fchan

Well...I think that the main point I'd like for people to know is: not EVERY person who is a furry is a psychotic basement-dwelling 40 year old sexual predator who whacks off to cubs having sex and believes that their fursona is real and that furry is a religion

And you guys that are just in it for the porn ARE a part of the fandom. You may not be a vocal part, you may not even really deserve the title FURRY, but you do exist as a segment of the fandom and I would like to know what attracts you to this particular brand of porn. Im addressing the Fandom as a Whole and breaking it down into is component parts. If you are here and didnt just come to make rude comments and bash people, then chances are you have something to say that I want to hear. And dont worry, Im not going to quote you.

>>4
Psst. Your bias is showing.

Furries are anthropomorphic animals. People that call themselves furries are just sad fucks with no lives.

"My goal is to educate the non-furry population about what "furry" actually is."

Why?  The fandom doesn't owe the mundanes any explanations.  The more furries try to 'justify' themselves the more ridicule we get from the press and public.  Furry Fandom like any other fandom has it's dark side.  You can't gloss that over.  In the end people will read and remember only the bad things and use that against us only now they will have it in writing from a self proclaimed furry expert.

PLEASE, don't do us any favours!

Aye, I have to agree with >>11

Trying to launch a book specifically about furries, of all things, would be difficult.

"Mundanes"...funny. I wonder just how many other subcultures use that term...

If you really want to do it though, do it. Keep this thread updated, and I will at least provide input.

>>13
Uhh, you're a post off buddy. I believe you meant to attack >>10

be careful, if you write a bad book there will be some pissed people

I doubt that those publishers with credentials would publish a book about this particular subject...

>>19
That would require more than a clover and a lottery ticket.

Well, Mr. Book Author Guy, I wish you luck in whatever this ends up becoming. The only thing I'd like to see in this book (specifically) is that not all "furries" are people who dress up in fursuits, go to conventions, and yiff the hell out of everything. Some of us are just regular people with regular lives that happen to like this particular brand of porn. I mean, I don't mind furs who like to dress up, it's just that that isn't something I personally do.

Maybe you should also point out (explicitly) that furry porn isn't bestiality. Non-furry people tend to come to the wrong conclusion when they hear the definition of "furry".

>>22 here

>>23
Well, as tantalizing of an answer as saying "I like both animals and humans, so why not combine them??" is, I don't think it really is the reason (though I do, for the record, like Beast).

To be honest, I'm not really sure. There's something about furs that is just... sexy. Since I still find it hot even though I've been fapping to this stuff for quite a few years now, I'd say it isn't necessarily the exotic part of it (though I grant you that it IS rather exotic, lol).

I'm really truly sorry that I can't provide you with anything clearer than that, but maybe you're asking the wrong question here. What do you think a gay guy would say if we asked him why he likes other guys? How about people with a foot fetish, or a taste for vore? Or, for a more mundane variety, what is it about maids and cheerleaders that people like so much? It seems like it's something deeper.

As a person with way a lot of fetishes (just about all of the above, plus way more, apply to me), I CAN tell you that whatever the reason is, it isn't something that comes off the top of your head when you're asked. Maybe we're born with it. I'll tell you a little story as why I think that that may be true.

When I was a young boy, my father took me to see a march... nah. When I was young, the song about a snake eating you ("oh gee, it's up to my knees, oh no, it's up to my nose") stirred my loins, even as a five year old. As someone with access to porn, (soft) vore is one of my favorite things to fap to. See a similarity?

I'm not a neurologist, and I'm not Freud, so I don't have any authority about what may or may not be. All I have is my experiences.

One more thing: When I say furries, I mean the highly generalized anthropomorph community. That includes scalies, among other things.

Why? Why write a book about 'furries' in the first place? I don't mean to be rude even if it might sound that way, but i said this so many times already that it sounds harsher every time I have to:

Furries are not interesting. You are just another bunch of people liking a specific idea of anthropomorphic animals/zoomorphic humans. It's just a certain artistic element which you think looks cool. Why, for heavens sake, make a book to tell the 'outsiders'...

--- we'll make a break here. Here's the first flaw in your thoughts. Wh are there 'outsiders' in your point of view? You guys are just regular people with a certain interest, just like any other 'fangroup' out there. Why do you have to treat furries like a secret sub-society all the time? And if you do, why DOES the outside world HAS TO take notice? Let's continue ---

... what's really going on, because everyone seems to be interested ...

