Thfth.

[silveradept]

School starts in about 11 hours, so this is probably going to be shorter-ish.

Saw dentist today - need to floss more is the opinion. Chatted about the Rose Bowl while having my teeth cleaned. Came back, shopped, watched Oklahoma get bitchslapped by USC. Now going to bed.

But not without asking a question - and I'm sure I've probably asked this question before. Going back through the journal, I did ask it - and it got no commentary. Might explain the continued confusion.

I imagine, and have written into at least one character, that I have a dragon guiding spirit who takes some interest in me, for whatever reason it may be. Now, I wouldn't identify that as a sign of my "furriness", perhaps that I use a dragon as a totem animal, but definitely not as being a member of the "furry" community.

So I'm a bit confused as to the signs that do make someone "furry", and the reasons for their identification into that group. Probably as many answers as there are species, but I'm still asking. I suppose, not identifying myself as one of the group, I'm a bit mystified to the mentality of the group. I've considered attending a "furry" convention and taking notes to answer the question, but I'm afraid I'd be lost without someone like welah to guide me and answer questions.

I might note, idly, that this sort of confusion about group mentalities that I'm not part of extends to other groups as well. So I'm just as confused about other groups as furries, it just happens that my confusion for today rests there. So if I could get some useful pointers, that would be superb.

Comments

[greyweirdo.livejournal.com]

Well I don't hardly know anything about Furries, so I couldn't say much.

You can ask about other groups though, I might know about them.

[rimspace.livejournal.com]

There are quite a few furry communities on LJ, it may be worth looking around them. I know synfony is one and she may either be able to answer your questions or point you to someone who can.

[przxqgl.livejournal.com]

you're as furry as you want to be... and the fact that you're a dragon doesn't enter into it at all.

[pseudowolf.livejournal.com]

Yup. Syn's a member of one of, if not the, largest furry community in the US. And it's in Texas, of all places. ;)

Well...

[silveradept]

...explain yourself. As zen as I'm feeling today (and after Ozy and Millie, there's usually a good zen), I think I'd like a bit more verbose nd detailed of an explanation than that.

[silveradept]

Well, I don't think I have syn on my friends list, or she has me on hers, more accurately, so is it perhaps possible that someone else could get her attention long enough to notice? (Or tell me how I can wag my tail the right way to get her attention?)

Re: Well...

[przxqgl.livejournal.com]

while i would qualify this by saying that i am not a member, except in a cursory way, of any furry community, and while my user icon depicts a hippopotomus, i feel no innate attraction to hippopotomi that i don't feel towards any other animal, i would say that being furry, like being anything else, is first and foremost a matter of how you think of yourself. if you think of yourself as a person who identifies with the vast myriad (or lesser fractions thereof) of "different" attributes that have come to be associated with furries in general, then you are more likely to identify yourself as furry. if, on the other hand, you tend to shy away from those attributes, then you are more likely to identify yourself as something else, even if you wear a full-body fursuit and attend anthrocon.

and as for the other thing, as far as i've been able to tell, given the restrictions i mentioned previously, it doesn't matter whether what you choose as an animal actually has hair or not... tombfyre, a friend of my friend xydexx the latex inflatable unicorn, is an example of someone who is a dragon, but very definitely more a part of the community on livejournal than i am.

that explained enough for ya'?

Re: Well...

[silveradept]

So the dragon point is moot. Sen-Sen rejoices.

As for the other bit - so it's no different, really, than calling oneself any number of labels - if you think the shoe fits, you wear it. That's great, but to some degree, I'm trying to peer inside the head of someone who declares themself so and see what they're thinking about it. So explained well enough, just not as useful as it could be.