anonrerising | Crack, Boom.

This is a discussion on SMR right now but I don't quite care for the community that posts there so I wanted to bring it up here as it's a better platform for discussion.

Once you notice all dragons except like 2 are dog/cat body and legs with reptile necks/tails it's hard not to notice. There are limitations to dragon breeds such as having to have enough blank space for genes so scale detail is limited so I do take that into account, but things like bogsneaks having mammalian back legs when they're otherwise a komodo dragon bodied is very strange and sticks out.

I see a lot people wanna straw man others who want more variety with "oh what, you want a million heads and tentacles and eldritch angel eyes" when really it's just... Something that isn't mammal body with reptile neck/tails and extra stuff.

Also more big fat dragons would be nice.

They really painted themselves into a corner with the whole "Modern breeds have to have 4 legs and one pair of wings" standard they set for themselves.

And like... you CAN mix body parts- some of my OC's have skull/jaw structures that are a mix of deer/hyena/wolf, but have boar/primitive horse hooves, and their front legs have elongated bear paws/hands, and their overall body shape is like a deep/barrel chested mix of hyena and cheetah. And it works because I look at the varying anatomy and see how it can fit together, instead of just tacking on parts.

That being said, I DO want more actual scary fuckin dragons. Aberrations were a good start but I want something that is a predator without being fluffy. Give me more heads, more legs, more MOUTHS, idk, we have enough "cute" dragons, give me something that can fuck shit up without thinking about it.

I hope the Earth ancient is like Earthshaker but with extra spikes and and shit- massive, lumbering behemoths that make Guardians and Imps look small.

tbh a lot of it is the fault of apparel. like hooves wouldnt be feasible with the ring apparel afaik but that's still no excuse for more diverse body types, especially with ancients since that was the entire reasoning of their conception.

part of the problem is also that theres the sweet spot of what people would consider "dragon-like" and is also widely appealing is kind of slim. i would love more wacky breed designs, but i understand why the devs would play it kinda safe.

I do wish we'd see more diversity in subtle little things I bet most people don't even realise are actually really samey. Like you said with bogsneaks having mammalian back legs, I think that applies to basically every breed (that has back legs at least lol). They're all usually pretty mammalian/avian. I'm pretty sure every single breed has digitigrade legs, where the heel/ankle is off the ground. It'd be neat to have more breeds with plantigrade legs where the heel/ankle touches the ground. Also the actual foot and toe anatomy while they're all fairly "reptilian" looking none of the breeds actually have particularly lizardy feet, with long spindly toes and long claws that elevate the tips of the toes off the ground. It's a really unique and cool look :(

Hell, even with the more "avian" looking breeds they're still not as avian as they could be. There's strong mammalian influence in every single breed. I would love a breed that actually properly looks like a big fucked up bird. Skydancers and Wildclaws still leave a lot to be desired in that regard imo.

+1 for big fucked up bird

I really love Undel’s art and I think she is incredibly talented, but I do think she struggles with making dragons look more diverse. I’ve always felt that a lot of her designs get this kind of samey, almost dog-like anatomy. Dragons can have so many unique and cool forms, and ancients (which were supposed to be an example of this) also have this problem. They have been so disappointing as a whole. Half of them could’ve just been moderns. Banescales and aberrations were a step in the right direction, but I don’t think they’ve totally avoided the samey-ness either. I didn’t even notice until recently that aethers have 6 arms, you can barely see them. And as much as I like the new lightning ancient’s horns, the rest of the body is really just kind of a dog’s, once again. Undel even gave them claws like the Stormcatcher’s at first, but she removed them in favor of normal arms. :/

I really hope the other members of the art team have a say in breed designing, but I don’t think they do. And until that happens I worry we’re gonna keep having the same problems.

it's interesting to see people saying undel's dragons look dog-like
(not saying youre wrong, just giving my own take on it. also, before anyone tells me to get therapy, i am in therapy and doing great)
i have a fear of dogs thats also manifested as a deep level of disgust and anger when i see one, or anything similar to one. canids (and vulpines), even just their skulls or the shape of them and their bodies. i cant see dogs IRL and even seeing the doglike familiars on site causes this reaction (ive mitigated it with adblocking images though. its definitely not FRs problem, its a me problem lol). so even cartoon canine visuals trigger it

all that to say that ive never felt any sort of negativity towards the dragon designs themselves, though mirrors (and tundras) got pretty close to the edge for me (not helped by everyone in plague calling them "murder puppies"). they dont feel doglike to me, or any other dragon designs ive seen from undel. im wondering what makes other people see them as doglike? is it just because people associate mammalian = dog? (i dont see just you im replying to saying this, ive seen this sentiment a LOT)

DA yeah i dont see it either! they don't strike me as doglike at all, except maybe gaolers.

DA

Yeah, IDK. I wouldn't say all but two have dog or cat bodies, even if we're only talking moderns. And I don't see the mammalian back legs on the Bogsneaks, either.

da

I see horses in most of them much more than I see dogs. (Part of why I love the carousel apparel so much.)

during undels lightning ancient drawing stream she said that some of the other site artists do the sketch/concepts, and then she does the lienart and shading to keep those aspects consistent across breeds. IIRC xhaztol did the concept for bogsneaks, suburbansamurai did aethers and abbies, and idr the exact artist but undel said someone else did gaolers (sin maybe?). i dont have the timestamp for this but i think it was in the first stream

Good info, good info

god now that you mention it sandsurges really are just dogs huh. does anyone have a screenshot of said stormcatcher claws?? i would love to see them

Crack, Boom.

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