FA+
Shop
On Overly-"Interesting" Characters
12 years ago
Hello my subjects,
There's a topic that's been nagging at my mind for awhile, and I thought it might be interesting to discuss it here.
In recent years, there has been a shift from more traditional furry characters to, what I call "overly-interesting" characters. Often this consists of wild color schemes like neon-glowing penises and rainbow-colored tongues, incongruous tattoos like biohazard logos on their belly, bi-colored eyes, or strange chimeras, (etc)... But most often its a combination of these things.
I don't find these characters attractive, personally. Their strangeness is so profound that they're not interesting. Or rather, a turn-of-phrase I like to use is "What you are is so loud, I can't hear who you are". And its hard to (for example), enjoy a porn pic with a glowing neon-green dragon with a giant biohazard symbol on his chest and a neon blue penis shaped like a squid's head. He's so distracting that the sex scene becomes irrelevant.
I could be wrong, but when I see these characters, what I see is insecurity. Its like they're trying so hard to be different that they become the same as everyone else. Or possibly, they're so insecure that they are not interesting that they make their fursona incredibly "interesting" to compensate? I dunno.
My favorite character designs are those that are unique in their own right. They don't take a bunch of weird attributes and mishmash them together, but instead to take 1 or 2 attributes that haven't been done before and add those to an otherwise normal furry character. Its like adding a dash of spice to an already-succulent dish. If you dump the whole spice-rack in, it just becomes disgusting.
I tried to design Etheras like in the "just a couple uncommon attributes" style. I hope you don't think that I went overboard with anything, but if I did, lets discuss!
So my question to all of you out there is this: Why do you think people create fursonas like this? Or if you've made one like this, why did you choose to make them like that?
Thanks for reading!
~Eth
[[ --UPDATE-- This topic is a more popular discussion point than I expected, and with long intricate responses. Because of this, it might take some time for me to consider a well-reasoned reply. If the pace continues as it is, I might not be able to reply to everyone (sorry) ]]
There's a topic that's been nagging at my mind for awhile, and I thought it might be interesting to discuss it here.
In recent years, there has been a shift from more traditional furry characters to, what I call "overly-interesting" characters. Often this consists of wild color schemes like neon-glowing penises and rainbow-colored tongues, incongruous tattoos like biohazard logos on their belly, bi-colored eyes, or strange chimeras, (etc)... But most often its a combination of these things.
I don't find these characters attractive, personally. Their strangeness is so profound that they're not interesting. Or rather, a turn-of-phrase I like to use is "What you are is so loud, I can't hear who you are". And its hard to (for example), enjoy a porn pic with a glowing neon-green dragon with a giant biohazard symbol on his chest and a neon blue penis shaped like a squid's head. He's so distracting that the sex scene becomes irrelevant.
I could be wrong, but when I see these characters, what I see is insecurity. Its like they're trying so hard to be different that they become the same as everyone else. Or possibly, they're so insecure that they are not interesting that they make their fursona incredibly "interesting" to compensate? I dunno.
My favorite character designs are those that are unique in their own right. They don't take a bunch of weird attributes and mishmash them together, but instead to take 1 or 2 attributes that haven't been done before and add those to an otherwise normal furry character. Its like adding a dash of spice to an already-succulent dish. If you dump the whole spice-rack in, it just becomes disgusting.
I tried to design Etheras like in the "just a couple uncommon attributes" style. I hope you don't think that I went overboard with anything, but if I did, lets discuss!
So my question to all of you out there is this: Why do you think people create fursonas like this? Or if you've made one like this, why did you choose to make them like that?
Thanks for reading!
~Eth
[[ --UPDATE-- This topic is a more popular discussion point than I expected, and with long intricate responses. Because of this, it might take some time for me to consider a well-reasoned reply. If the pace continues as it is, I might not be able to reply to everyone (sorry) ]]
I dunno. I worry about people like this. Its a harbinger that the fandom is replete with people of low self-esteem, or are otherwise just crying out to be noticed. There's something wrong here. Or maybe its just a fad. I dunno, hence why I thought it would be fun to discuss.
I like to think he's a lot like me, so maybe I'm boring but he wouldn't be my character if he was anything else.
Though a few people I've spoken to say they like that, it means when it comes to drawing him they can focus more on the expression or the attire etc than worrying about these obscure markings or getting the eyes right or whatever.
I couldn't say but I imagine part of the reason some people make characters like these is to stand out and be noticed.
