Character-Making Guide

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Saturn
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Character-Making Guide Feb 25, 2016 11:09:17 GMT -6

Post by Saturn on Feb 25, 2016 11:09:17 GMT -6

This has been long overdue. I'll post this brief summary, but it will be followed by more in-depth information.

First, think of your character's personality.
Second, their appearance.

Let me explain:
Their personality should be able to parallel to yours- you must be able to slip into your character's skin, their style, their emotions. You have to be comfortable as your character, and fluent in their ways (unless they are a particularly volatile character, but that isn't a common thing).
Here are some things to keep in mind:
* How do they think? Are their thoughts different from their speech? More or less organised?
* What are their opinions? Are they very strong opinions, or liable to change when someone else says something?
* Are they chivalrous? Are they willing to take risks for others? Or do they step away when something is going on?
* Are they social? How do they act in crowds, versus small groups? Are they introverted or extroverted? How do they behave when they're alone?
* How long does your character hold grudges? How willing are they to forgive and forget? Will they go to violent lengths to take revenge?
* How do they react to the opinions and choices of others? Do they get offended easily, or do they acknowledge the other and move on?
* Think of their age. How mature are they? Are they empathetic, or are they still childish?
* What motivates them? What causes them to be paralyzed with fear?
* Make them relatable for others- it makes it a bit more enjoyable to read once you actually join in the story.
* Character strengths and flaws? (Yes, they need to have flaws. You are not six.)
* What are their interests, their passions?
* Do they have any secrets? Some form of power? Remember, we have a crystal that holds the power of our universe tenfold. I can tell you your limits.
* What is their history? Where did they come from, how were they raised, if at all? Have they done anything of worth, and did they even get noticed?

In the end, personality is key- especially since you likely won't be seeing the characters too much unless you, as the author, the engine, are willing to draw fanart for each and every entry you make into the story. Which would be kind of dumb of you to do.

Last Edit: May 9, 2016 18:32:53 GMT -6 by Saturn

i finally get to have a fucking signature,, thank the gods

Ki'vora
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Saturn
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#be dave? #bitch please

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Character-Making Guide May 9, 2016 18:51:51 GMT -6

Post by Saturn on May 9, 2016 18:51:51 GMT -6

GENERAL KNOWLEDGE:
Biological gender and other physical attributes are the first thing most people tend to think about when creating a character. But here are a few pointers to help guide you in the right direction-

-Males are lithe and fast, while females are strong, and usually slower
-Males are usually left-brained and analytical, while females are right-brained, and have a bit more 'creative'
-Males have beaks and leathery wings, while females have muzzles and feathered wings
-Shadiir always have dark scales, with exceptions in cases of albinism (1 in 17,000) and melanin deficiencies (such as vitiligo).

Politically speaking, females are often granted higher statuses as well, so please refrain from choosing female simply because you want to be respected. Trust me, the plotline is not going to like you.
Also, lower-rank (peasantry) life is not terrible. Please stop making every character high-ranked. There isn't much room for development, on that route.
Also, please take into account that thin is not always good, and is in fact unhealthy for most females.

i finally get to have a fucking signature,, thank the gods

Ki'vora
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Saturn
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#be dave? #bitch please

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Character-Making Guide May 9, 2016 19:11:45 GMT -6

Post by Saturn on May 9, 2016 19:11:45 GMT -6

The eye color of a Shadiir is very important- this shows a Shadiir's internal ideals, and how strongly they feel about them. The basis for these ideas are based off of chakras. In Indian culture, chakras are thought to be centers of spiritual power, with seven core chakras with colors associated with them (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet). If you actually want to learn more about chakras, you can read about them on this article.
If you want to take a test to debate the balance of your own chakras, I usually refer to this testhere. (It's the most thorough.)

Whether you read that article or not, I can give you a general idea of beliefs associated with eye colors:
- Red believes in a firm home, and in strength within community or self.
- Orange believes in freedom of expression, and to be accepting of self.
- Yellow believes in strength of self, and self-preservation.
- Green believes that friends and family are more important than anything else, and will often put others before themselves.
- Blue believes in truth over ideals.
- Indigo believes in thinking things through, and being patient.
- Violet believes on living purely on the spur of the moment, and trusting their intuition to guide them through life.

Please note that darker versions of these hues have weaker beliefs in such things:
- Dark red are usually very cynical and rude, and tend to hate other people.
- Brown tend to be very quiet and shy, and often self-hating.
- Ochre are often insecure about themselves.
- Dark green are very distrusting and stoic.
- Deep blues tend to be liars and delinquents.
- Darker shades of indigo are impatient and rude, often very nippy at everyone.
- Dark shades of violet overthink themselves a lot, and will often make poor choices, or no choices at all.

