A Midnight Dreary

This is my submission for the third Midway Menagerie event, though only my second entry as a whole. August was unusually busy, and - most significantly - involved a lot of travel, leaving me without access to my computer during much of it. As such I had no (simple) way to update my website, and rather than fight through the process of using my home server as an impromptu CI worker, I simply did not submit a post last month.

This month, however, I have no intentions of repeating that performance; and, assuming you are reading this, I have succeeded. The theme this time around is Identity and the Self - another heady subject that I don't really know how to begin to tackle, but will gamely attempt to do so anyways.

For anyone unfamiliar, I have a character by the name of Riven. They are a black and white patterned rabbit, and pretty much always wear a huge witch's hat. I am quite fond of them, though their design has changed many times since they were first conceived of - the "bunny witch" aspect has persisted, but very little else. Notably, I don't know if I would describe them as a "fursona", per se - I often use them as an avatar to represent myself, but they were never designed to be "myself but as an animal". I created them as simply a design I thought was appealing, and they became my representative in furry spaces mostly due to my own lack of any other characters to use for that purpose.

Indeed, if I had to describe Riven as a character, I would say that they have a number of traits I admire but very much do not possess. I often think of them as a figure of quiet grace. They are laconic, they keep a cool head under pressure, they move with precision and elegance. The whole thing comes together to make them seem somewhat cool and aloof, projecting a mysterious allure. Now, I don't know if you've met me, but "quiet" and "graceful" are not terms I would use to describe myself. I am loud about my emotions - eager and excited, always talking, frequently acting before my better judgement has a chance to kick in. I'm not very skilled in any one discipline; I'd call myself a "serial hobbyist", if anything - constantly jumping from one interest to the next.

The funny thing about all this, however, is that this distinction has basically never mattered. The thing I love about being in this community is how diverse the spectrum of fursonas can be - not just in species and color, obviously, but in detail, design, and backstory. There are those who design characters to represent themselves, sure, but for each of those there are just as many characters created to be cool, or unusual, or just plain funny. Each of these - each blue dog, each sentient pool toy, each drone (both in the aviation sense and... otherwise) - is a piece of art made by one person as part of this massive collage of culture we share. It's kind of magical.

Ultimately, I am very fond of Riven. They are distinctly not "me" - but they are a part of me, and an important part of my relationship with furry; perhaps I should let them out to play more often.

My, a curious mansion this is, to be sure - a whole page of writing about myself? Strange - but I have seen stranger. Well, if this is to be an account of who I am, then I daresay it would be incomplete without a few words of my own.

I have had many names; some mere pseudonyms, some titles, some earned and some given. Sell-sword; scholar; wild-blood; witch - all these and more. You may call me Riven. By trade, I am a brewer of potions and tinctures. However, if you should find yourself in a particular kind of trouble - the kind which you think inescapable - I may be able to help.

The night grows deeper - I cannot tarry long. To you, dear reader, I bid good fortune. And to this unknown author, who seems to know me so well - seek, and you shall find.

— R.N.