Yeah, I avoid that whenever possible, it can be a real nightmare. I wonder, though, if non-furry readers would be so affected?
C. S. Lewis managed it with Narnia, so it must be possible 
His world even has talking and non-talking quadrupeds, though the talking ones are generally bigger and might wear clothes if they felt like it.
Oh, I know it’s POSSIBLE.
When I said furry lit, I meant within the fandom.
I can think of at least one example within the fandom. In Concolor’s Gone Wylde, anthro characters have at least some ability to connect and communicate with non-anthro members of their species. While it doesn’t seem to be a common occurrence, it does happen with the main character at a few key points during the story.
I generally prefer alternate worlds even if bearing a resemblance to Earth. For example, I enjoyed the setting of The Seventh Chakra by Kevin Frane. In that novel you certainly got a sense that there were parallels and yet it was sufficiently different that I found myself well-immersed. That said, I do not think I would be bothered by the examples you gave. On the other hand, if a writer brought up Michael Brown and Ferguson in a story published next month, I would probably find that that would break my suspension of disbelief–it is a little too specific, too recent, and too tied to this world.
The general trend seems to be “it depends,” and I’m afraid I can’t be of any better use.
I don’t typically write today-stories. I’ll write near-alternate-future stories in which the in-world equivalent of the Manhatten Project was instead a “disposable soldier” uplift project, or occasionally I’ll write alternate-today stories in which shapeshifters were formally outed to the world in WWII. The rest are either strict fantasy or far sci-fi that don’t use modern-day constructs like Starbucks and McDonald’s.
Race names… are tricky. It can be immersion-breaking either way. I can see a good argument for calling your aliens “foxes” if your first-contact team said, “hunh, they kinda look like space-foxes” and the nomenclature stuck as slang, but you’d better at least mention what the species calls itself and address the inherent neocolonialism of not using their name for themselves. Contrariwise, if there were never humans in your world, expecting the reader to remember how a Bushwog looks different from a Dipswog, when you could’ve spared them the trouble by using “fox” and “wolf”, might seem an exercise in pain and frustration.
I think a lot really depends on how Other you want your races to feel, and whether you’re using furry as a stand-in for the Other. If all you really care about is the surface appearance, then using the standard names of the animals is probably fine and most people won’t call you on it. If you’re actually trying to use the species as a signifier of content, then using the standard names is probably insufficient… but that means you have to take the time to reinforce the connections.
My first few books used a setting called “Occidentania” that is vaguely reminiscent of Western Europe, but I’ve transitioned my characters smoothly into a world based largely on our own because it just felt more natural.
I’ll be honest, I’ve a weakness for stories or comics that directly reference Seattle. There’s one comic I was following for a good chunk of time because it took place in the city, by someone who’s obviously lived here.
The catch is, if you’re going to use a direct place in the real world, you had better do your research. Anyone from that area is definitely going to be scrutinizing it, not necissarily to set torches ablaze or sharpen pitchforks. Sometimes it’s easy to get excited about something like that, and a reader who’s familiar with the place wants to see the familiar. Same with businesses. If you don’t know what it’s like to get coffee at a Starbucks, walk into one sometime and just hang out for awhile. Listen to how insane and precise some of the orders can get.
As for people being referenced, that’s a bit of a turn-off for me >.< If you’re keeping the celebrity/president/etc a human and only referencing them briefly, I can get over that. I also enjoy some of the puns and jokes that can be made when turning them furry (again, brief reference). Please though, I’m beggin’ yah, don’t make them a focus >.< Just… don’t. I will skip the story entirely and find something else.
My books Escape from St. Arned and The Linen Butterfly mention it. Hopefully that’s not too much of a spoiler.
earperks Curious now!
They actually have the most detail in Portland though, since that’s where I am. I’ve lived in the NW for about 3 years now and I’ve started getting comfortable setting my books here.
Also, “The Vimana Incident” has sequences in Humboldt and Marin County, CA.
That’s pretty aweomse X3 I used to live in Cali most of my life, though I’ve lived in the Seattle area for the past… six years now? Only recently have I become comfortable with the idea of setting stories here though x.x
Not really. If anything I prefer it, especially with things that don’t play any kind of role in the story. I really don’t want to read a paragraph describing something that’s known as a cell phone or a gun. I know those aren’t the greatest examples, but hopefully you get my drift. The same can be said with restaurants, gas stations and what not. The one exception would be different terms for anthros. I’ve read a couple of stories where they’re considered ‘wildings’ and ‘malthrope’ and I’m fine with that.
I’m also guilty of the same thing. Even if the story takes place on a different planet, I’ll still use certain ‘earthly’ terms. It’s mainly to keep things simple for myself. I really don’t want to describe an item that may only be used a half dozen times throughout the entire novel. For stories that take place on Earth, I’ll mention real life bands and movies. A lot of it is because I do use humans, and I’m too damn lazy to come up with fictional names.