Life is too short to be miserable.

That's what the saying says. And I think it's time for me to listen to it.
I have to be honest with you guys, this had been bothering me for a while. I've felt stressed, and anxious, and generally uncomfortable, but I've been keeping it under wraps for long enough, trying to remain my chipper self.

11 years ago, more or less, I first came in contact with the furry fandom, which I eagerly joined, hoping to find my place in the world. I had a rough time fitting in with others, and furries were simply just strange enough that I felt at home with them.

Well, soon after, I had to choose a fursona to represent myself in the fandom. And 14-year old me didn't think much of it. "Of course I want to be a cool animal! And what is cooler than wolves? A wolf I will be, then!"

And so, Rick Whitechest, the wolf, was born. As I explained in a retrospective of Rick's design through the years, it didn't take long for me to come up with his trademark outfit. Something simple enough that I'd be able to find and wear myself. A red T-shirt, a black jacket, blue jeans, and whatever boots fit my mood. It worked out perfectly.

Through the years, Rick represented me on the Internet. Always my profile pic on every site I joined, always my to-go character for roleplaying, or any art or stories that I got to participate in. Rick was essentially me. But then...stuff changed.


A year ago, back in September 2018, I was diagnosed with fatty liver disease in a somewhat late stage. My unhealthy eating habits had caught up with me and began causing me constant pain. I consulted a dietitian, who set me up on a custom-made diet so I could try to lessen the damage to the organ. This resulted in me losing weight rapidly, which caused me to become relatively thin. This was...difficult, to me. I don't think it's a secret that I've always enjoyed the look of bigger bodies. I was aiming for something like that as I became older, but something in me just told me to put my longevity first.

Well, I had to change most of my clothes up, as several things didn't fit anymore. This was a chance to maybe try something new, I thought. But what? Well, that's when Tragia came in.

I found "The Secret Lives of Flowers", a small unfinished furry webcomic by anti_dev, while browsing TVTropes. A strange little story about anthros living with humans in a post-apocalyptic society. The comic wasn't long, due to its permanent hiatus, but I enjoyed it very much. And I specially liked the weasel character in it. I looked up more stuff about him, and yeah, there was more.
There was something about his design that was so appealing to me. I instantly became a fan of him, to the point where I decided to cosplay as him. I made myself a horned cap, got some cargo pants, and even went out my way to replicate one of his shirts. Decked out in all that...I liked what I saw. And so I changed up my entire style.


With changes, came the uncertainty. I saw Rick in every past piece of art, and even upcoming commissions, and I realized that he...well...didn't feel right. By looking at his ponytail, I could tell he was a time capsule of my old self, frozen in time. I hadn't had a ponytail since 2014. Examining him more closely, I realized he looked...well...plain. The fact that I kept finding art where characters that were similar to Rick were depicted made me...uncomfortable. I've always striven to be unique. To be my own person. And here I was, having the most generic looking fursona in the world. Another wolf.

I felt...well...held back. Repressed. Like I had to keep acting like the character I came up with. To smile and say "Yes, this wolf is me! I'm the boot wolf!" while I cringed inside. And I feel bad for making everyone think everything was okay. But I've had enough. And I'm coming out clean with all this.

I am not a wolf. I am a weasel. A noodly, stretchy, short...weasel.
I AM A FRIGGIN' WEASEL!


This weasel's name is Rick Whitechest. Yes, Richard Rowel Whitechest. Same name. You see his colors? They are basically identical to the old ones. That's because this weasel is Rick. It's still me.

Now, does this mean I'm deleting everything that has the wolf form on it? Absolutely not. I still very much appreciate EVERY SINGLE PIECE of art with wolf Rick in it, and they will always have a place in my galleries, and in my hard drive. This will be a gradual shift, and you'll still see classic Rick in many parts of my profiles and such. He is not getting destroyed, he is just becoming a secondary form for Rick. I might actually still commission art of wolf Rick, because sometimes, he just works.

I will not deny it: anti_dev's character Tragia did inspire me to become a weasel. No, I am not trying to copy him, and I want to make this perfectly clear. I am trying to rehaul my furry identity to reflect my IRL changes.

And thus concludes the most dramatic fursona change in history.