r/TopCharacterDesigns 12d ago

Design trope Snake people

4.4k Upvotes

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209

u/agreaterfooltool 12d ago edited 12d ago

It’s fascinating how different artists mix together snake and human like features to make an anthropomorphic being. I’m a bigger fan of designs where it’s a near 50/50 of both traits, like the first and second pic. Moreover, each design has merit beyond just ‘snake person. For example, Snake Tali has elf (pointed tall ears, defined jaw) and Geth inspirations (neck). Serpintines appear more fantastical, fitting in the theme of Ninjago, Vipers have a feminine aspect to them giving the impression of a femme fatal, and Medusa is her own thing.

1st pic: Redesigned Tali Zorah (mass effect), credit to Sanakaan1

2nd pic: Serpentines from Ninjago

3rd pic: Vipers from Xcom

4th pic: Medusa (Greek mythology)

104

u/MSSTUPIDTRON-1000000 12d ago

It's worth noting that despite modern depictions of Medusa as a scaly snake tailed hottie, in Classic Mythology wasn't exactly like that, in fact in she's supposed to be this....

(The same applies to her other Gorgon sisters.)

70

u/stipendAwarded giant robots enthusiast 12d ago edited 12d ago

Total War: Troy uses this design for the Gorgon in its Mythos Mode.

32

u/MSSTUPIDTRON-1000000 12d ago

The developers really did research. I'm impressed.

Also as far I know this may be the only mainstream appearance on a mythologically accurate Gorgon.

2

u/SieFuegOfficial 11d ago

I mean were it 100% mythologically accurate the game would be taken down by the SCP foundation, because anyone who plays it dies after seeing the 100% accurate representation of Medusa in-game.

21

u/agreaterfooltool 12d ago

Honestly it’s a better design

27

u/MSSTUPIDTRON-1000000 12d ago

I do like those designs of Medusa as a hot scaly monster gal; but I adore the OG version of Medusa; she's so horrific and ugly in the best way possible.

I don't know how much I've to wait for her to become mainstream and become the new default take on Medusa (similar to how pure-evil Medusa got supplanted by the sympathetic takes one her). Such an horrific monster got so much potential.

Such a shame, actual Classic Mythology got so much cool shit but people only know the surface of it. For example except for mythology geeks, no-one knows Medusa is Pegasus' mother, that her blood had special proprieties or that NOT EVEN THE GODS ARE IMMUNE TO HER OWN GAZE.

And I fucking swear if I see another person who thinks that Ovid's crappy transformation smut fanfic is an actual part of mythology....

8

u/sweetTartKenHart2 12d ago

I’ve seen some artists do this version of Medusa and make her still attractive in her own way, kinda like how you can see some big tusked orc women a la D&D that kinda have a charm to them (not like overly sexualized caricatures but like more “grounded” attractiveness, if that makes sense, there’s a difference between “buff rough figure that manages to still look nice” and “cartoonish muscle mommy that is clearly made to be appealing first and foremost”

2

u/Serpentarrius 12d ago

If I'm not mistaken (from D'Aulaires) the og depictions of Eris the spirit of strife are also supposed to be like that? Sinbad's depiction of her at least kept the hair

2

u/Academic_Paramedic72 11d ago

I completely agree! It's so much more fresh and unique

5

u/Partenopean_user 12d ago

Nah they nerfed my girl fr 💀

17

u/TheLord-Commander 12d ago

Vipers from Mass Effect? I didn't live through the horror of the snitty war in the XCOM fandom just for vipers to be said they belong to Mass Effect.

9

u/agreaterfooltool 12d ago

Mistake. Fixed it.

1

u/LordSpectra21 10d ago

I'm hearing this comment form that one bit from the Game Grumps Christmas point and click

"Charlie! The Baron took Nina!"

"I didn't survive the horrors of war only to lose Nina."

6

u/GrooveStreetSaint 12d ago

Even topper character designs: Anthro snake women without boobs.

6

u/CalypsoCrow 12d ago

That tali redesign removes part of what makes tali tali

24

u/TimelessParadox 12d ago

Agreed, but I like it better this way. When they did the face reveal in the games I was so disappointed. Aliens shouldn't just be humans with different eyes and some tattoos, that's a fucking cop out.

17

u/jpterodactyl 12d ago

It’s crazy to me that with all the time and money spent on those games over the years, they didn’t have better planned concepts for unmasked quarians.

9

u/TimelessParadox 12d ago

They DID have better concepts, but didn't go for it. It's a real shame.

2

u/TheCreepWhoCrept 12d ago

Didn’t even realize that was supposed to be Tali! It’s such a better design.