-sona

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Synonyms: OC, Art OC, Truesona
See also: Self-Insert, SI OC, Fanart, Persona, Fursona, Idolsona, Fictionkin, Dekudog (derogatory)
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A -Sona, also know as an Art Persona, Art OC, or a fandom-specific name, is a fanart of an original character design. The design often references the aesthetic of a canon or other characters.

They were distinct from self-inserts because the focus is on character design, and the -sona was not made for the purpose of interacting with canon characters. They were generally not accompanied by fanfiction or roleplay – they are mainly for visual enjoyment, and are not meant to be imagined as existing within the canon of a story. However that has changed over the years as the genre has become more popular.

Creating a -sona may be part of a challenge or hashtag, such as the Spidersona hashtag on Twitter after the release of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, or the 2019 Merjago prompt Day 26: "OC or -sona"

Persona, Self-Insertion and -Sona - What's the difference?

  • Persona - also known as an alter-ego, avatar or mun, is considered to be a representation of the author, outside of the fanwork. It comes from the concept of actors playing roles - "adopting personas" - but has become more about providing a way for the author to interact with other authors. Generally the actions of a persona reflect the personal motivations of the author. In roleplaying, however, "persona" can mean a self-insert character, which confuses things.
  • Self-insertion - is a fictional character based on the author but created (or adapted) for a particular fandom in order to interact with the world and characters of that fandom. The term has also become associated with Mary Sues/Gary Stus, however not all self-insert characters are Mary Sues and not every example of a Mary Sue is necessarily a self-insertion. The major difference between a self-insert and a persona is that the self-insert is treated as a fictional character, not a representation of the author.
  • -Sona - a -sona is generally accepted to be a fanart term, in which artists create versions of characters with designs based on the aesthetic of a fandom which is not necessarily the one they belong to. However, the term is derived from "persona" and so there is a tendency, despite previous definitions, for -sonas to be art of self-insert characters.

History

-Sonas likely originated with the fursona from Furry fandom. Fursonas have long been a "character, persona, alter ego, avatar, or identity assumed by a person or player normally associated with the furry fandom." The origins of the fursona concept and its role in furry fandom today are difficult to pin down to specific dates, but it in Western society in the 1970s and 1980s due to the growing clout of roleplaying gaming (including live-action, tabletop, computer multi-player, etc.)[1] induced the adoption or self-creation of highly-stylized, often genre-specific alter-egos for RP purposes among specific audiences, known as personas.

Such characters often did not need to be written into written narratives, but were instead buoyed by being a general-purpose alter-ego for the RPer or costumer. This difference from the traditional idea of the character as being driven by stories of fiction allowed for the "favorite character" or "custom-made character" to be shifted to the "alter-ego", "alternative persona" or "fursona". Personas are usually rendered in art. Often there is a profile showing off the -sona's character design.

The terms and agreed-upon tags for sonas are usually fandom-specific. A noun, usually related to the species of the character, is placed before -sona.

Following Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Spidersonas became extremely widespread. This popularized the concept of the -sona, leading to the creation of -sonas for different fandoms outside of widespread trends and the muddying of the use of the term to include more self-insert characters. This is reflected in discussions of -sonas by artists in the 2020s, where the assumption appears to be that a -sona will be a self-insert and part of an artist's branding[2].

Fandoms

Fandoms with notable -sona art trends.

The BNHA OC and Spidersona trend are notable for rarely being intended to represent the artist, and are not self-inserts. However, over the years this has become less the case.

Homestuck

Fantrolls as well as Trollsonas.

Many Homestuck fans create their own troll or human avatars for RP complete with art and typing quirks. There is a generator available to make them, a wiki specifically for fantrolls, and several forum posts and tumblrs about fantrolls.[3]

Steven Universe

Known as a Gemsona. Many fans have developed their own Crystal Gem personas or Gem OC's, also known as "gemsonas"[4]

According to the FAQ on the Gemsona Archive on Tumblr:

q: What is a Gemsona?

a: Its just you as a Crystal Gem from Steven Universe! That’s literally it!

q: Can I make one?

a: Of course you can, I don’t know what you gotta’ ask![5]

Series creator Rebecca Sugar also encouraged this in an AMA:

I am Rebecca Sugar, creator of Steven Universe, and former Adventure Time storyboarder, AMA!

pearlgirl413: Hi Rebecca! I'm a huge fan of your work! One thing I'm a little curious about is what's your opinion on the gemsonas? (People recreating themselves as crystal gems/Crystal Gem Fan Characters)

RebeccaSugar[S]: I love them. I love them! Please make them, and fuse them with each other!

BNHA

Known as a BNHA OC.The practice of creating an OC U.A. student with a profile sharing their Quirk and character design is extremely popular. There are ask blogs and RPs dedicated to OCs.

Spidersona

Spidersonas became popular after Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, which deals with parallel and alternate realities and, to some extent, legacy heroes. The concept of a multiverse is also a part of Marvel and Spider-Man comics.

In 2019, Marvel held a contest for fan-made spidersonas, and the winners were featured in several Spiderverse comics beginning in 2020.[6]. Sun-spider, one of the winners, also had a brief appearance in the 2023 animated movie Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.

Fanwork Examples

Fanart

References

  1. ^ Fursona on Wikifur, retrieved June 2019
  2. ^ Creating an Artsona when I feel dysphoric about it by Angela-Luntian - thread at r/ArtistLounge, May 2026 (archived link)
  3. ^ Examples: Fantroll Evaluations, F-yeah Fantrollreviews, fuck yeah awesome fantrolls, and fuck yeah awful fantrolls
  4. ^ The World Of Steven Universe. "Steven Universe - U.G.R.V. (Clip) Say Uncle." YouTube. YouTube, 02 Apr. 2015. Web. 13 Apr. 2015.
  5. ^ "Gemsona Archive - FAQ". Archived from the original on 2019-01-19.
  6. ^ Frevele, Jamie (October 1, 2019). "Fan-Created "Spidersonas" Will Appear in 'Spider-Verse' #1".
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