Acting like an animal

[pokesonicfan11]

Hiya everybody! If you haven't seen my first post, I'm new here and don't consider myself a full-fledged furry...yet. I', trying to fully join the fandom before giving myself the title. So I've heard people talking about how they bark, wear collars, etc. So I was just wondering, any advice on how to be a good life-styler, stuff to do while life-styling, and how to avoid embarrassing moments XD Thanks a lot!

[pokesonicfan11]

Also I've just heard about "phantom How do you feel like you have a tail, any advice on this, or advice on how to take care of the tail once I have it XD Also could someone explain in depth what it feels like and can you control how the invisible tail moves? Thanks!

[Kobuk]

There's a thread already here on phantom tails, etc. for discussion.
http://forums.furtopia.org/general-furry-discussion/phantom-tail/

[Scarlegs]

Hi Pokesonic!
If you want to be a good life-styler, you just have to fuse furry things with everyday life. A less expensive way is to say paws instead of feet/hands

Phantom Tails are like phantom limbs(http://en.wikifur.com/wiki/Phantom_tail_syndrome) My friend says she got hers by imagining her tail (Husky) swishing a bit when she was walking and just making it like an extra limb. I get mine when I stretch or when I'm sitting down it just goes limp 

Maybe try that? Or if you have some money, buy a cheap collar and wear that around home when nobody is home(Unless they know you are a furry )

Hope this helps a little

[Kasuni]

Hi Pokesonic!
If you want to be a good life-styler, you just have to fuse furry things with everyday life. A less expensive way is to say paws instead of feet/hands

Phantom Tails are like phantom limbs(http://en.wikifur.com/wiki/Phantom_tail_syndrome) My friend says she got hers by imagining her tail (Husky) swishing a bit when she was walking and just making it like an extra limb. I get mine when I stretch or when I'm sitting down it just goes limp  

Maybe try that? Or if you have some money, buy a cheap collar and wear that around home when nobody is home(Unless they know you are a furry )


Hope this helps a little

this is exactly what I do. I have a collar that I wear. when I'm walking, I feel like I have a tail. sometimes (depending on what's happening), I feel like I have ears.

[gammacable]

Hey Pokesonic! Nice to meet you! I'm actually in a somewhat similar position. No money to buy a collar, an I can never remind myself to say paws, so it hasn't become a habit yet I've kept this secret from people I know since a joined, but I'm still reluctant to actually call myself a furry, because I don't feel like I'm integrated fully yet. But, I have found out that friends help a lot. I had a group of friends that I lived with for 6 weeks, because we were all working at camp. I decided to tell them one night. They were more supportive than I expected. Ever since they've been teasing me (in a good way) and I've been more open around them. Go find some real, trustworthy friends and tell them.

[Fledgling]

Some ideas:
You could get a chewtoy or just chew on sticks. The best ones are something that are soft and that you can tear up, but still offer some resistance.
Drink liquids by lapping out of a bowl.
Bark, howl, etc. where no one will hear you/recognise you.
Learn to move on all fours - look up videos for quadrupedal movement in parkour.

You have a few options to hide your furriness:
Only do these things when no one can see or hear you.
Do them where the only people who see you are strangers who you'll never see again.
Do them in a mask, fursuit, or another means of hiding your identity.
Find a way to pass it off as socially acceptable (Happy Halloween!)

[Dunnydude29]

I'm new too, and I sort of want to implement very minor aspects of Furry lifestyles, cause I'm very shy
Some sort of things that nobody but me and other furries can notice...chewing on things, phantom tail?

[bkatt500]

Just do what feels natural to you.  Don't worry about being 'more furry' or 'more animal', if it's not natural to you, chances are it'll feel fake or silly and you'll forget within a couple weeks.  If chew-toys or collars interest you, give them a try, if sitting in a 'perched' position or in a tree feels more comfortable, go ahead, if you feel more fabulous picturing a swishing tail behind you, by all means, do that, but don't do them just because you don't feel 'furry' enough.  You're already furry enough if anthropomorphic animals are a large interest of yours and you're willing to accept the label.

[Keo]

I act less non-human now then I did when I was younger.
From peer pressure I was bullied for it. Though, I wouldn't say that was so much "furry" as being "therian". I still live with my parents, those traits now feel awkward to me in general, though.

I have a sense of a phantom tail to a degree, though, much like any limb I can sort of "forget" it. I don't lap up liquid from a bowl, it just seems silly as by my human form, the tongue is simply not designed for it and I don't like plain water because as human I don't like the taste of water as much. I whine, growl and mumble under my breath, and when I am defensive or stressed I feel like I should bark but it comes out as words, now, I tend to use voice over bark for play except with dogs, I feel like howling when melancholy but by wild traits I have no pack or family. The only time I walk on all fours is when occasionally playing with my parents' pets or when I scuttle upstairs sneakily (is crafty).

I have a tendency to want to chew, pencils don't survive long with me, and I tend to break up lolly-sticks, if not I'll chew whatever clothing I'm provided with (sleeves, shirt collar, etc) or what not, a recent habit is that I occasionally chew on my tongue and gums because of hunger and anxiety.

I'm too scared to be a lifestyler, though, I live with my parents who don't know about it and would probably get the wrong idea. I also have a paranoid sense that I might get targeted at by furry haters if I associate my human self with the furry community. I've never gone to a furry con, though I am a relatively new fur, but for now "net furry".

And I dig the label "furry", I think it's a very fun, awesome word. I also tried crossing it with "therian" to make "furian" to describe what type of fur I am in more specific occurrences .

I'd say just do as you do, no need to force behaviour, unless you want to, of course (then you can just mimic, but I say it's best you do keep in your comfort zone), plenty furries have very human-like fursonalities and focus more on the idea of their character looking like a non-human, that's quite a bit "humany" in itself.