# Complete Noob. How did YOU choose your Fursona?



## sl1v3r (Nov 26, 2020)

Hi all! I'm completely new to all this and I've been having a really hard time picking a sona for myself. so I'm hoping for some inspiration. how did YOU decide on your sona? I'm an animal lover in general so just going with my favorite hasn't really worked. help!


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## Sam Wamm (Nov 26, 2020)

well for me i chose an animal i had a very personal connection to, you know, one that means a lot to me, one i associate with and feel akin to.

i see a lot of people choosing creatures because they just think they're cool or look good or look nice or look cool and then a while later realizing that it doesn't really fit them as an individual.

mostly i'd say you should go with your gut but if your gut feeling tells you your choice is wrong then maybe you need to think about your heart and what you feel in your gut if the gut was wrong.

when you find that animal that clicks more than the others though even if you don't think it clicks well with you you should really try it out to see if it clicks because after all you can always chose a different creature after if it doesn't click.

nobody said you had to have an identity set in stone and you should really experiment for a bit until you find that creature that for you is set in stone.

heck i know someone who's a duchess which is basically a rare and oddly specific form plantidbhglktb.


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## sl1v3r (Nov 26, 2020)

Sam Akuchin Wamm said:


> well for me i chose an animal i had a very personal connection to, you know, one that means a lot to me, one i associate with and feel akin to.
> 
> i see a lot of people choosing creatures because they just think they're cool or look good or look nice or look cool and then a while later realizing that it doesn't really fit them as an individual.
> 
> ...


if I may ask, is your avatar a goat? what made you chose that?


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## Sam Wamm (Nov 26, 2020)

sl1v3r said:


> if I may ask, is your avatar a goat? what made you chose that?


yes, they are a canadian mountain goat.

they might look a little different to what you normally see because they appear like a young member of the species because i have pituitary dwarfism (it's like perminently having a child's body) and i awnted my oc to represent that.

my parents were wildlife conservationists in Canada and they spent a lot of time around the goats and basically that has a very personal connection for me.


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## sl1v3r (Nov 26, 2020)

Sam Akuchin Wamm said:


> yes, they are a canadian mountain goat.
> 
> they might look a little different to what you normally see because they appear like a young member of the species because i have pituitary dwarfism (it's like perminently having a child's body) and i awnted my oc to represent that.
> 
> my parents were wildlife conservationists in Canada and they spent a lot of time around the goats and basically that has a very personal connection for me.


thats fascinating. so what drew you to this community if I may ask?


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## Sam Wamm (Nov 26, 2020)

sl1v3r said:


> thats fascinating. so what drew you to this community if I may ask?


i cofounded some of the earliest furry communities back in the early 90's.

i've basically been a furry since the 70's but i've never realy taken an interest in this variation of the community and instead been hanging around in other communities for 20 years.

i was asked to join fur affinity by a friend of mine (John) a few years ago and frankly i have little insterest in you guys still.

but unfortunately many of the communities i used to be a part of kinda disappeared recently due to financial trouble so now i'm here.


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## soulbox (Nov 26, 2020)

I love all kinds of animals myself so it's hard for me to choose a species. That's probably one of the reasons why I have more than one sona. But as far as the species of the sonas that I have now... I don't know.... I kinda just go with what seems cool or different I guess. I try to also create something that people haven't seen much I guess.


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## sl1v3r (Nov 26, 2020)

zerotwo said:


> I love all kinds of animals myself so it's hard for me to choose a species. That's probably one of the reasons why I have more than one sona. But as far as the species of the sonas that I have now... I don't know.... I kinda just go with what seems cool or different I guess. I try to also create something that people haven't seen much I guess.


what species is your current avatar if I may ask?


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## soulbox (Nov 26, 2020)

sl1v3r said:


> what species is your current avatar if I may ask?


Hedgehog


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## MrSpookyBoots (Nov 27, 2020)

I just went with a species I knew I really liked and worked from there. I picked one that had an attitude I could (sort of) relate with or connect with. As an example, I couldn't see myself as a fox, as their own tendencies don't really fit mine, I guess.

I chose a bat because they are among my favorite animals, and hold a special place in my heart. They are so misunderstood, and I believe that almost every species of bat is actually pretty cute in their own way! I believe a bat also fits me more than a rat, a cat, or a snake...all of which are animals that I adore. They also aren't as abundant as other animals I've seen used as fursonas, so that only helped me make a decision.

As for my other characters, there are bits and pieces of myself that I put into them. So while my fursona is a bat, I have a rat OC that has some of my own hobbies and likes certain foods that I also like. She also likes to cook, just like I do!

I think an important thing to remember too is that your fursona may not be set in stone. People can change their fursona at any point. There's no universal law that says you have to keep it.


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## Deleted member 111470 (Nov 27, 2020)

When I first found out about the fandom, I wanted my sona to be a deer. I remember writing a story about him. Never finished it.
This was maybe 12 years ago.

Then, about a year or so before joining the forum, I wanted my sona to be a bunny. I had him all envisioned - I wanted a slim and athletic character who's cocky and playful. A rabbit, I thought, fits the bill as much as a cat does.

But then, by the time I finally got to join the fandom officially, I was playing a lot of league of legends, and Wukong to is by far my favorite character in the game. So, solely because of that - my fursona is a monkey.

My current avatar is a second character I came up with, a hyena.

For me, deciding on a character has more to do with what body type they have and what their personality is.


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## KyleNeon (Nov 27, 2020)

I started with a brown husky back in 2013. Didn't feel much of a connection and actually started thinking (I picked a husky, because everyone around me at the time seemed to go husky/fox, I simply tagged along) 

This brings up my hometown, which has alot of it revolving around dragons. Be it dialect, monuments or stories about it's history. My city is well known for how proud it is, and I cannot deny that I'm part of that. 

