Why/how did you decide your fursona's species?
Overall I wanted something different that wasn't too exotic, but recognizable enough to get the point across and that's why I went with the koala. Not as common as say a dog, cat or fox, but just as fun to draw and bring to life. More recently I've decided to make her a transgenic koala/human hybrid, a creature at home in several different world concepts I have going in my head right now. Sure it's a bit cliche, but it opens up a bit more to play with for this character story-wise.
Is there a reason or meaning behind their name?
Her name wasn't always Jen, it was originally Kayla. However I dropped it for a while because it was just too common a name until I could think of a more suited name for her. As I began to re-imagine her, she began to resemble a gnome I had in World of Warcraft and thus, she adopted her old nickname, Jen. However even though she got edited and tweaked a little since then, she's still keeping the name, it suits her.
Did you just stick with natural animal colors, or did you have a reason for picking other colors?
It's an odd story. In her first form I had created as a mental image, she was a boy koala with light gray fur and rainbow hair. However when I picked the character back up and remade her into a more adventure-prone girl, the koala she is today, I took the light gray and made it slightly bluer. Actually the first drawing I made of her, the intention for her was to have sky blue fur, instead the marker I used came out lavender. Since then I've just drawn her with purple/bluish hair. Happy mistakes!
Do you have any distinguishing markings on your fursona? If so, what are they, and why?
She never originally had markings besides her makeup (purple eyeshadow and blue lipstick) that stuck right out. However as I began drawing her more and more, in the rough drafts I tried giving her lashes under her eyes. Eventually the lashes just turned into three black stripes under her eyes. Now they may further evolve, perhaps she'll gain stripes with age. But for now, they're what they are.
Does your fursona's personality match your own, or is it different?
She can come close at times, but in other ways she's different. She's a bit more outgoing and social, a tinkerer, adventurous and always getting into danger. But there's some ways she is the same, she's caring and empathetic, always wanting to help out when she can, even a bit critical at times.
Does your fursona have a back story different from your own past?
At current, her back story would be vastly different than my own, but what she faces in her world is no different than what some people must face in our own world. Just her birth alone would have created so many issues, not only moral ones, but issues from medical problems, social issues and even the issue concerning her legitimacy as a human being.
Would her society grant her rights because of how she looks, because of what she is or would they strip her of her social freedoms, instead treating her not unlike a criminal or even a stray animal. It's hard to make that call because I haven't fleshed her world out yet nor her story. It's all just a bunch of guesses and notes at the moment.
Perhaps she lives on a world filled with creatures like herself, or a society that recognizes her humanity and embraces it regardless of her outer appearance. It's all up in the air. But whatever it is going to be for her, whichever world she exists upon, she will still find her place and call it home. Regardless of the conditions, because in a way, it'll only serve to make her stronger.
How much is your fursona like you? Do you share the same interests? Did you include any of your personal flaws in your fursona, or are they an "idealized" version of you?
In a sense, we share the same interests and traits. She's an artist, smart, always wanting to learn new things and make new friends. But she can also be cautious, she's never reckless, but will be smart about it when she does take chances. Flaw wise, that's something I need to work on some more. Jen's still a fresh character, a canvas half fresh in a way. She'll grow with me and eventually she may even gain her own traits as time goes on. To be honest, I can't wait for that day to happen.
Actually sitting down and writing what I can has really made me think a bit now. This topic has really made me want to flesh out my character even more than I have been doing. Great, now my head is teeming with ideas and concepts! I can't resist to draw them out now! :D