# The overdone and cliché



## Skychickens (May 27, 2018)

I have actually been doing work with my sona today (I try to avoid letting them slip into OC rather than sona territory by putting it off) and had a split second of hesitation with an idea I had because it’s often overdone and cliché. Then I was like too bad I do what I want and kept toying with it.

Basically, I designed my sona to reflect all my pet ferrets, living and passed. So I was taking a bit necromancer stance with them, having them work with life/death magic. They earned their wings by aiding wandering souls and their fur has taken on a combined appearance of other ferrets that were once dear to them. I work in they use crystals to perform magic, as I use them myself. I just ramped up the fantasy. They’re genderfluid...because I am. They’re married to a woman...because I am.

These are some pretty common themes and I honestly would rather have fun with my characters than worry about what other people think. The second of hesitation aside.

So I was wondering. Do you care if something is overdone or cliché when it comes to your sona(s)? Do you try to be as unique as possible? What kinds of overdone things do you do?


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## BahgDaddy (May 27, 2018)

I am not very unique. I'm just a red and black feral wolf. But I think that's relatively unique in the sense that feral is a minority within furry, which is a subculture, so I'm okay with that :3


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## Ginza (May 27, 2018)

Nope! I’m a plain old gray wolf. Don’t get much more generic than that 

Do what makes _you _happy. Not what any elitist fandom person says


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## Skychickens (May 27, 2018)

BahgDaddy said:


> I am not very unique. I'm just a red and black feral wolf. But I think that's relatively unique in the sense that feral is a minority within furry, which is a subculture, so I'm okay with that :3


My first sona was a feral housecat. (Also with wings. I just like adding wings to things) I feeeeel the pain.

I almost went feral with this one...but despite all my time with ferrets apparently I have trouble drawing them. I just like them. Makes it easier when I don’t need to figure out clothing at some point.


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## Skychickens (May 27, 2018)

Ginza said:


> Nope! I’m a plain old gray wolf. Don’t get much more generic than that
> 
> Do what makes _you _happy. Not what any elitist fandom person says


Right? My feelings. 

You’re also blue eyed so bonus generic points!


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## Pompadork (May 27, 2018)

I mean, I’m a cow that’s somehow not made for niche fetish uses so...yaaaay originality? :’DDD

or at least yay for not being obvious with what im into through a cartoon animal


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## Dongding (May 27, 2018)

Ginza said:


> Nope! I’m a plain old gray wolf. Don’t get much more generic than that



Us wolves are the glue that holds the fandom together.


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## Sunburst_Odell (May 27, 2018)

I don't really care if a design is cliche or not. I only care if it looks nice to me.

As for my 'sona, he has a fairly unique design compared to a lot of other characters. His colors are entirely unrealistic and bright(yet he diesn't make your eyes bleed) and he is just unrealistic in general(I mean, not that anthros are realistic but I mean most anthros look far closer to real animals than my 'sona)

I didn't design him myself though, I just had him designed for me many years ago(but I made a few alterations) I don't try to be as unique as possible when it comes to his actual character either, though, I give him qualities I feel are right--and many of my own.

If this feels unorganized, I'm sorry. It's super late where I am and I'm tired :')


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## Yvvki (May 27, 2018)

I feel like mine is original enough were no one else looks like her. ♡


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## Mayflower (May 27, 2018)

I created my fursona while I was part of another community. I don't think I was on FA at the time. As such it was a much smaller amount of other fursonas to compare to, and I did try to make Constance stand out a bit. There wasn't a mare, so that one was easy. I also made her older and taller than the other female characters. I know there's nothing unique about it when you're looking at everything in a community like FA, but it was different enough at the time.

I didn't want to give her some complex color scheme. I like natural colors, and Constance is basically just three shades of brown, with caramel eyes.

I think that the most unusual aspect is probably that she has normal human feet. This seems to be very uncommon in equine characters. This wasn't done to be unique, however. I simply don't like hooves 


I don't feel that Constance is cliché. I like to think that her appearance is fairly common for an equine character, while her human feet, and a certain area of fur, is making her easily recognizable. As for her personality and backstory, I don't really know if it's unique or cliché. She's an opera singer and a socialite. She's also a compulsive cheater


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## mcm730 (May 27, 2018)

I’m a rabbit. A grumpy rabbit that’s still a virgin. I think that that’s a bit away from the norm for rabbits...


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## Tyll'a (May 27, 2018)

Tyll'a is a cat, but he's a neko, whereas most sonas here are full anthro.  So that is kind of unique.  He does have what he calls his Feral state, but I don't know whether that is actually a feral version of him as the word is used on this site.


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## Mikazuki Marazhu (May 27, 2018)

I like being natural.
Makes me more fuckable :V


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## Skychickens (May 28, 2018)

So many lovely replies. I’m on mobile at the moment so it makes it difficult to reply to everyone but I am reading them. I’m having fun watching the poll too. It’s giving results I wasn’t expecting. 

