Short essay: Why my "fursona" is not a rat
This is an essay of sorts written originally to be shared only among real-world friends due to questions I had been receiving about its content. However, since it relates to the furry fandom (or at least, my association with it), I decided to post it here.
I’d like to make one thing perfectly clear: regardless of what species I roleplay as on the Internet, the truth is that in real life, I am not a zebra Pegasus at all—I am a rat.
I don’t know if I mean that in a metaphysical, spiritual, psychological, or metaphorical way, but I’m as certain of it as the Pope is of God.
Yet, despite this belief, and my involvement in a community in which roleplaying as any animal I please is almost the rule, I refrain from taking on the role of a rat.
Understandably, I’ve faced confusion for this—from furries who assume therians always play their theriotype, from therians who assume furry therians give them a bad name by roleplaying, and by unaffiliated parties who don’t understand either.
My choice of a persona species is different from my theriotype because, even if I were to give the character four legs and outrageously atavistic mannerisms—which would only serve to aggravate others—I would not be able to avoid anthropomorphizing it.
And I’m so very sick of anthropomorphic rats. In a way, I am one, so extremely personified that it is impossible to discern my tail or fur; they’re underneath. For all intents and purposes, I function as human; strip me down to my core and I am rat—and all the fear, piss, and blood that goes with it.
I don’t have to pretend to be what I am. And I don’t want to.
About the author
Equivamp (Kila Onasi) — read stories — contact (login required)an unemployed wiki-editor and Zebra Pegasus from Chanute, Kansas, interested in carth onasi and caffeine
An annoying asshole from Chanute, Kansas.
Comments
Hey, did you see the new Skyfall?
I guess that could of used a bit more context ... rats are a recurring motif in Skyfall.
Wasn't meant to be flippant.
this feel muddy and seen to be more of a rant than a short essay.
I'm inclined to agree, except that "rant", to me, implies anger (or at the very least, nerd rage).
I think there is an interesting identity argument under this. Does on always choose the species or does it choose them... and even if the therian/spiritual animal points one way do we ignore those stereotypes or embrace them?
Many people have different answers.
I like Zafaras myself first as a gamer, but then found my affinity for movies such as The Rescuers Down under, I realized the cognitive link to my affinity animal, the roo. I only far later after choosing it I learned about it in the spiritual sense as a totem, and then noted alot of those traits were within myself. I always like balance, and trying to keep things from going to far to one side or the other. I move forward while understanding the past.
So I've grown into the identity I cannot see myself being anything else now. Even though everyone has an opinion on what people are, it's really up to them to know what connects with them.
Personally, I don't "ignore" or "shun" them, but I do understand that in most situations, allowing myself to engage in animalistic behaviour is completely inappropriate, and I try to contain myself and limit such expressions to when I am alone. I can't entirely remove the tendencies, however, without collapsing, because the human and the rat aren't seperate entities, but parts of a whole.
I was talking about totem/therian/spiritualism, which are themselves anthropomorphism traits. A "Spirit animal" if it were. One that defines personality traits within a person. We do it in the fandom too, particularly with foxes and claiming promiscuity. Stereotypes as it were. Not saying acting like the animal themselves, Otherwise I would have probably randomly punched someone who got in my personal space, I'm not that rooish.
You callin' me a slut, Sonious?
I'll have you know foxes are monogamous, thank you very much.
I know, stereotypes, I'm sure foxes get sick of it, luckily roos aren't popular enough to have stereotypes.
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