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Summary: Do you like Bugs Bunny and "The Lion King"?  Do you play games
    such as "Starfox" or "Sonic the Hedgehog"? Do you read
    science fiction novels like C.J. Cherryh's "The Pride of Chanur"?
    Do you enjoy adult-themed comic books including "Maus" or "Omaha
    the Cat Dancer"? Find out about furries in alt.fan.furry!
Keywords: faq, furry, comics, books, art, fanzines, games, MUCK, MUSH
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Archive-name: furry/faq
Posting-Frequency: Posted on the 8th and 25th of each month.
URL: http://www.tigerden.com/infopage/furry/furfaq.txt
Last-Modified: Sat, 18 Jan 2003 00:26:59 -0800 (PST)
Changes: Updated various URLs and MUCK addresses to bring up to date.

              an Alt.Fan.Furry Frequently-Asked-Questions Sheet
                         originally by Jordan Greywolf
        Updated by Lynx ([e-mail]) as of January 18, 2003

------------------------------

Subject: 1. Table of Contents and Introduction

     1. Table of Contents and Introduction
     2. WHAT IS "ALT.FAN.FURRY"?
     3. WHAT IS A "FURRY"?
     4. CAN REPTILES BE "FURRY"?
     5. WHAT IS A "FUNNY ANIMAL"?
     6. WHAT IS A "PERSONAL FURRY"?
     7. WHAT IS "FURRYDOM"?
     8. WHAT IS A "FANZINE"?
     9. WHAT MAKES A STORY (or MOVIE/SHOW/GAME, whatever) "FURRY"?
    10. WHAT'S "ALBEDO"?
    11. WHERE DO I GO TO FIND THIS STUFF?
        12. WHAT IF I WANT TO WRITE/DRAW THIS STUFF?
    13. WHAT DOES "IMHO" MEAN?
    14. WHAT DOES =) MEAN?
    15. MUDs, FTP Sites, and Web Links

The following is Greywolf's attempt to answer frequently asked questions about
furry fandom and is not endorsed by any major organization.  It reflects
observations and opinions held by Greywolf (and possibly by Lynx as noted
below).  Take the below with a grain of salt and the customary disclaimer.

Of course, a fandom is defined by the fans, and it's practically impossible for
such a diverse group to agree on a concise definition of much of anything.
[This doesn't stop them from trying. -- Lynx]

------------------------------

Subject: 2. WHAT IS "ALT.FAN.FURRY"?

  Alt.fan.furry is a newsgroup devoted to the discussion of all things "furry"
  and/or of distinct interest to "furry fans".  While this leads to a rather
  vague definition of what is truly "on-topic", the term "furry" itself is
  inherently vague.  (See "What is a 'furry'?")  In general, the discussion of
  artwork or fiction (including movies, TV series, game systems, novels,
  illustrations, etc.) involving "furry" subjects, theorizing about "furry"
  creatures, and even of the fandom itself or the definition of "furry" is
  commonly found on the newsgroup.

------------------------------

Subject: 3. WHAT IS A "FURRY"?

 "Furry" when used as a noun seems to refer to one of two things:

     a) An animal-like character known as a "furry"
     b) A person who is a "furry fan"

 The latter is easy enough (knock on wood) to define:  A person who
 particularly enjoys stories, pictures, dolls, video games or whatever
 concerning "furry" creatures.  Defining a "furry" creature is somewhat
 harder, though.  There are several definitions depending upon which "camp"
 in furrydom, for lack of a better term, you might be in.

 The basic definition for a "furry" is an anthropomorphized animal
 character.  In other words, an animal character given human-like
 attributes, such as sapience and often a humanoid form.  The term "furry"
 is a misnomer, as a creature does not need to have fur to be "furry" in
 this sense.  Other terms sometimes interchangeable with a "furry" in this
 sense are "zoomorph", "morph", "anthropomorph" or (debatably) "funny
 animal".

 The core definition of a "furry" seems to include basically humanoid-formed
 creatures with animal faces, fur/scale/feathers/whatever, and often
 appropriate tails, wings, claws, etc., able to speak, and with a human-like
 personality, though quite often with "quirks" hinting at the real-life
 animal upon which the character is based.

 A broader definition will sometimes include other odd creatures that simply
 have some sort of animal features in their makeup.  Such would include
 mythical creatures such as centaurs, manticores, satyrs or harpies, all of
 which have human faces though more-or-less animal-like bodies.  This
 broader definition might also include the human-like characters that appear
 in some Japanese animation that have an animal tail and ears, but otherwise
 look about as human as any other anime character.

