Thank you for the compliment and input. I very much appreciate it. Personally, I don't mind how rounded his face is. I think it makes him seem 'softer' and more approachable. Which I think is a good thing as it contrasted with Sephiroth's more narrow, pointed countenance and even then, there is a certain feminity about Sephiroth despite his obviously male orientation. Just the same, I'm still pleased with the results.
I getcha.
Well, it's cool! I like it.
It's not so much femininity as it is grace/gracefulness. Like Alucard from Castlevania. He is masculine, but he's also stylish, graceful and sophisticated.
I have a thing for long-haired men in capes, sue me. I didn't used to like men looking very masculine with facial hair and all that, but I guess it came with age. When I was a teen and in my 20s, I liked men looking like Sephiroth. Now I'm in my 30s and I like the way Reeve and Biggs look, lol. So, I guess it's a preference thing. I have an original character (non FF related, for an original story) who's inspired by Vincent and Dave Grohl (famous musician), and every time I've drawn him, he never ended up having that "rough" manly look that I was going for. Kept ending up looking feminine and I couldn't really "diagnose" the issue. That came years later.
As it happens, I also do have an FFVII OC. I haven't drawn her in forever, because I've implemented her in my original story instead. I shipped Aerith and Vincent for many years (still do...lol, don't judge me, I'm a sucker for odd pairs), and this OC is supposed to be their daughter. Her name is Florence, and she goes by "Lore", because she's 17 and rebellious and hates her name.
These are 13-14 years old, but I figured I'll share them since they're relevant to the topic.
I did my best to try and make her look like a mix of Aerith and Vincent. I'm pretty sure that nowadays, I could do it a lot easier with AI. I'm not as skilled as you at digital art, mind you. But it's strange to think that these were colored using a mouse.
Bonus: Young Florence