What keeps you in the community?

[Nyanners]

To be perfectly honest, I don't even know why I still stick with being a furry. At first, it was solely because I loved the art and the stories (still do), and from there it grew into a more spiritual connection with my character, Nyan. But, a lot has happened in the past few months since I moved to Vancouver, and to be frank, it's not me anymore. For four years now I've associated with this fandom, and my character, but now I'm in a bit of a shamble. I recently changed my fursona to a different species because I had evolved and was no longer Nyan (though I still go by that name, the persona behind it has changed a lot), I thought that would make things more...acceptable(?) to me, but I'm still where I was before the change, unsure of why I stick around, and not being able to go back to any non-furry circles because, well, it's really all I know now.

I guess if there's one thing to stay in the fandom for, it's for the small number of friends I have made that I care deeply about, but it may not be enough...despite all the time I've spent as part of the fandom, I still feel alien and out of place, especially since I've become more interested in meeting local furries, and the rollercoaster ride of events that have happened because of it. Sorry to not really answer your question Neox, but I don't really have an answer for it anyways, but this did seem like a somewhat appropriate thread to post this in.

[Renwaldo]

Aw, what do you think is stopping you from making new friends or more of them?

I can understand how you feel on some level. :/
Sometimes it feels like every time I put myself out there to try and meet new people I do more harm than good for myself. Or attract the wrong kinds of friends.  :-X

I try not to give up or get discouraged. Personally I think it's beneficial to know a lot of people. You don't end up being close to all of them, but statistically the more people you meet the more potential you have for friendships.

You got to try and get out there and mingle as much as you can. It isn't always easy, work and the rest of life often gets in the way. I try to make time for at least one fur-event from here every month myself.

[Kai]

What keeps me in is how amazing other furs are! I have met so many amazing people attending furmeets, and more through others I talk to.

Never a dull moment either. It's too much fun being furry. :3

[Neox]

Never a dull moment either. It's too much fun being furry. :3

^ This.

[Haemish]

But I'm not weird.  I'm totally normal. I just stick around for the show.

I have fun seeing old friends every year at RF
I love drawing silly pictures of cartoon animals and posting to FA

That's about it.

[Neox]

I'm a fuckin' weirdo.  Sue me.  Haters can go right ahead and hate; I'm having a shitload of fun being who I am. =P

[Tef]

I'm a fuckin' weirdo.  Sue me.  Haters can go right ahead and hate; I'm having a shitload of fun being who I am. =P

Respect! :-3

[Haemish]

I'm a fuckin' weirdo.  Sue me.  Haters can go right ahead and hate; I'm having a shitload of fun being who I am. =P

What?
That's....something.
read this line over a few more times and keep in mind I'm posting on a furry board with a goat icon.  And the goat is wearing a kilt.

"But I'm not weird.  I'm totally normal"

Am I a hater?  NO. I, SIR, AM A SILLY SILLY FURRY, just as sure as Sam up there was a weirdo-muppet.

[Drake Wingfire]

To be honest I haven't even met any haters in years, but then again I haven't bothered to actually put out an effort. I already got my hands full dealing with morons in real life (if you know me then you know what groups I talk of a LOT lol) to even bother with the fail trolls of dem interneds.

[lunar_prodigy]

I have three sides that always seem to fight for which one is the dominant reason.

First is that i have had a weird past and upbringing. me and my roommate Charmy not only get along very well due to compatibility, but we have had similar events such moving around to different homes and cites a lot. While the downside is that its hard to make friends when you are so mobile, and the friends you make often are few and not that diverse in personality before you are uprooted and must start all over. You need to be with people to learn social skills and so needless to say we both had very secluded first few years of collage. So the answer there for myself at least, is that i wanted to start meeting people. and when you have at least one thing in common as a conversation starter, you have some common ground and its a bit easier to make friends and gain social skills and experiences. Sure my growth may be stunted but i stay out of loyalty because i owe a lot of happy times to the community. Although learning and taking chances is always difficult, it has been well worth the good friends i now have and many others who are very pleasant company and fun to talk with whenever i chance encounter them at events. I think this community is the family and social experience that people from our similar back grounds are drawn to because we crave companionship and acceptance.

