Going to shift my online presence there for now, and share a few of my commissions as I explore and settle in. I hope to eventually post new stuff eventually.

First post:
https://bsky.app/profile/42534b.bsk...../3lbra2wfflc2b

I have been doing well. A shift in perspective, attitude, and circumstance allows me a clarity to speak on the times I had here on FurAffinity with a surprising fondness. I curated what I showed here well, though, it's only about a third of the beautiful gallery and broad exploration of my characters I've been given over the time I spent here commissioning artists and sharing worldbuilding projects. I am content with what I left behind, and, while I admit, I don't particularly want more -- there is still a touch of warmth when I come back here and look at what was done and what could be done.

Many artists have developed their styles over the past few years into such beautiful, detailed things, and they've maintained their dignity, survived the erosion of creativity and faith in the process of bringing people's ideas to life in so many unfortunate ways, but there is still, as of yet, a thriving community here that truly, honestly pulls me in. I think of all the good times I had, and I want it. I'd always been disparaging about being dramatic, but honestly, it's been a long time. I heavily isolated myself and shut down nearly all avenues of contact because I didn't understand who to trust, and when, and let people pull me left and right and in directions I never really understood, perceived, or even really wanted -- not all of it was bad, in fact, most of it was good. But I've come to a point where I do want to speak for myself. And so I will. And, while I'm doing so... while I'm sifting through the pieces of everything trying to see what was and what is and what will be, I can better understand not only myself but how everyone around me learned and grew and how I too was shaped, and learned, and grew.

I don't particularly have any more than some superficial desires for posting this. I want something to put on my page that isn't a link to a time in which I was ignorant and broken. And I want to tell anyone who I valued, of who I still think of, remembering the good times here, going down the list... that I appreciated it. And most of you were very good to me despite the hardships I never spoke of. I intend for things to be different, and for this cycle to be broken.

Perhaps this was a very long, rambling, and too-honest wall of text. But it is from my heart and mind, directly. Thanks for those of you who still have an interest and haven't cleared me out after all this time. You really should get rid of old accounts. Thanks for reading, if you did. I don't really care if anyone does, though, and I stretch to imagine why... but, for me, I hope it is for this reason. Sometimes people wake up and want to shake the bottle and see what floats.

To end on a strange, slightly sad, but compelling note. Here's my notifications with only a light touch from the time I've spent apart. You guys were quite busy: https://i.imgur.com/QQtWRKE.png

Last time I said good luck. But, this time... may we remain hopeful.

I won't be very active here, but I'm going to leave it open for those who care. Good luck.

Hello all! I've created a teratophile focused and themed Discord server where I'm going to be sharing monster art of all varieties alongside more general chatting and gaming. Come join us in The Tangled Forest you're interested in finding new artists or meeting new people, I'm hoping to make a comfortable space for creatures of all shapes to converge.

https://discord.gg/J7297eVxgd

Additionally, I've decided after some time that I'm going to be using my Basilisk, Nirilith as my representative character in my online endeavors -- I've changed some of my accounts (Telegram, Discord, Twitter) to reflect the change and I'm considering migrating my FA account sometime in the future, though I do have a fondness for the space I've created here. I'll be sure to post a journal in case anything else changes in the future, thanks for looking!

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(Repost because the invite link expired!)

I'm interested in trying some different NSFW designs for one of my characters, and I've been on the lookout for an artist who might be up for some simple design sketches with a short turnaround for use in other applications. If you are interested or know anyone, please note me!

Happy to pay standard prices by standard means, thanks for looking!

If anyone is interested, or knows someone who may be interested, please leave a comment or note me directly!

If you like my NSFW commissions come follow me~

https://twitter.com/AthynNSFW

 cicadacrunch

His character is super cool and he's commissioned some really pretty pieces already. Check him out!~

https://furrylife.online/profile/5412-athyn/ here's a link in case anyone is interested! I'll be posting more in the future~

I'd like a way to describe myself both to those who have watched me for some time and also to those who are new to my gallery here, as well as a express a few thoughts of what I'd like to do with my presence here. So, a journal should work fine!

As Athyn, I'm blind alien from a species called the Karo-Amu. We 'see' through thermal sense via heat pits in our nostrils, and have a variety of quirky evolutionary adaptations that we owe to living on a dark little ice-ball at the furthermost edge of our system's Goldilocks zone. My species is explorative, inherently curious and culturally avoids violence in opposition of their carnivorous, predatory past.

As a person, I have a deep love of worldbuilding and enjoy the creation of believable, exotic species and the worlds they inhabit. I try to extend these values to every character I share. Interactions between my own race and those of others' is a true joy for me, especially when it results in the progression of those characters and their worlds. I extend this love into the fantasy setting as well, twisting classic creatures into new versions with unique places in the settings they inhabit.

