# Changing Your Fursona



## Kosdu (Feb 26, 2012)

This thread is about a few things, actually:


-Why did you choose your fursona?
-How deeply do you associate with your fursona?
-Have you ever had another fursona? If so why did you change it?
I suppose I'm just trying to get a sense of the norm here.

My reasons summed up: 
http://en.wikifur.com/wiki/Kosdu_Waya

Also what do you guys think of my fursona that a couple of friends whipped up? (thanks F&D):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/spiderpigcanserioussamyou/6859047523/in/photostream


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## Ozriel (Feb 26, 2012)

inb4 "white guilt".

I picked mine because it was cool....and I was stoned.


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## Kosdu (Feb 26, 2012)

Zeke Shadowfyre said:


> inb4 "white guilt".
> 
> I picked mine because it was cool....and I was stoned.




Welcome to the method of making great decisions.... and later regretting them


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## Piroshki (Feb 27, 2012)

I've changed mine twice, but neither time had any kind of weighty reason to it. It was just a matter of I wasn't really feelin' it anymore. Was a wolf first (mainly just 'cause I found an avatar on SL) and then it was a cat, and now it's a fox. No real reason behind any of them besides the fact that I just liked them at the time. Hell, I've only seen one fox in my life, and it wasn't even the same species as my fursona. I'll probably change it again sometime, 'cause I've been really diggin' otters, kangaroos, and red pandas, and I'm also thinking it would fun to have something nobody else wants like a coati.

He's cute. :3c


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## Deo (Feb 27, 2012)

I don't think Zeke regrets the decision. It's sort of presumptuous of you to say that. I'm sure if Zeke really regretted the character design she'd change it. 

As for the whole coyote-trickster fursona I can't help but think of pale as fuck white people trying to claw some shred of Native American mythos for themselves and in the process warping and perversing it. Thus the whole "white guilt". Unless I'm wrong and you actually are Native American by blood and heritage, in which case I applaud your choice.


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## Kosdu (Feb 27, 2012)

Deo said:


> I don't think Zeke regrets the decision. It's sort of presumptuous of you to say that. I'm sure if Zeke really regretted the character design she'd change it.
> 
> As for the whole coyote-trickster fursona I can't help but think of pale as fuck white people trying to claw some shred of Native American mythos for themselves and in the process warping and perversing it. Thus the whole "white guilt". Unless I'm wrong and you actually are Native American by blood and heritage, in which case I applaud your choice.





I was kidding about Zeke regretting it.



It's complicated. I lay no claim to it as my totem spirit. I did not choose it based on Native American heritage, I simply do not have the right.

You see, I respect Native American culture and traditions; I even wish I lived in those times. One of my friends is half Comanche, and I have had a great many talks with his 100% Comanche grandpa. Great man, he even complimented me in the extreme by calling me an indian. That is not a compliment that is easy to find in him.

I'm 1/64 Cherokee. Barely anything.

Also, indian chicks are cute. Just sayin'.



Piroshki, thanks. I thought that too. 
Turns out my friend who drew it up had gay feelings for me, and it kinda slipped in. 
He turned me bi and now we are together.


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## Ad Hoc (Feb 27, 2012)

My first guy was a German shepherd; I didn't really like that and abandoned it. Hemmed and hawed for a while and then switched to a sheep, ha. Not a proper character in the sense of having an independent background, though--just me with wool. 

Going to have to echo Deo though. Unless you're from an American Indian background, picking random bits of their cultures and applying them to your self-representation tends to end up being what you'd call cultural appropriation. Can be very objectifying and disrespectful, even if no malice is intended.


EDIT: Ninja'd a bit. Hm.


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## Kosdu (Feb 27, 2012)

Never heard of a sheep fursona before, seems most choose carnivores.



The only thing I used from Native American culture is the name.
I do agree with what both of you said.




If I were to do a bit of culture appropriation, I would get permission and guidance from my friends grandpa first. 
If he isn't the right guy to give permission and make sure it's alright, I don't know who is.


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## Xenke (Feb 27, 2012)

I was a walf, then i realized I was everysona and made it a wolfcat, but then i got sick of the white and grey from the previous two sonas and wanted green, which looks fugly on canids, so I made up a thing.

I love my thingie.


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## Catilda Lily (Feb 27, 2012)

I picked mine because it is my favorite animal. The only thing I have really changed about mine is the coloring.


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## Ad Hoc (Feb 27, 2012)

Leitfaden said:


> Never heard of a sheep fursona before, seems most choose carnivores.


