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We don't need complexity to make our OC unique, what we need is a well thought out and coherent idea that makes up your character itself. |
We don't need complexity to make our OC unique, what we need is a well thought out and coherent idea that makes up your character itself. |
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<div style="font-family:PRstart;color:#846336"><font size="5">'''T H E B A S I C S'''</font></div><small>Firstly we'll start with the most important aspects of a character (personality, design & Idea) I prefer to begin with design and Idea, then personality and Name come later.</small> |
<div style="font-family:PRstart;color:#846336"><font size="5">'''T H E B A S I C S'''</font></div><small>Firstly we'll start with the most important aspects of a character (personality, design & Idea) I prefer to begin with design and Idea, then personality and Name come later.</small> |
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<span class="mw-customtoggle-1">'''Here are some rules I would suggest keeping in mind(click)'''</span> |
<span class="mw-customtoggle-1">'''Here are some rules I would suggest keeping in mind(click)'''</span> |
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<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-1"> |
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-1"> |
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*Do not add unnecessary elements, everything must be important (if you cannot figure out an aspect of your character from that element, get rid of it) |
*Do not add unnecessary elements, everything must be important (if you cannot figure out an aspect of your character from that element, get rid of it) |
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[[File:Charcoal-bengals.jpg|thumb|center|500px]] |
[[File:Charcoal-bengals.jpg|thumb|center|500px]] |
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</tabber> |
</tabber> |
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− | <div style="font-family:PRstart;color:#846336;text-align:center;"><font size="3">'''PERSONALITY'''</font></div><small>'''Note: This will probably be the hardest part of creating your character, do not lose hope if it takes a while to get to a satisfying conclusion'''</small> |
+ | <div style="font-family:PRstart;color:#846336;text-align:center;"><font size="3">'''PERSONALITY'''</font></div><small>'''Note: This will probably be the hardest part of creating your character, do not lose hope if it takes a while to get to a satisfying conclusion'''</small>'''HOW WE'RE USING COLOURS''' |
− | '''HOW WE'RE USING COLOURS''' |
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Alright, this is how I use colours to convey things in my characters, I will try and simplify it, but this could get complicated, I find it a fun method to use. |
Alright, this is how I use colours to convey things in my characters, I will try and simplify it, but this could get complicated, I find it a fun method to use. |
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<small>(Not mine, I will link back to the origional source)</small> |
<small>(Not mine, I will link back to the origional source)</small> |
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[[File:1366745879973259629Color_Wheel.svg.med.png|thumb|center|200px]] |
[[File:1366745879973259629Color_Wheel.svg.med.png|thumb|center|200px]] |
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<small>'''(this was a basic example but I'm sure you understand what I'm going for)'''</small></div> |
<small>'''(this was a basic example but I'm sure you understand what I'm going for)'''</small></div> |
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'''COLOURS AND THEIR MEANINGS''' |
'''COLOURS AND THEIR MEANINGS''' |
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<span class="mw-customtoggle-GREEN">'''GREEN'''</span> |
<span class="mw-customtoggle-GREEN">'''GREEN'''</span> |
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<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-GREEN">(Hope)</div> |
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-GREEN">(Hope)</div> |
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<span class="mw-customtoggle-BLUE">'''BLUE'''</span> |
<span class="mw-customtoggle-BLUE">'''BLUE'''</span> |
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<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-BLUE">(Woe/Calm)</div> |
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-BLUE">(Woe/Calm)</div> |
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<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-BLACK">Black is a powerful colour, An all-consuming colour that commands all else. It is the colour of a king. Black can often be found in positions of power or seeking power. Black is cunning and ambitious but easily misguided. a fluctuating colour.</div> |
<div class="mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" id="mw-customcollapsible-BLACK">Black is a powerful colour, An all-consuming colour that commands all else. It is the colour of a king. Black can often be found in positions of power or seeking power. Black is cunning and ambitious but easily misguided. a fluctuating colour.</div> |
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− | <div style="font-family:PRstart;color:#846336;text-align:center;"><font size="3">'''NAMING'''</font></div |
