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If your asking what a furry is, here are
some Frequently Asked Questions:
This FAQ has been posted to answer questions
about furry and fandom in general.
This is an Alt.Fan.Furry Frequently-Asked-Questions
Sheet Originally by Jordan Greywolf (updated by Kit Furlin as of 2/25/99)
I
pulled this from Kit Furlin's website
^^^ Check it out!^^^
1. Table of Contents and Introduction
2. WHAT IS "ALT.FAN.FURRY"?
3. WHAT IS A "FURRY"?
4. CAN REPTILES BE "FURRY"?
5. WHAT IS A "FUNNY ANIMAL"?
6. WHAT IS A "PERSONAL FURRY"?
7. WHAT IS "FURRY DOM"?
8. WHAT IS A "FANZINE"?
9. WHAT MAKES A STORY (or MOVIE/SHOW/GAME, whatever) "FURRY"?
10. WHAT'S "ALBEDO"?
11. WHERE DO I GO TO FIND THIS STUFF?
12. WHAT IF I WANT TO WRITE/DRAW THIS STUFF?
13. WHAT DOES "IMHO" MEAN?
14. WHAT DOES =) MEAN?
Subject: 2. WHAT IS "ALT.FAN.FURRY"?
Alt.Fan.Furry is a newsgroup devoted to the discussion of all things "furry"
and/or of distinct interest to "furry fans". While this leads
to a rather vague definition of what is truly "on-topic", the term
"furry" itself is inherently vague. (See "What is a
'furry'?") In general, the discussion of artwork or fiction
(including movies, TV series, game systems, novels, illustrations, etc.)
involving "furry" subjects, theorizing about "furry"
creatures, and even of the fandom itself or the definition of
"furry" is commonly found on the newsgroup.
Subject: 3. WHAT IS A "FURRY"?
"Furry" when used as a noun seems to refer to one of two things:
a) An animal-like character known as a "furry"
b) A person who is a "furry fan" The latter
is easy enough (knock on wood) to define: A person who particularly enjoys
stories, pictures, dolls, video games or whatever concerning "furry"
creatures. Defining a "furry" creature is somewhat harder, though.
There are several definitions depending upon which "camp" in
furry Dom, for lack of a better term, you might be in. The basic definition for a
"furry" is an anthropomorphized animal character. In other words, an
animal character given human-like attributes, such as sapience and often a humanoid
form. The term "furry" is a misnomer, as a creature does not need to
have fur to be "furry" in this sense. Other terms sometimes
interchangeable with a "furry" in this sense are "zoo morph",
"morph", "anthropomorph" or (debatably) "funny animal".
The core definition of a "furry" seems to include basically
humanoid-formed creatures with animal faces, fur/scale/feathers/whatever, and often
appropriate tails, wings, claws, etc., able to speak, and with a human-like
personality, though quite often with "quirks" hinting at the real-life
animal upon which the character is based. A broader definition will sometimes
include other odd creatures that simply have some sort of animal features in their
makeup. Such would include mythical creatures such as centaurs, manticores,
satyrs or harpies, all of which have human faces though more-or-less animal-like
bodies. This broader definition might also include the human-like characters
that appear in some Japanese animation that have an animal tail and ears, but
otherwise look about as human as any other anime character. One of the
narrower definitions held by some is that in order for a character to be truly
considered "furry", the character must exhibit animal-like characteristics
in behavior. Optionally, the fact that the character is an "animal"
must be a major ingredient to the story. This is exhibited in a frequent
criticism of "furry" stories by those who hold this view: Many stories,
while featuring characters fitting the core definition of "furry" given
earlier are criticized as being "humans in animal suits" if their behavior
isn't distinctly animal-like in some way.
Subject:4. CAN REPTILES BE "FURRY"?
Yes. So can birds. Having fur is not a prerequisite. The term is
not necessarily literal.
Subject: 5. WHAT IS A "FUNNY ANIMAL"?
A "funny animal", in practice, is an anthropomorphized animal, though the
usage tends to lean more toward more "cartoony" characters, and does not
carry the same wide, sweeping connotations that "furry" seems to have.
