Part IX
Odds `n' Ends






1) What are "furries"?

A lot of participants of AHWW consider themselves "furries". What, exactly, is a "furry"? Well, let's take a look at what the FAQ for alt.fan.furry has to say: (thanx to lynx@netcom.com for permission to use this text)

[We recommend http://www.furry.org for further discussion on furry topics. It's the site for furryMUCK and can lead an interested reader to further resources on the subject. --lyc.org editors]

* WHAT IS "ALT.FAN.FURRY"?

Alt.fan.furry is a newsgroup devoted to the discussion of all things "furry" and/or of interest to "furry fans". Of course, tangential discussions occasionally get into things that are very far from being distinctly "furry", such as copyrights, cellular radios, meks... =)

* WHAT IS A "FURRY"?

"Furry" when used as a noun seems to refer to one of two things:

    a) An animal-like character known as a "furry"
    b) A person who is a "furry fan"

The latter is easy enough (knock on wood) to define: A person who particularly enjoys stories, pictures, dolls, video games or whatever concerning "furry" creatures. Defining a "furry" creature is somewhat harder, though. There are several definitions depending upon which "camp" in furrydom, for lack of a better term, you might be in.

The basic definition for a "furry" is an anthropomorphized animal character. In other words, an animal character given human-like attributes, such as sapience and often a humanoid form. The term "furry" is a misnomer, as a creature does not need to have fur to be "furry" in this sense. Other terms sometimes interchangeable with a "furry" in this sense are "zoomorph", "morph", "anthropomorph" or (debatably) "funny animal".

The core definition of a "furry" seems to include basically humanoid- formed creatures with animal faces, fur/scale/feathers/whatever, and often appropriate tails, wings, claws, etc., able to speak, and with a human- like personality, though quite often with "quirks" hinting at the real- life animal upon which the character is based.

A broader definition will sometimes include other odd creatures that simply have some sort of animal features in their makeup. Such would include mythical creatures such as centaurs, manticores, satyrs or harpies, all of which have human faces though more-or-less animal-like bodies. This broader definition might also include the human-like characters that appear in some Japanese animation that have an animal tail and ears, but otherwise look about as human as any other anime character.

One of the narrower definitions held by some is that in order for a character to be truly considered "furry", the character must exhibit animal-like characteristics in behavior. Optionally, the fact that the character is an "animal" must be a major ingredient to the story. This is exhibited in a frequent criticism of "furry" stories by those who hold this view: Many stories, while featuring characters fitting the core definition of "furry" given earlier are criticized as being "humans in animal suits" if their behavior isn't distinctly animal-like in some way.

Not all AHWWers are furries, as well... but who can resist a good convention? *grin*


2) What are the "Howls"?

Speaking of conventions... The first "Howl", the 1994 Harvest Howl, was organized by Smash Greywolf in Ohio. A Howl is basically a gathering in the flesh (or fur) of readers of AHWW to socialize, get to know one another, howl at the moon, leap over raging bonfires, and to generally share the camraderie that exists amongst members of the cyberpack. Camped out in the woods, as far from civilization as possible, watching the full moon dance over shimmering heat waves from the bonfire, surrounded by folks of a like mind... it's truly a recharge for batteries drained my mundane human existance. Contact a HelpStaffer for information about the next scheduled Howl... they're worth it, no matter the distance traveled to attend.


3) Why not change the name of the group?

It's been suggested before that alt.horror.werewolves is no longer an appropriate name, given the groups' change of focus. It is true that it is no longer strictly about werewolf horror fiction. However: making a new alt. group, like alt.therianthropy or the like, while easy to do, runs the risk of losing readership. Not all university news servers carry alt. groups; and those that do are usually loathe to add new ones without a considerable amount of hassle. The likelyhood that large numbers of folks would lose their access is too great. Grouping a rec. or soc. group is difficult.. It is possible that we now have the readership and activity to pull it off; but the fear of some sites not carrying the new group is still a large one.

Also, there's some safety in the name. It's in such an obscure section of the usenet world that folks who have no real interest in werewolves are likely to skip it altogether; and that fact alone has undoubtedly saved us from a lot of hit-and-run flamers. Something like alt.spiritual.werewolf is likely to garner more attention from the wrong types of people than it's worth.


4) What is/was the HelpStaff?

Back in the "winter of our discontent", mentioned earlier, there was quite a bit of confusion surrounding the group's intent. Some folks seemed to think we were running some sort of virtual RPG and jumped in as if it were a MUCK. Some of the folks who had been on here for a while became suspicious of any newcomer, for fear that they might be just another RPGer. As a result, there were probably several well- meaning, earnest newcomers who felt like they'd stumbled into the wrong place and left.

