# The "Rules" of Fursuiting



## GW0LF (Aug 3, 2010)

Ok I have heard these "Rules" that some say you need to follow and some  that I don't see why it makes a difference. So I want to get your ideas  on the matter and some rules that you know so I can be fully aware and  learn off this. Only been suiting for 1 month so I am still getting into the suiter world ^^;:

These rules I can see being important. (That I know of)
1) Not taking your head off in public or crowded area.
2) Do not approach kids due to possibly scaring them.

Now here is the one I have heard that doesn't make sense to me.
Do not talk while in suit.

...  I have seen plenty of fursuiters that talk, maybe not to kids, but it  sounds like they don't want you to talk at all. Is this true or what?


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## Glitch (Aug 3, 2010)

No talking because it ruins the magic if you have a static jaw.
Moving jaw?  Go ahead.


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## GW0LF (Aug 3, 2010)

No I have a moving jaw so I don't see why I couldn't. Now I see why you say that for a static jaw


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## Willow (Aug 3, 2010)

Be sure to take breaks frequently. Move away from where children are at least, and remove your head to cool down/drink water. 

To add to that, eat or a drink a whole bunch before suiting either. 

Already said, but don't talk unless your suit allows for it. 
To me, talking with a static jaw ruins the "magic" of it. It also muffles sound anyway. 

Moving jaw is fine.


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## GW0LF (Aug 3, 2010)

Okie doke and yeah, I soon found out that I needed to drink alot and eat quite a bit before suiting.

And the breaks lol, but it seems the time span I can wear it seems to be getting longer with each time I get to suit.


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## Shiroka (Aug 3, 2010)

Not a suiter but how about washing your suit often in case someone's carrying a UV lamp around? Just saying...


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## GW0LF (Aug 3, 2010)

lmao!! Sorry, there will be none of that in suit for me


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## gdzeek (Aug 3, 2010)

because your wearing the head it kinda muffles the voice, some call it ruining the magic because sudenly its just a guy in a costume, especially if the jaw doesnt move very well.


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## GW0LF (Aug 3, 2010)

I could see that, but I don't think I had anyone ask me to repeat myself so muffling didnt come into play on my part


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## Willow (Aug 3, 2010)

Shiroka said:


> Not a suiter but how about washing your suit often in case someone's carrying a UV lamp around? Just saying...


 Either way though, maintaining your suit is a good idea. Especially the head. Spray it with Febreeze or Lysol.
Brush out the fur in order to prevent matting too. Doesn't hurt to spray that either. 
Along with the feet

IMO, washing a bodysuit though is somewhat of a bad idea. Depends on the materials.


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## Fay V (Aug 3, 2010)

Well for static jaws it is creepy as hell to see the jaw stay still and noise come out. It also ruins the magic as people say, drawing more attention to the character being fake than the character's personality. 

With moving jaws it's a stylistic thing. I prefer not to I find it more toony and fun not to speak. I think it helps with kids. It's less scary when the character is mute (like an animal) than when they have a normal voice because then it's like a person and less safe (it's just something to remember if you happen to be working with very shy children) 

For those that have a great voice to match the character have at. I just think suiters need to be aware that they are performing, and should try to do what they can to not break the magic. whether that is talking or not depends on the suiter and the character.

A few other nice rules of thumb 
Have a handler and a distress signal. A handler is someone that can lead you in and out of a crowd and help you navigate depending on how good the vision is in your suit. The distress signal is in case anything goes very wrong, the handler will get you out of there ASAP

No caffeine before or in suit. If you are new you need to learn your limit. Be careful about heat exhaustion and dehydration. Caffeine will dehydrate you and will make this process worse. It's best to avoid it. 

Don't shock your system with cold water: While taking a break you might consider more room temp water that super ice cold. After suiting don't go for the ice cold shower (regular shower is fine) Everyone is different of course so it's your own best judgment, just a rule of thumb so you don't get sick.


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## GW0LF (Aug 4, 2010)

Fay V said:


> Don't shock your system with cold water: While taking a break you might consider more room temp water that super ice cold. After suiting don't go for the ice cold shower (regular shower is fine) Everyone is different of course so it's your own best judgment, just a rule of thumb so you don't get sick.



Now I do remember hearing about that and I did take that under HEAVY consideration.
Someone wanted me to wear some type of, 'cooling back pack', but I had a gut feeling that could be bad.


