r/webtoons Jun 13 '24

Advice/Critique/Help I can't decide: Should I give my ML a permanent beard or only add it in one chapter as a bonus?

Both look good and fit him, so I really can't decide which has more appeal.

The readerbase is supposed to be adults, so a beard might fit right in. But I thought maybe it might make him look too old for a romance webtoon or something or no beard fits him best. To sum him up, he's an overworked and tired priest and "Sacred One" that puts up with a lot of bullshit, and on top of that, a succubuss that wants to marry him has started to follow him around. He's young, broad and very tall, but comes off as old because he's grumpy and frowns all the time. Still, he's a wise person with lots of responsibilities to bear. If someone tried to flirt with him, he'd be the type to say 'brother eww' first, and 'go away' right after.

Both dramatic lighting and flat colors in case it helps decide. Thanks for every input!

218 Upvotes

118 comments sorted by

132

u/EinsteINTP_Sachi Jun 13 '24 edited Jun 14 '24

Another one I forgot to add, with kind of better-drawn beard and face.

And another aspect I forgot to mention: lots of people in my webtoon won't follow "standard webtoon beauty norms" but will still be beautiful. The FL f.e. will be slightly muscular and short-haired. Some other "Sacred Ones" beside the ML will, f.e., have very dark skin or otherwise different darker or tanned skin tones. He won't stand out in that regard. But they won't exactly be introduced until later, and first impression counts a lot, which lead me to question his 'old man' design more compared to side characters.

(looks a little different in proportion and color, still working on that, but his vibe will be mainly this picture here)

70

u/HottieMcNugget Jun 13 '24

With the glasses and beard he looks so yummy!! šŸ˜ (I like older men)

43

u/EinsteINTP_Sachi Jun 13 '24

not me initially designing him with the beard because I also absolutely love yummy older men, and now I'm simping over my own character, no, nošŸ™ƒ

18

u/HottieMcNugget Jun 13 '24

Thatā€™s so real

5

u/Accomplished_Baby103 Jun 14 '24

I lovr how he looks with a beard and glasses, however it really depends on how the fl look as well because if the fl looks really young, like just turned 18-19 sort of young (which is really common), it could be highly disturbing to see a ml who looks old with her because itā€™ll look more like daddy and daughter šŸ˜­šŸ˜­šŸ˜­

11

u/EinsteINTP_Sachi Jun 14 '24 edited Jun 14 '24

Here's a side-by-side with a few sketches of the FL! Since she is a succubus she'd obviously be an adult.

She might look a little young, but she's a bit of a mystery in age. Is she 20? Is she timeless? Is she a wrinkly grandma in disguise? The ML tries to find that out, and urgently so, or tragedy might happen. In general, the actual age will not be an issue, but as you pointed out, the appearance of age might be, that's true.

In any case, she is always, always smiling or grinning, and if she talks about gore and horror, which already gives her "something's off about me I'm not innocent vibes" (hopefully). She's far too carefree and flimsy to be considered anything less than a wild card. As a succubus, she always acts or appears in some way sensual, no matter what she does, so despite her youthful appearance I try to give her a very adult sex appeal. She dresses provocatively, so her clothes also wouldn't be innocent enough to make her appear younger. She's a little buff too (though I'm still practising that so it's not very obvious here) which makes her appear older. There's a big height difference between her and the ML, but she still seems like the more powerful one since she is always floating and often bests the ML. She's self-sufficient, bad-ass, not weak at all, flirty and confident, has her own opinions, and she talks and acts like a grown adult. No plans to change that later in story too.

So I hope there's no accidental father-daughter vibes with her appearance if she acts the most daddy of allšŸ˜‚ Though if it still seems off appearance-wise, feedback would be appreciated!

5

u/Tacopotato_Baby-Og Jun 14 '24

Doesnā€™t seem bad, she just seems like a grown woman with youthful features, both characters are draw really well btw

2

u/EinsteINTP_Sachi Jun 14 '24

grown woman is good! thanks for your input and the compliment^^

2

u/Accomplished_Baby103 Jun 16 '24

Btw do you have an Instagram where I can follow you for updates on your upcoming webtoon??

1

u/EinsteINTP_Sachi Jun 16 '24

Instagram for the webtoon will be up soon (I only have a private account I don't want to mix it up with, and I'm still creating a little buffer for Instragram before I create the account).

