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FY
Belonging is a place where I can do nothing, and I won't feel guilty.
Their Story
FY holds belonging as a mix of solitary comfort and low-pressure connection, where a home base can be a "cave" and belonging expands through nearby friends, routines, and shared community infrastructure. She frames stability through practical constraints (like licensing and work geography) and trusts she can rebuild community wherever she goes. Distinctly, she treats language and shared meaning (inside jokes, cultural understanding) as a core layer of belonging, and sees online communities as legitimate "rooms" that can feel safe through shared interests, low judgment, and anonymity.
In Their Words
"The cave I drew is literally a cave, because I'm very introverted. For home, I just need to feel comfortable by myself."
"[In Shenzhen, joining a community-based labor organization,] because I cared about the topic, I already felt close to it before I arrived. And then it was daily life: when I knew where to buy cheap vegetables, which auntie could teach me things, and which local guy could help me learn how to do something, I stopped just ordering takeout all the time. I started having very concrete connections with neighbors, and that made me feel included."
"Living here, being around people who speak Chinese is what feels like home. Sometimes speaking English every day feels forced. But when my native language isn't their native language, and theirs isn't mine, we can only meet in English. It feels like we're using Lego to build a home that belongs to us. And if I develop inside jokes with a friend, a kind of language only we understand, that gives me belonging too."
"Some clients literally draw the online community they imagine. Even if it's 'just' a Discord chatroom, they'll draw a whole room. They can materialize it."
"For my clients, the first thing is shared interests. Another thing is being free from judgment. And another very concrete thing is anonymity: they don't know who each other is at first, so they have the courage to say things. Anonymity is like the first protective layer."
"Common space is really important to me. I want the community to have a place where people can gather. In that common space, people can discuss how to build the community, or talk through issues and conflicts. It doesn't require a lot of material conditions; it can simply be a space where people come together."
Ideal Home
Cave
FY's ideal home drawing presents separate cave like homes set in nature, surrounded by a walkable mix of shared amenities including a central common space, reinforcing closeness, warmth, and everyday communal life.
