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Image courtesy Cirrus Kitfox. All content on the morphicon.org domains and the use of the word "Morphicon" in conjunction with therianthropics are © Morphicon Corporation. |
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Con Links Official Morphicon Common Questions Corporate Website Email Morphicon's |
What is Morphicon Corporation? Morphicon Corporation is a 501(c)(3) (pending) charitable organization dedicated to promoting the therianthropic arts in the Central Ohio community. Therianthropic arts include literary, visual, and performing arts concerning characterizations containing both human and animal elements, as well as the unique culture that has evolved around appreciation of therianthropics. We also support local charities whose missions agree with the interests of our membership. Our organization hosts an annual convention to provide education and exposure to the therianthropic arts. We also plan and manage monthly local events to encourage community involvement and cultural solidarity, and to promote awareness of our organization in the community.
What is "Furry" (or "therianthropic")? "Furry fandom" is the culture that has evolved out of people who are fans of furry art and literature. Furry fans often refer to themselves as "furries". Furries have widely differing interests that bring them into our culture. Some fans are interested in costuming and performance. Others are artists who like to draw or write about furry characters. For a few, therianthropics holds a personal or spiritual connection. Still others are simply collectors of art, comics, or literature. Like most fantasy fans, furries are more often 'nerds' than 'jocks', but no single stereotype accurately describes most of us. Media attention tends to overstate the role of costuming and performance in the fandom. Most furries don't costume, but since costumes draw the most visual attention, reporters tend to focus on them. Like most fantasy and science fiction groups, a sizeable proportion of our artwork and literature is intended for mature audiences. This is also overstated by the press and television shows that feature furries, since anything that seems sexual or fetishy is likely to draw in viewers. Most portrayals of furries in the press or on television, while not wholly inaccurate, are skewed in a way some fans have found unfavorable. While furries are generally open toward the inclusion of people with more unusual tastes and self-expressions, this tolerance does not indicate that most of us engage in the same behaviors. Other common terms in the fandom include "fursuit", which is a furry costume, "skritching", which is a means of greeting a fellow fan by scratching a shoulder or arm (sort of like mock-grooming), "yiff", a furry word for sex, "personal furry", which indicates one's personal avatar or character (most furries have an animal they use to define themselves), and "plushie", which is another name for a stuffed animal (which some furries collect). Where and When are Other Conventions? WikiFur keeps a list of conventions up-to-date. |