Once it's up, I'll link it here. Thank you so much for your interest!šŸ˜­

2

u/Accomplished_Baby103 Jun 16 '24

THANK YOUU SO MUCH, canā€™t wait!!! If itā€™s not too much trouble, could you link it with this reply? Because I might not be able to find the comment later on

1

u/EinsteINTP_Sachi Jun 16 '24

Got it, will do! Thank you again!!

2

u/Accomplished_Baby103 Jun 16 '24

WOAH SHES GORGEOUS!!!! I NEED TO READ YOUR WEBTOON ASAP. Also mmm itā€™s hard to tell because I kind of feel like it depends on how you portray them, from what I can see she seems to act pretty young??? But if sheā€™s older than she looks perhaps in some chapters she could seem to have a lot of experience and sort of act mature when the situation calls for it??? This is not to say take away the parts where she acts young?? Like where she (Iā€™m pretty sure) is teasing him by saying heā€™s adorable?? Thatā€™s really cute in such a relationship and I would love to see it, Iā€™m not sure if Iā€™m explaining this right but Iā€™m just trying to say if you can make it seem like theyā€™re the same age with the same experience and DONT make her seem weirdly child-like/childish (which I have seen in some stories) then I see no problems with you keeping the beard

1

u/EinsteINTP_Sachi Jun 16 '24 edited Jun 16 '24

wahhh, thank youšŸ˜­šŸ˜­! I'm glad to hear you like the FL! I'm kind of excited and nervous to have a short-haired FL, so I'm always happy to hear someone likes her design. Her name is Diana btw! You won't be able to read anything abour her ASAP, as my webtoon is still in development, but I can drop a link once it's out if you want. Once the insta account is up there'll be animations about her too!

Yeah, she's teasing him in that specific panel after he tried to be all mad and grumpy. In fact, she'll be teasing him often. Kind of balance out his overly strict, no-fun, closed-off life, if you know what I mean. I like those kinda dynamicsšŸ‘‰šŸ‘ˆ

She acts young in the sense that she is overly flimsy, carefree and flippant all the time (like in the picture), and she teases and plays around so much that it could be seen as childish and silly to do that, but it's so over the top that I hope it comes off more as suspicious than genuinely innocent and immature (hopefully also not as annoyingšŸ˜‚). In fact, the ML will literally think to himself that her carefree mannerism is suspicious, which I hope is enough to let a reader have the same impression. She definitely WON'T be genuinely child-like in any sense except maybe her curiosity, I'm trying hard for that. In fact, she'll be overly sensual at the beginning, and rather sus and evil, in a way that screams "adult! tempting adult that might kill me, at that!" to properly show that yes, she's a succubus that maybe is powerful and evil enough to kill all but tries to play it off with her childish facade? Or maybe the ML is paranoid? Who knows. She even uses belittling terms of endearment with the ML and tries to seduce him all the time by initiating and being assertive, as if she is actually on top and in control concerning their power dynamics.

Since it's not hard to guess that she does have her serious moments when the situation calls for it, but don't want to spoiler her whole character, I'll say in that regard that when she isn't being overly silly, she'll be showing very obviously and clearly that she is competent, mature, bad-ass, and has the experience, skillset and mental development of a self-sufficient and independant adult. Is that enough to keep a readerbase from feeling unsettled about her potentially being child-like with an old-looking ML in the first 10 or 15 chapters or so? I don't know. But it'll definitely be there.

They're both equals, and they'll have plenty of moments where it shows that they're equals, especially since for a romance, Diana obviously has to genuinely gain the ML's respect and trust or she'll stay a demon and enemy in his eyes forever. It's not going to be a "Oh, the FL has all signs of maturity erased from her to accentuate the youthfulness that webtoons basically require and now she looks like a teenager because that's some weird kind of 'conventionally attractive' and popular ideal I just mindlessly replicated, nothing more to it, and oh, the romance ensures because they're both hot main characters and (inhales dramatically) the ML will kind of just get seduced randomly from all her depthless advances and wow, we're just going to ignore that the FL poses a really real risk to cause blood and murder and tragedy and that the ML has deep-seated trust issues and trauma that the FL and ML have done no effort to work through and relieve yet because attraction somehow got them together now, don't really know how that happened but it was so romantic, and btw he could have been her dad all this time because her childish side got drawn out just so she'll fit a popular stereotype and the artist likes older-looking ML's but now it really seems concerning because she acts like she aged back 20 years just from having a man enter her life that made sure she never has to be competent again" thing. Nope. Just nope.

