general furry discussion > lifestylers

Therians vs. Furries

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vlad:
I'm writing an essay for a therianthropy-related project about the differences between therians and furries. There are so obvious answers  like:
- Furries wear animal costumes, therians may use animal pelts to facilitate shifts, but it isn't a mark of the community
-furry has a sexual side, therianthropy really doesn't
-Furries may have multiple personal avatar characters, therians identify with a specific species or subspecies of animal
-Therianthropy has spiritual connotations and is often intertwined with spiritual beliefs, furry is just a fandom
-Furries (in general) tend to see therians as role-players who have taken their role too far, while therians (in general) tend to see furry as a lighter version of therianthropy.

However, before I start writing I want to know if any of my assumptions are correct. So I need to know things like: As a furry, does your involvement in the fandom influence your spirituality? Do you ever "shift" (take on a mindset similar to) into your fursona? What does your fursona mean to you? I'm just looking for starting points to write from, so anything anyone has to say about the differences between furry and therianthropy as well as personal experiences with the therian community are appreciated.

Avan:
It's overlapping really...

Yip:
-Furries wear animal costumes...
Not necessarily. A lot of furs don't even own a fursuit. And there is nothing about furry that requires that you need to, or that you even want to.  The only thing that furry implies is that you have an affinity for anthropomorphic animals. This could take the form of costumes, but it could also take the form of artwork, stories, or other things.

-Furry has a sexual side, therianthropy really doesn't
While I'm no expert on therianthropy, I would bet there there IS a sexual side. People are inherently sexual beings (which helps keeps the species going) and so pretty much anything they get involved with is going to have a sexual side. Plus, there are plenty of erotic pictures and stories that focus on transformations and such that would seem to be more in line with therianthropy than furry. Plus like Avan said, there is a lot of overlap.

-Furries may have multiple personal avatar characters, therians identify with a specific species or subspecies of animal
A lot of furries identify with a specific species or subspecies of animal. For example, my fursona is a red fox and I don't see that ever changing.  Unless you are trying to say that therians cannot possibly identify with more than one species. As I said, I'm no expert on therianthropy, but I doubt that's the case.

-Therianthropy has spiritual connotations and is often intertwined with spiritual beliefs, furry is just a fandom
I think this is probably the most definitive difference here. However there is still a lot of overlap. For example, there are plenty of furs that wouldn't be happy with the claim that "it's just a fandom" or the implied claim that furry can't be spiritual. (It's not for me, but then I'm not "spiritual".  I've found that "spiritual" is either so ill defined that it's nearly meaningless or else it's definition doesn't match with reality.)

-Furries (in general) tend to see therians as role-players who have taken their role too far, while therians (in general) tend to see furry as a lighter version of therianthropy.
I would mostly agree with this. Though I don't know I'd use the word "role-players".

My personal opinion of therianthopy, as well as that of furs that think they are not really human, is that they are out of touch with reality, at least on this issue.  I mean no disrespect to anyone, but I've seen no evidence that supports it being any more than a delusion.

R.A.Blackpaws:
Okay...let's see here:

"Furries wear animal costumes, therians may use animal pelts to facilitate shifts, but it isn't a mark of the community."

Ehhh...not really. While fursuits are becoming a bit more prevalent in the fandom, it is still only one part of furry. Mostly, it's just a love and appreciation for anthropomorphic animals that makes one "furry".
Therians...I've never heard of a therian using animal pelts for shifts.

"furry has a sexual side, therianthropy really doesn't"

Both have their sexual side, to be honest. Therians mate just as anyone else would. Furries just get more press for it, sadly.

"Furries may have multiple personal avatar characters, therians identify with a specific species or subspecies of animal"

Not entirely true. Some furs choose one fursona and stick with it. Some therians (like myself) have multiple totemic animals/spirit guides that offer them advice/teach them lessons/help them explore themselves.

"Therianthropy has spiritual connotations and is often intertwined with spiritual beliefs, furry is just a fandom"

The first part of this sentence, I agree with. For myself and several other therians I know, it is solely a spiritual thing; learning lessons from the animal/s that are a part of us and applying their lessons to everyday life.
The second...I kinda disagree with. Yes, furry is a hobby or fandom, but there is also a bit of a spiritual component as well. When you see great furry artwork or read a good furry story, you know that they had to be inspired by something. When a person gets very in-tune with their fursona, that could be classified as a spiritual experience as well.

"Furries (in general) tend to see therians as role-players who have taken their role too far, while therians (in general) tend to see furry as a lighter version of therianthropy."

*sighs* I can definitely understand where this notion comes from (thank you, White Wolf publishing)...but I disagree with both parts of this.  I have seen FURS who act like they are "role-players who have taken their role too far"...and therians who act like furs, right down to the vocalizations and playful skritching.

My view is simple: therianthropy and furry are two sides of a coin. One primarily does deal with physical (furs do tend to be more tactile and focused on creative material works) and the other deals with the more spiritual and ethereal. There is some overlap (spiritual furs and pup-like therians), but not enough to lump them together.

Hope that made sense. If not, PM me with questions/things you want clarified.

TCD:
Very nice, RA. Though don't knock on the White Wolf, they've got some of the best and worst aspects of being a werewolf (and/or vampire), according to many different legends down, but in addition they throw their own special flavor into it.  Blame the players, not the game.

Listen to RA, vlad. He makes good points.

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