's-Hertogenbosch was a core city, and among the last major cities to be captured during the 80 years war: the war for Dutch independence. During most of this time the city was considered impossible to siege, as it was a hill in a swamp surrounded by big walls. This earned the city the nickname "the swampdragon". Today in front of the train station there is a statue of a golden dragon looking down from a pilar. This dragon statue is the icon of the city, as much as the statue of liberty is the icon of America to give an idea. In local dialect (at least I haven't heard it anywhere that isn't my in hometown) children are called dragons by their parents when they are naughty (in a good way). Little to say, my pride for my city combined with how much my parents called me a dragon (and even today still do), I felt almost obliged to pick a dragon.

Design wise, green is my favourite colour but I usually wear grey hoodies, so I combined those colours. I got 2 green stripes coming from the eyes, inspired by cheetahs, because I used to do athletics, which was all about speed. And not to forget, an excuse to add green markings to the face of course.


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## Spitfire110 (Nov 27, 2020)

I like everything about the ocean. And the most famous creatures of the sea are sharks arguably. So it felt appropriate that I get a shark.


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## MaelstromEyre (Nov 27, 2020)

First of all, welcome.

I was aware of the fandom for a while, but didn't actually get involved until about twelve years ago, through roleplay on the Second Life virtual grid.  I realized that you could be an anthro animal there, got myself an avatar and started exploring, meeting other furries there.  I discovered a roleplay area, medieval/fantasy, where all the characters were anthro animals, rather than elves or orcs or humans or whatever.  I was already in my thirties, and it was the first time I'd actually met other adults who liked playing animal characters.  I was hooked.

My character started off as a brown wolf, just because that was an avatar I liked the look of.  As time went on and her story developed, I created a more elaborate backstory that explained she was actually an Akhlut - something like a mix of wolf and orca/killer whale, who could take the form of a wolf or a mermaid-like creature.  It represented my love of both the forests and the sea, and two animals that I have always felt drawn to.


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## Tacoshark (Nov 27, 2020)

My sonas have always been animals I have a personal connection with. I have been passionate about reptile husbandry and conservation, so most of my OCs have been reptiles or amphibians.

My current sona is a Tiger shark and that is based partly on my experience with this and other shark species as a marine biologist. I have been lucky to study and work with them intermittently for the past 8 years, and developed an understanding of their quirks and social behaviors. I chose a Tiger shark specifically because of one I worked with out in Fiji named Scarface that had a lasting impression on me. She definitely had a presence, you knew she was nearby by the change in behavior of other sharks. To that I even added subtle nods to other experiences with sharks in my sona. For example, my sonas favorite band is Creedence Clearwater Revival. We chummed for White Sharks in South Africa to get data for some studies. If they weren't coming our way we would put music on and we eventually noticed that CCR seemed to make them appear within 10 minutes virtually without fail. Little things like that.


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## zandelux (Nov 28, 2020)

I think picking a sona is like finding your favorite band/movie/etc. You don't go looking for it, it's something that finds you. So my suggestion would be to look at furry art and read furry fiction to see if any species or traits appeal to you.

But since you asked, my kobold sona grew out of a D&D character I play. I've always liked dragons, but preferred them cute and without wings. In an earlier campaign, I met a kobold NPC, and my DM's description made me realize D&D kobolds are pretty much what I had been thinking of. I made one as a character in a later campaign, found I really enjoyed roleplaying as one, and got hooked when I found tons of adorable kobold art.

Plus an NSFW kobold dating sim may have awakened something...


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## Kinare (Nov 28, 2020)

"Hmm, I think I'm finally ready to make a sona!"
"I want to be a cat, no question about it."
"A black cat."
"A big black cat. Oh, that fits a current OC, I'll just use his species."
"Hmm, it's missing something... not quite ready to call it my sona."
"Let's add this... and that... and this? No, not that, but maybe this! AND THIS!!!!!"
"It is brilliant. I will call it 'spirit cat' and it will be my sona species."
"Huh, she needs a name... what about... no... maybe? Idk..."
"Well, theme of me lately is just go with things that happen, and this happened, so now this is her name."
"Time to get her drawn! But let's add one more thing..."
"She's perfect."


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## lemonoxen (Nov 28, 2020)

cows r cute, am now cow


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## Nephrite (Nov 29, 2020)

Honestly? I made my first fursona when I was like 8, and really into Warrior Cats. She was a cat, and all of my sonas since have also been cats. I think cats are one of my spirit animals, I've always had a connection to cats and I think they fit my personality pretty well!! uwu


Here she is; this is Haiku, who I made at the ripe ole age of 8/9






And my current sona & namesake, Nephrite! I've had her for about three years now?? I think she'll be around for a while, haha

*cough* also putting these two images together, it's neat to see how much my art has improved ;-;


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## Ziggy Schlacht (Nov 30, 2020)

I got a stuffed animal of Bagheera when I was 5. It stuck. Meet Ziggy.





The reality is pick and animal you like a roll with it. There's nothing saying you can't change, nor is there anything saying you need one. For a lot of us, our Fursonas are just fancy avatars. No need to go on a vision quest to consult the furry gods on what to do.


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## Pyszka (Nov 30, 2020)

I just drew my sona in class over and over, according to my mood and behavior. Firstly she was based on draconequus (?) from MLP, but over time she changed a lot, get her own anatomy, behavior, physiology as a "Piregon". c:


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## aomagrat (Dec 1, 2020)

I was an Aviation Ordnanceman (AO) in the navy. AO's who work in the ship's magazines are called mag rats.


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## Punk_M0nitor (Dec 14, 2020)

Welcome! I hope you enjoy your stay in the fandom!

Honestly, I just experimented until I found something fitting. At first, I spent ages combining what felt like random mammal species (resulting in some.... _interesting _designs), but found nothing I truly saw myself in, so I started looking outside the realm of mammals and into birds and reptiles. Something about reptiles just resonated with me more. They're strange, cold-blooded, a far cry from other animal classes, and as someone struggling with their identity and connecting with other people, something that diverged completely biologically really hit home. Eventually I settled on monitor lizards---slick, venomous, neurotic, and not to be trifled with, but loving and gentle if you're patient enough to handle them. Steele was a blue-tailed monitor at some point but later became a bell's phase lace monitor.