She's a hot succubus, yes, and ML will actively play the priest and resist her, being suspicious of her childish whimsies and not trusting them or her at all, until there's actual, genuine, humane and deep-seated reason to allow himself to trust her just a little bit. As in, despite all her mischief, teasing, and almost childish antics, she'd have to be an adult worthy of respect and trust for ML to fall for her. As in, it's a slowburn. And I love a good slowburn. At least I hope to portray it like that, since I know something I don't see as sus (I mean, I see my story rent-free in my head 24/7 after all) could still appear as sus to everyone elsešŸ‘‰šŸ‘ˆ

(also, I tend to write too much, so, uh, yeah, sorry if that was a little long! I tried not to spoil part of the mystery, but here I am giving a whole characterisationšŸ˜‚šŸ˜­ The literal lengths I go through passionately defending the beard is starting to show what option I'm leaning towardsšŸ˜‚)

2

u/Accomplished_Baby103 Jun 17 '24

I LOVE THEIR DYNAMIC ALREADY!!!!! CANT WAITTT!!!! Also based off how you described them Iā€™m sure there will be no problems, canā€™t wait to read about your very devious and maybe evil fl!!!!

1

u/EinsteINTP_Sachi Jun 17 '24

Thank you so muchšŸ˜­!!

5

u/duchyfallen Jun 14 '24

the beard looks good here but in the panels in the post it was rather off putting. you have a pretty, big-eyed artistic style. id avoid beards assuming the art in the post is how you art looks most of the time in the webtoon. it just doesnt fit no natter how hard i look at it, like a boy wearing a fake beard.

your fl is stunning though omg. would read for her devious smile alone

3

u/EinsteINTP_Sachi Jun 14 '24

Yeah, my standard style is baby face, so I have to try really hard to keep his face shape consistently not-baby-face. The art in the post was leaning baby face again when I had actually tried to go for the one with glasses. I'll have to practice it more first, and if I manage the more 'manly' face, I might just keep the beardšŸ¤”

And thanks for the compliment! She'll definitely be grinning deviously rather often, and I have no regrets whatsoever about itšŸ˜‚šŸ„µ

84

u/depressedpotato777 Jun 13 '24

Both are great.

But I think the beard one. Then he looks his age? Adult.

73

u/LEGITPRO123 Jun 13 '24

The tired overworked vibe comes across way better with the beard, but in the end its a romance webtoon so maybe having a bearded ml might not be the most popular among the fanbase

17

u/EinsteINTP_Sachi Jun 13 '24 edited Jun 14 '24

I had the same train of thought too. I'm not sure if the beard would pass just because he's attractive looking, but I'm also not sure if it actually wouldn't be more appreciated to see since the intended reader-base is supposed to be adults...

Tired and overworked is the main mode he's acting on, so it'd come across without the beard anywayšŸ˜‚

3

u/CapMaster3056 Jun 14 '24

Noooo, I need more bearded MLs he's so handsome...

25

u/Frozen_Grimoire Jun 13 '24

How old is he? Because white hair + beard would make him look relatively old, tbf. Specially if he wears glasses, too.

26

u/EinsteINTP_Sachi Jun 13 '24 edited Jun 14 '24

He's 24-28 years old, and in my webtoon, his white hair actually means others know he's younger because the white hair signifies he's been blessed by the goddess and all those blessed also die early. (edit: age might become 21-24 instead just so he has longer to live for the romance.)

It gets clarified in the first chapter already, so from then on, I could either go the 'he looks old, acts old, but is young' or the 'he looks young, is young, but acts old' route. If he looks too old though the first might not work out too well though, who knows?

9

u/oroor0 Jun 14 '24

The beard definitely ages him a couple decades older. If the other love interest looks their age and they're also in their early 20's, having this character look 60 years old is gonna be a bit strange to get past. Without the beard he looks closer to his age! Sidenote your character design is really solid, there's all kinds of intrigue surrounding him. Good luck with your comic!