Lighter tints of colors tend to be more intense in their beliefs:
-Lighter reds believe that a unity, or a hivemind, is truly what is important, and that individuality is a waste.
-Brighter oranges are very loud, opinionated, and often think they can do everything without the help of others.
-Bright yellows are egoistic and blunt. Extremely self-centered, and only do things if there is something for them to gain from it.
-Lighter greens will often decriminalize things, and are easily taken advantage of. They can sympathize with even the most heinous acts.
-Bright blues believe that justice must prevail over all else, and will often jump the gun and do things over accusations, even without proof.
-Light indigoes are willing to wait their entire lives for anything- a blatant weakness that is the cause of many unfortunate deaths.
-Bright violets do whatever come to mind, and often have no filter or even common sense. Easy to manipulate, and will either do what is popular, or what isn't.

(If you feel the need to change your Shadiir's eye color because you did not realize this was how these things worked, please message me about a change.)
Shadiir eye color can change over time, as well, though it often does not change drastically. Reasons for eye-color change include trauma, counseling, or gaining of knowledge/wisdom.

On top of this, it is good to have basic knowledge of how a Shadiir's iris works- it changes colors based upon emotions. This list is bound to be updated as well, so always remember to check back if you forget:

Bright Red- Fear/Surprise
Grayed Red- Exasperation
■ [Pure] Red- Anger/Irritation
Crimson- Fury (intense anger)

Bright Orange- Obsession (think Yandere)
■ [Pure] Orange- Lust
Brown- Disgust

Bright Yellow- Anxiety
■ [Pure] Yellow- Pride
Ochre- Bitter (Salty)

Grayed Green- Sorrow (over loss)
■ [Pure] Green- Love
Dark Green- Possessive

■ [Pure] Blue- Passion (like when drawing or singing)
Dark Blue- Shameful

Bright Indigo- Forgetful
Grayed Indigo- Bored
■ [Pure] Indigo- Thought (usually when deep in thought)
Dark Indigo- Overthinking

Bright Violet- Manic
Grayed Violet- Sad
■ [Pure] Violet- Joy/Happiness
Dark Violet- Upset (to point of tears)

A good way to remember this is to remember the colors labeled [Pure], and on top of that, think that white is more frantic, gray is more depressive, and closer to black typically means that the emotion is a much more negative version of its pure self.
Many of these emotions can be considered dangerous, including bright violet, bright orange, and crimson.

This should cover the basics.

If you have an idea for anything that is not included here (grayed, bright, dark, or perhaps otherwise) please share your idea with me. (If it is 'otherwise', please provide a hexadecimal code to go with your color.)
If you have an idea for a name for any of these colors, please tell me (and give a hexadecimal code to go with it).
If you feel like I missed a specific emotion.

To message me for the reasons above, you can click here: [X]
This link will also be included in my signature.

Last Edit: Oct 14, 2017 10:36:47 GMT -6 by Saturn

i finally get to have a fucking signature,, thank the gods

Ki'vora
4C00-00EF-C01F

Saturn
Queen

#be dave? #bitch please

Posts: 531
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Character-Making Guide May 18, 2016 11:44:57 GMT -6

Post by Saturn on May 18, 2016 11:44:57 GMT -6

Now, I think I should bring up another very important topic- Mary Sues.
Your character must have a balance- not too many bad things, but not too many good things, either.

1.) Give flaws to balance character strengths
Your character is allowed to have strengths, but must have weaknesses to balance. Too, they shouldn't have too many flaws and not many strengths. This does not mean that they must be conscious of their strengths or weaknesses, but they must be present, and they must affect the character.
Remember, a character flaw is only a real flaw when it has lasting consequences, and isn't conveniently contrived or brushed aside as if it never happened, or when and where it is convenient.

2.) Try to be somewhat original (but not too original, if that makes sense)
We're all aware that every person is different, because they are, and your character is allowed to have distinct features! But remember to keep in mind some key things:
-Albinism is not super-common, and when it is present, it doesn't automatically come with other health issues. Keep this in mind.
-Vitiligo is fairly common, and I will not stop you from making a character that has it. But be aware that Shadiir are just as terrible as people are, and characters are encouraged to look down upon anyone who isn't 'the norm'.
-Physical disabilities are okay, and you're allowed to have them, but please don't romanticise them, or be 'magically cured' at any point in the story.

3.) Avoid pity-begging character traits
Avoid the Disney cliches, like dead parents, or other loved ones. Things like that are allowed to happen, but not every parent ever will tragically die of cancer, and not everyone will disown their parents for more than a month before admitting to themselves that they are being angsty teenagers and going back home.
Mischief is already Mary-Sue enough with dead parents, plus a dead to-be wife, but I'm working with that right now.

4.) Give your character difficulties
You cannot get things right every single time, and nor should your characters. I hope I won't have to go into much more discussion on this subject.