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## sorryinSPACE (Aug 4, 2010)

the reason people don't always approve of talking in suit is this:

-Voice difference (Your voice doesnt match the character, a weird not deep voice in a muscular costume doesnt fit the character )
-Static jaw (It looks weird since your law isnt moving)
-Muffled voices sometimes
-The old 'mascots can't talk' rule, it's just an old age thing

It's not something you HAVE to do and you wont be shunned for talking in suit


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## insan3guy (Aug 4, 2010)

about the whole hydration thing, i heard that sometimes suiters have a camelback.  its basically a very thin backpack that holds about a liter of liquid, and it keeps it at the same temperature for HOURS.  i dont have a suit (yet), but this seems like a really good idea. any thoughts?


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## Fay V (Aug 4, 2010)

GW0LF said:


> Now I do remember hearing about that and I did take that under HEAVY consideration.
> Someone wanted me to wear some type of, 'cooling back pack', but I had a gut feeling that could be bad.


 
I've done some cooling packs before. Personally i didn't care for it. it was too much effort for my suit, but my suit is shit. Having a cooling pack won't shock the system because you attach it when you're at normal temperature, and it will slowly change your temperature until it loses its coolness. It's just a matter of comfort at that point. 
The ice water, or ice cold shower is different. you've come out of suit and you are hotter than usual and go for something very cold. gradual changes are fine in my experience, sudden ones you ought to be wary of.


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## Calemeyr (Aug 5, 2010)

Here's some rules: 

-Never pick up or hold a kid, even if their parents want you to. You could drop them. 

-Even with a handler, the childrens can still attack. Don't get too wild when being mobbed by the kiddies, or you could accidently run them over or step on them. Not very pleasant. 

-Don't run up to people and randomly hug them. They might not like that. Ask (or gesture) first. And be aware of your limbs (and tails and wings). 

In general, try to be aware of your surroundings, as no handler can be 100% perfect. Their human after all.


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## Stargazer Bleu (Aug 5, 2010)

1dynamofox1 said:


> Here's some rules:
> 
> -Never pick up or hold a kid, even if their parents want you to. You could drop them.
> 
> ...


 
Can't stress this enough.
Not easy to hold things in a suit.
Just cause you are in a suit some people hate hugs.

Also tails and wings(mine has both)  It is so easy to forget about them, and bumping in to things is very easy. 
With tail when you turn you can hit things with the swing.
As for wings a lot are wide so it very easy to bump things. It like trying to hold your arms out. Then walk around with out moving them to avoid things.


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## ShadraAvro (Aug 5, 2010)

^Agreed with the whole bumping into stuff thing. Wear your suit around the house or something and practice navigating so you know how much room you have for your individual limbs. This way when you go out in your suit you'll be prepared not to bump into things as often


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## Trpdwarf (Aug 5, 2010)

Willow said:


> Either way though, maintaining your suit is a good idea. Especially the head. Spray it with Febreeze or Lysol.
> Brush out the fur in order to prevent matting too. Doesn't hurt to spray that either.
> Along with the feet
> 
> IMO, washing a bodysuit though is somewhat of a bad idea. Depends on the materials.



Let me give you a really BIG tip.

Don't use Febreeze or Lysol on your costume. Don't ever advertise that practice here either again. I'll delete the post because it's leading people to really do something stupid.

Febreeze does not clean up your costume. All it does is desensitize your nose to the smells that are there. It also, just like Lysol can lead to major mildew problems because of what it is made out of. There are other much better things to use that don't just cover up what's there, and actually clean the insides without the risk of major mildew.

EDIT: When I was at AC it saddened me how many suits were smelling like sweat and febreeze. I hated it more when some idiot put out Febreeze in the headless lounge. I tried to tell the people using it that it's not a good idea but they would just shrug and go "Well someone put it there."

Just because you can't smell your stench mixed in with the stuff doesn't mean others can't. Ugh.

EDIT: That said as a rule of them when you get ready to suit you should always try to hydrate yourself a bit. Ensure that you stay hydrated. Keep something like a camel pack with water and ice handy. Be careful not to drink too much water. Stay hydrated but don't hurt yourself by getting water intoxication: http://chemistry.about.com/cs/5/f/blwaterintox.htm

Also ensure that you do eat something before you get in suit. Don't forget to eat. You'll be spending many more calories once in suit because of the strain it puts on your body. Keeping something handy like a power bar or granola bar is always useful for that extra boost. Eating a regular meal is necessary as well.