Eventually, I would love to put these characters to words -- a creative output that I feel I am adequately skilled at expressing myself through. I'd love to show their adventures, their conflicts, and their victories all in a way that shows who I see them to be. I want to show Athyn as the cartographer and explorer as he is, skirting the edge of his galaxy to find new worlds and new life of which he can proudly introduce to others. For Niri, my Basilisk, I want to show his place in the difficult world he's found himself in, and his strength to navigate it while also being able to identify not only the good in it, but also the good in its people.

As I'm sure some of you have found, some of the art I've commissioned is not suitable for all audiences. I feel that sexuality is one of many ways that we can express our ideas and desires, and to me it is an important part of our motivation as creative minds. Introducing sexual situations for these characters we create can be interesting, full of nuance and caution. It brings relatable realism to their stories, and brings us a little closer to the worlds they inhabit. Choosing how they navigate these situations is not only intellectually and emotionally satisfying, but also provides an interesting experience in learning how one's past may affect their interpersonal relationships.

I hope that you enjoy what you find here in my gallery, now, and into the future. I hope one day to build these characters to a point where I can share them as I see them, and I hope that when that day comes, that you may enjoy them as much as I do.

I'd like to thank you all for supporting my creative endeavors by watching and commenting on the art I've commissioned, it's been extremely encouraging to know that the ideas I play with might be entertaining to others. I've read every comment and each one still gives me great happiness to know that someone had cared enough to express themselves to me.

And, an additional thank you to all the artists who I've commissioned to bring these characters to life. Without you, I'd have very little to show and would not have had the pleasure of encountering all the amazing, creative ideas you've shared with me in the making of the various art pieces I showcase here. I wish you all the best, and thank you for reading!

Has anyone played games like these? There's been a few I've loved over the years, but I would love to hear your stories too!

Weird one this year, feels strange wanting to celebrate with all that's been going on. Hope everyone is safe and doing well!

I'm interested in having a model of my robotic proxy created, preferably able to be rigged! I am not very knowledgeable in this field however, so I would love to hear from some people who create or work with 3D models to get some insight and recommendations!

My proxy has a reference gallery here, for those interested: https://imgur.com/a/XAJFKWn

Had a good experience so far, so I think I'll be making it a regular occurrence. I'll be posting temporary submissions and journals announcing when I start up the stream for the day, so feel free to stop by! Thanks~

If you like drawing bugs, I'd love to see your gallery! Thank you~

Looking to commission some art, would be glad to hear some ideas!

They should all be sorted into folders by character and easily accessible now. I previously kept some commissions in scraps that I felt weren't totally accurate to the characters depicted, but I love all of the art I get and I felt awful having them set apart from the rest. I may do some more curating in regards to titles and the included descriptions, but that'll be an ongoing project! Thanks for reading~

With the recent interest in the Karo species (thank you  drrkdragon and  onikisu!) I thought it might be a good idea to offer some background and ideas for those who might be interested in having their own.

First and foremost, I consider the Karo-Amu to be an open species, but for my own comfort and curiosity if you intend on creating one I'd truly love to hear what you have in mind! I can be contacted here via notes or on Telegram AthynMain. I am always seeking more variety and examples of my species to make it easier to diversify them in the future.

Regarding anatomy; the basic design for a Karo-Amu is represented by Athyn. Examples are here and here. While both genders have the distinctive shark-like triangular skull, the male's snouts tend to be taller, often with pointed noses and chins, while females have narrower snouts with rounded noses and chins. Variations between genders as well as per individual are absolutely acceptable, this like most others here can be considered guidelines.

Females, when compared to males have several defining features that serve to differentiate the genders between Karo. The most distinctive feature is the female's pseudo-ears, which begin near the back of the skull and sweep backwards over the mane. These are primarily a female trait and male Karo exhibiting this particular trait are considered feminine or androgynous in nature. Females also often possess shorter tails and manes and are often slightly smaller in stature to their male counterparts.

There are two main 'subspecies' of Karo. Their homeworld Rho'kyr is a frozen earth-like planet just outside of their star's habitable zone. The life on the Rho'kyr is supported by significant geothermal activity, with dense jungles covering patches of steam vents and heated water around the equator. These jungles are home to the tropical Karo-Amu, who often sport darker fur patterns and stockier builds. By nature they are more likely to enjoy urban or stationary life due to their ancestry in the jungles of Rho'kyr.

On the other end of the scale, there are the light-furred, lean and nomadic Karo of the ice plains. These Karo have a natural tendency to roam, as their ancestors roamed from jungle to jungle, hunting along their edges and braving the cold wind and vast snowy plains. They, like our Earth's polar bears are not only fearsome predators on the ground, but also have a taste for fish and any opportunities they might find along the icy coasts towards the poles. They have developed a unique trait in which they are able to seal their airways and run water through their nostrils, allowing them to smell underwater much like the sharks of Earth. They use this to fish, and combined with modern technology this gives them a steady supply of food.