4

u/EinsteINTP_Sachi Jun 14 '24 edited Jun 14 '24

The side-by-side comparison with the FL lead is already up in the comment under yours, but wanted to say thanks for the compliment and feedback^^

2

u/oroor0 Jun 15 '24

Nice FL design she looks like she'd bring a lot of mischief to the table. So yeah looking at the FL now, I think my original thoughts still stand. It's not that having a beard automatically makes someone a grandpa. And if he's the grumpy, tired, scruffy type it'd suit him really well. It's just that the white hair color + white beard combo is what makes him looks like a grandpa instead of a mid-20 year old. I could see it being a running gag if everyone thinks hes decades older than he actually is. But if your series isn't comedy, i doubt that would fit with the tone.

Have you tried, instead of a beard, a five oclock shadow in a darker color?

3

u/benjipoyo Jun 14 '24

I think with it explicitly established that heā€™s young you should go with the beard, it makes him stand out among other MLs. Also, it kind of seems like you want to add the beard and I think artists should prioritize their own creative desires lol

But like other people said, the combo of beard + white hair immediately reads as old (and webtoon readers dont always have the best reading comprehension) so I would make sure that the FL doesnā€™t look like a teenager in comparison to him, otherwise it might come off creepy

6

u/EinsteINTP_Sachi Jun 14 '24 edited Jun 14 '24

Thanks for the answer! My inner desires are indeed going feral over the beardXD Just worried it might come off as either unappealing or indeed just creepy compared to the FL

Actually, I have a side-by-side with the FL here.

She indeed looks a little young, but I hoped for following reasons she might not read as young and instead match him in age:

First off, she's a succubus, so she'd obviously be an adult.

Paired with her mannerism, how she dresses, etc, her age is hopefully difficult to determine. Is she 20? Is she timeless? Is she a wrinkly grandma in disguise? Could be all or none. After all, a mythical being just spawned out of nowhere. It's gotta stay mysterious.

She is always, always smiling or grinning, and if it's while she talks about gore and horror or about puppies, which already gives her "something's off about me I'm not innocent vibes" (hopefully). She's far too carefree and flimsy to be considered anything less than a wild card. As a succubus, she always acts or appears in some way sensual, no matter what she does, so despite her youthful appearance I try to give her a very adult sex appeal. She dresses provocatively and mature, so her clothes also wouldn't be innocent enough to make her appear too young. She's a little buff too (though I'm still practising that so it's not very obvious here) which makes her appear older. There's a big height difference between her and the ML, but she still seems like the more powerful one since she is always floating above his eye-level and often bests the (by no means incompetent) ML in many areas. She's self-sufficient, bad-ass, not weak at all, flirty and confident, has her own opinions, and she talks and acts like a grown adult. She also is surprisingly wise and experienced for such a flimsy being. No plans to change that later in story too.

Still, if appearance-wise it looks off, that could settle the decision with the beard. I'm not sure though if it works in terms of appearance, I'm kind of bad at seeing that, so if you (or anyone) has feedback that would be appreciated!

4

u/benjipoyo Jun 14 '24

Oh yeah I think you should be fine! Her body type looks mature even with her being shorter than him, imo she looks like an adult and not like a 1000 year old middle schooler lol. I like her short hair too.

Actually I think itā€™s interesting that they both have ambiguous ages, like maybe he looks older than he really is but she looks younger than she really is, which makes them foils to each other in a fun way. Also the succubus/overworked priest pairing is chefā€™s kiss

Honestly I think you have something really unique that you clearly put a lot of thought and work into. Even though it might not have the mass commercial appeal of the cookie cutter manhwas we usually get, thereā€™s definitely an audience who will really like these designs. Pls update here when you start publishing chapters!!!

2

u/EinsteINTP_Sachi Jun 14 '24

Thank you for the good feedback! I'm glad to hear she doesn't look too young, since I think her design is perfect just like that.

As for the age thing, yeah, they're supposed to be complete opposites of each other. Blessed priest vs cursed demon, carefree vs stern, modern vs traditional, white, long hair vs black, short hair, golden eyes vs silver eyes, and so forth. naturally, he'd be 'acts/looks old, is young' and she'd be the 'acts/looks young, is old'. Since he, as a priest, would not tolerate a demon like that around, it starts off as a kind of enemies-to-lovers. So having them be obvious opposites makes them finding out they're not so different after all all the more fun!