 One of the narrower definitions held by some is that in order for a
 character to be truly considered "furry", the character must exhibit
 animal-like characteristics in behavior.  Optionally, the fact that the
 character is an "animal" must be a major ingredient to the story.  This is
 exhibited in a frequent criticism of "furry" stories by those who hold this
 view: Many stories, while featuring characters fitting the core definition
 of "furry" given earlier are criticized as being "humans in animal suits"
 if their behavior isn't distinctly animal-like in some way.

------------------------------

Subject: 4. CAN REPTILES BE "FURRY"?

 Yes.  So can birds.  Having fur is not a prerequisite.  The term is not
 necessarily literal.

------------------------------

Subject: 5. WHAT IS A "FUNNY ANIMAL"?

 A "funny animal", in practice, is an anthropomorphized animal, though the
 usage tends to lean more toward more "cartoony" characters, and does not
 carry the same wide, sweeping connotations that "furry" seems to have.
 (e.g., I don't usually hear centaurs and anime cat-girls referred to as
 "funny animals")

 Some writers and artists who claim the term "funny animals" for their
 subject matter don't necessarily consider themselves "furry", though on
 the surface this might seem to be almost a synonym.  This is largely
 because of the baggage the term "furry" carries with it, as a number of
 people see "furries" obsessed with the sexuality of their fictitious
 characters.  A "funny animal" is not necessarily a character in solely
 humorous situations, and not necessarily restricted to Saturday morning
 cartoon antics.  The "funny" part of the term seems to more apply to the
 fact that these characters are not like *real* animals.

------------------------------

Subject: 6. WHAT IS A "PERSONAL FURRY"?

 Definitions range widely, but the common answer seems to be that a
 "personal furry" is someone's anthropomorphized animal "alter-ego".  This
 can mean a number of things:

 a) It could be a "furry" character that the person roleplays on FurryMUCK
    (or some other roleplaying environment/game) that the person considers
    to be a representation of him/herself.
 b) It could be an anthropomorphized animal character that represents the
    person in cartoons or drawings.
 c) It could be a person's "totem" or favorite animal type.

 One's attachment to and attitude toward one's "personal furry" (if at all)
 varies greatly.

------------------------------

Subject: 7. WHAT IS "FURRYDOM"?

 Furrydom is a rather vague term, usually used to refer to "furry fandom".
 "Furry fandom" is an abstraction of the loose collection of people who are
 fans of various "furry" publications.  In a broader sense, the term may be
 used to refer to the general "furry scene", such as the collection of
 publications (particularly small-press or amateur "fanzines") devoted to
 them, and the assortment of "furry" conventions.

------------------------------

Subject: 8. WHAT IS A "FANZINE"?

 A fanzine is a usually small-press publication catering to fans of a
 particular genre.  (As M. High pointed out, "furry" is more a *vehicle*
 than a *genre*, but that's a technicality.) There are several "furry
 fanzines" which publish an assortment of stories, artwork and sometimes
 articles submitted to the 'zine, such as "PawPrints" and "YARF!".

 Other publications that may pop up in "furry" discussion are APAs:  These
 are limited-circulation publications meant for a collection of
 artists/writers to share their work with *other* artists and writers.
 Usually each contributor pays his share of the production costs depending
 upon how much of each "issue" consists of his work, and copies of the
 collected publication are only circulated among the contributors.
 Examples include "Rowrbrazzle" and "Furthest Northern Crew (FNC)".

 A variation on this is the APA'zine, which is an APA which accepts
 contributions only from members but which allows non-members to purchase
 copies.  Examples include "Huzzah!" and "Gallery".

------------------------------

Subject: 9. WHAT MAKES A STORY (or MOVIE/SHOW/GAME, whatever) "FURRY"?

 This is a matter of debate, varying as much as the definition of what a
 "furry" is in the first place.  The definition that seems to be most
 applicable is that in order for a story, movie or show to be considered
 "furry", a primary character (or a significant number of the primary
 characters) must be a "furry".

 Another definition is that simply whatever stories tend to be popular among
 furfen (furry fans) that they consider to be "furry" are furry.  But that's
 hardly helpful, is it?  =) Cartoons with animal characters are often
 accepted as being "furry", for one thing.  Steve Gallacci's "Albedo" is
 usually considered "furry", unless you're from the group that believes that
 his characters are merely "humans in animal suits".  Many Disney movies
 might be considered "furry", such as their animated "Robin Hood".  Even
 though "Bambi" isn't an anthropomorph in shape, the characters in the movie
 talk with each other and have human-like emotions, and thus are considered
 "furry" by some.

