OK, let's flip that. "The Picture of Dorian Gray." Great novel, right? What part of this novel's appeal is generated from having human characters? None. The humans are simply human "because." And that's just it. I tell my stories with animal-people because I don't feel like using humans. The appeal of these stories come from the plot, the characters who drive it, the conflict. I simply don't understand why any appeal of my story must come from the anthropomorphism of its characters. It's a choice. Why must I use humans to tell my story?
OK, let's flip that. "The Picture of Dorian Gray." Great novel, right? What part of this novel's appeal is generated from having human characters? None. The humans are simply human "because." And that's just it. I tell my stories with animal-people because I don't feel like using humans. The appeal of these stories come from the plot, the characters who drive it, the conflict. I simply don't understand why any appeal of my story must come from the anthropomorphism of its characters. It's a choice. Why must I use humans to tell my story?