History of the Caseyverse

Tony Bark created the Caseyverse as a coping mechanism for the changing landscape of his online friendships on DeviantArt in 2005. His friends were moving on or losing contact as he struggled to incorporate their characters and fursonas into his creative endeavors meaningfully. The genesis of the Caseyverse was an unfinished short story titled Sunset, conceived in 2010. This narrative introduced Aidan Cheddar, a mouse, and offered a fresh perspective on Zack, a fox, through Aidan's eyes. Zack, originally conceived as Bark's blue fox fursona during his time on DeviantArt in 2005, was initially based on Tails from Sonic the Hedgehog, reflecting Bark's love for classic games, fan characters and fiction. Over time, Zack evolved into the DJ character present in the Caseyverse lore.

Bark's journey into digital art began as a simple endeavor to create a web comic for his brother, which he intended to publish on DeviantArt. However, circumstances shifted when Bark moved, severing ties with his real-life friends and leaving his DeviantArt connections as his primary source of social interaction outside of family. As Sunset never saw publication, the world crafted within its narrative served as the foundation for the Caseyverse.

Bark continued to grapple with the evolving dynamics of his online friendships as they gradually moved on without him, rendering their characters unusable in any meaningful way. This experience instilled a deep-seated fear in Bark, hindering his ability to use characters belonging to others, even within fictional contexts. The Caseyverse was named after Zack, whose surname is "Casey," derived from the reverse acronym of Zc456, Bark's original DeviantArt username. His friends affectionately referred to him as "Z" or "ZC," ultimately inspiring the character's name.

Bark cherished the creative ways his friends utilized and reinterpreted his character, Zack, during their shared time on DeviantArt. While initial fame from gaining a club surrounding Zack brought joy, it was the feeling of love and connection that resonated most profoundly. Recognizing the evolving complexities of copyright in the US, often perceived as more detrimental than beneficial, Bark made the conscious decision to place his characters and fictional world into the public domain. His intention was to prevent others from experiencing the same pain he endured.

Bark's original DeviantArt-era artwork can be found on a dedicated SheezyArt persona, zc456, representing his original username. Utilizing DeviantArt's "v4" color scheme, with which he grew up, all of his artwork is publicly accessible, further solidifying the copyright-free status of the Caseyverse.