--- second break, second flaw. Why do you think EVERYONE is interested in furries? YOU ARE NOTHING SPECIAL AT ALL. People in general don't care if you like Fox-People or Klingons or Stormtroopers or Elves. The only reason furries gain a kind of special treatment from thos dubios 'outsiders' is the drama value because so many people claiming to be furries have this kind of 'sub-society' attitude and persist on that heir hobby is their life and will freak the hell out if someone makes fun of that specific attitude. And that's fun. But actually no one would bother those poeple if they wouldn't smash their 'hobby for life' n everyones face in the first place. People don't think bad about furries because of what they like but the way they behave towards others. On we go
---

... and you want to tell them, even though you're new to furry stuff.

--- Tell me, why do you want to write a book about a group of people you actually don't know yet? You've never been to conventions so you maybe haven't experienced all those obsessed lunatics by yourself. Trust me, the more you peek into the 'fandom' the less you'd want to be associated with those people. You'll discover the reason furries being trolled and as I said before this reason is not what 'furry' is about, it's not the artwork. It's the poeple acting like total retards AND are proud of it.

Just go with the sentence you just wrote a posting before mine. "For some reason I just like it". There's nothing wrong with that. It's just a regular interest, but don't forget it's nothing more. And it deserves no more attention than any other hobby out there. Why ask those questions like "ho did you first discover 'furry'?" - You don't ask how someone discovered Star Trek, don't you? But people have to be pre-destined to like Star Trek, don't they? No, of course not.

And another point, not directed at the OP: Please stop those pseudo-philosophic discussions about why you like a certain fetish and spare us the generic "when I was 5-years-old" story. Just go with your kinks, it's okay as long as no one is harmed. Furry is nothing you were destined to like, it's just something someone made up and you like. There's no reason to make more out of it.

Furry is ot a religion, not a sexual orientation, not a secret sub-society, nothing spiritual, it's just about fantasy characters you think look cool. And hasn't even to do with animals because most 'furries' don't know fuck about animals. They just look up wikipedia for a picture and for some minor traits they can use in their RPGs.

Foot note: Don't take yourself too seriously. There's no need for a book or your divine mission to convince the 'outsiders'. Just enjoy your stuff and no one will harm you. Overexaggerating is just as unhealthy as it would be with every hobby out there. The more you are obsessed with one thing, the more shallow and uninteresting you will be towards other people. It's not because you are furry but because you are OBSESSED with furry in those cases.

>>27

As for the typos and grammar mistakes I'm trying to improve constantly, but English is a foreign language for me so I hope it doesn't affect my writing too badly.

I know there are books about Startrek fangroups and the "spirit" of certain fandoms, but still it is a certain difference between those and furries, even though I said before furries should think of themselves more like trekkies and similiar groups. The main difference is that trekkies, tolkinheads or other groups gather around a certain established franchise, something which has by it's creators dictated rules. Those franchises are closed circuits, so to speak. You can explain what's going on in those fandoms to outsiders by saying "well, there's this sci-fi series Star Trek. In this series there is a fictional race called the Klingons. I admire them because they so this and that, I like the idea" and so on.

Problem with furry is that this "fandom" doesn't gather around anything. It's just a loose artistic idea, a concept of drawing fantasy creatures walking upright, think and talk like humans but appear animalistic. There is nothing more, no guideline whatsoever. Because of that you can't explain what "furry" is about besides it has *something* to do with pictures of anthro-animals. You can't even explain to a "fellow furry" what furry is about because everyone will say something different. And among these opinions there will eventually be people who claim that "furry" is something spiritual, despite the fact that there is nothing more than drawn pictures and an idea you might like. The major part of those "spirit" things originates from the fact that furries (I will generalize here, just out of lazyness) think of everyone liking those artworks forms a huge family, which is in fact pure bullshit. MAYBE you found your BFFs among furries but the fact that you found people you like certainly has nothing to do with the fact that you like the same cartoons. If it's the only thing you can relate to when being with your friends they're not much of a friend, aren't they? You like them because of the people they are. For example, if I met my best friends first in my hockey team I wouldn't tell anyone asking me what hockey is about that it's a place where everyone is friends with you.

This is also the reason for most of those obsessed people's behaviour. They consider furry a kind of union and feel as a part of something bigger, but the things those people share mostly end when talking about something different than furry. For that reason they'll only talk about furry this and furry that, play only anthrochars in games, will always tell friends to do dog-tricks, wear collars, they basically will LIVE "furry" because they don't want to lose people they share a single common interest with. The more they do, the less interesting they are for 'outsiders', thus retreating deeper inside their fandom which, to close the circle, doesn't have a kind of system of rules or codex or whatsoever furries follow.

