Furotica
From WikiFur, the furry encyclopedia.
 | It has been suggested that this item be merged with pornography. (Discuss) |
Furotica, also known as furry erotica or furry pornography, is a term for sexually explicit or sexually suggestive art and stories featuring anthropomorphic animal characters.
The term is ambiguous in the sense that it is unclear whether it applies strictly to the creations of writers and artists within the furry fandom, or whether it could plausibly include such cases from outside the fandom as the Greek myth of Leda and the swan (in which the god Zeus transforms himself into a magnificent bird for the purpose of raping a mortal girl). Furthermore, if sexually suggestive pin-up drawings of furry characters fall into the furotica category, this raises questions about how some images could possibly escape that categorization: Minerva Mink's vampy routine on the children's show Animaniacs, for example, or Bugs Bunny's highly suggestive behavior in his many onscreen appearances in drag.
Furotica comprises a large percentage of all furry art. This has led to many non-furries' first interaction with the fandom being an encounter with sexual material of varying quality and content. This interaction, sometimes called "squicking the mundanes" (a phrase also in use among science fiction/fantasy fans, and not just for erotica) is considered to be a prank of sorts, but most often the mundane simply stumbles across furotica while seeking something else.
Furry erotica is not thought well of by some outside the fandom itself. In The Geek Hierarchy, Erotic Furries (sic) are ranked just below Furries as a whole, and just above "Star Trek fanfic, written as furry erotica, with Kirk as an ocelot (or something), and the author being the star and his own personal furry as well."
The definitions of erotica and pornography hinge upon our notions of arousal, taste, the beautiful, the grotesque, and the disgusting; and furotica, as a concept and as an array of artistic creations, is ripe for serious analysis, criticism, and debate. This is not to forget that its primary purpose is of course enjoyment.