Two of our regular posters have a cow and an antelope, AFAIK. But yeah, not as common. The food chain of a furry world would be all sorts of screwed up. :V

As for the American Indian thing, just, you know. Be aware and be careful; if you make a mistake, own it and fix it. Pretty easy mistake to make, it's pretty ingrained behavior even if a person doesn't mean to be malicious. Only really get into trouble if it's been pointed out but they refuse to acknowledge/fix it, but you seem like you won't do that, so. I'm not really sure if a single person (your friend's grandpa) can really speak for all the American Indian cultures and their members, though. It is probably not that easy.


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## Onnes (Feb 27, 2012)

I really can't remember why exactly I went with a striped hyena. Mostly aesthetics I suppose. Haven't had much interest in changing it, though.


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## Kosdu (Feb 27, 2012)

Ad Hoc said:


> Two of our regular posters have a cow and an antelope, AFAIK. But yeah, not as common. The food chain of a furry world would be all sorts of screwed up. :V
> 
> As for the American Indian thing, just, you know. Be aware and be careful; if you make a mistake, own it and fix it. Pretty easy mistake to make, it's pretty ingrained behavior even if a person doesn't mean to be malicious. Only really get into trouble if it's been pointed out but they refuse to acknowledge/fix it, but you seem like you won't do that, so. I'm not really sure if a single person (your friend's grandpa) can really speak for all the American Indian cultures and their members, though. It is probably not that easy.




Yes, good point.
My uncle is also half Kiowa, but we never talk about it. I wonder if most people are aware just how badly we screwed Native Americans over?
I know I'm not indian. Can never be, and won't try to be. Great culture, though.


I do admit it'd be nice to just claim a certain heritage, but I really have none. Alchohol is the only thing my ancestors had in common. 
I just struggle to find my identity. I guess it comes from having no talents or drive.

I could rant for 100+ posts on myself, but I made a promise to try and be happy. Damned loyalty.


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## Deo (Feb 27, 2012)

Well.

Anyways, I picked tasmanian devil because they are really awesome little animals. And I too am obnoxiously loud, sort of fugly-cute, stocky, and bitey.
I mean who doesn't love this face?


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## Ozriel (Feb 27, 2012)

I am half Native...go me. :V





Deo said:


> Well.
> 
> Anyways, I picked tasmanian devil because they are really awesome little animals. And I too am obnoxiously loud, sort of fugly-cute, stocky, and bitey.
> I mean who doesn't love this face?




A face only a mother could love. :V 
Don't eat me.





Leitfaden said:


> Yes, good point.
> My uncle is also half Kiowa, but we never talk about it. I wonder if most people are aware just how badly we screwed Native Americans over?
> I know I'm not indian. Can never be, and won't try to be. Great culture, though.
> 
> ...




Different reservations have different opinions on being native or not. Some would only consider you native American if you have more than 1/8th, and others will see you as a mixed mutt because your great great grandfather raped some Native american lass. :V 

Be careful, either some will be offended, or really offended.


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## Deo (Feb 27, 2012)

Zeke Shadowfyre said:


> A face only a mother could love. :V
> Don't eat me.



It's so true.


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## NerdyMunk (Feb 27, 2012)

Current sona: Eastern Chipmunk- I chose my most recent one because I was too indecisive about my species. I literally put all of them plus a few new ones in a hat and picked one. I knew that I haven't seen a lot of chipmunks lately, so I thought I'd stick with the choice. And I've been fine ever since.

*Previous Ones-
*Squirrel- Everyone at school refferred to me as the "squirrel guy," so I just went with that.
Mouse- Took a quiz through the internet and discovered my personality matches the description.
Lombax- Too much Ratchet and Clank.


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## Schwimmwagen (Feb 27, 2012)

I just picked mine because it seemed, well... _right_ somehow. I dunno, I can't imagine it as anything else.


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## Stratto the Hawk (Feb 27, 2012)

I wanted a way to represent myself online and I happened to be reading Animorphs about that time. I like Tobias as a character and I thought that an Anthro Avian representation of myself would be cool to have as an online avatar. I mean, who doesn't like Avians? Avians are fucking awesome. Anyway, this was before I came here or even really identified as a furry and so the character had, and still really doesn't have any deeper meaning to me than as a way to represent me online.

I've thought of changing it a few times, but I'd never choose a canid, and probably the only mammalian species I'd ever choose would be a cat (cause I love cats). I'd probably default to something reptilian or maybe aquatic if I ever decided to change it.


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## Dreaming (Feb 27, 2012)

Gosh, which one? I have quite a few. 

