quoting the most recent quote of this because it's a mess
TheWhiteTigerGod wrote on 2018-03-26 16:55:14:
Angel04 wrote on 2018-02-13 16:53:09:
Dullanyan wrote on 2018-01-25 15:52:36:
Berkshire wrote on 2016-07-02:
Galaxy/nebula primary/secondary
Midnight/Midnight
Cantaloupe/turquoise
metals/orca
FULL support. this is very beautiful, and would be perfect for so many dragons of mine... i love glittery stuff like this, it has a very ethereal look to it and isnt like anything we have, imo!! i love this!!
Yes,, I approve of this. We don't have any space - like genes yet,,
HOLY MOTHER OF TIDEPOTATO.
I need this gene, my goodness it's so freaking beautiful!
before I begin, I'd like to point out that wasp and bee exist. look at this scry with abyss/abyss/sapphire. looks pretty darn spacified.
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"Nebulous" is a term used to describe something with little or no recognizable form.
Primary and secondary genes are extremely uniform in either substance or pattern. Space can have uniformity - you can make it uniform - but by nature has a perfect imperfection and has a high contrast in light and energy: literally the darkest and lightest things in the universe. You have to find a way to make the concept of space consistent on dragons. The swirls at least begin to present a pattern, but coupled with the stars, the design is too complex and comes off as a skin. An actual galaxy would be too complex and subjective for a primary or secondary gene, and constellations are better suited for accents [though a single constellation for each dragon determined by its shape could make a tert, since ghost has come out like that, would be fairly uniform and maintain a starry aesthetic].
As for terts, any tert at all besides glimmer or spines would likely clash with it, even stained - it could look fantastic in a few stained colors, but too light or too dark and the effect of the gene would be ruined IMO, subverting contrast and especially muting the important nature of the bright stars. This happens with crystal under certain circumstances but still works because of its uniform texture.
The gene featured looks more like an Ether or glitter or something. It's not bad, heck it's great, but I don't think it's galaxy. Personally, I'd only spend gems on something like it if it had higher contrast (and for the metals, a bit more color diversity like crystal - rn it is screaming treasure gene colors for me). Think about metallic and iridescent's textures. Over all I think the idea should either be adjusted towards something more general like Ether - the swirls on the wings display a pattern and attest to that. The stars are not really adding to the design and I would reformat them to be sparkly bits that follow the forms of the design.
One way or another, a consistent space pattern could be developed, maybe a tertiary one that could overlay the dragon, with translucent areas like stain. However I'll stop here since I would ramble on with speculations.
To end, I love space. I really do. But I do not think a "galaxy" or "nebula" primary or secondary would work on the site. It would be difficult to execute consistently and properly across the spectrum and be overpowering next to other genes. Additionally, space lore operates just fine with skins and accents. At best I would anticipate a tertiary gene with a unique overlay or a constellation pattern.
Now I personally think my words mean nothing if I don't try something for myself and see what happens.
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a quick mock-up of an attempt of a strictly starry design. the body of the dragon is on the darker side of the spectrum for the target color (indigo), while the limbs, tail, belly, and face are on the light sides, with some aberrant hues that are so often found in genes. my style is not lent to making layers and then recoloring them on a full spectrum by selection; the colors and intensities I choose are case-by-case, so I cannot testify to the ability for anyone to make this gene on the full color spectrum. however, the layout is simple and an artist would know exactly where to put color hues and values, with a general idea of stars and nebulous material changing breed-by-breed like crystal and petals do respectively.
there is still the issue of applying a "substance". for now I stand that it would be difficult to obtain and is probably the main reason this gene genre would not work. wasp and bee have it just fine.
there's also "white". orca I could get, but I wouldn't wanna be the guy coloring white. this demands more development. just another reason a semi-transparent tert of similar structure could work better, though rip the market for stains.
a quick mock-up of a "cyan" constellation. I think the gene could work like runes and also be a baldwin brew.
not to toot my own horn but here's a nebula-ish "space painting" commission close to what I'd expect for a gem gene. I hope this better explains why, on a dragon, a full-body gene like this would be completely OP and not suit the site.
EDIT: the expectations of a space gene likely vary wildly person to person. those are my standards and expectations above, ie, my opinions. If anyone disagrees with me I am absolutely open to being proven wrong. I love space. I make space stuff every darn week. I breathe it. But that's just another reason why I can't expect a coupled gene set like this.
