In the mid-90’s, the Internet was a very, very different place. Instead of Twitter, people were forced to log onto Usenet. Instead of Instagram, people shared grainy pictures made in MS Paint on America Online’s web service. And instead of DeviantArt, the World Wide Web had David Gonterman.
For someone not familiar with that name, David “Davey-kins Foxfire” Goterman was a man who seemed to pop up when you least expected it. Starting with his humble beginnings posting on AOL’s proprietary message boards, his early exploits in online roleplaying inspired what would follow: a number of fanfics and webcomics based in the worlds of Sonic the Hedgehog, Sailor Moon, and the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, all with a thinly-veiled self-insert character in the center of the action. His trademark use of popular culture, mixed with his burgeoning interest in the furry fandom, plus a slice of his own political and social beliefs, created something that few could fully comprehend.
The sudden influx of Gonterworks in very specific fangroups did not result in the idolization that he sought, but instead a loud backlash that, while not altogether uncommon in the world of DeviantArt and Tumblr, was an unusual sight in the early Internet. Being disowned by the fandoms he desperately wanted to be a part of, he did what anyone might - wipe his website and write an angry comic about the people who made fun of him, while giving himself an anime android girlfriend.
Ok, maybe not just anyone would do that.