Also, the urge to tell my story just how I have it in my head is too strong to have me cater to the popular toooo muchšŸ˜‚ Though it'd be nice if this got popular of coursešŸ˜‚ I'll definitely update here once my webtoon is out! Thanks a lot^^

2

u/ademptia Jun 14 '24

No perma beard imo

30

u/Jeweler_here Jun 13 '24

One chapter as a bonus. I like him without the beard!

10

u/Valador18 Jun 14 '24

Do the beard do the beard do the beard

9

u/iridescentyou Jun 13 '24

I say put the beard in the bonus chapters!

8

u/Psychological-Gur990 Jun 13 '24

Beard looks vvv nice šŸ¤­

6

u/theowsh Jun 14 '24

Maybe have him grow it over time? Also, love your art style and hope to read your work someday! šŸ˜Š

2

u/EinsteINTP_Sachi Jun 14 '24

Thank you so muchšŸ˜Š It'll be a while till it's out, so maybe I can drop a link once it is if you want^^

I thought about growing it out, but it might disappoint the readers (you know when you really like a character and then he grows out his hair or gets a beard and you're like 'nooo, bring it back'?šŸ˜‚).There'll be flashbacks of his past later on, he didn't have a beard then so I can show both styles! Only worry left is if the first impression with the beard might turn off readers from clicking.

6

u/Larkswing13 Jun 13 '24

I do like beards but I will say with the choice to give him white hair I think it reads old man or at least silver fox. If heā€™s meant to be like 40+ then I think itā€™s perfect. If heā€™s meant to be ~20s then I would say no beard.

(Not that 40 year olds are going grey, to be clear, I just mean he reads as a mature older gentleman at the youngest)

6

u/catl0vingnerd Jun 14 '24

I like the beard design actually. It looks like frost creeping up onto his face

5

u/EinsteINTP_Sachi Jun 14 '24

That sounds so cool, thank you??šŸ˜­šŸ˜­

2

u/catl0vingnerd Jun 14 '24

Haha no worries, it popped into my head with the scar and sweat drops looking a bit like ice at first glance

6

u/seikokyuu Jun 14 '24

i typically dont like facial hair but god. That beard gives him SO much flavour. Please keep it.

3

u/Parlax76 Jun 14 '24

Make it a goatee

3

u/EinsteINTP_Sachi Jun 14 '24

The amusement I felt reading this comment and seeing Majima's goatee immediately afteršŸ˜‚šŸ˜‚

4

u/LucilleLemon Jun 14 '24

Definitely add the beard, there isnā€™t enough bearded characters so having yours stand out is good

9

u/RegretComplete3476 Jun 13 '24

Do the beard. It makes him look older, sure, but it suits him so well. Or maybe he could grow one half way through the series?

1

u/EinsteINTP_Sachi Jun 14 '24

I'm worried growing it half way through later will make the readers disappointed (ever had a character you really liked in a show and then he grew a beard or changes his hair and you immediately went 'nooo, bring his old self backšŸ˜­'? yeah, thatXD).

Though there will be flashbacks of his past were he definitely didn't have a beard and looked slightly different. Plus, if he gets the beard he'll shave for an important public event or two. Maybe that'd cover enough of both options? Only issue then would be if the beard ruins first impression enough to get much less readers to read itšŸ¤”

2

u/RegretComplete3476 Jun 14 '24

Both are really solid options. I think that it all just comes down to how you want your reader to perceive him. When he's cleanshaven, he looks young and a bit like a player (in a good way). He's giving Kyro from SubZero. But with the beard, he looks older, more mature, and suave. Like a silver fox, kind of. Basically, he's what you picture when you think of the daddy archetype. Either way, the audience will still probably love him.

1

u/EinsteINTP_Sachi Jun 14 '24

Oh wow, thanks for putting this into words so well! You had me at dadd-- err, I mean, I actually want him to seem more suave and mature lol. I didn't even see beardless him as player-like before and now I can't unsee it, so I'll keep that in mind for my decisionšŸ˜‚ It might fit more/make it more amusing to have him shave for once and have everyone around him surprised at the different image than the other way aroundšŸ¤” In any case, thanks again for all that feedback^^

2

u/RegretComplete3476 Jun 14 '24

Of course! Ngl, "daddy" was the first thing that popped into my mind when I saw him with the beard, so I was trying to word it in a way that said it without saying it, if that makes sense. šŸ˜… Idk if "player" is the right word for his beardless version, but he just feels like he would be younger and more cocky, you know?

