I think more people should make fursonas and I'm dead serious. the process of self-exploration that naturally comes along with creating a funny little critter to represent yourself is SO valuable, as you consider the types of animals you vibe with and what kind of aesthetic/colours/personality/etc suit you and stuff like that (fun fact this process is how I figured out I was transgender lol. not saying that will happen to you but just proving that you can learn a LOT about yourself through this design process and any subsequent design changes)

and then when you're all done, you have a little freak you can do whatever you want with! edit them poorly into memes, commission lavish oil paintings of them to hang in your mansion, use them as a personal online mascot, design a fucked up evil twin for them to fight, soak them in milk and throw them at the wall, anything really. same stuff some people do with fandom characters they really like, except it's 100% yours and nobody can tell you you're doing it wrong! also now you have an animal your friends can associate with you and they'll send you funny pics/videos of that animal that make them think of you. literally it's just wins all the way down for you and everybody you associate with. everyone should have one of these things!!

I think more people should make fursonas and I'm dead serious. the process of self-exploration that naturally comes along with creating a funny little critter to represent yourself is SO valuable, as you consider the types of animals you vibe with and what kind of aesthetic/colours/personality/etc suit you and stuff like that (fun fact this process is how I figured out I was transgender lol. not saying that will happen to you but just proving that you can learn a LOT about yourself through this design process and any subsequent design changes)

and then when you're all done, you have a little freak you can do whatever you want with! edit them poorly into memes, commission lavish oil paintings of them to hang in your mansion, use them as a personal online mascot, design a fucked up evil twin for them to fight, soak them in milk and throw them at the wall, anything really. same stuff some people do with fandom characters they really like, except it's 100% yours and nobody can tell you you're doing it wrong! also now you have an animal your friends can associate with you and they'll send you funny pics/videos of that animal that make them think of you. literally it's just wins all the way down for you and everybody you associate with. everyone should have one of these things!!

really warms my heart to see how many ppl have reblogged this with tags or comments about how having a fursona has improved their life in some way, or (even cooler!) how this post gave them enough of a push to start thinking about creating one! i kinda just wrote this post on a random whim and didn't expect such a widely positive response.

for me personally, my sona often fluctuates between being a very personal and euphoric self-insert that i can project ideas and emotions onto, and just sort of a funny little art mascot i can use to represent myself online, so sometimes i kinda forget just how dearly beloved these little personalized critters are by a lot of people. like "making a fursona and having that as an emotional outlet saved my life" type stories. it's cool as hell and i'm really happy for them!

however, a lot of folks who are in the "i don't have a fursona but now i might wanna make one" camp seem to frequently be unsure where to start with this stuff, though, so i thought i'd offer a little advice for that!

first thing is that this process is gonna come down to a little trial and error most of the time. none of your decisions are set in stone, you can always change things up later as you see fit (and hell, you can even have multiple fursonas for varying moods/purposes/etc if you want! people do it all the time. also, lots of folks give their fursonas hybrid traits, like a cat-dragon or a shark-wolf or a griffin or whatever, so that's an option too! mix-n-match)! people are complicated and a fursona always serves as a great canvas for personal experimentation and expression, whether you've had them for a decade or a day already.

focusing specifically on the choice of animal tho, it's handy if you already have a favourite animal for one reason or another (maybe aesthetically, behaviorally, symbolically, or some mix of these) but your favourite animal isn't always gonna be one that you think really represents you personally. that's fine! i adore cats IRL but i could never really see myself having a cat fursona. the important thing is that now you're THINKING about making a fursona, so now you can keep your eyes and ears open to inspiration when it comes along. i originally just picked a bunny because they're cute and cartoon bunnies are pretty easy/fun to draw, but as time went on i picked up loose knowledge about their traits and behaviors and realized "hey, i'm quiet and polite and loud noises make me anxious, i'm happiest sleeping and waking up at unusual hours, i like to feel small and cozy and safe, i'm a little bit mischievous but bad at serious confrontation... maybe this was a better fit than i thought!" and now i can't really imagine myself picking anything else. got it in one. but if i HADN'T lucked into that on the first try, those kinds of observations would've helped me get there eventually. look at animals, learn things about animals, and keep the thought in the back of your mind of "do i feel a connection to any of this?" as you do so. something might just click into place one day!