+ | <div style="font-family:PRstart;color:#846336;text-align:center;"><font size="3">'''NAMING'''</font></div> |
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+ | <small>The moment you've all been waiting for!</small> |
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'''BEFORE WE JUMP IN''' |
'''BEFORE WE JUMP IN''' |
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</div> |
</div> |
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|} |
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+ | In this section we'll be tackling more serious subjects but I'll do my best to make it fun nonetheless. |
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+ | <div style="font-family:PRstart;color:#846336;text-align:center;"><font size="3">'''DISABILITIES'''</font></div> |
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+ | <div style="height:240px;line-height:20px;overflow:hidden;overflow-y:scroll"> |
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+ | Disabilities are something you need to be careful with; from the smallest of limps to the most crippling of mental disorders you always have to treat it like you would any other sensitive subject, With care. |
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+ | |||
+ | When choosing to diagnose your character with a mental disorder in particular you '''must do your research!''' |
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+ | |||
+ | As someone diagnosed with PTSD and Asperger's syndrome and a some other things I understand the disappointment and embarrassment that comes stems from seeing a character with said struggle designed in poor taste and/or without any care put into it. |
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+ | |||
+ | Disabilities are not aesthetics and they're not cool nor do they make you 'unique' you should never diagnose a character with an illness to make them unique, or add flair. |
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+ | |||
+ | For example, people headcanon autistic male characters as; "soft uwu, needing protection and cute/socially awkward" but only to a point of making them aesthetically pleasing sometimes even fetishizing them. And then theres the other side that treats them as subhuman and prefers to use many colourful choice words as descriptions. |
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+ | As someone living with said illness, it is not cute, it's uncomfortable and makes daily life outside of my comfort bubble (my room) a struggle |
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+ | You have to be careful and if you're not willing to put in the effort to portray it right then do not portray it at all.</div> |
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⚫ | |||
+ | '''MORE TBA'''; Apologies for the delay I'm caught up with work moving and my computers plug just broke so I have to save my battery for work, Updates will continue after friday. |
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− | NEXT UP IS: Disabilities(mental & physical and how to handle them) write interesting backstories! STAY TUNED |
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</div> |
</div> |
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[[Category:Guides]] |
[[Category:Guides]] |
Revision as of 16:52, 25 April 2019
CREDITS FOR ALL ON THIS PAGE :)
I have been seeing a lot of two types of OC's; the the male/female trope that contains the more aggressive and dominating males and the sweet and intelligent females and the direct cannon character copy(most common tends to be Mapleshade); while these are not bad per se they're ununique and tend to lead to uninteresting role-plays. I've also seen a fair bit of clashing personality traits and I will admit I am guilty of that.
I get that we all want our characters to be the main characters in our own stories, we want them to be complex and interesting so we pile things on even if they don't make too much sense and this can lead to an OC with so much piled on it's hard to keep track of, and frankly stressful to role-play as.
We don't need complexity to make our OC unique, what we need is a well thought out and coherent idea that makes up your character itself.
__________________________________________________
Here are some rules I would suggest keeping in mind(click)
- Do not add unnecessary elements, everything must be important (if you cannot figure out an aspect of your character from that element, get rid of it)
- Keep it simple, yet dynamic include a trait that stands out (multi-coloured eyes, a scar, a marking, unique iris shape, paw size, a skin disorder etc.)
- Avoid conflicting tropes (i.e kind but vicious under certain circumstances)
- Avoid overused tropes in general, don't create a Mapleshade/Firestar 2.0
- Your character doesn't have to be hyper-realistic but maintain some sense of an understanding of reality (try some unique pelt colours, but don't go neon yellow)
- Unless your characters realm or group forbids it, add something personal, like a flower crown, a collar, dog tags, hell even a prosthetic leg (that last one may be a neat plot point for your character, how would they care for it? how would other characters view it? what happens if it were to break?)
Now that that is over let's move onto picking out a design because this can be one of the hardest parts of character design.