 In a more recent Disney movie with a prominent "furry", "Beauty and the
 Beast", this is particularly a grey area; some consider it NOT to be furry,
 since the "Beast" was just a human changed into an animal-like form for
 most of the movie.  "The Little Mermaid" is another one of those fringe
 "furry" films if you want to use the broadest definition (since Ariel's
 body is part fish?  =.)

 Movies where "furry" creatures are merely the villains which the humans
 must fight are almost certainly not considered "furry".  =, Also, stories
 where an animal-like character may appear but is not one of the primary
 characters are not usually considered "furry", either.  For instance, Gnort
 doesn't make the Green Lantern comics "furry", even though he himself would
 fit the technical definition of a "furry character".

------------------------------

Subject: 10. WHAT'S "ALBEDO"?

 Albedo is one of the most recognized titles in furry fandom, a comic book
 that features stories from several different writers and artists, but most
 notably being "Erma Felna of the EDF", a science fiction story set in a
 "furry" universe, drawn and written by Steve Gallacci.

------------------------------

Subject: 11. WHERE DO I GO TO FIND THIS STUFF?

 [Lynx has this to say:]
 For comics, try your local comic store.  While you can often order back
 issues directly from publishers like Antarctic Press or Mu Press, or from
 mail-order distributors like Mailbox Books or United Publications (UK),
 if you ask for issues at a comic store, they will be more likely to
 recognize that a demand exists, will order more comics, and will in
 general create more support for anthropomorphic material.  Back issues
 of many furry comics can often be gotten from the companies that produced
 them as well.

 Fanzines like YARF! and PawPrints are not usually available through
 comic stores, so you'll either have to order them through the mail, get
 a subscription, or attend a con where people sell these fanzines.  The
 biggest conventions for the sale of furry material are:

   Linkname:  Further Confusion
   Filename:  http://www.furtherconfusion.com/

   Linkname:  Anthrocon
   Filename:  http://www.anthrocon.org/

 APAs like Rowrbrazzle and FNC are members-only, and very infrequently
 have extra copies available.

 Many furry artists are available for commissions, at rates ranging from
 five dollars to literally hundreds and thousands of dollars, for pencil,
 ink, color, and 3-d artwork.  This FAQ does not supply addresses, but a
 FAQ listed below gives artist addresses.  It's recommended that when
 one writes to an artist, one includes an SASE (self-addressed stamped
 envelope) to speed the response.

------------------------------

Subject: 12. WHAT IF I WANT TO WRITE/DRAW THIS STUFF?

 [Lynx has this to say]

 Feel free.

 Anthropomorphic fandom sports many fanzines that are quite interested in
 the works of fledgling and not-so-fledgling artists and writers, and even
 if you don't feel ready for prime time yet, you may find people on the
 network appreciative of your work.

 If you post a story or artwork, then expect criticism ranging anywhere
 from 'it's terrible' to 'it's good but...' to simple silence that makes
 you wonder if your art or story made it out to the network.  Remember
 to put copyright notices on your stories and artwork; while the current
 copyright conventions automatically protect creative works, it's better
 to have that certain amount of protection, and if someone is interested
 enough by what you've done, they may want to find more of it.

 Remember also that anything posted to the network is 'out there'
 effectively and thus beyond your control.  The best you can do is to
 put some sort of request on your art or story to request people avoid
 redistributing it or modifying it in any way.  Even then, you may find
 your stories or artwork from years ago haunting you as well-meaning
 people repost them.

 Question: can I post stories to alt.fan.furry?
 Answer:
  Yes, provided the story involves furry (anthropomorphic) characters.
  There is some doubt about the appropriacy of posting erotic stories
  to alt.fan.furry, however; some suggest that these stories would be
  better posted to an erotica newsgroup such as alt.sex.stories.  In
  addition, you might have some luck with alt.prose and alt.prose.d.

 Question: what other resources are there for furry writers?
 Answer:
  There is a list of anthropomorphic novels posted fairly regularly to
  alt.fan.furry-- see the FAQ pointers below.  Writing is discussed (not
  anthropomorphic writing in specific) on misc.writing as well, so if
  you're looking for specific tips, you might ask there.  Several MUDs
  hold writing circles.  If you're interested in seeing your story
  in print, look up the 'zines list.  In addition, there is now a Web site
  that points to various furry stories around the World-Wide Web. (see
  below list of links)

 Question: can I post artwork to alt.fan.furry?  And how?
 Answer:
  No.  Artwork must commonly be posted in an encoded format, a practice
  which is frowned upon in any primarily-text newsgroup.  Artwork is better
  posted to the newsgroup alt.binaries.pictures.furry (or for risque art,
  alt.binaries.pictures.furry.erotica) and should preferably be uuencoded
  GIFs or JPGs.  For more information on uploading or downloading art,
  please see the appropriate FAQ (pointers are given below).