And how would you like to "explain" this to anyone? More important, WHY do you want to "explain" that? And further, there is no group you can speak for because there is no union amongst those people calling themselves furries, a term which doesn't mean fuck. The only way the general public periodically gets a grip on furries is whenever some of those obsessed lunatics cry out loud that they are furries, implying they can talk for all furries, thus creating a generalization in the perception of others.

The most sensible solution, in my eyes, is that you people who just like the artistic idea of anthroanimals stop labeling yourself and just continue to like what you do. Don't urge yourself to explain yourself to others, don't take the whole shit too seriously. Don't make books, don't make websites explaining things which the next "furry" reading those explanations will deny instantly, there is just no common sense. Show people what you like, if you must. They'll either be interested or not, in the first case you can tell them why you like the idea and pictures but don't draw them into this shitpool commonly referred to as "the furry fandom" because it's just a huge moor made of drama, weirdness and fail (no -chan vocabulary intended). Especially if the people don't care in the first place.

I hope you get my point and understand why you really shouldn't try that hard to find a label you can stick to, especially if "furry" is your choice. Maybe at a certain point in time people have tried to expand the pure liking of artwork to a kind of super-friendly community, but they screwed it up long time ago. But it's not that important. Enjoy your stuff, stick with your friends and live a healthy, colourfull life. I'm not the only one telling those things I'm sure, and it has a reason. But "furries" (meaning people who desperately want to call themself that) won't admit that the whole fandom thing is fucked up starting with it's basic framework. I hope you understand that I don't mean harm by writing this. I like the pictures and the  anthropomorphic animal concept myself, but I would never want to be associated with the term furry or anything it stands for, nor do I - for reasons I stated - respect people who do too much. I'll admit that it's fun to "troll" those people from time to time but right now that's not my intention.

There's a reason that I don't like you. Can you guess what it is? Oh yeah, it's because you're an arrogant jerk who presumes to somehow know what's best for other people. If Mr. Book Author Guy feels that he wants to write a book about the furry fandom, is it really your place to tell him (assuming it's a him) what he "should" or "shouldn't" do? Last time I checked, that isn't really how things work in most places.

And yes, there is plenty more to the furry fandom than simply "a loose artistic idea, a concept of drawing fantasy creatures walking upright, think and talk like humans but appear animalistic". That may have been what "furry" was originally about, but it isn't anymore. A movement, be it about Star Trek, Furries, Emos, whatever is defined by its members. And, like any other opinions that a person may have, they are variable. Can you honestly say that the LoTR fanbase hasn't changed in the last ten-ish years, what with the trilogy movies and all? So if the definition of LoTR can change to encompass movies (or not for some people), why can't furries add, say, conventions, RPing, "living the furry lifestyle", and yiffing like hell IRL to that list?

The definition of "Trekkie" is different depending on who you ask. Some think being trekkie is dressing up as a Klingon or a Ferengi and going to conventions all the time. Some think it's being able to quote McCoy or Picard on command. Some just think it's liking the TV series. As far as I can see, the only way to really define that is as, oh, let's say "just a loose artistic idea, a concept of watching space creatures walking upright, think and talk like humans but appear alien, that's also based on a TV show". Sound familiar?

At the same time, being a trekkie is so much more than that. It's also more than "well, there's this sci-fi series Star Trek. In this series there is a fictional race called the Klingons. I admire them because they so this and that, I like the idea". What about the Andorians? The Vulcans? How about the Ferengi, or the Romulans, and what about the subtle differences yet similarities between all of them that is the basis for the whole show? Star Trek is more than the starship Enterprise, or the Klingon Empire. It's about exploration, hope, discovery, different cultures, happiness, sadness, strife, love, and most of all, humanity. Not to mention a hell of a lot more. Even what I just said is inadequate to fully describe what Star Trek means to me, much less to the rest of the Trekkies out there. And, of course, there are those that just think it's good TV.

To think that you could easily describe that in a couple of sentences is both insultingly condescending and simply incorrect. The same goes for furries, too, you know. As hard as it may be for you to believe, some people really do like to live their lives in a different way than the rest of us. Do you really have so little faith in humanity or people in general that you think that people only pretend to be furry for their own selfish gain? That they will allow themselves to wear collars and fursuits simply because they can't get anyone to like them otherwise?

If that's really how you feel, so be it, but that doesn't mean you have to force your pessimistic and hateful beliefs on others. After all, it's thanks to the kinds of opinions that you seem to hold that we have all this drama in the furry community.

