The idea for Wolf’s icon came from an anime series that he watched when he was in grades eight and nine. The symbol that represented creatures called ‘homunculi’ is a variation of the ouroboros, which is a snake eating itself. Wolf modified the image that the anime had provided, which was originally red, and removed the triangular shapes within the snake. He changed the background from being transparent in order to make a small ‘box’ around the snake. He wanted a square icon so that it could be used for online avatars and profiles. He also decided to make the background black, and I changed the red snake to white.
Why choose ouroboros ? Wolf answers, “Because, to be blunt, I really like it. To me, the snake eating itself symbolises life. Until one dies, he spends his entire life going in cycles and circles. Oftentimes, it feels as if he is failing and being self-destructive (or, in the serpent’s case, eating himself). Life is not easy, and sometimes we must all chase our tails, for one reason or another.”
What future lies ahead Wolf’s icon ? He will not say whether or not this icon will remain his symbol for his online identity. His main qualm with using this icon is that it is not entirely his. He altered someone else’s rendition. He thinks that he may create his own form of the ouroboros or change his icon entirely in the future.
(Utena’s “Shiny” Version):
Wolf felt that his icon was bland and in 2009 decided to ask a friend from the online community for a game called osu! for help in creating an icon what looked somewhat more polished. He hosted a small contest with no prize; the winner would only receive credit for Wolf’s new icon. A girl known as “Utena” won, with player “mattyu007” placing a close second.
