Where Lauren ends and dreams begin, Mahou is born. Mahou is meant to encompass who I am, but also what I aspire to be. She is meant to inspire me, that when I look at her I can be reminded to be the best I can be, and to be reminded of things that make me happy and keep me going when times are dark.
Her name means "magic" in Japanese. The idea of magic has become very important to me over the years. I believe that there is magic all around us in small ways. In a spring breeze, in a scoop of your favorite ice cream, in wishing on a shooting star even if there isn’t any science to it. It’s something like hope, or cherishing a single moment. It’s whimsical and even silly, but it keeps us going. At least, it keeps me going.
I also work at Walt Disney World. I make magic for guests, and enjoy the parks’ magic myself. Disney and its magic has become a big part of my life. Between the movies whose heroes inspire me, the fireworks shows that stir me, the guests I’ve helped, the friends I’ve made, and the stories I love, Disney is a part of me I cannot discredit. I also got engaged at Disneyland, and it’s no exaggeration that it really was the most magical day of my life.
Magical girls in anime have also become a powerful symbol to me. Their innocence, their sacrifice, their strength. They can cry and still be strong, they can be girly and still kick butt, they can always rely on their friends when in need, and they never lose hope. They’re important to me as a symbol of feminism and empowerment.
All of these ideas and more funneled themselves into a powerful, meaningful name for my fursona. If my fursona was to inspire me, she needed a name that kept me full of wonder. What is more wondrous than magic itself?
I also work at Walt Disney World. I make magic for guests, and enjoy the parks’ magic myself. Disney and its magic has become a big part of my life. Between the movies whose heroes inspire me, the fireworks shows that stir me, the guests I’ve helped, the friends I’ve made, and the stories I love, Disney is a part of me I cannot discredit. I also got engaged at Disneyland, and it’s no exaggeration that it really was the most magical day of my life.
Magical girls in anime have also become a powerful symbol to me. Their innocence, their sacrifice, their strength. They can cry and still be strong, they can be girly and still kick butt, they can always rely on their friends when in need, and they never lose hope. They’re important to me as a symbol of feminism and empowerment.
All of these ideas and more funneled themselves into a powerful, meaningful name for my fursona. If my fursona was to inspire me, she needed a name that kept me full of wonder. What is more wondrous than magic itself?
Hikari is a mouse-kirin, and acts as a spirit guide of sorts to Mahou. Hikari is genderless and can use any pronoun. Hikari shares it’s magical powers with Mahou, and enables her to perform certain magical feats. More importantly, Hikari has the power to give Mahou strength, be it supernatural, physical, or emotional.
In selecting Hikari’s species, I knew it had to be a mouse. Between Pikachu as a symbol of Pokemon and Mickey Mouse as a symbol of Disney, there are some important mice in my life. When I’m having a bad day, Pokemon and Disney are among the few things that can distract me and/or revitalize me. They’ve always been there for me as a means of hope, friendship, and comfort. I’ve also come to adore Walt Disney’s quote, "I only hope that we don't lose sight of one thing - that it was all started by a mouse." It doesn’t matter how small you may be--you can make a big difference in the world.
But I also felt being only a magical mouse wasn’t quite right. A kirin is a mythological creature from East Asia, usually personified as a sort of dragon-unicorn thing. They are symbols of protection, success, and good omens. With the concept I had for Hikari, the marriage became seamless, and I knew a mouse-kirin was perfect. (It also helps that kirin have no specific physiology, so I was pretty free to create Hikari’s design as I see fit.)
Hikari’s name means "light" in Japanese, referring to it as my own guiding light. It’s also inspired by one of the main theme songs of Kingdom Hearts. Kingdom Hearts’ main protagonist, Sora, is a character I hold precious deep in my heart. It’s a little embarrassing, but when my anxiety is high, I use Sora as a way to help calm me. I will imagine he is there beside me, asking what’s wrong, telling me it isn’t my fault, that he’ll beat up whoever is the cause of the darkness.
The crystal horn it bears, and to an extent its design in general, also alludes to the Final Fantasy series’ Carbuncle. Their role varies somewhat between games, but they often grant the protagonists protection, and help fight alongside them. They’ve always been one of my favorite fantasy creatures, and Final Fantasy is one of my favorite game series.
I feel it worth noting that Hikari’s design also takes inspiration from the pokemon Mew, another of my all-time favorites. Hikari also tends to float around curiously like Mew does.