Their color scheme fits my aesthetic well, to boot, even if Steele has a bit of a bluish tint.


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The best advice I can give is just don't limit yourself. The wonderful thing about fursonas is that you can do whatever you want. Play around with concepts, colors, patterns, and animals. You'll figure it out!


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## Kreok (Dec 18, 2020)

Hello everyone! 
This is another newcomer into the furry community.

First I have to say, that I am thrilled to be apart of this life. This Lifestyle, maybe. And I am looking forward to see more of everyone's furrsona, and to get to know you all a little bit more. 
And I am hoping that this will be apart of home for a long time.

Second of all. This Furry just love everything that is being said on this thread. Because this Furry is also looking for himself. Whom he is, and how he looks. And everything so far said is really an eye-opener.
But there is still some questions from this Furry.

The biggest reply this Furry reads, is to start with multiple furrsonas, to find the one that will be, The One. But is that not just like juggling with multiple personalities? This Furry already has plenty of personalities in his everyday life as it is. And this Furry is afraid of including more in his life.

Then on the topic of personality. 
So far it is mentioned to find an animal that shares oneself's personality. But how do one find this out? There is a lot of animals that could share some personality traits with each other even, but they would never met eachother in life. Because of the world is being so big.

This is a little bit scary for someone with ADHD.


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## Ziggy Schlacht (Dec 18, 2020)

Let's be honest - animals sharing human traits is definitely humans assigning them. Ask a Raven if they're crafty and they'll just caw at you. You can just as easily pick an animal you like and roll with it, doesn't have to match anything. Or two. Or three. There's no furry police, and no one's gonna judge you based on suitability of the animal to you. And if they do, well, you don't need their approval anyhow.

You seem concerned about realism, but this thread looks like a couple sharks, a couple panthers, at least one dragon, a rat and a sheep all talking to each other. Sorry - anthropomorphized versions of them talking to each other. This is not the community for textbook accuracy.


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## Tyll'a (Dec 19, 2020)

I didn't choose Tyll'a.  He chose me.


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## Jwolfan (Dec 19, 2020)

sl1v3r said:


> Hi all! I'm completely new to all this and I've been having a really hard time picking a sona for myself. so I'm hoping for some inspiration. how did YOU decide on your sona? I'm an animal lover in general so just going with my favorite hasn't really worked. help!


Me, I looked around, and looked up the species within the fandom. Then I found one that I really liked, they were on the more unheard of side and I enjoy them. Sad part is, that since protogens are a semi-closed species is that there are restrictions to what you can have in em


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## Gioko Kun (Dec 19, 2020)

Short story: I like rabbits  XDDDD


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## Cockynoob666 (Dec 20, 2020)

For me, a bee... i love bee swarm simulater thats it


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## Kreok (Dec 20, 2020)

Ziggy Schlacht said:


> Let's be honest - animals sharing human traits is definitely humans assigning them. Ask a Raven if they're crafty and they'll just caw at you. You can just as easily pick an animal you like and roll with it, doesn't have to match anything. Or two. Or three. There's no furry police, and no one's gonna judge you based on suitability of the animal to you. And if they do, well, you don't need their approval anyhow.
> 
> You seem concerned about realism, but this thread looks like a couple sharks, a couple panthers, at least one dragon, a rat and a sheep all talking to each other. Sorry - anthropomorphized versions of them talking to each other. This is not the community for textbook accuracy.


Thank you Ziggy. I think that I needed this.

And the sad part is that I know very well how to have an vivid imagination. 
But your comment, that I seemed concerned about realism. That really hit home.
I always thought that oneself's first furrsona should have been just that. Realistic. But, all the animals are talking to each other here. As mentioned... This is not the community for textbook accuracy.

With newly found courage, and determination, will this Furry find, its true form.


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## AceQuorthon (Dec 20, 2020)

I just picked my favorite animal, the goat!


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## kittyDecaying (Dec 23, 2020)

Cats have always been a little mysterious to me. Like they have some veil of mystique surrounding them, like they might know things that you don't. They also tend to slink around, out of sight, which I kinda wish I could do at times.
Also I like grim things. Decay. How lovely.


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## Polaris (Dec 24, 2020)

I chose my sona to be a bighorn sheep, since I'm Aries in western horoscope and it made sense. Also, I personally love bighorn sheep!


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## Annagriffinart (Dec 24, 2020)

Wow, everyone has so many amazing fursona stories and im sitting here like "lmao i'm tiny"
Long story short (literally) i'm a very small person (5'4), and well, Lynxes are pretty short too, and i always had such a affinity with Big cats/Cats in general, so it wasnt so hard to set on them.
As my second favorite animals, Dragons, i decided to make her a Hybrid for the feral form just because i really love to draw dragons and  thought it would be nice to have a half-dragon and half-Lynx sona.


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## Xitheon (Dec 24, 2020)

Tacoshark said:


> My sonas have always been animals I have a personal connection with. I have been passionate about reptile husbandry and conservation, so most of my OCs have been reptiles or amphibians.
> 
> My current sona is a Tiger shark and that is based partly on my experience with this and other shark species as a marine biologist. I have been lucky to study and work with them intermittently for the past 8 years, and developed an understanding of their quirks and social behaviors. I chose a Tiger shark specifically because of one I worked with out in Fiji named Scarface that had a lasting impression on me. She definitely had a presence, you knew she was nearby by the change in behavior of other sharks. To that I even added subtle nods to other experiences with sharks in my sona. For example, my sonas favorite band is Creedence Clearwater Revival. We chummed for White Sharks in South Africa to get data for some studies. If they weren't coming our way we would put music on and we eventually noticed that CCR seemed to make them appear within 10 minutes virtually without fail. Little things like that.



You are awesome.


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## Tacoshark (Dec 25, 2020)

Xitheon said:


> You are awesome.


