by Michæl W. Bard ©2009 Michæl W. Bard

   Near the beginning of June, a bunch of friends threw an impromptu party for me. A party to welcome me into ‘graymuzzle-hood’. All very well—but what is a graymuzzle? Well, according to Wikifur, a graymuzzle is, in essence, somebody who’s been in the fandom for a while.
   It may seem odd that I’m apparently a graymuzzle, but then it was pointed out that transformation fiction/fandom is a subset of furry. If you start my experience with finding the TSA archive, then my exposure dates back to early 1999. If you count my time being a TF fan as time in the furry fandom, then you get over 40 years. So:
   Ignoring the cake, the party, what does it mean to be a graymuzzle?
   Well, most furries are fairly young—in their early 20s—which means they were born around 1987. So let me provide a few time-stamps:
   In 1988, I graduated university.
   In 1977, I watched Star Wars (aka A New Hope) at the drive-in. Friends and I semi-jokingly date people as born ‘before and after Star Wars’.
   In 1973, I watched the first broadcast of the animated Star Trek.
   I paint miniatures for gaming, and some of the ones I use now, were painted in 1985. That means I’ve created paint jobs older that most other players.
   The music I listen to, the movies I remember watching, were all made and recorded before most furries were born. And it doesn’t help that I prefer classical music! When I was 20, there was no internet. I was on some Star Trek text news groups in university. After graduation, I used a 2400-baud modem to communicate over phone lines.
   My greater age also means that I have greater resources, knowledge and experience. To a 20-year-old, spending $1,000 on a fursuit can be literally impossible. Me? I can do it with a bit of budgeting. I’ve seen more things—deaths, events, disasters, triumphs—than have most furries alive today.
   So, what does all this mean?
   It means that I’m different. I approach furry in a different way. I approach it in a slower, more gradual manner—after all, I don’t have the energy of the young anymore. I approach events within the fandom with a wealth of experience in dealing with people. I get involved a lot less in emotional confrontations, because I have a vast experience in dealing with them in my life.
   What can I say? I’ve had a lot more time.
   But for all the differences, there are also commonalities: We do still love the same things, you and I. Our shared interests include the written word of furry, the fursuits, the culture and companionship. So don’t let me scare you off, and don’t fear me and what I know. Where I am now, you’ll get to eventually…