I haven't done one of these in a hot minute! Feel free to ask whatever if you have something you're curious about, I'm in a question-answering sort of mood. :3
Oh gosh, good question! I wouldn't say it's an exciting story, but it's pretty long. Let me see if I can gather some details and dive into some Harzy lore~:
When I first joined the fandom I hung out in one artist's stream pretty regularly and became pals with them. Eventually I commissioned them to draw a generic blue sergal because I was pretty into wedgeheads at the time! They didn't really have experience with sergals at the time, so the design came out looking pretty.. un-sergally, but I didn't have a 'sona yet and I fell in love with the design so it became me. Honestly the artist came up with most of the Harzy-ness that you see today, so they get most of the credit for a lot of my 'sona design. (https://imgur.com/a/bzNT0cJ)
For a while I tried to keep a bit of a separation between me and the character, hence the distinction between 'Harzipan' and 'Isaac', but that didn't last all that long. I ended up getting more and more attached to the character as a representation of me, so I phased the old name out and just replaced it with Harzipan because in essence the character was (and still is!) pretty much just.. me!
Eventually I wanted to refine the design a little and get a more 'official' reference, but I don't think too much changed between the original version and the second? They were still fairly un-sergally (As people kept reminding me x3), but it was a bit of a more accurate representation of what I really wanted at the time. That was also the time I officially merged the character and me as ~Harzipan~! (https://imgur.com/a/Hif7pq3)
Time for a name tangent! To make a long story short, a long time ago I used to play a lot of this online game called Whirled where I took the name of a character in it called 'Harzin' and used it as my own. A friend ended up giving me a pet name of 'Harzipan' because it sounded cute, and it stuck! Eventually Harzipan turned into Harzy, and here we are today. :>
Back to the 'sona story! After a long time of being a sergal and using that second design, I got sort of fed up with sergals in general, but that's a whole other story. I decided it was time for a species change, and after a few months of deliberation I settled on being a monster because, well.. I just really like monsters? My 'sona didn't really change much at all because I was pretty much never a sergal to begin with design-wise, though changing the species but not the design definitely led to a lot of confusion! This was also around the time I started to grapple with some fairly life-changing trans thoughts, so I ended up jumping into the deep end and changing my fursona's gender to match my own which I'm sure only added to the confusion.
Thankfully I regret none of that! Being a monster fits me a ton more than a sergal ever did, at least in my opinion~
Okay, last part! After about a year or so of switching over to being a monster, I ended up getting a final reference to solidify the whole thing and decide on some changes that I was grappling with in my head for a long while. I tried to shift pretty far away from my sergal-y roots and become something more of my own making, and.. I think I succeeded, but some might disagree! Bigger tail, sharp claws, some wild fluff.. Modern Harzy was born! ..And shortly after I added some small breasts to the design to make it more in line with my actual body just to solidify the whole transition (Ahah~) from old Harzy to new Harzy. (https://imgur.com/a/PAzt1v1)
And.. that's that! Honestly this ended up being more about how my character design has changed over the years, but hopefully that answered your question! And wow did this end up being a lot longer than I intended, hopefully I didn't ramble too much? It was just fun to reminisce, go through some older art and remember how I ended up where I am now. I could talk a -ton- more about each particular stage of Harzyness but this post is already long enough, ahah~
Thanks for asking, it was a nice trip down memory lane. :3
Oh gosh, good question! I wouldn't say it's an exciting story, but it's pretty long. Let me see if I
Omg this kind of "ramble" is exactly what I expected and wanted to hear in return! I knew you've had Harzy for a long time and have so much art of them from several different artists, so I expected there to be a long history and a ton of sentiment and love in the design.
I've always wanted to be one of those people like you, who just has one single fursona that means the actual world to them, represents that person, and gets so much art. I feel like I've struck gold with Rindo, like I *finally* have that, but he's still new! I wanted to hear your thoughts on yours.
Harzy transitioning with you in many ways is incredibly sweet and fills my heart with so much happiness to hear about ;; From sergal to monster, gender exploration, and even bodily matching you! That's so cool and I think they (she?) really encompasses the energy you have. You have such a fluffy aura and are so chill that blue really suits you as a tranquil color!
Omg this kind of "ramble" is exactly what I expected and wanted to hear in return! I knew you've had
It's definitely been a long, art-filled journey! I've toyed around with the idea of having multiple characters before but could never bring myself to do it, I'm just so attached to the one I have that I don't think I'd ever be able to add another and feel the same level of connection.
It's so nice to hear that you've already connected so much with Rindo! There's something really special about having a 'sona that really just meshes so well with who you are, someone you can sort of connect with on a spiritual level (Or something like that!). I can't wait to see more and more Rindo stuff, partially because I know you've already grown so close to him but also because he's just a lovely 'sona!
And yeah, there's been multiple levels of transition over the years which just adds to how close I hold my 'sona to my heart. We've both been through a great deal together that most people don't really know about. She means the world to me~
Oh gosh, this was so sweet to read. ;^; It's definitely been a long, art-filled journey! I've toyed
When did you start doing art? Inspirations, starting equipment, early projects? Does your family/friends know about your fursona? Do you have any other hobbies you've been dabbling in recently? Best holiday trip?
When did you start doing art? Inspirations, starting equipment, early projects? Does your family/fr
I'm not an artist myself but I do own a tablet! I've been meaning to try drawing again but I keep putting it off, maybe I'll give it a shot again soon. :3
My family knows about my 'sona and have even seen some of the art I've commissioned! I don't think they really understand furryness but they're supportive of it all.
A recent hobby I've picked up is pickling! I actually picked up a ton of mason jars recently and I'm planning on doing a huge batch of picked radishes and ghost pepper pickles soon, it should be tasty!
And.. I don't think I've ever actually gone on a real holiday trip? The closest I've got for you is when I went to Florida for Halloween and to visit some relatives a bunch of years ago but I don't remember much about it other than thinking it was strange they didn't have any snow at the time.
I'm not an artist myself but I do own a tablet! I've been meaning to try drawing again but I keep pu
I know how not having the motivation to draw feels. It's not a main interest, but really fun to do, especially when you find a project to get excited about!
That's amazing! I'm still not having told all of my family, or gotten a ref or art for my 'sona, but I haven't ruined any relationships with it yet ~
Ooh, you like spicy food ~ My sister's made a lot of pickled garlic, and recently pickled jalapenos which were really good. Do you have any special tools for it, making such a large amount? I started painting miniature models for a current D&D campaign, both the game and the painting is attention-grabbing (fancy 'exciting' lol)
Right! Winter is supposed to have snow, a green Winter seems off. Have you been living in the same place your whole life so far (I'm thinking North-east US right now), or have you moved around?
I know how not having the motivation to draw feels. It's not a main interest, but really fun to do,