Some of them I lcame up with back in 2010, others I have adapted from 'characters' I created when I was younger.


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## Unsilenced (Feb 27, 2012)

I picked my fursona by stumbling around with the idea until I came up with skunk and decided that I thought they were cute. They're unobtrusive, aggressive, and hard to upset, yet nobody really wants to fuck with them because... well, you know. Skunks. They have a sort of awkward cuteness to them, and they're my favorite color. What's not to love? 

For the details of the character... well, I decided that since skunks are stubborn/dangerblind, he ought to have some injuries. It started as just a missing eye and a clipped ear, but eventually I decided just to go for it and basically doom him to go as a pirate for Halloween every year for the rest of his life. I guess what it comes down to is that he looks/acts unapproachable, yet still has a subtle cuteness. 

Is he a deep reflection of my inner self? No. Not exactly. His traits are all picked for having something to do with me, and he's more special than a character I would write for a story or an RP, but trying to gain deep insight from examining him would be a waste of time. 


The closest I've ever had to a different fursona was my Second Life avatar, an ambiguous canine with a lab coat and camo pants.


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## JaguarPaws (Feb 27, 2012)

When I was like 15, I was a thylacine.  Then I got into the fandom and realized I was the only one.  (There are more thylacine now but at that time there weren't.)  I then decided to create Blinque, the cat-dragon.  She suited me well and she was my character for many years.  However due to how young and stupid and trusting I was I associated with people who would later cause lots of pain in my life.  I associated these memories with Blinque and decided that I've outgrown her and I was ready for a change.

Along came Sage.  I wanted to stray from hybrids, and although I absolutely love dragons, felines always suited me way better.  I wanted something bigger, and I've had a few dreams I were a jaguar, so that's where she came from.  Can't forget the accents of the color green, either.    I hold her close to me, because a furry is the only way I enjoy drawing myself.  I'm human my entire life, in my artwork I'd like to indulge in imagination.


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## ReeSoulflight (Feb 29, 2012)

Growing up, my brother and I were always drawing ourselves as animals.  XD  I've been a triceratops, pterodactyl, sabertooth cat, owl, echidna,  hedgehog, fox, puma, lion, tiger, cheetah, bottlenose dolphin, orca,  wolf, wolf/fox, full-on canine mix, bat, cat, dragon, gryphon...you get  the idea.  Sometimes it was influenced by something (HUGE Sonic the  Hedgehog fan back when it was side-scrolling), sometimes it was me  being...ummm...me.  I'd be fun for a while, then my interests would  change and it was on to the next one.

I was in my late teens when  I actually started growing attached to the characters I came up with  and accepted them as any sort of reflection of myself.  At a cousin's  prompting I made Stryke Wolfox, a sabertoothed wolf/fox cyborg.  I wrote  a Sonic fanfic about her and the freedom fighting team she formed with  some other characters (mostly belonging to my brother, but maybe one or  two of my own as well).  My cousin was i on everything too, as was my  then-boyfriend.  Long story short, my cousin and I fell out and my  boyfriend broke up with me, and Stryke was too painful so I gave her a  noble death (that never got written because I wasn't into Sonic anymore  at that point) and tried to put it behind me.

Skip ahead some years and my cousin and I made  up.  With the making up came a renewed interest in Sonic, as well, and I  decided to reinvent myself, so I made a full-wolf with six wings and  named her Seraph.  I wasn't into anthros as much as quadrupedal animals,  so she had an oversized animal form that she could transform into and  act as a mount for other characters.  I never wrote her into any  stories, though, and my cousin and I drifted apart.  To this day, I'm not sure where I stand with her, but that's all right.

More years  passed.  I outgrew Seraph and didn't really use animals to represent  myself anymore, but I did have brief moments where there was a character  in my head that would have worked - usually canine, but occasionally a  cat or squirrel or something else.  It wasn't until recently that it  happened again.  I was playing WoW with my brother and asked him if he  was still writing and if he had an active gallery somewhere.  He pointed  me to Fur Affinity, and I signed up to follow him.  Then - last  night/this morning - my current fursona sprang pretty much fully-formed  from my head as if she had been waiting far too long for an opportunity  to show herself, so I drew her as best I could and made my first  submission.

I don't think I've trampled on any Native American  beliefs with this.  If anything, I've stolen from the Japanese (since  I'm currently nine-tailed and something of a shape-shifter).  I tend to  use canines because I believe that's what fits best with my own personal  beliefs and instincts, but it's a compatibility thing and not so much a  spirit guide/totem thing.  I don't see my soul as human, exactly, but  it's not entirely animal, either.  It doesn't have a set form, and I  guess my view on myself is the same way.  I actually enjoy reinventing  myself and seeing what comes out.  Maybe next time I actually will be  that squirrel, or a hummingbird, or a waterbear!  For now, though, I'm  happy with what I am.

