Everyone loves the visual sensation, then sounds, and maybe feel/touch, but does anyone every imagine the smell or taste of things. Obviously: proportion and realism is not an issue unless that is what you're into, but do you ever imagine a certain fragrance or palette that enhances the experience of the other senses? You don't need to actually smell or taste, but the idea of it being so. These senses can be whatever the person desires, so go nuts people.

Its a fundamental part of being a writer, when youre setting a scene.

GDelscribe said:
Its a fundamental part of being a writer, when youre setting a scene.

Totally ^THIS^

GDelscribe said:
Its a fundamental part of being a writer, when youre setting a scene.

Lupin_v_Wolfe said:
Totally ^THIS^

What about images only?

takuyasha said:
What about images only?

Unfortunately it seems like only gross and raunchy smells seem to "translate well" into art.

Plenty of artists seem to be able to convey "nasty unwashed 'musk'", not so much "squeaky clean". >:E

takuyasha said:
What about images only?

That's called a scratch-and-sniff.

Clawdragons said:
That's called a scratch-and-sniff.

just like my panties

KevSnowcat said:
Unfortunately it seems like only gross and raunchy smells seem to "translate well" into art.

Plenty of artists seem to be able to convey "nasty unwashed 'musk'", not so much "squeaky clean". >:E

Well everything is skewed in a fantasy world. Anything can smell/taste like anything. If you were to think it smelled or tasted like cotton candy or bubble gum then that would be the stimulus

takuyasha said:
Well everything is skewed in a fantasy world. Anything can smell/taste like anything. If you were to think it smelled or tasted like cotton candy or bubble gum then that would be the stimulus

his piss tasted like cotton candy
his cum smelled like bubblegum

Munkelzahn said:
his piss tasted like cotton candy
his cum smelled like bubblegum

To a degree, this would be close.

Munkelzahn said:
his piss tasted like cotton candy
his cum smelled like bubblegum

bubblecum

takuyasha said:
Well everything is skewed in a fantasy world. Anything can smell/taste like anything. If you were to think it smelled or tasted like cotton candy or bubble gum then that would be the stimulus

Difficult to get that across in a picture though. Again, writing, pretty easy.

Clawdragons said:
Difficult to get that across in a picture though. Again, writing, pretty easy.

"Stink lines" work in art. Showing someone all grungy with sweat (or other)-stained clothes, etc, easily conveys that you would probably have to try not to throw up if you met this character iRL (but apparently a lot of people find this hot, which might explain why furries don't bathe at cons). There's not really any artistic opposite of this, other than the cartoony "character floating towards an apple pie in the window with a scent trail that beckons to them".

KevSnowcat said:
"Stink lines" work in art. Showing someone all grungy with sweat (or other)-stained clothes, etc, easily conveys that you would probably have to try not to throw up if you met this character iRL (but apparently a lot of people find this hot, which might explain why furries don't bathe at cons). There's not really any artistic opposite of this, other than the cartoony "character floating towards an apple pie in the window with a scent trail that beckons to them".

Let's take a popular character as an example: Krystal. Would the viewer attach a scent?

takuyasha said:
Let's take a popular character as an example: Krystal. Would the viewer attach a scent?

No. My point is that there -are- ways to convey scent in a visual medium. Just not many, and almost no -good- ones.

I'm not imaginative and yet I still often imagine scents when fantasizing; though not when seeing explicit imagery. I don't believe I've ever imagined taste.

KevSnowcat said:
No. My point is that there -are- ways to convey scent in a visual medium. Just not many, and almost no -good- ones.

As much as I want you to be wrong, I think you're right. It'd be fantastic if there were a practical way of "simulating" a sense of smell in a visual, but I can't seem to think of any.

takuyasha said:
Let's take a popular character as an example: Krystal. Would the viewer attach a scent?

Scent of some sort of tribal herb? Something that's sweet and pleasant, like some sort of rare flower.

takuyasha said:
Let's take a popular character as an example: Krystal. Would the viewer attach a scent?

Dried semen, like the std ridden whore she is.

Fox_And_Rabbit said:
As much as I want you to be wrong, I think you're right. It'd be fantastic if there were a practical way of "simulating" a sense of smell in a visual, but I can't seem to think of any.

Art may have to do with the sensation, but the question was, does the viewer naturally fabricate smell/taste? The picture doesn't have to be as extreme as scat or watersports.

Napalm just isn't the same when you can't smell it.

takuyasha said:
Art may have to do with the sensation, but the question was, does the viewer naturally fabricate smell/taste? The picture doesn't have to be as extreme as scat or watersports.

The point being made was that outside of gross scents, the answer is usually no. I've heard far more people say that a scent evokes a memory/image but the reverse is not nearly as common.

Now I'm sure there /are/ people who see a rose and suddenly imagine they can smell it, but I think this is far less common than someone blindfolded and given the scent of a rose and they'll either picture a rose or a strong memory that is connected with that scent. Unfortunately for most people I think it doesn't work in the other direction.

This is why I really like pictures that /include/ a detailed description or mini-story with them.

I've done things involving smell before in things I wrote. It was useful for foreshadowing, like having a character note that a room smells metallic with nothing metal in it, and nobody else smells it.