*blush*
Thank you


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## JannerPing (Dec 25, 2020)

I once played a flash game with a crow as a protagonist, and Iiked the idea. Since Birds have strong personalities a lot of the time, I picked the bird.
I don't have noteworthy experiences with birds irl  besides a mild interest. But cartoon birds are funny.


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## Sam Moony (Dec 27, 2020)

In my eight years of being in the fandom i never had an established fursona until this year. It was a hard proces for me because when i choosed a species i never felt it mine because i didn't have a proper representation for it... until i started drawing digitally this year.

I choose a bull, to be honest, for kinky reasons? xD im not going to go into details but it was really a random choice i made while roleplaying with my boyfriend and it really stuck on me. I started to love drawing him, there are stuff of him that represent me but i would say our personalities don't match completely.


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## Monsieur Lune (Dec 27, 2020)

I looked at the list of ALL known species from protozoa to invertebrates and still ended up choosing the wolf it just so happens that it's the most common sona xd


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## The_biscuits_532 (Dec 28, 2020)

Stepmum compared me to the cat
Dad compared the cat's thiccness to the lynxes at the zoo
My Skyrim character at the time was a female Khajiit 

And now here we are.


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## Aenigma (Jan 7, 2021)

sl1v3r said:


> Hi all! I'm completely new to all this and I've been having a really hard time picking a sona for myself. so I'm hoping for some inspiration. how did YOU decide on your sona? I'm an animal lover in general so just going with my favorite hasn't really worked. help!


Honestly, it took me years to finally settle on what I wanted. I finally came out with Aenigma or Aeni. She's just your routine fox with brown hair more so resembled after me. I picked based on what animal I was drawn to the most. My husband and I are both drawn to foxes, and considering how we met it just made sense. 

I've got my Fantasy fursona which is a healing kitsune. I researched a lot, and not only that, but I did random generators. x: A lot.. of random generators.


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## Aenigma (Jan 7, 2021)

malefeetguy said:


> I looked at the list of ALL known species from protozoa to invertebrates and still ended up choosing the wolf it just so happens that it's the most common sona xd


Sometimes it's like that! It's just whatever you jive most with


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## TemetNosce88 (Jan 7, 2021)

I had always kind of assumed I would pick a horse if I ever made a fursona, since they're my favorite anthro animal and all of my other characters are horses. The problem was that I've never felt particularly horse-like myself. Instead, I asked myself what animal I would pick if I were to pick a spirit animal, and I gravitated towards deer. Despite how I feel about them eating my garden and landscaping, I do think they're really beautiful and charming animals. And I feel like the general attitude most deer seem to have fits me well. 

I decided to go with a white white-tailed deer (NOT albino) because I crossed paths in the woods once with a white-tailed deer that had a color mutation to make it appear very light tan/white. It's somewhat rare to find in nature, since the deer stands out really badly and is easier prey to predators. Anyways, I felt like I shared a really special connection with the deer that I found decided to bring that across to represent myself. (Picture below for reference, not my picture).







I named my fursona August after August Derleth, a Wisconsin writer from the early to mid 1900s. As far as personality, he's just me, for better or worse. While the only picture I have of him is ACW-themed, he lives in modern times.


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## BlackDragonAJ89 (Jan 11, 2021)

Personally as someone who's never really satisfied with any particular species, but certainly has a look/aesthetic nailed down, I'd argue to not worry so much about what species to pick right away as opposed to figuring out what you want to generally present yourself as and what is "your thing". I'd highly recommend putting together a mood board/style sheet of sorts of things that you personally like/find interesting, and if you got a general idea of what you fursona will look like, make sections for things like hairstyle, body type, and clothing that appeals to you. Afterwards, you can probably figure out what fits best and if not, ask others for help.

As for me though, I've cycled through many species. Not counting being a human...

- Dragon (Both Eastern and Western)
- Horse
- Shark
- Canine
- Snake
- Incubus/Demon
- Dark Elf
- Lion
- Gargoyle
- Orc
- Kirin
- Goat
- Boar
- Bull

Although I went through several species, I could argue that my character looked more like some "Rocker Dad" who'd beat you in a power-lifting contest but still take you out to eat somewhere afterwards. Or if it he wasn't wearing the street clothes, he'd look more like some magic-knight type character who apparently couldn't find armor in his size. Either way, I had a specific look I wanted him to have, but couldn't quite figure what species that could be both physically strong and intelligent to suit my personality. 

Ironically I've been drawing the horse and dragon forms a lot more lately, and I really like the dark elf/demon forms too... Which is funny because I can't stand most fantasy settings that such creatures would be found in.


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## mercuriel-art (Jan 19, 2021)

My sona actually started out as a character for a D&D campaign. It was an Asian myth inspired setting, and I wanted my character to be based on the legend of Sun Wukong.
Because of the fact that I had to PLAY him and ACT as him for months in that D&D game, my personality sort of just ended up being his, too, so I was connected to him.
I also identify with monkeys a lot because they're social, vocal (and at times a bit too loud ^^"), smart, moody, empathetic, confident and playful-- all things I think I or anyone I'm close to would use to describe me, too. Also monkeys are so cute I just wanted to draw one a while bunch!


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## pthhpth (Feb 2, 2021)

oh boy i've been hoping i could get to share this story

so about two years ago, i had to go to the hospital for reasons. i'm not getting into why i was there, but what you need to know is that i was receiving steroids every few hours as part of my recovery and they made me act crazy as fuck

so anyway they're wheeling me downstairs to get a ct scan and i see that there's a bookshelf and some other furniture by the elevators marked as garbage. i love books and wanted another bookshelf in my room (my bedroom at home, not my hospital room) and in my crazy roided out state i just looked at the nurse and was like "can i have the bookshelf??? please"

(i could not have the bookshelf)

later on i found it hilarious how i really wanted to take some hospital garbage home with me. i realized that i also have tiny hands irl, and was acting like i had rabies (plus i was in the hospital because i was sick)

and thus rancid raccoon was born. it just took me two years to get around to actually drawing him


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## ziishu (Feb 2, 2021)

Well I originally found the fandom when i was 13 years old... so I kinda latched onto other fursona designs, patterns, species and said 
"yeah I like this!"