 Question: what other resources are there for furry artists?
 Answer:
  There are some excellent FAQs on art materials and techniques for the
  preservation of artwork.

  If you're looking for tips on drawing anthropomorphics, however, you
  will certainly do best to ask for help on alt.fan.furry with your
  particular drawing style.  Who knows?  You may make new friends in
  the process of learning.  In addition, you may want to find books in
  the library or your friendly neighborhood art store on figure drawing,
  and on drawing animals.

  Lycan maintains an excellent archive of furry pictures sorted by
  artists, title, and date.  See the pointer below.

 Question: how do I get started writing/drawing?
 Answer:
  Write or draw.

  No, seriously.  Begin practicing immediately, remember that it won't be
  perfect the first time, and keep on writing or drawing until you get
  better.  Then keep doing it.  You'll be able to ask questions more
  effectively and get better answers if you have some idea what you want
  to improve.

  When you feel you're ready for criticism, comments, or support, then you
  can post your art or story, or send it to any of a number of fanzines
  that may be interested in your work.  Good luck!  Be sure to ask for
  criticism, if you want it, but you should be prepared for negative as
  well as positive comments.

------------------------------

Subject: 13. WHAT DOES "IMHO" MEAN?

 There are a few different acronyms that will pop up frequently.

 IMHO:   In My Humble Opinion  (i.e. this is just my opinion)
 IMNSHO: In My Not-So-Humble Opinion
 YMMV:   Your Mileage May Vary (i.e. this works for me, but might not for you)
 BTW:    By The Way
 FYI:    For Your Information
 F'ex:   For example (e.g.)
 RL:     Real-Life
 IC:     In Character [referring to roleplaying]
 LOL:    Laughs Out Loud
 ROTFL:  Rolls On The Floor Laughing
 {g}:    {grin} -- Another system of expressing emotion involves abbreviations
         like this...
 {g,d,r}:{grin, duck and run}

------------------------------

Subject: 14. WHAT DOES =) MEAN?

 This is a 'net smiley face.  Turn it sideways.  =)  See?  Of course, furfen
 often get creative with animal smileys, such as:

      =)  {cute smiley face with big expressive eyes}
      :)  {beady-eyed, generic smiley face}
     :-)  {Oh no!  It's a HYOOMAN smiley face!  Aieee!}
     ^_^  {alternative smiley}
   =^_^=  {alternative critter smiley with whiskers}
      =,  {smirky face}
      =.  {unsure face}
      =/  {really perplexed face}
      =(  {frowny face}
   @ >=(  {really steamed frowny face}
      =U  {howling wuff}
     -=)  {unicorn}
    -=*)  {unicorn with root beer foam on his nose}
    O-=)  {angelic unicorn, or a unicorn playing donut ring-toss}
 > > -=)  {unicorn in love with little hearts above its head}
      =3  {otter smiley}
     =:)  {rabbit smiley}
     :=)  {equine smiley face}
     }=)  {miscellaneous critter with ears}
     (=3  {upside-down mouse}
    >=x)  {cat, complete with whiskers}
      =}  {friendly dragon}
     S=)  {smiley with one ear flopping down}
     d=>  {pigeon wearing a baseball cap}
    >Bo)  {furry with big nose wearing shades}
 o/~ }=o  {furry whistling -- that's a musical note over its head! =) }

 Okay, so this section wasn't COMPLETELY serious.  =D

------------------------------

Subject: 15. MUDs, FTP Sites, and Web Links

 Due to the changing nature of the network, network resources and gatherings
 such as multi-user chat systems (MUDs), file transfer/storage areas (FTP
 sites), and World-Wide Web pages are always subject to change; hence, the
 below information is likely to be obsolete very quickly or subject to
 change without notice.