It is also really late for me so I’m not thinking out things well. I’ll be back when I can. In the meantime, feel free to give me more stories and things. They’re delightful.


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## Simo (May 28, 2018)

Just a plain 'ol black and white skunk here, no unique marking, special powers, or fancy weapons. It's mainly just the backstory I've created (in stories and RPs) that makes the fursona unique, here. Well, and I suppose it's not very common, to be a skunk in the first place.


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## Deleted member 111470 (May 28, 2018)

Skychickens said:


> So I was wondering. Do you care if something is overdone or cliché when it comes to your sona(s)? Do you try to be as unique as possible? What kinds of overdone things do you do?



I don't care if my sona is overdone or cliché and I don't try to be unique. I didn't make him to please other people, I made him because that's how I feel like. His backstory is based on one of my favorite series.
But does he have overdone things in his design and story? Yeah - he just wants to go to the tropics and eat fruits and drink coconut juice and just hang around and chill on trees all day.


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## Inkblooded (May 28, 2018)

My sona isnt cliche at all but I didnt intend it that way. I just didnt feel interested in the typical furry things and wanted to go my own way. I ended up with a mess but thats my business


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## drawain (May 28, 2018)

Dragons are overdone in general. Mhm. At least I'm a dragon with a bit fear of height and have a hard time spitting actual fire? I can only emit smoke and sparks. :I
A lot of my sona is just me. Or her purpose is being my avatar, my sona, my "spirit animal", an oneironaut. I guess in that regard I'm a special hipster snowflake, because I was furry before I knew of the internet and had started to dream half-lucid as dragon, in hindsight both to cope with a trauma and as a symptom of said trauma. When I learned about the fandom I created her to be representative for all the various random dragon shapes I take in these dreams. Being a psychological phenomen is kinda her "canon" background story.


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## AppleButt (May 28, 2018)

I’m just a plain ole fox


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## Hopei (May 29, 2018)

Weather controlling  serpents are quiet possibly the most prevalent creatures in mythology, from feathered serpents to chinese dragons to waugal, so they're pretty damn cliche. I still chose to use one as my sona to show my fondness for them and hybridise some of my favourite animals. in the end I just wanna have my fun. Been actually thinking of giving my sona a full-on setting for kicks n' slowly turn her more into an oc, but need a proper ref first (with more feral leanings, just been haveing more fun drawing her that way), been thinking about everything else but getting drawings done of her


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## lavulnder (May 30, 2018)

I'm not sure if mine is cliche or not, I'm kind of new. I just wanted my OC to look like me IRL. I assume there's more than one lavender fox out there though!


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## victordantes (May 31, 2018)

I don't think mine's overly cliche by virtue of how few 'coons are out there. However, between the ones there are, the designs are rather similar.
So aesthetically, there'll be plenty of common features, as is the case with any species. 
But that being said, if you feel it fits what you want, then that's good enough! Better to choose something simple that reflects you and you feel good about rather than making something gaudy and unappealing for the sole purpose of being unique in every aspect. 
Unless that's what makes you happy, then give 'er


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## MissNook (May 31, 2018)

victordantes said:


> I don't think mine's overly cliche by virtue of how few 'coons are out there. However, between the ones there are, the designs are rather similar.
> So aesthetically, there'll be plenty of common features, as is the case with any species.
> But that being said, if you feel it fits what you want, then that's good enough! Better to choose something simple that reflects you and you feel good about rather than making something gaudy and unappealing for the sole purpose of being unique in every aspect.
> Unless that's what makes you happy, then give 'er


You have a moustache! Moustache are always unique! 

And to stay on subject, I think cliché is good too! You can do anything you want with your character, so even with the most cliché character in the world there's still place for originality  (having a typical cliché character doesn't mean it doesn't have depth)


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## Zhalo (May 31, 2018)

I'm literally a hybrid of two of the most popular species in the fandom, but that's what I truly wanted to be and I'm happy with it despite there being a fuck ton of other sparkly dogs running around the fandom. If you want your sona to be something don't not make it that just because others already have.

Don't make your self unhappy with your sona just because you wanted to be unique.


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## Albino Axolotl (May 31, 2018)

Just an Axolotl who think she is endangered. Also has regeneration abilities.


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## Infrarednexus (May 31, 2018)

My fursona was always going to be a dragon from the beginning, but there were so many different kinds of looking dragons people were using that I didn't feel like any way I looked would stand out. So I figured I would start basic and work my way up. I started with a black and silver dragon, then I figured I would add red hair and eyes. I then decided to take it a step further and make him bionic with a backstory. After that I was pretty satisfied with what I made.


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## Niedlich the Folf (May 31, 2018)

"Seriously look at my species"
Awoo


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## Tangerine (Jun 29, 2018)

I think people should give their own unique twist to things. I'm a cat, but I'm a particular breed that nobody else uses (the Savannah variety to be precise). I'm quite sick of seeing the same generic fox characters over and over. I know it's not a matter of being special, but you should try to be just a bit original, yeah? No offense to my fox pals though.


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