In selecting Hikari’s species, I knew it had to be a mouse. Between Pikachu as a symbol of Pokemon and Mickey Mouse as a symbol of Disney, there are some important mice in my life. When I’m having a bad day, Pokemon and Disney are among the few things that can distract me and/or revitalize me. They’ve always been there for me as a means of hope, friendship, and comfort. I’ve also come to adore Walt Disney’s quote, "I only hope that we don't lose sight of one thing - that it was all started by a mouse." It doesn’t matter how small you may be--you can make a big difference in the world.
But I also felt being only a magical mouse wasn’t quite right. A kirin is a mythological creature from East Asia, usually personified as a sort of dragon-unicorn thing. They are symbols of protection, success, and good omens. With the concept I had for Hikari, the marriage became seamless, and I knew a mouse-kirin was perfect. (It also helps that kirin have no specific physiology, so I was pretty free to create Hikari’s design as I see fit.)
Hikari’s name means "light" in Japanese, referring to it as my own guiding light. It’s also inspired by one of the main theme songs of Kingdom Hearts. Kingdom Hearts’ main protagonist, Sora, is a character I hold precious deep in my heart. It’s a little embarrassing, but when my anxiety is high, I use Sora as a way to help calm me. I will imagine he is there beside me, asking what’s wrong, telling me it isn’t my fault, that he’ll beat up whoever is the cause of the darkness.
The crystal horn it bears, and to an extent its design in general, also alludes to the Final Fantasy series’ Carbuncle. Their role varies somewhat between games, but they often grant the protagonists protection, and help fight alongside them. They’ve always been one of my favorite fantasy creatures, and Final Fantasy is one of my favorite game series.
I feel it worth noting that Hikari’s design also takes inspiration from the pokemon Mew, another of my all-time favorites. Hikari also tends to float around curiously like Mew does.
In the past, my fursona has had much simpler and neutral designs. I’ve always connected with them, but I knew this time I wanted something different. I wanted something more complex, something brighter that would captivate me. Something I could evolve into with the right work.
Her design is inspired by many sources, mostly from video games. If it wasn’t already obvious, video games are a primary hobby of mine. I’ve grown up playing video games, and nearly all of my friendships have formed or strengthened in some way through gaming.
Pokemon is the most important of all to me, and Mightyena is my favorite pokemon. Mightyena has influenced the designs of all versions of my fursona, and continues into Mahou. It is mostly reflected in the overall coloration, light/dark balance, and the markings under the eyes. (In all honesty it was a little hard to let go of the solid triangle-like shape under the eyes, but it didn’t feel right this time with her other face markings.)
The striping and face markings are inspired by Amaterasu from Okami, and also Wolf Link from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. They give to me a feeling that’s serene and fantastic, yet strong. The stripes, as well as the glimmer in her fur, can also change rather freely! This is admittedly mostly for the benefit of artists who color her. I don’t want artists to stress over getting them *just right*.
Her coloration is a combination of wolf-like and fantastic. It’s hard to say I have a favorite animal, but I definitely idolize the wolf, so I incorporated the colors and markings into her design. The brighter colors are favorites of mine. Red is my most favorite and I wanted to make sure it stood out the most.
Many markings--the striped tail, white toes, white around the ears, etc--don’t honestly have a meaning to them. I could definitely stretch into meanings, but when all is said and done, they just felt right, and it was really all I could ask for. :)
The gem on her forehead is a connection to Hikari, although Mahou can be depicted with or without it. Its existence and design is inspired by Espeon, Sailor Moon, and Carbuncle. The ruby is also my birthstone, so it was a natural choice!
Her design is inspired by many sources, mostly from video games. If it wasn’t already obvious, video games are a primary hobby of mine. I’ve grown up playing video games, and nearly all of my friendships have formed or strengthened in some way through gaming.
Pokemon is the most important of all to me, and Mightyena is my favorite pokemon. Mightyena has influenced the designs of all versions of my fursona, and continues into Mahou. It is mostly reflected in the overall coloration, light/dark balance, and the markings under the eyes. (In all honesty it was a little hard to let go of the solid triangle-like shape under the eyes, but it didn’t feel right this time with her other face markings.)
