The Slow Death of the Universe
The biggest thing that kills revolutions is a lack of constant momentum. At least, in my opinion anyway. It's fairly easy to get people passionate about a thing, especially if that thing is something that pertains to them. It's significantly harder to keep people passionate about that same thing. Change is a very slow moving process, and I think it's kinda like building a fire. You can have all the perfect dry wooden logs to burn in the world, but if your kindling dies before it catches, it doesn't really do you any good.
When I joined the zoo community, it really felt like I was joining a space that already had kindling going. ZooTT was a really big show, and while it was the only one, it felt like the start of something. At the same time, a bunch of other people were joining the community as well. People like Brass Bulldog, Akito, and a bunch of other folks. It felt like that fire was only going to grow and grow and grow. I know I'm somewhat of an optimist, but in my head, it was only going to be a little while before we started seeing zoos on news shows, on podcasts. We were going to be overflowing with talented musicians and writers and artists and it was going to be the start of the zoo revolution, and I found my way into the community at just the perfect time to see it all start to happen.
Except, it didn't happen. We've had our moments for sure, but the reason that those " bunch of other folks" are all being summed up in a group is because those people aren't really around anymore. Or, if they are, it's certainly not in any real public capacity. In the three and a half years since I started my zoo journey, in a lot of ways, things have felt just kinda.. The same.
And like, don't get me wrong, some of that is just self-perspective being overly critical. Objectively we have done lots of great things. We've gotten zoo presences on social media much bigger than they ever were before. We've made great groups that can stand the test of time. We've created so much zoo literature and information and I think all of that can be super valuable. But when it comes to the bigger picture? I don't think that's changed much.
I'm as vulnerable to the ever present impact of time as anyone else. Some days, it's harder than others to keep trying to keep that fire going. Every day, I'm thinking about it, about the threat of it going out. Of how vulnerable the flame that we've built really is. And it's tough, because I also want more than anything to see it grow.
I think a lot about the split in the community between people who put their time, effort and energy into trying to do things for the community, and people don't. And I don't mean to come across as accusatory or anything, I really don't want it to seem like I'm judging anyone here. I know everyone's life is different. But also, it's an impossible thought to ignore for me. How is it possible that 6 years ago we had one zoo podcast, and now we have two, as well as one magazine? How is it that we've had like 3 zoo musicians releasing music for multiple years with nobody else even trying? How is it that nobody has really tried to become a zoo streamer, or make zoo ouube videos, or anything like that? How is it that in a community with so much overlap with the furry fandom, we have so few people making real zoo art?
It's not like I don't know the answer to those questions. It's because it's hard. And it's extra hard for zoos. Whenever you create something, you have to put a little bit of yourself inside that thing, and any time you put yourself out there, that's information that can be used against you. Plus, when you create for zoos, your audience is also limited to zoos. I know there are amazing furry artists out there, making incredible pictures, but why would they go through the time, stress, and effort of drawing something for a community that's a fraction of their size, that is going to give them less engagement, and that might potentially lead to bad outcomes for their main if someone happens to suspect they have the "same style" as that one other big feral artist. It's the same with other creative outputs as well. Why make music for zoos, when you could be making your music for a bigger audience, where you actually have a chance of growing?
This is much more of a ramble than the articles I typically write, but it's something I just wanted to get down in writing because I think it's something that's so critical to the growth and health of the community as a whole. I've talked a ton about the importance of art to communities. About why it's important to create new things, and how the more people we have creating, the bigger that the community can grow. But, I've been thinking about the opposite a lot lately. I'm far from the only one who's said that the community feels "stale" lately. That it doesn't seem like there's as much going on. That things are getting more and more distant. Part of that is because platforms keep pushing us away, and we don't have enough central zoo hubs. But part of that as well is because we just haven't had anything new as a community to be excited about recently. We haven't had something to bring us together.
I love Zooier Than Thou. I think it's an excellent show. I hope they keep making it forever. I also love this magazine, and I'm so proud of the work we do with it, and we keep trying to push the envelope and do cooler and cooler things. But like, both of those are extremely known quantities at this point. The vast majority of zoos know about ZooTT. Many zoos know about Zooey Dot Pub. Very rarely does someone "discover" those things and then feel the need to tell their friends about it. To get hyped about it. They're community staples. And community staples are great for maintaining a group, but they aren't nearly as good at growing a group.
I guess, my point is this. If you're someone that likes the zoo community, don't take it for granted. If you're someone that wants to see our goals come to fruition, know that not only can you help us down that path, but that you might need to put your back into it to help carry it too. If you want there to keep being zoo projects, then create zoo projects. If you want there to keep being zoo groups, create zoo groups. Or help contribute to make those groups better and better.
Community building is a job that require an infinite amount of work. No matter how many people are putting time and energy into it, there's always more that can be done. There's no limit to how big a fire can get, it's just about how many people are willing to help keep feeding it. And if we really want to do this, we need a pretty damn big fire.
I try to end my articles with positivity, but this time I want to be real with you. From me, Tarro, to you, the audience here. I'm a little worried. I've always believed with all my heart that we were going to be able to change the world, and show people that there's nothing wrong with loving animals. And I do still believe that. But, I can't help but feel like we've been stuck in the muck running our wheels for a while now, and I know at some point the engine is going to blow and we're going to have to get towed back to the mechanic and start all over again. One day ZooTT will end. One day, we will publish our last article. And if there's nothing out there to replace it, it feels like there might just be nothing left. Again, this isn't meant to cast blame at people who just exist in the community. I get that this all sounds preachy and self-aggrandizing. But also, I think this is something really important, and I want to talk about it.
Because if we're being honest, I'm scared that the fire of the community might just end up going out.
Article written by Tarro (March 2026)
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