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 Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2012 6:35 pm
This thread just holds some tips and suggestions on how to make an original, balanced, creative, and complete character. You don't have to read this. Seriously, you don't. But it's here if you want it.
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Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2012 6:37 pm
Original Characters Only
We want only original characters here; by this we mean no characters that are from books, TV shows, movies, real life, anime, etc etc etc, or characters that are exact clones of other characters.
To this end we ask that you not base your character's looks, personality or history directly off of any character in a book. Yes, there will be characters who are similar, and if your character overlaps over another that's perfectly fine -- but don't look at Duo from Gundam wing and copy his looks...don't take Anita Blake and duplicate her powers...and so on and so forth.
Along a similar line, we ask that you try to create a character who fills a gap, and who is not a clone of an existing character. It would be wise to browse the Character Profiles forum to get a feel for what we have, and what we might need.
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Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2012 6:42 pm
Common Mistakes
This post addresses some common errors people make when inventing characters. If the amount of information is daunting, please just skim over the titles. They're fairly self-explanatory!
Conflicting, Opposing or Changing Personalities
Personalities are a flexible thing, and everyone understands that -- but there are certain elements of personality that should remain stagnant, and others that should shift and change.
When writing up your character's personality, define the things about them that are inflexible, not the ones that are changing; naturally, most people will fight back when stuck in a corner, that's not a fundamental building block of your character's personality. If you refer to your character as 'peaceful', what that means is that your character would not fight back; saying something like 'she's peaceful, except when she's attacked' ends up being meaningless and tells us nothing about the character, because most people are like that..
In summary, don't give us a list of things such as "Shy, but can be outgoing in certain situations; quiet, but gets very loud when drunk; a coward, except when s/he needs to be a hero," because all this is saying to us is 'the character has no personality except to fit into whatever situation how best I want him/her to.' Just focus on some of the fundamentals of your character.
Perfect Bodies and Faces
NO ONE IS PERFECT.
Seriously, not everyone has a dancer's body, or a fighter's body; not everyone has gorgeous glowing skin or long flowing locks; not everyone is impeccably, neatly dressed all the time. You have to stop and think 'what would make my character more complete? What details could I add to bring some life into his/her appearance, to tie the looks to the personality to the history?'
Cute birthmarks and distinctive scars don't count as 'examples of imperfection'. Neither does having a small waist and big boobs. It has to be something about your character that makes him/her distinctive and human. It has to be something that ties into his/her personality and history, and draws it all together.
A pretty birthmark? Not a flaw. A scar? Who doesn't have a scar?
Names
Generally, names in Llywdbeinn have a vaguely Germanic, Gaelic or English feel, but things are flexible -- people invent names, or change them, or play with them. However, as this is a closed society, there are no Japanese names, most certainly, and anything else with a specific ethnicity would not fit in and would be rejected.
As these names are fantasy, and are likely to be invented for the purpose of this shop, we ask that you try not to use a name someone else has without first getting their permission.
Formatting
This is a minor thing but for our sake, please format your applications nicely. Don't overuse italics, bold, or center. Put line breaks, or 'enters' between paragraphs -- and separate out those huge blocks of text into more manageable segments. Emphasize what needs to be emphasized, and organize your thoughts.
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Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2012 6:48 pm
Questions to ask yourself It's hard to flesh out a character, to make him or her feel 'complete' and real, as opposed to just being a handful of words on the page. In order to polish off a character, the key is generally to ask questions about him or her; find out the 'why' behind the attitude, the looks, the style of dress, the activities he or she enjoys, fears and phobias and everything else. In order to help you explore your character-in-progress further, here is a list of questions that you might ask yourself while writing up pieces of your application. This list will constantly be extended and updated. You do not have to address any of this in your app, but it might be a fun exercise for you to complete for yourself. Appearance Beyond just coloration, what does your character look like? Nose shape? Eye shape? curve of the mouth? Line of the jaw?
How does your character usually like to wear his/her hair?
Do they fight? If so, do they keep it up out of the way, or cropped short?
Is your character vain? Is grooming important? Is he/she usually kept spotlessly clean or a little sloppy around the edges?
Is your character attractive, in a traditional sort of way, or is he/she more charismatic and unusual? Not everyone is classically pretty, and even people who are not actually considered 'beautiful' in a physical sort of way could always be 'attractive' despite their flaws. Clothing How well off is your character? Can he/she afford fancy clothes? Does being rich mean he/she enjoys slumming it, or dressing up nicely?
Does your character's clothing fit with his/her personality? If shy, would he/she be more likely to cover up? Dress in baggy clothing? If outgoing, would he/she wear bright colors, loud patterns, to catch attention?
Is comfort more important, or style?
What kinds of colors does he/she wear? Personalty Does your character interact well with others?
More manipulative, or innocent?
What kinds of people does he/she like?
What kinds of people is he/she attracted to?
If given a free hour, what would your character most likely do?
What kinds of stories does your character like? Music?
How is your character in leadership roles? Abilities What sort of education has your character had?
What kinds of training has your character had?
If a character fights -- what kind of fighting? Sword? Bow? Hand to hand? Bar fights?
Is there an art form in particular that your character enjoys? Is he/she good at it, or only a connoisseur?
What is your character truly, terrible awful at? History What was family life like? Siblings? Single parent? Happy, normal marriage? Grandparents? Aunts and uncles? Gay cousins? Wicked step-sisters?
How well off was your character, in various points of his/her life?
What goals did your character pursue? Where did he/she fail? Where did he/she succeed?
Regrets?
Lost friends?
Pets? Overall Does every aspect of your character fit together, according to a theme/personality?
Are any of your characters abilities just your own unfulfilled dreams, or are they all necessary and logical?
Is your character too perfect, too flawed, or balanced just right?
Have you reread every part of the app to make sure it looks and feels right to you?
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Posted: Sat Apr 21, 2012 6:49 pm
For the love of god, avoid Mary Sues. Mary Sues are characters who exist solely to bring about your own wish fulfillment, and who are not believable as complete people. They frequently have 'positive flaws' in appearance [such as pretty birthmarks that they hate or long beautiful hair that they dislike, or adorable freckles] and personality [such as being 'too nice', or clumsiness that other people find adoring]. They also are frequently 'loved by everyone' -- which is not fun to RP against. It would be wise to take this Mary Sue Litmus test if you have any concerns that your character is a Sue, or if he or she fills any of the above-mentioned stereotypes. Be honest with yourself, and answer the questions truthfully, or else this will do you no good! Remember, no one else has to see your results, you can take them as critique and edit your profile without anyone ever knowing...
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