The striping and face markings are inspired by Amaterasu from Okami, and also Wolf Link from The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. They give to me a feeling that’s serene and fantastic, yet strong. The stripes, as well as the glimmer in her fur, can also change rather freely! This is admittedly mostly for the benefit of artists who color her. I don’t want artists to stress over getting them *just right*.
Her coloration is a combination of wolf-like and fantastic. It’s hard to say I have a favorite animal, but I definitely idolize the wolf, so I incorporated the colors and markings into her design. The brighter colors are favorites of mine. Red is my most favorite and I wanted to make sure it stood out the most.
Many markings--the striped tail, white toes, white around the ears, etc--don’t honestly have a meaning to them. I could definitely stretch into meanings, but when all is said and done, they just felt right, and it was really all I could ask for. :)
The gem on her forehead is a connection to Hikari, although Mahou can be depicted with or without it. Its existence and design is inspired by Espeon, Sailor Moon, and Carbuncle. The ruby is also my birthstone, so it was a natural choice!
In all honesty I feel her personality is secondary to her design. I can be greedy with her because she is meant to represent myself, so she can have the same personality as me, but also because she’s meant to be the ideal version of myself, she can be "better" than me. Like many fursonas, her personality matches my own, although she may also be a bit more graceful, more patient, more thoughtful, etc. So here’s where I have to talk about not Mahou, but myself. What I like and what I’d like to improve on.
As for me, Lauren, I’m an INTP and a Gryffindor. I am laid-back and submissive. I go with the flow and don’t really take charge unless I have to. I pride myself on my humor. I make puns and reference memes every waking hour of my life. Not everyone is entertained, but I am, so I’m gonna keep doing it. I also pride myself on my compassion. I’m a good listener and very empathetic, and give people the benefit of the doubt. I live in the moment and take joy in everyday pleasures, like warm laundry, rain through the windowpane, a crunchy leaf on a stroll, or cuddling one of my plush. I have some modest talent for drawing and sewing and puzzles.
But truth be told, I don’t pride myself on much else. I can be short-tempered on certain things. I don’t handle confrontation well, and suffer from anxiety attacks when confronted. I feel very passionately about human rights and the environment, yet I don’t act to do anything about it. I am a creature of comfort, so I return to the same movies, the same songs, etc. that I already know, and I don’t really aspire to anything more than what is in front of me. I will talk a lot about dreams and following your heart and junk, but at the same time I’m caught in my own sloth. I repeat the same mistakes over and over. I don’t like the way I look. I take on my own burdens when I should probably get help. There’s an awful lot that I wish was different, that I’m trying to be better about.
So sometimes Mahou may be more childish, as I am irl, and sometimes she may be more mature, as I probably should be. Through some magic, the Mahou in my head finds the best of all of it. I guess she just fills whichever role I feel at the time.
As for me, Lauren, I’m an INTP and a Gryffindor. I am laid-back and submissive. I go with the flow and don’t really take charge unless I have to. I pride myself on my humor. I make puns and reference memes every waking hour of my life. Not everyone is entertained, but I am, so I’m gonna keep doing it. I also pride myself on my compassion. I’m a good listener and very empathetic, and give people the benefit of the doubt. I live in the moment and take joy in everyday pleasures, like warm laundry, rain through the windowpane, a crunchy leaf on a stroll, or cuddling one of my plush. I have some modest talent for drawing and sewing and puzzles.
But truth be told, I don’t pride myself on much else. I can be short-tempered on certain things. I don’t handle confrontation well, and suffer from anxiety attacks when confronted. I feel very passionately about human rights and the environment, yet I don’t act to do anything about it. I am a creature of comfort, so I return to the same movies, the same songs, etc. that I already know, and I don’t really aspire to anything more than what is in front of me. I will talk a lot about dreams and following your heart and junk, but at the same time I’m caught in my own sloth. I repeat the same mistakes over and over. I don’t like the way I look. I take on my own burdens when I should probably get help. There’s an awful lot that I wish was different, that I’m trying to be better about.
So sometimes Mahou may be more childish, as I am irl, and sometimes she may be more mature, as I probably should be. Through some magic, the Mahou in my head finds the best of all of it. I guess she just fills whichever role I feel at the time.
Thank you for reading all about my fursona! Wow I knew it would be long but it’s even longer than I thought it would be. She is very dear to me and I will continue to buy and show off art of her for a long time. I look forward to seeing what you all think of her!