Markings are varied and unique to individuals. Nomadic, light-furred Karo rarely have males with markings but females are often adorned with stripes or dark patterns. Tropical Karo have many markings between both genders, some bearing the stripes of the nomads and some with complex spots or camouflage.

The Karo are a spacefaring race with spaceports and starships, but rely strongly on automation driven by AI to produce consumer goods and food. They are carnivorous in nature, and so their population remains small, and with their lack of desire to build cities, they remain close to nature. Still, they have a strong connection to technology and an innate understanding of electric current as they are able to perceive it with their thermal sense.

If you have any additional inquiries, whether for creating a Karo or otherwise, I would be happy to discuss this with you and answer as best I can. Worldbuilding for the Karo has always been a personal hobby of mine, that I've imagined a fantastical world for them and I love to share it in any way I can. Thank you for reading!

Additional examples:

Veldyr, androgynous tropical Karo

Zenaris, male tropical Karo

Syrrin, female nomadic Karo

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Today marks my first entry. My name is Athyn, and I am a Karo-Amu. Professionally, I am a mechanic who specializes in starship repair and gunsmithing: valuable utilities out on the edge of civilized space. I live a nomadic life, traveling between planets and occasionally setting up shop in the many different cities and settlements I visit; however, I can never stay for long. While these trades sustain me, I truly aspire to be a cartographer. I want to discover new worlds, explore them, and sell the data to earn a living. Many would consider such a desire odd if they knew anything about Karo-Amu, so starting here, I’d like to finally give a view into my life and the anomaly that is my species’ biology.

The Karo-Amu are, as with many of this galaxy’s inhabitants, an intelligent and spacefaring race with little desire to colonize new worlds, but instead, experience a universal call to adventure. As I’ve learned, our homeworld has shaped us in strange and unique ways unlike anywhere else in the galaxy. We cannot ‘see’ as other races do, instead of perceiving our surroundings with a powerful thermal sense which grants us the ability to discern details and hidden features no other species can. In many ways, it is analogous to true sight, but with some disadvantages: we cannot see color, perceive details over vast distances, or navigate space without technological aid. Upon our frozen homeworld it granted powerful advantages and beyond it, we’ve come to thrive and excel with what senses we have.

We Karo-Amu have two pairs of nostrils on either side of our snouts, both functioning as olfactory sensors and concealing our ‘heat pits’ as some call them. These specialized organs allow us to discern thermal signatures accurately to quite a respectable distance. While it lacks the adaptability of optical receptors, it unlocks the Karo-Amu’s true strength: our mastery and strong cultural ties to technology. Science and technology have been the focus of our entire civilization since electricity was first discovered by ancient Karonian communities. Since we can ‘see’ current as it travels through objects in the way of heat dissipation, circuitry and wiring have become synonymous with fine art. Some of the greatest works of art our species has created are made of copper wire and electrical current, creating beautiful scenes in a way that so far has remained unique to us. As such, every respectable Karo-Amu has some interest in technology, whether it be for art, work, or entertainment. We experienced rapid growth and have taken to the stars thanks to our love and interest in technology.

We’ve built grand cities and established reverent centers of learning; growing as a species to fully utilize the scarce resources of our home planet. We quickly realized our destiny lay beyond our cold, frostbitten home and set our minds to imagining space travel. Our first starships were fragile and slow, but with years of innovation and perseverance, we unveiled the secrets of interstellar travel, exploring and expanding into the wild new frontier. We stumbled upon the community of other intelligent races in the galaxy and slowly integrated into our new place in the cosmos. A chaotic, unknown future awaits us, the challenges and opportunities far better than our old, isolated ways.

This is old history now, but perhaps it shall grant you some insight into our unusual nature. Pushing out and discovering new things, for me and my brethren, is simply our way of life. We know the unknown holds many great things, and I hope one day contribute to this unimaginably vast universe with one of my own discoveries. Truly, it’s simply enough to be part of it.

-Athyn

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Thanks to the encouragement of a few certain individuals, I've finally gone and began the process of adding small pieces of backstory to my individual posts. All images in my Gallery at this time are updated with text that give some context to Athyn and his past, however, they are by no means comprehensive. I intend to continue adding lore as I get art and also mean to compose coherent chunks into journals or short stories.

Through this and illustrations from various artists I hope to establish Athyn and the Karo-Amu to be the fleshed-out sci-fi species I've always wanted them to be. This process will take time, but until then I'll continue uniformly formatting my posts and offering more as I go on. Thank you for reading, and if you're so inclined I'll be happy to answer questions regarding Karo history to the best of my ability!

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