I think you have the right perspective, and it's nice hearing it from an artist. I only wish I could experience that perspective, but my low self-confidence and worldview that posits that most people in the world (or at least in my country) are dicks, kinda prevents me from seeing the sunny side of any community. ._. Even now, I feel ostracized from the Star Wars community because I happen to have well-formulated opinions about recent media, and that's "unacceptable." So I hesitate to be a bigger part of the furry community because I irrationally worry that I'll be pushed out of that too.
I think you have the right perspective, and it's nice hearing it from an artist. I only wish I could
I've always just seen furridom as a creative outlet for personifying character with less monologue and more physical appearance. It's always attracted my attention more to see a anthropomorphic character than a human character in any art. There is more personification and thought that goes into designing an anthro character than there is a human character without just adding scars or some nonsense which just looks out of place.
I do however think that saying that you sexually identify as furry is a confusing concept. I don't think I have seen anyone come out of their closet saying that they sexually identify as a hentai. I feel that people should embrace that its a fantasy concept that draws inspiration to animal characteristics in humans and a primal sexual drive with interesting adaptations to the body from either side of the furry human spectrum.
I've always just seen furridom as a creative outlet for personifying character with less monologue a
Anthro characters tend to be more visually interesting from an artistic point of view simply because there's more variety in color, shape, texture and concept. Human characters have a tendency to appear bland and generic in comparison. This seems particularly apparent in video games. But this isn't a hard rule. It is possible to interesting "cartoony" art styles to human characters as well. Just look as Mario or Overwatch characters for some decent examples. But non-human characters accomplish this more easily with far less effort.
To me, the very concept of sexually identifying as [insert random subject here] is a downright alien concept to me. I don't suddenly start turning into other things just because I enjoy something. No matter what I find attractive I'm still me. If I happen to be enjoying Ghost in the Shell one day, it won't stop me from being nice to people. If I find lesbians attractive, that won't stop me from being nice to people. If I like the character design of Renamon, I won't suddenly stop being nice. If I one day discover I have a kink for bestial situations in fiction, I'm still going to be nice to people. I'm the same person no matter what fiction I enjoy.
Anthro characters tend to be more visually interesting from an artistic point of view simply because
Well, that friend could also denial that he is human, because of all the other bad humans (the same he was talking about)... but then he might want to be an anthropomorphic lifeform? That's is also a reason for a couple of furs to be a fur, because he wants not to be associated with all the 'norms'. 😜
Well, that friend could also denial that he is human, because of all the other bad humans (the same
Furry fans just seem to be an arbitrary cross-section of humanity. A random sample. The only thing they have in common is that they happen to enjoy cartoon style characters, everything else can be completely different. Furry communities just seem like a more honest representation of human beings in general, with the same amount of variety.
Then again, there do tend to be more artists. But that might have more to do with this being an art website.
Furry fans just seem to be an arbitrary cross-section of humanity. A random sample. The only thing t
Very good outlook. After being in the fandom for nearly 20 years and seeing how it's turned from awkward to super awkward and drama filled it can be super hard to keep the same sentiment
Very good outlook. After being in the fandom for nearly 20 years and seeing how it's turned from awk
You know… in my experience, "furries" are right up there with "Trekkies;" the title is worn with pride by some people, worn with shame by others. Why? Because, there will always be good people and bad in this or any other fandom. And, as often the case… the "bad" ones outshine and stand out from the "good" ones.
The question here should never be, "am I a furry?" The question should be, "do I really want labels to define who I am or what I like?" Just because you fall into a certain category of people does not necessarily make you "one of them." I, myself, have more anthro characters than I can count on two hands, as well as some Sonic characters and even some "human" ones. (They're human in all ways but name.) I like characters with animal features and I create works that prominently feature them. However, I am not a "furry."
I'm not in denial. I love anthro characters. The cuter, the better. But, I have no interest in "being a furry." I have no interest in socializing with "furries" – or, really, much of anyone. And, I mostly keep to myself. The fact that some of my interests line up with "the furry fandom" is irrelevant, as well as coincidental. (I, too, grew up crushing on cartoon animal-girls.) I am a fan of anthropomorphic characters and art, but I have no interest in anything other than the characters. So, I don't put myself out there was "being a furry" any more than I put myself out there was being a "Brony," "Trekkie," "Sonic fan," or anything like that.
Labels are made to gather similar things into a collection. But, not all things in a "collection" are the same.
That's my take on things. Make what you will of that.
You know… in my experience, "furries" are right up there with "Trekkies;" the title is worn with pri
yeah, that´s understandable and absolutely fine. i don´t want to make the impression i go on a missionary tour now to tell everyone he´s a furry because he should one by my definition. that´s why using the words "self-denyial" might have been a mistake by me. the longest time i thought similar to you, but for me personally that just changed. there´s disadvantages about labels, but being able to give yourself a self-designation like this can help to strenghten your identity (if one cares for it).
yeah, that´s understandable and absolutely fine. i don´t want to make the impression i go on a missi
I like to think of it this way: If the label is not the reason why you enjoy something, then the label does not matter. You can just as easily enjoy something because it's silly. (or pretty, or sexy, or cool)
But labels can be useful when using a search engine to find more humorous art. Or to find more art by an artist whose style you enjoy. They're keywords.
I like to think of it this way: If the label is not the reason why you enjoy something, then the lab
Like you, when I was younger I was not aware there was a label for humanoid cartoon characters. Growing up in the 80's these designs were just the normal design for most cartoon characters. The default, in fact. It was more common than not. So they were simply "cartoons" in my mind.
When I later learned that some people called it "furry" for some reason, to me it just seemed like an unnecessary alternative word for the same thing. And I didn't find it particularly surprising that there was porn about cartoons on the internet... because it's the internet. There's porn about literally everything.
One thing I've always liked about furry communities online was the general open-mindedness toward other people. It's generally assumed that everyone's tastes will be different so most people here don't react badly when something doesn't appeal to them. This seems like a healthier and more realistic expectation to have when encountering new people.
Another thing that appealed to me was the generally positive portrayal of sex. If you were actually looking for porn back in the early 2000's your choices were. - Photographs of models who looked like they were acting. - Early hentai anime which tended to focus on rape situations with the girls being upset and all the men being grotesquely ugly and creepy. - Furry drawings where all the characters looked like they were genuinely enjoying themselves.
For me, the mere presence of sexual content did not deter me from the fandom. Because I've never considered sex to be a bad thing. At worst, it might be annoying when you stumble across a kink you don't happen to enjoy. But after a while you just get used to ignoring whatever is not relevant to your interests and just moving past it. And over time most websites have added keywords and filters so it has actually become easier to automatically block some stuff.
Ironically, when a website makes a zero-tolerance rule about something not being allowed, that doesn't prevent it from being posted, it just means artists aren't allowed to label it honestly, which actually makes it more likely that other people will see things they don't want because the filters can't work when the accurate information is missing.
Like you, when I was younger I was not aware there was a label for humanoid cartoon characters. Grow
