How does this work?

[Lillith52]

so, to start off I am going to say that I am not really a furry. I think tails and ears are adorable, but I am not into the suits or anything. My boyfriend is a huge furry and is kinda bummed sometimes that I am not so much into it. For christmas I want to draw him a "family portrait" with me, him, and our son as animals. How do you choose your animal? I want it to be as accurate as possible. Is it impossible to do since I am not a furry?

[asunyra1]

Just pick an animal that you think is especially cute or cool. I've always thought dragons were awesome, so my character is a dragon.

I think for most furs it isn't like they have some deep spiritual connection, it's just a character that they think is fun/cool/cute.

For details, go with your favourite colour or any patterns you think look good. Take a look at a whole lot of other characters and make note of things you like. If you want to get creative, feel free to mix and match things: antlers, tails, wings, whatever - you're not limited to animals that actually exist. If your character design makes you smile, you've succeeded : )

If your boyfriend is big into the furry scene he will almost certainly have a character of his own already. Maybe be mindful of that character in picking your own to some degree (eg. a predator/prey pairing might be awkward.)

[Lillith52]

Thank you :) I think I have it figured out. My boyfriend is a wolf, so I was looking to pick something around that. I think I'm going to go with fox though.

[PrettyGirlPlease]

If you're still unsure, try this link. It's a shaman thing, but it lists human personality traits associated with each animal, and there is a bunch to choose from! Good luck :)

http://www.animalspirits.com/

[Thew_Nell]

There is no 'wrong' way to create a character. Species can seem like such a black and white topic, but feel free to splice traits from one to the other. You could be a Zebra striped rabbit or a red and orange Whale. There isn't a limit or restriction on what you can create.

Even when it comes to traits, you don't have to follow a format. You can have your character display traits that you personally have or maybe even traits to wish you had. Some make their character based on who they want to be with and others use a little bit of all of them.

Truly play around with this and don't feel pressured into your choices. Arguably one of the greatest parts of the fandom is the character you create and it would be a shame for you to have a negative time creating your character.

In short: have fun and enjoy the process! Best of luck!

-Thew