In reality i was still trying to find out who _I _was and it wasn't until recently that I sat down and really thought about what kind of character I wanted.

Then he kinda popped out so yeah fursona obtained!!


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## Monosuki the Aurian (Feb 2, 2021)

There was always something nice about both cats and foxes....and I liked them both, but I couldn't decide.

That and I  didn't want it to be an Earthly species, so I decided to do one thing.

I took foxes, and took cats, then mixed the species together, and made Aurians. Then I went and made them into a species from space.

It's been a concept that I've done since I was ten, and I've just been remastering it since.


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## PC Master Race (Feb 2, 2021)

Elephant because I like their trunk, it looks pretty fascinating to me. Buffalo because it really connects to my country Vietnam, mostly the agriculture part. I also prefer herbivore animals, they always seem... quiet and peaceful ? Compared to the carnivore predators.
Another thing on the buffalo part is that I absolutely LOVE the taurren design from world of warcraft (mainly their hunched-back anatomy).
So I combined them all together, and 'lo and behold I got my best sona ever.

Monkey... literally because to me they look like humans. With fur and tail. And that's all the ideal trait I want from the species. I also really like the great apes from the dragon ball anime series so... boom, 2nd best sona for me.


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## hologrammaton (Feb 3, 2021)

spontaneous parthenogenesis and apotheosis of an experiment into generative artificial intelligence and quantum computation

pretty standard, really


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## GentleButter (Feb 3, 2021)

You can feel it out by starting simple with your favorite animal and your favorite color scheme. Then, choose a hobby or an interest you can build the characters personality from.


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## Ziggy Schlacht (Feb 3, 2021)

GentleButter said:


> You can feel it out by starting simple with your favorite animal and your favorite color scheme. Then, choose a hobby or an interest you can build the characters personality from.


Gonna be honest here - I think most people just pick their favorite animal and retcon fancy reasons to it.


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## Deleted member 134556 (Feb 3, 2021)

1) I love dragons

2) I love cyberpunk stuff

3) Black and red look cool together


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## Shane the chocco doggo (Feb 21, 2021)

To be completely honest. I love wolves . At the the time of trying to create my fursona i was snacking down on some chocolate.  I heard that some people base their fursonas of snacks and beverages.  So i thought " huh why not? So i got to work on my character basing his colours of the chocolate bar i was eating. A Nestle chocolate crunch bar . I was determined he was gonna be a wolf . I tried and tried and tried some more but i just couldn't get the shape of the head just right.  So i finished him up and wasn't completely satisfied.  Until i saw how much he resembles a Scottie dog.  so i slapped a species on him and gave him a name . Lucky for me i live in Scotland so the him looking like a scottie dog worked out better than i had hoped .


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## Ty Vulpine (Feb 21, 2021)

I didn't choose mine, it chose me.
I originally started as a 15 foot tall gold dragon back around 2004 on G4TV.com's social forums. When they closed the social forums thread, I migrated to another forum, and created a six foot tall cybernetic fox soldier (nameless at the start). Eventually, he took over as my sona, and I named him Tiberius (Ty for short). I went several last names for him. Vulpine, Solpine, Soltaur, before settling on Vulpintaur. He first became a taur in 2009 and a macro taur shortly thereafter.


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## DankThomas (Feb 22, 2021)

My case is a bit strange (or maybe not?). For a while my fursona was a deer, they're animals I love and I've always loved antlers and the idea of humans having antlers (in similar ways I've also always loved horns). After a while I just realized I'm a wolf though. I don't even think it was a choice, I just realized I felt incredibly satisfied and in a sense liberated when drawing wolf fursonas, and when drawing myself as an anthro wolf, more so than with any other animal. That's basically how it is for me. This process is probably not all that uncommon for furries, but I wouldn't know since I haven't spoken to  many furries.


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## Play3r (Feb 22, 2021)

Really, the reason I chose to be a protogen is like why many other people chose their fursonas. I saw what they looked like and decided to start thinking if it suited me, and it did so I created Player, The depressed protogen with the power to enter different dimensions.


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## Matt the Terrier (Feb 22, 2021)

How I came up with Matt the Terrier was because of "Krypto the Superdog". I made him first in 2008-ish, because Tail Terrier was my favorite character, and then played around with being a Mammoth Mutt recolor and an anthro cat before I came back to and stuck with my current fursona. I actually didn't discover that the furry community existed until 2014, and it wasn't until then that I officially adopted him as my fursona.

In all honesty, if I could've be something else [preferably a taur or a skunk], I would've been, but I've had my fursona for so long that I can't replace him; he has literally become part of my identity. Doing that would be like killing off a family member, I simply could not do it.
Besides, his design suits me, and the name itself rolls off the tongue nicely.





On top of all that, I always strive to be unique and a little different from everyone else. I'm a non-conformist if you will. And much to my surprise, my fursona has stood out amongst the many foxes, deer, wolves, dragons, and large dog breeds. I don't see too many small dog breeds in the community, let alone Terriers, so in a weird way, I'm quite happy about that! ^ ^


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## TheBoxDweller (Mar 4, 2021)

For me, the process of making a fursona (or any character really) is just a process of iteration and experimentation. I make a decision, and go for it. I draw and write about my characters fairly often, and through that, I start to learn more about the characters. Sometimes I'll learn something about the characters when other artists draw em! Slowly, I refine the idea and tweak things here and there as they do or don't make sense. Just like people grow, I find that characters can grow too, and sometimes they develop little complexities that I never intended when they were first designed, both physical and personality/story-wise. Other times I'll find that I made a huge decision that just isn't working anymore, and I'll scrap the character and completely rework them, or just straight-up scrap them, or merge them with other under-developed characters. ^^

I guess what I'd say is that I don't focus on making the "perfect character" all in one day. I experiment and play around. Some people find that their characters should have special meaning to them, others focus on making them look cool, and others just have characters that are tied to what drew them to the fandom in the first place (Pokemon OCs, a Wings of Fire OC, etc.) I'm still working on redesigning my fursona, like four or five years later haha. Right now, I've found that my intuition is pulling me towards a character that isn't even an actual animal! There's a lot that I love about weasels; I think they're adorable, I love their small-but-scrappy personality, and I could go on and on. But every time I've drawn my character, I find that I gravitate towards hooves - especially if I were to get a fursuit one day, I just love the look of fursuit hooves haha. Yet I've never connected to equines at all. I've tried to make it work, but it just doesn't lol. So my solution is to kinda... make my own species?

