Sorry for making another, rather long journal post so soon after the other, but I felt like far more recent events just called for me to get my thoughts together on this matter, and writing it all out seemed like a good way to do so. If this feels more like a ramble, my apologies.

So, if you somehow haven't heard, yesterday morning the furry tickling community ended up losing someone who's been around for about as long as anyone else with an internet presence. I'm of course talking about the nigh-legendary  kyledragon, who unfortunately lost a battle with colon cancer. I, like several others, had been following along through updates, and hoping that he could kick it, but sometimes life just has other plans. At the very least, from what I heard he passed on surrounded by those he loved, which is all anyone could ask for at the end of their life.

Unfortunately, I don't have much I can say about Kyle as a person, as I never got the chance to have a real conversation with him. Honestly, I think that's gonna be something I'll always regret. But given what I've heard, the man was always kind and happy to engage with his fans, and I would have loved to get to know him. There's folks out there hurting a lot more than I am over this because of the bonds they had with him for years, and I hope they can all find ways to process and come to terms with this. But I did want to at least say my own piece, since I've been in the background until very recently and I've seen a lot in my time online.

I can say that I probably owe the man for even finding and getting interested in this fandom in the first place. Even though it was over a decade ago, I remember finding his old Furstreet site during my teen years when I was still coming to grips with who I was and what I enjoyed. Of course by that point DeviantArt was a thing and would be where I got to see a lot of other amazing pieces (And try my hand at some very cheesy early writing because of course), but his old portal was where I found so many artists I would come to enjoy as I began to spread out and discover the furry tickling community online. And of course, there were Kyle's personal stories; stuff I could enjoy for everything from cute tickle fics to the more plot-driven stories. It certainly helped that he, like myself, was very clearly a huge fan of dragons, and exploring how creatures so often seen as fearsome beasts could be shown to have a gentler side. I can't deny I was at least inspired in part by the looks of his characters while making my own sona.

I was always nervous trying my hand at writing, and had been for years and years as I was never really sure how it would turn out for me. I wanted to be able to write like he could, like the other authors hosted his site could, like folks who could put their enjoyment of something into words. But I always had a lot of self doubts and they held me back for the longest time, to the point where I haven't even been active in this fandom for a year yet, despite being around for over a decade. And that's another regret I'm always going to have, I think; I lost the chance to get my work out there earlier on, and potentially build bridges with folks who, for one reason or another, I won't have the chance to do so with now.

Which leads me to this; anyone out there who's lurking because you're nervous about approaching people, for any reason? This community is full of kind, positive people who would love to hear that you like your work. They'll be happy to talk with you, and if you want to share your own works there's so many people who will want to give them a look or read. So do it, okay? You have a chance to make good friends and improve on your abilities.

There's really not too much else for me too say now, except to give Kyle my thanks. He and a few others on this site are the reason I'm here today, and in the days before art sharing sites and social media, the guy was apparently responsible for bringing this little niche of a furry community together for the first time. And while I've gotten to know some of my inspirations, I just wish we had the chance to talk if even once. While I may not be a religious man, I truly do hope he's in a better place now, free from pain and getting to be at some sort of peace.

Thanks again Kyle. I and surely a lot of others owe you a good deal. Rest in peace, man.