Secondly, is that i am a creative person and also a very energetic and social fellow. Or at least when i try to be these things i can be. If left without much of a challenge i find the mind goes into sleep mode. So i try to write and make art and contribute to the community for creativity. I can be a bit laid back and chill in my spare time so i muster up a lot of energy and try to be social and fun in public. So simply put, i stay in the community because its a fun place to grow and there are so many like minded people wanting to give back and who apreciate what i try to give. I think in some unique ways i have helped define myself and find my true passion for writing, and an audience for it now. Some day i aspire to have several novels published, and a good deal with either be for furries, or have enough furry content hinted at to be enjoyable by furries and others.

Lastly is what many people say, furry is what i am. Interpret what you will but i have been thinking about animals due to very nature filled home town, and been inspired  by werewolves and creatures in art probably in thanks to a diet of animation and videogame concept art since childhood. some of the first comic books i ever read were Ducktails and mickey mouse. Not to mention what most furrs say about Disney animation and everything else then after.  These are more to do with why i am a fur than why i am in the community. i guess you can be a fur and not really part of the community. i would be more if not for a busy life, though i spend my free time writing furry fiction so i guess that counts.

So i guess really that would be, a fun place to meet friends and like minded people who aren't to judgmental because many of its members are gay and familiar to judgment from the rest of the world. so its kind of a safe haven.  secondly that it gives me a place to express my creativity and have it appreciated for what it is without having to change it for the rest of the world first. And finally, i will always be an animal obsessed dude with or without a community so it might as will be with a community. Even though sometimes the drama gets a bit too much to handle, most i take is a step back, i never walk away. Usually when you come back you find far to many benefits of staying a part rather than leaving for good as 99% of the people are rather pleasant to be around, which is higher than most groups of people elsewhere in life. Sometimes my optimist attitude of being unnaturally good and wanting to see good in others can be weird to others, but that's just who i am. Generally if you are good to people they will learn to trust your sincerity and be good themselves, even though we all aren't made equal so some folks let their "personality" get in the way of their "kindness".

Furs seem to just be better at getting along than most other strangers you run into. Hell i just tried to open up and talk to my sister, whom is a bit estranged to me due to her own control issues. And my olive branch was completely pushed away with comments like "we just cant -hang out- the way you and your other sister do. Its sad that in life people will just find reasons why they cant talk to you or treat you fairly. I guess she always sees a younger brother even though its been 20 years since we lived in the same house. Where as furs all come from different walks of life and manage to get along just fine despite a little drama now and then which is natural. Never has a fur said upon meeting me "i am sorry, we cant socialize because i think we are too different". In some ways furs are like family i guess. you need 1-2 really close friends you can talk to and mutually lean on, 5-10 you see frequently and can just hang without any pretense or baggage. and the rest of the community are usually smiling people who are pleasant company in any situation as long as you are good to them in return.

[lunar_prodigy]

I'm a fuckin' weirdo.  Sue me.  Haters can go right ahead and hate; I'm having a shitload of fun being who I am. =P

i think the only real rule in life is "Big good, be yourself, and do both as long as no one gets hurt in the process"  lol. Often easier said than done since you cant please everyone, especially if they are unfair to you and you feel the need to stand up for yourself. But i love differences and so by all means, if you are weird, then it just means you celebrate your uniqueness and all power to you. Many local folks remember me or think of me in the moments when i have let my emotions speak rather than my brain. sometimes i find that if i step back, vent privately, and then step  forward clear of reaction; that the haters no longer matter. Most haters only do crap to people who are weird or different, to get a reaction, so if you don't give one then you can be as weird as you like and enjoy it. Also if you approach situations without emotion and a clear head, more people tend to like you, ^_^ so less hatters lol. Its human nature to fear what we don't understand, so it just takes more for them to get past difference and get to know the real you.