In my research, I've found that a lot of odd-toed ungulates have gone extinct, leaving just a couple of extant contemporaries. So I'm toying with a sort of "what if" idea - what if there was a relative of the odd-toed ungulates that followed a similar evolutionary path to the mustelids? What kinds of challenges might those species have faced that encouraged them to evolve that way? How were they able to survive the same circumstances that led other odd-toed ungulates to go extinct? I enjoy this kind of process, because it does more for me than just making a hybrid and saying "It's like a weasel with hooves!" I get to craft every element of the character, and along the way there are so many teeny tiny little details that are just exciting to me. It's not that I'm gonna write a book about them (or maybe I will, who knows XD) but all these little details are just sources of inspiration for me. I have a sort of end goal in mind, but I'm leaving the process a bit open so little new ideas here and there could help me add a bit of spice to the design. ^^

To just talk a little bit about details, my character Skye is a fun example of the species and character inspiring each other. I knew making Skye I wanted a sweet character who was maybe a bit misunderstood but otherwise well-meaning and generous. So I got to researching bats, and I came across vampire bats. Lots of little details clicked for me - despite vampire bats being parasites, most cows don't even notice or care when there's a vampire bat taking a small amount of blood. And unlike a carnivore or herbivore, the vampire bat doesn't even eat a living thing - in a weird way, they're kinda gentler souls than a normal eater! Vampire bats are also quite pro-social; they've been known to share extra blood with less-fortunate bats, especially new mothers. So once I knew I wanted a vampire bat, the design followed. Skye was supposed to be a fursona at first, and at a time when I was very reserved - so I chose to make him straight-up gray. Eventually, as his personality grew, I started to associate him with pop music. A lot of people see pop music as just a corporate cash grab, or find it obnoxious and stale, so I was inspired to give him rainbow wings. Rainbows remind me of happiness and fun-loving, even if they can be a bit obnoxious, especially when they're bright! So I toned it down just a bit to give him a softer vibe. One thing led to another, inside jokes were made, and now he's working at an unabashedly weeby pizza maid cafe. :3

So in all I try and pull inspiration from lots of different sources to make my characters really unique and nuanced, which in turn makes it more fun for me to come up with new art ideas related to em. I'm always playing around with new ideas, and whenever I commission art of my characters, I always encourage artists to put their own spin on them. The most important thing for me is that my characters are fun for me to draw - and hopefully fun for others to draw too! ^^

Sorry that was long; I get really excited about designs haha.


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## Hipsteralbatros (Mar 4, 2021)

I personally jumped around from a few different characters throughout the years, but eventually I settled on a basic looking werewolf and I am the happiest I have ever been. Probably because the werewolf is the truest to myself, out of all of my other characters.


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## Crisahitna (Mar 11, 2021)

sl1v3r said:


> Hi all! I'm completely new to all this and I've been having a really hard time picking a sona for myself. so I'm hoping for some inspiration. how did YOU decide on your sona? I'm an animal lover in general so just going with my favorite hasn't really worked. help!


With me, my bugsona (bug fursona) was chosen because I wanted a rare technical species that is unique to my personal connection. In this case, I chose a Death's Head Roach (Blaberus craniifer). What is the first words you think when you see a cockroach in your home? Probaby disgusting, ugly, gross, pathetic? It's a common conception for homeowners that nobody wants them. It's the outcast element of the cockroach that I personally connect to.
Secondly, Death's Head Roaches are called such because of a black jack-o-lantern on their backs, and their wings are overall black, which makes the color scheme more of a grungy aesthetic and are overall really cool looking. 
I understand that everyone's personality and what connects them is different, but I hoped my input is helpful.


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## Jackpot Raccuki (Mar 12, 2021)

Me: Wow this Grizzly bear is cute, he’s my fursona.
Jackpot: And I took that personally.


Basically it started out with a character I made to be my fursona, but when I was making a generic character, Jackpot in this case I ended up loving him and solidified the fact he’s my fursona by getting a big ol plushie of him.


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## FackleFlare (Mar 13, 2021)

I chose for my Fursona to be a cat/dragon hybrid becauss people tell me my personality reflects those animals. And I agree with them. My dragon side represents a rebellious edginess, and my cat side represents both laziness and hyperactivity. And even if you don't consider my personality, both animals are really special to me. I've had several cats before, and even if they're a little bit crazy, I still love them. And ever since I saw a DragonVale ad on my tablet five years ago I've loved dragons. My choice on species could (and probably is) also be affected by my favorite book series - Warriors, which is about cats, and Wings of Fire, which is about dragons. But no matter what you consider, his species just seems to make sense, at least to me.


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## Ace ut fox (Mar 15, 2021)

My first fursona is a fox, I just thought they were neat and mysterious. I've only ever saw three foxes before and I really like their fluff tails so I just made one, and I've had her since 2015.


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## Jaredthefox92 (Mar 15, 2021)

Grief was once a side character who gained popularity so I made him my mascot.


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## NitroFastFur (Mar 18, 2021)

Nothing too in depth.. I was watching pocari roo videos, and noticed the shape and general feeling of Sodaroos fitted well, so that's what Nitro became.


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## Ziggy Schlacht (Mar 31, 2021)

all might is here said:


> hiya  i need finding what kind of lizard  sona i can make im new here trying to finding a oc  of lizards.


What's your favorite Lizard?


