im in the process of making a troll oc and i’m trying to figure out how people are making different signs for their trolls?? do you guys just wing it??? do you have a random generator or something?? im puzzled
WORLD IS A FUCK
I usually combine features from two signs that haven't been officially combined. For one of my OCs, I have a sign that combines Cancer with Pisces, and it looks something like this:
I know some people take other signs that exist in the world (like how vast error uses the alchemical symbols). Maybe that could help you?
Depends how you wanna approach it! Like someone said, they can be thematic to other existing symbols in the world (other astrological symbols, alchemist symbols, etc.) There's also the Hiveswap Extended Zodiac symbols that could cut a lot of the work and you can just pick one from there, OR if you'd like to get more original with it -- if you observe the Extended Zodiac symbols you can observe the symbols across each blood caste have a pattern to them and base something off of those patterns if you wanna be a little more homestuck canon-adjacent!
If you wanna get even MORE creative with it, i think noting that the design language of the troll symbols are generally very simple, line-based designs is something good to note and you can try to design something with that line of thought! They don't really have graphic iconography (say, compare to the kids' shirts)
Back when I did some original signs for some fantrolls I was gonna use for an MSPFA that ended up never happening, I sorta just approached it like making a logo or something, or a super hero symbol. I'll take some aspect of their personality, or appearance, and then merge it with elements common to the zodiac sign of their caste.
For instance, I had this character that was a communist theory nerd. She was a teal blood, whose sign has that omega shape that forms the scales in Libra. So I made a similar looking shape, but made it look like a sickle, then added a bar crossing it.
I also recommend looking into alchemical signs for inspiration, as astrology and alchemy have a lot in common. They give a pretty good idea of what you can do with simple shapes, and sometimes you can take aspects you like from different ones and merge them together into something new.
-- The Butch