(e.g., I don't usually hear centaurs and anime cat-girls referred to as
"funny animals") Some writers and artists who claim the term
"funny animals" for their subject matter don't necessarily consider
themselves "furry", though on the surface this might seem to be almost a
synonym. This is largely because of the baggage the term "furry"
carries with it, as a number of people see "furries" obsessed with the
sexuality of their fictitious characters. A "funny animal" is not
necessarily a character in solely humorous situations, and not necessarily
restricted to Saturday morning cartoon antics. The "funny" part of
the term seems to more apply to the fact that these characters are not like *real*
animals.
Subject: 6. WHAT IS A "PERSONAL FURRY"?
Definitions range widely, but the common answer seems to be that a "personal
furry" is someone's anthropomorphized animal "alter-ego". This
can mean a number of things:
a) It could be a "furry" character that the person role-plays
on Furry MUCK (or some other role-playing environment/game) that the person considers to be
a representation of him/herself.
b) It could be an anthropomorphized animal character that represents
the person in cartoons or drawings.
c) It could be a person's "totem" or favorite animal type.
One's attachment to and attitude toward one's "personal furry" (if at all)
varies greatly.
Subject: 7. WHAT IS "FURRY DOM"?
Furry Dom is a rather vague term, usually used to refer to "furry fandom".
"Furry fandom" is an abstraction of the loose collection of people who are
fans of various "furry" publications. In a broader sense, the term
may be used to refer to the general "furry scene", such as the collection
of publications (particularly small-press or amateur "fanzines") devoted
to them, and the assortment of "furry" conventions.
Subject: 8. WHAT IS A "FANZINE"?
A fanzine is a usually small-press publication catering to fans of a
particular genre. (As M. High pointed out, "furry" is more a
*vehicle* than a *genre*, but that's a technicality.) There are several "furry
fanzines" which publish an assortment of stories, artwork and
sometimes articles submitted to the 'zine. Other publications that may pop up
in "furry" discussion are APAs: These are limited-circulation
publications meant for a collection of
artists/writers to share their work with *other* artists and writers.
Usually each contributor pays his share of the production costs depending upon how
much of each "issue" consists of his work, and copies of the collected
publication are only circulated among the contributors. A variation on this is the
APA'zine, which is an APA that non-contributors can also subscribe to. At this
writing, some of these furry fanzines and APA'zines include such titles as
"YARF!", "Gallery", "Bestiary" and a ton of others
that come and go, often with some sort of "fur" pun in the title. =)
Subject: 9. WHAT MAKES A STORY (or MOVIE/SHOW/GAME, whatever)
"FURRY"?
This is a matter of debate, varying as much as the definition of what a
"furry" is in the first place. The definition that seems to be most
applicable is that in order for a story, movie or show to be considered
"furry", a primary character (or a significant number of the primary
characters) must be a "furry". Another definition is that simply
whatever stories tend to be popular among furfen (furry fans) that they consider to
be "furry" are furry. But that's hardly helpful, is it? =)
Cartoons with animal characters are often
accepted as being "furry", for one thing. Steve Gallacci's
"Albedo" is usually considered "furry", unless you're from the
group that believes that his characters are merely "humans in animal
suits". Many Disney movies might be considered "furry", such as
their animated "Robin Hood". Even though "Bambi" isn't an
anthropomorph in shape, the characters in the movie talk with each other and have
human-like emotions, and thus are considered
"furry" by some. In a more recent Disney movie with a prominent
"furry", "Beauty and the Beast", this is particularly a
gray area; some consider it NOT to be furry, since the "Beast" was just a human
changed into an animal-like form for most of the movie. "The Little
Mermaid" is another one of those fringe "furry" films if you want to
use the broadest definition (since Ariel's body is part fish? =.) Movies
where "furry" creatures are merely the villains which the humans must
fight are almost certainly not considered "furry". =, Also, stories
where an animal-like character may appear but is not one of the primary
characters are not usually considered "furry", either. For instance,
Gnort doesn't make the Green Lantern comics "furry", even though he
himself would fit the technical definition of a "furry character".
Subject: 10. WHAT'S "ALBEDO"?
Albedo is one of the most recognized titles in furry fandom, a comic book that
features stories from several different writers and artists, but most notably being
"Erma Felna of the EDF", a science fiction story set in a
"furry" universe, drawn and written by Steve Gallacci.