So...there you have it.  Sorry for the novel, everyone. ^.^;


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## -Zayne- (Mar 22, 2012)

Xenke said:


> I was a walf, then i realized I was everysona and made it a wolfcat, but then i got sick of the white and grey from the previous two sonas and wanted green, which looks fugly on canids, so I made up a thing.
> 
> I love my thingie.


 I'm only on my first fursona. I have wolf, and before I commissioned someone to draw him I was concerned about being to similar. Although since being on F.A. I haven't seen that many wolfs. But the way I see it, it's best to go with your gut. And my gut would not let go of a wolf fursona.

As for green on canids, I think I pulled it of well. See here --> https://d.facdn.net/art/fadedleara/1332212612.fadedleara_wolf.jpg

That pic I haven't gotten a chance to upload to my profile yet. Computer issues. But that's from the first commission. Yes it is rather simple character design, but that's fine by me. For me trying to make creative markings just clutters it up, and I feel like it's a bit about personality too. Appearance isn't everything!


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## Dreaming (Mar 23, 2012)

-Zayne-;2881274Although since being on F.A. [B said:
			
		

> I haven't seen that many wolfs[/B]. But the way I see it, it's best to go with your gut. And my gut would not let go of a wolf fursona.


Weird, most of the surveys say that they're the most common fursona species.


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## Mxpklx (Mar 23, 2012)

I chose my fursona because, well, I am socially awkward and I like dragons. That is basically all dragon furs summed up.

Very. I think it reflects me in every way possible.

I think I might have to change it because I have yet to see a good dragon fur suit. I might change it to a wolf. I plan to make a wolf fursuit that has metal looking fiberglass armor, since I have learned the tricks of the trade from the 405th.


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## -Zayne- (Mar 23, 2012)

Dreaming said:


> Weird, most of the surveys say that they're the most common fursona species.


 Well yes. But I'm just saying that not everyone I come across is a wolf. And I've only been on for a month. :/ the way it looks from you're link, it would appear that canids in general are the most used.


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## Kahoku (Mar 23, 2012)

My mother had the grace and beauty of a tiger, my father the anger and ego of dragon.
Talking reality here, they both were so weird....My mom was a hippie, and my dad a Military man. ( he was 6'7 , my granddad was 6'10, and I am 6'3 ) My poor mom was 5'7


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## Tybis (Mar 23, 2012)

The only major change to mine happened when I actually regained my interests in furry. Before that I was as original as could be (<---sarcasm), it was just an anthro version of myself. But, as I've gotten a little older, my interests in designs have changed. I made my second fursona with a few things in mind; a tuxedo-like appearance of markings, a bit of irony, and a bit of insane happiness. I ended up with a skeleton-panther that's mostly made of cloth and bones, and I couldn't be more content.

Started out as fox.
That's original.
Moved on to arctic fox.
Then some sort of dog-thing that looked like an anorexic wolf...
or something. Started considering something catty. Maybe cheetah.
Stayed like that for a looooong time.
Lost internet connection, sort of forgot about furry.

Internet back up after 2-year delay.
Alt+Ctrl+Del.
PANTHURRR.
Interest in macabre-ish things increases.
DEAD PANTHURRR.
But I love life. And formal attire.
SIR POSSESSED SKELETON PANTHURRR.  


Dreaming said:


> Weird, most of the surveys say that they're [wolves] the most common fursona species.


Waitwut.
That 2nd list.

2. Fox.
23. Kitsune.

Kitsune translated = Fox.
Wut.
I dun git it.


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## Onnes (Mar 23, 2012)

Tybis said:


> Kitsune translated = Fox.
> Wut.
> I dun git it.



In English, kitsune usually refers specifically to the Japanese mythological fox spirits.


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## iconmaster (Mar 23, 2012)

Myself, I've been through a few, although they have been all of the same species so far. It's an odd phenomenon: I create a character that's suppose to be me, and then I slowly add details, implanting him into a specific era of my fantasy world (Devos, a world I write about sometimes). Eventually, he becomes so ingrained into canon, he's not really my fursona anymore. He is a character. I then say "Oh well, let's create a new one, this time he will be a complete represtatuon of myself", and then proceed to start the cycle all over again. Perhaps this indicates I am a changing person?


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