A Few Words for a New Furry

Dear Papabear

I’m a young furry of age 14 and I’m kinda confused on what I as a young fur should expect from the furry world, what should I avoid, what should I stay to. I just want advice I guess on fursuiting, furry chat rooms, and most of all what is being a furry all about?

a fellow fur warrewolf,

* * *

Dear Warrewolf,

It’s always nice to welcome young furries to our ranks. Welcome, welcome!

So, what is furry all about? Mostly, as you know, it is about people who love the world of anthropomorphic characters, whether that is the fictional world of characters that have already been created—everything from Disney and anime creatures to the world of comic books and modern graphic novels—or original creations by furries themselves.

You probably found stuff on the Internet, social sites and so forth, that have caught your interest. There are also furmeets and furcons and lots of social activities, both online and in real life, including fursuiting, but many others.

Basically, your involvement in furry is what you make of it. You can be a little involved or a lot. Since you are an underage furry, I would first tell you to avoid the adult sites, such as e621.net and furriesxtreme. Also, be careful not to always trust instantly what people say online about their age; quite a few people lie about being younger or older for various reasons. Most people are honest, but I’m just saying sometimes it is best to be a little cautious and suspicious of people until you know them well.

If you’re really new at furry, a good place to do some research and looking around is Wikifur. Make use of the search engine to learn about the fandom, past and present.

Next, start to familiarize yourself with what is going on in the fandom by checking out a furry news site such as Flayrah or FurryNewsNetwork. This will give you a good idea of what’s going on in the world of furry.

Then, see if there is a furcon or furmeet in your area and, if possible, attend them.  At your age, you will need permission from your parent or guardian to do so, but you can still check them out.

As for fursuiting, it is not for everyone, but about 20 percent of furries get into it, like me. If you’re interested in it, ask the fursuiters themselves about it. Remember, fursuiting can be a costly investment (typical prices range from $1,000 and up), plus maintaining your fursuit, and learning how to perform in it. So learn more about it before you become a fursuiter yourself.

The best part of being a furry is the friends you will make. It’s best for you to find some furries your own age for socializing, but older, more experienced furries can teach you a lot about the fandom. If you get to a furcon, attending the forums is a super way to learn stuff, too.

The most important thing for you to do when it comes to furries and the fandom is have fun with them!  Isn’t that the whole reason we are furries? Relax and enjoy!

Hugs,

Papabear

Anyone reading this who wants to offer more advice for a beginning furry, please chime in!