...what next - articles about people who practise auto-asphyxiation while wearing their mothers undergarments?
www.stuff.co.nz wrote:Fur fantasy fanatics only
16 September 2006
By BRUCE HOLLOWAY
For the past 15 years, Colin Palmer, 30, has been a raccoon.
His partner is a deer. And they have a female friend staying in their Hamilton East house who is a "panthress".
Elsewhere after dark in Hamilton lurks a "cheetor" (a cybernetic jaguar crossed with a Terminator) and a Chakat (fantasy cat-centaur).
They are among a New Zealand community of about 80 "furries" - folk who present themselves as fictional animals with human traits as a fantasy role-playing pastime.
Mr Palmer said his interest grew from comic and cartoon genres and participating on internet discussion forums, where like-minded people presented themselves "in character". The advent of the internet has allowed this form of fandom to flourish as a more specialised genre.
"It is now possible to meet people with a much narrower interest base."
Pressed by the Times, Palmer acknowledged there was sometimes a sexual dimension to furry fandom.
But he dismissed the notion they were just highly sexed "furverts" role-playing in bizarre costumes.
"Yes, a lot of furries have private lives, which includes sex," he said. "But furries are intelligent and can communicate for themselves whether or not they wish to have sex."
A glance at the internet suggests quite often they do. However, Palmer said clear furry guidelines of conduct exist restricting sexual behaviour to appropriate situations.
And he has a message for those who consider it degenerate for a grown man to dress as a bushy-tailed, sharp-snouted carnivore.
"As long as you recognise it is a fantasy game it is no different to dressing up as knights with fake swords."
Raccoons have anthropomorphic attributes which appeal to Mr Palmer. "Raccoons are the clever ones, the sneaky ones as well. They're loners that only get together in mating season."
The good news is furries pose little danger to the rest of the community.
"You might get bitten by one of two of the more rabid animals at worst."
After 15 years of fur-play Colin feels he's matured. "I've grown up. I'm now an older, wiser raccoon."
nice boots.
