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Furry fandom

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Furry fandom is a category (or sub-genre) of science fiction fandom dedicated to anthropomorphics: fictional animal characters given human personalities and characteristics (see furry for more details). It originated as a fusion of science fiction, comic book, and animation fandom during the 1980s. It has thrived and grown, evolving into its own branch of fandom and finding adherents all over the world – enough that they may be regarded as forming a subculture. Furry fandom has a large presence on the Internet, and many furry conventions in North America and Europe are held every year, the largest being Anthrocon in Philadelphia in July. Further Confusion, held in San Jose, California each January, is almost as large and the total number of people attending such conventions exceeded 6142 in 2003. In 2004, 19 such conventions will take place around the world. The original furry convention was the now defunct Confurence, based in southern California.

Furry fans, sometimes referred to as furries or furs for short, are eager for more material than is available from mainstream publishers. The demand is filled by fellow fans – amateur to professional artists, writers and publishers who produce drawings, paintings, stories, independent comic books, fanzines, Web sites and even small press books. Fans with craft skills put together their own stuffed plush furry toys, sometimes referred to as plushies, or build elaborate furry costumes called fursuits (complete with ears, fur, long tails, moving jaws, and animatronics) and dress up in them for fun, or to participate in convention masquerades, dances or fund raising charity events. Charitable works are a tradition in furry fandom; many conventions feature an auction or fundraising event with the proceeds often going to an animal-related charity. In 2002, furry fans at Anthrocon raised over $13,000 for Canine Partners For Life, a group which trains and places assistance dogs for people with disabilities. Further Confusion has raised over $34,000 for various charitable beneficiaries over its 5 year history.

Some furry fans create furry personas (imaginary characters based on their own personalities) by which they become widely known in the fandom. An yearning to explore self-identity is common among these fans. They may write stories centered on their characters, build or commission fursuits so they can "come to life" as their character, commission artwork, or engage in role-playing sessions on one of the many furry-themed MUDs on the Internet, the largest, oldest and most popular of which is FurryMUCK. When such furry fans meet one another in person, they may be more familiar with one another's online personas than with their real identities.

Because "funny-animal" characters are often used in children's entertainment, furry fandom has long faced a dilemma that has caused numerous arguments and divisions within the fandom. A large number of furry fans are adults who enjoy themes that are generally considered unsuitable for children. As with other forms of fandom, including science fiction and horror fandom, there is a thriving pornographic element within the fandom, which furry fans refer to as spooge, or yiff. Fans supporting unrestricted content in furry fandom (including adult-oriented material) are opposed by fans who seek a "cleaning up" of the fandom so as to present a more family-oriented image to the general public. In some cases the furry community has expressed that this task is more of a trial then anything else, as media have in some instances have damaged the Fandom by casting it in a darker light then it really is.

For many, the fandom is just a hobby and a way to meet others who share the same interests. However, some people like to incorporate their furry feelings into their daily lives to such an extent that they live a "furry lifestyle". This dichotomy is not unlike that found in science fiction fandom between those who believe "Fandom is Just a God Damned Hobby" and others who assert "Fandom is a Way of Life".

Dichotomies such as that between the hobbyist and lifestyler also form a source of tension; individuals regularly snap and declare that they are giving up and leaving because they are unwilling to work together with opposing ideologies(though they may continue along their own preferences in private). Those that publicly remain within the fandom tend to be the most tolerant and open, for they discover it to be the only way to build any kind of community out of the diverse range of interests that furry encompasses. The major exception to this, of course, being creators; artists and writers and other craftsmen who make some or all of their money off of the fandom will produce whatever the market demands and become highly respected for their skills, regardless of personality or ideology. Creators indeed sometimes unwittingly discover the fandom by creating a popular work online without knowing their audience, and then express varying surprise, acceptance, or rejection depending on their own preconceptions.

As with some sports fans who dedicate their energies to supporting their favorite teams (sometimes at the cost of their personal lives), or political activists who devote their entire lives to their causes, there are those who obsess about their furry interests. Their role-playing may become so elaborate that they have difficulty determining where their "real" persona ends and their furry persona begins. A very limited group sexualize the experience to the point of paraphilia, having sex in their fursuits or with their plushies: the latter group are known as plushophiles. While these forms of activities are generally disapproved of within the furry fandom, the media has used these extremes to their own benefit. For example, articles in Vanity Fair and Loaded magazines, and dramatized fiction portrayed on television shows, including ER and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, are considered by most within the fandom as shadow-playing upon the darker side of a fandom that is, in most cases, generally open with what they do, and how they wish to be perceived. However, the media depiction is more complicated than that perception. For instance, the episode in CSI also had the team's leader, Gill Grissom, respectfully noting that the fandom is akin to a more modern version of ancient animal spirit worship; an observation he finds deeply fascinating.

This sort of behaviour is intriguing from a sociological perspective in that this sort of behaviour may be a way of combating loneliness. Many use the fandom as a medium through which to meet and interact with people of like mind. Indeed, some furs will relocate to be near other furs, occasionally forming small, sometimes fairly casual and short-lived communes. First World societies are structured in such a way as to create an environment that makes it very difficult for its members to interact with each other as comes naturally to humans, and such small communities may serve to create a more suitable medium of interaction. The use of non-human avatars may be a sort of informal system by which to communicate aspects of personality, cultural background, etc.

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