- New 3D Art page for the site.
- New Art uploaded
Happy FebRooary everyone!
So, fun fact: my first sona was actually a kangaroo back in 2016.
The reason I left that project was simply because I couldn't figure out a good design character-wise. Anyway, I always felt like the kangaroo really fit with what I did in my kinky creations within the furry fandom, and I felt like I was missing something when moving on from that sona. So, I'm glad to finally be able to celebrate this month as a different version of that sona, one that really represents me a little better.
I was telling a friend earlier that the appeal of demi-transformation is that it really intentionally chooses to fetishize the human aspect of a transformation rather than the animalistic aspect. Some people are really drawn more to the relatability of a transforming subject (no one knows what it's like to grow claws and fur, but everyone knows what skin, muscle, and sweat feel like) And the adoration of a human base becoming something more. I always liked it because it was like this really cool transition where the TFee isn't quite an animal, but they're not quite themselves either. They're like a new type of otherness that's unique to the individual TFee.
(Plus I like to fantasize about the plapping sound of a Demi TFee getting railed ;3 )
Regardless here we have an artwork of myself turning into a big gay demi-roo to celebrate FebRooary. This month in particular I really wanted it as a sort of coming out, for the first time I'm not trying to build a platform I'm not trying to promote I'm not trying to sell anything I am just making work for fun finally after all these years and let me tell you it has been cathartic. (KainK was right, self-indulgent work IS fun.) And on Black history month no less.
While we're on that subject, I want to talk about a few pet peeves I see around the TF fandom when it comes to dealing with Black subjects as TFees. It's nothing offensive or anything like that; it's just little things I notice where there's a bit of a disconnect between the artists and their relationship with Black people in general (I will not be naming names). I understand that the transformation fandom let alone the furry fandom in general is a predominantly Eurocentric demographic but the transformation fandom has been growing since art tools and the Internet has become much more accessible so, at this point, there is really no excuse for a lack of awareness. So here are four pet peeves that I see around the transformation community that I hope can be remedied in the coming years:
1) Black people are two-toned. Our hands and feet are not one solid color.
(Art by: https://bsky.app/profile/theemonkeyprince.bsky.social/post/3lhf5dki6p22a )
I can't tell you how many TF artists mess this up (Not the artist above though). Normally, I just gloss over it, because it's really not that big of a deal, but when you see it over and over and over again—and you can even see it in some of the works I've commissioned within my gallery—it can get kind of annoying. Know what subject you're drawing or rendering in an illustration or any kind of visual media.
2) Dick Transformation
I remember talking with a few of my transformation-loving buddies about the subject of not-safe-for-work transformations involving Black TF subjects. Normally, or traditionally, when it comes to NSFW TF subjects, when the dick transforms, it usually turns red (like a canine's), is usually pink, or might even go completely black, depending on what the transformation is actually about. But I questioned whether that logic applied to a base color or skin color that is naturally darker to begin with. Does it gain pigmentation? Does it lose pigmentation? Like, what happens? And not a single one of my transformation-loving buddies could actually answer that. It's almost as if it was completely new territory.
In the end, it really comes down to the individual artist's preference. The way I do it with my Black TF subjects is I keep the dick color the same as the base skin color, unless it's calling for a specific change in hue or value (like to jet black or something). I see a lot of artists play it safe and do a one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to what happens with the dick color, and that can be good or bad, depending on how you look at it (no pun intended).
3) Taboo TF Subjects
Folks, it's no secret that, due to the racial relationships here in America, some subject matter when it comes to TF is a little bit uncomfortable when there's a Black TFee. You don't need me to tell you that anthropology—well, rather, the racist kind of anthropology—spent the majority of a few centuries trying to prove that Black people were subhuman monkeys and should be treated as such. While that's a blatantly obvious example of TF subject matter that can go horribly wrong, there are other kinds due to cultural relevancy and, again, blatant racism, like raccoons, black panthers (more recently), gorillas—just, in general, TF subject matter that other races here in America can have fun with and play with freely, but which have a bit of a different connotation when it comes to Black TF subjects.
And this is where this conversation takes a bit of an ugly turn. I don't understand race TF - I only logically understand it in the sense that it's fetishizing turning into something else, which is the core of transformation in general, but what is it actually fetishizing? Now, at the end of the day, I would rather someone be getting off to Black people rather than trying to murder them, but those two extremes are not mutually exclusive (crazily enough). This isn't a one-size-fits-all opinion; some people don't care, some people are really offended by it. For me, it's just really uncomfortable because I don't know if it's fetishizing just the appearance, the perceived notion of culture while simultaneously dehumanizing the subject—I honestly don't know and can't tell if it's a celebration of NOT being that race or wishing so badly to BE that race due to some perceived behavior. I have never been in a position where I fetishized turning into another race and got off to that, that is just fucking weird to me. ((NOTE: There's a big difference when it comes to character TF and just straight up race TF. One is fetishizing embodying the traits of an established fictional character - one is fetishizing embodying the traits and self-fabricated personality of an objectified idea of an entire race of people))
But I can't sit here and tell people what they can and can't beat their meat to, unless it's illegal. So, as a Black person in the TF community, it's just a really weird spot of "keep that shit away from me."
4) Lack of Black TF subjects
It's a lot better than it used to be, and I mean that by far. It's no one's fault, really; it's a culmination of a lot of things. But the truth of the matter is, there's still a distinct lack of Black subjects in TF material, no matter how you slice it. Now, this is a case of "be the change you want to see." I'll be doing a better job of that, and I'm hoping other TF creators can do a better job of that, but I can only speak from personal experience. Back when I was first getting into the TF community, I had a very hard time: one, finding other Black TF artists, and two, finding TF material featuring a Black subjects. It used to be so rare; I'm not even exaggerating.
When you go through prolonged periods where there is a lack of relatable representation, it starts to make you ask the question, "Well, damn, isn't there anyone like me doing this?" It really places ceilings where there otherwise wouldn't be. Doubt starts to creep in, feeling like you don't belong or you shouldn't be doing this because no one like you was doing this. And goals and tasks that would otherwise feel possible feel like a fantasy, like they're not going to happen because you don't see it happening before you.
Taking a step back and looking at the big picture, it's not that deep; it's just transformation as an expressive art form, and it's meant for fun. It can be taken in a variety of different ways. Some people have made a living doing it, others have always just treated it as a hobby, some have stayed for the long term, some came and went over the years. And nowadays, there are way more Black TF creators and artwork out there than there were when I was first getting started, so I don't know if it's still necessarily as big of a thing as it was all those years ago. So, the only thing I can say is that I just wish for a fandom that prides itself on inclusion and community, I wish the work would represent that a little better.
That all being said, Happy FebRooary, Happy Black History month (Go find a black TF content creator) , and hope you all enjoy ;3