failing all that, idk, just pick a critter you think looks neat, give it a couple colours and some cool hair or whatever, and see what happens from there! not everyone's fursona has personal meaning to them and that's fine too! also, if you have a friend who knows you decently well (especially if they're an artist) you can usually ask them for creative input and bounce ideas off them. friends are often really good at putting a finger on unique defining qualities that you may not have noticed about yourself, and that can help a LOT with this stuff.

anyways that's all the advice i got, hope it helps! even if you don't end up actually settling on a fursona, or feeling like this is right for you in general, you might still benefit in some way from the process of reaching that conclusion and i sincerely encourage you to give it some thought if it sounds interesting to you. have fun out there!

three more common questions I wanna address:

1. no, you don't have to make a fursuit and go to conventions dressed as your fursona. the vast majority of furries do not own a fursuit (they're really expensive to commission, and take a lot of skill to make yourself!) and lots of them wouldn't really want one even if cost wasn't an issue. fursuiting is a niche within a niche and nobody is gonna bother you about not enjoying/participating in it

2. fursonas, despite the name, don't need to be furry mammals! you can make a bird, you can make a fish (sharks are actually super common), you can make a snake (they often kinda just look like anthro lizards but ppl insist they are snakes and I GUESS it works lol), etc etc. they don't even have to be real animals, or anything specific/distinct (some folks just have a nondescript critter with vaguely-shaped ears and a tail and say "don't worry about it" and that's cool lol). hell, they don't have to be an organic being at all! there are lots of robotic and synthetic fursonas out there - critters made of metal, fabric, rubber, paint, candy, whatever strikes your fancy. get weird with it if you want!

3. if you have ideas or are interested in trying to come up with some, but your main obstacle is "but I can't draw/I'm not good at visual art", my advice is firstly "hey give it a shot anyways, it doesn't have to be a masterpiece, you're just putting ideas down on the page like a kid would do" and secondly: cool! find someone who CAN draw and, assuming they're not just a friend who is offering to help you for free (rare but appreciated), look for an artist whose style you enjoy and commission them! I don't know the exact stats but TONS of furries aren't artists themselves, which is why "furry artist" is so famously a job people can have and actually make a living from. lots of artists offer character design comms and are willing to workshop a design with you and revise it according to your feedback until you have something you're happy with. you can send them references of other furry art with comparable design elements, photos from google/pinterest of the kinda hairstyles and outfits you want, anything to accompany your text descriptions and help them create your vision. hell, I've even had a few people send me a very crude MS Paint drawing to work with and those commissions turned out really nice! so yeah. don't let a lack of artistic ability stop you! work with what you have and then consider reaching out for help from a pro!

alright this post is way too long now, I'm gonna stop adding to it but feel free to send asks or replies if you have more general questions I can answer! I'm not an expert but I DO sometimes design fursonas for my job, so I'll do my best to share any other wisdom I can!

saw this being debated and just wanted to talk about it too.

"is it rude if I politely ask a writer if they use ai or chatgpt on their works because I'm almost certain they do?"

1. yes, it is rude. no matter how polite you are being when you ask them this.
2. you say you are almost certain. so you are not absolutely certain.
3. unless you are absolutely, undoubtedly certain — with actual proof — that their writing is ai generated, never ever ask an artist if their work is ai generated.
4. I know several writers who would stop writing and delete all of their works if they were ever accused of using ai. so it doesn't matter if you are polite when you ask them this, you are suggesting that their works are ai generated, that they didn't create the works they could have spent hours, days, weeks, months or years working on.
5. ai and chatgpt are trained on real humans' works, they are trained to mimic the way real humans write. so if you say a genuine writer's work "looks ai", I'm gonna have to ask you what you think ai was trained on.
6. a writer whose English isn't their first language may also write in a way that "looks ai" to some, if they write in English and have to rely on translator.
7. using em dash isn't a sign of ai. I do it all the time. my fellow writers all love em dash.
8. having long paragraphs with "overly described scenes" isn't a sign of ai. I do it all the time, and so do my fellow writers.
9. all the "ai signs" are actually just what most writers actually do. they get mistaken for "ai signs" because sometimes the way writers write or describe a scene in a fanfic or an original work is different than the way people talk or text. because they're writing a fic and describing a scene, not chatting with a friend. the way I talk is different than the way I write my fics.
10. if you suspect a work was ai generated, but are not 100% sure, you can always just stop reading said work without saying anything.
11. if someone does use ai to write, they will either a.) deny and continue using ai to write or b.) admit because they see nothing wrong with it and continue using ai to write.
12. if a genuine writer was wrongly accused of using ai, they may stop writing altogether.

