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Personal Thoughts on Jackodiles. Please read.
8 years ago
Updates on the Jackodile Registry! I want to speak plainly and clearly about something because I feel both insecure and strongly about it. I want to discuss the topic of jackodiles and credit/ownership of their design. They are a fantasy species I created for myself. She started as sketches in photoshop to feel out a new design and after the initial couple pictures I searched for other hybrids of the same kind to get a sense for what was already out there and how it compared.
I am definitely aware that there are other crocodile or alligator, canine hybrids. I'm also totally happy and ok with that. They did not originally inspire Jai's creation, so I did not give credit for her design. I wasn't aware of any other designs that mixed and looked like Jai or I would mention it here, so while I say there were other croc/canine hybrids that is true, but they were done differently.
Jai was created when I was 13 and is now a 16 year old character. She was not always a croc hybrid. In fact, she was originally inspired by Anubis and was an Anubian jackal. A pretty common theme in the fandom. When she was a created in 2001 there weren't actually a lot of other jackals around. It meant a lot because I've always been interested in Egyptian mythology and I loved her uniqueness, even if she was just a simple design.
If I could credit the creator who inspired her original design I would have and technically I am simply by stating I was inspired by Egyptian mythology. She later evolved into a skull faced black-backed jackal, inspired by Hyena Agenda's Dog Bone shirt by Herr_Aardy which I bought at FC one year. I was in university at the time and I didn't have a lot of extra time on my hands, so not a lot of art was done of her and to be honest, I never felt much of a close connection to the design.
In 2014 I moved to Canada to be with my fiance to create a game. Feeling burned out after a few months of work, I decided to spend time on something that meant a lot to me to help me heal. I wanted to create a design for Jai that felt like me and I connected with. Thus I created Jai's new & current design, a croc and jackal hybrid that I playfully called a jackodile.
I combined her with a croc specifically because I had grown up in Texas which has a ton of alligators. My Dad went alligator hunting every fall, would bring home gator meat, skulls, and claws. I was always fascinated with them. I made Jai a crocodile hybrid instead of a alligator, because of my interest in Egyptian mythology. It just made sense. I loved it. I loved her. It felt like me. I don't have other characters so Jai evolves with my age and how I feel about myself.
Fast forward to now. I have since commissioned art of Jai (I work full time on a game and I've never considered myself a character artist that much) and I commissioned a fursuit by MoreFurLess. I even spent an afternoon of goofiness with my fiance writing pseudo scientific facts for Jai's specific species so that we could send it an artist I commissioned to make a reference for her so that I could nail down a cool design and send it to MoreFurLess to make into my suit.
I was not aware of how many people would love the character & my performance of Jai in my suit. I am nothing but grateful and humbled by people's response and kindness. Seriously, thank you all so much.
Since her creation and incredibly warm reception a ton of people ask me for permission to make jackodiles specifically. Often they tell me that they are inspired by Jai and this is honestly an incredibly thoughtful guesture. They don't have to, but they choose to. I appreciate this, especially because I'm aware of other croc/gator and canine hybrids existence in the fandom with their own designs, and if someone wants to they could just mix the two species however they like. I would never fault someone for making their own design inspired by the same things that inspired me. But when someone reaches out to me it is a bond being formed, and a shared fantasy species being extended in a fun way.
When people have requested to make a jackodile, I have never once said no. I have requested they look different from Jai and other people's jackodiles, so that we don't have duplicates which I feel has always been something people cared about in the fandom. This minimum level of coordination is meant to be positive for everyone so that each character design has a unique flaire. It's also not something I police, it's totally an optional thing and nobody can lock someone out of making something realistically and I would never try to.
I always retweet, respond, and am genuinely happy when someone creates a character inspired by Jai. It suddenly forms a bond I care about between me and that person.
I seriously love that the fandom is an artistic community that bothers to ask if they're inspired to create something. I am an artist myself and I *always* give credit if someone inspires me. When I created my warthog mask, I reached out to MissMonster to tell her she had inspired me and it sparked a warm response between both of us. It's a kind gesture and a sign of respect for other creatives. Not a lot of people outside of this community understand this so I deeply appreciate it.
