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All about furries and fursuiting

Animal characters have been a standard part of human imagination since prehistory. Some of the earliest art we've uncovered features humans with the heads of animals. So, surely you've wondered at least once what kind of animal you might be if you were one. Well, some of us think about that way more than others would. People like me, for example! I've made an animal character that represents me, and even got a costume of them which I like to wear for performances. The character themself is called a fursona, and the costume that I wear is called a fursuit.

About Cherubic

I was inspired by hybrid heraldic beasts like the enfield and calygreyhound when I made Cherubic! Like most heraldic beasts, each animal represents an abstract trait I like. Weasels were used as a symbol of resisting evil by early Christians, based on the folklore that weasels and snakes were mortal enemies. The ram represents faith, and Cherubic has seven horns just like the Lamb of Revelation. Finally, I once found an anecdotal account that the Coptic Church used vultures in place of pelicans as a symbol of love, out of a belief that a mother vulture would give her hatchlings her own blood before letting them starve. I've never found corroborating evidence of this and I'm skeptical of it but the story has stuck in my head since, so I decided to make them part monk vulture.

Why fursuit?

Why not?

Okay, but seriously...I've always liked acting and I've always liked costumes. Suit acting requires a really interesting combination of skills, and I love the exaggerated body language you have to do. Combined with the visual semiotics that come with picking a species and features, it feels so expressive in a way nothing else is. I think in some regards it also lets me express fundamental parts of myself that I can't do well in my ordinary life. It's a lot easier to be outgoing when you're a weird hybrid thing...especially since people are going to come up to you whether you want them to or not! I'm a naturally extroverted person, but various events in my life led to me having severe anxiety. This and my personal fashion sense are ways I can interact with people safely.

In addition to that, I think that especially now the world can be very dull and homogenized. Between this and ouji fashion, it's my way of bringing a little bit of magic into other peoples' lives and maybe some smiles while I'm at it. When someone gets drawn into the illusion of being around a fantastical creature, it can really brighten their day. The times when I've managed to do that are some of my happiest ones.

Advanced Fursuiting Tips!

So, you've watched every Fursuiting 101 panel you can find. You think you've got the basics down. But that's just a 101 course. You're ready for more. Well, worry not! I've picked up a few tricks over the past...cough, ten years, and I can pass them onto you! I will note this is partially me showing my own style, but I hope you find it useful, and even if you don't want to play up the animalistic aspects of being a fursuiter maybe there's something you can adapt to your own style!

Now, with that settled...class is in session!

The Golden Rule of Fursuiting

KEEP YOUR HEAD MOVING. DO IT. 90% of the Uncanny Valley moments people get from mascots and fursuiters are realizing that they don't blink or change facial expressions. Humans naturally look straight to the face to get social information about who they're encountering, and when you're not displaying any of that it can unsettle people. This also has a practical benefit. You will need to constantly scan your environment because your vision is limited by your fursuit head. Make sure to look down at least some of the time so you don't trip over low set furniture. Or a child. You also want to make your body language as exaggerated as you can manage it because, well, you can't convey anything through facial expressions.

I would strongly advise even fursuiters who aren't interested in the acting aspects to do this for that reason...but in mixed company it can also keep ordinary people from developing mascot phobias, haha. I know there are people who are mostly interested in fursuits as a form of wearable art and are not as interested in the acting aspects but some things are a necessary habit to develop for all suiters regardless of what your reason for suiting is!

Know Your Species!

If you really want to bring out the animal aspects of your fursona, watch lots of nature documentaries and make a note of how your species moves. The first thing you want to practice is your gait. For me, I tend to have a very bouncy, jerky, animated gait because most mustelids and definitely rams and birds make sudden motions. Then you can start incorporating other little quirks they have. For examples, weasels and ferrets have what is colloquially called the "weasel war dance," a show of excitement where they wildly leap around and twist in the air. Birds do a lot of preening and self-grooming compared to other animals, so I tend to comb down my main or scratch behind my ears a lot. And, of course, for canines there's always the classic tail-wag. Practice these in a mirror or record yourself. Yes, it might feel awkward, but it's the easiest way to make sure that what you're doing translates over to a bipedal form.

Now, another thing that can really drive home a more animalistic nature is interacting with things as an animal would (within reason, of course!) Don't think of yourself as a human in a costume. Of course you know what a mirror does, or how electronics work, but an animal wouldn't. Investigate things! Be curious! Use your environment! You should wait for actual people to come to you first, but you can make them more curious by being an active actor. You'll also give them a better idea of what your personality is. That said, don't break anyone's property, whether it's a fursuiter's or a bystander or just public property. Bring your own character-appropriate props (there are plenty of furry owned businesses who make things like fursuiter-sized food shaped plushies or toys and only play with others' props if you're actively offered them. Other than those stipulations, go wild. Pretend your reflection is another person and make threat displays, curl up on couches or seats, sniff at gadgets, just make sure you're keeping yourself and your environment safe. This especially goes for cameras and electronics. You're going to draw attention and if you break someone's camera it's going to be the very wrong kind of attention.

So maybe your fursona is a little more human, or maybe you only have a partial and feel awkward playing up the more animal aspects because of that. That's okay too! In fact, there's a lot you can communicate about your fursuit's personality through clothing, especially if you're willing to venture out beyond just jeans and a t-shirt. You can follow pretty clear semiotics you already get just from whatever culture you're from. Wearing formalwear would indicate a more refined personality, a fursuit with a torn-up jean jacket, a studded collar, and weathered pants is probably a bit of a punk, and so on. You can even try to have a gimmick of sorts, I once knew someone whose fursuit was from a steampunk universe so he went for a simple steampunk getup of a top hat, slacks, vest, and button-up Oxford. Thrifting can go a long way here, one of my first fursuits wore a black-and-white pantsuit and I was able to put the outfit together for under $15!

And once again...you'd be surprised how endlessly creative furries are! If you need something like glasses, piercings, a fursuit-sized hat, and so on, there are many furry-owned businesses that use fabric or 3D printing to create these in a size and shape that will fit a fursuiter. If you can afford it, make sure to support them! It's important to give back to the fandom.