For some context, the following is copy paste from my server about some musings I had. What sparked this was watching this Angelyne mockumentary that came out last year, as well as my own personal experiences on it.

but yeah, I think what’s taboo is anonymity in the furry subculture. So without much more context here’s a text dump of my thoughts! If anyone had more perspectives or whatnot I’m all ears.

I’m intrigued by anonymity and pseudo anonymous personalities and identities, in a subculture/fandom that’s heavy about identity but also debates on “ruining/keeping the magic”. I think I’m just going to call it a taboo topic as a sort of click bait, and then just ruminate on if being an alternative person is like how having alters and headspaces are, like a sort of mental transformation.

There’s a lot I want to say but yeah, it’s between expressing feelings and also putting the topic out there, just cause I’m … me. Lmao.
Not gonna lie, there’s a lot of past upbringings that always makes me think of it but I think im at a position where I can talk about it without veering off topic or confused

I also kinda want to create an alt that’s a secret, just to get off on speculation

I guess what also intrigues me that of all the topics that go on in furry, it’s not discussed really, so in that light it’s why I think it’s taboo

I’ve come to realize there’s infinite reasons that people go anon, but I think what attracts me with the concept in furry is that it’s a complete subversion to the narrative that gets put out about furry being about identity – it sort of becomes an anti-identity of some sort of sense. these have been good reading that helped me get to this conclusion..
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki……/Main/TheSpook
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki……/AnonymousBand


Lastly I came across “profile play” which I’ve seen executed and rarely talked about, hence two reddit threads when you google it.

https://old.reddit.com/r/FList/comm….._profile_play/
https://www.reddit.com/r/FList/comm…..lay/?rdt=36872

I think the remaining question I have is what they see as their alter-ego? Maybe that’s not exactly the question but…

for example, I was watching spiritwalker interview, and the first 10 minutes of so he does the interview in character, suited up. I was hooked. Then he switched to his human form and I was like “Ah okay” but eventually was bored off the vid.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UUwj_MyP6s

alternately, Slipknot

I guess it’s… I like the magic enough and would rather know of the reality though the eyes of the mask, than what’s behind it.
It’s probably dangerous thinking – as again, should realize we’re all human in the end (physically speaking). But Idk.

I have a half-baked thought about parasocial relationships related to this but that’s for another time.

And just to tie up a thought, why I think it’s all taboo to talk about is that it seems it’s so normalized in furry that when you have this subversion happen in the wild it just throws one off completely. Moreso when it seems normal with others.

Although outside of a few artists the other experiences I had with anon accounts were basically sockpuppets by people doing harm. So, hitting that subversion without it being sinister intent just notices how on guard I am, lmao.

Since chatting privately in chatrooms about this, I gotten a good response from some people about this~

I guess I’m not really familiar with what about this is taboo or leads to drama, but it feels like most fields of art

some artists enjoy commenting on everything and posting lunch pics and being very available for everyone

while others enjoy either the mystique or ability to finely craft their perception, or simply like the privacy and not having the baggage of being analyzed through personal details

and I feel like that’s been a common thing for centuries, not just a social media things, lots of recluse artists who don’t like talking about their work vs. “men of letters” writing about every damn thing in journals etc

i see people get veeeeery dogmatic about the way they do it, either direction

I’ve been online for a long time, so I suppose i never gave it a second thought

it’s an arena where we get to define our own presence so it seemed natural that everyone would take a different approach

a lot of people dont really understand the fundamental difference between sexuality on the internet and sexuality in person.

Instinctively, human beings desire privacy during sexual activity because just like going to the bathroom, it renders you vulnerable to attack by predators. Over the course of our development as a species, it evolved (and indeed, was cultivated into) a sense of “shame” due to this. Its “wrong” to be sexual in any context, its “amoral” when in reality its just preferable to have privacy when you do the horny. The internet allows us to have our cake and eat it too as it were. We can have this hypersexualized persona that we can express and share with other people while also being safe and private