@cwebber INDEED
So you know how Back In The Past we had _travel agents_ do this sort of thing? And how, even further in the past, people rarely travelled and we assumed that travelling took tons of prep time? This is -- to me -- all of a piece with how a ton of fiddly expensive-if-you-make-a-mistake labor has emerged or shifted onto the middle class's shoulders, without commensurate logistical, psychological, or financial support for that shift
i've often been able to successfully explain Sonas, fur or otherwise, to people outside of the (generally queer/furry) culture with:
The (mental) image of yourself that makes your heart feel Smile the most.
if you like being represented by yourself! tadah! that's your sona! it's you!
if you wanna be a large sparkly space robot/AI who protects newly-formed planets from space debris, tadah! that's your sona! that's you!
it's a way of putting it in a perspective of self-enjoyment/fulfillment/love for people who Just Don't Get It on first contact.
Unless you have a very good reason not to, or are publicly known anyway, there is really no need for you to use your real name or photo online.
Back in the 90s when i first discovered the internet, this was common knowledge. Nobody used their real name on forums or share personal information without considering the consequences. Those few who did were promptly told that's a bad idea.
It seems somehow we unlearned this, right when corporations started monetizing that information.
An ace leafy seadragon tooting about.
Retoots lots of dumb stuff.
Interactions welcome.
Pronouns: they/he.
🔞💦🐉: @lewdnoodle