Editing 471: Aversion Fads

{{comic
| number    = 471
| date      = September 3, 2008
| title     = Aversion Fads
| image     = aversion_fads.png
| titletext = Hey, are you friends with any hamsters? This kite needs a passenger.
}}

==Explanation==

A "{{w|Furry fandom|furry}}" is a person interested in {{w|anthropomorphic}} animal characters – fictional animal characters that, for example, walk and talk like humans. A common stereotype is that furries role-play their "fursona" ("furry" persona) by dressing up in animal costumes, as demonstrated by the furry in this comic. There are [https://en.wikifur.com/wiki/Furry_stereotype numerous other stereotypes] as well, often of a {{w|Sexual fetishism|sexual nature}}, so furries are frequently the target of criticism on the Internet.

In this comic, [[Cueball]] and his Cueball-like friend encounter a furry, and react negatively according to the stereotype. In response, [[Megan]] kindly invites the furry to help with her kite. Megan explains that, while she too thinks furries are strange, she opposes the hypocritical treatment they disproportionately receive from others who are likely just as strange, and therefore defends furries, given the opportunity.

The furry appreciates Megan's support, comparing it to {{w|Aesop}}'s fable of {{w|The Lion and the Mouse}}, in which a lion spares a mouse from being eaten; the lion later becomes caught in a trap, so the mouse repays the earlier favor by chewing through the cords of the trap to free the lion. This simile is meant as a genuine expression of gratitude and indebtedness from the furry, but the joke is that Megan rebukes this specific comparison, as she assumes the furry will be sexually aroused by the animal {{w|Bondage (BDSM)|bondage}} in the story.

In the title text, Megan asks if the furry has any hamster friends as potential passengers for her kite. She likely means a {{w|Hamster|literal hamster}} – a rodent that would be small enough to fly on a kite. (This may be a reference to comic [[20: Ferret]], which also involves a small, flying mammal.) However, this being a furry, she could also mean a human with a hamster "fursona," although this would be too heavy to fly on a typical kite.{{Citation needed}}

==Transcript==
:[Two Cueball-like guys stand together as a young guy dressed up with small ears and a tail approaches.]
:Cueball: Oh God, a furry. Don't let it touch you.

:[The furry hears someone call out to him.]
:Off-screen: Hey, kid.

:[Megan is seen preparing a kite to be flown.]
:Megan: Forget those assholes. Come help me.

:[The furry begins to help Megan set up the kite.]
:Furry: Thanks. So you're cool with furries?

:[The two are now standing far apart, the furry with the kite and the line going over to Megan.]
:Megan: Well, I think your fetish is weird as hell. It just bothers me how you're this designated Internet punching bag among people who are otherwise down with weird fetishes. So I stick up for you when I can.

:[The kite is now successfully up in the air, and Megan pulls the line with both hands moving backwards.]
:Furry: Well, thanks. I owe you one.
:Megan: It's no big deal.

:[Megan stops some distance from the furry holding the line with one hand. The fury lift one hand up apologizing.]
:Furry: No, this is like the lion and the mouse.
:Megan: ...Listen, can we pick a comparison less likely to turn you on?
:Furry: Sorry.

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Furries]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]