# The meaning of "sona"?



## funyanshi (Jan 11, 2021)

Hi everybody. Ive been thinking about this topic for a while now and im sure its been asked before but: What does a "sona" mean to you? 

I made a 'sona' years ago that i really love but i also kind of kept him as his own character too - he was sort of a stand in for me from time to time but not really _me_, if that makes sense? Ive been toying with a new sona that more physically resembles me but i feel myself wanting distance from him actually being me - a bit like my other sona koy. I like them both aesthetically and im okay giving them some of my personality traits but i find it discomforting to have a sona that too closely resembles me irl - does anybody else feel like that :? 

I have issues with body dysphoria and depersonalization irl that i find difficult to deal with, especially when trying to make a sona. I like the idea of a sona but at the same time i tend to get stuck on what a sona is: is it me? are they their own character? whats the relationship between my 'real self' and my 'sona'? what will people infer about me through my sona? Etc. 

Im not sure this makes sense :"") but im curious to know, how you personally define what a sona is?


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## Punji (Jan 11, 2021)

Your sona can be anything! Can even have multiple sonas if you want.

It can be you, or someone like you, or a totally new person, or sometimes you and sometimes not. No need to fret about it.

Personally my sona is just me. I'd define "fursona" in this regard as _an anthropomorphic depiction of a person or character._ In my case, he is a depiction of me!


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## Paws the Opinicus (Jan 11, 2021)

I feel my 'sona' embodies all the things I wish I was, wish I was capable of, and the attributes I wish I had. Which is to say, everything that I am not.

Three wishes. Thus she's a genie. Irony, that.


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## Deleted member 106754 (Jan 11, 2021)

I use mine to communicate with others over the internet and represent me as an identity on the internet. I have very little to no interest to show myself in the typical sense like your average instagram or facebook user, also allows you to be and exist in a different way. Essentially a 'sona to me is someone I am here, and it's not so much about the personal traits they might have as they already have the ones I do. They look the way they do for X, Y, Z personal reasons that speaks to me, and makes sense to me, and even though they are feral and do not represent my looks in many ways, they are still a true sona to me.

Some people seem to have several fursonas even, and they may also be used differently or seen differently compared to some others.

*But to me a persona or fursona is really an identity or character you use to represent or display yourself as.*

How close or connected one might feel to said character is really up to the one using it.


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## Kinare (Jan 12, 2021)

"A persona is the way a person presents himself or herself to the world."

Switch "per" with "fur" and that's what it means. A fursona is a representation of you, it's not the same as an "original character" because that character does not represent you. If it does represent you, then it's a sona by pure definition.

For me, I chose to make my fursona a "perfect" version of me. I removed all flaws and added some good traits. Some people choose to make their sona near exactly like them, some choose to make them even more broken for story purposes - in the end it's up to you who you want to represent you.


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## Raever (Jan 12, 2021)

Sona tends to be a general catch-all term for any created character. Some people use the phrase to purely mean a character that represents someone, while others use it interchangeably with character. Personally speaking I tend to switch back and forth - sometimes I'll use Sona for my character, other times I'll refer to her as just a character. I don't really think either way of speaking holds deep meaning though, but I'm sure others would get quite haughty with definitions.


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## funyanshi (Jan 15, 2021)

These are all really insightful responses, thank you guys. Its nice to read through different perspectives ^^


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## FlooferWoofer (Jan 15, 2021)

I won't read other's comments first so I won't cheat and use their points. A sona to me is a piece of whoever made it. I like to imagine people are like puzzles and their sona is a reflection of some inner aspect they wish to capture and connect with in their heart. That is why some people 'outgrow' their fursonas and sell the character off sometimes, because people are dynamic and change with their everyday experiences. For me, a person's sona is a window into who they are and who they want to be. ^w^


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## MaelstromEyre (Jan 16, 2021)

I have several characters, but Maelstrom is my 'sona because she is the one I feel I have most in common with.  She's kind of a combination of who I am, and a bit of who I'd like to be MORE like.  My other characters have other aspects of me - like, me when I'm grumpy, or me when I'm silly.


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## Punk_M0nitor (Feb 10, 2021)

Sona (or fursona, scalesona, ponysona...) generally refers to a character that you use to represent yourself in a given fandom/online. Sort of like a projection of yourself---although your sona doesn't even have to be a thing like you and a lot of people have more than one. 

Personally, I have only one sona that I tend to repurpose depending what media I put him in, and refer to my other characters as just OCs because I don't use them to represent me (just to tell stories or have fun playing around with). It's interesting to see others with multiple sonas, though


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## Jackpot Raccuki (Feb 11, 2021)

Yup, sona is basically a representation of you.
Fursona is a furry version but you can have others like trollsona for homestuck and such.

It doesn’t have to be you directly but more what you feel like closely represents how you are or want to be viewed.
Or you just like the design but the personality fits like a glove!


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## florance the fox (Feb 11, 2021)

i have multiple fursonas representing all of my different sides


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## reptile logic (Feb 16, 2021)

My 'sona is my most common dream self.  Another way to describe her is that she's an ideal self-image. It is a form that I would love to wake up in; that I feel I could be content with, living as that person.

This does not mean that I am discontented with my human self. It means that, all resulting human social issues and interactions aside, I would prefer this, non-human existence.

I do not have multiple 'sonas. Others that I have written about are simply characters.


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## Borophagus Metropolis (Feb 16, 2021)

It's a really hot room that makes you all sweaty. No clothing allowed.


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