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## Ziggy Schlacht (Mar 31, 2021)

all might is here said:


> hm a breaedd dragon


So, you're done. Your Sona is a Bearded Dragon.

There's no rules, no established list. There's a thread elsewhere about someone combining a spectacle bear with a seahorse. Now, if you're looking for ideas on appearance or other lizard species, that's a different question.


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## Frank Gulotta (Mar 31, 2021)

Fluff, personality, and everything cute
These were the ingredients chosen To create the perfect little furs
But Professor Utonium accidentally Added an extra ingredient to the concoction-- Chemical Kink


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## Ziggy Schlacht (Mar 31, 2021)

all might is here said:


> ok yeah where should i get my sona ?


Well, due to Covid the Sona store just outside of Boston is closed, so you'll have to make due by drawing them yourself or commission an artist. I would start with a gender expression, then roll to a rough build, then a color scheme you like. So "Masculine, Hunk, Red and Black" or "Femboi, Twink, Pink." Then pick a couple personality traits, such as "shy" or "outgoing". This would give any artist a starting point, including yourself. Pulling together references too, you could probably search "Bearded Lizard" on FA to get something.

As far as picking an artist, that's up to you and a budget. I've got slots open, account linked in my signature, but there's loads of artists.


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## The_biscuits_532 (Mar 31, 2021)

all might is here said:


> oh ok yeah i need a sona how mmuch would it cost?and thank you


Some artists do free stuff occasionally. That's how I've got most of my art. You'd need to give them at least a rough sketch first 

Here's an example, with my latest OC, Constantine the Brown Hyena. I'm not completely terrible at art personally but I am still learning




My sketch



A commission I got the same day, by NullTag808. 

If you're willing to join Furry Amino they have an in-app currency too which many artists accept. Obvs the quickest way to earn it is by buying it but there are free alternatives, such as trialing apps. I've paid for a few commissions that way

Otherwise, varies by artist. Most seem to be around the $10-20 mark.


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## MemphisHyena (Apr 1, 2021)

I was mostly drawn to hyenas because they tend to get a bad rep and I know how it feels to be misjudged, if that makes sense? (They also have the cutest faces!) The name has been one of my favourites for a while, and I felt like it fit his character.

Eventually I'll have art for him that I'm happy with but it's been a while since I used photoshop and I might as well be learning a new language a this point.


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## Foxridley (Apr 21, 2021)

My kinks fed into what my fursona became. 
So around 13-ish years ago I got really into foxes. Something about the look of them I really liked. Things like the markings, and the long, fluffy tail. I binged on cartoons and webcomics with foxes in them. I had also long been interested in animal transformation. So, the two ideas came togethe. Before I really knew about the furry fandom or read the word "fursona," I toyed with a few OC ideas. Most of them involved a human with some kind of fox transformation curse. The idea of kitsune entered the mix somewhere along the lines. I like magic, transformation and foxes, so these magical shapeshifting foxes were just about perfect. The only issue: if I were to imagine my self physically being my fursona, I didn't like the idea of having more than one tail. What I came up with, and largely stuck with since, was a half-kitsune, half-regular-red-fox.

More recently, I have come to appreciate the flexibility. If the idea of being a cat or a bird strikes my fancy at the moment, well, I have a shapeshifter for a fursona.


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## Netanye Dakabi (Apr 21, 2021)

mine was someone-else's avatar they gave away and i adapted it a little


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## BareJim (May 5, 2021)

My bearsona came to be after some soul searching. My first fursona was a tiger, then I tried a doggie dog, then a deer/buck, but the bear definitely felt the closest to me.

They're common where I'm from, they're generally shy, quiet, like food and are S O F T and S Q U I S H Y, and as such we have a similar shape. XD 

I found it so much easier to throw some glasses on a bear than to design and tinker with the other species.  I think a lot of folks try a few different ones before landing on 'the one.'


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## Eremurus (May 5, 2021)

I wrote out this HUGE, massive novel of a post explaining the ins, outs, and everything in between of why I chose Eremurus as my fursona, and why I feel such a powerful connection to her.

But then I deleted, seeing as it was too long, this topic isn't necessarily the place for all that kerfuffle, and lastly, because of that, I'll summarize.

I became absolutely enamoured with female Tauren. They were simply perfect to me, looks, aesthetic, culture, personality, and ideology wise. I was not a furry before. Then I clicked instantly with Tauren and knew I was in fact, a furry.

Eremurus was my first character. I spent thousands and thousands of hours building her up, developing her background, story, who she was as a Tauren woman. I definitely don't have the same feelings towards other races. It is strange.

Make sure you develop and work on your fursonas backstory. It is the difference between a good one, and a cliched, overdone trope.

*edit* For those of you who are curious; Tauren are an anthropomorphic, bipedal, bovine race from the planet of Azeroth. They have a Native American culture.


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## Sam Wamm (May 9, 2021)

well i was born on Earth so i had to be human to fit in.

historically though my ancestors came here on account of the fact Earth had a very salty smell to it.

turns out the smell was human sweat.

we were kinda hoping it was the oceans but they turned out to be much less salty to the point they were uninhabitable by my species.

so we just took some water from the dead sea to bathe in and ate from humans instead.


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## PilotBug (May 13, 2021)

Shane McNair said:


> I never understood why furries _always_ seem to have a fixation with picking a fursona based on some kind of perceived close connection with a specific animal, or picking an animal based on certain behaviors or personality traits. I've seen thread after thread talking about it on this forum to the point of it being extremely trite and cliche. While there's nothing necessarily wrong with it, I just look at that approach as a form of very limiting, inside the box thinking when trying to come up with an anthro animal character. I find characters interesting and appealing based more on who they are as an individual or what they do. There's too much emphasis on the animal and not enough on the _character._ That's what makes them unique and it seems not enough focus is given to that.
> 
> Mine happens to be a border collie, but not really for any specific reason except, I guess, that border collies are somewhat less common than the endless masses of fox and wolf sonas that seemingly everyone has. Shane being a border collie also matches up well with his Scottish heritage, but it was really kind of an afterthought and something that was just attractive to me and I think fit well with his overall design. The real essence of Shane is that he is a military combat pilot in a historic period setting. That's what he's all about. From a young age, wanting to fly was the one great motivation that drove him and led him to everything in his adult life. This is also the main thing that inspired his design, and I think a border collie wearing a flight suit, custom flying boots, and a leather flight jacket just looks really good somehow.
> 
> ...


fellow WWII fighter pilot i see


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## Yakamaru (May 14, 2021)

I saw a dog once, I guess?