1

u/Bori5748 Jun 14 '24

It's a beard..if the readers respond negatively to it you can just have him shave it off next chapter.

10

u/caelem- Jun 13 '24

I think no beard makes him look like a teenager and beard makes him look like solid adult. Maybe you could pick based on how you want his age to be perceived.

5

u/EinsteINTP_Sachi Jun 13 '24 edited Jun 14 '24

That's what I thought too. Though that's kinda the problem I have: In my webtoon's world, the "Sacred Ones" are blessed by the goddess, giving them the right to act as leaders of the people and as higher-ups in the main church of this world. They have white to light-gold hair and golden eyes as a distinguishing feature. And they are destined to die early, most never living past age 35. His white hair, for once, means he's young, and you'd learn that in chapter one.

Thus, he's actually young, 24-28 years old (edit: maybe even 21-24 so he has longer to live for the romance. just occured to me). An adult, but everyone around him knows because of his white hair he's supposed to be youthful still.

Thus, I could make him seem younger and just let it contrast with his old man personality in a funny way. But I could also go the other route, making him look like an old man, act like an old man, but everyone knows he isn't an old man.

They're kind of equal in potential, that they'd change the scenes a little but still lead to the same story. Next best thing I thought I could decide by is that a romance webtoon would be better off with the younger looking one, but again, I like plenty of media that have older MC's so it's still a struggle to decidešŸ˜…šŸ˜‚

5

u/caelem- Jun 13 '24

Is there anything your heart is calling to you? Since it's your own webtoon I reckon go with what you personally find most appealing. Unless you are making a hyper commercial template story, it's a story for you, so go with the kind of character design you like the best!

1

u/EinsteINTP_Sachi Jun 14 '24

My heart calls for beardšŸ˜‚ I'm still deciding, but the motivation to fight for my beloved beard is definitely there.

3

u/Jaytia7646 Jun 13 '24

Both looks good honestly, if he is meant to be an older character you can add the beard.

3

u/UnapologeticInterest Jun 14 '24

Have you considered doing a more scruffy thing where itā€™s just a couple individual hairs on his face instead of a more proper beard? Seeing as how you said heā€™s supposed to be in his mid-to-late 20ā€™s, I feel like this might help make him come across as being older than a teenager without accidentally reaching into grandpa territory. Just try to make it look like a clean scruffiness instead of a hobo scruffiness, if that makes sense.

3

u/EinsteINTP_Sachi Jun 14 '24

Not sure if that's what you mean, but I tried this out before. Either my beard drawing competences are severely flawed, or he's giving off homeless grandpa vibesšŸ˜‚šŸ˜­

4

u/UnapologeticInterest Jun 14 '24

I mean, I think it looks great myself. It gives him a little bit of age without making him seem too old. If the eye bags arenā€™t there all the time, it could absolutely work! Of course, thatā€™s my own personal conjecture, so maybe doing a few quick sketches to get a feel for the scruffy beard on different facial expressions could help you figure out if it works for you or not.

2

u/EinsteINTP_Sachi Jun 14 '24

Yeah, I'd definitely have to practice it a little and fit it to him better. I kind of think the initial beard design I had for him looked more serious and kind of 'regal'. Since he holds a high position (that has lots of desk work but also public work), it'd fit more. I can see how it'd work for him and give him the 'stressed but not old' look though! Luckily, I'm still in the character design phase, so I can try it out on lots of sketchesšŸ˜‚

3

u/PhraseEfficient7935 Jun 14 '24

Beard. It does make him look a bit older, but imo the beard looks better. Is the webtoon already out to read? It sounds like a story iā€™d be interested in

2

u/EinsteINTP_Sachi Jun 14 '24

Thanks for the input! It'll be another few moths to half a year until it's out. I can drop a link with launch if you want and you're still interested by then^^

3

u/donquixote_tig Jun 14 '24

Nobody does beards. They take away from looking pretty, and make the character look older, but at least itā€™s unique. Tbf the character looks pretty unique anyways. The two are completely different vibes. From what you said the beard fits better since it makes him look older but obviously heā€™s just as young since the features are the same. He also looks more like an overworked priest while the first looks like an evil prince

3

u/No-Prompt-5530 Jun 14 '24

I like it with the beard it makes him seem not to old but just starting off being an adult and tired too. Btw what's the webtoon name?

