Enigma

This is perhaps my oldest surviving character and has had the most changes and redesigns out of all of them. While she is near and dear to my heart as my first OC; to the point I even sort of thought of her as my fursona for a while, I stopped identifying with her as deeply because something about her never quite fit right with me. As such, she's a character always in flux, always changing, and that's befitting her chaotic namesake.

Enigma is a character who was quite literally thrust upon me. I had no say in the matter and it couldn't be more perfect to the character she is today. She was created sometime between 2000-1 by my then best, and only, friend who wanted someone to play "Cabbits" with as part of a Tenshi Muyo Fan Club--on a website that no longer exists, and that I think I only ever logged onto once at her house. Yes--that means Enigma's original name was Enigma-Ohki. (Later changed to Chan, as in the honorific during my peak weeb phase in high school, then later dropped entirely to be a mononymous character.) I had never really had a character of my own before the 2000s as I wasn't that creative of a kid, unless you count imagining invisible spiders instead of friends or wolves that run along side your car, but I took to making OCs like a duck to water later. Enigma was named for me, given the "mystery element" as everything else had been taken by others in the group, and drawn for me. I've struggled over the years on what elements of her old self to keep and what to update to fit my current self. Back then, I had no idea what a cabbit was and hated the color purple. Today she only keeps a small bit to remember her origins. At the time I was just so happy to be included in a "real club" with my friend that I let that go haha. It was a ton of fun! I wish I still had that drawing my friend made so badly--but I fondly remember sitting down to draw Enigma for myself the first time though; using those awful artist set markers that were so dry and pathtic! (I recently learned you were supposed to fill them with water this entire time but there were no instructions saying so and I will forever feel cheated out of learning to enjoy coloring traditionally because of them! I love that friend so much for all they showed me of the world; she introduced me to anime, the furry fandom, and taught me how to be more creative. She helped me to become who I am and I regret losing contact.

At times it feels like I'm arguing with Enigma when I sit down and draw her again, for a while in the 2010s it even felt like she hated me right back--those were dark days. Upon writing her origins above however; I've remembered why I truly love this crazy creature, why I've kept her for so long, and I am content, nay proud, to keep her on as a testament to my artistic journey and to honor how far I've come. I've got plans and while I don't yet know the path we'll take to get there; at least we're together.