I do not have the time, energy, interest, or right to hunt down people for having croc hybrids, I understand that it's an extremely simple hybrid and I have never claimed to be the first. I'm not interested in lording over it. I created her because the design meant something to me personally. When I find out other people have croc/gator hybrids, I get excitable and happy. It means we have something more in common with each other in the fandom.
When people request and create a Jackodile, it feels like creating a family, similar to Dutch Angel Dragons (Telephone) and Sergals (Trancy Mic). With my free time I actively try to connect and participate with others that create jackodiles. I love it. Playfully we call each other siblings sometimes.
To be clear: I do not wish to have control in a creative space. The fandom is filled with wonderful designs and characters, why would anyone try to dominate in a space like that? I don't actively seek out and hunt down anyone with similar designs. It'd feel terrible to do that and would reap zero benefits for anyone.
Please do not assume I have a strict control over a simple hybrid. People ask when they're inspired and it will forever and always be appreciated. They will never get a 'no' response from me. I credit artist/people when they inspire me to create something but if people choose to not give credit will I never be upset nor will I hound them or hate them. I'm not demanding any behavior from anyone. I think it's positive and warm to call out your inspirations, but this isn't a business and I'm not profiting from it. It is a fun shared fantasy and a community of likeminded individuals.
So please do not assume the worst of my intentions with jackodiles. Don't assume when you see someone provide credit to me that I am forcing them to do so. I created Jai cause she meant a lot to me and I brought her to life cause she is *me* essentially. I was not aware how much people would connect to the character specifically. I love meeting and participating with other gator and croc hybrids. Y'all are awesome!
So yeah, this is basically a long dump of my thoughts because I felt really shitty seeing a tweet today that asked, "Why do they have to credit for a simple design?" They don't. They choose to. It's a sign of kindness to credit when you're feeling inspired to create anything. It fosters warmth and connection, but it's totally up to each individual how they want to define their fandom! I love that some people want to join the growing Jackodile herd and you will always find warmth in investing thought into the species I helped to define, and in doing so you will be helping to define it too! But never think I want to strictly control the fantasy or other people's designs or actions. I'm just along for the ride and happy to help coordinate when people reach out interested in doing so!
Thank you for understanding. <3
I am definitely aware that there are other crocodile or alligator, canine hybrids. I'm also totally happy and ok with that. They did not originally inspire Jai's creation, so I did not give credit for her design. I wasn't aware of any other designs that mixed and looked like Jai or I would mention it here, so while I say there were other croc/canine hybrids that is true, but they were done differently.
Jai was created when I was 13 and is now a 16 year old character. She was not always a croc hybrid. In fact, she was originally inspired by Anubis and was an Anubian jackal. A pretty common theme in the fandom. When she was a created in 2001 there weren't actually a lot of other jackals around. It meant a lot because I've always been interested in Egyptian mythology and I loved her uniqueness, even if she was just a simple design.
If I could credit the creator who inspired her original design I would have and technically I am simply by stating I was inspired by Egyptian mythology. She later evolved into a skull faced black-backed jackal, inspired by Hyena Agenda's Dog Bone shirt by Herr_Aardy which I bought at FC one year. I was in university at the time and I didn't have a lot of extra time on my hands, so not a lot of art was done of her and to be honest, I never felt much of a close connection to the design.
In 2014 I moved to Canada to be with my fiance to create a game. Feeling burned out after a few months of work, I decided to spend time on something that meant a lot to me to help me heal. I wanted to create a design for Jai that felt like me and I connected with. Thus I created Jai's new & current design, a croc and jackal hybrid that I playfully called a jackodile.
I combined her with a croc specifically because I had grown up in Texas which has a ton of alligators. My Dad went alligator hunting every fall, would bring home gator meat, skulls, and claws. I was always fascinated with them. I made Jai a crocodile hybrid instead of a alligator, because of my interest in Egyptian mythology. It just made sense. I loved it. I loved her. It felt like me. I don't have other characters so Jai evolves with my age and how I feel about myself.