5.) Bad habits
From claw-biting to alcoholism (or an addiction to maple leaves, which mischief may or may not have), bad habits are a must, with any repercussions that come with them. Those bad habits don't have to be extremely bad, but there are a lot more people who numb themselves with alcohol than people who will admit to it.

6.) God-mode
Honestly just.... don't be too powerful, do not write out the follow-through of an action that your character made, control other characters, or auto-hit/auto-dodge. Also, differentiate between what you know and what your character knows; that is vital. Your character is not all-knowing, and you need to make sure that knowledge that you have doesn't slip into your character.

7.) Avoid plot-stealing
This one is really vague, but basically don't try to knit yourself into Mischief's original story, or another character's story, unless you and the other person talk about it for like 5 hours on end, and agree that it would be good for the development of both characters.

8.) Avoid unexplained abilities
If people have 'powers' that they don't explain in the RP, they've explained them to me.
But otherwise, why do you have your abilities? From being immortal, to being bilingual or something of that sort, why? Was it genetic? Something you trained hard for? A complete accident? What are the repercussions of your ability, and how do they affect your character?

9.) Special appearances for species
I stated before, albinism is basically forbidden (unless I give you permission myself), vitiligo is okay (but you will have to put up with in-RP bullying), and other things such as heterochromia or similar physical attributes should be researched, and you must come to me prior to the creation of your character.

10.) Special classes
Mischief is Queen because my ten-year-old self is stupid (and she's going to be doing a lot of worrying about politics now), and Broken is a General because it was arranged previously.
Other than that, I don't want anyone else trying to be 'important' unless they take in mind that there's gonna be a lot of negative repercussions coming with those titles, and that they have to come to me before applying it to their character.

11.) Be willing to accept feedback and adjust character
If someone tells you that something is up with your character, please have them not only explain why (because they might just be rude, or looking for attention in an argument online because that's the only way they can feel satisfaction in their lives) but also be willing to change your character a little if facts begin to point to your character being out of balance.
If have a Mary-Sue trait going uncorrected, you have to be willing to kill it before it affects your character and the storyline too badly.

Just as a final note, if you want to write some form of 'disability' into your character, you have to write it correctly. Depression is not always a constant feel of 'wanting to die', albinism is really uncommon and is not always paired with weakness (those are only the rarer cases), OCD is an actual form of anxiety that can even be crippling, people with autism are not fucking stupid, and bipolar disorder is really fucking far from just being mood swings. (I have to stress those last two a lot, sorry.)
People cannot control their 'mental illness' (which often are not illnesses at all, but just a construct of the brain that are not the same as yours) with sheer willpower. Please educate yourself on a disability if you plan on writing it. (If you need help, you could ask me, but if you can't write it, I wouldn't suggest making a fool of yourself.)

i finally get to have a fucking signature,, thank the gods

Ki'vora
4C00-00EF-C01F

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Crystal: This is important to me Jun 11, 2018 21:19:32 GMT -6

Crystal: where THE FUCK is the skyrim punchy thread Jun 11, 2018 21:19:27 GMT -6

Saturn: anyhow @omega i just edited my old entry so now jade actually asks you a fuckin question because I GUESS I FORGOT TO DO THAT Jun 1, 2018 11:57:55 GMT -6

Saturn: that, by the way, is like pretty much the main reason i use piskel to host literally all of my images. so i can see shit at school Jun 1, 2018 11:43:24 GMT -6

Saturn: your avatar literally does not load for me when im at school im thoroughly pissed Jun 1, 2018 11:39:41 GMT -6

Omega: me: (makes ten art threads, posts fifty out of context quotes, makes a profile picture, does not post in the rp thread for three months) May 31, 2018 21:53:06 GMT -6

Omega: me: omg why is no one posting in the rp thread May 31, 2018 21:52:04 GMT -6

big jimmy: scrung May 11, 2018 11:21:27 GMT -6

Saturn: okay im adding in a quick links thing in the profiles. but since its a fucking text area i cant trust none of yall with it so if you want links to like, your deviantart or something tell me + i'll do it for you Apr 29, 2018 8:52:59 GMT -6

Saturn: doing some fucking around real quick Apr 29, 2018 8:45:31 GMT -6

Saturn: i guess it has to do with the colors of the original 6 TCG basic energy card colors. thats kind of a cute little nod to that Apr 12, 2018 13:19:55 GMT -6

Saturn: is there some particular significance to those six colors?? Apr 12, 2018 13:18:10 GMT -6

Saturn: gorm + blusix are blue, bronius + browsix are brown, rood + resix are red, zinzolin + purpsix are purple, giallo + yellosix are yellow, and ryoku + greesix are green Apr 12, 2018 13:17:49 GMT -6

Saturn: an interesting thing that i just found. is that six of the seven sages have names based off of colors. right? but in orre. there are six boys whos names are based off of all the same colors: red, blue, brown, yellow, purple, and green Apr 12, 2018 13:14:58 GMT -6