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Categorizations of Furry
May. 7th, 2004 07:20 amA friend asks:
What sort of furry are you? Do you fit into a broad category (lifestyler, fan, zoophile, plushophile, therianthrope, were ...) or are you 'just a furr'? Do you find comfort in fitting into a category or is it too restricting? Do you seek the companionship of others in your category because you have more in common with them?
I think these labels are rather damaging and counterproductive. Most of the time I see them used in derogatory ways, so I have avoided applying any of them directly to myself. I have enjoyed all things "furry" for my entire life, and that includes surrounding myself with living animals as well as reading, playing, watching related films, animations, and so forth. It's not an obsession or a fanaticism, it's just natural to me. That probably rules out "lifestyler" and "fan", eh? I don't go to conventions, or seek out real life meetings with other fur types, though I don't reject such meetings either. "Plushophile"? Well, I do collect and have even designed and made plushies. I've loved plush toys all my life, but not in an erotic way. "Therianthrope?" Not exactly. I believe I have some animal component in my soul, yes. But what I've seen so far of the self-declared therianthropes suggests that they are much too rigid and dogmatic about it. "Otherkin?" Perhaps, though I haven't given that a lot of thought. Certainly I've felt alienated from the mainstream of humanity for most of my life, and that might be an explanation.
Regarding species, are you species-biased? If you are a wolf, do you naturally seek other wolves for company, or do you chat freely to anyone? If another wolf were to walk into the room next to, say, a horse, would you notice the wolf first?
I play equine characters because I have a natural affinity for them. I love horses intensely, have felt this all my life. I own four, and interact with them daily. I occasionally feel a bit conflicted about this because I'm well aware that some furs think horse players are fixated on genital size, and as a result I tend to downplay that a lot. I enjoy online RP, but my focus is on romance and exploration rather than on actual sex. I am not species biased in the sense that I restrict my interactions to other equines. But I do tend to respond more to real animals or traditional fantasy animals (unicorns, dragons, etc.) and, not being part of the anime generation, I'm uncomfortable with pokemons and kitsunes and so forth.
Basically I suppose I want to know where you feel you fit into Furry and why you feel you fit in there.
Heh. I don't know if I do fit into Furrydom. In fact, I'm quite sure that some feel I do not fit. Certainly I don't fit into the obsession with sex that sometimes permeates the environment of late. However, as long as I can find others to share with, I guess I'll be involved. That hasn't been a problem so far.
What sort of furry are you? Do you fit into a broad category (lifestyler, fan, zoophile, plushophile, therianthrope, were ...) or are you 'just a furr'? Do you find comfort in fitting into a category or is it too restricting? Do you seek the companionship of others in your category because you have more in common with them?
I think these labels are rather damaging and counterproductive. Most of the time I see them used in derogatory ways, so I have avoided applying any of them directly to myself. I have enjoyed all things "furry" for my entire life, and that includes surrounding myself with living animals as well as reading, playing, watching related films, animations, and so forth. It's not an obsession or a fanaticism, it's just natural to me. That probably rules out "lifestyler" and "fan", eh? I don't go to conventions, or seek out real life meetings with other fur types, though I don't reject such meetings either. "Plushophile"? Well, I do collect and have even designed and made plushies. I've loved plush toys all my life, but not in an erotic way. "Therianthrope?" Not exactly. I believe I have some animal component in my soul, yes. But what I've seen so far of the self-declared therianthropes suggests that they are much too rigid and dogmatic about it. "Otherkin?" Perhaps, though I haven't given that a lot of thought. Certainly I've felt alienated from the mainstream of humanity for most of my life, and that might be an explanation.
Regarding species, are you species-biased? If you are a wolf, do you naturally seek other wolves for company, or do you chat freely to anyone? If another wolf were to walk into the room next to, say, a horse, would you notice the wolf first?
I play equine characters because I have a natural affinity for them. I love horses intensely, have felt this all my life. I own four, and interact with them daily. I occasionally feel a bit conflicted about this because I'm well aware that some furs think horse players are fixated on genital size, and as a result I tend to downplay that a lot. I enjoy online RP, but my focus is on romance and exploration rather than on actual sex. I am not species biased in the sense that I restrict my interactions to other equines. But I do tend to respond more to real animals or traditional fantasy animals (unicorns, dragons, etc.) and, not being part of the anime generation, I'm uncomfortable with pokemons and kitsunes and so forth.
Basically I suppose I want to know where you feel you fit into Furry and why you feel you fit in there.
Heh. I don't know if I do fit into Furrydom. In fact, I'm quite sure that some feel I do not fit. Certainly I don't fit into the obsession with sex that sometimes permeates the environment of late. However, as long as I can find others to share with, I guess I'll be involved. That hasn't been a problem so far.
