Well. I don't believe it.

On this day today, I got my first artwork ever of what has been my fursona for the past 10 years now. I've seen friendships come and go, some lasting alot longer than others. My own involvement in this fandom has ebbed and flowed. And the world outside has changed dramatically. Even the internet has changed. And yet, Andrew Leopardcoon has had very few changes to his design.

But I'm not here to talk about my fursona. I'm here to talk about myself.

I never expected to be an active member of the furry fandom for this long. Basically my entire adult life. I've questioned why I'm here many times. I've second-guessed my own involvement several times. Between 2022-2023 I flirted with the idea of possibly leaving the fandom. And yet I'm still here. Why? I've asked myself that too many times to count. I keep coming back to the community itself as a reason. The furry fandom is a community where people who don't have things in common with other people can congregate. Are all furs friends with each other? No. Hardly. But I have very much found my "place" in the fandom. I may have other hobbies or interests, but I find myself involved with the furry fandom perhaps more than any other community online. And increasingly, offline as well.

Ten years isn't a short amount of time. A decade's end marks the start of change in pop culture, in a person's life, it's a definitive "checkpoint." I look back at myself in 2015 and see someone who I barely recognize. In that period, I finished school, built a computer, went through five different jobs, owned three cars, moved to a new town with my family, rebuilt the computer I built previously, and moved out of my parent's house. I covered alot of ground in that period of my life. Alot has happened, and yet, some things have not changed. I still use this FA page. I still use telegram as my most active platform. I'm still into video games and tech. I still like fast cars and thrillseeking. My all time favorite furry artist is still...well, if you know me you know who I'm talking about. I guess even as the decades pass there's still always a few things that never change. That barely-grown-up kit from 10 years ago? Yeah, I still see some of himself in me.

If anyone in our outside of my circle of friends is reading this until the end, thank you. It does mean alot to see other furs enjoy stuff I commission or read any journals I write. I've never been one to chase "popularity" or "clout" or become famous, but any interaction I see on stuff I post does make me smile. Thank you all for watching and following this past decade.


Here's to another 10 years!