#mama-b0nes

[dyemelikeasunset]

So for whatever reason when I read your mismatched blacks rant I imagined that scene in every anime every where someone goes on a motivational rant about how important something is and the back ground fades to like a pastel blue and cherry blossoms start cascading everywhere. That was the scene I saw, and it was majestic.

I have to publish this because it’s so good thank you lksjdfsdf

[dyemelikeasunset]

Hey Baba Ty? Can you explain more about your animal association process? I see you utilize it so often with your characters and I think it would help me to diversify my babies personalities! If you're willing to divulge your secrets that is lol.

Ooh! I hope you don’t mind me answering this publicly; what a fun question!

So when making characters, I’ll often choose several associations for them: typically plants/flowers or animals. A lot of times depending on the character, if I have an animal association, the plant association isn’t important, and vice versa. For example, my character Dominique is associated with Willow Trees, but no animal. Very rarely, I’ll have a character who has both, like Constance who is associated with both Crows and Cacti.

For animals specifically, I often think about animals that people come into contact with often, like domesticated pets or farm animals. This gives me a foot up in several ways: how other people view this animal, the typical personality traits often associated with it, and ways the animal interacts with people.

For example: dog personality or cat personality? A dog usually implies someone more extroverted and energetic, enjoying the company of other people, but a cat implies introverted and independent, often very picky about who they surround themselves with.

Lets go even further with the dog example: what breed? Between two of my own characters, Sam (who I associate with Golden Retrievers) and Elliel (who is a Husky), they embody different personas or types of dogs. Golden Retrievers have fluffy light hair and dark brown eyes, are known to be friendly but still calm, easy to train; ideal pets and often raised in family environments. While Huskies have a signature black and white coat, icy blue eyes, and are often liked for these striking looks and wilder roots; but despite their strong features, require care and accommodations and are really pack animals at heart.

What about cat breeds? While not as wildly different from each other as dog breeds can be, there’s still a difference when you look like a fluffy spoiled Persian cat versus a sleek elegant Siamese cat or a hairless odd-looking Egyptian cat. They all give off different feelings based on what types of owners usually gravitate towards them and how they’re consequently raised. 

This can actually go into non-domesticated animals as well! Especially with cats, the feeling of a Lion will change from a Panther. My character Tyberius, who I associate with Lions, is a spoiled boy who is pampered by the feminine figures in his life, has a big showy mane of hair, but when push comes to shove his ferocity comes through. Compare this to my character Kye, who I associate with a black Panther: independent, dangerous, a skilled hunter who is good at hiding and known for their dark coat and bright eyes.

And what about animals that aren’t pets? Like pigeons or raccoons or crows? Often times I end up choosing these for characters that are thought of poorly. 

A previous example, Constance, was associated with crows early on because she was supposed to be something of an outcast. Disliked, considered a bad omen, but actual studies of crows show new sides of them. Crows are actually incredibly sassy and will use the energies of other animals to their advantage, and even more surprisingly, crows are some of the few birds that maintain a family structure even after the eggs are hatched.

So it’s a big mix of random animal knowledge and choosing animals we’re more familiar with. Playing off of cultural attitudes towards certain animals, working with the actual personalities of those animals, also knowing when to differentiate different characters under the same umbrella (like with dog breeds)