I've found that it's okay to drink caffeine drinks so long as you don't drink too much. I don't drink drink but I know that while a little alcohol is okay you don't want to be like that drunk stupid lion that was running around the headless lounge during one of my shifts. I ended up having to ask him to leave because he was becoming loud, obnoxious, and dangerous to himself and to other people.

As for talking if you had the suit built for it, why not? Really it's up to you. Just don't talk around children and you're fine. I cant see how it's ruining the magic for adults unless you are cross gender suiting and you can't mimic effectively the gender you are cosplaying voice wise.

Also be sure to have a handler on or with you at all times when you are new. Sometimes you can get good enough where you don't need one. When you start out you need it. You don't want to go outside of the con center at night alone in suit. Even though nothing may have ever happened thus, there is no use inviting potential trouble. Plus it's harder for you to see anyway should you have to cross roads to get to your hotel as I frequently do because I refuse to stay at the Westin.

Er....what else. It helps to learn some basic hand signals so that if you really need something you have a good way to communicate it fast. If you have a handler/spotter it's good to set up communication here the person watching over you understands what each hand sign means.

It also helps to go on Youtube and look up different videos of people interacting in suit. It helps you get an idea of what to shoot for.

While many of these are really helpful as hints/tips...the biggest rule that I live by when it costume is Safety first, which is on par with Responsibility. As a person in costume I have a huge responsibility to the fandom. I represent to many outsiders the fandom even if it is a logical fallacy for them to think that way. So I am aware of what I do. You never know who could be watching, including little sneaks who are just looking for the fuck ups so they can misrepresent a fursuit outing or a furry convention.


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## RoseHexwit (Aug 5, 2010)

Trpdwarf said:


> Febreeze does not clean up your costume. All it does is desensitize your nose to the smells that are there. It also, just like Lysol can lead to major mildew problems because of what it is made out of. There are other much better things to use that don't just cover up what's there, and actually clean the insides without the risk of major mildew.


 
Which products do you suggest for cleaning fursuit heads?


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## EdieFantabulous (Aug 5, 2010)

I wouldn't follow the rule, if I scare a kid, all the better.


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## Trpdwarf (Aug 5, 2010)

RoseHexwit said:


> Which products do you suggest for cleaning fursuit heads?


 
The best I've used personally was: Nature's Miracle, Stain & Odor remover...head wise. Spray it on and let it dry.

For bodies/ heavier funk areas you can mix 1/4th of ammonia to 3/4ths of water in a spray bottle.  Again, you spray it out, let it dry. This works best for things like body suits where the arm pits get a heavy dose of funk.


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## Fay V (Aug 6, 2010)

nice post trpdwarf, very good and concise advice. 

I have been pondering recently. Has anyone tried oust spray on suits, the antibacterial non scented stuff. Does it fall into the febreeze category? 
I've been thinking of using some for breaks between suiting, like on cons when there is no time between to do some nice cleaning. 
thoughts?


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## RoseHexwit (Aug 6, 2010)

Trpdwarf said:


> The best I've used personally was: Nature's Miracle, Stain & Odor remover...head wise. Spray it on and let it dry.
> 
> For bodies/ heavier funk areas you can mix 1/4th of ammonia to 3/4ths of water in a spray bottle.  Again, you spray it out, let it dry. This works best for things like body suits where the arm pits get a heavy dose of funk.



Awesome. I was looking for something to put in my head because it's getting pretty gross. I washed the body not too long ago, so it smells like Woolite. Not sure if Woolite is a good idea for bodysuits all around, but it didn't screw mine up. XD. Then again, mine's not airbrushed whatsoever.


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## InuAkiko (Aug 8, 2010)

Great tips in here guys, and all should be considered.

As for the no talking rule, screw it. I can't keep my mouth shut half the time, especially in suit, so it's just not going to happen with me. I have a static jaw, but not once has anyone looked at me weird or gotten mad at me for talking. If anything they think it's funny how the jaw on my head kinda wiggles when I talk sometimes.


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## Primma (Aug 14, 2010)

I never had my own fursuit, but I was paid by a hotel to dress up as Blue from Blue's Clues when I was a teenager. The suit was made entirely from heavy fleece and it nearly drained all of my energy to stay in that thing. Drink lots of water... lots of it and watch out for kids! I got mobbed, jumped and kicked around all day but I couldn't really do much since the suit had limited sight... thank god my best friend was with me to tell the kids to please stop jumping on Blue, it's hurts her.

As for the not talking... yeah I can see it, I could get away with making those cute noises Blue makes in the show since they were just... noises, but I wasn't allowed to talk.


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