I'm in this... Really weird mood. I get this way, sometimes, and I don't know how to describe it. I'm... Ugh, it's such an odd mood. I'm not /sad/, per se... But... I guess the best word for it is 'nostalgic'. And the weird thing? I get this way over furries! Bear with me, here comes some crazy talk, but maybe I'm not the only one who gets like this - at least in general, not about furries or anything.

Y'see... Every now and again, I get hit by this mood that makes me extremely wistful. I start thinking back on the past, and wishing it could be like it used to be. Yeah, I know, everyone feels that way, but at the same time, I can't really put these feelings into words properly. I think back to stuff like when i first really figured out I was a furry, learning about the fandom, and such... I remember meeting  sparkle who was, and still is extremely awesome, and this time, in particular... I keep thinking of when I bought Kingdom Hearts II and she was like "I haven't beaten it yet, don't you dare tell me anything!" I think back to the local Furrs that I met, though I only went to the meetings about three times. Not driving makes it very hard to meet up with people once a week, and I always felt so out of place. I only really knew one of them, because we went to the same college, and he transferred, and the others... While nice guys, were considerably older than me. I remember finding SkunkworksAMA, and when VCL was all there was, in terms of massive Furry art pages. I remember finding Bondofox and feeling like I hit the jackpot. I remember idolizing artists like Iron Badger, Max Blackrabbit and Kacey Maltzman (Now Miyagami). I remember reading Trouble's Tales, sending Kittiara (Not the one on FA, but another one. both are awesome) an e-mail to just say I enjoyed her story and squealing like a schoolgirl when I got a reply. And I guess in a way, even some slightly unrelated things resonate with me, in this mood. I recall playing Primal, getting stuck, and getting on my computer to read my walkthrough, and thinking "Well... I'll read one more chapter of Trouble's Tales..." It's so weird. I'm not sad, or depressed... I guess... It's just nice to sit back and savor the wind blowing off the path that lead me to where I am. it's bittersweet, because those days are behind me... There are mistakes I've made that I'd love to take back, and days I'd love to live over and over again... But all in all, it's been a fun trip, and I'm eager to see where I end up next, and who I'll meet. I thank you all for being a part of the journey, thus far.

Ashton O'Connall