I'm tired of people trying to make others be original. There are several on this forum, and they annoy the heck out of me.

Look, I make things the way I want to, and I don't want to be bashed because my work happens to be based on someone else's.

There's something like this in Model Railroading, where "Fandom" is considered "Prototype Modeling," and original ideas are considered "Freelancing." Prototype modeling is a specific railroad, in a specific place, at a specific time. "Freelanced" lines are the exact opposite: usually a fictional line (though can be for a real-life company) in a fictional place, though it usually represents a particular time.

Both have specific challenges. To build a freelanced line, you have to be "reallistic" enough to make your line seem feasible, but you can take some liberties. For Prototype modeling, you have to research your butt off, for example, to find what locos a particular line used at a particular time, or what the bridge looked like way back when.

There's also a gray area somewhere in between. This would be a line that's based on a real company, in the region they operate, but it goes through towns with fictional names, or locos the line never had are operated. These are like Fancharacters. And there's nothing wrong with that.

Now, I don't like seeing ideas hastily re-hashed passed-for as something original, BUT, I also don't like being looked down upon because my chara happens to be a Sonic universe fanchara, and you made up your universe. Just give me credit for adding my own ideas to something I already like. That's all I ask

Give the Prototype Freelancers some slack!

Sadly, you've missed the message I tried to make about the failing individuality of the artists here: I'm not trying to make you stop liking what you like, but variate a little instead.

Want to be like a few hundred thousand other people and make some hedgehog-echidna rip-off, change up a colour or two, give it a "clever" background story and call it "original"? Alright, but truth be told, I'll shake my head in your direction, probably disregard your ability to be creative. Not that my opinons mattered anyway, no?

Regardless, "original" comes through new ideas, not the same tired concept. Reusing what everyone has already used a thousand times is lazy, in my opinion, not exactly imaginative or interesting.
Some of my characters may be based off of video game races, but I didn't butcher the whole origin because I wanted to abuse someone else's idea.

I guess you make a point. sometimes I misinterpret what people do.

I wrote that in a flurry of rage this morning, and that blinded your points....it's just you do it so OFTEN....

do we REALLY have that many people that try to pass off that kind of stuff as original? or are they really just fanartists?

I'm sorry I was too busy being distratced by you "origional" sprites

HEY! I said I wasn't trying to be original, Lothar!

Okay, seriously, who the f*ck cares? Fandom, Originality, whatever... Just do what pleases you...

If you do fan-stuffs, that's dandy... If you do something original, kudos for you...
Either way, do what makes YOU happy...

And now that I've said what I felt, I'm gettin' me an Eggo... Good day.

Meh, I've seen worse.

And were not trying force you into a new way of thinking. But have you ever thought what it would be like if everyone was a sonic recolor using only premade characters. Can you imagine how boring that would be? Were just asking you to stop using things that are so overused, there boring!

Like i said earlier, i was angry and misinterpreted.

In fact, the fact crossed my mind just before I finished. That's why I wrote this line...

I do it often to hopefully get the point across, although many jus' seem to count it off as whining or ranting on my part, I guess, than making some point about their "different" character is like everyone elses. Seeing an old idea re-emerge every few new members is a heavy sigh to an artist that believes strongly in having your own ideas in comparison to taking someone else's.

And yes, from my point of view, I see far too many Sonic or Rockman recolours/revises/fan-characters to even bother looking at some art threads, for that matter, taking most members seriously that have a chopped up hedgehog/Reploid for an avatar.

ya know, I see where you're coming from, but I'm not sure how much good It'tl do. I'm also not sure how much good it does for the other person's creativity as well. I mean, why think up something new when someone said all your ideas are stupid?

I know that's not what you're trying to say, but sometimes that's how it comes across.

Think about it: why would it seem as though all your ideas are stupid?
It's probably because it's been done before in another way or form, so it's brushed off as a remake, and no one will pay attention. On other occasions, it's probably delivery or introduction that makes the difference, like a title, the characters involved, where the world is set, etc. It's really a matter of taste than effort, in the end.

All I say is to broaden the horizon a little, actually get your brain going to think something up. Read books, watch old films, explore genres that didn't seem interesting to begin with, expand your knowledge of terms and other worlds, essentially. Some of my best ideas spawned from diving into new concepts instead of swimming in the old stuff.

Of course, the sad truth is that people would rather read a fanfic than read an original story. They're ten times more likely to comment on a fanart than an original character, as I've seen. Eventually, the originality submits to people afraid of trying something new, I think.

hm. good point there.

okay, you've won. I can't help but agree with you now.

I guess that the reason I started this was that I was afraid that people were talking to me. I guess I was wrong.

...wait...how can Lothar call your sprites unoriginal, when his character's an echidna?

