It's amazing what peer pressure can do to you. The sheer amount of hate I came across regarding anthros, once I hit college, was nothing short of startling. I didn't actually think it existed, before then. Sure, I'd heard of a fight breaking out on Second Life, which left me in some confusion, as I honestly couldn't find out why... but it never occurred to me to find out why. When I stepped into college, and found that hate, however.... I was a fool. I let it get to me. Up until that point, my entire LIFE had been about drawing dragons, animals... and anthros. I was, and am, fascinated with them. It all started with Star Fox. Thus, when I went to college, I had a real struggle trying to draw what people thought was normal. ....I thought it was utterly boring. Drawing humans.... blehhh. But I eventually got good at it, and I eventually developed an interest in drawing the human form.

And I realized, after learning to draw the human form... that my anthro form had SKYROCKETED. I had to work again to get the animalistic proportions right, as it had been so long, but I managed it. Then, one day in art history class... the teacher (who is one of the coolest teachers at that school) started up on the most ancient pieces of art that could be found. And I was shocked to see just how far back anthropomorphism really went. Right when cavemen were starting to create figurines... when they started to learn about it, how to carve into stone... there was a little stone figurine simply called Lion Human. It was a human body with a lion's head atop it. Possibly, the artistic world's very first anthro.

I was surprised, but after some thinking... realized that it made sense. That fascination with animals is part of human nature. It is envy for speed, strength, almost otherworldly senses, beauty and grace. Naturally, we would want a piece of that.

After several failed friendships, repeated social crashes as people find out what I'm like and decide they don't like it... after being repeatedly shoved away, ignored, insulted, mocked, and outright hated by people who were once my friends, I decided.... I don't care anymore. I have no reason to value the opinions of someone else until they've proved themselves as a decent human being, one who won't flip out the instant I so much as make a fart joke. I am a weird, weird person. I blurt out random things at times, and then forget them soon after, and sometimes this offends people. I will argue endlessly about stupid tangents, and have fun doing it, because all I'm doing is kidding around; and people will become enraged at me, and won't ask me to stop until they're about busting a vein.

So why am I bringing all of this up...?

Frankly, I bring it up because... I've decided to change. The new year will greet a new fursona. Or will it be... dracona? Either or. I combine two things that I love to create a new image. I asked my boyfriend what color I represented. I ironically ended up with a peppermint colored western dragon anthro... and I freaking LOVE Christmas! So welcome the Kryodrache, Briaga Tarasov, as I start to do what I love rather than try to fit in with people who ultimately will end up hating my guts. I will value my own opinions instead of basing them off of what everyone else in the world thinks. I will be an independent who tries to make the world better. I want to breathe deep in my own personal victories, love who I am, and will not regret it.