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@lizzyinatizzy I would suggest you go look at "light rays" or "rays of Light" On google images: Most specifically "light Rays Vector" since that shows how they are often depicted in vector programs such as flash and illustrator.

For example, here's a stock vector lays of light package for illustrator

(Source)

The reason the Japanese extremists used it to symbolize it being a Rising Sun is because It is something the sun (and light in general) actually does when in a hazy setting and something interrupts it, like trees or clouds (or in this case, the Words "Okapi Tertiary Gene").

The Rays of light being used on the Okapi Title (to everyone confused as to what they were talking about at first like I was as I squinted at the picture of a Leg going "...how?" on the icon, the logo is the title of the gene in the first image of the post) are just an exceedingly common and used for ages out side of japan as well way of symbolizing glowing and rays of light. I didn't even remember that version of the Rising Sun Flag until you pointed it out and I went "oh, right, that one" but I immediately recognized the Okapi title being surrounded by generic clip-art styled light. Look up pictures of Christian Saints and other religious figures from various cultures known for having glowing light around them and you'll encounter much of the same symbology (examples: Ceiling of a church, Various examples, ctrl f Halo and you'll see more here)

Edit: Also, please do not associate me with people who are being more sarcastic about it, I'm just an artist who has worked with vector graphics before and have done a lot of research on art, as well as seen the rays-of-light phenomenon during sunrises in person before.

@LindLund :3 I recognized you were being sarcastic and meant no offense by stating I didn't wish to be associated with you: I just feel that Sarcastic remarks and polite education should be kept separated (makes it easier for the person getting mostly sarcastic or Sardonic commentary to tell who's being serious and understanding them but still counter acting them vs those who are just dismissing or poking fun at their reaction) . ♥ Sometimes people react to things in extreme ways because they don't have an understanding of the way something is used in other ways because they were only taught of the negative usage of a symbol and lack context of how it is used in other situations and cultures, and since most people weren't really explaining it and were more reacting in a sarcastic or dismissive manor, I figured it'd be proper to add a well thought out counter statement and educational tidbit so we can all get back to "OMG ITS SO SPIFFY EEEE", "I cant get it to look good with most of my dragons D8", "omg Webcomics" etc etc etc XD

In other news: I rather like the new gene but I feel it works best with x/y/x Dragons most of the time.

[quote] I really don't expect people who haven't lived there to know about it, but if you're going to use foreign things that's why you check with people who have lived there and scour the internet about it.[/quote] As someone who lived in Japan for a while, you might be interested to know this... First off, yes, right-wing groups like Zaitokukai use the old Japanese flag that sort of looks like the "rays of light" vector (except it has a big-ass circle in the middle and it's red-on-white, as opposed to the aforementioned vector, which is just an innocent stock image), but they are by no means the *only* ones who use it. I've seen it used in manga, anime, on advertisements and on souvenir bandanas sold to tourists next to "I went to Tokyo" shirts. Anime GFX artists use it all the time. Just because Zaitokukai and others try to appropriate it and turn it into a symbol of hate, it doesn't mean we should suddenly censor it and everything that looks like it. By that logic, we should censor a great many things for innocent resemblances. @lizzyinatizzy ( As an aside, in Japan you can a character that looks like the svastika (卍) in relation to Buddhist sites, since it was originally a symbol associated with Buddhism. It's also a character of the kanji writing system.)

@Odeena there is also the native american symbol known as the "Whirling Log" in Navajo iconography, and can denote abundance, prosperity, healing, and luck, and represents a legend that is used in healing rituals

To the Kuna people of Kuna Yala, Panama, it symbolizes the octopus that created the world, its tentacles pointing to the four cardinal points

(Edited for grammar)

this gene doesnt look good on anything..

i literally cannot make these gene look good on any dragon i've scry'd ughghHGH. Its unique from the usual terts so i wish it was easier to work with

oh my god. oh my god. okapi. oh my god.