Furry is the appreciation and love of anthropomorphic animals either in cartoon form or as realistic depictions. They can be bipedal or more feral and quadrupedal. It's an all-inclusive community made up of all animals in existence including some species that have been created by the community itself like Dutch Angel Dragons and Protogens. The community itself is not a fetish or kink but instead a colorful collection of people sharing a common interest. It just so happens there's a whole lot of us!

Let me preface this article by saying FURRY IS NOT A FETISH. I don't want to give you the wrong idea. The media makes people who like furry art seem like people who have wild orgies in the woods in animal costumes. This is very far from the truth. These "costumes" can run anywhere from $1,500 - $5000 or much more (depending on who makes it). They are a pain to clean and most people would never dream of doing that. Some furries do mursuit, which is a costume specifically designed for people to have sex in, but it's really not that common. The heart of the community is in the art.

Furry in itself isn't sexual but it's undeniable that there's an avid adult audience as most people in this community are over 18 years of age and have been a part of the community in one way or another for a few years. It's natural that people bring a passion from day to day life into the bedroom at some point. With the expression of creativity in art their characters are brought together in imaginative scenes. Artists create everything from animations to full digital and physical paintings of their own and other people’s OCs (original characters). If you take the time to appreciate the countless hours that go into creating each work of art you come to understand what makes it so amazing. It becomes much more than just yiff porn to the customers and creators alike.

Some fetishes are wildly unique to the community such as love for maws and paws. Although it does have a striking similarity to foot and oral/teeth fetish it's special in its own way. There are other shared kinks that are even featured on ManyVids like giantess/micro, transformation, gender swap, oviposition, tentacles, inflatable objects (pool toy fetish & looners), hyper body parts, and vore. Silly terms are made up for certain sub-genres like the appreciation of pungent body scent being the endearing "musky husky". Babyfurs are furries who like adult baby.

Roleplay is also a huge part. Both nonsexual and sexual. Roleplay scenes can extend out for years or be a simple rub and tug afternoon session. There are chat sites dedicated to all kinds of roleplay. When reality isn't enough you have the ability to create worlds and explore fantasies that would otherwise be unattainable.

What makes this starkly different from pet play is that there is a much more personal element mixed in. Finding my fursona was for me a natural extension from my love of pet play, but these aren't actually that similar. It's not just headband ears and a tail inside your bum. There's a deep seeded connection with the character that represents you. A bond unimaginable by someone just looking outside in. It makes every drawing shared, and every roleplay had, bring you closer to the character you made.

Furry is all about being who you really want to be. You can be anything. A 12-foot tall fox or a tiny diapered baby squirrel. You can have tentacles that reach in all the right spots or wings that fly you far above in the sky. It's a great way to meet friends and there are many different ways to enjoy "furry'.

by MV Girl Dawn Willow

Photos included: Dawn Willow, fursuiterMac & inflatable wolf toy Fenris, & Artwork by Pastel_teeth