 Here are some web links where you are likely to find the latest information
 available:

   Linkname:  PeterCat's Furry FAQs Page
        URL:  http://www.tigerden.com/~infopage/furry/
 (you should be able to find most furry-related FAQs here)

   Linkname:  The Lynx/Greywolf FAQ
   Filename:  http://www.tigerden.com/infopage/furry/furfaq.txt

   Linkname:  R'ykandar Korra'ti's Art Materials FAQ
   Filename:  http://www.tigerden.com/infopage/furry/art.txt

   Linkname:  Terry Whittier's Artwork Preservation FAQ
   Filename:  http://www.tigerden.com/infopage/furry/art-pres.txt

   Linkname:  Lynx's Incomplete Listing of Zoomorphic Publications
   Filename:  http://www.tigerden.com/infopage/furry/zines.txt

   Linkname:  How to Connect to FurryMUCK (and elsewhere)
   Filename:  http://www.tigerden.com/infopage/muck/faq.html

   Linkname:  Descriptions of Various Furry MUCKs
   Filename:  http://www.tigerden.com/infopage/muck/index.html

              Furry Novel List (3 parts)
   Linkname:  Part 1: Animals Behaving Intelligently; Intelligent Animals
   Filename:  http://www.tigerden.com/infopage/furry/novels1.txt
   Linkname:  Part 2: Anthropomorphic Species
   Filename:  http://www.tigerden.com/infopage/furry/novels2.txt
   Linkname:  Part 3: Changes, Forthcoming Novels and Kudos
   Filename:  http://www.tigerden.com/infopage/furry/novels3.txt

   Linkname:  THE "WHAT/WHERE/WHY/HOW" FOR PICTURES
   Filename:  ftp://infolane.com/pub/picutils/index.html
              http://mrcnext.cso.uiuc.edu/~deej/index.html
              http://spodbox.ehche.ac.uk/~abpu/
              ftp://harley.pcl.ox.ac.uk/pub/picutils/index.html

   Linkname:  Mia's Collection of Furry Stories
   Filename:  http://furry.de/miavir/stories.html

 Some MUDs and FTP sites:

 FurryMUCK is a phenomenon found on the 'net -- a MUCK devoted to
 furry fans.  If you want a definition of a MUCK, check out the FAQ on
 rec.games.mud.misc.  =)  Basically, it's a multi-player text adventure game
 where the "game" element has been pretty much removed, replaced with a
 mostly social environment (even though there are smaller games-within-a-
 game on the MUCK).  If you have telnet, you can connect to FurryMUCK at
 209.237.26.180 port 8888 (muck.furry.org 8888 for those who need named
 addresses).  A FurryMUCK FAQ is also posted weekly to the newsgroup
 alt.fan.furry.muck and there is an Official FurryMUCK Web Page at
 <URL:http://www.furry.com/>.

 FurToonia is similiar to FurryMUCK, populated mostly by furries and
 toons who wanted to escape the lag and crowding of the larger MUCK, and
 also have the chance to do some creative public building projects.
 FurToonia can be connected to at ft.furtoonia.net 9999 (216.218.194.5 9999)
 and there is also a WWW homepage at http://www.furtoonia.net/ .

 Sociopolitical Ramifications (SPR) is another of FurryMUCK's `children' -
 a MUCK that was founded when FM became too big and lagged.  Therefore,
 many furries known from FM can be found on SPR too.  There is no rigid
 theme, the general flair is a bit more high-tech oriented than in FM.
 SPR is one of the few MUCKs without a building quota (you can build as
 much as you want).  Also, SPR does without explicit rules for non-
 wizards.  You can log in as guest and get a character immediately from
 any wizard. The current address is svansmoj.ctrl-c.liu.se 23
 (130.236.252.42 23).  (yes, 23)  For more information, check the WWW
 pages at the URL http://www.tigerden.com/~unci/spr.html

 Furry Art Archives:

 These archives have sprung up on the net to index and make available
 anthropomorphic artwork to the public, each with its own unique style.
 You'll have to judge which one is most useful to you, but the Yerf
 archive is probably the friendliest to casual visitors -- it is PG-rated
 unlike the other archives, which contain varying proportions of R- or
 even x-rated artwork.  It also allows you to see all pictures which were
 uploaded on any given date, making it easier to keep up with who's been
 posting what.

   Linkname:  Yerf (formerly Squeaky Clean Furry Archive)
   Filename:  http://www.yerf.com/

   Linkname:  FurNation
   Filename:  http://www.furnation.com/

   Linkname:  Orlando Furry Archives
   Filename:  http://www.fanarchive.net/

   Linkname:  VCL (formerly Velan Central Library)
   Filename:  http://vclart.net/

--
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The Furry InfoPage! http://www.tigerden.com/infopage/furry/
     Just The FAQs: http://www.tigerden.com/infopage/furry/faqs.html
          This FAQ: http://www.tigerden.com/infopage/furry/furfaq.txt