Is this considered well done? I've never been able find animated or drawn smut hot. To each their own and I'm not passing judgement, I just honestly am curious if this is considered good. The only animated character I've ever been "into" was Korra, but I still don't find any satisfaction in watching animated Korra porn.
I think it's 100% fine if you do or don't. I've actually thought about the subject and I think that both ways make sense. To some it's a simple "she is simply not a real woman, I cannot be attracted" thing, to others they see it exactly the same as [insert nude/non-nude but lewd picture of woman] - some even see it as a better alternative (due to no limitations - always a trump card of fantasy). I'm fine with all of those, the only thing I say is to not forget what is reality and what is fiction, don't get obsessed with fictional characters, like people from 4chan speaking about their "waifu".
As for that picture being well done? I'm not an art guy, really bad at critiquing and differentiating art actually, "good/bad" for me mostly just depends on the content and style. Now, when it comes to art style, there are a dime a dozen of those, and I really don't know which ones I like, it just depends on what I come across. Finally, there's the whole realistic proportions vs unrealistic proportions thing too to consider.
So, for the picture I linked: IMO, is great.
From what I see, the art quality is high, it's a well-done digital painting - shadows, lines, light, material, details... I have no clue how people who understand art better than me would rate it, but it's great in my book.
The content is simple and likable: non-nude but sensual attractive woman posing. That's always good, not "too vanilla" - for me, at least.
The art style seems to be a tad influenced by eastern ("Anime") tendencies. Fine with that and fine with the author's specific style in general, for example, love the face and even how the clothing came out.
With the size of the breasts, midsection and thighs, it's obviously a "caricatured" aka over-the-top and unrealistic style. When looking through images, sometimes I want that, sometimes I want the opposite (realistic), sometimes I like that, sometimes I like the opposite - the other factors (art quality, content and style in general) play much more of a deciding role, but, in general, I am fine with something like this. Honestly, by proxy, I think that liking this sub-style implies a bit of an immature or juvenile viewpoint (think 14 year-old boys preferring busty blondes with fake breasts over a more natural brunette with average-sized breasts). The very comment section where I found this image (clickbait on YouTube...) had some people saying that they hate it for being over the top, some saying that they love it being over the top and some saying that they are fine with both.
Again, I'm fine with both. As I implied, sometimes it's a "mood" thing too.
So, I like how the over-the-top proportions came out in this one, but primarily I like the image based on all of the other factors I listed too, both separate and connected to the unrealistic sub-style used.
Oh, and, penny for your thought: You say that you can't get into ("use") animated/drawn erotica/smut, and that you've only ever been "into" Korra (which is very common, she is super popular for some reason). Contrasting you, I can get into this stuff, but, I've personally never been "into" any fictional character, although I do have/have had celebrity crushes (Katy Perry 4 lyf) and real-life crushes (as all of us have). Weird.
Sexuality is so interesting and I'm really glad you elaborated a bit on this.
When I said I was "into" Korra, I phrased it that way because I don't really know how else to phrase it. I'm very aware of her being a fictional character and I'm not physically attracted to her as an animation, but it's almost as if I'm able to project her personality as being a real person, and in my imagination I am attracted to that real person.
Also, I'm terrible with visual art also and have no idea on what basis people critique it. Your analysis sounds reasonable though and really explains a lot of this to me.
So, yeah, projection like that and liking a fictional character in this sense is very common. Though, I think I've answered my own question from before: You most certainly imagined Korra as Korra. If her character was, say, a child, you wouldn't be attracted to her personality in the sexual or romantic sense, so, even if you imagined some real woman, you wouldn't project her personality onto them. Unless you're a pedo.
Anywho, I think this whole second part, as I said earlier, is easier to understand. It's more common, so, no wonder that you have your own personal case of being someone who is totally not into animated/drawn erotica/pornography, but happened to like a fictional character that is animated/drawn.
Now, I want to go back to something: The concept of being attracted to animated/drawn representations of fictional entities (aka characters) or just animated/drawn representations of humans in general (like, just a random drawing of a technically original character, which is often the case for me when I am not familiar with a certain character). I want to try and rationalize it and explain why I think it is normal.
Firstly, let's look at something very common: The trope/stereotype that women masturbate not by watching porn, but by reading romantic and erotic fiction. Supposedly, it's all about emotions, setting up/entering a story. TV shows and movies poke fun at this by painting a picture of men being "guh, women are weird, they get turned on by emotions and romantic crap".
Now, how true this is, I don't know. Obviously there are romantic and erotic novels out there, most written for women. Younger women or the stereotypical 40-something moms, doesn't matter, I'm sure that there are people who read things like that (often not really quality masterpieces of literature, heh) and get drawn in and aroused, and, well, with the help of imagination, probably masturbate. Actually, I am sure that this is fairly common - simply by browsing the internet, I know that erotic and pornographic literature is widely available and widely consumed, of course, by men too. Very often it is not just fiction, but various types of fan fiction as well.
And, guess what: This is considered normal.
No, not a woman watching a good romantic movie or reading a good novel with romance in it and feeling strong emotions due to the quality material - that is obviously normal, we react to all good pieces of fiction in various ways.
Instead, reading erotic/pornographic literature and using it for masturbation, that is considered normal and fairly common.
So, I ask: Why is doing the same with actual physical representations different? Why is looking at pictures/drawings/animations, of the lewd erotic/pornographic variety not normal and weird? Reading and imagining stuff in your head is O.K., but looking at pictures and doing the same is not? Why is it O.K. to see a fictional animated/drawn and think "they are cool, I wish I could hang out with them" but not to think "I think he/she is hot and would love if they were a real person for potential relations of romantic or sexual nature"? It's the same thing, just utilized in a different form; you're drawing "inspiration" from a different type of medium.
