Who am I?
I am a young college student. An English major, to be specific. Originally, I was a Computer Information Security major with a specialization in Linux Administration. I decided to pursue Literature and language because it is my truest passion. My favorite genre of literature is Fantasy.
I am not a furry. I do not have a fursona. I have never been a furry. My experience with anthropomorphic animals (aside from cartoons as a child) has been limited to the Redwall series of books and Disney's Robin Hood and The Jungle Book (the first of which I greatly enjoy). On the other hand, I am obviously not a fur-hater (or whatever the term is), because I feel sympathy pangs for the Anthropomorphic Animal community. It is simply a sub-culture that is considered somewhat eccentric and not very-well understood. I have nothing against Furries for simply liking Anthropomorphic Animals.
In fact, I believe that American culture is very well steeped in Furry culture. Ever since we are children, we are bombarded by Furry material. We grow up watching anthropomorphic animals in our cartoons, whether they be serious cartoons (such as the not-well-known animated movie The Little Red Fox) or comedy (like Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies). All throughout our childhood, we are very deeply immersed in Furryism. Children even pretend to be anthropomorphic animals; I know I did, when I was a child. To expect these people to simply abandon all of that rich heritage and culture is absurd. I do not believe that anyone can truly leave all of that behind.
Now, this is not to say that every single person has a little Fursona hidden deep inside of himself. I believe that we are trained to be able to take Anthropomorphic Animals in a serious context. I believe that every person has the capability to appreciate and enjoy Anthropomorphic Animals, even if he does not personally subscribe to the "Furry" sub-culture.
I fit into that category. I am not a Furry, nor do I ever intend to be one. I can, however, appreciate and enjoy the non-fetishistic aspects of the Furry sub-culture, as I'm sure every person can, even if they deign to hate it all, instead. That's why I am here. To enjoy the furry sub-culture.
Now, this may sound contradictory (and it may be, but I'm not sure), but I do thoroughly enjoy one particular Anthropomorphic Animal species. I believe that the universally accepted term for this species is "Anubian" (although I hate that term, believing it to be an absurd misnomer; Egypt does not have a monopoly on all jackals). I have, therefore, as of today, begun to scour the Internet looking for other people who may also thoroughly enjoy Anubians (i.e. Furries). It just so happens that if you type "furry forum" into Google, this site is the first one to come up.
It does not appear that there are any fellow Anubian-Lovers here on this particular site, but that does not mean that I won't stick around.
Just for the sake of conversation, other hobbies of mine are history (especially American, European, and Middle Eastern), video games (although I do not have a next-gen system yet), and economics. I obviously speak fluent English, but I also know conversational German (and I can read it well enough), and I'm learning Arabic. I also delve thoroughly into religion and religious studies, with a specialization in Roman Catholicism (both theology and history). I am in the process of learning about Islam. I also, obviously, write (being an English major). I may write-up and post some 'Anubian' (I hate that word) fiction.
And you may simply call me "al-Kateb," which is Arabic for "The Writer."