Everyone on AHWW knows what the group means to them. For me personally, it's a link to other folks who feel many of the same things I do. It's been quite a blessing in my life; providing me with support and allowing me to support others. I hate to think that any person who is in the situation I was when I first found AHWW was turned away due to any misunderstanding.

The Helpstaff was formed as a group of people who volunteered to answer questions about the group and greet newcomers to the group. However, there was some confusion as to the intentions of the Helpstaff, who was on it, and whether there was some sort of elitism involved. As a result, the Helpstaff, per se, is no more...

But that doesn't mean help isn't available... lurk on the group, email people you like and ask them questions, read this FAQ and ask questions... you will find help available from almost any member.


5) Is there a Website? FTP site? IRC channel?

World Wide Web:

[ Yet another note from the editor: This listing of sites is by no means comprehensive. We've tried to maintain the original flavor of the sites brought in earlier versions of the FAQ, with a few additions to bring it up to date with the current assortment available. This is not meant to be a end all listing, but rather a sampling of what is available. --lyc.org editor]

There really is no official AHWW website (although that may change soon!); but several of the cyberpack have personal home pages that include lycanthropic information and point to other pages. Try:

I suppose some of the pack already know about it, but there's an archive of transformation stories at http://www.t0.or.at/~thomas/tsa/index.html. Most are sex-change stories, but there are four on changing into an animal. Warning: they all have sexual content, and "The Island of Circe" particularly wouldn't interest many of you. But "The She-wolf" is pretty good. -Lyka

[Just a quick note, the Transformation Story Achive info has been moved around, as all things eventually do. A story archive can be found here: http://netbase.t0.or.at/~thomash/tsa/. Along with that, there is a TSA (Transformation Story Archive) list archive, available at: http://www.integral.org/mailman/archives/tsa-talk. --lyc.org editor]

If you don't see your page here, or know of others to add, drop me a line... I know there are many that aren't on here yet.

FTP sites:
The former AHWW FTP site, wolf.pc.cc.cmu.edu, is DOWN. Many thanks to Larry Lyle for running the site for so long! Lycanthrope.com also has many items of interest to AHWW; as well as other sites that I need to collect and list here! If you run or know of an FTP site that carries items of interests to AHWW, let me know at the address below!

Also of interest is ftp//avatar.snc.edu. Home to furry art and artists.

[However, i have been informed that the Avatar site has moved and the link is no longer valid. One in search of furry art might try instead, the Furry Resource Page which has a large archive of furry artist's sites, among other archival material. --Lyc.org Editor]

IRC Info:
There are a couple of IRC servers that have been frequented by AHWWers. The Edge, formerly at eagle.dmv.com, requires you to read a disclaimer before using... email edge@lycanthrope.com for more information. irc.it.com.au 6666 is an Austrailian IRC server that's frequented by AHWW denizens, but US users may suffer some lag.

[As you can imagine, this information is quite dated. Be that as it may, irc does still claim a number of victims from AHWw. There are a number of irc servers now available.
This server, lycanthrope.org, hosts irc, at irc.lycanthrope.org port:6663. No web site is available yet for this one.
Werenet, run by Sabrelion, hosts the channel #slash. Information for that server is available here: http://www.were.net/werenet/index.html.
There is also a series of servers, the WereCamp, which now hosts the #ahww channel. They are run by Hukka, and Shadowolf, and are:
irc.dfsi.ml.org port:6665, 6666, 6667 and
pendor.mckusick.com port:6666
Shadowscout has a page up with information on these and other irc tidbits. Her page is located at: http://bark.cc.usm.edu/~scout/irc.html.
--lyc.org editor]

To link to IRC, you must be running an IRC client on whatever platform you access the internet with. You can set that client to access the server directly, or access whatever server you like and type /server (server name) to reach the server. IRC is a lot of fun, but it can be quite addictive!

Mud's and the like:
As of this revision, there is no MUD geared towards AHWW specifically. However, with this group, anything's possible! Furrymuck may be of interest to AHWWers, and can be reached at furry.org 8888.

[AFAIK, the main MU* that "were's" frequent is still FurryMUCK. It maintains it's web presence at www.furry.org, their main web site. --lyc.org editor]


6) What are werecards?

A werecard is a sort of info-questionnaire; where you can answer questions about yourself and your therianthropy, if any. It's basically just a way of telling folks about yourself all at once, rather than answering a million little questions. It makes a good way to de-lurk. Here's a blank werecard.. snip and fill out, if you like; and post the results to the group.

