FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

This is set in a current day, albeit furry, world with the addition of a magical, or depending on point of view, science fiction element. "Normal" people consist of standard animal breeds not created by man.

Beyond that there are, to use the slang terms of this alternate universe, deviants and crossbreeds. Someone who is the offspring of a normal Wolf and a normal Coyote would be considered a crossbreed. The same would be true for any other physically possible combination like ligers. If a female puma and male raccoon engage in carnal relations they may or may not have a grand time but no offspring will ever be produced no matter how diligently they work at it. However, there could be a deviant who looks just like a cross of a puma and raccoon as explained later.

Deviance is thought to be a genetically inherited trait that may or may not manifest in the offspring of a deviant. It may be evident at birth or, more often, present itself later in life. It can happen at 5 years old, 55 or never. For an analogy, here on Earth we have genetically inherited traits that may predispose offspring to diseases or conditions that may or may not manifest in their lifetimes. We know that just because a person has a genetic marker for a given disease it doesn't necessarily mean they will get it. Things like environmental exposure to toxins, physical trauma, puberty or serious unrelated disease all stress the body. A body in such a weakened state my then become more prone to manifesting deviation. It can have purely physical manifestation with no known special abilities or result in abilities but no physical changes while yet others have both physical changes and special abilities.

General society in the alternate universe presented here sees crossbreeds in different ways. If a Coy/Wolf gets on a bus in a major city with a mixed population he's likely to barely get noticed although there's always a chance of encountering prejudices. If the same person goes to a small town with mostly purebreds then there's a greater likelihood of racism. Deviants also arouse mixed views. If, for instance, Jim gets on a bus some might think he's cool, others might be scared, some might be afraid as if he had a contagious disease and others could care less.

Any man-made breed mentioned in the story is a deviant and considered one of the more unlucky ones as a general rule. Although a character in the story may be referred to as a Pug no other character will see them as a breed or species, it's simply a reference point for the reader. They will be instantly recognized as a deviant or at the very least a confusing crossbreed. To get an understanding of what I mean do a quick IMAGE search for "dick tracy flattop fanpop". Look for the live action movie photo of the character Flattop. I'm not sure what the rules are here on embedded links so you'll have to do a spot of searching but anyway... A non-human might say "What's the big deal? Flattop is not that different. His head's a little flatter than usual and this or that but he's not THAT different. He has two eyes, the usual human nose and mouth structure, two ears etc. He doesn't have horns, his hair isn't glowing so he'd be accepted." However, I think most humans would see Flattop sitting next to them on the bus and cringe and generally be more uncomfortable than if an otherwise "normal" girl with green hair sat down. In the alternate universe here it's the same for "normal" people coming into contact with deviants that look like a bulldog, collie or Persian cat. Just as a human might find Hugh Jackman attractive and Don Knotts goofy, a character in this story might think a German Shepard is hot and a Boston Terrier a total freak. Then again the same character might think they are both disgusting deviants even if they are attracted to one of them. The same societal view is true for impossible combinations.

While a cat-dog is impossible as offspring of "normal" people, a deviant lion could have a child whose deviance causes them to take on some physical canine traits while maintaining some feline ones, therefor producing a cat-dog. Deviant traits are not passed down to children only the propensity for being deviant. In other words, if Jim has kits someday they aren't likely to have neon orange fur; they just have a chance to be deviants. A cat/dog deviant who was originally a cat will have kittens not kitpies or puppens. (Are those words? :P)

Ok, any more info will lead to spoilers. If a character's reaction or situation seems confusing be aware it may make more sense as the dynamics of all this plays out.

As always, feel free to PM with any questions.