I'm Volca Songheart. I am an okapi. I use he/him pronouns. As a "geriatric millennial", I grew up when the internet was still wild. I made this website because I thought it would be a fun project. And it is! This is a place for me to be creative and get in touch with some of the tech that made me excited about computers as a young okapi.
Being an Anthropomorphic Okapi
I enjoy being an okapi. I like being silly and friendly and sexy in a community of creative and caring individuals. I believe that we're all looking for connection and community in an age where we feel increasingly isolated and alone. I hope that I can make the world less lonely and unkind where my hooves trod.
How I Got Here
I've been an Internet resident since I was a kid. We had America Online and a 33.6kbps modem, my online time often limited so I wasn't tying up the phone line in case my grandma wanted to call. I became a regular member of Barliman's, theonering.net's IRC server for Lord of the Rings fans in eager anticipation of the upcoming film trilogy. There I saw an advertisement for Elendor MUSH, a Lord of the Rings roleplaying server. I joined and I've been playing on MU*s ever since.
After a few years on Elendor, I joined Winter's Edge, a D&D 3.0 MUD set in a taiga. Unlike most of the MU*s I've been on, the MUD had stat sheets, dice rolling, and experience points. My gnome friend there introduced me to the social server Puggy run by one of the Winter's Edge admins, and a friend I made on Puggy recruited me to SpinDizzy.
SpinDizzy was my introduction into the furry community. SpinDizzy is a light-hearted roleplay server populated mostly by anthropomorphic animals. I didn't consider myself a furry when I joined, so I asked a high school friend who was a furry for help. She told me she saw me as a deer, a noble protector of the forest. Jukka Kurenniemi, sitka deer, was born. Some of the most meaningful relationships in my life were founded in community on SpinDizzy, a few of which endure today over a decade later. It was the center of my social world for several years. Some players elected me to be mayor of SpinDizzy for a term of one year, an informal honorary title meant to stimulate roleplay. I helped organize roleplaying events throughout the year. I did my best but I felt stressed out from trying to satisfy everyone. This was the high-water mark for my involvement in the community there. While I had been a member of FurryMUCK for years by then, my participation there started to grow and my activity on SpinDizzy waned.
I had been solely an active FurryMUCK member for a few years when a friend there invited me to a new MUCK-like furry roleplaying server implemented with modern web technology, Wolfery. After being Jukka for over a decade, I wanted to let go of some aspects of him that no longer fit who I saw myself as. The nature of the technology allows one to pick up and discard identities easily. So I became Volca Songheart, internet okapi, and that is who I am today.
Video Games I Play
Magic: the Gathering Arena
I've been playing Magic: the Gathering since 1998. I'm not very good but I love the game. I'm primarily a limited player, so I play most of my games in ranked draft events. I also play Historic matches with a friend so I can cast expensive splashy spells. Maybe you'll face me as Gemsbok, the only player on Arena with a hoofer avatar.
My 17Lands stats.
Helldivers 2
This game incorporates all the parts I liked about Warframe (co-operative PVE shooter) without the parts I didn't like (endlessly grinding for a tiny percentage chance to get the rare components you need for crafting). I've been enjoying the hectic fights and huge explosions with friends.
Omega Strikers
The concept is "Rocket League of Legends" — you control a character with cool abilities in a 3v3 air hockey match, striking the "core" to score goals and damaging your opponents to knock them out of the arena. The character designs are fun and the gameplay is fast-paced. You'll find me playing as VolcaKapi.
Others I've Played and Enjoyed
- Balatro
- Borderlands 1 & 2
- Cobalt Core
- Fez
- Hades
- Horizon Zero Dawn
- Tunic
- Warframe
- The Witness
Songs I Like
I couldn't possibly list all the songs I love, but here are a few bangers that always put me in a good mood.