asking a writer if they use ai or chatgpt to write will always do more harm than good. witch hunting will always do more harm than good.

you are not "fighting against ai" by throwing around such accusations. you are harming genuine writers and artists.

saw this being debated and just wanted to talk about it too.

"is it rude if I politely ask a writer if they use ai or chatgpt on their works because I'm almost certain they do?"

1. yes, it is rude. no matter how polite you are being when you ask them this.
2. you say you are almost certain. so you are not absolutely certain.
3. unless you are absolutely, undoubtedly certain — with actual proof — that their writing is ai generated, never ever ask an artist if their work is ai generated.
4. I know several writers who would stop writing and delete all of their works if they were ever accused of using ai. so it doesn't matter if you are polite when you ask them this, you are suggesting that their works are ai generated, that they didn't create the works they could have spent hours, days, weeks, months or years working on.
5. ai and chatgpt are trained on real humans' works, they are trained to mimic the way real humans write. so if you say a genuine writer's work "looks ai", I'm gonna have to ask you what you think ai was trained on.
6. a writer whose English isn't their first language may also write in a way that "looks ai" to some, if they write in English and have to rely on translator.
7. using em dash isn't a sign of ai. I do it all the time. my fellow writers all love em dash.
8. having long paragraphs with "overly described scenes" isn't a sign of ai. I do it all the time, and so do my fellow writers.
9. all the "ai signs" are actually just what most writers actually do. they get mistaken for "ai signs" because sometimes the way writers write or describe a scene in a fanfic or an original work is different than the way people talk or text. because they're writing a fic and describing a scene, not chatting with a friend. the way I talk is different than the way I write my fics.
10. if you suspect a work was ai generated, but are not 100% sure, you can always just stop reading said work without saying anything.
11. if someone does use ai to write, they will either a.) deny and continue using ai to write or b.) admit because they see nothing wrong with it and continue using ai to write.
12. if a genuine writer was wrongly accused of using ai, they may stop writing altogether.

asking a writer if they use ai or chatgpt to write will always do more harm than good. witch hunting will always do more harm than good.

you are not "fighting against ai" by throwing around such accusations. you are harming genuine writers and artists.

It isnt an accusation. Its a fucking question. One that protects the very communities and artists that this post claims to defend.

all of the fanfic writers, whom I personally know, say the same thing that they would feel discouraged and might delete all their works if they were asked this.

it’s not “hey do you like x or y” question. it’s a subtle implication that your work looks like it was written by a robot within a minute. if you personally don’t find that offensive, that’s cool. but I know a lot of writers do. and they have the rights to be discouraged by it.

also we are talking about fanfic writers who write as their hobby, getaway or safe place, writers whose works you read for free. not writers who sell their works and are making profit from what they write. fanfic writers don’t owe you anything.

This just came across my dash. I'm going to be blunt.

Asking a writer or artist if they “use AI” is an accusation, no matter how you dress it up. It’s not neutral. It implies you think their effort, style, or voice is artificial. It implies that their human work doesn’t look human enough for you.

You don’t protect the community by policing people who are actually creating from scratch. You protect it by supporting human creators, reporting confirmed AI misuse when there’s evidence, and learning the difference between this sounds different than what I’d write and this is machine-generated.

Writers—especially fanfic authors—already pour their time, emotion, and identity into what they share for free. They don’t owe anyone proof of authenticity on top of that. And if your question makes someone want to quit writing, it’s not protecting the community. It’s shrinking it.

