--Initial discovery.

Alright so where I should begin? This is more or less where it all began when it comes to speak about my first contact with anthropomorphism and everything around it.

During my childhood I saw anthropomorphic cartoons like Tom Jerry including some Disney Cartoons like Robin Hood, Mickey Mouse it is pretty much the standard every kid has when it comes to anthropomorphism in the media.

In a later stage of my life, on my pre-teens I started seeing Walter sache's artworks. (Namely BB wolf girls) and Amy the Squirrel including Chasm Crossing animations made by Ilkyra. There was also AlexRaccoonGlider's artworks which pretty much pushed my curiosity further.

However I was young at the time and there wasn't much I had in when it came to ideas to make my own characters. My first characters were a human with electricity powers, a couple orcas with random colorful patterns and that was pretty much it. Apart from that I would write down poems, draw crap on MS paint and pretty much take food pictures. (I still cringe at that old myself)

One of the main reasons why I was attracted to anthropomorphism was mostly to how aesthetically pleasing it was to the view for some reason. I couldn't quite explain why I liked to see an animal with human characteristics… and frankly I don't think I'll have an explanation to that.

--First hands-on contact.

So let's do another small FF in time. Picture your first time out of your home country. Imagine yourself in the US, in an American city on California, Working in a small auto detailing shop from morning until lunchtime… it was one of my first jobs and frankly… I'll think twice before working abroad again.

So… One day I returned from work exhausted barely wanting to eat anything since I had done some screwups which pretty much irritated me (although the boss said it wasn't a big deal) I walked a few blocks on the direction of the apartment and I saw that I was pretty much the first one to arrive. So just like a natural Spaniard I went to take the after-lunch nap which is SACRED to us.

I get in the apartment, head over to the room I had rented to the couple… and pretty much didn't even head to the shower so… I head straight to undress and sleep a few hours in bed since I really needed to catch some rest.

So… I wake up to some loud music, Quickly dress onto my short clothes and go to the living room after washing my face. Then bam.

Like… I open the living room's door to ask what the hell's going on and… I'm greeted to the sight of this weird purple blur spinning fast before stoping, right before me I see a German Shepherd costume and a dragon-like Spyro themed costume (Idk what it was really) they were dancing to music in front of a phone that was recording.

So as awkard as it became…. I decided to let them be for the moment until dinner time arrived. I knew of human-like animals but that? Let's just say that I was pretty silent since I had heard about the bad stuff of furries and also got often told they were zoos and pedos…. Etc etc.

So… Aaron came in and went to explain to me what they were doing, you can guess that dinner time was pretty much lively with the conversation of what furries were. I frankly didn't care but… for some reason I grew curious about what they were doing and… since I had some months left of permit… I did something a bit reckless.

First con the last one.

Anthrocon: Basically my first con… Suited and even had some fun with suiters, didn't get hugs though :(

Rainfurrest: NO GOD PLEASE NO NO NO...NOOOOO!!!! (I will NOT talk about this one)

What the fandom taught/shown me?

When it comes to speak about what the fandom has taught and shown me…. Let's just say that I have been a car guy for most of my childhood, breathed gasoline like my oxigen, Loved the smell of a burnout or hearing a V12 howl past my home…

The car community pretty much taught me that it was a warm welcoming home, a home in which we could fight, share our tastes but… remain united against all odds as oen

as for the furry fandom… It taught me about LGTBQ which didn't have a huge presence in the car community (or wasn't vocal enough) I pretty much as well discovered a lot of new cultures, people, artists… I basically learn about tolerating and being an overall accepting person from the 2016 fandom.

And frankly… I'm thankful I retain that knowledge, shame the good furries have forgotten what the fandom is about and its basic values.

As well… the fandom not only has taught me about LGTBQ and a thousand more things, I also got the emotional support I couldn't have back home, learned many other ways to deal with my own social anxiety and pretty much find likeminded persons to hang out with.

Current Outlook on the furry fandom/ future plans?

I'm not going to lie... my current view on the furry random is pretty pessimistic. And I don't think it will improve in the next 5 years unless something big happens that forces everyone to stop for a moment

Since 2010 until 2016 I can safely say that the furry fandom had lived a golden age when it came to art, fursuits and the like. In Anthrocon I pretty much enjoyed some fursuit interactions, recording, taking pictures… as well getting my first fursona drawn in 2016 by a person who I mistook as a friend back then.

Like… no one attacked each other over their politics, identity or any other stuff, when you went to a convention you basically BECAME your character and forgot about everything else. There was nothing else to it except you and your character, hell… you wouldn't even get judged by a Tweet you did 5 years prior to joining the fandom!

You would get bad looks if you stole art or if you did some questionable stuff… at most you would get banned from conventions for being an ACTUAL awful person. Someone that deserved to be between bars and that stuff!

And so far we are in 2021… the great political shitshow is over and supossedly we can go back to being furries? Nope… in furcons we are getting “how to treat nazis” panels, get handed out antifa badges and socialist propaganda… and you can't even scroll through your Twitter feed without getting pestered by the user with 12687 identities and labels combined trying to convince you that you're the worst of the worst for not following the current social justice trend. (all of it while defending pedos because they are on the same side)

I won't rant any more about this since… We all know how fucked things are now on the fandom. But it is up to us to be what furries were in the golden age of the fandom, Tolerant, accepting, helpful, willing to reach out and show that the media is wrong about us. But above all… be better than our predecessors.

As for future plans…

I have to be honest... I was thinking of going to a furry convention in my country. In my country we don't care what our neighbor thinks X/Y or what they are beneath their clothes or what flags they fly.

We know how to put those things aside, we know how to enjoy the moment and pretty much know how to be furries unlike the American furries which pretty much turn into beasts, dig trenches machine gun nests as soon a slight disagreement steps into the table.

So… for the moment I would advise to young,apolitical or “wrongthinker” furries that want to attend furry conventions on the Us… I would say it is wise to stay out of them since the threats of physical violence are growing against those types of furs. Telegram chats for conventions pretty much become echo chambers or witch hunt planning rooms.

And hey… Make sure to carry/ be accompanied at all times if you think about attending. Otherwise… the fandom we all know is better enjoyed in small groups and Anthrodex.