(Feel free to swap back in between idea and this to help you)
You'd probably want to start by picking out a breed/species so here are some examples to get you going. __________________________________________________
SPECIES/BREED
FELINES DOMESTIC Domestic (long/short) Scottish Fold Persian Russian blue (long/short)Siamese Rag-doll Mainecoon Norwegian forest Munchkin Sphynx American curl Turkish Angora Birman Himalayan Exotic short Manx Devon Rex Bombay Cornish Rex Toyger La perm American bob-tail Japanese bob-tail Snow-shoe Turkish Van Oriental (short/long) Lykoi Donskoy Minskin WILD Savannah African golden Andean mountain African wildcat Sunda clouded-leopard Caracal Serval Sand-cat Ocelot Bob-cat |
CANINES DOMESTIC Golden retriever Husky Rottweiler Pitbull Shollie German shepherd Irish wolfhound Springer spaniel Australian cattle Dalmatian Whippet Saluki English setter Great Dane English Mastiff Australian Shepherd Basenji Greyhound Jack Russel Caucasian Shepherd Plott hound Xolo(Mexican hairless) Chihuahua WILD Wolf dog Dingo Arctic wolf Eurasian wolf Mexican wolf Japanese wolf British Columbia wolf Great plains wolf Texas wolf Arabian wolf Alexander Archipelago wolf Vancouver island wolf Iberian wolf Steppe wolf Coyote Maned wolf Red fox African wild dog Fennec fox Arctic fox Dhole Racoon wolf Dire wolf Golden jackal Hoary fox Sechuran fox Falklands island wolf Bat-eared fox Culpeo |
__________________________________________________
EYE-COLOUR
Now, you have a breed(s) picked out, which narrows down your design drastically, very helpful. Do a bit of browsing online to find something that you find appealing or find two images and mash them together to get your ultimate OC.
Eye-colour is a bit tricky, depending on what you've chosen, in Huskies heterochromia is more common than most others. Otherwise, the most common eye colour is a shade of brown.
Cats have a little more leeway but the most common eye-colour amongst them is yellow. Try to use a bit of colour-theory for the eyes. Or better yet assign an eye-colour based on your characters core emotion.
What is a core emotion?
We'll delve deeper into it in the personality section but as a basic example you have;
Red; Ambition/Passion(Anger)
Orange; Stability/Bravery(Confidence)
Yellow; Optimism/Sociable(Happiness)
Green; Growth/Quality(Hope)
Blue; Tranquil/Emotional(Woe/Calm)
Purple; Royalty/Sophisticated(Pride)
Pink; Compassion/Empathy(Kindness)
Brown; Dependable/Loyal (Comfort)
White; Purity/Innocence(Naievity)
Gray; Distant/Independence(Independent)
Black; Class/Intelligence(Control)
(Don't be afraid of using dynamic colours, we are a race of talking organized animals)
Here is a chart for eyes that may help
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PELT & PATTERNS
There are a MULTITUDE of pelt patterns so instead of listing them, I will be borrowing images from Messybeast.com
(these are in no way owned by me and are being used for constructive purposes)
Alright, this is how I use colours to convey things in my characters, I will try and simplify it, but this could get complicated, I find it a fun method to use.
Lets take a look at this colour chart (Not mine, I will link back to the origional source)
COLOURS AND THEIR MEANINGS
NOTE: I have a personal way of seeing colours that probably isn't the same as other people but this guide is a starting point, not an end all be all, we will be categorizing colours into emotions too. These core emotions are sort of the building blocks of your character.
RED
ORANGE
YELLOW
GREEN
BLUE
PURPLE
PINK
BROWN
WHITE
GRAY
BLACK
The moment you've all been waiting for!
BEFORE WE JUMP IN
Naming a character can be daunting! Especially if its a warrior cats character then you have to pick TWO names for them!
Here are some pointers for picking your OC's name!
- Does it fit their personality?
(If your character is as kind as can be, does a name like Wickedclaw fit? NO!)
- Does it flow nicely?
(Say the name out loud, as an EX Rainchaser flows better than Mulberrywhisper)
- Is it unique?
(A name like Littleberry is more unique than (Name)Claw/Pelt/Tail)
- (for those non-clanners) Is the name dynamic?
