Post by dante on Nov 17, 2024 18:46:11 GMT -5
Wark wark! Hello internet! Probably the best choice of my life. I got into the fandom during graduate school in the midst of entering severe depression that took away my ability to feel emotions and basically dissolved my sense of self. Everyone thinks my fursona's name (Dante) comes from Devil May Cry, but actually it's just a reference to his traumatic source in my depression.
To that end, the fandom played a massive role in restoring me and making life worth living. It seems to me, that we met more in person back when I was depressed around 2010. Typically, every week, we'd fill up the local IHOP with furries and the first time I arrived before Christmas, I was given a Christmas card and pulled into the flock. I went from a person with no friends to suddenly have an entire group of friends and there is no describing how important that was.
I never had anything negative from it and have been semi-open about the matter, my car had a license plate that said furry (not nearly as daring as someone I knew that had a license plate of "yiff") I also had multiple bumper stickers on my car that identified me as furry, directly and indirectly. I still regularly wear animal t-shirts associated with my fursona (a red panda fen fen), but my newer car cost too much to cover in bumper stickers :/. Kind of a shame. I think I liked the dinged up car with bumper stickers more, but at least this one doesn't break down XD. I'm also out as a furry to my family, and sometimes share the SFW pictures I've made of my fursona - though they know I've done NSFW art as well.
That said, my IRL world has grown more and more thin. The outside meetings are either no longer, or I don't know about them and being a grey muzzle, I just feel like a weird old guy at them. I've built a happy space online and I think that's enough for me .
About the biggest collision I had was when my parents found out that I was spending $5-10k/year on furry art and banned me from buying any more XD. I can't entirely blame them, but I'm still glad I did because that was right before everything in Russia went to heck and the entire commission world collapsed unless you went through Boosty.In the end, I suppose I jumped on that train right on time and even a few years later, I'm still owed about $1.5k in commissions (some of which are probably never getting done, ah well, live and move on ^_^)
Dante has also played a huge role in who I am, as I poured the better side of who I am and want to be into their characteristics. During depression, they carried me through dark nights as I weirdly sometimes felt bad at the idea that they would be abandoned and forgotten. These days, they drive me to be my better self and to pursue being better in a world that sometimes feels like it deserves my worst. I'm also really happy at how he continues to brighten my days and the days of others.
To that end, the fandom played a massive role in restoring me and making life worth living. It seems to me, that we met more in person back when I was depressed around 2010. Typically, every week, we'd fill up the local IHOP with furries and the first time I arrived before Christmas, I was given a Christmas card and pulled into the flock. I went from a person with no friends to suddenly have an entire group of friends and there is no describing how important that was.
I never had anything negative from it and have been semi-open about the matter, my car had a license plate that said furry (not nearly as daring as someone I knew that had a license plate of "yiff") I also had multiple bumper stickers on my car that identified me as furry, directly and indirectly. I still regularly wear animal t-shirts associated with my fursona (a red panda fen fen), but my newer car cost too much to cover in bumper stickers :/. Kind of a shame. I think I liked the dinged up car with bumper stickers more, but at least this one doesn't break down XD. I'm also out as a furry to my family, and sometimes share the SFW pictures I've made of my fursona - though they know I've done NSFW art as well.
That said, my IRL world has grown more and more thin. The outside meetings are either no longer, or I don't know about them and being a grey muzzle, I just feel like a weird old guy at them. I've built a happy space online and I think that's enough for me .
About the biggest collision I had was when my parents found out that I was spending $5-10k/year on furry art and banned me from buying any more XD. I can't entirely blame them, but I'm still glad I did because that was right before everything in Russia went to heck and the entire commission world collapsed unless you went through Boosty.In the end, I suppose I jumped on that train right on time and even a few years later, I'm still owed about $1.5k in commissions (some of which are probably never getting done, ah well, live and move on ^_^)
Dante has also played a huge role in who I am, as I poured the better side of who I am and want to be into their characteristics. During depression, they carried me through dark nights as I weirdly sometimes felt bad at the idea that they would be abandoned and forgotten. These days, they drive me to be my better self and to pursue being better in a world that sometimes feels like it deserves my worst. I'm also really happy at how he continues to brighten my days and the days of others.