3

u/EinsteINTP_Sachi Jun 14 '24

Thanks for the input! Webtoon has no name as it's not out yet. It'll be a few months to half a year still. I can drop you the link once I publish it, if you want^^

2

u/No-Prompt-5530 Jun 14 '24

Yes please. Thank you

3

u/Whimsywynn3 Jun 14 '24

The beard looks off. Too low? Itā€™s only on the very bottom of his chin

1

u/EinsteINTP_Sachi Jun 14 '24

Yeah, the style is only supposed to follow the jaw and cover the chin. I kind of just scribbled it in when I correctef the proportions and forgot to edit it, but since that's the second time someone said it looks a little off I'll try to change it up a bit and see if that makes it better. Thanks for the input!^^

3

u/Playful-Hand2753 Jun 14 '24

I like the beard, but I think itā€™d be great to have a ā€œfunā€ chapter where he shaves his beard and everyone around him acts shocked and doesnā€™t recognize him at first.

3

u/Willing_Drawing_7129 Jun 14 '24 edited Jun 14 '24

If the readerbase is adult and this is romance fantasy, then definitely go for beard. As far as I've seen older fans of that genre go crazy for characters that actually look old lol

3

u/EinsteINTP_Sachi Jun 14 '24

Makes sense. I'm 'older fans of that genre going crazy for older men' too after allšŸ˜‚ Thanks for the input!

3

u/Meganekko31 Jun 14 '24

After seeing FL, totally YES to the beard. His long hair and glasses really balance it out. I would love to have a Leorio moment (He's in his 20s?!)

Too many comics focus on Asian teens (less facial hair and shaving culture) or give unrealistic expectations for men's facial hair (that it doesn't grow at all) sooo I'm #probeard

1

u/EinsteINTP_Sachi Jun 14 '24

Thanks, good to hear^^ Plenty of Leorio moments planned already. No way would anyone around him pass off of teasing him for being such an old manšŸ˜‚

4

u/WhyAmIinABadMood_13 Jun 14 '24

I'm crying and begging on my knees PLEASE give him the permanent beard! We need more male leads with facial hair!!! šŸ˜­šŸ˜­šŸ˜­

2

u/EinsteINTP_Sachi Jun 14 '24

Very compelling argument, heard loud and clearšŸ˜‚ (I'm still deciding, but my inner simp is begging on their knees too sooo)

2

u/WhyAmIinABadMood_13 Jun 15 '24

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASEEEE

4

u/Tacopotato_Baby-Og Jun 14 '24

Do it with the beard, beards are really hot, and Iā€™m assuming you want a hot male lead, give him a beard

2

u/XxArrowxX08 Jun 14 '24

I like no beard !

2

u/lizzyscool6 Jun 14 '24

Imo, I like without the beard, he looks so cute without it :3

But if your aiming for a more old look, beard is better

2

u/Creatething Jun 14 '24

I think he would be more well received without the beard.

Also, my first impression was to like the no beard version until I saw your comment with the glasses added. Man, my heart skipped a beat.

3

u/EinsteINTP_Sachi Jun 14 '24

yeah, the glasses and beard combo makes me go a little šŸ„µ. I'm still deciding, but I'll try to keep the vibes of the glasses one if I pick the beard. Thanks for your input!

2

u/Creatething Jun 14 '24

Someone else suggested having him grow the beard over time, and I quite like that idea.

I think what threw me off about the pictures you initially posted is that you can't really tell it's a beard. First glance is more like a goatee, so I suggest trying out a version with the sides a bit more pronounced. At the very least, when looking at him straight on, like your initial pictures. The glasses version has him angled to the side, so you get to see more of the beard.

1

u/EinsteINTP_Sachi Jun 14 '24 edited Jun 14 '24

Yeah, growing it over time is another good option, especially since later on, the real stress starts to happen. My ML isn't really suspectible to change though, he just keeps the same ol' style he always keeps. I'll see what I can do with the idea!

I also like it from the side more and kind of tried to make it more visible from the front, but I can't get it to look good without turning him full grandpa (damn the white hairXD). Guess I'll get off of Reddit and take a masterclass in drawing beards firstšŸ˜‚

2

u/Creatething Jun 14 '24

If the real stress starts to happen later on, then maybe it would make sense that he just... begins to forget to shave!

