Editing Tom Wilcox (section)

== Background ==
Tom Wilcox’s origins trace back to a brief period when he served as Bark’s fursona in late 2015, featuring a university storyline. As Bark’s fursona, Tom inherited the brown hair characteristic of his predecessors, [[Zack Casey|Zack]] and [[Aidan Cheddar|Aidan]], and adopted a letterman jacket inspired by the Sims’ university expansion.

Following a conflict with an open-source project and a newfound interest in fennecs, Bark retired Tom as a fursona. However, he later revived him in the early 2020s, coinciding with the rise of furry-based diffusion models. Hesitant about fully returning to Tom, Bark initially created generic prototypes and concepts for a gray-furred collie based on his wizard adventures in AI Dungeon, incorporating elements like a tunic with cuffs and a necklace.

Bark intended for Tom to have ginger hair, but mistakenly used the phrase “red hair,” leading to an unexpected literal interpretation by the AI. Despite this initial error, Bark found himself drawn to the result and incorporated it into the redesign as a tribute to Red Heads and Tomboys.

The surname “Wilcox” and his later photography hobby were inspired by a friend met on Second Life in 2009. Skateboarding was added during the 2020s redesign after one of Bark’s Swedish friends took up the sport, triggering nostalgic memories of Bark’s real-life friends who shared that passion in the early 2000s. Lastly, the denim skirt is a personal homage to a similar skirt Bark owned, purchased with assistance from his cousin in 2009.

While Bark typically favors smaller creatures like fennecs and mice, border collies held a special place for him due to their endearing floppy ears. Although Tom is no longer Bark’s fursona, his redesigned persona was crafted with intentionality and detail, aiming to be adaptable for storytelling or interactive media.