It's like dying your hair a wild colour in high school. *shrugs*
Then again, some people just like wild or different designs, it's not to be noticed, it's just what they think is cool or appeals to them.
As for characters with willy hilly colour, glow parts, rainbows, missing flesh, overly extravagant extra parts, multiple breats or peckers are out of taste for me on a personal level. That being said, I must appreciate the intricate patterns many have aswell as the creativity their creator had in designing them. Now with characters that are overly muscled, or severely obese, I truly do not care for and I'd much rather not see them, but again it is their creators imagination that brought them to life so when it all boils down, one really hasn't a right to judge with another's preference in character design.
As for your second paragraph, what I mean about the character designs is that they're trying so hard to be unique and failing. It sounds like these characters were created using a random character generator app that randomly picks a few variables. There's nothing really unique or interesting about them, and what they've done is sacrificed the tastefulness of their characters on the alter of uniqueness. So now, they're both tacky and boring. :P
Elegance in simplicity <3
https://www.furaffinity.net/full/9909055/
https://www.furaffinity.net/full/10972780/
(BTW: love the digital wireframe pic of her "Virtual World")
But no: the really unique thing to do is to think about it for a few days and decide what your character's signature look should be. There are plenty of things that have never-been-done before. It just takes a little effort to think them up.
Probably odd reasoning from a cyborg tiger, I guess.
And I didn't mean to imply that all uniqueness is bad. A cyborg tiger is well and good, provided he's not like... long-tongued and has a bionic dick and angel wings and is painted rainbow. There comes a point where it just becomes tacky, you know?
And nah, just severely damaged. Of course, I've been around and half metal for a good fifteen years or so..long before this trend started =)
I try to make my characters characters unique but at the same time plausible. My two main characters Ainoko and Acmen-Met are a good example of their overall design. They are a mix of two entirely different species (wolf and cheetah). Their looks aren't overbearing or loud, just a pleasant mix that people love. Ainoko's look are primarily wolf, but are softened by his cheetah side, whereas Acmen-Met's looks is mainly feline but have hints of her canine side, both have retractable claws and feline eyes.
Though I could just be odd, so there is that.
I never put much thought into WHY I chose blue, outside of the flora of the setting, because I just really like blue? I personally don't go for the strange colored flesh though, bioluminescence in organisms where it doesn't belong has always come across as weird to me, as I try to take a more 'realistic' direction with the choices I make.
And I don't seem to think that mating between two animals looking like a dance rave would NOT lead to that species dieing out due to predators.
Though I will say I try to avoid designs that become pure hell for artists to draw. Just...some of the things I've seen...I don't understand how artists take those characters up and NOT charge $200 at minimum due to the amount of work that's going to have to go into them on just making sure EVERYTHING is in place.
I don't have lots of characters that are so exageratted... But you know, I'm not the "fursona" type - I have lots of universes, hundreds of characters... So yeah, some of them can be very weird and all, but this is mostly because of the ammount of universes. I must do a bit of everything XD
And talking about chimeras... well, I love them. I just find chimeras beautiful. Same goes for lots of monstruous creatures (like undead) and things like that XD - so yeah, just a matter of personnal likes
I made my sona as close to an IRL maned wolf as I could in terms of fur colour and pattern, save for the one thing I wanted to be unique which was the 'fingerless gloves' pattern on his hands. I'm not one to try and stand out or draw attention, but I just wanted one element of uniqueness to my sona :3
I just think its an eyesore and poor design.
As for fingerless gloves, that's pretty innovative. I applaud you.
The reason I made him is because I based him off my teddy bear and ride at a theme park (th13teen) I don't live overly insane rainbow characters with piercings everywhere and tattoo's all over. But I don't really tend to look at porn art of multi characters.
For example, my coyote girl Jackie's defining markings are her different coloured eyes, the tattoo of a serial number on her abdomen, and a lack of belly button.
They're all due to the fact that the story regarding her creation is that she was a 'designer baby' clone thing, to be a mid point between two people. The tattoo relates to the fact that she is indeed a product of the company, the experiment number, and which number attempt she was.
But I agree with you about all the Sparkle Dogs.
Simple can be one of the better options that people overlook, take into account my fursona. He's just an average red fox with all the normal patterns, the only exception being the tear drop shaped birthmark on his cheek near his eye.