    Human Name:
    Were Name:
    Phenotype: (e.g. werewolf, werebat, etc.)
    Birthdate:
    Birthplace:
    Home Territory: (where you live now)
    Dream Territory: (where you'd like to live, ideally)
    Physical Description, Human:
    Physical Description, Were:
    Human Career:
    Hobbies/Interests:
    Favorite Movie:
    Favorite Were Movie:
    Favorite Literature:
    Favorite Were Literature:
    Favorite Art:
    Favorite Were Art:
    Favorite Saying/Quote:
    Favorite Were Saying/Quote:
    Favorite Personal Quote:
    Favorite Song/Band(s):
    Favorite Were Song/Band(s):
    Favorite Season:
    Favorite Holiday:
    Preferred Prey:
    Hunting Tips:
    Preferred Method of Attack:
    Favorite Non-Were Mythological Beastie(s):
    Feelings Toward Vampires:
    Feelings Toward Normal Humans:
    Personal Lycanthropy: (This is probably the most important part of the card. What we're after here is a few paragraphs explaining what your lycanthropy means to you, how it fits into and affects your life, your goals, etc. Tell us about your first transformation / realization of your were nature. Describe the lycanthropy myth as you see it. And so on...)


7) Where do I send suggestions?

The current Keeper of the FAQ is KatmanDu. He can be reached at katmandu@negia.net for suggestions and additions.


Finally, here's a closing piece by Windrunner. I think it speaks well of the group's past and future.

Our History

Forget about the Michael Jackson album. Forget about the university course. But never forget us.

People, do you realize what is happening here? WE are making history. Every single day that we exist, every single day that this GROUP exists. History is occuring right before our eyes. And I don't think a lot of us see that.

This letter is being sent out not only to the newsgroup, but also to those who once were its backbone; as Smash accurately calls them the grey muzzles. Their muzzles are grey, not out of physical age, but simply the fact that they have been a part of this group longer than the rest. And the greyer, the wiser, has been my experience.

I am not one of them, but oh, how I wish I was. From the stories I have heard, this virtual bonfire never burned as bright as when it was the original few. But those days have passed, passed on long ago. As many have pointed out, it was only this past winter that alt.horror.werewolves started to truly be recognized for what and who was in it. But it happened in a sad fashion, drawing attention from the wrong kinds of people. People who thought that "Hey! Here's a chance to play with a bunch of werewolves, frolicking in the snow, and get a bowl of virtual chili." Many were they who came seeking fun. Many were they who left when the truth came to light. But some, like myself, stayed. Why? I think it's because we came in with ourselves (so to speak), and at first, it WAS all fun. Throwing snowballs, and all that. But finally, when the fun was ended out of, well, annoyance, we were still here. Because, while the fun was great, it wasn't the only reason we decided to reveal ourselves. We longed for contact with those who might understand, who might actually know what we were talking about when we spoke of lycanthropy in our lives.

Life moved on. The ones who stayed gradually integrated into the pack, no matter what their animal was, be it bear, raven, wolf, dog, cat, lion, panther. And they have shown themselves to be truthful, and wise. While we still have fun, it isn't as totally rampant as it was. Many interesting subjects were brought before the fire, and all were discussed as much as possible. I was here when Gevaudan admitted what he truly was, and watched as he was not chased, but comforted by others saying "Don't go; stay". (To those who do not know, it has nothing to do with games or flames; but it is not my story to tell). I was here when the first flamewars erupted. I remember efridine's first post, as well as PainEater, the recently-returned "Lord" Kelkemen, and Savak.

We got over them, since they were no different from other flamers, bothering us then leaving (except perhaps L.K.; but I won't go into that here). And again, we returned to our conversations via the net. The other big event was the Spring Howl. I had not attended the one in the fall, since I did not know of this group then. But as Spring rolled around, the idea was formed to throw another one. And after it was over, all those who had attended could not stop howling in joy and revelry. It was a renewal for those in attendance, and a source of envy for those who could not go. But not one person who had attended had wanted to leave. The sense of closeness that was created there, I can only speculate at. But had I the means, I would have been there in a second. That feeling is mutual for many of us. But that has come and gone, and will not happen again (ie the spring of 1995 will not repeat itself).