If you’re not 100% sure, just scroll. AI ethics don’t need to turn into public inquisition season.

“And if your question makes someone want to quit writing, it’s not protecting the community. It’s shrinking it.”

^^^^ this

using "what were YOU doing at the devils sacrament" to mean "yeah i made an embarrassing reference but you understood it which is also embarrassing" is very funny to me

using "what were YOU doing at the devils sacrament" to mean "yeah i made an embarrassing reference but you understood it which is also embarrassing" is very funny to me

my favorite part is that absolutely nobody says this except here. so if you use it in public, it's a dead giveaway that you spent the last ten years on tumblr. but then again, they recognized it, which means they were at the devil's sacrament

there are teenagers today using smartphones who don’t even remember the real gun emoji. they have never experienced it.

there are teenagers today using smartphones who don’t even remember the real gun emoji. they have never experienced it.

Never forget what they took from us

Look how much gun violence this prevented.

i ADORE the anomitinity of tumblr. when i post stupid ass shit from my mush brain on like snapchat or whatever i gotta deal with messages like “are you okay?” and “what does this even mean”. here i can just post 30 pictures of dinosaurs in a row and my followers will be like YEEEEEAAAA BABBY

i ADORE the anomitinity of tumblr. when i post stupid ass shit from my mush brain on like snapchat or whatever i gotta deal with messages like “are you okay?” and “what does this even mean”. here i can just post 30 pictures of dinosaurs in a row and my followers will be like YEEEEEAAAA BABBY

the other day i posted something on snapchat saying “if we gave monkeys guns i think deforestation would end” and someone sent me a link to an online therapy site i hate it here

i know this really isn't the point but i'm loving the attempt at spelling anonymity

The above is a video shared by smrchildsadness on Twitter, showing a person participating in a pride parade exchanging a pride flag with a person standing on his (am using his pronoun based on the TikToks/Tweets of what happened) doorway who had a Portuguese flag. There are sounds of cheers and crying and the two people hug each other as they exchange the flags. The man at the doorway then waved kisses to the crowd within the pride parade.

The Tweet says: "NO YOU DONT UNDERSTAND HE WAS WAVING THE PORTUGUESE FLAG BECAUSE HE DIDN'T HAVE A PRIDE FLAG AND THEY TRADED FLAGS AND HE'S SO EMOTIONAL TO GET HIS OWN PRIDE FLAG I'M EMOTIONALLY RUINED"

For context, apparently they were worried that maybe he's a nationalist because he was waving the Portuguese flag and some nationalists opposing the pride march were waving that flag. But upon interacting with him, it turns out he didn't have have a pride flag and he wanted to wave *a* flag in support of the pride march. So they had an exchange and now he has his own pride flag 😭🥹.

ALT

The image above is a Tweet by kunwara_ladkaa that says "I'm crying so much right now (Image taken by Manuel Fernando Araújo/Lusa)". The image shows the same man from the pride parade crying as he hugs his new pride flag.

ALT

The above image is a Tweet by dudz_zZzz that says "ainda não parei de pensar nele," which according to Google translate from Portuguese to English is "I still haven't stopped thinking about him." The image is a drawing of the person from the pride parade, crying as he hugs his new pride flag.

Posts were made on July 1, 2024.

The above is a video shared by smrchildsadness on Twitter, showing a person participating in a pride parade exchanging a pride flag with a person standing on his (am using his pronoun based on the TikToks/Tweets of what happened) doorway who had a Portuguese flag. There are sounds of cheers and crying and the two people hug each other as they exchange the flags. The man at the doorway then waved kisses to the crowd within the pride parade.

The Tweet says: "NO YOU DONT UNDERSTAND HE WAS WAVING THE PORTUGUESE FLAG BECAUSE HE DIDN'T HAVE A PRIDE FLAG AND THEY TRADED FLAGS AND HE'S SO EMOTIONAL TO GET HIS OWN PRIDE FLAG I'M EMOTIONALLY RUINED"

For context, apparently they were worried that maybe he's a nationalist because he was waving the Portuguese flag and some nationalists opposing the pride march were waving that flag. But upon interacting with him, it turns out he didn't have have a pride flag and he wanted to wave *a* flag in support of the pride march. So they had an exchange and now he has his own pride flag 😭🥹.

