reasons:
* early experience with furry folks (specifically alt.fan.furry.lifestyle) who vehemently (and sometimes venomously) insisted that "mythics aren't real furries, yeah they can be Otherkin but they aren't One Of Us"
* having scales/feathers instead of fur, claiming "furry" feels--etymologically incorrect
* never had more than superficial interactions with furry/fan social groups
* weird semi-phobia of fursuits :\
@starkatt (that last bit--seriously, the "Purple Panda" character on Mister Rogers freaked me the *frack* out as a kidlet, and I've never felt comfortable interacting with people wearing a fursuit/mascot costume. I can appreciate the technical detail, some fursuits are frankly gorgeous, I'd love to have one that matched my self-image, but they still unnerve me on some deep level. *shrug*)
@green ugh, I'm sorry about those early experiences :(
@starkatt I like anthro animals + stuff. Art is cool. Cons are fun. Most of the furries I know are queer.
Calling myself a furry is not something I do publicly really, but I use it online to basically alter who interacts with me. I'd like to say a lot of furries are super chill with anyone, but that often isn't the case. The furries I like to interact with most are the ones that are at the intersection of furry and other communities
@starkatt my furry extends outside of "I interact with furries" to basically "I interact with people who make animal posts" so I'll talk to therians and otherkin online whether or not they consider themselves furries
@starkatt and I've gotten a lot more furry recently. It used to just be a wolf avatar online with a few commissions, but now I'll make posts that just say "bark" multiple times a day. I feel a lot closer to my fursona now that I decided he's a dog.
What other people find funny is that despite being a furry, I really hate having body hair. Idk if it's just me, but I don't feel like human body hair is a good stand-in for fur
@starkatt a few weeks ago @redwood let me try on his blue dog fursuit and it was an incredible experience. I loved being able to be a dog and do dog things. This confirmed my suspicion that I needed a suit.
I'm not sure if I want to get a suit of asonix or if I want to make a new character. asonix is great, but I feel like I'd need something more colorful and pastel. Maybe asonix needs a redesign or maybe I need a new fursona
@starkatt It means a lot. I don't think I'd have survived my depression and anxiety without it. *gestures in the vague direction of gender, sexuality, and identity, a little too tired to go in depth right now*
@starkatt Whoa; this has changed a *lot* since I last really considered it.
Furry for me used to be about connection. Being with others with just enough similar interests that you could get along. It was a fun thing to gather around that became much more over time.
Then it was about sexual freedom for a bit. Being whatever gender I wanted to be, and doing anything with eager partners in any form I could dream up.
Now I'm ace, and it's about cute fuzzy things and appreciating amazing artists.
@starkatt Also: Awesome question to ask. It seems like almost everyone has a differently interesting answer.
@starkatt I feel most comfortable when I can express my identity, and experience the identities of others, via a symbol set that include animal traits (biological and cultural) as a significant component.
That leaves a huge gaping "WHY?" gap, but it does seem to address the "what." ^.^