People Who Like to Dress Up in Fur Animal Costume

People Who Like to Dress Up in Fur Animal Costume

The guys hit it off with 22-yr-erstwhile Lonnie Weets, a communications and advertising major at the University of Due north Florida.

They invited him to hang out at their Monday night game nights, simply they sent him a text to brand certain he knew what he was getting into.

Of form, there would be fun, drinks and games.

But there would also be furries.

"I didn't know what it was," said Weets, who lives on the Southside.

He did some research and was fascinated.

Furries? People dressed as animals, simply a lot more.

Weets wanted to run into for himself.

And he'south glad he did.

Though Weets doesn't identify himself every bit a furry, he enjoys their company.

"They are open up-minded out-of-the-box thinkers and unique," Weets said.

GAME NIGHTS

David Kanaszka, who lives on Jacksonville's Southside, hosts the game nights. He recently returned from the Megaplex, Florida's hirsuite convention in Orlando held from July 31-Aug. two. It'southward been happening since 2002; this twelvemonth, Megaplex attracted one,472 attendees.

Yes, there are enough furries to have a convention. In fact, conventions are held across the United States and the world. More than than half-dozen,000 people from 34 countries attended the 2015 Anthrocon, the largest hirsuite convention in the globe. The name for Anthrocon, held in Pittsburgh since 2006, is derived from anthropomorphism, or giving human characteristics to nonhumans.

This year's Anthrocon volition have a $5.7 million economic impact on Pittsburgh, Tom Loftus of the city's convention and visitors agency told NPR Pittsburgh.

Kanaszka said the furry community is centered on the idea of walking and talking animals. Megaplex's mission, according to its website, is to "provide for our membership a celebration of interactive arts and performance, with a primary focus on anthropomorphics and fantasy."

In other words, furries identify with animals that have human qualities. Many furries have created their own animal characters, complete with a name and a backstory.

Kanaszka created Vitai Slade (in Latin, Vita means life, then his graphic symbol'south name is inspired by that). Vitai Slade is a white tiger.

Kanaszka had a costume fabricated to fit his prototype of Vitai. And costumes can be expensive, ordinarily ranging from $one,000 to $3,000, just sometimes reaching $5,000.

And they can be stifling.

"It is very hot in the costumes. It'south kind of like wrapping yourself up in a behemothic carpet," Kanaszka said. "It's hot, not very comfy, you have express 'tunnel vision' and it's harder to hear, talk and even move around."

He doesn't necessarily suit up, the term used to describe putting on an animal costume, during the game nights, merely he will article of clothing his fur adjust whenever he feels like it. With the assistance of a handler to guide him, the half-dozen-foot-vi, 25-year-sometime wore information technology in St. Augustine while hanging out on St. George Street.

"If I'm in the mood to jump around and be a behemothic tiger, then I'll do information technology," Kanaszka said.

MEETING PEOPLE

Bonomec (real proper name Jimmie Pixler) is the name another grapheme, an Australian shepherd, wanted to use for this article. The cocky-described introvert, who is in the Navy, said, "Furry for me … it's kind of a way to meet people."

Bonomec lives on Jacksonville's Westside and has connected with furries through game nights, conventions and online.

He said they're all accepting and free of judgment.

Weets agrees. Though his furry friends call him by his middle proper name, Dakota, and gave him an beast personality of a jackal, he has no desire to get a costume. He just enjoys hanging out with the furry community.

"I enjoy meeting interesting people with interesting stories and unique perspectives on life," Weets said.

Bonomec said he knows some people think his involvement in hirsuite fandom is weird.

"When I outset got my suit, I posted it online. All of my co-workers saw information technology. They said, 'what the heck is this?' "

Bonomec explained that he had fabricated a character and wanted to human activity it out.

His boss would jokingly bark at him from time to time.

"I've had significantly more than expert reaction than bad reaction," he said.

Bonomec said that when he suits upward, he does information technology with the general public in heed. He knows he's going to cheer someone upward. And seeing the smiles and the laughter makes him feel good.

Kanaszka feels the same manner.

He's a performer, he said, and this gives him a take a chance to practice what he loves.

He said his grapheme, Vitai, is playful and proud, giving hugs and making people grin.

When he'southward in costume he said, "i of my favorite things to do is find the grumpiest people and start jumping up and downwards in front of them."

He said he ever knew he was dissimilar and didn't encounter the world the same fashion as everyone else. As a teenager, he went online to figure out if there was a community that interested him.

That's how he learned about furries.

What some people too acquire when they research furries is the idea that hirsuite fandom is a sexual fetish. Furries are a diverse group, mostly men but with an increasing female participation, from all professions, cultures, religions, races, political affiliations, etc. Some might be from a subculture, merely as in the average general population, but mostly furries are just people who similar to have good clean fun and make people smile.

"I could probably go on all twenty-four hours," Anthrocon chairman Samuel Conway told NPR Pittsburgh. " 'I heard the furries this, I heard the furries that!' The but real argument is, 'I heard that furries are some of the most creative people on the face up of the planet' "

Added Kanaszka: "Here'southward the thing: Y'all're talking nearly a group of individuals who are by and large between the ages of 18 and 28. I'm not going to say that sex doesn't happen, but that is not what the customs is almost."

Kanaszka said doing the hirsuite thing is no dissimilar than "Star Trek'south" Trekkies.

In his instance, and for many of his friends, he loves drawing animals.

"[I'm] basically a child who never grew up," Kanaszka said.

AN ESCAPE

Kanaszka attends several conventions throughout the twelvemonth. Programming focuses on a variety of arts and performances, from fursuiting, costuming and puppetry, to improvisational art and music. Furries besides larn how to intendance for their costumes and dance in costume. There aren't only "fursuit" games; at this year'due south convention, Kanaszka gave a console discussion on finances.

And his furry life has also inspired him to start a business, Tiger Brand Clothing Co., which makes T-shirts.

Each yr, Megaplex raises money to benefit The Care Foundation of Apopka. This year's convention raised more $vii,000 to do good the nonprofit brute sanctuary. The foundation sends speakers to Megaplex to talk near the local wildlife and abused pets it helps rescue, and staff members usually bring along a few of their animal friends - the real ones.

Kanaszka said that being a furry is a large part of his life.

"It'southward really fun," he said. "I've made a lot of friends that I wouldn't have otherwise."

As for Weets, he's still getting into the fur scene. He said he's had to larn some of the jargon when he'due south hanging out with his hirsuite friends on game nights, which normally attracts between 20 to xxx people.

"Anybody has their escape from reality," he said. "For them, [being a hirsuite] is it. I respect that."

People Who Like to Dress Up in Fur Animal Costume

Source: https://www.jacksonville.com/story/entertainment/local/2015/08/08/meet-furries-people-who-identify-animal-so-much-they-dress-one/15675070007/