(A name like Salem or [insert cannon character name from tv show] has been overused to an extensive point, try something new like Gael, or Lumber)
PREFIXS
PLANTS Apple Asper Aspen Ash Acorn Abelia Almond Aloe Aster Artichoke Avacado Basil Bark Banana Birch Beech Bay Bean Blackberry Beet Bramble Burnet Borage Bracken Carrot Cabbage Cedar Celery Citrus Chokeberry Coffee Coconut Comfrey Corn Cyperus Cypress Dill Dandelion Date Dahlia Elm Eucalyptus Elderberry Eggplant Fig Fir Ficus Flax Fern Foxglove Garlic Ginger Gladiolus Grape Gourde Guava Goldenrod Hemlock Hawthorn Hickory Holly Hop Hydrangea Hawthorn Iris Ivy Jasmine Juniper Kiwi Kale Larch Leek Lavender Leaf Lilac Lilly Lupis Larkspur Lark Mallow Magnolia Mint Melon Mango Maple Myrtle Moor Nettle Oak Okra Orange Oregano Olive Oleander Onion Orchid Pakera Palm Peanut Pea Pepper Pecan Peony Pine Plum Poppy Potato Pumpkin Primrose Pineapple Quince Radish Raspberry Rose Rush Rosemary Rue Sage Sassafras Sedge Spruce Stock Sundew Tomato Thyme Tulip Tree Wallflower Wood Willow Watermelon Valerian Yarrow Yew Yucca |
ANIMAL Ant Aardvark Bat Badger Bear Baboon Bass Bird Camel Carp Cardinal Crab Canary Deer Duck Doe Dingo Dolphin Eagle Elephant Fish Falcon Fallow Fennec Ferret Fox Fin Finch Flamingo Fiddler Frog Fawn Gecko Gerbil Gazelle Hare Hedgehog Hermit Hawk Herring Ibis Iguana Jellyfish Jackal Jaguar Kangaroo Kiwi Kingfisher Leech Ladybug Lamb Lamprey Leopard Lemming Lemur Lion Lynx Macaw Magpie Mamba Mammoth Moth Narwhal Newt Numbat Ocelot Octopus Opossom Orca Oyster Okapi Ostrich Panther Parrot Peafowl Pelican Penguin Parakeet Rabbit Racoon Rat Rattlesnake Snake Salamander Scorpion Tetra Termite Tapir Urial Viper Vulture Walrus Weasle Wasp Wallaby Yak Zebra Zebu |
COLOURS Red Orange Yellow Green Blue Purple White Black Gray Russet Brown Pearl Tan beige Flaxen Blonde Rust Amber Bronze Scarlet Mahogany Ruby Magenta Slate Navy Sapphire Emerald Hickory Tawny Slate Ink Onyx Obsidian |
PHYSICAL/PERSONAL Speckle Spotted Stripe Stripped Freckle Scar Crooked Broken Cracked Tattered Withered Long Short Tall Dark Light Wicked Wither Torn Crumble Twisted Split Tangle Sweet Dapple Little Tiny Small Hollow Sour Bitter |
NATURE Pebble Pond Lake Rain Wind Fire Air Earth Grass Tunnel Forest Moor Mountain Sky Cloud Thunder Hail Hurricane Marsh Swamp Night Day Dawn Twilight Moss Rock Stone Wave Temple Snow Ice Sleet Breeze Flower Shadow Drizzle Dew Spark Flicker Flake |
ACTION Hop Running Skid Pounce Shudder Fidget Fall Falling Drop Tumble Tackle Leap Rasp Whisper Splash Shake Paddle Rumble Rustle Holler |
SUFFIX Claw Pelt Tail Muzzle Leaves Hunter Chaser Heart Spirit Pool Watcher (Tbh combining prefix's makes for better names) |
ROGUE/KITTYPET Copper Rusty Harper Harpy Rookie May'may June Ladybug Pickle Pancake Waffle Hunter Oliver Tinkle Socks Sweater Tea Tapper Rootbeer Doctor Hugo Black-Jack Ace Casper Ghost Oscar Zipper Gael Thumper Thatcher |
In this section we'll be tackling more serious subjects but I'll do my best to make it fun nonetheless.
MORE TBA; Apologies for the delay I'm caught up with work moving and my computers plug just broke so I have to save my battery for work, Updates will continue after friday.