I will admit, there is such a thing as to much on one character. They may be interesting for a few seconds but over all it's a distraction. There is no such thing as a plane character because it's the person who is in control of them that determines if they are interesting or not. Take your Fennec for example, I would consider it a simple character design but you give the character life.
I'm not a fan myself for the most part, that's why Moonshine is pretty normal. A crescent moon around the eye that I've never explained just because it looked cool and fit my name, and tall Fennec like ears (due to a hot chocolate mixing gone wrong) because big ears look cute. Makes it easier when I commission someone too as they don't have to worry about getting all the crazy details right.
Yes Moonshine definitely does not fall into the category of what I'm discussing here.
I realize that believability and furrys are two words rarely found in the same paragraph, but they do fit together. Etheras is a white anthro fennec who has good taste in dramatic eye makeup and just the right amount of piercings to show off those lovely big ears. A human - male or female - could do something like that (without the big ears) and be really attractive and sexy.
If a character is too bizarre, they become unbelievable and break the spell of being a real critter in a real furry alternative universe that is just around the corner and behind the tree. To me, it is that broken spell that is the problem; I want my suspension of disbelief to come easily and naturally.
its not a fursona, not even a furry but something diferent from everyone in here. I picked human because like you mentioned on the journal, i like being diferent in a place like this.
To create Scotty, it wasn't easy. I had alot of ideas and i kept thinking of something, until i got the thing "why not be diferent than then? Yes! be a human!"
As i kept doing the pictures i keep doing using a game, it gave me ideas of Scotty's design and clothes,personality,etc.
So now here is what i got on the end! A perfect human charecter ^^.
Yes I myself find it rather annoying as well, people are bored with the traditional colorings, so they invent new ones to make them look "unique". But hell, how are you going to make a unique character when the only roleplay you do with it is to put it on pictures where their butt gets filled? Giving personality to a character takes time, and not just mishmashing a color palette together. Oh and also I absolutely detest the raver scene that many furries are still stuck into o.o
This isn't to say that every character with 'crazy colours' or intricate markings is poorly designed or impacts pictures like this. Although my own preferences lean heavily towards natural colours with maybe one or two highlights of something different, some of my own characters have unnaturally occurring colours -- Namely a purple husky and blue otter. The purple husky was designed initially to be a joke, believe it or not, and designed with the idea of grabbing attention -- I still find him very muted and tasteful in comparison to some characters I see floating around out there in the wild! I feel that more people need to stop and consider the great and powerful wisdom of Dr Ian Malcolm when he said that "they were so preoccupied with whether or not they could they didn't stop to think if they should!"
The Very Short Ballad of the Rainbow Dragocabbit
There was a character with horns, wings and hemipenes
They focussed on their genitals being comprised of different greens
Their heterochromic eyes looked up towards the sun
Blue tongue screaming 'Lo! Victory! I am the only one!'
And when it came to Colour Theory, they committed treason
Never figuring their uniqueness was absolutely for a reason.
I like Etheras and feel he is well designed, and that a lot of thought has been put into his creation. Even though it'd seem I'm having a little bit of trouble getting him down pat at the moment, I think he's fun to draw because he's got a lot of personality. It's not possible in my opinion to mistake him for another white fennec.
This is the main reason when I made my chimera species/characters, I limited it to only adding bat like ears and sabre teeth to a "base species". So my Rat Chimeras are simply rats with bat like ears and sabre teeth. Nothing else. My Bat Chimeras are wolf/canines with bat like ears and sabre teeth, again with no other odd features.
I hope that by keeping the unique features to a minimum I will avoid special snowflake syndrome.
Only time will tell I guess.
I'd like to think that only one of my two characters really would fall under 'overly interesting' and that'd be my main, Synergy.
He's a synthetic organism; Basically fancy for robot and that's reflected in his color scheme.
Originally I had given him those colors and the marking on his chest as a nod to what inspired me to create him as a character; The Necrons out of Warhammer 40k.
I kept them because In-character, he did not have the ability to change color just yet, He was just an absurdly strong jackalbot.
Perhaps it's time to go over him as a character and change a few things or throw something out. Simplify a bit.
Though I have already done that a bit; Describing him at first was irritating and now I've got it down to saying that he's basically an enhanced version of the T-1000 and that generally gets the point across.
Definitely something for me to think about though; I should at least flesh him out a bit. Give him more of a story.
Plus, shapeshifting affords the guarantee of being able to do things with a copy of themselves.
And who doesn't want to do that?~