This is a guest post by Goose for the July 2026 Midway Menagerie, where the theme is "Fandom and Community".

Lark has posed the question a lot, what makes a fandom, a community? Personally, the difference is connection, but not in the way you might think.

I think of Fandoms like friend groups, you share common interests, you talk about specific things, and sometimes those friend groups become family. And that moment they become family, is when they become community. I’ll admit, I did not have a lot of interests in fandoms growing up. I wasn’t someone who was obsessed with media or characters. I never really understood the growing need to info dump about that one scene by that one character in that really specific episode. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy to listen, and more often than not, it’s more interesting to me than the media itself, but I never truly experienced that connection.

Truth be told, until I found myself surrounded by furries at ANE for the first time, I never really understood the community aspect either. I wasn’t even a furry at the time, I had just been tabling for the non-profit they sponsored that year. By the 3rd day, I was exhausted and buzzed by all the people surrounding me. I stood on a stage holding a giant check which random strangers donated to help some org most had never heard of. That wasn’t just fandom, that was something I could understand. The Friends turned Family aspect of it all.

We help those around us, no question of whether they need it, or whether they’ve “earned it” like so much of today’s society questions. Furries lift up each other, society, and I think the biggest reason why is the same reason friends become family. Often when I saw this shift happening for kids growing up, it was because something wasn’t going right at home. Not always harmful, but just rough. When sh*t hits the fan, community pulls together and becomes family. Kids go to sleep at a friends house when there was only food for 2 at home. Parents organized coat drives for when the hand-me-down relic didn’t make it through the winter. But that urge doesn’t come from crisis alone. It comes from the people in it, seeing the issue, and solving the problem. No questions asked.

The furry community has been one of the most giving and selfless groups of people I have ever met. From open source softwares, to free lessons on how to build a fursuit, to fundraising for those in need, to me standing on a stage holding a giant check from strangers. Furries hold the most important aspect of community in their paws: helping each other out. Being a good community member. No expectations or judgement, just real people, filling needs that aren’t currently being met. And some wants that aren’t as accessible either. It the same as the kids growing up going to their friends house when a need isn’t being met. Resources, Knowledge? They don’t just stop at keeping each other and the fandom alive. It’s about caring for your fellow fur. Reminders to drink water and to take care of yourself. It the heart of every healthy family. And sure, not every furry group is like this, but we all have a weird uncle.

And yea, maybe I found a good group, full of really cool people, who bring out the “italian grandmother” in me. Maybe I’ve found the most helpful and kind group of human beings in my city. But I’m damn grateful for them. They’re the difference between friends and community, fandom and family, and they welcome people with open arms. You just have to brave enough to ask to be apart of it all.

Furries are where I found family. The people around me and their success becoming the fandom-like info dump I gushed about to all my coworkers. Showing off photos of cool projects my friend just completed. True Italian Grandmother Fashion. (You will eat. I dare you to try to stop me and my ragu).

Truth is, I guess I can’t really answer if Furries are a fandom or a community. All I know is that the ones I surround myself with are a damn good family to have. And make up one of the coolest groups of human beings I’ve ever met and my favorite fandom of all.

-- Goose, Stay Silly