ALT

The image above is a Tweet by kunwara_ladkaa that says "I'm crying so much right now (Image taken by Manuel Fernando Araújo/Lusa)". The image shows the same man from the pride parade crying as he hugs his new pride flag.

ALT

The above image is a Tweet by dudz_zZzz that says "ainda não parei de pensar nele," which according to Google translate from Portuguese to English is "I still haven't stopped thinking about him." The image is a drawing of the person from the pride parade, crying as he hugs his new pride flag.

Posts were made on July 1, 2024.

His name is António Fernandes, and you can find the original article where he spoke about this event here

This elderly gentleman lives alone in Porto, when he saw the march coming up his street all he knew was he wanted to participate, so he ran home to get the only flag he had to wave as they passed by, when they did he was overcome with emotion and called over one of the activists, they hugged and exchanged flags, he felt so overwhelmed that he could only hold it and cry.

This isn't a story about a closeted elderly man, António lives and has been living alone for many years now and that little moment made him feel included in something for the first time in many years.

Says the article:

"The act was "of support”, guarantees the man, especially because “each one is as they are and we are all the same”. “The joy I felt at this moment. I cried,” he recalled, still emotional when looking at the photograph offered to him during this report.

However, even though it reached thousands of people, the moment screams a feeling of belonging, of joy and also a portrait of loneliness as a consequence of aging.

Behind that door, whose image spread across the country, António is the portrait of a condition that affects many others like him.  He lives alone, but the walls of his home are full of memories of a life shared and full of love. “Memories I preserve,” he stresses.

He's not gay, nor does he need to be to support and respect the cause.

“We all have the same color blood. We are all the same.”

Still with an emotional look glued to the photograph that immortalized his gesture at the march, António remembers: “I felt embraced by all of them”. After a sigh, he says: “See this photo? I want to take it to my coffin.”

Been a minute but I need to ramble before I can do my fucking homework.

The VERY ironic thing of feeling more free in a private religious university than I ever did in a public college. Given the EVERYTHING that is going on, I still find it a bit baffling but not quite as much during my first two weeks of uni here. Having professors be allowed to actually do their job shouldn’t be something mind-blowing, it should be the norm. Yet what the government is trying to do sure makes it feel that way.

And even though I’m closeted, I somehow feel safer?? The staying in the closet is more to do cause of the powers above than the uni itself. Even if not socially out I can dress how I want and wear my hair however and no one bats an eye. Meanwhile back in Florida (still closeted then) I had to constantly look over my shoulder; either when going to the bathroom or even just walking through the halls. Here, not so much.

Rant over, I need to work on shit ;-;

Been a minute but I need to ramble before I can do my fucking homework.

The VERY ironic thing of feeling more free in a private religious university than I ever did in a public college. Given the EVERYTHING that is going on, I still find it a bit baffling but not quite as much during my first two weeks of uni here. Having professors be allowed to actually do their job shouldn’t be something mind-blowing, it should be the norm. Yet what the government is trying to do sure makes it feel that way.

And even though I’m closeted, I somehow feel safer?? The staying in the closet is more to do cause of the powers above than the uni itself. Even if not socially out I can dress how I want and wear my hair however and no one bats an eye. Meanwhile back in Florida (still closeted then) I had to constantly look over my shoulder; either when going to the bathroom or even just walking through the halls. Here, not so much.

Rant over, I need to work on shit ;-;

another iceland fact

tourists are posting pictures from several different places in the country and tagging them with the name "gjaldskylda". they seem to be under the impression that it's the toponym of the beautiful waterfall/lava field/mountain/etc. they're visiting.

gjaldskylda means "you have to pay to park here" and it's on an unreasonable amount of signs

another iceland fact

tourists are posting pictures from several different places in the country and tagging them with the name "gjaldskylda". they seem to be under the impression that it's the toponym of the beautiful waterfall/lava field/mountain/etc. they're visiting.

gjaldskylda means "you have to pay to park here" and it's on an unreasonable amount of signs