Current mood:	jealous
Current music:	Bis - Social Dancing

The Gratuitous Self-Wanking of Rikoshi Kisaragi
In May 2001, I wrote an essay for my old (now defunct) website entitlted Furry: Illusion of Solidarity</b>.

Looking back on this now, I feel like a right wanktastic chump. This was back in my "Closet Furry" days ('Rikoshi' didn't exist back then). What I say in this little 'informative' essay (aimed at a non-Furry crowd) still makes sense, I guess, but when I read it now, I can sense a strong undercurrent to my words.

That undercurrent is: "Ohgodohgodohgod PLEASE don't think I'm a weirdo pervert! Let me now highlight other people to look stranger than me so none of you will think bad things about me!" I could have said something like, "Hey, I'm a Furry, but I happen to not be into X, Y, and Z." But no, instead, I had to go and say, "I'm not a Furry, because I'm not icky and weird!" Self-denial at its best, folks.

At the time, I didn't really have any "contact" with the Furry community. I just sort of observed lurkishly, too afraid from using my reverse-psychology TWS excuse which allowed me to peruse Furry art galleries ad infinitum. (Note: this isn't to say that a lot of Furry art isn't TWS-worthy and horror-inspiring--quite the contrary...)

But, here I am, just over two years later. It's July 19, and I'm deeply depressed because I can't be at Anthrocon in Philadelphia with my far-away Furry friends. My Furry roommate is making me a cup of tea while my other Furry roommate is out with one of our mutual Furry friends to go food shopping.

Repent, little fox. Repent.

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beandelphiki
2003-07-20 11:53 am UTC (link)

I think I'm lucky I wasn't drinking something when I read:

(I'm suddenly reminded of some very good MiSTings of some very bad Sonic the Hedgehog fanfics).

Maybe because of the story someone recently told about the 13-year-old girl who called up a radio show to ask if it was normal to jerk off to Sonic.

Bah, I think I'm seeing both sides to this. And I have this horrible feeling I'm about to get serious. Damn.

I've been told that the majority of the furry fandom isn't into "that yiffy stuff." So there, I suppose you have a group of people with the potential to get irritated because they are constantly associated with various fetishes they don't share. And since I have noticed a great number of people on lj who are quick to inform the unenlightened, "Furries are freaks who have sex dressed as parade mascots and fuck stuffed animals!" - I can see the urge to get uber-defensive, even to the point of denying or hiding identification with that group. I mean, hell, why would you want people thinking you're some "perverted freak" when all you really are is a big GEEK?**

"Hey man, The Lion King is my favorite movie ever!"
"You mean it's your favorite Disney movie?"
"No, my favorite movie, period."
"..."

(Huh, even as I type this, I've just spotted a message board thread about how furries should stop fucking people's cats.)

But one girl I ran into said it best, I think, when she pointed out that most furries are adults, and combining a bunch of adults with almost any fandom results in something sex-related eventually. Big surprise. Big deal.

**Not that I'm saying being a geek is bad thing. I am a huge geek, yo.

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rikoshi
2003-07-20 01:53 pm UTC (link)

And for the record, I've never even ever worn a fursuit, let alone had sex while wearing one. In fact, near as I see it, being a part of the fandom and all, Fursuiting and other Furry interests don't go hand-in-hand all that often, really. Sure, at a Furry convention, there are a ton of fursuiters, but if you go by percentage of total con attendance, it's really a very small fraction of the folks gathered.

I also don't fuck stuffed animals. I'm not getting overly defensive here, just stating. ^^

And bestiality = NO. I'm one of those people who thinks of "zoophilia" as complete and utter bullshit. As far as I'm concerned, it's impossible to ever "know" what a non-sentient creature thinks, feels, or wants, so claiming that sexual intercourse with your dog is an act of love doesn't swing it with me.

I much prefer just being a big geek who happens to think that two-legged animal people are neat and fun and yes, sometimes, sexy.

w0rd.

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	beandelphiki 2003-07-21 04:59 am UTC (link)
	Oh, I'm well aware furries != zoos. I was just using it as an example of the kind of crap you see people saying about furries. (Reply to this)(Parent)

virago
2003-07-21 01:16 am UTC (link)

I know nothing about the scene and probably even shouldn't be opening my mouth at all (so to speak), but I do have to state the obvious point that this was written with an outside reader in mind. People do have bad misconceptions about a lot of communities/scenes/groups, and people in them or associated with them do have to counteract that sometimes. Maybe denying connections with the group at all is a bit strong, but I definitely identify with that phase.

You said it was written early on in your involvement with the scene (change vocabulary as necessary), and I would peg it more as part of the usual progression than something worthy of ridicule. Yeah, it's a bit paranoid in the "I'm not one of them!" sense, but I think it's relatively normal to go through a "They're doing what? Whoah, I fold" phase before you get to the "It's not everyone, and if you make generalizations like that, then you have the problem" phase.

Abusing false quotes, abusing italics, stating the obvious AND wanking. I am through.

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	banal_o_rama 2003-07-21 03:12 am UTC (link)
	Dear Furry: You are icky and weird. Therefore, please die. Love, Me And as furry wanks go, that was nothing. You must be familiar with Kaijima? Until you turn into an Artiste with JDR-level self-delusions, you have nothing to worry about. (...your fox doesn't have six cocks, does it? Just making sure.) (Reply to this)

azusa
2003-07-24 11:38 pm UTC (link)

OMG FURRY U R T3H PERVERT U FUCK INNOCENT PLUSHIES U MUST DIE.

...Seriously, though. I thought this essay was good when you posted it, and I think it's good now. I have half a notion to write an essay about illusions of solidarity in a certain other community which I shall not mention here because it requires way too fucking many caveats to identify oneself as such due to media bullshit.

Whew. Annoyingly cryptic enough yet? Yeah, I thought so.

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