Subject: 11. WHERE DO I GO TO FIND THIS STUFF?
[Lynx has this to say:] For comics, try your local comic store. While you can
often order back issues directly from publishers like Antarctic Press or Mu Press,
or from mail-order distributors like Mailbox Books or United Publications (UK),
if you ask for issues at a comic store, they will be more likely to recognize
that a demand exists, will order more comics, and will in general create more
support for anthropomorphic material. Back issues of many furry comics can
often be gotten from the companies that produced them as well. Fanzines like
YARF! and Gallery are not frequently available through comic stores, so you'll
either have to order them through the mail, get a subscription, or attend a con
where people sell these fanzines. The biggest convention for the sale of furry
material is ConFurence, held every year in January or February, in the Anaheim area.
APAs like Rowrbrazzle and Huzzah! and FNC are members-only, and very
infrequently have extra copies available. Many furry artists are available for
commissions, at rates ranging from five dollars to literally hundreds and thousands
of dollars, for pencil, ink, color, and 3-d artwork. This FAQ does not supply
addresses, but a FAQ listed below gives artist addresses. It's recommended
that when one writes to an artist, one includes an SASE (self-addressed stamped
envelope) to speed the response.
Subject: 12. WHAT IF I WANT TO WRITE/DRAW THIS STUFF? [Lynx has this to
say]
Feel free. Anthropomorphic fandom sports many fanzines that are quite interested in
the works of fledgling and not-so-fledgling artists and writers, and even if
you don't feel ready for prime time yet, you may find people on the network
appreciative of your work. If you post a story or artwork, then expect criticism
ranging anywhere from 'it's terrible' to 'it's good but...' to simple silence that
makes you wonder if your art or story made it out to the network. Remember
to put copyright notices on your stories and artwork; while the current
copyright conventions automatically protect creative works, it's better to
have that certain amount of protection, and if someone is interested enough by what
you've done, they may want to find more of it. Remember also that anything posted to
the network is 'out there' effectively and thus beyond your control. The best
you can do is to put some sort of request on your art or story to request people
avoid redistributing it or modifying it in any way. Even then, you may find
your stories or artwork from years ago haunting you as well-meaning people
repost them.
Subject: 13. WHAT DOES "IMHO" MEAN?
There are a few different acronyms that will pop up frequently. IMHO: In
My Humble Opinion (i.e. this is just my opinion) IMNSHO: In My Not-So-Humble
Opinion YMMV: Your Mileage May Vary (i.e. this works for me, but might
not for you)
BTW: By The Way FYI: For Your Information F'ex:
For example (e.g.) RL: Real-Life IC:
In Character [referring to role-playing] LOL:
Laughs Out Loud ROTFL: Rolls On The Floor Laughing {g}:
{grin} -- Another system of expressing emotion involves abbreviations
like this... {g,d,r}:{grin, duck and run}
Subject: 14. WHAT DOES =) MEAN?
This is a 'net smiley face. Turn it sideways. =) See? Of course,
furfen
often get creative with animal smileys, such as:
=) {cute smiley face with big expressive eyes}
:) {beady-eyed, generic smiley face}
:-) {Oh no! It's a HYOOMAN smiley face! Aieee!}
^_^ {alternative smiley}
=^_^= {alternative critter smiley with whiskers}
=, {smirky face}
=. {unsure face}
=/ {really perplexed face}
=( {frowny face}
@ >=( {really steamed frowny face}
=U {howling wuff}
-=) {unicorn}
-=*) {unicorn with root beer foam on his nose}
O-=) {angelic unicorn, or a unicorn playing donut ring-toss}
> > -=) {unicorn in love with little hearts above its head}
=3 {otter smiley}
=:) {rabbit smiley}
:=) {equine smiley face}
}=) {miscellaneous critter with ears}
(=3 {upside-down mouse}
>=x) {cat, complete with whiskers}
=} {friendly dragon}
S=) {smiley with one ear flopping down}
d=> {pigeon wearing a baseball cap}
>Bo) {furry with big nose wearing shades}
o/~ }=o {furry whistling -- that's a musical note over its head! =) }
Okay, so this section wasn't COMPLETELY serious. =D
Disclaimer: This FAQ is credited to Greywolf, my site holds
no credit or responsibility for the writing of this FAQ.
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