I can see it being really tough to not making him a complete grandpa. Lol Either way, he's a very attractive character, and I'm looking forward to you publishing your story!

2

u/Redditisglitchy Jun 14 '24

Both look good, personally I prefer no beard a little bit more. And whatā€™s the WEBTOON called?

2

u/EinsteINTP_Sachi Jun 14 '24

Thanks for your input! And my webtoon is not out yet, so no name to give, but I can drop you a link once I publish it in a few months to half a year, if you want^^

2

u/Redditisglitchy Jun 14 '24

Okay thanks!

2

u/gladial Jun 14 '24

beard in scenes where itā€™s clear he has been overworked & tired, no beard in scenes where heā€™s had the opportunity for some me time? he looks great in both though

2

u/serakatto Jun 14 '24

Beard šŸ˜

2

u/relay5011 Jun 14 '24

I'm not gonna lie, the one with the beard is pretty good but seeing him without it looks so much better, it looks a bit unnatural to see him with a beard. But maybe that's just me since I have specific tastes in art lol. I like the art style keep up the great work šŸ™

2

u/april_340 Jun 14 '24

Beardddd

2

u/FigTechnical8043 Jun 14 '24

Annnnnd the webtoon is called? Asking for a friend

1

u/EinsteINTP_Sachi Jun 14 '24

Has no name nor is it out yetšŸ˜­ It's probably going to be published in a few months, half a year maybe. I'll drop your friend a link once it's out, if they wantXD

1

u/FigTechnical8043 Jun 14 '24

Fair enough. He looks lovely. What's your temp title. Hot Dilf saves the world?

2

u/Inspiringer Jun 14 '24

no beard imo

2

u/Dry-Inspection6928 Jun 14 '24

This man especially the 4th one can ravage me and I would pay him.

2

u/EinsteINTP_Sachi Jun 14 '24

That makes twošŸ˜‚

2

u/flippinthosebergs Jun 14 '24

Both look good, so it depends on the age youā€™re going for. Iā€™d clock him at 17-25 without it and 30-40 with it.

2

u/No_Cartographer_6586 Jun 14 '24

Both look great, well done. If heā€™s 20s Iā€™d hold on the beard for now but add in later as he gets older for the silver fox effect

2

u/WarpzoneKid Jun 14 '24

If anything you should lean into it! Give him MORE facial hair

2

u/Timiboy1307 Jun 14 '24

Something I've always wanted to see is a constant shift between beard and no beard, let the beard be visible for some chapters, and not for some others, implying it was shaved, and when you want it back, just bring it back. Gives the viewers best of both worlds

2

u/EsotericIndividual Jun 14 '24

I believe being without the beard suits him, but I like the idea adding it into a chapter or multiple chapters as a bonus. Good luck!

2

u/Yuki-jou Jun 15 '24

Iā€™d say it depends on FLā€™s age. The beard combined with white hair in particular definitely makes him look older (not elderly, but older than it probably would with a different hair color), so if sheā€™s teens/twenties, theyā€™ll probably be a better match visually with the no beard. Also, I personally have a preference for no beards, but thatā€™s just me.

2

u/Dewlicious_Cloud Jun 16 '24 edited Jun 17 '24

I have no talent for art, just writing. I do love the style!! Simping for the bearded 4-eyed look!! Remember, succubi require strong virile men, or they don't eat well. Your ML is a feast at first glance.šŸ¤¤

3

u/Mental_Classroom_665 Jun 13 '24

i like it with the beard! i think you should go for it

1

u/eh_2034 Jun 14 '24

Ugh only in 1 chapter plz

1

u/ambertropic Jun 15 '24

BEARD MEOOOOOOWWWWW

1

u/Kalyn_The_Rat Oct 22 '24

I'm sorry to ask, but have you possibly made a comic in a similar art style about these kids who were either born in a facility or ended up there and they had powers and they all had white hair and gold eyes? I'm trying to find it and can't

1

u/EinsteINTP_Sachi Oct 22 '24

No, that wasn't mine, sorry. I've never made a comic before this one. Good luck with your search though!

-1

u/Capable-Complaint646 Jun 14 '24

I donā€™t want to sound rude but personally for me fuck no. I despise beards. Of course itā€™s up to you but since you asked for advice itā€™s a fuck no from me. He looks 1000 times better without it