Nah. Always loved wolves and felt a sort of connection with them that I cannot explain. They have a lot of characteristics and traits that I love, such as loyalty and being fierce only when needed to be.

If anything, they can be considered nature in its purest and most beautiful form? Hmm... Hard to explain in words.


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## gargoyleteeth (May 14, 2021)

I created my sona little over a year ago after going through some rough times and little bit of an identity crisis. They certainly aren't my first sona, probably my fifth or sixth, but i definitely feel this is _me. _They're the one i'm gonna keep. 

I was in a really dark place in 2019, very isolated and alone in this big dark house by myself and feeling like an outsider watching everyone around me move while i stayed in place. 

That sort of outlook on my situation combined with my already existing love for gothic architecture and monsters lead to me thinking about making my sona a gargoyle !!
It took me 6 months to design them, i think. Maybe a little less but it wasnt until months later I'd made them.

I went with a lion gargoyle because of the winged lion gargoyles/statues and my pre-existing love for lions, an animal i feel some sort of connection to in a way. 

As for colors, they're all just my favorite colors lol.


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## proudbedbug (May 14, 2021)

i am just "coming out" as a furry, though i've been watching in the wings for awhile.... i knew i wanted to be an insect furry but bedbug didnt come to me until i was writing a fanfic and created a bedbug character that resonated with me... today is my first day "out" as a bedbug and im really nervous but i chose this fursona after a lot of thought when i was writing the fanfic almost 8 years ago


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## Adrian Gordon (May 15, 2021)

I once went on a mission to far-east Russia and met the Chinese Takin that lived there and all the other officers couldn't control them and kept getting attacked.
Me on thte other hand got along well with them and they came to me and sat around and leant their necks on me.
Everyone was fearing for my life because Takin are notorious for killing mountaineers but honestly i felt safer around them than my peers.
That really resonated with me because they were misunderstood and feared like myself so we were kindred spirits.


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## Hanz Britches (May 17, 2021)

My ancestors were involved in the salem witch trials and i always felt kinda disgusted that i'm the product of that misplaced bullpup prejudice.
So i did some research into witches in general and now I'm a goat because i thought the whole familiar milk magic thing sounded cool.
I found an undertale sprite sheet and recolored the clothes to match Freddy Krugar just 'cause.


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## IncenseAndIron (May 17, 2021)

Hello there, friend, and welcome! ^_^ It is always nice to see new members of the furry fandom, and generally just people who are interested in the community and anthropomorphism in general.

I completely understand not knowing what to make your fursona. You might understand that you _want _one, but you don't know what species to pick. That is a common issue for newcomers that want a fursona, persona, or character of their own. Sometimes, this issue can even be present in people that have been in the fandom for a long time. Hell, even as someone who has been an active furry for approximately 5 years now, I have had a hard time choosing what my fursona should be due to my weak sense of identity. (And the fact that I am a general lover of animals, just like you! It is hard to pick just one species when that is the case.) But, after a lot of time thinking, I was able to make my final decision, and I am happy I did. If it helps inspire you, I will tell you a bit about what helped me choose my species and my identity in the fandom.

After years of indecision, and changing my design and species every month or so, I was able to find my fursona by looking inside myself and thinking about what I view myself as in real life, as well as what my interests and personality are.
Interestingly enough, I don't always view myself as human in real life. This might be due to my autism, as it is a general feeling of otherness from other people that I feel within myself sometimes. Like, an "I'm different than other people" sort of feeling. It shows in the way I interact with the world, and with people, that I am not neurotypical.
I also have an interest in heavy metal! My favorite band, of all time, has to be Powerwolf, a German power metal/symphonic metal band with themes and subjects of mythological creatures (specifically werewolves and vampires/strigoi), Christianity, Satanism, the Crusades, and gothic themes in their songs. Their music inspires me, and I love to listen to their songs when I'm working out, drawing, or just anytime I feel like it. In particular, I feel inspired and intrigued by their songs about werewolves. It feels like whenever I listen to those songs, I am part of a pack of werewolves myself.
And, this one is a bit more strange, but whenever I feel myself getting angry, I start to imagine myself as a beast or animal. It's like some sort of instinctive coping mechanism, I suppose, but sometimes I purposefully do it to cope with whatever I am going through at the time.

I think the otherness I felt from other human beings, the beastly view of myself I adopt sometimes to cope, and the inspiration from my favorite band are what made me start to view myself as a werewolf. After years of wondering what my identity should be in the fandom, it all made perfect sense just like that. Werewolves are different from other human beings, even in their human form, and they are capable of turning into lupine beasts!
And, as stereotypical as it is, I also feel like my personality and interests align with that of a werewolf, or at the very least, humanity's view of the wolf. My close friends have described me as kind, somewhat serious, strong (physically and emotionally), and loyal but not someone you fuck with and get away with it.

And from that discovery of my species, I developed my persona: Lupin Dasa Ambrose, a werewolf with three forms: human, lycanthrope, and (feral) wolf. Just like me irl, he is of mixed ethnicity, and he lives in the North.

I hope this story of mine inspires you some. I believe if there is any lesson to be gleaned from the discovery of my persona's species, let it be this:
- Ask yourself what creatures you relate to. This can be in your personality, your values, your physical appearance, or your lifestyle.
- Ask yourself what things inspire you, and how that relates to your personal identity or what species you might be.

I hope this helps you out, and that you were able to get useful information from my story. I wish you the best of luck in discovering your species, my friend! May you find inspiration and self-discovery. ^_^


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