History of the Caseyverse: Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 06:23, 5 September 2024

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.

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-'''Caseyverse''' is a fictional universe centered around the island nation of [[Nethington]], created by Tony Bark. Its origins trace back to Bark's experiences on [[Wiki:DeviantArt|DeviantArt]], where he initially developed his character [[Zack Casey|Zack]], a blue fox fursona based on Tails from Sonic the Hedgehog.
+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 Casey|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.
-The genesis of Caseyverse lies in an unfinished short story titled "[[Sunset]]," intended to introduce Aidan Cheddar, a mouse character, and reintroduce Zack through Aidan's perspective. This story was conceived during Bark's time on DeviantArt, where he cultivated a community of friends who engaged with his artwork and characters. However, as years passed, Bark experienced the loss of contact with some of these friends, leading to a sense of isolation.
+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.
-"Sunset" never saw publication, but the world it birthed served as the foundational bedrock for Caseyverse. As Bark navigated the emotional complexities of losing touch with his online community, he continued to develop the fictional world, gradually shaping it into what is now known as Caseyverse. The name itself stems from Zack's last name, "Casey," which is a reverse acronym of Zc456, Bark's original DeviantArt username. His friends affectionately referred to him as "Z" or "ZC," inspiring the character's surname.
+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 deeply valued the creative interpretations and contributions his DeviantArt friends made to his characters and fursona. While initial recognition brought joy, it was ultimately the feeling of love and connection within this online community that resonated most profoundly with Bark.
+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.
-The evolving landscape of copyright in the United States influenced Bark's decision to place Caseyverse into the public domain. Witnessing the potential for harm within copyright law, he sought to ensure that others wouldn't face similar challenges to his own.
+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.
-Bark's original artwork from the DeviantArt era can be found on a dedicated SheezyArt persona under the username "zc456," reflecting his initial online identity. All artwork is presented in the public domain, further solidifying Caseyverse's open-access status.