Funkee holding a pride flag
One interesting hobby of mine is being a part of the furry community which has alot of perceptions about it and the people within it. The most basic definition is one who appreciates anthropomorphic art/media. Anthropomorphism is simply attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. In short this is the equivalent of personification wherein giving these things human traits helps understand/relate to them. There has been a ton of anthropomorphism within culture over the years, one example of this can be seen in ancient egypt where Anubis can be seen with the body of a human but head of a Jackal along with more of their Gods sharing similar traits. Even in recent media it can be seen inside of Disney movies both old and new that make heavy use of this.
Another big thing about the furry community is the use of characters/art that people can use to either represent or express themselves within. These characters(also known as a fursona) are gerally completely unique and designed by whoever uses them. Within this character someone might show their ideal self and use it to interact with others online almost like a personal mascot. Some people even buy art of their character doing things that they might personally enjoy like snowboarding, hiking, driving or even sitting in front of a computer. Another thing some people do is make/buy a suit of their character also referred to as a Fursuit. This is another way for them to express themselves as their character, for example someone with anxiety/issues with public events might be more confident and social when in their suit as they are playing a character and it not actually be them.