Fast forward to now. I have since commissioned art of Jai (I work full time on a game and I've never considered myself a character artist that much) and I commissioned a fursuit by MoreFurLess. I even spent an afternoon of goofiness with my fiance writing pseudo scientific facts for Jai's specific species so that we could send it an artist I commissioned to make a reference for her so that I could nail down a cool design and send it to MoreFurLess to make into my suit.
I was not aware of how many people would love the character & my performance of Jai in my suit. I am nothing but grateful and humbled by people's response and kindness. Seriously, thank you all so much.
Since her creation and incredibly warm reception a ton of people ask me for permission to make jackodiles specifically. Often they tell me that they are inspired by Jai and this is honestly an incredibly thoughtful guesture. They don't have to, but they choose to. I appreciate this, especially because I'm aware of other croc/gator and canine hybrids existence in the fandom with their own designs, and if someone wants to they could just mix the two species however they like. I would never fault someone for making their own design inspired by the same things that inspired me. But when someone reaches out to me it is a bond being formed, and a shared fantasy species being extended in a fun way.
When people have requested to make a jackodile, I have never once said no. I have requested they look different from Jai and other people's jackodiles, so that we don't have duplicates which I feel has always been something people cared about in the fandom. This minimum level of coordination is meant to be positive for everyone so that each character design has a unique flaire. It's also not something I police, it's totally an optional thing and nobody can lock someone out of making something realistically and I would never try to.
I always retweet, respond, and am genuinely happy when someone creates a character inspired by Jai. It suddenly forms a bond I care about between me and that person.
I seriously love that the fandom is an artistic community that bothers to ask if they're inspired to create something. I am an artist myself and I *always* give credit if someone inspires me. When I created my warthog mask, I reached out to MissMonster to tell her she had inspired me and it sparked a warm response between both of us. It's a kind gesture and a sign of respect for other creatives. Not a lot of people outside of this community understand this so I deeply appreciate it.
I do not have the time, energy, interest, or right to hunt down people for having croc hybrids, I understand that it's an extremely simple hybrid and I have never claimed to be the first. I'm not interested in lording over it. I created her because the design meant something to me personally. When I find out other people have croc/gator hybrids, I get excitable and happy. It means we have something more in common with each other in the fandom.
When people request and create a Jackodile, it feels like creating a family, similar to Dutch Angel Dragons (Telephone) and Sergals (Trancy Mic). With my free time I actively try to connect and participate with others that create jackodiles. I love it. Playfully we call each other siblings sometimes.
To be clear: I do not wish to have control in a creative space. The fandom is filled with wonderful designs and characters, why would anyone try to dominate in a space like that? I don't actively seek out and hunt down anyone with similar designs. It'd feel terrible to do that and would reap zero benefits for anyone.
Please do not assume I have a strict control over a simple hybrid. People ask when they're inspired and it will forever and always be appreciated. They will never get a 'no' response from me. I credit artist/people when they inspire me to create something but if people choose to not give credit will I never be upset nor will I hound them or hate them. I'm not demanding any behavior from anyone. I think it's positive and warm to call out your inspirations, but this isn't a business and I'm not profiting from it. It is a fun shared fantasy and a community of likeminded individuals.
So please do not assume the worst of my intentions with jackodiles. Don't assume when you see someone provide credit to me that I am forcing them to do so. I created Jai cause she meant a lot to me and I brought her to life cause she is *me* essentially. I was not aware how much people would connect to the character specifically. I love meeting and participating with other gator and croc hybrids. Y'all are awesome!
So yeah, this is basically a long dump of my thoughts because I felt really shitty seeing a tweet today that asked, "Why do they have to credit for a simple design?" They don't. They choose to. It's a sign of kindness to credit when you're feeling inspired to create anything. It fosters warmth and connection, but it's totally up to each individual how they want to define their fandom! I love that some people want to join the growing Jackodile herd and you will always find warmth in investing thought into the species I helped to define, and in doing so you will be helping to define it too! But never think I want to strictly control the fantasy or other people's designs or actions. I'm just along for the ride and happy to help coordinate when people reach out interested in doing so!
Thank you for understanding. <3