In fact, it might be opinions exactly like yours that our author is trying to change. I don't really care overmuch, though. If he wants to do it just so he can say that he did, it's fine by me.

As for myself, I'll just be happy if there's even a little less negative stigma in the community towards furries because of this book (or website).

>>24 here, by the way.
 
PS: "Please stop those pseudo-philosophic discussions about why you like a certain fetish and spare us the generic "when I was 5-years-old" story"
Go fuck yourself. I don't know about you, but I live in a free country, and I'll say whatever the hell I damn well please. At least I'm trying to contribute to the conversation here.

>>30
I believe most people should agree with me when I say that Star Trek is more interesting than the fandom. I'm not a Star Trek fan, I've only seen a couple episodes, but I still think it's cooler and better to read about. There are plenty of books written about Star Trek, and Mr. Book Author Guy manages to stuff the book full of hope, discovery, different cultures, happiness, sadness, strife, love, and humanity, then it will be a good book indeed and I would read it. But unless this thing's a freakin' opus, the book will only tarnish our reputation.
"LUL teh furries are nerdy enough to write there own book. fags. like any1 cares"
So that's why the website is a good idea. It will give us an idea of how much people care before a book is even attmepted to be published.
Oh, and if Mr. Book Author Guy does get it published, PLEASE don't thank Fchan for support. We want furries to look a little respectable, so don't mention too many porn sites, 'kay?

>>30
Reason number one to not anger a Trekkie:
He'll stomp your ass faster than Mario.

>>28 and >>30 both make valid points. The thing is though, furry really doesn't have a basis or a structure to it, as >>28 pointed out. There is no concrete core besides the idea of personified animals. It's a loose canvas, a canvas stretched over a few poles in the ground.
Star Trek fans have all of the lore, ideas and values that have already been established and set in stone by the Star trek franchise.
That's one reason for of the "drama" in the furry fandom, furries have nothing to base their opinions on, apart from what they themselves have experienced. A trekkie would never claim that a Vulcan's skin is blue, or that Klingons don't have a trippy forehead. That's because it isn't blue and that is true. Furries, on the other hand...they'll argue over whether or not the legs are anatomically correct, if the fur is the right shade, or if the ears belong to a certain rare Madagascar marsupial, and not to a generic fox. Hell! I've read heated debates over how a penis is drawn!

Now, back to the original subject of this thread:
A book of the furry fandom would be both a blessing and a curse. It would clear up some of the slander spread around, and reinforce the rest. In order to write a good, info-packed book, you would have to write from a neutral standpoint; and that means including both positive and negative information.

But, you already knew this, right?

>>35
"Regardless of what anyone else might think, a fandom that exists without facts cannot be written with facts. Nor can its rules ever be put to writing if it has none."
Precisely dear lurker, precisely!

"But now I'm done, so it's back to lurking and porn for me!"
Amen to that.
But as long as this thread continues full steam like it has been, I hope that you, and more people like yourself, continue to comment.

>>11, >>27 AND >>30 here. Yes, it's all the same guy!
You know that website we were talking about? I was like "having a website would be some good times." Well, I thought this website would work best as a wiki. Then I remembered that Wikifur already exists! However, it's mostly geared towards furries, but if we get enough non-furs visiting the site, it will expand. So, instead of making a new website, all we have to do is advertise Wikifur! Yes?

In Soviet Russia, the thread hijacks you!

>>39
And that's life. Anything, good or bad, will change. It's a law of nature: entropy increases with time. As nice as it could be to have something that isn't marred by a bunch of creepy people claiming it as their own, that really isn't something that is going to happen. You think Marx wanted something like Stalinist Russia to appear when he wrote the Communist Manifesto? I doubt it. The fact of life is that shit happens.

You definitely have a point, though. That's why I think that an autobiography type thing would probably be a better idea. Mr. Book Author Guy wouldn't have to pretend that he knows anything past what he has experienced, and he could write it in whatever opinion it is he has of otherkin, etc.

Again, you have a good point. I'm just saying that it doesn't mean that Mr. Book Author Guy can't write his book anyway. In fact, it might even serve to differentiate "regular" furries from otherkin and such.

Oh, and thanks for being polite. I appreciate it.

Oh, and >>38, it wasn't all the same poster because I wrote >>30 but not >>27 or >>11. I also didn't write >>38.

Also, a website written by furs and for furs would totally fail at the outsider's perspective that I think Mr. Book Author Guy is going for here. If you really need me to explain why that is, ask and I'll tell you. I don't have the time right now, though.