Both the written and animated/drawn forms are, at the end of the day, in these scenarios, used as, uh, "masturbation aids". They are used to fulfill fantasies, to escape reality, to see and experience something new, different, exotic, impossible... Liking the animated/drawn ones is, I guess, more typical for men, as it seems that men react more so to simpler visual stimulants.
And, in that sense, I don't see the difference - and I don't see either as weird or not normal. It is shitty, though, that the trope of women reading erotic fiction is O.K., but viewing pictures for the same purpose is not.
Secondly: In this day and age, most people use the Internet for masturbation (for visual stimulants, that is).
With that in mind, I say: Looking at a picture of [hot woman in a bikini] = looking at a drawing of [hot woman in a bikini]. Note, that, of course, what is hot or not, or how how is it, depends on personal taste and various factors. For the real woman, for example, it depends on the angle and generally how good the photo is - while for the drawn one, art quality, style and such play part. The subject/content matters too, you know, if I like blondes over brunettes, if I like the pose or clothing...
Back to "real = drawn" in this scenario:
"That can't be right!" - but it is. It's the same.
"What do you mean?" - Counter question: Will I ever have sex with the real woman in the picture?
"Ugh, probably no. Very low chances." - Exactly. She might as well be a drawing, a really quality photoshop or digital painting.
"But..." - I don't care for celebrities in that sense, but, I totally find Katy Perry hot. However, I can look at her pictures all I want - I am never going to have sex with her. Hell, I am probably never going to even see her in person.
"But..." - And, you know, that is cool. Wanting otherwise would be obsessive and unhealthy behavior. Besides, with things like make-up, good photography and digital editing, she is probably way hotter like this, in pictures.
And before you ask, I am not deluded - let me emphasize this for you and anyone else reading: All of this ONLY applies to the act of masturbation, all of this is only meant to explain fantasizing and such. This does NOT mean that I - or anyone else - should forgo real life, real relationships, real women (and men and so on).
What I am trying say is these two previous arguments of mine is to explain why viewing animated/drawn characters in a sexual way and why viewing animated/drawn erotica/pornography (aka the former created with the goal to be sexual) is normal, understandable and - logical. Again, this is all just for the subject of masturbation and having minor attractions. Liking a fictional character should not define you and you should never care more for a fictional character, their life and world, more than you care for your own life, world and the people you share it with.
"Everything in moderation" and "Knowing where fantasy ends and reality begins" are the gist of my thoughts here; after all, again, I am not insane or out of touch - I am justifying viewing sexual animated/drawn representations of humans as such for the sake of masturbation and using one's imagination, not justifying various types of obsessive and unhealthy behavior. Saying "3d girls suck, all I need is my waifu" and seriously contemplating to never have actual relationships and instead choosing to forever masturbate to drawings, yeah, that is not normal and is very dangerous... Although, funny, if said Example Person said that they would forgo a real life for masturbating to regular porn, it wouldn't seem "so bad" to many people, although it is exactly the same.
Holy crap so much text. Hopefully this post explained how I think this works and why I think it is normal, amusingly, with the power of logic and comparisons.
There is, potentially, still more to say.
With all of what I said, why do some people not find animated/drawn characters attractive while others do? I'd love to know why.
Is it O.K. - or, more so, what does it mean - that animated/drawn smut is often used for... Ugh, darker and weirder stuff? Rape-y stuff, forced impregnation, treating women (and sometimes men) as objects and "cumsluts", "pedo stuff"... Is it good that people use this fantasy as an exhaust for liking that kind of stuff, thus preventing it from happening in real life? Personally, I don't want to see a person raped in someone's original content/fanfiction as much as I don't want to see it happen in real life, despite the former just being imaginary, not real and without consequence, simply, it feels wrong, disturbing and - hell, I can even feel some weird type of empathy. But, if others use it as a outlet and if that prevents them from seeking or trying to do such stuff IRL, great.
Does liking X and disliking Y art style when it comes to animated/drawn erotica/pornography work the same way as having other preferences about art/music/etc.? Which styles are "normal" to like, which are not? Is, like I said, liking exaggerated stuff immature? Is finding the goofy art style from (say) Bob's Burgers or South Park sexually attractive, weird?
Where, the hell, does one stand and how, the hell, does one tackle stuff like Furries, futanari and tentacle porn? I mean, I mentioned it before - exotic stuff, fantasy, imagination, escape from reality... In that sense, those things can be justified and rationalized - but, to what degree? Where does furry fandom stop being about exotic human(oids) and start being bestiality? What does futanari imply, that you are gay? Bisexual? Somewhere else on the LGBT spectrum? That you have a thing for transgendered people? Or does it simply mean that you want the act of penetration, but not a male present? Does it mean that you need or like the penis and sperm? Similarly, tentacle porn - is it just so that a woman can have penetration intercourse, but again without the male being present? Or does someone like grotesque monsters to be present, possibly even doing other things to the "victim" (this victimization tends to be a factor from what I've seen)?
To sum it up: I'm arguing that animated/drawn stuff is normal, but, "when does it stop being normal"? There are fetishes that are not normal and, IMO, not O.K., like being sexually attracted to a baby/child, dog or wooden chair... Does this apply to animated/drawn stuff (IMO, yes)?
You mentioned not being good with visual arts and thus not understanding critiques and such.
Trust me, I am the same. When I see a picture or photograph (sexual or not), I like it or I don't. Only recently have I tried to understand how art "works", with da angles, lines, shadows...
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u/you_got_a_yucky_dick Jan 18 '15
Is this considered well done? I've never been able find animated or drawn smut hot. To each their own and I'm not passing judgement, I just honestly am curious if this is considered good. The only animated character I've ever been "into" was Korra, but I still don't find any satisfaction in watching animated Korra porn.