19 Year Old Is Having Problems Picking a Fursona

Hello, Papabear,

How to know what animal for a fursona is for you? It's so hard to pick one, and I feel like I don't have their whimsy and pizzazz.

Cain (19)

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Dear Cain,

Welcome to the furry fandom :3 IMHO there are two types of furries who pick fursonas for two very different reasons. The first type of furry is the kind who is a joiner and for whom a fursona is just a tool for playing games or participating in social activities. For such people, the species or type of fursona doesn't really matter because it is not a matter of personal expression. It is more like having a miniature figurine to play with in a game like D&D. If you are this kind of furry, then choose whatever and go have fun with it. Change it for the next MPORPG you play, if you wish, and so on, and so on....

The other kind of furry is the one for whom the fursona is a matter of personal expression. The fursona can be an extension of yourself, or it can be an idealized version of yourself, or it can be a form of experimenting with potential versions of yourself. For example, I have met furries who are male who create female fursonas, or they might consider themselves straight but create a bisexual or gay fursona. I have seen furries who create sexualized fursonas to experiment with kinks in a safe manner (you can't contract STIs by having virtual kinky sex). On the less erotic side, there are furries who love fantasy and sci-fi play, imagining themselves as bold warriors and adventurers, even though IRL they might be very shy and timid. But mostly, I have seen furries who use their fursonas as a way to express who they truly feel like inside, to shed the facade they put on for the sake of family and society and become real. 

If your fursona is a personal experience for you, then dig down deep into yourself and feel what the right choice is for you, not forgetting that you can have multiple fursonas, hybrids, mythologicals, and even original species. You don't need "whimsy" or "pizzazz," words you are using that indicate you are concerned what others think about your fursona choice. You should never pick a fursona just to please or impress or gain the approval of others. The only person your fursona is for is ... wait for it ... YOU!

What species do you like? What features do you like? What colors? What body coverings? What personality? What occupation or hobby? The world is your oyster, and the pearl inside is whatever you make of it. This should not be a stressful pursuit. It should be fun! Joyful! 

And remember, nothing you design now is written in stone. If you create a fursona and then change your mind about it, no biggie. People do it all the time.

In short, don't get so uptight and worried about your fursona. Relax! Chill! Whether your fursona is just a tool for game play or a deep personal expression of yourself, you're here to have fun, so don't forget that. Go play. Make friends. And stay away from judgy people.

Bear Hugs,
Papabear