Time passed, bringing us up to where the group is now. Many have left for reasons beyond their control. Many have grown disillusioned with the way this group is going. But a lot of us have decided to stay, no matter what our inner feelings tell us. There are a lot of new faces that do not even know of the old ones. How many of these new ones will stay, and how many will leave, is impossible to tell. But we continue to grow, and the group changes with each new face. What it was, and what it is, are very hard to compare. One does not mirror the other. But, as has been said many times, that's a fact of life on the Internet. Things will inevitably change since it is impossible to prevent new people from finding us. And we wouldn't want that, since there are still so many of us out there, looking for a ray of hope in a dull sky.

I guess what I'm saying is, look at us. To anyone reading this right now, I want you to stop for a second. Just stop, and look at yourself. Then look at where you are reading this. Consider what you are, and why you are here. If being here, or having been here (meaning ahww), feels/felt right, then know that your life has been worthwhile. Everyone, WE, are creating a portion of history. RIGHT NOW. Though I do not believe it has ever been discussed, look at what has become of alt.horror.werewolves. *We* have created a place unlike any other. Never before have so many come together in one place, even if it is technically non-existant, sharing many ideas, but with one thing in common. Whether we are werewolves, werebears, werecats, whatever, or simply people who are in very close contact to our animals spirits, LOOK at where we are from. This, this place spans the globe. There are weres here from Germany, Norway, England, Ireland, Australia, The U.S., Canada. I am sorry if I missed anyone's home country, these were all I could remember. But even if I did, look. We have no borders here. All are welcome, provided they are honest with us. Not all of us here are were; some are humans, some are vampires. But one thing we all share in common is acceptance. The majority of people who have visited this fire (and stayed for a while) have accepted that yes, we are indeed what we claim. We are spiritual theriathropes, shifters in one method or another. Whether it is through Spiritual Dreams, or a mental process, or physically changing shape. I know of very few here who have ever gone around, finger waving, accusing someone of being false. And that's incredible. To my knowledge, something like this has never before happened: a meeting of beings such as us. I am fairly certain that anyone reading this now, whether new or old, would never have met so many like him/herself if alt.horror.werewolves did not exist. I sure wouldn't have.

Many of us who have been around here for a bit, and even some who haven't, have strong feelings towards this group, or more specifically, its members. To turn to a sad note: what would happen if tomorrow, you woke up, and the group no longer existed. Through infighting, or this Exon bill, or just simply the removal of the group from existance, what would your first feeling be? Personally, I think my depression would last a long while. But not forever. Why? Although having this newsgroup is important to me, simply knowing that the beings behind the text exist gives me hope. We have broken a barrier that no one thought existed. We have formed friendships, and deeper relationships that have no name.

We do not keep written records of what has happened here, in this newsgroup, since it fully became what it is today. Our history is only the one where each individual joins, stays, and starts to learn. Learn not only what the current topic is, or what we are about, but also of those wiser than you. There is no hierachy here. But there are people who have been here long enough to see more than they let on. Smash, Vladwolf, Firewolf, Katmandu, Dreamwolf, Asikka, Gevaudan, Wolfshadow, Windwolf, Medicine Wolf, Hiker, Snowlock, Winterdreamer, Dean R., Rimblesah, Wolfbard; as well as many, many more. These, to me, are important weres. They are some of those who helped create what we now take for granted. Every day, I wake up, on log in to read what's been posted. I expect it to be there, with names which I recognize. But most of the names I have just listed are not here anymore. I will admit, some have left due to the summer. But their presence, and it was a PRESENCE, is sadly missed.

I do not post much. I do not have the voice to post most of my opinions. And this may be my death, or my rebirth. I have felt what Smash feels. And, in my mind, I must find a way to re-vitalize what was once a powerful group. It still is. But the power has changed. And I am not used to it yet. Please, I am not writing this as something personal. It is meant FOR ALL. All in this group. I sing it into the air, hoping that at least someone here will listen. Perhaps I am too melodramatic. Perhaps I will be chased off because of this. But even if that happens, I WILL NEVER FORGET WHAT HAS HAPPENED HERE. Simply because I cannot. It is too important.

I will end this now. But not on a sad note. I want each and everyone reading this to realize one thing: YOU HAVE BECOME A PART OF HISTORY. It may be a history that will never be known publically. You will hopefully never hear about it in the media. But in my mind, and the minds of those who have ever been a part of this group, it will be hard to forget. I will personally never forget anyone I have ever met on this group. We have, in effect, created the one thing no one ever thought of, or even dreamed about: this newsgroup IS a haven, for ones of our kind. You do not need any more reason than that. If you see the group for what it is, and are glad it is there, then you should be happy. There are many ideologies here. May no one EVER say that their's is the "one true way". History has taught us otherwise, that there can never be only one way. And now, we are a part of history.

Windrunner

End Part IX
And of the FAQ





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