Because lothar's totally awesome like that?
And his echidna doesn't happen to be red, have spikes on his fists Or fly.

If you're going to be a person that is so ridiculously anal about originality, then fine by you, whatever floats your boat.

Jet is trying to inspire people to take a step further than just multiple Sonic re-colors with added clothes and a name tag slapped on it to make it "original". What she's trying to do is actually get the creative juices moving so you can realize that spriting/art and such is not all about Sonic/Rockman nonsene that so many people have fallen victim to.

Lothar can call his character original because it wasn't created by Sega or any of the other companies that have dipped their hands into the Sonic soup. Unless, of course there was actually a sonic based character other than Lothar that just happened to be a dark blue/black furred echidna with a cybernetic arm, eye and a rather large brimmed hat, then the character of Lothar Hex would be completly unoriginal save for his back story and wittiness.

Thank you, Kodama, for putting my words into a more understandable context for the younger viewers, and for possibly getting my gender right.

...But I digress.

When was it that taking someone else's idea and remixing it meant it was gonna be good, especially when a new idea is what makes waves?
If you eat the same food over and over, doesn't it get boring? It's the same thing with art, I think.

I can't understand how almost the entire message board of possibly two hundred daily active members can possibly like the same thing, day after day, without changing it, and seeing everyone else follow the same bandwagon relentlessly, and most likely, with poorly recoloured sprites. It's like staring at the same four, plain walls for years without ever hanging a new picture or something.

Change if scenery is nice, no? Wow the crowd, kids, wow the crowd.

My definition of "an orignal" sprite is one where you don't use Paint, take the bucket tool and just recolor everything. Maybe add a few little details... it only takes 10 minutes to make a sprite actually look original... then about 5 minutes for another sprite so it takes an hour to make a full usuable sprite sheet... at least for me. Or you could hire or ask someone to make a sprite sheet for you... that's better then a red sonic or a purple tails.

Well... Actually, yes. Yes there is.

In fact, part of it is Knuckles.

In the later days of the Archieverse, Knuckles has an "accident" and loses his right eye. He also get a wide brimmed "crocodile dundee" hat, from where i don't exactly know. And the whole robotic arm thing? Almost every echidna in The Dark Legion has a part of them that is robotic, many of which are arms or eyes. Also, Knuckles is the only echidna, that i know of, who has the spicked claws. Real spiked claws. It's a genetic birth defect that he has, and only he has. So an echidna without them is normal.

As far as the black/dark blue fur thing? You could basically call that a recolor.

As much as i like Lothar in all truth, his characters appearance is not very original. Innovative yes, but original no.

Of course when it all comes down to it, if you don't care what other people say about your art/writing/sprites then the whole argument gets thrown out the window.

My characters, Sojuro, Vre, and Belisaria, are not completely origional. Sojuro are Vre are based off of videogame characters and Belisaria is kind of a combination of an anime character and a videogame character. If you can figure all three of them out, i'll be highly impressed.

This is Sojuro, this is Vre, and this is Belisaria(kudos to my friend Tyler for the drawing).
(I'm talking about the Character design, not the sprite)

Anyways...


Original ideas are nearly impossible to come by these days. What may seem original is most likely only innovation. Everything has been done before, or at least thought of before. A completely original idea is something of a myth. They exist, but i are rare.

Your best bet is to be innovative, use things that are less well known, that are done far less than others. Having a fox character, or an echidna character have been done so much that it sickens me and almost makes me hate Sonic related stuff. If you want something more "original", have your character be a different animal, like, a rat or a chinchilla. If i were to make Sojuro into an anthro form, he'd be a chinchilla. It's probably been done before, but far less than a hedgehog or a fox.

But, like myself, i don't care what others think of my work. If you like it, then good for you, if you don't, then get over yourself. That may seem hypocritical coming from me for how much i seem to rag on about other people work, but the thing is. I. Don't. Care. I've been temp banned from this forum, twice, for stating my opinion and damning the consequences, but here i am. I'm back. I havent complained about it once and i don't plan to. I'll pick up from where i left off and if i get temp banned again, so be it. If i get perma banned. I'll find another forum to go to and bitch at people....

Or maybe i'll go read a good book.

:o now I'm a bit confused. Say my sprites were from a Fox McLoud sprite sheet, but i changed the size, colors, and added a new head that ismy character. Is that fandom, or originality?

Well, according to most people's standards. If we get the Fox.Mc Cloud sprites you used, then compare it with your sprites and find that their posture/base sprite/body form are the same, then it's not really called original.

For pictures, it has to be something completly different different. Like a Lizard/Bird hybrid or something. Making something orignal to most people is pretty damn hard... but you will be praised signifigantly if it's orignal and looks good.